Chapter 69: 12th Floor. Robot (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: 12th Floor. Robot (1)
[Title: Wait... are there actually robots in the Tower?]
[No, I mean, everything so far has been fantasy or martial arts, so I thought it was strictly that kind of stuff. But suddenly robots? And bipedal ones at that??]
[Maruima Atsuya (18th Floor): Looks like you cleared the 12th floor. It’s a bit of a wildcard floor. Still, bipedal movement and beam rifles... it definitely has a certain charm.]
* * *
The robot was a titan. Kang Jun-hyeok barely reached the top of its ankle.
The humanoid machine boasted a remarkably sleek design. Jun-hyeok muttered to himself as he looked up.
"No matter how I look at it, it looks exactly like a robot from an anime."
Vrrr.
The robot's optics ignited with a crimson glare as it locked onto him. Its massive arm shifted, and the rifle in its grip pointed directly at Jun-hyeok.
Kieeeing!
A red beam streaked from the barrel. Jun-hyeok raised his sword to defend himself.
Clang!
Though he successfully parried the beam, the sheer force pushed Jun-hyeok back a step. The robot reached for its waist with its other hand and gripped a cylindrical hilt.
Whirrr!
A blade of crimson light erupted from the hilt. Thrusters on the robot's back ignited, propelling the massive frame into the air.
Screeeech!
The Beam Sword clashed with Jun-hyeok’s blade. Jun-hyeok parried the strike, letting the momentum slide off his edge.
As he kicked off the ground to create distance, the robot aimed its rifle again.
Kieeeing!
Jun-hyeok swatted away the incoming beams with his sword and grumbled, "This really is out of nowhere."
Until now, the quests had been strictly fantasy or martial arts-themed, but the atmosphere had suddenly pivoted to sci-fi.
It was incredibly abrupt, but that was simply the nature of the Tower. There were quite a few sci-fi-themed floors waiting for him further up.
The robot was formidable.
Its attacks were the kind an ordinary Player would be lucky to even dodge. It was massive, and being a machine, its body was reinforced by heavy alloys.
An average Player stood no chance in a direct confrontation.
Naturally, facing the robot head-on wasn't the intended way to clear the floor. This entire area was one giant facility, and devices to control the robot were scattered throughout the map. Activating all of them would shut the robot down, and entering the Central Control Tower would complete the quest.
However, that wasn't Jun-hyeok's style.
To find the control devices, one had to wander the facility while being relentlessly pursued and attacked by the robot. In that process, parts of the facility would inevitably be destroyed.
On the 12th floor, the condition of the facility directly affected the clear rate. To achieve a Perfect Clear, he had to suppress the robot right here and now.
He had the power to do so. And that wasn't all.
Jun-hyeok calmly assessed the robot's strength.
It wasn't weak, but it wasn't overwhelmingly strong either. It was an opponent he could comfortably defeat with his current power.
"This should be enough."
His goal for the 12th floor wasn't just a simple clear. It was to test his newly acquired power.
Jun-hyeok sheathed his sword. Watching the robot fly toward him, he activated his skill.
[Royal Blood.]
* * *
His blood seethed.
Dark, thick, pure, and noble blood.
The True Blood that had taken root within him circulated through his veins and settled into his physique. The True Blood that the Vampire Princess, Eldiria, had given him—that power now dwelled within Jun-hyeok’s body.
In this moment, he had become a True Ancestor.
"Whew."
Vrummmm!
The robot descended, thrusting its foot down to crush him.
Given the robot's size, it must have weighed dozens of tons. Combined with the acceleration of its descent, blocking it head-on should have been impossible even for him. Evading was the only logical answer.
But he did not dodge.
He circulated the blood within his body, channeling that power into his arm. He clenched his fist tight and swung.
Boom!
A violent shockwave shook the facility. Jun-hyeok’s body was sent flying back as if repelled by a magnet, but he didn't fall. He quickly regained his stance and looked at the robot.
Thud...
The robot's massive frame staggered back a step.
It had been affected by the collision of their strengths. Jun-hyeok’s lips curled upward.
"So it's at this level."
This was one of the abilities of a True Ancestor: he could concentrate his blood to reinforce his physical body. To make that giant robot stagger... it was a significant enhancement. As Jun-hyeok dusted off his hands to stand up, he suddenly stumbled.
"Ugh."
A short groan escaped him. A wave of intense dizziness suddenly washed over him. He closed his eyes and circulated his blood to drive the vertigo away.
"Using it isn't easy."
He could reinforce himself by concentrating all the blood in his body into one spot, but it resulted in severe anemia. It was enough to make him temporarily combat-ineffective.
However, it was just as powerful. He could use it as a trump card.
Next was the second ability: the power to control blood.
Jun-hyeok’s eyes turned crimson. Droplets of blood began to rise from his skin. The robot, having regained its balance, raised its rifle.
Kieeeing!
The beam fired.
Instead of drawing his sword, Jun-hyeok manipulated his blood. A thin veil unfurled, shielding his body.
Crash!
The beam collided with the blood veil.
