Chapter 186: 41st Floor. Breathing Forest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: 41st Floor. Breathing Forest
[I never imagined such a method was possible.]
Eldiria was genuinely surprised.
The path of cultivation was supposed to be a singular, endless pursuit. The established wisdom was to focus and hone the power one already possessed. Looking elsewhere was considered nothing but a waste of effort.
A mage should focus only on magic.
A swordsman, only on swordsmanship.
An esper, only on their psychic abilities.
That was the standard path, and without exception, those who strayed from it failed to reach the pinnacle.
But Kang Jun-hyeok was a Player.
Such restrictions did not apply to him. He could acquire a diverse range of powers and use them to overcome the inherent weaknesses of each.
Pixie’s Mana Box was a perfect example.
The Mana Box operated through an extremely sophisticated mana circuit. If one’s proficiency was lacking, it consumed a massive amount of mana and required complex techniques just to move.
To use an analogy, it was like a human needing to build a plane, attach wings, install an engine, and master the skill of piloting just to fly. For someone born human, that was the natural order of things.
But a bird did not need such things to fly. It simply spread its wings and entrusted its body to the wind.
The psychic power he currently possessed was like a bird’s wings.
A task that demanded extreme technical finesse from a mage was solved as easily as breathing through the use of his psychic powers. The Master of All Weapons let out a hollow laugh.
[Pixie is going to scream.]
[I wonder if it will be a scream of horror that her creation was overhauled, or a scream of joy at realizing such a method existed.]
[Likely both.]
Kang Jun-hyeok thought coldly.
The consumption of psychic energy is low.
The weight of the Mana Box felt like a feather. Moving it with Telekinesis consumed almost nothing. At this rate, he could use it without any issues.
Kang Jun-hyeok stared intently at the Mana Box. Its interior was functioning through an incredibly complex mana design.
Can I intervene with the interior using Telekinesis as well?
There was no need to stop at just thinking. Kang Jun-hyeok immediately began to tinker with the internal structure using Telekinesis. He experimented to see if the components that consumed large amounts of mana could be replaced with psychic force.
Creeeeeak!
The moment he interfered with the internal mechanisms, the Mana Box let out a shrill screech and shattered. Kang Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue.
"I must have touched the wrong part."
He could handle the Mana Box through the power of a skill, but he hadn't perfectly grasped its structure yet. Failure was an inevitable part of the process.
It didn't matter, though. He had plenty of time here. He waited for his mana to recover and summoned it again.
[Pixie’s Mana Box.]
He continued to test whether he could manipulate the internal structure using Telekinesis. However, no matter how many times he tried, he kept failing. Kang Jun-hyeok stroked his chin.
Is it a lack of physical mass?
The interior of the Mana Box was composed of substances manifested from mana. But Telekinesis was a non-material force. It seemed it couldn't be substituted—at least not with his current level of proficiency.
In that case, he would try another power. Kang Jun-hyeok drew his blood and made it permeate the Mana Box. Eldiria let out a soft chuckle.
[Now it is the Vampire’s ability. You truly try all sorts of methods.]
Blood was physical matter. As expected, it was much easier to intervene than when he had used Telekinesis. He continued the cycle of modifying and repairing the Mana Box.
Two weeks later.
Kang Jun-hyeok flicked his finger with a satisfied expression.
Whirring.
The Mana Box moved around Kang Jun-hyeok at high speed. His proficiency was incomparable to when he had first summoned it.
Kang Jun-hyeok snapped his fingers. Light erupted from the Mana Box, sweeping through the surroundings. In an instant, the trees and bushes of the forest were sliced into pieces and came crashing down.
"Is this enough for now?"
The Mana Box had been modified in various ways. Parts that could be replaced with blood were substituted, making the structure much simpler. Thanks to that, he could now handle two Mana Boxes at once. The duration he could maintain them had increased to ten minutes—double what it was initially.
Even so, it wasn't particularly long.
I'll need to secure more Mana stats.
Arcana Gem Magic was a school of magic with extremely low mana consumption. Because of that, he hadn't paid much attention to his Mana stat, but now the situation had changed.
The testing was mostly finished. Now, it was time to end this. Kang Jun-hyeok raised his finger.
[Enhancement. Glory of the Lost God.]
A sun descended upon the forest, burning everything to ash. He stepped forward, spear in hand.
[Single Point Penetration.]
BOOM!
The trees were torn apart, reduced to pulp. He activated Thousand-Pound Weight, completely collapsing the ground.
The reason a Perfect Clear of the 41st Floor had never existed was simple: no one possessed the raw power required to erase the entire forest within a month.
In other words, once that requirement was met, a Perfect Clear was incredibly easy. Kang Jun-hyeok plowed through and crushed the forest in an instant. It took him exactly one week to destroy the forest down to its very roots.
[Your proficiency with Pixie’s Mana Box has increased.]
