Chapter 182: 39th Floor. World of Espers (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 182: 39th Floor. World of Espers (5)
“Greetings, everyone.”
Kang Jun-hyeok addressed the figures appearing before him. Among them was a familiar face.
“Oh, you’re still alive? Congratulations.”
It was the Ruler who controlled magnetism. He had somehow survived even after taking a direct hit from Kang Jun-hyeok’s previous attack.
However, he was far from fine. His entire body was covered in wounds of various sizes, and the moment he saw Kang Jun-hyeok’s face, he began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Ugh, u-u-ugh…”
“Get a hold of yourself.”
A muscular man leading the group frowned as he stared at Kang Jun-hyeok.
“…I don’t sense any particular psychic power from him.”
“That’s because I’m a Non-Esper.”
“Nonsense.”
The man dismissed the claim immediately and took a step forward.
“So you’re the one who took the girl. You know nothing about her.”
“I know enough.”
“No, you don’t. Her ability… it isn’t simply erasing other powers. We only suppressed it to make it seem that way.”
Fear flickered across the man’s face as he spoke.
“It is… something beyond knowing. Beyond understanding. It is that kind of power.”
The man seemed unable to truly grasp the magnitude of the power the girl possessed.
Reality Manipulation.
The power to rewrite the very concepts of reality according to one’s will was certainly not something a mortal could handle.
“Well, it’s not like that for me.”
To Jun-hyeok, it wasn’t particularly special. He gave a light jerk of his chin.
“What happens next is simple: you kill me, or I kill you. Isn’t that right? If you want to take the girl, kill me. Otherwise, you’re all going to die.”
“…I suppose there’s no choice. Magtonic, wake up!”
“Uuuugh.”
A sudden wave of bloodlust erupted from the Espers. A youth standing in the back quickly raised his hand.
Rumble!
The earth shook as fragments of rock rose into the air. Kang Jun-hyeok muttered with an intrigued expression.
“Telekinesis, huh.”
“Ugh, aaah!”
The magnetic Esper called Magtonic forced his trembling hands to move. Iron beads poured from his body, hovering in the air before accelerating to lethal speeds.
Then, they all lunged toward Kang Jun-hyeok at once.
It was an overwhelming mass of projectiles capable of wiping out an entire division in an instant. Kang Jun-hyeok kicked off the ground to evade.
As the Espers gestured, the attacks tracked Kang Jun-hyeok’s movements with surgical precision. A woman at the very back pressed her fingers to her forehead.
“Mm.”
Kang Jun-hyeok let out a brief groan. Something external was trying to interfere with his mind.
“A Telepath.”
Mental interference. It was a power that could turn even a disciplined ascetic into a vegetable in an instant, forcing them to abandon their ego and pledge loyalty until death. That power was now being concentrated entirely on Kang Jun-hyeok.
“Sorry, but this won’t work.”
Kang Jun-hyeok gave his head a light shake. The woman’s body jerked violently before she collapsed to her knees.
“Cough! Hack! How… how?!”
The woman’s eyes were filled with disbelief. Her mental intrusion had been blocked—not by a counter-ability, but by pure, raw willpower alone.
“Hmph!”
The burly man stepped forward. The ground gouged beneath his feet as he sprinted toward Kang Jun-hyeok in a flash. He threw a punch packed with immense power.
Boom!
The punch was caught squarely in Kang Jun-hyeok’s hand. Jun-hyeok’s eyes gleamed at the pressure he felt.
“A Physical Enhancer. You’re strong. You could probably snap steel rebar like dry straw.”
“Wh-what?!”
The man’s eyes widened. As a Physical Enhancer, he could lift and move entire buildings. When he attacked with full force, he pulverized anything in his path. And yet, this man had caught his full-power strike with a bare hand?
Just as Kang Jun-hyeok was about to counter with a kick, a torrent of fire surged toward them. The perfectly controlled flames bypassed the burly man and swallowed Kang Jun-hyeok whole.
“Got him!”
