Chapter 153: 31st Floor. Empire from Somewhere (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: 31st Floor. Empire from Somewhere (1)
Aloanian Hasat.
And Dang Jung-ryeong.
Both were names he recognized. It wasn't just those two; he knew most of the individuals belonging to the high-ranking groups.
[Aloanian Hasat (60th Floor): So you are the Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Your reputation precedes you.]
[Dang Jung-ryeong (64th Floor): Likewise. I heard a remarkable talent had emerged among Pokatoria’s followers. I assume that is you.]
The two were conversing as if they were already well-acquainted. Watching this, the Players from Earth couldn't help but feel a sense of alienation.
[Trey Dice (59th Floor): The 64th Floor...]
[Dang Jung-ryeong (64th Floor): Which planet are you from?]
[Trey Dice (59th Floor): Earth.]
[Dang Jung-ryeong (64th Floor): Earth? I’ve never heard of it.]
[Trey Dice (59th Floor): Same here. The universe is a vast place.]
There were many in this universe who had climbed higher than him. Trey quickly grasped that reality.
However, he likely believed they weren't at an unreachable level. A five-floor difference—it wasn't small, but it wasn't insurmountable either.
‘How naive.’
A Player's floor does not directly correlate to their strength.
Kang Jun-hyeok himself was living proof of that. At the 30th Floor, he was capable of overwhelming Trey, who was on the 59th.
Unless one surpassed the 70th Floor, strength could not be judged by floor number alone. Trey would realize soon enough that, in the grand scheme of the universe, he wasn't actually that high up.
“The Test is finally over.”
Everything until now had been closer to a Tutorial. From here on, the real story began. Losers and Victors. And the Universe Quests would finally begin to appear.
“There’s going to be a lot to do.”
Before Kang Jun-hyeok closed the Community, he saw one last post.
[Dang Jung-ryeong (64th Floor): Then this is perfect timing. I have something I wish to ask you all.]
[Trey Dice (59th Floor): What is it?]
[Dang Jung-ryeong (64th Floor): Do any of you happen to know of an existence called the Perfect Player?]
As he closed the Community window, the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria spoke up.
[You likely already knew, but the universe is vast. Yours isn't the only planet where life thrives.]
[From the looks of it, your planet seems to be located quite far out on the periphery. It must be difficult to interact with other stars. One could force their way through with raw power, but... a mechanical civilization that hasn't even reached orbit is helpless. Their technology is still lacking.]
[Is that so? I found the items from these planets quite interesting.]
[That’s because you’ve never cared for anything besides Martial Arts. They aren't of a particularly impressive level.]
After a moment of thought, Eldiria spoke.
[It would be best to explain things to you at this point.]
“Please, speak freely.”
[The universe is vast. Countless lives inhabit a multitude of stars. Consequently, there are those who possess formidable power.]
However, the standards for measuring that power varied wildly from planet to planet.
[Therefore, a concept exists to categorize strength on a universal scale. We call it 'Rank.']
‘It’s been a while since I heard that.’
Naturally, Kang Jun-hyeok already knew this. But he wasn't so tactless as to interrupt Eldiria when she seemed so pleased to explain it, like a teacher. Eldiria continued happily.
[Strength is divided into five Ranks. The lowest level is the First Rank.]
Swordmasters. Court Wizards. Those of the Peak Realm. Completed Espers. These were the types who belonged to this Rank. They were by no means weak; they were close to the limit of what an ordinary mortal could achieve.
However, from the perspective of the universe, they had only just reached the baseline.
[Next is the Second Rank.]
Grand Swordmasters. The Transformation Realm. Archmages. Awakened Espers. Low-Rank Monster Classes. This was a stage nearing the absolute limit of an ordinary mortal.
[The Duneshade you defeated belongs to this Rank. Your current strength falls within this category. You should be proud. Reaching this level in a mere year or two is unprecedented.]
But there were still three more levels above. Eldiria continued.
[Next is the Third Rank.]
Sword Emperors, the Profound Realm, Magic Tower Masters, Transcendent Espers, and High-Rank Monster Classes.
[Among those you have met, the Magic Tower Master Wihanian has reached this stage.]
The Master of the 18th Floor Magic Tower. He sat firmly within the Third Rank. He was an existence that could be called powerful even by universal standards. An adult Kraken also belonged to the Third Rank.
Even the Third Rank is beyond the norm. You would be hard-pressed to find even one such individual across multiple planets. They were beings at the very edge of the mortal limit.
And then, the next.
A realm beyond the limits of mortality. A miraculous position that cannot be reached through talent alone.
[The Fourth Rank.]
Grand Sword Emperors, the Realm of Life and Death, Kings of Sorcery, and Enlightened Espers.
[Once you reach this realm, you can no longer be called a mere living being. You transcend the boundary of life and death and can travel the universe alone. Alessandro, whom you faced, belonged to this Rank.]
And then, the Fifth Rank.
