Chapter 77
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Martial Tower's Tower Lord
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The Martial Tower's Tower Lord.
Kairos was diligently working out in the Tower Lord's chamber.
The kind of strength training commonly called iron-pumping.
He had been repeating high-intensity exercises nonstop for four hours now.
Then, all of a sudden, he stopped.
This presence?
A familiar energy emanating from the basement.
It had to mean his clone had begun to move.
Who the hell is it?
Kairos, the Martial Tower's Tower Lord known as the Fist Saint, took immense pride in his martial prowess.
That was why he wouldn't easily acknowledge just any martial artist.
The same went for the martial artists residing in the tower.
In Kairos's eyes, every one of them seemed to lack something.
Even the NPCs surpassing level 200 in the tower didn't meet his standardshow could outworlders at levels 100 to 150?
He had seen countless martial artists over the years but had never once shown himself to them.
They were all equally unimpressive.
But this time was different.
My clone emergingthis is the first time.
Sending out a weakened clone at level 170 meant the visiting martial artist was of considerable caliber.
...Even so, they won't win.
No matter how weakened, he was still the Fist Saint.
It was a test no outworlder below level 150 could ever pass from the start.
Pity. Still, to summon my clone means they've got some skill.
But it wasn't enough for him to descend and reveal himself.
Even he, at level 150, had summoned the previous Fist Saint, clung on tenaciously, but ultimately lost.
He had lasted a full 12 hours and 32 minutes.
He himself, who had risen to become the current Fist Saint, hadn't claimed victorythere was no way that martial artist could.
One hour. Last one hour, and I'll acknowledge you.
Lv.170 Fist Saint Kairos.
He was over 2 meters tall with a massive frame that looked to weigh at least 130kg.
And that 130kg appeared to be nothing but pure muscle, without a speck of fat.
Whoa, Kairos showing up for a level 104?
Jeong Hoon let out a disbelieving chuckle.
It seemed his job, stats, and skills combined had summoned Kairos.
Better this way, actually.
Dealing with Lv.170 Kairos would make things flow much more smoothly.
As Jeong Hoon assumed his stance, Kairos grinned and swiftly closed the distance with fluid footwork.
Whoosh!
Kairos thrust a fist toward Jeong Hoon's face.
Jeong Hoon twisted his body to dodge, but Kairos anticipated it, folding his elbow to strike Jeong Hoon's jaw.
However, Jeong Hoon deployed his movement technique to evade even that attack.
Hoh?
A glint of interest flashed in Kairos's eyes.
Too early to be impressed.
Jeong Hoon began unleashing the 1st Form of the Myeongwang Fist Technique.
Though decayed to hold only its essence, it was a fist art that had once contended with the Fist King.
Yet Fist Saint Kairos defended against the 1st Form with ease.
He even counterattacked, engaging Jeong Hoon in a fierce exchange of blows.
Myeongwang Fist Technique 2nd Form.
The Myeongwang Fist Technique unfolded, advancing to the 2nd Form.
Even then, Kairos showed no signs of being overwhelmed.
The Fist Saint truly lived up to his title.
Clashing fists repeatedly, Jeong Hoon marveled at Kairos's power several times.
Thwack!
Kairos's elbow smashed into Jeong Hoon's temple.
Even Jeong Hoon, with his vast experience, couldn't help but feel rattled this time.
Impressive. Even weakened to 170, he's this strong.
Kairos was comparable to most of the formidable foes Jeong Hoon had faced.
Of course, that was the extent of it.
Those far above were in a league beyond even Kairos.
And it was he who had crushed them all to rise.
Thud!
Jeong Hoon's fist buried into Kairos's abdomen.
At the same time, the Myeongwang Fist Technique rose to the 3rd Form, thickening the aura of Myeongwang around both fists.
You bastard!
A smile crept onto Kairos's face as he took a solid hit.
Thud!
Jeong Hoon's fist hammered Kairos's abdomen again, pressing the attack.
Thud! Thud!
Even amid the relentless blows, the smile never left Kairos's lips.
Indeed.
