Chapter 155: 31st Floor. Empire from Somewhere (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: 31st Floor. Empire from Somewhere (3)
Even if it was called the Thousand-Pound Weight, it only amounted to about 600kg.
It wasn't nearly enough to crush a warship the size of a house.
However, skills were heavily influenced by one's Strength and Stamina stats.
Boom!
The warship lurched. It struggled to maintain its position, ramping up its output in an attempt to shake off the intruder who dared to climb onto its hull.
Vweeeee!
The defense system activated. Intense ripples erupted as countless arcs of light curved through the air, all converging on Kang Jun-hyeok from every direction.
It was a counterattack utilizing the warship's maximum output. The power contained within was formidable; none of the techniques Kang Jun-hyeok currently possessed could perfectly defend against it.
And so, he enhanced.
Kang Jun-hyeok snapped his fingers.
[Enhancement: Glory of the Lost God]
The skill, originally at Proficiency E, was enhanced to Proficiency D, illuminating the world.
The power contained within was on a completely different level than before. A sun dawned over the withered world.
Currently, all life in this world had been driven to extinction by the ship's relentless attacks. But now, the clay-colored earth bathed in the Glory began to regain its luster. Microorganisms were born one by one, and moisture began to bead on the surface.
A miracle of blooming life.
That was the true nature of the Glory of the Lost God.
To allies, it was a light warmer and gentler than any other. To enemies, it was a heat more cruel and powerful than anything imaginable.
Vweeeeeee!
The black light surging toward Kang Jun-hyeok was incinerated. The ripples were melted away by the heat, and the ship's surface began to glow a scorching red. The mysterious materials composing the hull softened and weakened.
This was the Proficiency D version of the Glory of the Lost God.
Rumble!
Exposed directly to the Glory, the ship shook violently. It tried to hold its position by pushing its output to the limit, but it slowly began to plummet toward the ground. Kang Jun-hyeok delivered the finishing blow.
"Fall."
[Heaven-Defying Spear of Jealousy]
Creeeeeak!
The spear pierced the ship. The corroded surface split apart, and the vessel was torn in half.
CRAAAAASH!
With a thunderous roar, the warship crashed into the earth.
The ship was completely destroyed. The devices that had been moving in bizarre patterns within the severed halves all ground to a halt.
However, Kang Jun-hyeok did not lower his guard. He spoke with a smirk.
"Come on out."
No sooner had he spoken than something burst out from inside the wreckage. A hand-like appendage reached out, trying to grab Kang Jun-hyeok by the collar. He gripped his sword.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic collision, Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was pushed away from the ship.
Screeeech!
As the ship's hull distorted, the thing that had attacked him revealed itself.
It was roughly the size of a human, but it was undeniably alien.
It had a long tail, and blade-like protrusions were attached to its arms. Massive ornaments sat upon its shoulders, and its face was angular, like a robot's. A black core was embedded in its chest.
It looked like a fusion of a creature from a movie and a robot from an animation.
Kang Jun-hyeok greeted it in a cheerful voice.
"Nice to meet you, Captain."
The Empire from Somewhere.
They invaded the universe using these warships. And there were beings who piloted each of these ships. Because they commanded their own vessels, people called them Captains.
Kang Jun-hyeok looked at the Captain. A single distorted pillar pattern was engraved on its body.
"A Second Lieutenant, I see."
There were ranks among the Captains. The more pillar patterns engraved on their bodies, the higher their rank. The Captain before his eyes had only one—the lowest rank.
"Well, I suppose a ship of that size would only have a Second Lieutenant at best."
The Captain's face was filled with hatred and murderous intent. Glaring at Kang Jun-hyeok, it swung its arm violently.
Shriiink.
The blades deployed harshly. The core in its chest began to spin with a mechanical hum.
Kang Jun-hyeok smirked.
"Come."
BOOM!
A thunderous sound erupted. The sound barrier seemed to shatter as the distance between them vanished in an instant. Kang Jun-hyeok raised his sword.
Clang!
A heavy sensation was transmitted through the blade. The tail attached to the Captain's rear whipped out, aiming for the space between his brows. He twisted his head to dodge and kicked the creature in the abdomen.
Vweee!
But the Captain didn't budge. The noise from the chest core grew louder.
Grind!
Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was pushed back forcefully. In the end, he had no choice but to twist his sword to parry the force away.
Clang!
The Captain’s body took to the air. It swung its jagged blades, diving down like a bomber. Kang Jun-hyeok pulled back his sword.
[Thrust]
CLAAAAANG!
Blade met blade.
With a powerful impact, Kang Jun-hyeok was pushed backward. Quickly regaining his stance, he muttered, "Strong, as expected."
The warships were merely tools used to suck the energy out of planets. The true strength of the Empire from Somewhere lay in the Captains.
A Captain possessed both robot-like energy and the flexibility of an organic being. They boasted near-absolute durability and destroyed everything they collided with. Their very bodies were specialized for combat.
Above all, the output of that core embedded in the chest was monstrous. That single, fist-sized core could likely power an entire nation for a year.
They possessed monstrous strength and speed. Furthermore, their numbers were not small. They had destroyed countless civilizations and killed many Players.
That was the Empire from Somewhere.
And they were also the Victors whom he had personally annihilated in his past life.
* * *
'How nostalgic.'
Kang Jun-hyeok smirked as he evaded the onslaught of attacks. In his past life, he had fought countless Captains and eventually buried them all. He knew their strengths, their weaknesses, and even their openings. He knew everything.
Vweeeee!
