Chapter 188: 42nd Floor. Loser of the Great War. Paltry Assassin (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188: 42nd Floor. Loser of the Great War. Paltry Assassin (2)
On the 39th floor, Kang Jun-hyeok had faced five First Rank powerhouses simultaneously and defeated them without much trouble.
However, there was a massive disparity between each Rank. That gap only grew more extreme the higher one climbed the tower. If the difference between the First and Second Rank was tenfold, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the difference between the Second and Third Rank was thirtyfold.
"Hup."
Loctia took a light step forward. Even though they were in an open field with no obstacles, Jun-hyeok instantly lost track of her. He clenched his fist.
[Glory of the Lost God.]
An intense radiance swallowed the space. The resulting heat scorched the bricks, sending the temperature soaring.
"Whoa!"
Loctia recoiled in shock, her form wavering. Like a shadow crawling across the floor, she faded away as if she were a painted illusion.
Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes widened.
She dodged the Glory?
The Glory of the Lost God was a wide-area attack. There shouldn't have been any room to escape, yet Loctia had succeeded in evading it perfectly. He couldn't even begin to grasp how she had done it.
"Pure divine glory? You don't look like a believer, though," Loctia muttered in wonder as she lunged again.
It was an attack he couldn't see and couldn't react to. Because of that, Kang Jun-hyeok activated a specific skill.
[Block.]
The Block skill allowed him to intercept attacks that were beyond his natural physical capabilities. Sure enough, his body moved on its own to parry Loctia’s strike.
However, Loctia’s wrist twisted in an eerie fashion. She bypassed his defense effortlessly, and her dagger sank deep into his shoulder.
Even Block couldn't stop her. Kang Jun-hyeok quickly pulled out his orb and threw a gem.
Rumble!
The gems exploded all at once, sweeping through the area. But Loctia had already put distance between them.
"Magic that doesn't require casting? What is this now?" Loctia stepped forward again, her face filled with disbelief.
The moment she rushed him, Kang Jun-hyeok raised a finger.
[Judgment of the Law.]
"…Ugh!"
Loctia’s overall speed plummeted by 20%. Her senses were momentarily disrupted, causing her to falter, and Kang Jun-hyeok did not miss that opening.
[Instant Acceleration.]
Kang Jun-hyeok’s speed surged. With the debuff and buff overlapping, the gap between the two narrowed drastically. On top of that, he circulated his internal energy to reinforce his physical body.
Clang!
As a result, Loctia was forced to defend against Kang Jun-hyeok’s attack for the first time—an attack she had previously dodged or caught with ease.
Kang Jun-hyeok pressed his advantage even harder. Loctia couldn't respond immediately. Judgment of the Law didn't just slow down physical movement; it even slowed the speed of thought and judgment.
That authority was not something even she could ignore. It took time for her to adapt to her slowed pace.
It took roughly ten seconds.
"I've adapted."
Slash!
Loctia’s body blurred past Kang Jun-hyeok. Her dagger slit his throat, and his health dropped to zero.
* * *
After drinking from the spring to recover, Kang Jun-hyeok attempted the duel again. This time, he waited until the attack was right in front of him before activating Rift Movement.
"Huh!"
Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was sucked into a rift without any warning. Loctia’s eyes widened. Kang Jun-hyeok thrust his sword rapidly from behind her.
Shred!
However, it was Kang Jun-hyeok who was cut. Loctia’s body had moved behind him in an instant, shredding his entire frame.
"Ha."
Kang Jun-hyeok burst into a laugh.
He had already died nearly ten times. In contrast, he hadn't managed to land a single blow. He knew better than anyone that the gap between Ranks was vast, but experiencing it again after so long made him chuckle.
However, the one who was actually surprised was Loctia.
"What are you?"
The look in her eyes as she watched Kang Jun-hyeok was as if she were looking at a monster.
The martial arts of the Master of All Weapons were closer to an authority than a mere technique. Every martial artist in the universe coveted his skills, and she was no different. But no one had ever been able to master them.
Yet, Kang Jun-hyeok was wielding the martial arts of the Master of All Weapons.
That alone was shocking, but he also brandished the pure glory of a god. On top of that, he was even utilizing the authority of the God of Law.
"You don't even look like a follower of the God of Law, so how are you using that?"
Not to mention Rift Movement. For a being of the universe to wield the authority of the Victors... She had momentarily felt a chill down her spine, which had delayed her reaction.
It was incomprehensible and unknown. Even to Loctia, who had lived for ages, Kang Jun-hyeok was a mystery. Kang Jun-hyeok spoke calmly.
"You extremely compressed your Aura to reinforce your body. That's how you increased your strength and speed. And you use those strange footsteps to disorient the vision and target blind spots. Am I right?"
"You figured it out? You're spot on."
"It was just a guess."
Loctia’s movements couldn't be grasped even with the Observation skill. This was information he had gained purely through experience. Loctia toyed with her dagger.
"Excellent, marvelous. It's almost unbelievable."
But that was it. He still couldn't reach her.
He will get stronger. It won't be long after he climbs the tower that he'll possess power incomparable to someone like me.
Loctia was certain. Before long, Kang Jun-hyeok would become stronger than her. He wouldn't just reach the Third Rank; he would ascend to a realm far beyond that.
"But not right now."
No matter how special his power was, he couldn't overcome the immediate difference in strength.
"Can't you just clear it reasonably? This should be enough."
[No.]
The Master of All Weapons declined lightly.
[This brat won't be satisfied with that. Isn't that right?]
"Of course."
After drinking from the spring, Kang Jun-hyeok took his stance again. Loctia made an ambiguous expression.
