Chapter 480
Chapter 480
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 480
Chapter Title: Chapter 480
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 480
Chapter Title: Gear Power
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Indeed, climbing the tower had become far smoother than before.
The 'Apostles of Power' he'd faced on the 21st floor were beings specialized solely in raw physical might, true to their name.
A single punch from them could crumble a small mountain, but that was the extent of their prowess.
'Slow.'
In Park Chan-woo's eyes, their movements appeared as if played in slow motion.
There were no magical tricks or erratic maneuvers.
Just straightforward, relentless charges that crushed everything in their path. That was their only form of attack.
'Easy to hit, too.'
Their stamina seemed abnormally high, but they had virtually no resistance to magic.
Park Chan-woo didn't even need to move.
He simply stood in place, lightly gesturing toward the Apostles of Power charging straight at him.
"Heaven's Punishment."
Each time azure lightning rained down, the Apostles of Power screamed as they crumbled into black ash.
The tower activated its vicious traps at random intervals, vaporizing the mana across entire floors.
But even that held no meaning for Park Chan-woo now.
The moment the message appeared, he lightly caressed the 'Dawnstar of the Beginning' hanging around his neck.
"Restore."
Twice a day, it perfectly restored all his mana—an absolute power.
Even if he used both chances, his 500% amplified mana regeneration filled it back up like an inexhaustible spring.
Basic spells like Heaven's Punishment had become as natural and cost-free to him as breathing.
22nd floor.
23rd floor.
...
Up to the 29th.
He ascended the tower without a single moment of crisis, as if taking a stroll.
The Apostles of Power, who worshipped only pure strength, were utterly powerless against the alien force of magic.
But.
Upon reaching the 30th floor, the tower finally presented him with a new kind of trial.
The moment the message appeared, changes began to overtake Park Chan-woo's body.
Swoooosh...
The mana aura enveloping his body vanished, and all equipment effects boosting wisdom and agility were sealed.
Only the most primal ability remained.
Strength.
And the pure flesh that contained it.
Park Chan-woo let out a smirk.
"What an interesting tower."
There was no room for boredom.
For the first time in ages, a true warrior's burning fighting spirit ignited within him.
'They want to test pure strength, huh.'
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
A body that appeared frail due to his negative level curse.
His gaze turned to the opposite side of the arena, where a massive silhouette emerged from the darkness.
The guardian of the 30th floor.
It was sure to be a being with true 'strength' on an entirely different level from the previous apostles.
For the first time in a long while, Park Chan-woo felt the blood of a pure warrior boiling.
Even though the numerous bonus stats from his gear were sealed.
With mana at 1, he no longer needed the Dawnstar of the Beginning's miraculous recovery.
Spells wouldn't land significant hits anyway.
All pure stats except strength fixed at 1.
But.
'No problem from the start.'
Park Chan-woo coldly analyzed his state.
Due to his cursed fate of negative levels, all his pure stats had always been 1 anyway.
This trial might clip wings and hobble others, but for him—who started from rock bottom—it was just familiar territory.
The silver lining: bonus stats on strength remained intact.
His gear's attack and defense power were preserved.
Of course, his body felt slower.
But that was it.
He was already a being who had attained divine stature.
Revered even by the Twelve Lords, the ruler of the battlefield who dictated the Abyss's fate.
No matter how the system nerfed his level and stats, the 'realm' ingrained in his soul, that overwhelming presence, remained undiminished.
The wisdom gained from countless experiences shone brighter than any stat.
Ding!
Seeing the message, Park Chan-woo drew his sword from his waist.
The sword of the fiend god Baal.
The system had sealed bonus 'stats', but not the inherent 'powers' of the equipment itself.
The blade in his hand still exuded a sinister aura, as if devouring everything.
Grrr...
From the arena's darkness, the guardian finally revealed its massive form completely.
It was a mountain-like giant ape with four arms.
Its body was covered in obsidian-hard carapace, and its eyes blazed with pure destructive instinct.
Primal Lord.
True to its name, it embodied the overwhelming presence of primordial strength itself.
Even before this immense pressure, Park Chan-woo showed no flinch, merely quietly adjusting his grip on the sword.
It had been ages since he'd fought as a pure swordsman, not a mage.
Smirk!
Park Chan-woo's smile deepened.
The summit of the Tower of the Gods.
Where all laws of the world began and ended.
There, five beings had gathered.
The five wills of the tower.
The five masters.
The 'Master of Mana' in the form of azure lightning.
A muscular giant like a mountain range, the 'Master of Strength'.
A faint silhouette like the wind, the 'Master of Agility'.
Solid and silent like the earth, the 'Master of Stamina'.
And the 'Master of Intelligence', with eyes containing billions of stars.
