Chapter 140: 28th Floor. Stone Mountain (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: 28th Floor. Stone Mountain (2)
[Forum — Title: My arms are screaming after the 28th floor.]
[How much of it did you guys actually manage to clear?]
[Choi Do-yoon (30th Floor): I managed to bring down about 1/4.]
[Jung Ji-hoo (31st Floor): I did 1/5.]
[Choi Min-seok (28th Floor): Everyone’s in the same boat. Man, I’ve gained some insane strength. To think a human body could actually bring down a mountain.]
* * *
A massive stone mountain.
It was truly gargantuan, a peak that would take hours just to summit. The quest for the 28th floor was simple yet daunting: bring this entire thing down.
At first glance, it seemed like an impossible task.
In reality, however, it wasn't quite that difficult. Kang Jun-hyeok approached the base of the mountain. He could see cracks spiderwebbing across the weathered surface.
He drew his sword and drove the blade straight into a deep fissure. He leaned into it, prying the rock open. The crack spread with a sharp cr-crack, and soon, a massive section of the mountain began to collapse with a thunderous roar.
Rumble!
Over the eons, the stone mountain had become riddled with fractures and crevices. By applying shock to those weak points and forcing them open, one could demolish it without much trouble.
Of course, such a task would normally require heavy machinery, but players were no ordinary humans. By the time one reached the 28th floor, they had long since transcended the boundaries of humanity. Prying open a few cracks was no great challenge for them.
Using the mountain's own fissures, he split the surface. With just a light application of strength, the rock crumbled away. Avoiding the falling debris was the most tedious part of the process.
Once he had cleared the outer layers, the mountain's size was reduced to about two-thirds of its original mass. Gradually, the natural cracks began to disappear.
From this point on, there were no more easy fissures. He had to carve away the mountain using his own raw strength.
Kang Jun-hyeok stared at the remaining stone.
Even rocks have a grain.
If you apply force precisely along that grain, you can split them with minimal effort. Identifying that grain required significant skill, but Kang Jun-hyeok didn't need to worry about that. Through his Observation Skill, the mountain's grain was laid bare before his eyes. As he slammed his greatsword into those precise points, cracks began to splinter outward.
Rumble!
He created a crack, wedged his greatsword in, and slammed his foot against the hilt, applying raw strength to force it open.
Rumble!
The stone mountain continued to collapse. The massive peak was being whittled down slowly but surely.
This wasn't exactly a feat only he could achieve. Top-tier players like Yoo Jin-ha and Olivia had also succeeded in carving the mountain down until it was the size of a small hill. If Earth's players could do it, there was no question about those on a galactic scale. Worlds like those of the Murim or Fantasy dimensions were filled with those born with innate, monstrous power.
Most of them had succeeded in carving the mountain to achieve a clear rate of 50% to 80%. In his past life, he had reached the 80% mark as well.
But no one had ever been able to go further than that.
He carved and carved. The mountain shrank from the size of a hill to the size of a large house. At the very end, the secret hidden within the stone mountain finally revealed itself.
It was a house-sized mass of ink-black iron.
Kang Jun-hyeok raised his greatsword. Putting all his strength into his arms, he struck down with everything he had.
Clang!
A fierce repulsion surged back through his arms. He braced himself, digging his heels in to keep from staggering. The strike he had just unleashed contained enough power to crumple tempered steel, yet only a tiny scratch had appeared on the ink-black surface.
[It is no simple iron. It is Cold Iron. And it has been aged for several hundred years at that.]
The Master of All Weapons muttered, recognizing the material instantly.
[It has been compressed and crushed by its own weight for centuries, tempering itself. To think there is so much of it here, when even a handful is hard to come by. The people of the Murim would lose their minds if they saw this.]
At the heart of the stone mountain lay a core of Cold Iron.
Even the highest-ranking players could, at best, only manage to shave the surface of the material. It was a place where it was easy to reach a certain level, but impossible to go beyond. That was the reality of the 28th floor.
"Well then."
What should he do? Kang Jun-hyeok lightly sheathed his greatsword.
Other players were blocked here. But he was strong—much stronger than them. Incomparably so. No matter how many hundreds of years the Cold Iron had aged, he was determined to carve and split it.
'But it's just too big.'
Even for him, it was impossible to perfectly demolish a house-sized mass of Cold Iron in just one week. Therefore, he had to find the "answer."
'Even if it is Cold Iron...'
It was still metal in the end. It had to have a grain.
He read the grain. It was a level of difficulty incomparable to reading the grain of common rock. However, his Observation proficiency was at Rank B. After scanning every inch of the Cold Iron, he finally found the point of weakness.
Skreeee.
He drew his sword and scratched along that grain as hard as he could. He managed to create a small, shallow hole in the Cold Iron.
How could he use this tiny hole to completely demolish the mass? The answer came to him immediately.
He had to hammer power into that hole.
Distributing the force wouldn't work. If he did, the Cold Iron would simply absorb the shock, and he wouldn't be able to break it. He had to shove a magnitude of power that even Cold Iron couldn't withstand into that single hole all at once.
The problem was that even he couldn't produce that much power right now. Neither Arcana Gem Magic, the Master of All Weapons' martial arts, nor his own skills were enough to generate the force needed to destroy the Cold Iron.
That is, if he used them individually.
"Shall I give it a try?"
Kang Jun-hyeok sheathed his greatsword.
* * *
He had obtained two techniques from the Master of All Weapons on the 27th floor. From the moment he confirmed those techniques, there was a method he had been contemplating. It was a method not of a martial artist, but of a player.
