Chapter 130: 25th Floor. Failure, Despair, and Fear (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130: 25th Floor. Failure, Despair, and Fear (1)
[Ugh... ah...]
[Ah...]
[...]
* * *
Kang Jun-hyeok stepped onto the 25th floor.
There was nothing there. It was a void—a space of absolute, crushing emptiness.
Then, a system window flickered into existence.
[25th Floor Quest]
[Experience and overcome your failure, despair, and fear.]
[Hmm. A textbook floor, I see. Since ancient times, challengers have always been subjected to trials where they must face their own reflections.]
Eldiria muttered, her tone suggesting she found the trial cliché. It was a test so traditional it bordered on boring.
[It wouldn't be easy for ordinary fools, but for you, it shouldn't be a problem.]
Kang Jun-hyeok had already faced the despair and failure of countless losers without a single flicker of hesitation. It was hard to imagine him wavering now.
Jun-hyeok gazed calmly into the void. Soon, the space began to shift.
The first thing to manifest was a brilliant golden sword.
It was a blade imbued with boundless divinity, forged by the collective power of every god in this world. Simply holding it allowed a mortal to touch the hem of godhood. It did more than just bolster one's status; divinity enveloped the wielder’s entire body, shielding both soul and flesh. As long as the wielder's will remained unbroken, the blade would never snap.
Furthermore, the sword possessed an ego of its own. It was a masterpiece, one of the greatest artifacts in the universe, created by gods who had poured their entire reservoir of knowledge into its forging.
Its name was the Holy Sword.
And that very weapon was currently gripped in the hand of none other than Kang Jun-hyeok.
This was the reward he had obtained in his past life.
"K-Kang Jun-hyeok..."
At that moment, someone appeared beside him. His handsome face was distorted beyond recognition by sheer terror. Tears and snot streamed down his face as his body shook like a leaf in a gale.
"Yoo Jin-ha."
The Sword Saint, Yoo Jin-ha.
Yoo Jin-ha spoke through violent tremors.
"H-help me. Please. I don't want to die. I-I don't want to betray the people's trust. They believed in me... they came all this way. P-please. Please. Help me."
It was a cry of utter, pathetic desperation.
Inside, Jun-hyeok’s mind screamed:
Shut up.
Don't open your mouth.
Don't do it.
But in his past life, after much deliberation, he had handed the Holy Sword to Yoo Jin-ha.
"...Then, why don't you take this?"
"Huh?"
Yoo Jin-ha's eyes widened.
"W-what? R-really? Is that okay?"
"This is the Holy Sword. The great gods imbued it with their divinity. It will protect your soul and body, compensating for your weaknesses. Not only that, it has its own consciousness; it will guide you. It might even help you overcome your cowardly nature."
"Ah. Ah... B-but you're the one who earned this. Is it really okay to give it to me?"
The man was utterly shameless. If he was going to put on such a show of feigned guilt, he shouldn't have begged for help in the first place.
But the Jun-hyeok of the past had spoken with misplaced confidence.
"Because I'm strong. I don't need something like this."
"Oh..."
"Take the sword, Yoo Jin-ha. Let's keep moving forward together."
He had tapped Yoo Jin-ha on the shoulder with a bright, naive smile. Yoo Jin-ha's expression lit up instantly.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll never let you down. I swear on my name! I'll move forward with you and save this universe!"
It was a truly disgusting sight.
Then, the scenery shifted once more. This time, it was a world of endless skyscrapers. The city was in ruins; lightning lashed the sky, and a violent storm shook the foundations of the earth.
In the midst of this destruction, a man was dying.
"Cough. Gack. H-huuugh!"
"Get a hold of yourself!"
"Save... save me! I don't want to die! Kang Jun-hyeok! Please! Please! I'll do anything!"
Jun-hyeok hurriedly grabbed the man. He tried every treatment he knew, but nothing worked. The man's entire body was collapsing. Because of the System's protection, the damage wasn't obvious on the surface, but his very existence was crumbling.
At this rate, he would face a horrific erasure—a death so absolute that even his soul could not be resurrected.
Jun-hyeok bit his lip and looked at the object in his hand.
It was the Core of Origin.
If consumed, one could manipulate the fundamental laws of the world. One could grasp the principles of the universe and obtain a superpower bordering on the absolute. It was a singular, peerless reward he had earned.
With this core, the man could live.
He did not hesitate. He immediately handed the Core of Origin to the man. As the collapsing man regained stability, relief washed over Jun-hyeok's face.
It was disgusting.
Next came a pitch-black book with infinite pages: The Book of Lemegeton.
Contained within were all the black magics of the world. It possessed its own demonic energy, allowing the user to manifest forbidden spells without cost. It was a miraculous artifact that granted the power of a Demon King to whoever owned it.
Jun-hyeok had earned that as well.
And he had yielded it to a half-human, half-demon.
