100 Floors All Master - Chapter 14
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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All Master of 100 Floors Episode 014
2nd Floor. Goblin (5)
Kuguuuuung!
Debris flew as the castle wall shattered completely. At that sound, the sleeping goblins woke up in terror.
“Kieeeek!”
“Kyaaak!”
The goblins screamed. The sentries, following their ingrained orders, frantically put the whistles hanging around their necks to their mouths.
Piiiiiik!
A sharp piercing sound echoed through the forest.
The goblins who had gone out for patrol and reconnaissance realized something had gone wrong and began returning instantly. The goblins resting in the village also grabbed their weapons and ran toward the royal castle where the commotion had erupted.
“Hmm.”
Kang Jun-hyeok was frowning in the corridor above the broken debris.
His entire body was throbbing. If it was this painful even with the Pain Resistance skill, it meant he had taken considerable damage.
[HP 200/270]
From a single strike, he had taken 70 damage.
Even though he had reflexively moved his body to avoid as much as possible, it was still considerable damage. That wasn’t all.
He had detected a completely silent attack through intuition alone while sleeping and woken up.
It was truly beast-like instincts.
[…This isn’t good. To be precise, it failed.]
“Half of it. But there’s one thing that went according to plan.”
[What’s that?]
“Thanks to this, a commotion has started.”
With the collision sound, the goblins had blown their whistles. All the goblins who had gone out on patrol would return. The hostages could escape without any problems. Manbyeonggi agreed.
[I see. If only you manage to survive here.]
“That’s what will happen.”
The one thing that didn’t go according to plan.
The king’s strength was beyond Kang Jun-hyeok’s imagination.
Kwaang!
Breaking through the shattered debris, the king charged at Kang Jun-hyeok. In his hands was a great sword as large as an adult’s torso. Kang Jun-hyeok raised his sword.
Kaaaang!
The sharp sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. With the collision, Kang Jun-hyeok’s body slid backward. Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes widened.
‘Overpowered in strength?’
Despite having stats of 20, a level that could reach 10th Floor players, he was being overpowered in strength by a 2nd Floor monster.
Kagagagak!
The king deflected the sword with a scraping motion and used that momentum to thrust. Kang Jun-hyeok barely moved his body to avoid it.
‘Fast too.’
It was fast enough that there wasn’t much difference compared to him.
Kang Jun-hyeok quickly created distance. Instead of following, the Goblin King took a stance and stared intently.
‘Even after being ambushed, he doesn’t get excited and has the intelligence to calmly assess his opponent.’
What kind of goblin was this supposed to be?
He had never seen such a goblin even in his previous life. The Goblin King who had been staring at Kang Jun-hyeok opened his mouth.
“An assassin, I see.”
“You can talk too.”
“Language is a product of intelligence. Where is the reason that goblins cannot do it?”
“Are you really a goblin?”
At the remarkably fluent vocabulary, Kang Jun-hyeok asked sincerely. The Goblin King laughed.
“Unfortunately, that is so. A variant different from my foolish kinsmen.”
The Goblin King who answered thus stepped forward. The distance to Kang Jun-hyeok closed instantly. He thrust the great sword held in both hands sharply.
Kagagagak!
Kang Jun-hyeok moved his sword to block it. Since he was overpowered in strength, he didn’t engage in a contest of strength but responded by deflecting. The Goblin King showed interest at that movement.
“Your technique is good for a mere assassin.”
At the same time, the movement of the great sword held by the Goblin King changed. From attacks that struck down with powerful force to attacks that drew trajectories and dominated space.
‘A goblin even knows sword technique.’
Kang Jun-hyeok was dumbfounded as he quickly moved his sword to push back the spatial dominance. The frantically moving swords clashed against each other.
Kaaaang!
Sword met sword. The Goblin King tried to strike Kang Jun-hyeok’s stomach with his knee. Kang Jun-hyeok raised his foot to block it.
Paang!
But the Goblin King had the advantage in strength over Kang Jun-hyeok. Unable to properly block it, his body flew backward. The Goblin King didn’t miss the chance and thrust his sword. Kang Jun-hyeok protected his body with his sword while floating in midair.
Kwaaang!
Kang Jun-hyeok’s body flew through the wall and outside. He quickly corrected his posture and landed.
There was no time to rest. The Goblin King immediately flew over and brought his sword down. Kang Jun-hyeok quickly pulled his body away.
Kuuuung!
The great sword embedded in the ground. Just that alone caused the earth to crack open. The Goblin King put strength into the hand gripping the embedded sword.
Kwaang!
The sword burst out from the ground and debris flew. The moment he twisted his body to avoid it, the Goblin King charged.
Kagagak!
Kang Jun-hyeok barely twisted his sword to deflect it. The blade passed right by his neck. Kang Jun-hyeok kicked the Goblin King’s stomach to create distance and clicked his tongue.
