Chapter 38: Master of All Weapons (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Master of All Weapons (2)
Pixie, struggling to calm her racing heart, muttered under her breath.
[The Hunger Growing in the Rift… So that thing was lurking on the 5th Floor all along….]
“What? You didn’t know?”
[We only know the basic structure of the floors. We don’t know when an outside force intervenes.]
“Ah. I see.”
Kang Jun-hyeok nodded, accepting the explanation from the Master of All Weapons. Meanwhile, Pixie stared at him, her face a mask of utter confusion.
[You actually passed its trial? How…?]
“Want to know?”
Kang Jun-hyeok gave her a playful smirk. Pixie couldn’t bring herself to say no. Her eyes betrayed a desperate mix of bewilderment and raw curiosity.
Like the Master of All Weapons, Pixie was one who had laid everything down—someone who had abandoned the struggle and surrendered to the Master of the Universe. That was why she had taken on the role of a shopkeeper.
With a visible effort, Pixie shook her head.
[No. I’m tired. I don’t want to care about anything anymore….]
“For someone who claims not to care, you seem very interested in me.”
[….]
Pixie had no retort. It was true. Even now, she was dying of curiosity, wondering exactly how Kang Jun-hyeok had managed to pass that trial. The balloon of her curiosity grew larger and larger, reaching the point where it felt ready to burst.
However, Pixie forcibly suppressed the feeling and glared at him.
[Don’t act like you know me… You don’t know the first thing about me.]
“You’re right. I don’t,” Kang Jun-hyeok readily agreed. “But I do know that you’re very interested in me, Pixie.”
In his past life, Pixie had shown a keen interest in him. Although she eventually lost that interest once he began giving his power away to others, she wouldn’t have been intrigued in the first place if she had truly let everything go.
It was the same in this life. Pixie was constantly curious about his methods for clearing the floors. It meant she hadn’t truly abandoned her attachment to the world.
Pixie bit her lip.
[…Shut up. Just shut up. Stop acting like you’ve figured me out. Don’t pay any more attention to me. I don’t need anything from you….]
She backed away abruptly, looking like a stubborn child running away from a lecture.
“There she goes.”
[That one cannot discard her instincts as a fairy,] the Master of All Weapons spoke in a low, resonant voice. [She desperately denies it, but she cannot hide her own emotions.]
“This is enough for now.”
He could deal with her gradually. For now, Kang Jun-hyeok checked the skills he had purchased from the shop.
[Active Skill: Hold Breath]
Rank: Lowest-Grade
Proficiency: F
Cooldown: 1 hour
Effect: You can hold your breath for 1 minute.
[Active Skill: Balancing]
Rank: Lowest-Grade
Proficiency: F
Cooldown: 1 hour
Effect: You can instantly correct your balance from a broken stance.
The skills he bought this time consisted of one mediocre utility and one absolute jackpot.
Hold Breath didn’t have many uses; its duration was too short to be versatile. Balancing, on the other hand, was excellent. Not only could it counter situations where his stance broke because he couldn’t handle his own momentum, but it could also be used in countless combat scenarios. It was one of the few "jackpot" skills among the lowest-grade tier, much like Stealth.
“Nice.”
It was a satisfying haul. A faint smile played on Kang Jun-hyeok’s lips. With three days left until the next floor opened, he planned to wait leisurely since there wasn't much else to do.
‘By the way…’
Kang Jun-hyeok calculated the timeline. It had already been nearly a month and a half since he had returned to the past.
If so…
‘It should be coming soon.’
Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes grew cold.
* * *
Three days later, Kang Jun-hyeok entered the 6th Floor immediately.
The 6th Floor Quest was simple: destroy several goblin dens.
It was a floor directly connected to the 2nd Floor Quest. It served as an evaluation of whether a player—who could barely stop the goblins invading the village on the 2nd Floor—had gained enough strength to take the fight to the source by the 6th Floor.
Under normal circumstances, a player would have a hard time dealing with an entire den. Most players barely managed to destroy one or two before completing the quest requirements.
But Kang Jun-hyeok had already annihilated a Goblin Kingdom on the 2nd Floor. A mere ordinary den meant nothing to him now.
[Keeek!]
[Kyack!]
Kang Jun-hyeok slaughtered every goblin that rushed him. He burned the dens to the ground and moved on to the Goblin Chief located in the deepest part of the cave.
[Kuoohhh!]
The Goblin Chief charged with a roar. Kang Jun-hyeok simply brought his greatsword down in a heavy arc. The Chief was slammed into the dirt, unable to even mount a proper defense.
Plunging his sword into the twitching chest of the monster, Kang Jun-hyeok muttered, “Weak. The guy on the 2nd Floor was much stronger.”
[Kack….]
The Goblin Chief went limp. And with that, the 6th Floor Quest came to an end.
[6th Floor Quest Cleared.]
[The reward will be determined by your performance.]
[Checking achievement rate… Verification complete.]
[Achievement Rate: 100%]
[Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be granted.]
[Weapon Obtained: Goblin Guard’s Spear]
[Title Effect Added: Perfect Player]
[2,221 Gold has been granted.]
[Perfect Clear Reward: You have obtained [Ring: Goblin Chief’s Ring].]
