Chapter 121: 22nd Floor. Slime Worm (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: 22nd Floor. Slime Worm (2)
Option one: Overwhelm everything with sheer brute force.
That was impossible. No matter how hard he pushed himself, his current limit was roughly the size of a city. He didn't know the exact dimensions of this planet, but even a small one would be incomparable to a mere city.
Above all, there was a time limit of one week.
In other words, using brute force was never an option to begin with.
Then what else is there? Kang Jun-hyeok searched his memories.
‘The World of Ants. Brutalkain.’
The quest there had been to kill every single ant.
It had been a physically impossible task. Jun-hyeok had solved it by finding the Queen.
‘A Queen. Or something similar.’
There was a high probability that such a being existed here as well.
But that led to the next problem: how to find it?
In the World of Ants, he had found the answer by observing the ants' habits and behaviors. However, his current opponent was the Slime Worm. It was not a creature of this universe.
Unlike the ants, he couldn't read its behavioral patterns or biological structure. Jun-hyeok stared blankly at the Slime Worms, while the Master of All Weapons watched him in silence.
[How will you solve this?]
The Master of All Weapons already knew the strategy for the Slime Worm. It was only natural, considering how many he had faced during the Great War.
But he had no intention of telling Jun-hyeok. This quest was for Jun-hyeok to solve, not him. Eldiria seemed to feel the same way, as she also remained silent.
‘If he had plenty of time, it might be different, but figuring it out in just a week will be difficult.’
How would Kang Jun-hyeok overcome this hurdle? The Master of All Weapons watched with anticipation.
Finally, Jun-hyeok made his move. However, his action was completely different from what the Master of All Weapons had expected.
Thud.
Jun-hyeok sat down right where he stood. Seeing him cross his legs, it almost looked as if he had given up. The Master of All Weapons was taken aback.
[Have you given up?]
“Hardly.”
With eyes that had grown calm and still, Jun-hyeok watched the wriggling Slime Worms.
* * *
The opponent was the Slime Worm—an invader not born of this universe.
Unlike the ants, he couldn't find the answer by analyzing and understanding their behavior. But for the current him, it was possible.
Squish.
The slime undulated and moved. Jun-hyeok watched that bizarre movement with a piercing gaze.
He had climbed the Tower. In that process, he had gained many powers and abilities that transcended human perception. One of them was Observation.
[Passive Skill: Observation]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: B
• The power to find answers by seeing and observing all things. Not just the answer, but the reason, the process, and the principles of operation. Everything can be grasped. You can see the essence of objects.
A skill gifted to him by the Master of the Tower. Like the Slime Worm, it did not follow the laws of the universe.
His proficiency in Observation was Rank B. It allowed him to find answers by observing all things—even if the subject was a being not born of this universe.
He cast his gaze outward, observing every minute movement. He sought to understand the incomprehensible.
Skills were things he had built up. They were his power. They were the abilities he possessed to help him reach higher places.
And finally, what he had built up found the answer.
Jun-hyeok stood up and tore away a piece of slime. The separated slime wriggled in his hand before going limp.
‘It’s not a colony.’
The slime grew larger as it devoured matter. In that process, any slime that was cut off died. It was as if it were no longer receiving energy.
‘This is a single organism.’
They weren't "worms." It was one single worm. It was bloating its body by scattering slime as it consumed the planet.
In other words, if he followed these slimes, he would find the main body.
[Proficiency in Observation has increased.]
Jun-hyeok smiled. At that joyful expression, the Master of All Weapons asked:
[Have you found the answer?]
“For now.”
The slimes were receiving energy from the main body. If so, which direction was it coming from? He looked at the slime, and Observation activated once more.
Having identified the location, Jun-hyeok immediately kicked off the ground.
[Rift Movement.]
Flash.
His body shifted to the far edge of his vision. He immediately kicked off again.
He had the direction, but he didn't know the distance. With a one-week time limit, there was no time to rest. He advanced without stopping, tearing through the slimes that tried to cling to him. Whenever the cooldown for Rift Movement ended, he activated it again.
After running for a full day, Jun-hyeok finally found it.
Something wriggling and shimmering, like a massive swampland.
“Found you.”
Jun-hyeok bared his teeth.
* * *
[You actually found it.]
[Truly bizarre.]
Both the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria muttered in disbelief.
The Slime Worm was an alien and twisted existence. It could not be understood through the common sense or laws of the universe. Normally, one would have to throw themselves into the slime and perform a massive purification of the planet just to barely locate the main body.
Yet Jun-hyeok had found it simply by observing.
[Is that the power granted to Players?]
An absolute authority bestowed by the Master of the Tower. A power that could find answers even for the alien and the twisted. That was what a Skill was.
Wriggle.
The Slime Worm saw Jun-hyeok. To be precise, "seeing" wasn't the right word, as the creature possessed no eyes. It sensed him.
The main body began to writhe. Slime rose up like waves to swamp him.
Tap.
Jun-hyeok kicked off the ground. The slime swept across the area like a tidal wave. He evaded it all and closed the distance to the Slime Worm. He drew his Greatsword and swung it down as if to split the earth.
BOOM!