The red-haired man’s expression brightened, only to twist into horror a moment later.
“…He’s perfectly fine!”
There wasn’t a single singe mark on Kang Jun-hyeok’s body. While the man was aghast at the unbelievable sight, Kang Jun-hyeok was actually quite impressed.
“That actually did some damage. To think you’d bypass my Fire Resistance. You really are strong.”
“Grrr!”
The Physical Enhancer strained every muscle in his body. The ground crumbled as he used the leverage to push Kang Jun-hyeok back through his palm.
Crash!
Simultaneously, the mass of rocks and metal chunks slammed into Kang Jun-hyeok. A force capable of devastating the entire area collided with a single human body.
And yet, there was still not a single wound on that body. The Rulers groaned in unison.
“This is… this is impossible…”
Kang Jun-hyeok narrowed his eyes. The lack of visible wounds was merely a trait of a Player’s body; the damage itself was accumulating.
‘This is pretty useful.’
First Rank.
Swordmasters, Court Wizards, Peak Realm experts. And Completed Espers.
Their power was fully realized. They controlled their strength perfectly and manifested it through their own will. They were at the limit of what a normal human could handle.
“I’d say you guys are about mid-tier even within the First Rank.”
“First Rank?”
“Just a standard I use. Not that you need to know.”
Kang Jun-hyeok grinned. These five were by no means weak. But that was all there was to it.
He tightened his grip on his spear.
[Charge.]
BOOM!
His body accelerated instantly. The Physical Enhancer hurriedly raised his arms to defend.
CLANG!
“Kugh!”
The Esper was blown backward as if he’d been struck by a speeding vehicle. He staggered, barely managing to regain his stance, his eyes filled with terror. That single blow had nearly shattered his ability.
Rocks flew at Jun-hyeok from all directions. He balled his hand into a fist.
CRASH!
The boulders shattered upon impact. Through the flying debris, a spear of iron lunged sharply toward him.
[Thrust.]
Screeeech!
His spear collided with the iron projectile. The iron spear let out a shriek as if it were being tortured before snapping and flying apart.
Boom! Boom!
Flames exploded and whipped around him, surrounding his body completely to prevent escape.
“Burn to death!”
[Repulsion.]
POW!
A powerful shockwave erupted, scattering the flames. The Fire Esper stared blankly at the scene.
“You’re the most annoying one.”
[Rift Movement.]
Shink.
His body traveled through a crack in space, reappearing behind the Fire Esper. It was a spatial movement without any warning signs. The Fire Esper gasped and manifested a shroud of flames to protect himself. Kang Jun-hyeok looked surprised.
“Materializing flames? You can even do that? Impressive.”
“Die—”
[High-Output Gauntlet from Somewhere]
KABOOM!
The moment the gauntlet touched the veil of fire, a massive explosion of force occurred. It blew away everything within the immediate space.
“Gah!”
“Cough!”
The Espers couldn’t withstand the blast and were sent flying. Only the Physical Enhancer managed to stay on his feet by digging into the ground, though he was still pushed back dozens of meters.
“Ugh…”
As the Fire Esper struggled to stand, a spear flew through the air and pierced his chest.
“…Gurgle.”
His body slumped. This was one of the weaknesses of an Esper. Unless they possessed a power like physical enhancement, their bodies were no different from ordinary humans. A hit to a vital spot was fatal.
“That’s one.”
“…You bastard!”
“Aaaaaah!”
The telekinetic youth screamed and reached out his hand. For a moment, Kang Jun-hyeok felt a crushing pressure, as if a giant were squeezing him.
‘Target-designation ability.’
Telekinesis was fundamentally a power to move matter. There were restrictions when using it on living beings. If one used too much power at once, the ability could break, dealing a massive backlash to the user.
The countermeasure was simple.
[Single Point Penetration.]
His accelerated body shattered the telekinetic pressure binding him. The youth coughed up blood from the backlash just as the spear pierced his heart.
“Two.”
“Eek, aaaaah!”
