Chapter 18: Strategy (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: Strategy (2)
[...Low-rank?]
Pixie tilted her head. Despite the dark circles under her eyes and her somewhat haggard complexion, her natural beauty made the gesture look quite charming.
[A Low-rank Active Skill...?]
"Yeah."
Kang Jun-hyeok nodded.
"It’s possible to buy them, right? If I have Feat Stats, they should be unlocked by now."
[Well, it’s not that it’s impossible, but... wait a second.]
Pixie quickly checked Kang Jun-hyeok’s current Gold balance. Her eyes widened like a startled rabbit's.
[...12,214 Gold?]
What was this?
This amount of Gold was, quite literally, impossible. Pixie hurriedly looked at Kang Jun-hyeok. He spoke nonchalantly.
"I received something useful as a reward from the Tower."
[A reward that gives this much Gold...? The only thing that fits would be a Strategy Writing Permit... but still...!]
"You're right."
[...Wow. What kind of guy are you?]
Pixie shook her head. The look of bewilderment on her face began to subside. It wasn't that she had fully accepted the situation; it was simply that the reality was so far beyond common sense that she had become strangely calm.
[Thinking too deeply about this is just going to give me a headache, so forget it... So, you want a Low-rank Active Skill?]
Kang Jun-hyeok nodded again.
"To be precise, I want to buy both Low-rank and Lowest-grade skills together."
Since Active Skills had proficiency levels, the earlier he acquired them, the better. From the moment he saw the ten-thousand Gold figure, he had planned to purchase a large number of skills.
[A Low-rank skill is 5,000 Gold... so you can buy two Low-ranks and two Lowest-grades. Is that what you want to do?]
"Please."
[Alright... I never thought I’d be handing these out to a 2nd Floor player.]
Since Active Skills were usually only available for purchase starting from the 25th Floor, there were very few players on Earth who currently possessed them. Pixie handed four boxes to Kang Jun-hyeok with an exasperated expression.
[You have obtained a Lowest-Grade Basic Active Skill Box.]
[You have obtained a Lowest-Grade Basic Active Skill Box.]
[You have obtained a Low-Rank Basic Active Skill Box.]
[You have obtained a Low-Rank Basic Active Skill Box.]
Without hesitation, Kang Jun-hyeok opened the Lowest-grade boxes first.
[You have obtained the Active Skill: Water Walking.]
[Active Skill: Water Walking]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 1 hour
• Effect: For 1 minute, you can walk along the bottom of a body of water as if it were level ground.
"Hmm."
Kang Jun-hyeok paused after reading the skill description.
It was a dud.
The effect of Water Walking was exactly as described. If he reached the bottom of a sea or a lake, he could walk around freely. That was it. Unless he was in a very specific situation, it was completely useless.
Kang Jun-hyeok opened the next box.
[Active Skill: Spear Throw]
Rank: Lowest-Grade
Proficiency: F
Cooldown: None
Effect: Accurately throws a spear at a target. The spear used is consumed.
"...Well, it’s not exactly a dud."
But it wasn't a jackpot either. The effect itself was useful, and it had no cooldown, but the fact that the spear was consumed was the problem. Even if he bought the cheapest equipment, it was a bizarre skill that would cost 100 Gold every time he used it.
This is the problem with Lowest-grade skills.
There were quite a few whose effects rivaled Low-rank skills. A small number even reached the level of higher ranks. However, their versatility was incredibly low.
Stealth was an anomaly; the vast majority of Lowest-grade skills were like extremely sharp but narrow awls. Even if one maxed out the proficiency, only the strengths were enhanced—the weaknesses remained. A man who had once become a top-tier player using only Lowest-grade Active Skills eventually met his end because he hit those very limits.
That was why Kang Jun-hyeok had no intention of obsessing over Lowest-grade skills alone.
[You have obtained the Active Skill: Thrust.]
[Active Skill: Thrust]
• Rank: Low-Rank
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 5 minutes
• Effect: Thrusts a weapon toward a target.
Thrust. It was a good skill. Looking only at the effect, it seemed like nothing more than a mundane, ordinary thrust. It didn't even seem worth calling a skill. However, Active Skills had the characteristic of ignoring the laws of physics.
From that perspective, the value of the skill was very high. The remaining Low-rank skill was also a winner.
[Active Skill: Air Jump]
• Rank: Low-Rank
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 10 minutes
• Effect: Allows for one additional leap in mid-air.
It was a double jump. It was an excellent skill that could be used in almost any situation.
This is the right answer.
Kang Jun-hyeok intended to solve the shortcomings of Lowest-grade skills with skills of other ranks. The player who had specialized in Lowest-grade skills couldn't afford other ranks because he spent all his resources on Lowest-grade ones, but Kang Jun-hyeok could afford both.
Kang Jun-hyeok looked satisfied. The Master of All Weapons and Pixie watched him with strange expressions.
[A 2nd Floor player... has five Active Skills and nine Passive Skills... Just what kind of monster caught you?]
[I am beginning to suspect this fellow might be an avatar of the Master of the Universe.]
[Even so, that’s a bit... hmm...]
Pixie couldn't find the words to refute it. Finally, Kang Jun-hyeok used his remaining Gold to purchase Combat Gloves and an Axe. Pixie looked fed up.