Kairos was enjoying this fight.
Myeongwang Fist Technique 4th Form.
The Myeongwang Fist Technique surged to the 4th Form in an instant.
Myeongwang's aura rose, enveloping Jeong Hoon's shoulders.
In that moment, Kairos's gaze sharpened.
This much won't faze me!
Lv.170 Kairos maximizes Transcendent Body.
Lv.170 Kairos uses Fist Flash.
Kairos vanished from Jeong Hoon's sight in a blink.
Thwack!
Jeong Hoon's chin took the hit, his head tilting back slightly.
Kairos had kicked his jaw upward.
Fist Flash.
The skill doubled the body's agility upon activation.
One of the skills only acquirable upon becoming Fist Saint.
But this wouldn't topple Jeong Hoon.
Myeongwang Fist Technique 4th Form
-Proficiency: 100
-Fist Damage 25 (stacks)
-Damage Reduction 20 (stacks)
Additional effects layered with each form.
It wasn't just the fist damage; the 20 damage reduction meant Kairos's attacks barely scratched Jeong Hoon.
Senses sharpen further.
Activating Heightened Senses boosted all senses for 60 seconds.
Jeong Hoon quickly followed with Black Field.
Black Field activates.
As the skill deployed, the floor around Jeong Hoon darkened.
All stats corrected by 1.2x.
Kairos's stats simultaneously dropped.
All stats of monsters entering the Black Field territory decrease by 3.
W-What is this...?
Panic colored Kairos's face.
It wasn't over yet.
All stats increase by 15.
Damage Reduction 20 applied.
Duration: 1 hour.
Using the Stat Amplification Ring further weakened Kairos.
Now it was Jeong Hoon's time.
Thud!
Jeong Hoon's fists battered Kairos's body.
Crack.
Something shattered with a sharp sound.
My body...?! Urk!
Kairos screamed for the first time.
No trace of a smile remained on his face.
Transcendent Body.
One of its features was layers of invisible protective barriers shielding the body.
Those barriers had failed to withstand the Myeongwang Fist Technique and shattered.
Myeongwang Fist Technique 5th Form.
The Myeongwang Fist Technique advanced to the 5th Form.
Who would have thought he'd witness the 5th Form so soon.
Unexpected, but thanks to Kairos, Jeong Hoon could experience its power firsthandgratitude stirred faintly.
Myeongwang Fist Technique 5th Form
-Proficiency: 100
-Fist Damage 25 (stacks)
-Defense Ignore 20 (stacks)
-Passive: Will of Myeongwang activates
The passive, Will of Myeongwang.
Will of Myeongwang
-Type: Passive
-Grade: Legendary
-10 chance to reduce monster's HP and Defense by 50. (non-stackable)
An insane option.
No wonder it was Legendary-grade Myeongwang Fist Technique.
And the probability was decent too.
10 meant one success in ten tries.
Thud! Thud!
Jeong Hoon unleashed a barrage of punches.
Lv.170 Kairos's HP and Defense reduced by 50.
The flurry triggered the skill automatically.
Feeling his strength drain, Kairos desperately tried to shake Jeong Hoon off.
But Jeong Hoon clung even tighter, raining down fists.
Grrraaah...!
Under the ferocious assault, Kairos couldn't hold out and dissipated.
His remaining HP halved again, plus the 5th Form's destructive powerit was hopeless.
The trial ends.
As the trial concluded, his vision shifted abruptly.
You're done.
Marden approached Jeong Hoon.
Having finished the test, he had been automatically teleported outside the testing area.
The door was locked with a padlock, just as when he entered.
Fills automatically, huh.
Yes. When someone enters for the test, the door closes and locks on its own.
I see.
An exclamation mark appeared above Marden's head.
Time for the reward.
As Jeong Hoon moved to claim it, the mark suddenly vanished from above his head.
And someone came rushing in from outside the testing area.
T-Tower Lord?!
It was Kairos, the Martial Tower's master and Fist Saint.
NPC Information
-Nickname: Kairos
-Level: 641
-Job: Fist Saint
Earth Korea Management Team.