The magnetic Esper screamed in pure terror. An Esper’s power was influenced by their emotions. Faced with a mortal threat he had never experienced before, his power went berserk.
Creeeeeak!
Steel rebar from the surrounding city rose into the air. People began to scream, not knowing what was happening. Kang Jun-hyeok marveled at the massive mass of iron rising into the sky.
“Incredible.”
A mass of steel rebar, rivaling a small hill, was blotting out the sun.
“Please, just die!”
With a scream, the magnetic Esper brought his hands down. The rebar twisted into sharp spikes and rained down, intent on impaling Kang Jun-hyeok.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The spikes pulverized everything in their path. The very ley lines of the earth were shattered, leaving the ground so ruined it wouldn’t recover for centuries.
“Ah, ah…”
But Kang Jun-hyeok was unscathed. A translucent veil was protecting his body. Though it was cracked and battered, it had successfully shielded him.
“It was an Anti-Field boosted by Enhancement and Reset, and yet it almost broke. I’ll give you credit for that.”
Thuck.
The thrown spear transfixed the magnetic Esper. The remaining Physical Enhancer’s eyes bulged.
Spear manipulation. Teleportation. Shockwaves. And even a barrier.
“…A Multi-Esper!”
“Not quite.”
“Impossible! It’s impossible! This can’t be happening! We are the Rulers!”
They were the strongest Espers in this world. No one could oppose them. No one could resist them. This world was nothing more than their plaything.
And then, out of nowhere, an outsider had appeared and overwhelmed them all, slaughtering them. It was unbelievable.
Kang Jun-hyeok replied casually.
“The world is a big place. You’ve lived like kings here, relying on your power, haven't you? Then you should have been prepared to be crushed by a greater power.”
“Aaaaaah!”
The man screamed and lunged forward.
* * *
[Level Up.]
• Stamina +10
• Strength +1
• Speed +1
• Internal Energy +1
• Proficiency in Anti-Field has increased.
• Proficiency in Spear Throw has increased.
“That was decent enough.”
But that was it. He hadn't even needed to use True Ancestor Awakening or the Glory of the Lost God. To say nothing of his Internal Energy or Mana. Just by using his basic powers appropriately, he had been able to handle five of them at once.
This was the difference between the First Rank and the Second Rank. The gap between ranks was immense—nearly impossible to bridge without a miracle.
‘Though the same applies to me.’
Conversely, he had almost no chance against a Third Rank.
Having finished the cleanup, Kang Jun-hyeok returned to the underground facility.
“H-how did it go?”
“I’ve taken care of them all.”
“O-oh! I knew it! I believed in you! You really are amazing!”
The Director shouted, his eyes wide with frantic relief. Kang Jun-hyeok had defeated the Rulers alone. The Director had lost even the basic intellect required to question that fact. Ignoring him, Jun-hyeok approached the girl trapped in the device. She was watching him with an intrigued look.
“Wow. You beat those guys? You’re pretty amazing.”
“If this device activates, you’ll die.”
“So?”
The girl tilted her head as if she didn't see the problem.
“Isn't it better if I die?”
“Why do you think that?”
“The first time I used my power was when I was a toddler. I erased my parents’ very existence. I don’t even remember why. Probably because they didn't stop me from crying. Something stupid like that.”
The girl spoke playfully.
“I don’t even remember my parents’ faces. Even the people around me think I was born an orphan. Their existence was literally erased.”
Kang Jun-hyeok paused at her answer.
“You knew.”
“They were trying so hard to control me, so I pretended to be fooled. I wanted my power to be like that, too. I’m tired of trying to keep my mind empty and acting calm just so the world doesn't fall apart. I want to rest now.”
The girl buried her head between her knees.
Kang Jun-hyeok responded to her sincerity. He raised his weapon. The Director, who had been laughing maniacally, widened his eyes. Kang Jun-hyeok was about to strike the device with his weapon.
“Y-you! What are you—”
CRACK!
The device shattered into pieces. The girl’s eyes went wide.
“…Huh?”