Though the veil cracked and shattered, it succeeded in protecting Jun-hyeok. He immediately manipulated the blood again, firing it off in the form of jagged thorns.
Crunch!
The blood thorns slammed into the robot. The alloy plates protecting its joints dented and buckled.
"The power of the blood scales with Attack and Defense."
It didn't seem to be affected by his Strength or Speed stats. Because of that, its raw output was relatively lower than his standard attacks or defenses.
However, it was versatile. Since he could change the shape of the blood at will, he didn't have to use it just for offense or defense; he could use it for various utility purposes. It was a massive advantage.
"The problem is the health consumption."
Since he was drawing out and manipulating his own blood, it consumed his HP. However, the amount consumed wasn't that high. It was manageable as long as he didn't use it to an extreme degree.
That was the second ability.
Next was the ability to transform into mist to move. Seeing the Beam Sword swinging toward him, Jun-hyeok tried to turn his body into mist.
"Hmm."
But nothing happened.
Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue and pulled out his sword.
Clang!
He blocked the Beam Sword and threw himself back.
He hadn't been able to turn into mist. Considering it was an ability any True Ancestor should be able to use, it was strange.
He had a rough idea of why.
[Additionally, you become an incomplete True Ancestor for 10 minutes.]
That was the description of the Royal Blood skill.
An incomplete True Ancestor. It seemed that was why he couldn't use the mist transformation.
It wasn't surprising. He wasn't a vampire in the true sense; he was temporarily becoming one through a skill. It was likely a penalty resulting from that. It was a shame, but it couldn't be helped. While a True Ancestor was certainly powerful, keeping his race fixed as human would be more advantageous in the long run.
He had finished testing everything. All that was left was to suppress the robot.
He drew his sword. His eyes bled crimson as streaks of fresh blood began to move around him.
Boom!
His body blurred as he charged. He blocked the incoming beams with a blood veil and swung his sword, imbued with internal energy. The alloyed body of the robot shattered with a resounding crack.
[Instant Acceleration.]
[Sword Ki and Sword Wind.]
Accelerating his body, he launched a blast of sword ki toward the robot's chest. With a thunderous roar, the robot's chest plate shattered, revealing a complex web of circuits inside.
Jun-hyeok moved his blood. Streaks of blood in the form of thin threads entered through the cracks, crushing circuits and severing wires.
Creak. Screeeech!
The robot, which had been about to attack Jun-hyeok, ground to a halt. No matter how powerful or sturdy a robot was, its internal circuitry was bound to be vulnerable.
Jun-hyeok clenched his fist. The circuits snapped and crumbled.
Thud!
The robot collapsed. The light in its eyes flickered before going out completely.
[Proficiency in Royal Blood has increased.]
[Proficiency in Instant Acceleration has increased.]
[Proficiency in Sword Ki and Sword Wind has increased.]
Normally, it wouldn't have been this easy. A robot wouldn't stop moving just because its armor was a bit damaged; he would have had to engage in a war of attrition until its energy was completely depleted.
But with the True Ancestor's ability to move blood freely—even in the form of thin threads—it became very simple. The True Ancestor's power allowed for this kind of surgical precision.
Jun-hyeok dusted off his hands, satisfied.
Shortly after, the effect of Royal Blood ended. Jun-hyeok let out a groan.
"Ugh."
Strength drained from his entire body. He could barely even stand. Once the effect of Royal Blood wore off, he was hit with the Exhaustion status effect.
I experienced this a few times in my past life, but it's still damn hard to deal with.
The Exhaustion status was severe. It temporarily made all actions impossible. Furthermore, his health had dropped to 1. In essence, if he didn't finish the fight before Royal Blood ended, he would be the one to die. He had to use it only when he was certain he could finish his opponent.
That wasn't an issue. He just had to judge the situation perfectly.
After about ten minutes, his condition recovered. Jun-hyeok stood up and entered the Central Control Tower.
Then, the quest completion window appeared.
[12th Floor Quest Cleared.]
[Rewards will be determined based on your performance.]
[Calculating achievement rate...]
[Calculation complete.]
[Achievement Rate: 100%]
[Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be granted.]
[Helmet: You have obtained the Unfinished Mechanical Helmet.]
[An effect has been added to the Title: Perfect Player.]
[3,121 Gold has been awarded.]
[Perfect Clear Reward: You have obtained the weapon [Laser Rifle].]
[Players who have Perfect Cleared the 12th Floor: 1.]
[You are the only one!]
[Universe Announcement.]
[Please offer your congratulations, citizens of the universe! A Perfect Player of the 12th floor has appeared. This is a feat that no one has achieved until now!]
[Feat +2]
Jun-hyeok returned to Earth. However, he didn't check the rewards immediately. There was something else he had to do first.
He spoke.
"Pixie."
[Oh... You're back already? That was fast.]
Pixie appeared with a surprised expression.
[If I remember the 12th floor quest correctly, it should have taken quite a while. What trick did you use?]
"See for yourself."
[I'd love to.]
Pixie grinned and reached out her hand. Jun-hyeok took it. The memories of clearing the 12th floor began to flow into Pixie.