Chapter 120: 22nd Floor. Slime Worm (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: 22nd Floor. Slime Worm (1)
Pixie fell silent for a moment. A High-Rank skill? Already? Her voice wavered as she spoke.
[How? From what I remember, you had twenty thousand Gold at most.]
“I told you. There was an event.”
[……What kind of event?]
“A very simple, brutal one.”
One that allowed him to gather fifty thousand Gold. Pixie muttered to herself, clearly finding the situation absurd.
[All Administrators are lunatics, but it seems your planet’s Administrator is a special breed of crazy. Fine. If you have the Gold, I have to do my job as a shopkeeper. Here. Take it.]
[You have acquired a High-Rank Active Skill Box.]
The box dropped into Kang Jun-hyeok’s hands. Pixie gave a thin, knowing smile.
[You’re the first on this planet to purchase a High-Rank skill. Well, not the first in the entire universe, though.]
Earth was a relatively weak planet from a galactic perspective. The Player he had faced when he met Eldiria had already been using a High-Rank skill.
However, even looking at the universe as a whole, not many Players possessed High-Rank skills. They were that powerful—and that rare. Kang Jun-hyeok wore a satisfied expression.
“Thanks.”
[See you next time.]
Pixie departed. Kang Jun-hyeok touched the box with a look of intense anticipation.
Lowest-grade skills assist an action.
Low-rank skills cause an action.
From Mid-rank skills onward, they go beyond simply causing an action to wielding immense power.
And High-rank skills? They create a phenomenon.
That was the distinction Players had established for skills. While not every skill fit the mold perfectly, it was accurate in a broad sense.
Take the High-rank skill used by the Player he fought alongside Eldiria: Earth Shatter. That skill created the phenomenon of a localized earthquake. It was on a completely different level from lower-ranked skills.
Now, he had obtained a skill of that same caliber. Kang Jun-hyeok opened the box. Along with a blinding light, a notification window appeared.
[You have acquired the Active Skill: Single Point Penetration.]
[Active Skill: Single Point Penetration]
Rank: High-Rank
Proficiency: F
Cooldown: 24 hours
Description: Instantly dash toward a single point and pierce it with immense force.
“Single Point Penetration?”
This was a skill he hadn't seen in his past life. Because High-rank skills cost so much Gold, very few Players ever possessed them. It wasn't strange that there were skills he didn't recognize.
Kang Jun-hyeok stroked his chin.
‘Based on the description, it looks like a combination of Charge and Thrust.’
It didn't immediately sound like a High-rank effect, but seeing was believing. He had to check for himself.
Kang Jun-hyeok moved to a nearby abandoned mountain. He climbed halfway up and put some distance between himself and a boulder the size of a house. He drew his spear and caught his breath. Then, he activated the skill.
[Single Point Penetration.]
“Ugh.”
A grunt escaped his lips the moment the skill triggered.
His body accelerated—independent of his will. He moved faster than sound. The spear pierced a single point on the boulder.
CRACK-BOOOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed through the range. The mountain trembled, and tree branches shook violently. Animals cried out, fleeing in a frenzy.
“…….”
Kang Jun-hyeok let out a low groan.
The boulder hadn't just broken; it had been shattered into dust. It didn't stop there. The aftershock of the power rippled through the space behind the rock. A massive hole had formed, as if a giant beast had gnawed a tunnel straight through the mountain itself.
The Master of All Weapons muttered.
[Useful.]
“……It’s embarrassing to even compare this to Charge or Thrust.”
He let out a hollow laugh. As expected of a High-rank skill, its power was monstrous.
‘The speed exceeded the speed of sound.’
The power imbued in the spear also far surpassed his own Strength stat. Piercing a target with extreme force—it was simple, but that simplicity made it devastating. This was definitely a jackpot.
Having finished his test, Kang Jun-hyeok called Kim Tae-yeon.
—K-Kang Jun-hyeok! You’re alive!
“Did you think I was dead?”
—No. Not exactly, but…… what’s the matter?
“I’m calling to ask about the situation after the event ended.”
The Administrator of Earth had triggered a massive event. The aftermath must have swept across the entire globe. Kim Tae-yeon began her explanation calmly.
—First of all…… it seems the bottom 10% was around the 8-minute mark. The shortest survival time confirmed so far is 8 minutes and 12 seconds. ……It’s a tragedy. Several people I knew have disappeared.
Kim Tae-yeon’s voice was heavy with gloom. They had been climbing the Tower diligently, only to vanish in an instant because of a single event. It was a truly unfortunate situation.
However, Kang Jun-hyeok was surprised for a different reason.
‘The bottom 10% was 8 minutes?’
In his past life, it had been 6 minutes. It had increased by 2 minutes—a very clear, significant difference.
“What was your time, Kim Tae-yeon?”
—20 minutes.
20 minutes. That was the same time as Yoo Jin-ha in his past life. This made him curious.
“How long did Yoo Jin-ha or Olivia last?”
—Oh…… Olivia lasted 26 minutes. Yoo Jin-ha lasted 31 minutes.
“……I see.”
Yoo Jin-ha, who had only lasted 20 minutes in the past life, had broken the 30-minute barrier.
‘That coward managed to go that far?’
