Chapter 141: 29th Floor. A Falling House
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141: 29th Floor. A Falling House
[Lei Soja (25th Floor): Blegh...]
[Lu Wocheng (38th Floor): Again. It’s another test.]
[Geum Gang-yeon (33rd Floor): This is driving me insane. Seriously.]
Despair and lamentation washed over the Community.
However, the uproar wasn't as chaotic as it had been in the past. This was already the third time. Since it was unavoidable, they had no choice but to accept it. But there was another reason for their relative calm.
[Geum Gang-yeon (33rd Floor): Still, if it’s the 'Final Test'... does that mean if we endure this one, there won't be any more of this?]
[Kim Tae-yeon (44th Floor): I certainly hope so.]
The system window had explicitly used the words "Final Test."
Hope blossomed among the players—a belief that if they could just overcome this one last hurdle, peace would follow.
But Kang Jun-hyeok knew better than anyone that such a thing would not happen.
The end of the tests.
It meant exactly what it sounded like.
The tests would end, and the next stage would open. If anything, this was the true beginning.
There was roughly one month remaining. He just needed to prepare sufficiently during that time. Kang Jun-hyeok took the Hundred-Year Cold Iron and went to see the Blacksmith. Upon seeing him, the Blacksmith flinched.
"…What is it? I haven't finished examining that thing you gave me yet. It’s too soon. What, do you think I’m some kind of omnipotent blacksmith?"
"That’s not why I’m here."
Kang Jun-hyeok shook his head at the Blacksmith’s hasty excuses and presented the Hundred-Year Cold Iron.
"This. Can you forge it?"
"Is this Cold Iron that has aged for hundreds of years?"
The Blacksmith’s expression turned intrigued.
"It’s been compressed by its own weight over a vast period. The purity is incredible. This is exceptionally high-quality Cold Iron. Hand it over. I’ll have it finished and delivered within five days."
"Thank you."
Kang Jun-hyeok smiled broadly. Upon returning, he summoned Pixie and shared his memories with her. Pixie’s eyes widened.
[You synchronized the martial arts of the Master of All Weapons with your skills? Normally, your body would have been torn apart by the strain, but the Player’s body protected you? So that’s possible. You’re quite clever, aren't you?]
The floor itself hadn't been particularly unique, but Pixie seemed satisfied with Kang Jun-hyeok’s performance and handed over the Starlight.
[250 Starlight.]
His total Starlight now exceeded 2,000. Kang Jun-hyeok spoke immediately.
"I want to buy your miracle."
[Alright!]
[You have obtained Pixie's Faint Miracle.]
[Pixie's Faint Miracle]
• Rank: Mid-Rank
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 5 minutes
• Pixie's prayer achieves a small miracle in the world.
Having obtained the skill, Kang Jun-hyeok tested it immediately.
I want bread.
He offered a prayer with his will and activated the skill. Instantly, a loaf of bread fell from the air into his hand.
"Incredible."
A look of genuine surprise crossed Kang Jun-hyeok’s face.
Bread had been summoned from empty space.
It was something impossible through magic, Aura, or Divine Power.
This was a miracle in the literal sense. Kang Jun-hyeok had met many fairies in his past life, but he had never encountered a being like Pixie who could perform true miracles. Pixie spoke as if it were no big deal.
[It’s only a very small miracle. It’ll be hard to create any meaningful impact with just that.]
"A miracle is still a miracle."
Kang Jun-hyeok tore the bread and put a piece in his mouth. It was rye bread—edible enough.
This should be enough.
Having finished his confirmation, Kang Jun-hyeok brushed off his hands.
Three days later.
Kang Jun-hyeok entered the 29th Floor.
[29th Floor Quest]
• Restore the falling house alongside its patriarch.
The 29th Floor was a world similar to medieval Europe.
There, a noble house on the outskirts of society was collapsing. A great plague had swept through, killing the majority of the estate's residents; the patriarch and his wife had also perished in its wake.
All that remained was a young boy who had become the patriarch at a tender age, and a single servant by his side.
The Player’s role was that of the servant.
The difficulty itself wasn't that high. The 29th Floor was an ordinary world like Earth, where things like Aura or magic did not exist. In such a world, a Player’s abilities were practically godlike, so reviving a small house was incredibly easy.
The problem was the boy patriarch.
Having lost everything overnight, the boy’s suspicion ran deep. He didn't even trust his own servant, always remaining wary and keeping his distance. Above all, since it was an ordinary world, the moment the Player was caught using special abilities, it was game over.
Building trust without a single shred of suspicion from the boy—that was the condition for a Perfect Clear.
And for Kang Jun-hyeok, that wasn't particularly difficult.
He perfectly immersed his ego into the role of the house's servant. He built the patriarch's trust and demonstrated his loyalty through action. He eliminated political enemies and cured the estate's residents of their diseases using Divine Power in secret.
He covertly released funds to exert the house's influence and approached the royal family in the family's name.
He requested support for the falling house in the name of the crown. After several tests and procedures, he succeeded in persuading them. Within the short span of seven days, Kang Jun-hyeok had gone beyond restoring the house to its original state, bringing it even greater fame.
"Wow... Whoa! Amazing!"
