Chapter 49: 8th Floor. The Labyrinth and the Key (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: 8th Floor. The Labyrinth and the Key (2)
[Title: What is up with the 8th floor? This place is...]
[Is this a horror game? It’s freaking terrifying...]
* * *
[8th Floor Quest]
[Collect as many keys as possible.]
The quest for the 8th floor began.
It was a strange, labyrinthine place, filled with branching paths and various traps visible at every turn. Between the corridors, narrow gaps—barely wide enough for a single person to squeeze through—were tucked away, almost as if inviting a person to hide.
The objective for the 8th floor was incredibly simple: wander through the labyrinth and find keys.
That was it.
As long as one remained wary of the traps, clearing the floor didn't seem like it would be a problem. But, of course, it couldn't be that easy.
Kang Jun-hyeok stepped into the labyrinth. His quiet footsteps echoed through the halls, which were otherwise heavy with an eerie silence.
A trap appeared before him—a single tripwire stretched between two walls. It could be avoided with a light hop. However, Kang Jun-hyeok deliberately tripped the wire.
Clang-clang-clang!
The trap triggered, but there was no explosion, nor did any arrows fly. Instead, a hideously loud alarm blared out. The noise lasted for five seconds before abruptly falling silent. It was as if making noise was the trap's sole purpose.
The reason for this became clear immediately.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Heavy footsteps came charging toward him. Soon, the source of the sound rounded the corner.
[Groaaaar!]
It was a monster—a giant, hulking creature with unnaturally large ears.
It charged at Kang Jun-hyeok like a tank. Kang Jun-hyeok drew his greatsword.
Clang!
The blade and the monster collided. Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was shoved back.
Currently, Kang Jun-hyeok possessed stats that could overwhelm even players on the 30th floor. The fact that he was being pushed back meant this monster was something a normal player on the 8th floor could never hope to face.
[Grah! Groar!]
The monster lunged again. Kang Jun-hyeok gripped his greatsword and swung it with a flicking motion. His D-rank swordsmanship, which had already reached the level of a first-class master, was enough to deflect the mindless charge.
But that was the extent of it. He couldn't easily overwhelm or push back the monster as it attacked with frantic intensity.
‘So, it’s at this level.’
Having calmly assessed the monster’s strength, Kang Jun-hyeok threw himself backward. The monster pursued him with a piercing shriek.
Before it could reach him, Kang Jun-hyeok slipped into one of the narrow gaps between the labyrinth walls.
Thud!
The monster slammed into the wall beside the gap. The labyrinth shook for a moment from the absurd display of raw power. However, it couldn't reach him.
[Groar! Graaa!]
The gap was narrow, and the monster was massive. No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't touch Kang Jun-hyeok while he was hiding inside. After glaring at him for a moment, the creature eventually stomped away.
[You are quick to understand, as expected. You’ve grasped the concept perfectly.]
“Earth has similar things. Though they’re games, not reality.”
Collect keys while avoiding the monster. It was identical to the escape conditions of a common horror game.
The monster’s hearing was incredibly sharp, and the traps placed throughout were all designed to make noise. Avoiding the traps and collecting the hidden keys was the true clear condition of the 8th floor.
The more keys one collected, the more sensitive the monster became. By the time a player held three keys, the monster would come charging from across the floor at the mere sound of a footstep. Because of this, a typical player usually only managed to collect one key. At most, they might get two or three.
The average clear rate for the 8th floor was a mere 20%. It was a reasonable difficulty for this stage.
[Simple enough. If you just kill that thing, you can wander around like you’re taking a stroll,] the Master of All Weapons muttered.
The monster was strong enough to be peerless against 8th-floor players, but that didn't apply to Kang Jun-hyeok. He could handle it without using a single skill. Defeating it wouldn't be exceptionally easy, but it wouldn't be that difficult either. If he just killed the monster and wandered the labyrinth to collect keys, that would be the end of it.
Looking at the clear rate, there didn't seem to be anything particularly hidden here.
However...
“This should work.”
Kang Jun-hyeok stood before the labyrinth paths. Countless traps lay ahead of him. The standard approach was to avoid or disarm them as one moved forward.
But Kang Jun-hyeok did neither. He simply put strength into his legs and sprinted. The traps should have triggered, creating a cacophony of noise.
[Stealth.]
At that moment, Stealth was activated. Multiple traps caught on Kang Jun-hyeok’s body and triggered. Yet, not a single sound was made.
Everything was erased by the skill’s effect. Kang Jun-hyeok reached a crossroads in an instant.
[Proficiency in Stealth has increased.]
Then, Kang Jun-hyeok did nothing. He waited patiently for five minutes until the cooldown for Stealth finished. The moment he could use the skill again—
[Stealth.]
He activated the skill once more and sprinted through the labyrinth. He traversed the paths in a flash, covering a vast distance.
[Proficiency in Stealth has increased.]
[You...]
By this point, even the Master of All Weapons realized Kang Jun-hyeok’s intention.
[You intend to grind the proficiency of Stealth.]
“There’s no better place for it than this,” Kang Jun-hyeok grinned.
Proficiency didn't increase simply by activating a skill. To raise proficiency, two conditions had to be met: purpose and necessity. This place satisfied both.