The Captain swung its arms frantically. It tore through the soil as it pressed its attack. Kang Jun-hyeok, having leaped back to dodge, analyzed the situation.
In terms of strength and speed, the enemy was slightly superior. In terms of combat endurance, the opponent was overwhelming. It was an incredibly powerful foe.
'But you lack experience.'
Perhaps because it didn't have much experience fighting with its own body, the opponent fought like a beast. It merely swung its power around haphazardly; there was no technique to be seen.
In that case, he would pierce through with technique. Kang Jun-hyeok steadied his breathing. Internal energy began to circulate through his body.
Clang!
He smoothly parried the incoming blade. Then, he circulated the force contained in that strike through his sword and into his own body.
This was Turning Adversity into Strength and Absorb Force to Break Momentum.
Channeling all that power into his foot, he delivered a kick.
BOOM!
An explosion of sound, different from before, erupted. The Captain’s body buckled and was sent flying. He immediately closed the distance to the staggering opponent.
The Captain swung its arms wildly, seemingly flustered.
Kang Jun-hyeok moved even closer, slipping inside the enemy's range. He caught his breath and unleashed the stored internal energy.
The second form.
World-Shaking Wind Descent.
Screeeech!
A storm of internal energy descended upon the world. The Captain took the hit directly. Large and small wounds were carved into its body.
[Spear Throw]
Thud-thud-thud!
Spears flew in succession toward the Captain. The Captain hurriedly threw its body aside, but the spears curved through the air, relentlessly tracking it.
Kang Jun-hyeok quickly closed the gap. A gem was held in his hand.
Flash!
Arcana Gem Magic activated. An intense explosion engulfed the Captain.
[Stealth]
Simultaneously, Kang Jun-hyeok vanished from sight.
The moment the Captain hesitated, a sword severed its arm. A cry, sounding like pain, erupted.
The Empire from Somewhere.
They wielded powers that could not be explained by the laws of the universe. Beings of this universe could not comprehend that alien nature. It was like a two-dimensional being encountering a three-dimensional concept.
Furthermore, they possessed high intelligence and could exploit that advantage. It was one of the reasons they were so difficult to deal with.
'But the same goes for you guys.'
From the perspective of the Empire from Somewhere, the powers of this universe were equally alien. Simply put, they could not understand powers like internal energy or magic.
Since their pure physical specs were so high, they could usually just crush everything with brute force, but if the opponent had the power to overcome that, they could strike back.
If they were low-intelligence beasts, they would just ignore it and charge, but since the Captains were quite intelligent, they couldn't help but hesitate when countered.
'The high-ranking ones have experience, so they'd adapt.'
But the opponent before him clearly lacked experience. To him, who had already brought about their ruin once before, this was too easy an opponent.
Vweeeeeee!
The Captain overheated its core and charged. It intended to blow him away by colliding with its entire body. Kang Jun-hyeok didn't dodge; instead, he stepped forward.
Clang!
His sword was knocked back, and his body was pushed away. The Captain charged once more.
As if waiting for this, Kang Jun-hyeok raised his sword high.
The first form. Hot Wind Sky Slash.
He poured all his strength into the strike. The Captain’s shoulder hide was sliced clean through.
!!!
An unheard vibration shook the world. Kang Jun-hyeok stepped forward and placed his hand on the Captain's chest.
[Sixth Sense Exclusion]
[True Ancestor Awakening]
Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes turned blood-red. Streams of blood rose and moved along his hand. In an instant, they coiled around the core on the Captain's chest.
The Captain hurriedly tried to strike Kang Jun-hyeok. A heavy sensation spread through his body, but he ignored it and applied strength to his hand.
Crr-crack!
The core was forcibly ripped out.
The black sphere, which had been spinning with a mechanical hum, slowly ceased its operation. The Captain’s body collapsed to the ground.
"Finished."
[Level Up]
• Stamina +40
• Strength +2
• Speed +2
• Internal Energy +1
• Mana +1
• Proficiency in Single Point Penetration has increased.
• Proficiency in Divine Art has increased.
• Proficiency in Mental Method...
[Clean.]
The Master of All Weapons, who had watched the process, muttered.
The Captain's specs were clearly superior to Kang Jun-hyeok's, yet it failed to mount a decent counterattack. It was a near-perfect victory. The reason was that Kang Jun-hyeok knew exactly how to handle a Captain.
To the Master of All Weapons, this was incredibly bizarre.
[Those things were active during the Great War. That was a story from just before you began to grow. And yet, your response was near perfect. It cannot be explained simply by saying you heard stories from someone.]
It was a movement like someone who had fought them personally. And not just once or twice, but hundreds of times.
Kang Jun-hyeok shrugged his shoulders.
"I have a lot of experience, you see."
[That doesn't explain it. But fine. It's not like you're only strange in one or two ways.]
Kang Jun-hyeok chuckled at the Master of All Weapons' response. Soon, the clear window announcing the end appeared.
[31st 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.
• The effect of the Title: Perfect Player has been added.
• 2,214 Gold has been rewarded.
• Perfect Clear Reward: Lowest-Grade Core from Somewhere has been acquired.
• Perfect Clear Reward: Ship Part from Somewhere has been acquired.
• Perfect Clear Reward: Title: Victor Slayer has been acquired.
• Players who have Perfect Cleared the 31st Floor: 1
• You are the only one!
[Universe Announcement]
• Please celebrate! Everyone in the universe! A Perfect Player of the 31st Floor has appeared. This is a feat that no one has achieved until now!
[Feat +3]