Chapter 26: 4th Floor. World of Insects (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: 4th Floor. World of Insects (1)
[Title: The 4th floor was horrible...]
[I never want to see it again...]
[Pham Minh Duc (23rd Floor): It was unpleasant, to say the least.]
[Irina Pavlova (12th Floor): I agree.]
[Olivia Turner (32nd Floor): ...Me too.]
* * *
[Hey...]
The space fractured open, and Pixie appeared. Seeing Kang Jun-hyeok, she puffed on her cigar as if she had been expecting him.
[So, you survived... You haven't changed a bit...]
Pixie stared at Kang Jun-hyeok with a look of wonder before shifting her gaze toward the Master of All Weapons.
[And you look the same as ever...]
[Indeed.]
At the response, Pixie’s eyebrows twitched.
[...What’s with you?]
[What do you mean?]
[No, something’s different...]
When she first saw the Master of All Weapons, he had been like a withered, gnarled old tree—a dead thing, twisted and rotted, incapable of ever returning to life. He had carried the aura of a man who had abandoned and let go of everything.
But now, the Master of All Weapons’ aura had shifted. It was a subtle change, one that anyone less sensitive than her would have missed, but it was undeniable.
[I guess you’ve had a change of heart. Not that it’s any of my business...]
Pixie bit down on her cigar.
[So, what are you buying this time?]
“Three lowest-grade active skills.”
Kang Jun-hyeok answered immediately. He currently held 3,221 Gold, enough to afford three lowest-grade skills. Pixie flicked her ash, having anticipated this.
[Fine...]
[You have obtained a Lowest-Rank Active Skill Box.]
[You have obtained a Lowest-Rank Active Skill Box.]
[You have obtained a Lowest-Rank Active Skill Box.]
As soon as he received the boxes, Jun-hyeok opened them.
[Active Skill: Wall Climbing]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 10 minutes
• Effect: For 10 seconds, you can rapidly scale vertical surfaces without falling.
“Hmm.”
Wall Climbing. It was a skill that could only be utilized if two conditions were met: a vertical wall and a reason to climb it. Its versatility was low, but it wasn't a total loss. It would be useful in the right situation.
[Active Skill: Hunger Management]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 1 day
• Effect: Satisfies hunger for 12 hours. After that, the skill's effect gradually weakens.
“Another strange skill.”
Players, by default, did not starve to death. The Tower System turned them into entirely different beings; they could function without eating, and biological functions were no longer a necessity.
Curiously, however, the sensation of hunger remained. If one didn't eat for a certain period, they would still feel the pangs of starvation. Even if there were no physical consequences, extreme hunger was a form of pain in itself, causing significant psychological stress.
In his past life, Jun-hyeok himself had often suffered from hunger to the point of eating dirt. Considering that, it was a useful skill. Jun-hyeok filed it away mentally.
Pixie watched him with a look of distaste. As a shopkeeper, she had seen countless players. Every single one of them agonized over every skill purchase, their moods swinging wildly depending on the results. It was only natural, given the significant amount of Gold involved.
Because of that, this was her first time seeing someone like Kang Jun-hyeok, who calmly analyzed and organized the effects of each skill without emotion. Pixie muttered under her breath.
[Strange fellow...]
Jun-hyeok checked the final skill.
[Active Skill: Focus Vision]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: F
• Cooldown: 5 minutes
• Effect: Temporarily focuses your vision to see further and in greater detail.
“Oh.”
Jun-hyeok let out a small sound of approval.
Focus Vision. The effect was simple: it allowed him to see far away and in high detail, much like a telescope or a microscope. The cooldown was short, and the effect was highly versatile. Along with Stealth, it was one of the few "jackpot" lowest-grade skills.
[Is that all?]
“No. One last thing.”
Jun-hyeok used his remaining Gold to purchase two spears. Pixie looked puzzled but fulfilled her role as the shopkeeper.
“Good. This should be enough.”
[Hmm...]
Pixie stared intently at Kang Jun-hyeok. From her perspective, Jun-hyeok was an incredibly rational man. He didn't waste money on useless things; he bought exactly what he needed. If someone like him was buying two spears and these specific lowest-grade active skills, it meant they were necessary for his ascent.
...I’m curious.
How exactly was this guy climbing the Tower? What methods did he use to achieve a Perfect Clear?
She was a Fairy. By nature, her race was more inquisitive than any other. However, she suppressed her curiosity. Right now, she was just a shopkeeper who had given up on everything. How a player climbed the Tower was of no importance to her.
[...See you again.]
The fact that her parting words were different from before must have been a mere whim.
[You’re in no position to say that to me, Pixie,] the Master of All Weapons murmured softly after hearing her last words. Jun-hyeok also looked surprised.
“'See you again,' huh?”
In his past life, Pixie had never opened her heart to anyone. She had always performed her role as a merchant with dead eyes. She had shown a slight interest in him back then, but as soon as he began yielding his power to others, she had immediately lost interest.
This was the first time he had seen Pixie act like this. It wasn't bad; it was proof that he was on the right track. Jun-hyeok rested for a while longer. The moment the time came when entry to the Tower was permitted, he moved immediately.
[Will you challenge the Tower?]
[Floor to challenge: 4th Floor.]
[4th Floor Quest beginning.]
[Prove yourself.]