Kang Jun-hyeok was genuinely surprised. He acknowledged Yoo Jin-ha’s talent, but his personality was always the problem. He hadn't expected the guy who always sought stability to surpass 30 minutes.
Kim Tae-yeon asked cautiously.
—U-Um, what about you, Kang Jun-hyeok……?
“60 minutes and 6 seconds.”
—My goodness.
Kim Tae-yeon gasped, then sounded puzzled.
—Wait. 6 seconds?
“Thanks for the information. I’ll see you next time.”
—Ah, yes!
“Oh, by the way, could you find me some more gems? It doesn't matter if the purity is low.”
Since he had exhausted most of his gems while clearing the event, he needed to restock.
—Hmm…… if low purity is fine, I should be able to get some. I’ll send them over once they’re ready!
“Thank you.”
Kang Jun-hyeok hung up. After staring at his phone for a moment, he opened his contacts. He pressed the call button, and after two rings, the other party picked up.
—Kang Jun-hyeok! What is it!
It was Yoo Jin-ha. His voice sounded rushed, as if he had scrambled to answer the moment the phone rang.
“I heard you lasted 31 minutes. Is that right?”
—Y-Yes…….
Yoo Jin-ha replied in a frightened tone. Kang Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue.
“Why did you only last that long?”
—I-I did my absolute best! But my abilities were lacking……
“Don't give me that crap about lacking ability. Based on my assessment of you, you should have been able to make it to the mid-30s.”
—Yes! You’re absolutely right!
Yoo Jin-ha’s voice sounded like a raw recruit standing at attention.
“Come find me next time. I’ll give you some more training.”
Yoo Jin-ha hesitated.
—Wait, what?
“You got a problem with that?”
—O-Of course not! I’ll contact you in the near future!
“If you don't, you’re dead.”
—……Yes, sir!
Hanging up, Kang Jun-hyeok looked down at his phone.
Sword Saint Yoo Jin-ha.
Cowardly Yoo Jin-ha.
It seemed that if someone kicked him in the rear, he would run one way or another. In that case, he just had to keep kicking him hard.
‘I’m going to have to make you suffer a bit this time.’
It wasn't a bad way to relieve stress, either.
* * *
A day later, Kang Jun-hyeok entered the 22nd Floor.
The first things to enter his vision were dark, thick, wriggling masses of slime. They were devouring the space—eating the earth, staining it. They were transforming the very nature of the world into their own.
[22nd Floor Quest]
• Prevent the defilement of the planet.
• The quest will automatically end after one week has elapsed.
* * *
[Subject: The 22nd Floor…… feels very alien.]
• The difficulty itself isn't that high, but it’s strange. Just looking at them, just fighting them, feels like it’s breaking my brain. It felt like being inside a nightmare. I never want to see them again.
• Choi Min-seok (25th Floor): I agree. Why do things like that even exist? It was as if…… they weren't of this world.
* * *
The wriggling black slimes stained the earth. It wasn't mere pollution; it was defiling and crushing all things, values, and laws of the world.
Anyone with a weak mind would feel nauseous just looking at it. It was inevitable. Those things were not of this universe.
The Victors. Those who came from outside the universe.
That black slime was a derivative of them. The 22nd Floor was a floor directly related to the Victors. For an average Player, it was the first floor where they would encounter something connected to them. While there were rare chances to encounter them before, generally, this was the floor where Players learned what they would eventually have to face.
Eldiria muttered.
[Slime Worms. It’s been a long time.]
“Slime Worms?”
[They are worms that terraform planets where life has been extinguished to suit their tastes. Filthy things.]
“So that’s what they are.”
Squirm.
The slimes slowly approached to swallow Kang Jun-hyeok. He drew his Greatsword.
Slash!
The slimes were sliced apart. He knocked them away with his shoulder and kicked them back. In an instant, the slimes were torn and scattered in all directions.
The Slime Worms devouring the planet of the 22nd Floor—their individual strength wasn't particularly impressive. While their power to consume was strong, their movement was quite slow. Even an average Player could deal with them without much trouble. It was a floor where the number of Player deaths was negligible.
‘But no one has ever surpassed a 1% achievement rate.’
The reason was simple: the slime did not die.
No matter how much you crushed or sliced it, it regenerated and continued to pollute the planet. It was nearly impossible for a single individual to stop slime that was devouring an entire world. Even after a week of desperate effort, most Players ended up barely managing to protect their own bodies.
The average achievement rate reached that way was 0.1%. A truly pathetic figure.
Another problem was that even Kang Jun-hyeok lacked information. Slime Worms do not appear after the 22nd Floor. He hadn't even seen them in the Great War that followed.
He could guess the reason. The role of the Slime Worm was terraforming. Once the universe was in the Victors' hands, there would be no need for them.
Kang Jun-hyeok stepped toward the slimes creeping toward him.
CRUNCH!
In an instant, the slimes were torn apart, and the polluted planet began to be purified. He was far stronger than other Players. He could purify the planet faster than the slime could pollute it. Given enough time, he could erase it all.
However, there was a time limit on the 22nd Floor.
[The quest will automatically end after one week has elapsed.]
A one-week limit. It was far too short. No matter how hard he worked to purify it, the limit would likely be the size of a single city. A Perfect Clear was close to impossible.
But it didn't matter. He would find a way, one way or another.
Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes grew cold.