Chapter 115: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (5)
[The unique ability 'Blood Demon Qi' has been activated.]
An ability that worsens the target's wounds.
There was no better ability than this to shatter a finely balanced stalemate.
As a dark red energy slowly crept upward, an anomaly finally occurred in the ironclad body of the Rock Giant.
Medusa's petrification was beginning to take effect.
Ruuuuumble!
[The Absolute Judgment 'Curse of Petrification' is manifested!]
A deep gray wave rippled outward from the area where the liquid had touched.
"Me... Medusa's blood still retains its power even outside the temple?! You bastard! What on earth did you do?!"
The Rock Giant gasped in shock.
An 'Absolute Judgment' ability was one of the very few that existed below the 10th floor.
However, most of them were extremely difficult to obtain, and even if someone did, no one knew how to utilize them properly.
After all, not even the higher beings guarding the floors knew everything about them.
Naturally, it should have been an impossible feat for a mere human.
And yet.
This insolent human knew a method that even he, the giant, did not!
"Answer me, human! Answer me this instant!"
Even as his body slowly turned to stone, the Rock Giant demanded to know how he had been defeated.
His curiosity about this situation was likely greater than his fear of death.
But Jinhyuk did not answer.
Even if he explained it, the giant wouldn't understand anyway.
Because he could never comprehend how much trial, error, and frustration I had to endure.
A state of mind where even repetition and boredom could be sublimated into the joy of a challenge.
This was the sole reason he had been able to uncover the countless secrets of the Tower.
Screeech!
The Rock Giant's body petrified at an accelerating pace.
The petrification, which had started from his legs, had already reached his chest.
In a few minutes, it would completely consume his head.
This was the end of the 10th-floor boss monster, the 'Rock Giant', who had driven everyone to despair.
Jinhyuk watched his final moments with emotionless eyes.
And a moment later.
The Rock Giant turned completely to stone.
Ding!
[The 10th-floor boss monster 'Rock Giant' has been defeated!]
[The 11th floor of the Tower of Trials is now open!]
[Since the intermediate floors have not been cleared, only players who receive 'permission' from the first clearer can proceed to the 11th floor.]
[Time remaining to conquer the next floor: 89D 23h:59m:59s]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have acquired the Rock Giant's Greatsword - 'Armor Breaker'.]
[You have acquired the Rock Giant's Shield - 'Gray Heart'.]
[You have acquired the Coin Exchange 'Cookie Bag Promotion (Limited-Time Item)'.]
[Your remarkable achievement will be listed in the 'Hall of Fame' for two days.]
[You have acquired the unique ability '1-Second Invincibility'.]
A whopping five-level increase.
On top of that, the items used by the boss monster had dropped.
This is exactly why I could never give up climbing the Tower.
The sense of achievement from overcoming a grueling ordeal, and the anticipation of seeing a new place were great, but...
ultimately, nothing beat the rewards that followed hard work.
* * *
From the Tower of Trials and online communities to the intelligence departments of large guilds, ViewTube, the press, and countless other media outlets—the entire world was thrown into an absolute frenzy.
It was only natural.
The video currently uploaded to the 'Hall of Fame' was truly beyond all common sense.
-Watermelon-flavored Booger: Just a while ago, everyone was losing their minds over Player Kang Jinhyuk's video, and now Unknown is making waves in my heart.
-Laborer Kim: For real. This is the first time I've ever heard of ancient species and intermediate managers.
-Apple Tart: Ikr. Honestly, I thought that video would hold the #1 spot for at least a month.
-zerokpl1005: But, sigh... the 10th floor? Lmao. What on earth did Unknown even do?
-Mid Faker: Honestly, he broke through the ceiling and flew straight to the 10th floor. Agree? I agree.
-Good for Men: It really shows he's way more of a veteran than we can even imagine. I wish those guild bastards who spend all day going in and out of golf courses would watch and learn.
-Sae Yeong Eon Hwan: There were rumors about a hidden piece that lets you skip floors... does it actually exist?
-Twitch Viewer Outranks the Unemployed: Whoa. True. Come to think of it, only the existence of such a hidden piece could explain this.
-Screaming Squirrel: Isn't the Barrierist class actually a super-tier hidden class at this point?
-Seolyeon's Class of 20: People with great foreign language skills shouldn't learn English or Chinese anymore; they need to learn Ancient Runic.
-5252: This is truly epic.
-Coke Means Coke Zero: By the way, this is a real clash of titans. It feels like those two are sharing the title of top ranker. But which of them is stronger?
Amidst the pouring praise, one viewer brought up a sensitive topic.
It was like asking, "Who would win in a fight between a lion and a tiger?" or "Who is better, Messi or Ronaldo?"
Questions that people ponder endlessly in their minds but should never voice aloud.
However, Coke Means Coke Zero had broken that taboo, and the community began to heat up like crazy.
-Lord, I'm Sending You Another One: Imagine comparing clearing the 10th floor to some ancient species. It's obviously Unknown. Did I watch a different video from everyone else?
-There Are Bad Dogs in the World: Look at this guy looking down on taming an ancient species when he'd probably get bitten by my pet chihuahua. How can you even compare some gloomy bastard hiding behind a mask to Kang Jinhyuk? This is clearly a battle between the heavenly realm and the human realm.
-Watermelon-flavored Booger: Ikr, ikr. No matter what, Kang Jinhyuk has achieved way more. Unknown didn't even show the detailed process of getting to the 10th floor. It's highly likely just luck.
