Chapter 127: 23rd Floor. World of Faith (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: 23rd Floor. World of Faith (6)
It was the dead of night.
Only the faint moonlight illuminated the world.
Then, a blinding light erupted.
For a fleeting moment, those watching were under the illusion that the moon had set and the sun itself had exploded into the sky. The radiance was so intense it commanded such a delusion.
“…Ah.”
Their mouths hung open involuntarily.
The light rising from the earth was like a newborn sun. The sheer scale and power it radiated possessed a majesty so profound that even hatred and bloodlust withered away. The brilliant radiance swallowed the world whole.
Yet, what it contained was anything but gentle.
Sizzle!
The pouring storm of magic was exposed to the intense heat. It was scorched, melted, and utterly annihilated.
The light did not stop there. A deafening tinnitus rang out as the ground began to burn. Moisture evaporated instantly, and the very atmosphere began to boil.
The entire area was being erased. The royal castle corroded, and the bodies of the people began to char.
And yet, they felt no pain.
They simply stared into the light as if possessed.
Kiiiiing…
Finally, the light subsided. The great glory vanished, and the gruesome reality returned.
“…A-Ah. Aaaah!”
“Uwaaaah!”
Those whose bodies had been scorched began to scream. Those who could still scream were the fortunate ones; most of those caught in the center had been reduced to nothing but bleached white bones.
[…This is—]
Eldiria let out a low groan.
Glory had descended upon the earth.
The mortals hadn't even thought of resisting or dodging; they had taken the hit directly. It meant that the Glory itself possessed a massive level of existence—a weight of being that overwhelmed the will.
The nearby earth was parched, and the bricks forming the royal castle cracked, unable to withstand the residual heat. Naturally, the magic barrier surrounding the castle had long since been vaporized.
The entire area had been reduced to scorched earth.
Eldiria muttered, stunned.
[The caliber is on a different level.]
Even among the powers Kang Jun-hyeok had obtained so far, this was in a league of its own. It was equal to, if not greater than, the Blood of the True Ancestor she had given him herself.
‘…To possess such glory even after losing its own identity?’
Then what kind of being had it been before? Eldiria felt a slight chill run down her spine.
“Hmph.”
Kang Jun-hyeok nodded as he surveyed the aftermath.
‘For now, this much will do.’
It was woefully lacking compared to the Glory he had wielded at the very end of his previous life. Back then, the Glory had literally purified the entire world.
But this was enough for now. He could build up the rest gradually. Jun-hyeok lightly snapped his fingers.
“Farewell.”
[23rd 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.]
[You have obtained Scale's Sword Manual.]
[You have obtained Scale's Mental Method Manual.]
[The effect of the Title: Perfect Player has been added.]
[4,122 Gold has been rewarded.]
[Perfect Clear Reward: You have obtained [Active Skill: Glory of the Lost God].]
[Perfect Clear Reward: You have obtained [Scripture of the Lost God].]
[Perfect Clear Reward: You have obtained [Stat: Divine Power].]
[Players who have Perfect Cleared the 23rd Floor: 1.]
[You are the only one!]
[Universe Announcement.]
[Please congratulate him! Everyone in the universe! A Perfect Player of the 23rd Floor has appeared. This is a feat that no one has achieved until now!]
[Feat +3]
Kang Jun-hyeok returned to Earth.
He returned having secured the rewards he had obtained in his past life—and the ones he needed to obtain in this life as well.
* * *
[Scale's Sword Manual]
• Rank: Mid-Rank
• The sword manual of the Scale Kingdom, passed down through generations. It is a swordsmanship that leaves traces by wielding Aura and uses them as weapons.
[Scale's Mental Method Manual]
• Rank: Mid-Rank
• The mental method manual of the Scale Kingdom, passed down through generations.
A mid-rank swordsmanship and a mid-rank mental method. Their use was already decided.
“Master of All Weapons. I’m counting on you.”
[Leaving Aura in the world to use as a weapon… It is a decent enough technique. Synchronize with me.]
Jun-hyeok synchronized with the Master of All Weapons. Information regarding the swordsmanship and mental method that Scale had wielded flowed into his mind.
[You have obtained Passive Skill: Scale Swordsmanship.]
[You have obtained Passive Skill: Scale Mental Method.]
[Passive Skill: Scale Swordsmanship has been integrated into Passive Skill: Divine Art.]
[Passive Skill: Scale Mental Method has been integrated into Passive Skill: Mental Method.]
[Passive Skill: Divine Art]
• Rank: Unique
• Proficiency: F
• The Divine Art of the Fallen. All streams return to the source; everything eventually reaches the main trunk.
• Integrated Techniques
* White Sword Technique (Mid-Rank)
* Erlaon Hashka's Dagger Technique (Lowest-Rank)
* Scale Swordsmanship (Mid-Rank)
[Passive Skill: Mental Method]
• Rank: Unique
• Proficiency: F
• The Mental Method of the Fallen. All streams return to the source; everything eventually reaches the main trunk.
• Integrated Techniques
* White Sword Mental Method (Mid-Rank)
* Scale Mental Method (Mid-Rank)
The Master of All Weapons' lost Divine Art and Mental Method were slowly being restored. Jun-hyeok continued checking his rewards with a whistle. From here on, they were familiar things he had also obtained in his past life.
[Active Skill: Glory of the Lost God]
• Rank: Unique
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 3 days
• Manifests the Glory of the Lost God into the current world.
A very short and simple explanation. But he knew exactly what its power level was.
The Glory of the Lost God literally purifies the world. It burns away impurities and annihilates anything that dares to resist. What was contained within was undoubtedly the power of a great god.