[From here on, minor distinctions are no longer made. Only a single title exists.]
The Reacher.
Those who have reached the end. That was the Fifth Rank. It was a sort of destination, the final point.
Kang Jun-hyeok asked, “Then where do you and the Master of All Weapons stand, Lady Eldiria?”
[We stand outside of such Ranks. We call it five levels for convenience, but there is a level above that.]
Gods born with the destiny to rule over concepts from birth. And those who reached the same realm as them despite having mortal bodies.
Those existences could not be contained within the concept of Ranks. They were so alien and powerful that the beings of the universe called them this, with a sense of profound awe:
Transcendent.
Kang Jun-hyeok was only at the Second Rank now. There were still daunting levels ahead of him.
Eldiria said playfully, [We were such beings. Well? Do you feel a sense of reverence?]
“As expected of you, Lady Eldiria. It’s beyond my imagination.”
[...That sounds like empty flattery,] Eldiria muttered dubiously.
But it couldn't be helped. In his past life, he too had reached that realm.
The Master of All Weapons spoke in a low voice.
[Even we, who reached the realm of Transcendents, were miserably defeated and ended up in this state. Alessandro, a wandering knight of the Fourth Rank, lost all his power and was stuck in the Tower before dying at your hands.]
Even those who once ruled the universe had been utterly defeated. Those were the kinds of existences Kang Jun-hyeok would have to face in the future.
There was an indescribable wall. Just imagining it was enough to make one's breath catch and head spin.
[But you won't break.]
The Master of All Weapons murmured. There wasn't a hint of wavering in Kang Jun-hyeok's eyes.
He felt no such wall. In his past life, he had almost reached victory. No—if he hadn't made that stupid mistake, he would have reached it.
‘So, this time.’
This time, for sure, he would grasp victory. Kang Jun-hyeok reaffirmed his resolve.
The sorting was finished. He went to find the Blacksmith. Having finished the refinement, the man handed him leggings made from the Duneshade's carapace.
“Take it. It was reasonably entertaining.”
[Duneshade Carapace Guards]
Part: Lower Armor
Rank: High-Rank
Stats: Strength +7, Speed +3, Defense +22
Description: The carapace of a Duneshade. It has been refined to near perfection by the hands of a master blacksmith. It boasts near-absolute defensive power.
High-Rank armor. The stats were incredibly high. Kang Jun-hyeok accepted the equipment with satisfaction.
“This is great. And I have one more request.”
“One more?”
Kang Jun-hyeok handed over the materials.
[Meteor Fragment]
Rank: Mid-Rank
Description: A meteorite that fell from the sky to the ground. This is a portion of its fragments.
The material he had obtained from Olivia. The Blacksmith looked puzzled as he received the Meteor Fragment.
“This is something you shouldn't be able to possess yet?”
“I traded for it with another Player.”
“...You obtained this during the Test? You certainly are full of surprises. Fine. I’ll make this as well.”
“Thank you.”
Kang Jun-hyeok smiled broadly.
Next, he returned to Earth. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he summoned Pixie.
[Hi there! I bet you’ve been quite busy?]
The appearing Pixie grinned as if she already knew.
[The universe has finally opened up.]
“You know.”
[I’m bound to the Tower, after all. I have a general idea of what’s going to happen. Though, of course, I can’t tell you.]
Pixie said softly, [Everything until now was essentially a Tutorial. The real story starts now. Both Victors and Losers will actively intervene. You’ll meet beings from other planets, too. How do you feel?]
“It’s not much different.”
Kang Jun-hyeok shrugged. He wasn't about to let his emotions be swayed now. Pixie, who had been observing him, realized he was being sincere and looked slightly disappointed.
[I thought you’d be at least a little surprised by all this, but you’re the same as ever. How boring.]
Pixie spun around.
[So, calling me means you have something to buy, right? What are you getting? You should be able to afford a few Mid-Rank Skills by now.]
“Two High-Rank Skills.”
[Two Mid-Rank Skills? You’ve been working hard to save up. Got it...]
Pixie, who had been answering as if she expected it, suddenly froze.
[...Wait. What did you say?]
“Two High-Rank Skills.”
[Huh?]
Pixie’s face contorted bizarrely.
[Not Mid-Rank, but High-Rank Skills? Wait. Does that mean you have over a hundred thousand Gold right now?]
Kang Jun-hyeok nodded with a smile.
He had received about 14,000 Gold as a reward from Olivia. On top of that, he had dueled other Players in exchange for 500 Gold each.
The Players he dueled were the elite few belonging to the top 100. The amount of Gold they possessed was by no means small. They were people for whom 500 Gold was a small price to pay for a duel.
Except for those who had spent all their Gold, almost everyone had requested a duel with him. After three days of constant dueling, his current Gold balance was as follows:
[123,379 Gold.]
“Two High-Rank Skills. I’ll buy them now,” Kang Jun-hyeok said pleasantly.