It was beyond disgusting.
Ten-Thousand-Year Fleeceflower. Stalactite Milk. Countless other items and legendary equipment.
He had earned them with his own blood and strength, then handed them over to others.
That was his failure.
Then, the scenery flipped completely. This time, he saw a world where everything was breaking and collapsing. Standing at the front line was a woman.
Silver hair and crimson eyes.
The Vampire Queen, Eldiria.
"How tragic."
Her eyes held a profound sense of despair and sorrow.
"It ended up like this after all."
She was going to die soon. And there was no way to prevent it.
"..."
Jun-hyeok couldn't find his voice. An infinite despair enveloped him. As if to comfort him, Eldiria patted him gently.
"I do not blame you, Kang Jun-hyeok. All of this was your choice. In the first place, it was strange that a second chance was even given. I wonder if the Master of the Universe even predicted this conclusion. I have no regrets."
Eldiria stepped forward boldly. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back with a faint, melancholic smile.
"It's a shame we couldn't share one last drink. I'm saying this now, but out of all those who flocked to me because of my looks... you were the best."
Blood surged. Her power exploded toward the encroaching death, then vanished into nothingness.
[I had high expectations for you, Kang Jun-hyeok.]
This time, the image of Pixie appeared, a cigar clamped between her teeth. It was the Pixie he had met at the start of this life, her face shadowed by dark circles.
[I thought you might actually achieve something. But in the end, it turns out like this.]
Next was the blacksmith. He spoke with a face of cold indifference.
"You are weak."
Jun-hyeok could not refute those frigid words.
"Foolish and fragile. This is the result. It's not even surprising."
Next was the blonde woman in a nun's habit—a woman who radiated the aura of a saint. She took Jun-hyeok's hand and spoke softly.
"What you did for others was surely the right thing. So please, do not regret it. None of us blame you."
And then, the high priest Milarepa.
"You are righteous. You were infinitely kind and considerate of others. If the world perishes because of that heart, then that too is simply one outcome. Do not blame yourself. Do not regret. You have done nothing wrong."
Memories of his past life flashed by, one by one.
That was his despair.
If only he had been a little wiser.
If only his heart had been a little harder.
If only he hadn't yielded his strength to others.
Perhaps this conclusion wouldn't have come. He could have avoided disappointing those who believed in him, trusted him, and relied on him.
It was all because I was weak.
Because I was fragile. That is why I failed.
[Hmm.]
[Wait... a moment.]
The Master of All Weapons and Eldiria groaned simultaneously.
The two of them could not see the visions Jun-hyeok was witnessing; this was his personal trial. However, being connected to his soul, they could feel the raw weight of his emotions.
[What is this...]
Eldiria was horrified. Both were high-ranking transcendents of the universe. They had experienced and overcome more than most could imagine. They had witnessed the literal defeat of the universe and thought there was no despair greater than that. That was why they had been surprised to see Jun-hyeok overcome it so calmly before.
But now...
The despair they felt through him told them their previous assessment had been a mistake.
[What is this?]
The Master of All Weapons groaned. It was a lake of emotion so pressurized that even they, who had faced the end of all things, felt crushed by the weight. Had they not reached the stage of transcendence, they would have been buried alive in this despair.
And it made sense.
They had fought their best and lost.
But Jun-hyeok had failed to even do his best because of his own mistakes.
Endless despair coiled around the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria. Then, his fear manifested.
'You were given one more chance.'
Something invisible whispered in his ear.
'Do you think something will be different in this life? In the end, you failed to reach the finish line. You couldn't even face the Master of the Universe.'
It chuckled, mocking him.
'Is there any guarantee that this end won't be just as empty? You don't even know why you were sent back. All of this is a world created by the Master of the Universe. In the end, how do you know you aren't just a toy?'
The voice wasn't wrong. In fact, it was perfectly logical. He didn't even know where the high priest Milarepa had obtained the stone that turned back time.
The voice pressed on.
'You don't even know if you're being used. Aren't you just an ignorant fool?'
Jun-hyeok opened his mouth.
"So what?"
There wasn't a single flicker of doubt in his eyes.
What the voice said was right. He might be a toy. Emptiness might be all that waited at the end of the road.
But it didn't matter.
He would never fail again.
He would never despair again.
He would move forward, believing only in himself. He would take what was rightfully his.
An unwavering will swallowed the space. The voice vanished with a satisfied laugh. And then, the quest ended.
[25th Floor Quest Cleared.]
[Rewards are being 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.]
[You have obtained the Perfect Clear reward: 'Will'.]
[Players who have Perfect Cleared the 25th floor: 1.]
[You are the only one!]
[Universe Announcement]
[Please congratulate him! Everyone in the universe! A Perfect Player of the 25th floor has appeared! This is a feat that no one has ever achieved before!]
[Feat +10]