The boy, who had been invited to the royal palace and shown to his room, let out a cry of admiration. It was an incredibly luxurious suite, one they wouldn't have been granted even during the house's golden age.
"This is incredible!"
The boy threw himself onto the bed. After rolling around with a joyful face, he suddenly sat up.
"Kang Jun-hyeok. You’re truly amazing! To think you brought us this far in such a short time! Thank you so much! Please... please stay with me for the rest of my life!"
"Of course, My Lord."
Kang Jun-hyeok smiled and bowed.
At that moment, the world distorted.
[Proficiency in Persuasion has increased significantly.]
[Proficiency in Acting has increased significantly.]
[29th Floor Quest Cleared.]
[Rewards will be determined based on your performance.]
[Checking achievement rate...]
[Verification complete.]
[Achievement Rate: 100%]
[Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be granted.]
[The effect of the Title: Perfect Player has been added.]
[3,111 Gold has been awarded.]
[You have obtained the Perfect Clear reward: [Helmet: Lord's Token].]
[Players who have Perfect Cleared the 29th Floor: 1.]
[You are the only one!]
[Universe Announcement]
• Please congratulate him! Everyone in the universe! A Perfect Player for the 29th Floor has appeared. This is a feat that no one has achieved until now!
[Feat +2]
Returning to Earth, Kang Jun-hyeok’s posture shifted and his expression changed. He transformed from the faithful vassal of a patriarch back into a Player climbing the Tower.
[Lord's Token]
• Rank: Mid-Rank
• Strength +5
• Speed +3
• Defense +10
• A token bestowed upon the lord of a house that has endured for over a thousand years. Accumulated time and emotions are a mystery in and of themselves.
The Perfect Clear title effect was an enhancement to the persuasion of others.
He immediately summoned Pixie and shared his memories. Pixie wore a skeptical expression.
[This is... truly strange.]
"The floor itself shouldn't be much."
[The content isn't, but the process is strange.]
Pixie looked at Kang Jun-hyeok with a peculiar expression.
[The boy’s suspicion was deep. If you had made even a small mistake, he would have immediately distrusted you and kept his distance. Furthermore, the royal family has no reason to care about a collapsing house. It should have taken a very long time to revive them.]
But Kang Jun-hyeok had resolved it in a week.
[It must be thanks to your high proficiency in Persuasion and Acting skills.]
[Passive Skill: Acting]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: C
• The act of deceiving one's own emotions and wearing a mask. Not only can you hide your emotions near-perfectly, but you can also fabricate your actions. You can create a completely different persona and even invent suitable situations and memories.
[Passive Skill: Persuasion]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: C
• Speech and actions that make others accept your opinion. Beings within the Tower become significantly conscious of your words and actions. They will listen to whatever you say. Even if you say something absurd, your words will carry credibility.
He had perfectly acted the part of a servant so the boy wouldn't suspect him. He had approached the royal family and succeeded in the absurd persuasion of asking them to help a dying house.
Clearing it in a week was entirely thanks to these two skills. Pixie muttered as if it were bizarre.
[If you had told the royal family that a flying crocodile had appeared and asked them to send resources and people to catch it, they would have felt a sense of 'what if.' And after much deliberation, they would have supported you. The Persuasion skill is what makes even such nonsense believable. I didn't think it was a very important skill, but the more I see it, the more valuable it seems.]
Strength isn't the only thing needed to climb the Tower.
It required a vast variety of abilities, and among them, Acting and Persuasion were near the top. Kang Jun-hyeok shook his head.
"It’s not that omnipotent. The skills worked because I was given the role of the house's servant on the 29th Floor."
Acting and Persuasion do not work on those who have not a shred of trust and reject you while keeping their distance. It would be different if the proficiency reached Rank A, but that was still a long way off.
The 30th Floor was the extreme example of this.
The vast majority of Players couldn't even begin the quest on the 30th Floor. Even he, in his past life, had been no exception.
The floor with the lowest achievement rate—an average of 0%.
It was for that place that he had prepared Pixie's miracle.
[Anyway, it was worth watching.]
[120 Starlight.]
Since the floor itself wasn't much, the Starlight reward was low.
Next, Kang Jun-hyeok visited the Blacksmith. The man handed him an ink-black greatsword.
"Take it."
[Cold Iron Greatsword]
• Part: Weapon
• Rank: High-Rank
• Attack Power +75
• A greatsword made from Cold Iron aged for hundreds of years. It has been perfectly refined by the hands of a master blacksmith.
"Oho."
Kang Jun-hyeok was impressed.
Attack power of 75. It was simple but powerful. It was the best weapon he had obtained so far.
"I’m satisfied."
"I need more time for that 'will' you handed over."
"I’ll wait patiently."
After spending the remaining time training his internal energy, Kang Jun-hyeok entered the 30th Floor.
What greeted him on the 30th Floor was a vast expanse of land.
But it wasn't ordinary. The land was bathed in a sickly yellow light. A desolate sandstorm covered the world. The sunlight beat down as if it would burn his skin, and his lungs felt like they were drying out just by breathing.
The 30th Floor.
The setting here was a vast desert. And the quest given to the Player was simple.
[30th Floor Quest]
• Lead and save those who live in the desert.