Oh Jin-su, the section chief monitoring user play on his screen, shot up from his seat at the unfolding scene.
What the fuck!
His shout drew every eye in the management team.
They instantly grasped what had shocked him.
What?!
What happened now?
Another astonishing feat by a user?!
Curious, the staff crowded around Oh Jin-su.
In a trembling voice, Oh Jin-su said,
T-The Martial Tower Lord appeared...
Martial Tower Lord? What's that?
The staff, except for early hires like Oh Jin-su, seemed clueless about the Martial Tower's Tower Lord.
It was inevitable.
The Martial Tower Lord was one of Earth's deliberately over-specced figures.
A monster unleashed in an area for levels 100-150.
A 641-level NPC...
641?!
The stunned staff dropped their work and swarmed Oh Jin-su.
Their eyes turned to his large monitor.
Indeed, level 641.
And a Fist Saint at that.
Fist Saint? What grade is that?
It screamed extraordinary just looking at it.
Legendary... It's an NPC set to never appear before users.
The staff gasped at Oh Jin-su's follow-up.
Set to never appear before users? Then what's that?
The monitor showed the Fist Saint meeting the user.
I don't know either...
Even Oh Jin-su couldn't fathom the situation.
One thing was clear: this Martial Artist had summoned the Fist Saint.
He defeated the Fist Saint.
Did that even make sense?
Though weakened to level 170 with most abilities sealed, a Fist Saint was still a Fist Saint.
And he'd crushed him purely with fist arts, no tricks.
Insane... This user is insane!
How did everything he did shock people so thoroughly?
But what's the Fist Saint doing?
Taking the user to the Tower Lord's chamber?
Whoa! Restricted zone unlocked!
The Martial Tower's 3rd floor was normally blocked to users.
But as the Fist Saint guided the user, the sealed area temporarily opened.
A bug...?
Probably not. If it were, Earth HQ would've acted immediately.
True... They monitor 247 in real-time.
Surveillance program forcibly terminated. No monitored zone available.
To make matters worse, the screen went dark with red text.
...Fuck.
Oh Jin-su and the staff stood frozen in place for a long while.
Restricted zone temporarily unlocked.
Well, this was a first.
Restricted zones were areas Earth had blocked from user access.
Sometimes they unlocked temporarily when users met hidden conditions.
Beating the Fist Saint must've been the hidden condition.
Even thinking back, the weakened Fist Saint was a monster unworthy of level 170.
He'd pushed the Myeongwang Fist Technique to 5th Form, activated Heightened Senses and Black Field, and barely won.
The weakened version had only used Transcendent Body and Fist Flashtwo skills.
On par with or better than my pre-regression self.
Why had such a powerhouse gone into hiding?
Truly baffling.
Come in.
Kairos led Jeong Hoon into the Tower Lord's chamber.
It was filled with dumbbells and various training equipment.
Crude, but pretty similar to gym gear?
As Jeong Hoon's gaze lingered on the dumbbells, Kairos grinned.
I hear outworlders train strength with those. Seems right.
Yes... We do strength training with them.
Though far lighter weights, of course.
Dumbbell
-Weight: 200kg
A single small dumbbell weighed 200kg.
The one next to it was 400kg.
Haha, I see. Care for one? An energy drink brewed by an alchemist. Special brew packed with all nutrients.
Thank you.
Jeong Hoon took the drink and sat in a chair.
Kairos sat in the head seat.
He eyed Jeong Hoon with a serious gaze.
...I'm curious. Just how did you defeat my clone?
To Kairos, Jeong Hoon was merely level 104.
His clone was weakened, sure, but still level 170.
A 66-level gapunbelievable that he'd slain it.
Kept hitting hard till it worked.
Kept hitting? Puhaha! I like that.
Kairos burst into hearty laughter, clearly pleased with the answer.
An exclamation mark appeared above his head.
The reward meant for Marden had transferred to him.
Quest completed.
Claim reward from Kairos.
As Jeong Hoon finished the quest, Kairos placed an item on the table.