"Confidence is good, but… it still won't work."
[Why do you think so?]
"Because he lacks pure power. The only possibility would be to target a gap or a weakness, but I've already figured out most of his strength."
Surprise attacks would no longer work. At that answer, the Master of All Weapons laughed.
[You're right. You've figured out most of this kid's power. But the same goes for him.]
"What?"
[You've figured her out, right?]
"Roughly," Kang Jun-hyeok replied.
Physical reinforcement using Aura.
She reinforced her body itself to the extreme. Her strength and speed were at a level Kang Jun-hyeok couldn't match.
But she can't use wide-range powers.
She didn't manifest her Aura externally or fire off sword winds. She was an assassin. It meant she didn't need that kind of power application.
And because of that, she isn't durable.
She had only boosted her physical strength and speed; her actual toughness seemed ordinary. A typical Third Rank powerhouse should have been able to take the Glory of the Lost God with their bare body without much damage. But she had recoiled and evaded it in a panic.
It meant that even with his current strength, he could wound her.
He thought. He judged. He planned. He visualized. And at the end of it, he reached a conclusion.
It was possible.
Kang Jun-hyeok raised his spear.
"Then let's try one more time."
"Hmm. If you insist. I'll play along until you give up."
Loctia twirled her dagger with an indifferent face. Kang Jun-hyeok put strength into his legs.
Step.
His body lunged toward Loctia. Disappointment washed over Loctia’s face.
I wondered what he was thinking, but...
It was an ordinary attack, no different from before. She intended to lightly brush past him and slit his throat. At that moment, Kang Jun-hyeok exerted force through his feet.
[Single Point Penetration.]
Boom!
His body lunged forward, exceeding the speed of sound. Even Loctia couldn't ignore the power concentrated at the tip of that spear. After a brief hesitation, she tried to grab the spear shaft as she had done before.
In that instant, Kang Jun-hyeok poured even more strength into his arm.
[Reset. Enhancement. Single Point Penetration.]
An even greater power surged into the spear. Loctia’s expression changed. She couldn't catch that. She quickly kicked off the ground to dodge out of range.
[Spear Throw.]
[Spear Throw.]
Zip, zip!
Two spears flew at her in rapid succession. She tried to move her body to dodge, but the spears tracked her accurately. Eventually, she clicked her tongue and swung her dagger to parry them.
[Rift Movement.]
Flash.
Kang Jun-hyeok moved behind her back. Loctia twisted her body. She kicked away the flying spear shaft while stabbing her dagger toward Kang Jun-hyeok’s waist. It was a perfect response, a movement as natural as flowing water.
And Kang Jun-hyeok knew she would respond that way.
[Glory of the Lost God.]
Vrrrring!
An intense light illuminated the world. Loctia recoiled in horror, throwing her body backward. Moving in an eerie fashion, she perfectly evaded the light.
[Sword Ki and Sword Wind.]
[Charge.]
He charged toward Loctia along with the sword ki. Loctia grit her teeth. With a serious face, she cut through the sword ki and tried to slash Kang Jun-hyeok.
[Balancing.]
At that moment, Kang Jun-hyeok’s body came to a dead stop. The dagger sliced through empty air. Kang Jun-hyeok thrust his spear immediately.
[Thrust.]
Clang!
"Ugh!"
Loctia hurriedly blocked the attack with her dagger. Kang Jun-hyeok took another step forward.
[Shock.]
Boom!
A powerful impact erupted between the clashing weapons. Loctia’s posture broke reflexively. She staggered and tried to widen the distance in a hurry, but Kang Jun-hyeok rushed in instantly.
"Wait… a second!"
Loctia’s mind raced.
React. Read him. Judge.
In a battle between experts above a certain level, combat wasn't just a contest of strength. It was a high-level game of wits, closer to reading and predicting each other's next move.
And she was being read.
Clang!
"Urgh!"
Kang Jun-hyeok had grasped all of her responses and movements and countered them. Losing the battle of wits, her rhythm began to be stolen away.
…I'm being read?
A battle of wits was an act of betting one's cards to occupy the high ground. Naturally, experience was the most important factor.
And she was a Loser.
She only looked young. In terms of Murim, she was in a state of Rejuvenation. She was over two hundred years old and had experienced countless battles. Yet now, she was being pushed back in a tactical exchange by Kang Jun-hyeok. He was clearly an inferior opponent, yet he was pressuring her using a perfect combination of techniques.
That meant only one thing. It meant Kang Jun-hyeok had experienced more combat than she had.
"Hah!"
She reflexively shifted her body away from the thrusting spear tip. An incredibly bizarre movement unfolded. In an instant, dozens of blades brushed past Kang Jun-hyeok’s body.
"Whew!"
She barely managed to take Kang Jun-hyeok down, but she was far from relaxed. Kang Jun-hyeok, on the other hand, looked perfectly composed.
"So that kind of response is possible too. I should remember that."
"…You. You. What are you?"
The face Loctia made as she looked at Kang Jun-hyeok was filled with shock. Kang Jun-hyeok answered simply.
"I'm a Player."
A smile played on his lips. Loctia was strong. She was a Third Rank powerhouse. She was an opponent he had little chance of winning against even if he gave his all.
And he could engage in an endless duel with such an opponent without the risk of permanent death.
This is great.
Until now, there had only been opponents he could defeat if he fought well. Because of that, his senses had been dulling, but she was the perfect whetstone for his rehabilitation.
"Let's go again."
Kang Jun-hyeok looked at her.
The sensation that everything was being read—Loctia felt a genuine chill run down her spine.