Kang Jun-hyeok inserted several gems into the hole in the Cold Iron—gems he had designed to explode upon impact. Then, he moved back a certain distance and pulled out his spear.
The Master of All Weapons realized Jun-hyeok's intent.
[Do you intend to use my technique to hammer all your power in at once? It is not a bad idea, but that alone will be insufficient.]
The first technique: Hot Wind Sky Slash.
It was a technique that poured everything into a devastating second strike that followed a normal first blow. It was a martial art perfectly suited for destroying the Cold Iron.
However, Kang Jun-hyeok's proficiency was far too low to pull it off perfectly. At least, in the Master of All Weapons' judgment, it should have been impossible.
[But you have always surpassed my expectations.] The Master of All Weapons spoke with a hint of amusement. [Show me your potential.]
"Whew."
He exhaled slowly.
He circulated internal energy throughout his body to bolster his strength. The third principle: Soryu Great River Pill. He amplified it to the very limit of what his physical body could endure.
And then.
[True Ancestor Awakening.]
Kang Jun-hyeok's eyes turned a predatory crimson. The power of the Great True Ancestor dwelled within his flesh. He braced his feet, the ground groaning and cracking under the sudden pressure.
But it was still not enough. So, he layered more.
[Instant Acceleration.]
[Single Point Penetration.]
A speed that transcended speed itself lunged toward the hole in the Cold Iron. The gems, receiving the impact, detonated all at once.
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted. The entire area shook violently. Cracks began to spiderweb across the Cold Iron. Kang Jun-hyeok gritted his teeth.
The first technique: Hot Wind Sky Slash.
First, it cleaves the wind; next, it cleaves the world.
It was a technique that concentrated all power into the second strike. He tensed his entire body, channeling every ounce of the impact and his own momentum into the spear.
Creeeeak.
The problem, however, was that his body couldn't handle the load.
He was already unskilled with the technique. On top of that, he had layered the explosion of Arcana Gem Magic and the power of his active skills. The force contained in the second strike far exceeded the realm of what he could control.
The player's body began to break. Muscles tore and his health plummeted. Even the power of the True Ancestor couldn't withstand the backlash.
But Kang Jun-hyeok had known it would be this way from the start. He had no intention of controlling the power himself. Control wasn't his job; it was the skill's.
[Thrust.]
His body moved forcibly, guided by the system. The second strike, carrying all that concentrated power, pierced the hole.
KABOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted. Kang Jun-hyeok's body was sent tumbling across the ground like a ragdoll.
"Cough!"
His muscles were completely ruined; he could barely even stand. He forced himself to manifest divine power to heal his shattered frame. As he staggered and pushed himself up, a gruesome yet magnificent sight met his eyes.
Where the mountain had once stood, a massive crater had been gouged out of the earth. The fragments of the mountain that had been scattered around were either blown away or ground into dust, leaving no trace behind. At the center, only the Cold Iron remained, completely shattered into pieces.
"Is it... done?"
[You linked my martial arts with the Tower's skills?] The Master of All Weapons muttered in astonishment. [Hot Wind Sky Slash. A technique that pours everything into the second strike. You combined skills with the first strike to infinitely increase the power. But your body could not endure it. You bypassed that problem by using a skill to force the strike through. To think you could produce power beyond your realm by linking them like this. How interesting.]
"It's not exactly a comfortable method, though."
Despite protecting his body with True Ancestor Awakening, his health had dropped to double digits. Even after exhausting all his divine power, his damaged muscles weren't fully healed. His internal energy was also spent to the limit. He could barely lift a finger. He was, for all intents and purposes, in a near-death state.
[Grace of Benevolence.]
He restored his health, which had hit rock bottom.
Internal energy, divine power, health, his physical body—even his Unique and Authority skills. It was a method that required him to exhaust everything he had. But by consuming them all, he could create a level of power that far surpassed his own natural abilities.
Staggering to his feet, Kang Jun-hyeok picked up a fragment of the Cold Iron.
[Observation proficiency has increased significantly.]
[Divine Art proficiency has increased.]
[28th Floor Quest Cleared.]
[Rewards will be determined based on your performance.]
[Calculating achievement rate...]
[Calculation complete.]
[Achievement Rate: 100%]
[Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be granted.]
[5,121 Gold has been awarded.]
[The effect of the Title: Perfect Player has been added.]
[You have obtained the Perfect Clear reward: [Hundred-Year Cold Iron].]
[Players who have Perfect Cleared the 28th Floor: 1.]
[Universe Announcement.]
[Please offer your congratulations, citizens of the universe! A Perfect Player has appeared on the 28th floor. This is a feat that no one has ever achieved before!]
[Feat +5]
Kang Jun-hyeok returned to Earth.
Normally, he would have checked his rewards immediately, but right now, rest came first. He sat on his bed and crossed his legs. Only after circulating his internal energy for a full day was he finally able to recover.
"That wasn't easy."
This was truly a trump card. If it succeeded, the fight was over, but if it failed, he would be the one to die. It required precise judgment. The Master of All Weapons muttered, sounding somewhat disgruntled.
[I do not like my martial arts being linked with such trivial things, but since it is your power now, I suppose it cannot be helped.]
"I'm not a martial artist."
He was a player.
Just as the recovered Kang Jun-hyeok was about to check his rewards, a system window blocked his view. He glanced at his phone.
"It's about time."
[Have you been doing well? You've been showing some decent results! I can finally call you all proper players now.]
The system window spoke cheerfully.
[Therefore, one month from now, the Final Test—the Third Test—will take place!]