With a heavy impact, slime scattered in all directions. Though the attack was successful, Jun-hyeok frowned.
‘It’s deep.’
The swamp-like exterior was more like a protective membrane. The main body resided at the very bottom of that swamp, and it was incredibly deep. A couple of attacks would never reach the core. Another problem was that even if he attacked the swamp, it would heal by absorbing the surrounding slime.
So, what was the strategy? He observed the swamp. Soon, the answer entered Jun-hyeok’s mind.
The swamp was not in a stable state. It repeatedly contracted and expanded as it wriggled. In that process, gaps were forming. He would aim for those gaps and crush it with overwhelming force before it could recover.
[Pixie's Wings.]
Fairy wings unfurled from Jun-hyeok’s back, and his body took to the air.
Squelch.
Tendrils of slime rose up, targeting him. It was a force that would be hard to escape if he were swallowed, but its speed was slow. He moved his wings rapidly, weaving between the slime tendrils.
Gurgle.
Deciding it couldn't catch Jun-hyeok this way, more slime rose up. In the process, a deep rift opened in the swamp. It was a gap that lasted only a fraction of a second—it would vanish in less than a heartbeat.
Jun-hyeok did not miss that opening.
[Single Point Penetration.]
He plummeted at a speed that transcended sound. With a sonic boom, his spear pierced through the gap.
KABOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed. The swamp scattered in all directions as if a meteor had struck the ocean. The power to create a phenomenon akin to a natural disaster—that was the power of a High-Rank Skill.
Jun-hyeok’s body reached deep into the swamp in an instant. But it wasn't enough; he still hadn't reached the main body. Jun-hyeok poured strength into the hand holding the spear.
[Charge.]
• Thrust.
• Sword Ki and Sword Wind.
Every time a skill activated, the swamp was visibly gouged out. The Slime Worm didn't just sit there, either. It moved its mass desperately, trying to bury and crush Jun-hyeok.
[Repulsion.]
• Earth Shake.
He used his skills to push back that pressure. After pushing forward, Jun-hyeok finally saw the Slime Worm’s main body. It was something grotesque, something that hardly looked like matter, yet it clearly held the form of a worm.
Wriggle!
Sensing danger now that its core was exposed, the Slime Worm shook its entire body. It tried to cover everything in slime to bury Jun-hyeok alive.
Jun-hyeok’s eyes stained crimson.
[True Ancestor Awakening.]
Blood surged, becoming blades that whipped around him. The slime trying to crush him was shredded and pushed back. Everything he had built while climbing the Tower—his abilities, his power—manifested at once.
Rip!
The streams of blood that had blown away the slime gathered together. Jun-hyeok reached out his hand. The branching veins of blood seized the Slime Worm.
[——!]
The Slime Worm let out a piercing shriek as it sensed its end. It was a powerful attack that vibrated the brain of anyone who heard it. For a moment, one's mind would go numb and thoughts would cease.
“Doesn't work.”
Jun-hyeok bared his teeth. He possessed a mental immunity skill against such attacks. He pulled his hand back. With the sound of tearing, the Slime Worm was dragged toward him.
[—!]
“Shut up.”
Jun-hyeok clenched his fist. Strength surged into the blood veins wrapping the Slime Worm. The sound of ripping began to echo.
And finally.
SPLAT!
The Slime Worm was torn into pieces.
The slimes shuddered, then lost their strength and went limp. They began to oxidize and fade away. The things that had defiled and stained the entire planet slowly vanished.
“Done.”
Jun-hyeok brushed off his hands.
[Level Up.]
• Strength +1
• Speed +2
• Feat +1
• Proficiency in Observation has increased.
• Proficiency in Single Point Penetration has increased.
• True Ancestor Awakening's...
Eldiria let out a hollow laugh.
[It was almost marvelously easy.]
The way to deal with a Slime Worm was to flip the entire planet upside down to find the main body. That was the only way. Even Transcendents like Eldiria and the Master of All Weapons had no choice but to use that method. Yet Jun-hyeok had found the location of the main body just by watching and finished it in an instant.
‘This is the power the Master of the Universe bestowed upon the Players.’
It was beyond surprising. And because of that, a single question formed in Eldiria’s mind.
‘The Tower's skills even work against the Victors.’
Even against those who currently owned the universe after winning the Great War, Players could deal effective blows. Eldiria couldn't understand it.
‘Why would the Master of the Universe, the Victor, grant such power to the Players?’
Before her question could reach a conclusion, the floor ended.
[22nd Floor Quest Cleared.]
• Rewards will be determined based on your performance.
• Checking achievement rate...
• Check complete.
• Achievement Rate: 100%
• Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be granted.
• The effect of the Title: Perfect Player has been added.
• 3,451 Gold has been rewarded.
[Perfect Clear Reward [Shield: Slime Worm Head] has been acquired.]
[Perfect Clear Reward [Bracer: Slime Worm Body] has been acquired.]
• Players who have Perfect Cleared the 22nd Floor: 1.
• You are the only one!
[Universe Announcement.]
• Please offer your congratulations! Everyone in the universe! A Perfect Player for the 22nd Floor has appeared. This is a feat that no one has ever achieved before!
[Feat +2]