[41st Floor Quest Cleared.]
[The reward 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.]
[4,123 Gold has been rewarded.]
[You have obtained the Perfect Clear reward: [Deep Root].]
[Players who have Perfect Cleared the 41st Floor: 1.]
[Universe Announcement.]
[Please offer your congratulations! Everyone in the universe! A Perfect Player for the 41st Floor has appeared.]
[Feat +4]
[Deep Root]
[Rank: Mid-Rank]
[The source of a massive forest. Contained within is pure and deep magic power. Consuming it grants Mana.]
Kang Jun-hyeok immediately put the root into his mouth.
[Mana +5]
The Perfect Player title also added Mana +1. It was exactly the stat he needed. Kang Jun-hyeok immediately summoned Pixie and shared his memories. Her eyes widened in shock.
[You... you overhauled my magic?]
"Sorry about that."
[No. There's no need to be sorry. None at all! What! You can move it using psychic powers? And you can fix the internal structure through blood?!]
Pixie made a huge fuss. It was a method she had never even considered. To begin with, it was unthinkable for a mage to handle Telekinesis or Vampire abilities.
[So this is possible for a Player! ...No. No, it's not. It's possible because it's you.]
Not every Player possessed such a diverse range of powers. Kang Jun-hyeok was an anomaly.
[This is fun! I'm so looking forward to seeing how you'll handle my power and how you'll change it!]
[330 Starlight.]
The floor itself wasn't much, but perhaps because the technique of handling the box was interesting, he managed to earn a significant amount of Starlight.
And so, the 41st Floor came to an end. Now it was time to rest while preparing for the next floor.
However, he couldn't just rest quietly. A System window appeared before his eyes.
[Universe Announcement.]
[Greetings, everyone. I am the Administrator of the Tower.]
"It's here," Kang Jun-hyeok muttered, looking as if he had been waiting.
* * *
The System windows continued to scroll down. They were likely being delivered to every Player in the universe.
[It has already been several months since the Final Test. Have you been climbing the Tower diligently during that time? Have you proven your worth? Have you built up the strength for what comes next?]
[I certainly hope so! Because the first Universe Quest is finally coming to find you.]
[In two weeks, the first Universe Quest is scheduled to take place!]
[The true beginning is finally here! Rewards will be given to those who pass the quest brilliantly! The rewards will become even more special depending on your performance!]
[So, for the remaining two weeks, climb the Tower with all your might!]
The Universe Quest had finally begun. When he opened the Community, posts were going up at a rapid pace.
[Dang Jung-ryeong (65th Floor): It’s finally here.]
[Aloanian Hasat (61st Floor): A quest, not a test... I wonder what the concept will be. Will it be conducted on a planetary scale? Or a universal scale?]
[Dang Jung-ryeong (65th Floor): Since it’s called a Universe Quest, the latter is more likely.]
[Trey Dice (60th Floor): Phew.]
However, they didn't fall into a panic. This was a community of top-tier Players. It was only natural, as they were all individuals with confidence in their own strength. As he watched quietly, he saw his name.
[Tuvalt Shadowstar (67th Floor): Kang Jun-hyeok. You’re lurking here too, aren't you?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok (41st Floor): Hello.]
[Dang Jung-ryeong (65th Floor): Good to see you. The 41st Floor... I see. You probably haven't missed a single Perfect Clear yet. Hmm.]
[Tuvalt Shadowstar (67th Floor): Let’s have a match. The one who achieves a higher performance in this quest wins. The loser must post a public declaration of absolute respect and honor toward the winner!]
Kang Jun-hyeok smirked at Tuvalt’s words.
It was the same in his past life—Tuvalt was like a child. He had severe mood swings and insisted that situations must go exactly as he intended. Thus, Kang Jun-hyeok replied leisurely.
[Kang Jun-hyeok (41st Floor): Why should I?]
[Tuvalt Shadowstar (67th Floor): Are you running away! As I thought, you’re just all talk!]
[Kang Jun-hyeok (41st Floor): It’s not exactly that. I just mean it’s meaningless.]
Kang Jun-hyeok possessed the memories of his past life. Therefore, he knew better than anyone that Tuvalt’s words were pointless. Because they were going to meet in person.
[Tuvalt Shadowstar (67th Floor): I knew it! You’re a coward and a cheat!]
[Kang Jun-hyeok (41st Floor): If you’re going to go that far... Fine. I accept.]
[Tuvalt Shadowstar (67th Floor): Hahahaha! Good! I’ll teach you a lesson!]
Kang Jun-hyeok lightly closed the Community.
Tuvalt Shadowstar. A magical genius born once in ten thousand years. The Player to whom he had yielded the book of Lemegeton in his past life. And the one who had greatly disappointed him.
He would be meeting him soon.
"...I'm looking forward to it."
A thin smirk played across Kang Jun-hyeok’s lips.