Jun-hyeok’s body left the void and entered the Tower. He was transported inside a cave. Simultaneously, the sound of insects crawling echoed through the air. Jun-hyeok gripped his Greatsword. The crawling sounds grew closer until the creatures finally revealed themselves.
Six legs. A body divided into three segments. Long antennae and massive mandibles.
They were ants.
Naturally, they weren't ordinary ants. These ants were roughly the size of a small dog. They looked like insects from a horror movie, grown to monstrous sizes.
They’re still disgusting, no matter how many times I see them.
[...Kieee!]
[Screee!]
The ants spotted Jun-hyeok and shrieked. They rushed forward at high speed, their six legs blurring. At that moment, the quest window appeared.
[4th Floor Quest]
• Kill as many ants as possible.
• The quest can be concluded after a minimum of one week.
* * *
Killing ants. That was the quest for the 4th floor.
The ants closed in on Jun-hyeok rapidly, their sharp mandibles clicking as they tried to tear into his flesh. Jun-hyeok took a step forward and swung his Greatsword.
CRUNCH!
The head of the first ant was pulverized and sent flying. He didn't retreat; he pressed forward. He pulled the Greatsword back and swung it again in a wide arc.
BOOM!
Three ants were cleaved in half with a single strike. He stomped on the head of an ant that tried to cling to his leg, bursting it instantly. In a flash, ten ants lay scattered in pieces.
It wasn't that the ants were particularly weak. Individually, their strength wasn't enough to challenge a 3rd-floor player, but they made up for it with overwhelming numbers. There were thousands of ants inside the cave. If a player made a wrong move, the swarm would literally crush them. Because of this, most players tried to lure the ants out and deal with them one by one.
In extreme cases, some didn't fight the ants at all. Since there was no condition requiring a minimum number of kills, it was a viable strategy. That was the typical way to clear the 4th floor.
However, Jun-hyeok had grown strong enough to easily overpower even a 16th-floor player. Furthermore, his current defense was incredibly high. Since an ant’s attack only drained about 2 or 3 HP, he could simply push through with brute force.
After slaughtering the initial swarm, Jun-hyeok roamed the cave. He hunted them down, crushing every single one he found. The cave was quite large, but by moving without rest, he reached the end in about ten hours.
Splatter.
[Screee!]
Jun-hyeok tore an ant’s torso in half and shifted his body to avoid the gushing fluids. The one he had just killed was the last ant in the cave.
Jun-hyeok felt nothing. The gap in power was too great. Since he couldn't gain experience or proficiency from such weak foes, it felt more like manual labor.
Now then.
This was the important part. In his past life, he had killed every single ant. He had invested nearly two weeks to ensure not a single one remained. Satisfied that he had done a perfect job, he had ended the quest.
The achievement rate that appeared before him then was a mere 0.001%.
He wasn't the only one. There were quite a few people who had wiped out all the ants in the cave, but all of them received an achievement rate of only 0.001%. Considering that even the 1st floor where the Master of All Weapons resided was 0.1%, it was bizarre.
There was something more here.
Jun-hyeok examined the interior of the cave. He checked every wall for hidden locations or mechanisms. He spent over a full day scouring the cave, but nothing came up. It really did look like an ordinary cave.
“Hmm.”
Jun-hyeok stroked his chin. It was certain that something was here; the achievement rate proved it. That meant there was something he hadn't found yet. As he racked his brain, a thought occurred to him.
This was a cave—at least, that’s what everyone thought. But looking at it objectively, there were many strange features for it to be just a cave. First, the incline was very steep. There were slopes so sharp you practically had to scale them like a wall. Furthermore, the walls were all made of soft dirt that could be dug out with bare hands.
And the creatures living in such a cave were ants.
If that was the case...
Jun-hyeok followed the incline upward, heading toward the highest point of the cave. There was nothing there—just a moderately sized open space. Jun-hyeok drew a Greatsword from the Master of All Weapons and slammed it into the wall.
Thwack.
With a soft sound, the Greatsword sank into the cave wall. The walls of the 4th-floor cave could be dug; he had known that in his past life. But there had been no point to it, as no matter how much one dug, only dirt came out.
Despite knowing this, Jun-hyeok continued to dig. He began to pile the excavated dirt in one spot. The ceiling was quite high—at least 10 meters—and normally out of sight. But by continuously piling up the dirt, Jun-hyeok created a mound that reached the ceiling.
Approaching the ceiling, Jun-hyeok stabbed it with his Greatsword. The Master of All Weapons watched him silently.
He removed chunks of dirt from the ceiling over and over again. After he had dug several meters upward...
Puncture.
The Greatsword felt like it had pierced through to empty space. Jun-hyeok’s movements grew faster. He carved and sliced through the dirt until finally...
Crumble.
As the dirt fell away, light poured through the gap. Jun-hyeok put away his Greatsword, reached into the gap, and pulled himself up.
“Phew.”
Jun-hyeok brushed the dirt off his body and looked up. And there, he saw it.
He was standing in the middle of a vast plain, thick with lush vegetation. Above him, the sky stretched out wide.
“So it was an ant nest.”
The place he had been wasn't a cave. It was an ant nest with a blocked entrance. The true setting of the 4th floor was a vast world.
And in that world, an uncountable number of ants were visible.