Their gazes were all fixed on the tower below—the arena of the 30th floor.
[Hmph, it finally stepped into my domain.]
The Master of Strength spoke in a voice that seemed to shake the earth, brimming with confidence.
[From the looks of it, that puny thing is nothing but a half-baked mage reliant on spells. In my battlefield, where only pure strength must be proven with that ragged presence... how long can it last?]
The other masters nodded at his words.
Park Chan-woo's presence was eerily faint.
The divine majesty he'd shown in the racial war was gone; he looked precarious, like a dust clump ready to crumble.
[The Primal Lord isn't just brute force. It possesses primordial vitality—no ordinary attack can even scratch it. That thing can't possibly defeat the Primal Lord.]
The Master of Strength was certain of victory.
But soon, he realized how foolish that assumption was.
Park Chan-woo was dodging the Primal Lord's avalanche-like attacks with that sluggish speed—perilously close, yet without a single error.
[...What?]
The Master of Strength's brow furrowed.
[Stamina fixed at 1 as well. Moving in that heavy gear should be a struggle, so why those natural movements?]
[Must be specialized gear.]
The Master of Intelligence murmured softly.
[Makes sense—if it's custom gear, the weight wouldn't matter. Still, compared to the Primal Lord, its speed is laughably slow. No way it lands a solid hit like that.]
He was right.
Park Chan-woo was solely focused on evasion, finding no opening to counter.
Even thrusting his sword was too slow; it missed the Primal Lord's obsidian carapace before making contact.
But then.
When Park Chan-woo finally extended his sword properly for the first time.
The Master of Strength's massive eyes filled with shock.
...Slow.
Undeniably slow.
Yet that sluggishly extending sword's trajectory contained perfect 'reason' and 'truth'.
It was the most efficient, flawless sword path—without a shred of wasted power.
Like flowing water.
Parting all obstacles, slipping through cracks.
...Inevitably reaching the deepest point, an unstoppable force of nature.
Slash.
One of the Primal Lord's four arms fell limply to the ground, severed.
Park Chan-woo cleared the 30th floor with ease.
No—he didn't stop.
31st, 32nd, up to 39th.
He dismantled every trial the Master of Strength had prepared, as if walking a predestined path.
Even the final guardian of the 40th floor fell before his blade.
[...What is that thing?]
The Master of Strength's voice trembled unwittingly.
[How can such a ragged body master such pure sword intent? It's... worthy of being called the Sword Sovereign.]
His domain had already transcended what the Master of Strength could comprehend.
41st floor.
The domain of the Master of Agility.
[Hmph, strength alone can't overcome every wall.]
The Master of Agility whispered like the wind.
[In my domain, all stats except Agility are sealed. Only pure speed decides everything.]
With his words, the trial of the 41st floor began.
There were no enemies.
Instead, an endless colossal maze awaited the challenger.
The Master of Agility was confident.
[Stamina and strength at 1. It lacks the endurance to traverse this endless maze. Even if it sees the path, it won't arrive in time.]
But soon.
The Master of Agility was shocked too.
Park Chan-woo advanced without hesitation, without a moment's pause.
Toward the fastest path.
The most perfect shortcut, from the very start.
And even.
[How... in the world?]
His initially sluggish speed accelerated, as if gaining momentum, growing faster and faster.
But no matter how fast, stamina was still an issue.
To navigate an endless maze required not just muscle or agility, but an unyielding heart.
In other words, overwhelming endurance.
A problem impossible to solve with stamina stat fixed at 1.
Yet it seemed no issue at all.
There wasn't a hint of fatigue in Park Chan-woo's movements.
On the contrary, as time passed, his steps grew lighter, his speed even quicker.
At the tower's summit, most masters watched Park Chan-woo intently, doubting their own eyes.
They still couldn't comprehend.
'...That being's potential is infinite. But this is the Tower of the Gods. How far can it climb?'
Everyone except the Master of Mana.
Park Chan-woo ran through the endless darkness.
The surroundings were pitch black.
A maze where he couldn't see an inch ahead.
Any ordinary being would lose their sense of direction in this darkness, succumb to fear, and collapse.
But for Park Chan-woo, this place was the perfect stage.
'True Shatiros' Shoes.'
The Eternal-grade shoes on his feet emitted a faint glow in response to the darkness.
True Shatiros' Shoes consumed no stamina when moving in 'night and darkness attribute areas'.
This maze—whether the Master of Agility intended it or not—was a blessed land granting Park Chan-woo infinite stamina.
Moreover, his speed increased bit by bit with each step, steadily accelerating.
Passive spell, 'Gradual Acceleration'.
He was using the act of running itself as fuel to infinitely amplify his speed.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
'As expected, in the Abyss, gear power is the best.'
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