-Apple Tart: You guys do know the 10th-floor boss has an invincibility ability, right? I heard that in the past, only a few pioneer rankers managed to clear it and proceed to the 11th floor. The strategy to beat it still hasn't been revealed to this day.
-AT&T Major Shareholder: Yeah, no. Still Kang Jinhyuk.
-CCL5004: Yeah, right. Unknown is superior.
-Audi Owner: Give it a rest, you losers!
It was absolute chaos.
The comments were flying by so fast it was hard to keep up.
At this rate, it's practically a war between fan clubs.
Scanning the community, Jinhyuk smacked his lips.
The account 'Coke Means Coke Zero' was actually an alt account Jinhyuk had created. He had thrown in a matchstick just to fan the flames a bit, but the reaction was far beyond his expectations.
Kang Jinhyuk and Unknown.
His plan to have the two personas compete moderately to build their respective fanbases had worked perfectly.
I can easily massage any overlapping details between the two with some clever editing...
Since he had edited countless videos himself without an editor, he was quite confident in his editing skills.
Having checked the reaction to some extent, Jinhyuk stretched his arms wide.
Whew.
My arms and legs are so stiff.
Running wild against the 10th-floor boss for the first time in a while had given him quite a workout.
Of course, thanks to running the [True Grand Purity Hwarang Heart Method], there wasn't a trace of fatigue left, but he still felt like groaning a little.
After all, he had just defeated a boss monster that others couldn't beat even if they risked their lives.
After exaggerating his soreness, Jinhyuk looked down at the items laid out on the hotel's marble floor.
'Armor Breaker' and 'Gray Heart'.
Thanks to the monopoly effect, the absolute best items obtainable from the giant had dropped.
This was exactly why solo play, where he could take 100% of the contribution, was the best.
He could monopolize all the juiciest parts.
If I remember correctly, these are... tank-exclusive items.
Jinhyuk inspected the items using 'Gluttony's Eye'.
[Armor Breaker]
Acquisition Difficulty: SS
Attack Power: 2,850
Durability: 550/580
Weight: 105kg
Effect: Ignores 30% of the target's total defense. Landing 10 consecutive valid attacks triggers a 1-second stun effect.
Description: Can only be used by players who have completed their class advancement in the 'Tanker' category.
Considering the +10 dagger he had enhanced in the labyrinth had an attack power of 280, this item boasted a whopping ten times more attack power.
This meant it could shatter almost any armor in a single blow.
Furthermore, the defense-piercing and stun effects were nothing short of broken.
I can't just put this on the market.
It was far too good an item for other players to use.
I'd rather die than see someone else using better gear than me.
Of course, absolutely.
No matter how many coins they offered, or what equivalent items they tried to trade... if there was even a 1% risk, the standard rule was to avoid it.
[Gray Heart]
Acquisition Difficulty: SS
Defense: 120,558
Durability: 1,800/2,000
Weight: 200kg
Effect: Grants an additional 10% defense against physical and magical attacks respectively. In a 1v1 duel, weight is reduced by 30% for 1 hour.
Description: Can only be used by players who have completed their class advancement in the 'Tanker' category.
The shield was no different.
Its monstrous defense and rare effects would make any tank willing to sell their soul to get their hands on it.
If I do sell it, I should pass it on to deities with a strong desire for collecting.
They would never hand over their collectibles to players, which would eliminate the risk of nurturing unnecessary competitors.
Besides, he had Rick to act as a bridge, so there wouldn't be any major issues.
Anyway, between the items and everything else, I really gained a lot from this raid.
Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.
Opportunities to practice various combinations by linking skills and barriers didn't come around very often.
It was a unique opportunity made possible only by the special circumstance of invincibility.
Because of that, he had been able to spam his skills to his heart's content without holding back.
Some of the combinations were quite satisfying, and he would be able to apply them in even more diverse ways in the future.
Next was his new unique ability: '1-Second Invincibility'.
[1-Second Invincibility]
Description: The invincibility ability used by the 10th-floor boss monster, the Rock Giant. However, the copied ability only lasts for 1 second, and requires 240 hours of cooldown before reuse.
It was a bit of a shame that it wasn't the constant invincibility the boss had used.
Though it had an extreme limitation on its duration, it would still prove incredibly useful in desperate combat situations.
And finally...
Jinhyuk's gaze shifted to one side of the floor.
Lastly, the third reward, the 'Cookie Bag Promotion', was an item that could be used in places where one could learn skills related to the second class advancement.
What made this quite interesting was its effect.
If you successfully purchased and learned a related ability using coins, it had the effect of refunding those coins in full.
Of course, because the difficulty was extremely high, even the most prominent players could only succeed two or three times at best...
But that's only for mediocre players.
To a hardcore veteran—no, a rotten-water veteran—you should never give this kind of reward.
Because they would sweep everything clean with just a single opportunity.
In the first place, the very concept of a 'one-coin clear' is flawed.
If they truly wanted to maintain the title of 'impregnable,' the correct way would have been to not allow even a single chance.
Jinhyuk tore the 30-centimeter-long piece of paper in half.
[You have used the Cookie Bag Promotion.]
[Skills related to the second class advancement have been unlocked. (3-star or lower, a total of 117 barrier-related skills have been found.)]
[The coins required to learn Skill #1 is 750,000 coins. If you fail to acquire it, you can retry by paying the same amount of coins. However, if you succeed, the 750,000 coins will be refunded in full.]
[The duration is 24 hours.]
Status windows popped up one after another.
Beside them, a total of 117 barrier-related skills were listed.
There was no need to take 24 hours.
"I'll wrap this up in three hours."
Smiling leisurely, Jinhyuk opened the first ability.