The purpose: to collect keys while avoiding the monster.
The necessity: the monster’s hearing was so sharp that one had to remain silent.
There was also the fact that the monster was strong enough that even Kang Jun-hyeok couldn't deal with it effortlessly. In short, there was no better floor than this to raise the proficiency of the Stealth skill.
A path appeared before Kang Jun-hyeok. He activated Stealth and dashed forward. At the end of that path, a key floated in the air. He sprinted before the effect of Stealth could end. Traps triggered, but they were all silenced. Kang Jun-hyeok grabbed the key.
[Proficiency in Stealth has increased from E to D.]
[You have obtained one key. You may now clear the floor. Would you like to clear?]
“As if.”
Kang Jun-hyeok shook his head with a look of pure enjoyment.
* * *
[Active Skill: Stealth]
[Rank: Lowest-Grade]
[Proficiency: D]
[Cooldown: 5 minutes]
[Effect: Erases all sounds produced by the user for 10 seconds.]
As Stealth reached D-rank, the cooldown was cut in half. This was good news; it meant he could raise his proficiency even faster.
[I suppose such a method is possible,] the Master of All Weapons muttered, sounding intrigued.
He possessed a sound-muffling skill on a floor where one must not make noise. Clearing it was far too easy. That was why Kang Jun-hyeok’s goal right now wasn't to clear the floor. His goal was to raise the proficiency of his Stealth skill.
The priorities had been reversed. The spirit asked in a tone of wonder.
[To think you can focus on raising proficiency like this. But I am curious—would this not have been impossible if you didn't have the Stealth skill?]
“That’s exactly the point.”
There were floors like the 8th floor where one could drastically increase the proficiency of specific skills. However, since skill acquisition was usually random, players had to rely on luck. Furthermore, a normal player wouldn't even be able to attempt this on the 8th floor. The minimum requirement to purchase skills was clearing the 25th floor.
But Kang Jun-hyeok had shattered that requirement using his Feat stats. On top of that, he had luckily obtained the Stealth skill before entering the 8th floor. The conditions were perfectly met.
Then it was time to reap the rewards.
[Stealth.]
Stealth was activated. Having obtained one key, the monster had become more sensitive, but it didn't matter. No sound was made.
He activated Stealth, then waited for the cooldown. Once the cooldown was over, he activated Stealth again and sprinted.
The process took quite a bit of time. It was only natural, since Stealth had a cooldown and only allowed him to move for ten seconds at a time. One might have been tempted to move without it, but Kang Jun-hyeok waited leisurely. The Master of All Weapons asked, sounding bored.
[Is it absolutely necessary to stay still during the cooldown?]
“I could move, but then I wouldn't be able to raise the proficiency as effectively, right?”
Kang Jun-hyeok replied casually. This was exactly why he hadn't challenged the 8th floor before the test. The Master of All Weapons let out a short laugh.
Six hours passed like that. Kang Jun-hyeok was able to obtain one more key.
[Proficiency in Stealth has increased significantly.]
The next key was obtained twelve hours after the second one.
[Proficiency in Stealth has increased from D to C.]
[Active Skill: Stealth]
[Rank: Lowest-Grade]
[Proficiency: C]
[Cooldown: 5 minutes]
[Effect: Erases all sounds, presence, and energy produced by the user for 10 seconds.]
Upon reaching C-rank, he could now erase not just sound, but his presence and energy as well. Now, it would be impossible for someone like the Goblin King from the 2nd floor to detect and react to him through presence alone. The quality of the skill itself had ascended to a new level.
Naturally, Kang Jun-hyeok had no intention of stopping here.
Activate Stealth, wait for the cooldown. He repeated this cycle over and over. The keys were hidden deeper within, and he couldn't find another even after a full day had passed.
Despite this, Kang Jun-hyeok repeated the sequence of actions without a change in his expression. The Master of All Weapons muttered.
[You truly are a madman.]
“I think this is only natural to raise proficiency.”
[There is a limit to everything. You have certainly crossed the line.]
The cooldown for Stealth was 5 minutes. The duration was 10 seconds. Move for 10 seconds, then do nothing for 5 minutes. He repeated this process for days.
It was insanity. No matter how much it was for the sake of proficiency, a normal person would have lost patience and moved before then. But Kang Jun-hyeok literally did not budge during the cooldown. He stood perfectly still, not moving a single step, waiting for the timer to reset.
It was undeniably the behavior of a madman.
[But I suppose it is because you are a madman that you were able to obtain me and earn my recognition. Perhaps someone like you is the type who can see the end of the Tower.]
Kang Jun-hyeok gave a small smirk.
After another day had passed, he finally found the fourth key.
[Proficiency in Observation has increased.]
The fourth key was hidden in a small room, and its defenses were immense. Dozens of traps were layered upon each other, making it seem impossible to break through by conventional means.
Of course, that didn't matter to Kang Jun-hyeok.
[Stealth.]
He simply walked forward, composed. Traps triggered in a chain reaction. Alarms should have blared loud enough to pierce his eardrums, but not a sound was heard. Only a profound silence dominated the space.
Kang Jun-hyeok picked up the key.
[Proficiency in Stealth has increased from C to B.]