[Players who have Perfect Cleared the 6th Floor: 4]
[Universe Announcement: Please congratulate them! A Perfect Player of the 6th Floor has appeared.]
[Feat +2]
The 6th Floor was different from the previous ones. He wasn’t the only one to Perfect Clear it; four others had already achieved the feat.
However, Kang Jun-hyeok looked as if he had expected this. The difficulty of the Tower’s floors varied wildly.
The Perfect Clear condition for the 4th Floor was to find and kill the Queen Ant within a vast planet. The condition for the 5th Floor was to accept and win a Victor’s trial. These were conditions bordering on the impossible. On the 5th Floor, one couldn’t even attempt it unless a Victor specifically offered a trial.
In contrast, the Perfect Clear condition for the 6th Floor was simply to destroy all dens and defeat the Goblin Chief. It wasn't that difficult. In terms of raw requirements, the 2nd Floor had been much harder.
Simply put, the 6th Floor was one of the twenty floors that had been Perfect Cleared in his past life.
“There have to be floors like this where you can take a breather.”
[I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a breather,] the Master of All Weapons muttered, sounding slightly exasperated.
While Kang Jun-hyeok cleared it easily, a Perfect Clear of the 6th Floor was by no means a walk in the park. One had to destroy numerous dens and face a powerful Goblin Chief. The fact that only four people had achieved it out of all the players in the universe proved that.
It was just that Kang Jun-hyeok was abnormally strong.
He checked his rewards.
[Goblin Guard’s Spear]
Type: Weapon
Rank: Low-Rank
Stats: Attack Power +17
Description: A spear used by goblin guards. The blade is reasonably sharp.
[Goblin Chief’s Ring]
Type: Ring
Rank: Low-Rank
Stats: Speed +2, Defense +2
Description: A ring possessed by the Goblin Chief. The foolish goblin didn’t know its value; he simply wore it out of habit.
Additionally, +1 Speed was added to his Perfect Player title.
“Is this all?”
Compared to what he had received so far, it was relatively meager. But it couldn't be helped. Since the clear itself wasn't difficult, the rewards were naturally scaled down. It was a bit disappointing, but it didn't really matter. If anything, it highlighted just how incredible his previous acquisitions were. The weapon from the 6th Floor still had significantly lower damage than the Goblin King’s Greatsword he had obtained back on the 2nd Floor.
[Kang Jun-hyeok]
Level: 15
Health: 430
Strength: 38
Speed: 31
Feat: 38
Attack Power: + ?
Defense: +24
“…Well now.”
The corners of Kang Jun-hyeok’s mouth curled up as he checked his stats. These were, quite literally, monster-like stats. Of course, since his equipment had been mostly optimized, his growth would start to plateau soon. But even considering that, this was a jaw-dropping level of power.
In his past life, he hadn't reached these stats until the late 20th floors. An average player would only barely reach this level upon hitting the 40th floors.
That wasn't all. He also possessed several skills he hadn't obtained in his past life. He was becoming stronger at an overwhelmingly faster pace than before.
Kang Jun-hyeok was satisfied as he organized his inventory. Two days later, it happened.
[Universe Announcement.]
• Hello, everyone. I am the Administrator of the Tower.
A system window suddenly flickered into existence before his eyes.
* * *
“It’s finally here.”
Kang Jun-hyeok wasn't surprised. He looked as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
The system window would have been delivered not just to him, but to every player in the universe. Right now, billions of people would be staring at the screen in shock. As if indifferent to their confusion, the system window calmly continued its message.
[The reason for this announcement is simple. Finally, every being in the universe who possesses the qualification has gained the right to climb the Tower! It is truly a moving occasion.]
[And I would like to offer an apology to you all. Originally, everyone should have received their challenge rights simultaneously, but unfortunately, a problem occurred, and some received their rights late. I offer my sincere apologies to those individuals.]
“Like hell he’s sorry,” Kang Jun-hyeok scoffed.
The Administrator was a being who lived to mock others, not apologize. Those were empty words. The system window finally got to the point.
[Now, every qualified being has become a player.]
[Therefore, in two weeks, the first test will take place!]
[Rewards will be given to those who pass the test with excellence! The rewards will become even more special depending on your performance!]
[Conversely, there will be penalties for those who show disappointing results.]
[To those who received their challenge rights late, do not be too discouraged! There will be reasonable judgment and adjustments made.]
[So, for the remaining two weeks, climb the Tower diligently!]
The system window closed with those words of "encouragement." Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes darkened.
‘It’s here.’
The first test. It was the first filter presented to the masses and the event that signaled the true beginning of the climb. Kang Jun-hyeok’s gaze was fixed on one specific paragraph.
[The rewards will become even more special depending on your performance!]
Special rewards. Kang Jun-hyeok knew the value of those better than anyone. He had no intention of missing out.
He had two weeks left. He could squeeze in at least one more floor. He had no intention of resting. Kang Jun-hyeok entered the Tower again just one day later.
And then, he arrived.
He stood upon a single bridge built over a rushing river. A long path stretched out across a vast, open plain.
[7th Floor Quest.]
[In accordance with Yulsir’s Law, deal with those crossing the bridge.]