“Not only your skill but your weapon is good too.”
“It is my pride and joy.”
The Goblin King said proudly. Despite handling the great sword so roughly, the blade wasn’t damaged at all. It was indeed a weapon to be proud of.
Kang Jun-hyeok calmly assessed his opponent’s capabilities.
Even with the strength of a 10th Floor player, he was losing in contests of strength.
His speed was also not inferior. He had the ability to use sword techniques, and his intelligence was also high.
It wasn’t a joke – even most 10th Floor players wouldn’t be able to defeat this Goblin King.
For such a thing to be the boss of the 2nd Floor.
‘The balance is completely broken.’
Kang Jun-hyeok grumbled internally as he raised his sword. He blocked the incoming attack from the Goblin King.
The battle continued but the dynamic didn’t change.
The Goblin King was strong.
His strength was definitely and clearly superior to Kang Jun-hyeok’s. His sword technique was also excellent. Since his body was twice as large, he also had an overwhelming reach advantage, so Kang Jun-hyeok couldn’t properly counterattack and was continuously pushed back.
Kaaaang!
Kang Jun-hyeok’s body flew backward and hit the wall. The Goblin King raised his great sword.
“This is the end. Human.”
“Kaaaak!”
“Kirrrrk!”
And surrounding the two of them were about a hundred goblins.
All the goblins had gathered and were encircling them so Kang Jun-hyeok couldn’t escape. The Goblin King opened his mouth.
“You endured quite well. So. Do you think the hostages escaped safely?”
“…You figured that out too?”
“You are strong. You could easily escape from me. But you’re not doing that. I can only think you have some purpose.”
That purpose was nothing other than rescuing the hostages. The Goblin King had grasped everything perfectly up to that point. Kang Jun-hyeok let out a hollow laugh.
“What are you.”
“King of. foolish kinsmen.”
The Goblin King spoke proudly.
“I am, special. I was born with the destiny, to lead my foolish kinfolk. I will lead all goblins, build our castle, and create a kingdom.”
“Your dreams are big.”
“Dreams that can, be achieved. And the first step toward that, was your village.”
The Goblin King grinned wickedly.
“It was an excellent, breeding ground. My kinfolk’s handiwork is, clumsy. Not only did I obtain skilled slaves, but I also let my subordinates gain real combat experience.”
“So that’s why you attacked every two years.”
It didn’t matter if some goblins died in the raids. After all, the surviving goblins would become strong warriors who had experienced war.
“But that too is now, over. Since it’s come to this, I must step forward properly. Leading my soldiers, I will invade, your village. I will devour that place. I’ll make it the sacrifice for my first step, toward the world.”
The Goblin King spoke proudly. Kang Jun-hyeok didn’t deny it.
“You have the ability to do that.”
Not only was he strong, but his intelligence was high. He had the cunning to manipulate an entire village. And he had the patience to wait over twenty years until the castle was completed.
Probably in the real world, in the history of the universe, the Goblin King would have succeeded.
But here, he was present—Kang Jun-hyeok was here.
“I can’t let that happen here.”
So Kang Jun-hyeok intended to destroy everything. He quickly kicked off his feet. The Goblin King, judging that he was charging at him, hesitated while holding his great sword.
Kang Jun-hyeok wasn’t charging toward him.
He ran past him, charging toward the goblins.
“Ka, kaaak!”
“Kieeek!”
The goblins were shocked, not expecting him to charge at them. He lightly trampled over them as they fumbled for their weapons, and Kang Jun-hyeok kicked off his feet.
“…Are you planning, to run away!”
He’s trying to escape. Making that judgment, the Goblin King chased after Kang Jun-hyeok like a shot.
While running, Kang Jun-hyeok grabbed a torch. Then suddenly, Kang Jun-hyeok stopped running.
“Kaaaak!”
“Kieeek!”
The goblins who had been chasing frantically surrounded Kang Jun-hyeok once again. They filled the space densely, leaving no room for escape. The Goblin King, who had followed immediately behind, mocked Kang Jun-hyeok.
“Have you given up? I thought you were a warrior, but you’re a coward. I was considering making you my subordinate, but there’s no need for that.”
“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline on my end.”
Kang Jun-hyeok smiled faintly. The Goblin King hesitated for a moment at his overly calm attitude.
Something was strange. The Goblin King quickly assessed the situation.
At that moment, the Goblin King realized.
The place where Kang Jun-hyeok had stopped while holding the torch was right at the blacksmith shop.
The Goblin King’s eyes widened.
“You, bastard!”
The blacksmith shop in the goblin village was full-scale. It even had a quenching tank for tempering.
Quenching was the act of cooling heated cold weapons.
What was needed for that was a large amount of liquid.
Then what was that liquid?
Kang Jun-hyeok kicked over the quenching tank. The tank toppled over and the liquid inside spilled out, soaking the floor.
The identity of the liquid was oil.