[What is that existence?] Eldiria asked quietly. [It said it had lost itself. That means it has lost its original caliber and power infinitely. But what you showed me…]
It was a power far too strong for a "lost one" to display. Jun-hyeok shrugged.
“As I said before, I don’t know either.”
[Hmm.]
[Is the universe still so vast? To think there is an existence even I do not know.]
The Master of All Weapons also muttered with curiosity, seemingly quite surprised. Jun-hyeok smirked.
There was another advantage to the Glory of the Lost God: it was an area-of-effect (AOE) skill. Since most Player skills were limited to a localized range, a skill that could launch a wide-range attack was precious. It was a near-perfect skill that could fill that gap.
And then, the book.
[Scripture of the Lost God]
• The empty scripture of the god who lost everything. A contract has been linked with you. Content will be engraved in the scripture according to your footsteps. When the scripture is fully filled, the Lost God will reclaim itself.
His deeds would be recorded in the scripture. When he opened the first page, a short sentence was engraved.
The agent of the Lost One appeared, and Glory descended upon the world, purifying all things.
The things he had done on the 23rd floor were summarized in a single sentence.
‘This was also a bit of a problem.’
Jun-hyeok flipped the pages. It was as if space had been compressed; no matter how many pages he turned, there was no end. It was a scripture that was near infinite. Only by filling all that content would the Lost God reclaim itself.
However, in his past life, he hadn't been able to fill the scripture completely. He had met his end after filling only about 70%. In the end, the Lost God had never reclaimed itself.
‘Shall I try to fill it all in this life?’
Fill the scripture and let the Lost God find itself. And then, acquire the complete Glory. If it had that much power even in a lost state, what level would it reach if it reclaimed itself?
Jun-hyeok set another goal for himself. He had also gained a stat this time.
[Divine Power: 12]
Divine Power. That power provided immunity to mental attacks and demonic energy. It purified all sorts of filth and contamination, and it resolved physical fatigue.
For him, the last effect was the most necessary. Even if his system-based stamina was sufficient, if his physical strength hit rock bottom, he wouldn't be able to move in the end.
Jun-hyeok lightly waved his fingers. A bright divinity swirled around and enveloped his body, and his accumulated fatigue vanished instantly.
“As expected, this is great.”
Jun-hyeok grinned. To be able to use Divine Power without serving or even believing in a god—if believers heard this, they would roar in fury at his blasphemy. In fact, in his past life, Saintesses and Saints had screamed that he was sacrilegious.
‘Not that I care.’
A good thing is a good thing. The Perfect Player title gave +1 to Divine Power. Having finished his check, Jun-hyeok called Pixie. Pixie, who had received the memories of the 23rd floor, wore a bizarre expression.
[…What is that god? It’s an existence I’ve never seen in my life. Do you guys know?]
[I do not.]
[How could I possibly know?]
[Hrmmm.]
Something unknown even to the Master of All Weapons, the Vampire Queen Eldiria, and even Pixie, who traveled the cosmos. Interest flickered in the fairy's eyes.
[Interesting. I wonder if the gods would know something?]
“Who knows.”
Jun-hyeok’s tone was noncommittal. He had met several gods in his past life, but none of them knew about the Lost God. Pixie nodded.
[Fine, fine. That was fun. Here. It’s Starlight. Take it.]
[270 Starlight.]
[So, are you going to use the shop?]
“Yeah.”
[Oho. Oho. What are you going to do this time?]
Pixie’s eyes sparkled. Jun-hyeok spoke.
“First, I’ll buy five Lowest-Grade Active Skill boxes.”
[Hmm?] Pixie paused. [Not Low-Rank, but Lowest-Grade?]
“That’s right.”
[…Ah. Right. You did buy a lot of Lowest-Grade skills before. Looking at the memories of those who climbed the tower, they seemed somewhat useful, but is it worth spending Gold to buy them? I’m not so sure about that.]
Pixie looked puzzled but obediently handed over five boxes. After receiving them, Jun-hyeok spoke again.
“And I want to see your private shop.”
The Starlight he possessed was now 1,200. It was an amount sufficient to use Pixie’s treasure vault. Pixie grinned.
[Here. Check it out!]
A series of system windows filled Jun-hyeok’s vision. First, he checked the skills. What could he buy with 1,000 Starlight? The first thing that caught his eye was a recovery skill.
[Pixie's Fairy Dust]
• Rank: Mid-Rank
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 24 hours
• Restores a certain amount of health over a set period of time.
• 1,000 Starlight.
A health recovery skill. For an ordinary player, it held great value. It was to the point where they should prioritize buying this skill over everything else. However, Jun-hyeok already had Grace of Benevolence and Royal Blood. For him, it wasn't necessary.
[Pixie's Scattering Ash Dust]
• Rank: Mid-Rank
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 3 hours
• Scatters poisonous dust in the surroundings. Targets touched by the dust are inflicted with the Poison status effect.
• 1,000 Starlight.
‘An AOE skill that inflicts Poison.’
It was a useful skill. But for AOE, he already had Glory of the Lost God. It wasn't worth spending precious Starlight to buy.
The skills in Pixie’s treasure vault were certainly excellent. But because he already possessed skills comparable to them, he couldn't help but hesitate. Seeing Jun-hyeok in deep thought, Pixie smiled broadly.
[You’re struggling because they’re all so good, right? I know how you feel, so take your time choosing!]
“No. It’s not that. I’m struggling because they’re all so mediocre.”
[…What?]
The things in my treasure vault, the treasures I spent my whole life collecting, are mediocre?
Pixie’s face froze at the unimaginable answer. Ignoring her, Jun-hyeok continued to check the vault when a certain skill caught his eye.