[You’re certainly thorough... Is your inventory capacity okay?]
"I have the Infinite Inventory."
[...And where on earth did you get something like that?]
"This should be enough. Thanks."
[Sure... There really are all sorts of people in this world...]
As Pixie spoke and departed, there was a faint trace of interest in her voice that hadn't been there before.
Having finished all his preparations, Kang Jun-hyeok leisurely threw himself onto the bed. Two more days passed, and finally, the restriction was lifted. Kang Jun-hyeok immediately opened the System.
[Do you wish to challenge the Tower?]
[Floor to challenge: 3rd Floor.]
[3rd Floor Quest beginning.]
[Prove your qualifications.]
"Now then."
Let’s go.
A joyful expression crossed Kang Jun-hyeok’s face. His body left the universe and was transported to the Tower.
* * *
At that same time.
The world was turned upside down by the strategy Kang Jun-hyeok had posted. A whirlwind of diverse emotions and thoughts swept across the planet.
Those who were awestruck by the depth of the 2nd Floor Quest. Those who were shocked by a progression so entirely different from their own. Those who agonized over how to use this information to become stronger. And one person who suffered from guilt and distress for spreading another's information without permission.
Countless thoughts filled people's minds. And at the end of those thoughts, they all arrived at two questions.
What kind of power does the one who achieved a Perfect Clear possess? And who, exactly, is that person?
That was currently the biggest topic of conversation on Earth. One of the people who had come closest to the answer was Baekdusan of the Baekdusan Guild.
He sat in his chair, shrouded in silence. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Did you see it?"
"...How could I not, sir?"
"It’s that guy from the 0th Floor... right?"
"Most likely... the probability is very high."
Kang Jun-hyeok, the one who had killed the Mantis on the 0th Floor and achieved MVP. Three days after that, a 1st Floor Perfect Clear appeared, and about a week later, a 2nd Floor Perfect Clear appeared. No matter how much he thought about it, there was no one else it could be.
"...This is..."
Baekdusan had been searching for Kang Jun-hyeok. He had intended to quickly pull him into the guild and make him one of his subordinates. He had thought of him as a talented rookie who had appeared for the first time in ten years.
But this.
"...He’s more than just a rookie."
Baekdusan let out a hollow laugh. The 2nd Floor strategy—if Baekdusan himself were to climb the 2nd Floor again, even knowing the strategy, would he succeed?
Impossible. Baekdusan was certain of it. Even if he somehow managed to persuade the Guard Captain, he would likely die at the point of facing the Goblin Lord.
"Could you do it?"
"I don't think I could even manage the persuasion part, sir."
"Yeah. I thought so."
If even Baekdusan, a top-tier player in Korea, couldn't do it, then others were out of the question. And yet, Kang Jun-hyeok had achieved it on his own, without any prior strategy. He had reached 100%. And not just for one floor, but for both the 1st and 2nd Floors.
"Can we even handle him?"
"...I don't know," the secretary groaned. "At a fundamental level... he’s likely different. The path he looks at, his goals—they’re probably all different."
If they were wolves, Kang Jun-hyeok was a lion. A lion could not simply join a pack of wolves. Even if they somehow ended up together, the lion would either tear them all apart or become the leader of the pack.
What was certain was that the existence of Kang Jun-hyeok was a threat to the current balance. The secretary’s eyes darkened.
"How about changing the plan?"
"Changing it?"
"Yes. It’s too dangerous to try and bring him in. So..."
"Kill him?"
"...Dangerous elements should be removed."
The secretary spoke seriously. But Baekdusan just smirked.
"I’m not exactly a good guy. If I were, I wouldn't have started a guild like this. I’ve killed quite a few people to get this far. But you see, all of that was for one single goal. You know what it is, don't you?"
"...To land a blow on the Master of the Tower."
"Right."
Baekdusan’s face contorted violently. His expression was etched with rage.
"That bastard who destroyed our world, killed half the population, and killed my mother—I’m going to punch him right in the face. That is my purpose."
It was for that very reason that Baekdusan had founded the guild, gathered strength, and was climbing the Tower.
"And you’re telling me to kill Kang Jun-hyeok? The one man who looks like he could reach the top of the Tower more than anyone else? You’re joking, right?"
"I apologize."
The secretary hurriedly bowed his head at the murderous glint in Baekdusan’s eyes. Baekdusan leaned back in his chair.
"That was a dull joke. You’d better be careful next time."
"Yes, sir."
The secretary swallowed hard and spoke cautiously.
"Then... what shall we do?"
"Hmm. I can't just give up, though..."
Tapping the desk with his fingernails, Baekdusan reached a decision.
"For now, keep searching. No, search more aggressively. You don't need to worry about any guild conflicts for a while. Invest all our manpower into this."
"Understood."
The secretary bowed and prepared to leave the room. As he did, Baekdusan asked him one more thing.
"What do you think the Verdant Guild people will do?"
"They will likely move similarly to you, Guild Leader. We can exclude the Free Guild, as they don't interfere in the first place."
"I figured as much."
Kang Jun-hyeok was dangerous. If they were wolves, he was a lion. He was an existence that could do more than just change the game—he could crush the entire board.
"...I wonder how this will turn out," Baekdusan muttered in an anxious tone.