The Goblin King rushed forward frantically, but it was already too late. Kang Jun-hyeok opened his hand holding the torch. The torch fell onto the wood soaked in oil.
Whoosh!
Fierce flames began to rise.
The flames spread instantly along the oil. It burned down the blacksmith shop in an instant.
The flames didn’t stop there. Sparks scattered in all directions. They climbed onto the surrounding buildings, creating embers there.
Whoosh.
The fire wildly devoured the goblin village like a living creature. The dark forest began to shine brightly.
“Kaaaaaaak!”
“Keeek!”
The goblins frantically moved around trying to put out the fire, but the blaze was already spreading uncontrollably. Watching the burning village, Kang Jun-hyeok muttered quietly.
“The weather is humid, but it’s burning better than expected. It seems they couldn’t even waterproof the buildings when constructing them.”
“You… bastard!”
The Goblin King glared at Kang Jun-hyeok with bulging eyes. Those pupils contained undisguisable killing intent.
“How dare you. How dare you! Burn my kingdom! To ruin my grand plan…!”
He roughly raised his great sword. A voice filled with killing intent rang out.
“I will definitely, kill you.”
“I wonder.”
But Kang Jun-hyeok spoke leisurely.
“You won’t have the luxury for that.”
As if responding to those words, shouts rang out from outside.
“Waaaah!”
“Kill the goblins!”
Those were the shouts of humans. The Goblin King’s eyes widened. Kang Jun-hyeok smiled.
“They’re finally here.”
Before leaving the village, Kang Jun-hyeok had told the Guard Captain.
Just in case, to gather soldiers and wait near the forest.
While he bought time, the hostages would have left the forest and reached the Guard Captain. Once the Guard Captain determined that the hostages had been safely rescued, he had one thing to do.
Either wait quietly for Kang Jun-hyeok to return.
Or move forward to end everything.
The Guard Captain’s choice was the latter. Seeing the goblin village burning, he judged it was the right timing and moved immediately.
“It’s over. Goblin King.”
“…”
The Goblin King’s eyes sank.
His royal castle was burning. The flames were growing uncontrollably and spreading throughout the entire village.
The goblins were panicking and running around frantically. Even if he gave orders, it would be impossible for them to calmly assess the situation and move accordingly.
The attacking humans would massacre his kinsmen.
It was also impossible for the Goblin King himself to move and stop them. Kang Jun-hyeok was strong. He was sufficient to hold him back.
Therefore, the Goblin King reached a conclusion.
“This opportunity ends, here.”
He sheathed his great sword.
Kang Jun-hyeok spoke as if surprised.
“You’re retreating?”
“Hmph. It’s already, ruined. Even if I force it, recovery is impossible. It’s a waste of all that effort, but this is as far as this goes. I must aim for, the next opportunity.”
The Goblin King slung his great sword over his shoulder. He turned around as if without regret.
“I’ll have to start over, somewhere else. Somewhere without, things like you. What bad luck. To think there was someone like you, in my first footstep.”
“Impressive.”
Kang Jun-hyeok was genuinely amazed. Even though everything built up over twenty years had crumbled, he could still calmly assess the situation and make the decision to retreat. He truly had the vessel of a king.
From Kang Jun-hyeok’s standpoint, there was no particular reason to stop the Goblin King.
The Quest was to rescue the hostages and destroy the goblin den.
It wasn’t about annihilation.
In the first place, defeating the Goblin King was absolutely impossible for a 2nd Floor player.
Probably the standard approach to the Quest would be to somehow rescue the hostages first, then seek outside help to dismantle the goblin den. It wouldn’t have assumed a direct confrontation.
Retreating here was the standard 100% clear method.
But Kang Jun-hyeok didn’t step aside in front of the king.
The Goblin King frowned.
“…What.”
“No. Unfortunately, you see.”
Kang Jun-hyeok leisurely raised his sword.
“This time, I have no intention of letting you go.”
The Tower’s reward system was extremely simple.
How close to perfect were the results the player achieved.
How great were the feats the player accomplished.
And how powerful were the enemies the player defeated.
Rewards were determined based on such criteria.
What stood before Kang Jun-hyeok was truly a formidable enemy rarely seen.
Look.
What had he gained during just a few minutes of fighting the Goblin King?
The system window he had pushed to one corner of his vision came into view.
[Sword Technique proficiency has increased.]
[Sword Technique proficiency has greatly increased.]
[Sword Technique proficiency has greatly increased.]
[Sword Technique proficiency has increased.]
Without even defeating it, his proficiency was rising like crazy just from fighting.
To let such prey escape.
What kind of nonsense would that be.
“…You, bastard.”
The Goblin King’s face hardened. Only then did he confirm what expression was floating on Kang Jun-hyeok’s face.
It was greed.
“Let’s go all the way to the end just once.”
Kang Jun-hyeok smiled pleasantly as he thrust out his sword.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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