100 Floors All Master - Chapter 2

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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 002

Beginning

A musty smell.

The ear-splitting cry of cicadas.

Scorching air.

It was the scent of summer.

‘Hot.’

Kang Jun-hyeok, who had reached the Supreme Realm, had ascended to a level where he was completely unaffected by the surrounding temperature. Even if he entered a furnace with his bare body, he wouldn’t feel any change in temperature.

But now, the heat that was only a few degrees higher felt incredibly direct. It was proof that the Transcendent Power that had dominated his entire body had vanished without a trace.

“….”

Kang Jun-hyeok slowly turned his head. His studio apartment came into view. And he saw his cell phone scattered on the floor.

He reached out and turned on the cell phone, and the screen lit up showing the date.

July 12, 2030.

“….”

Kang Jun-hyeok frowned.

It was a date from his memory. More precisely, it was a date he couldn’t help but remember.

July 12.

It was exactly three days before he was called to the Tower.

“Did I return to the past?”

His voice quietly echoed in the old room.

Bubble bubble.

A spicy aroma wafted along with the boiling sound. Kang Jun-hyeok, who had been stirring the pot moderately, turned off the heat. He brought the pot to the table.

And picked up chopsticks.

He picked up noodles from the pot. After cooling them appropriately, he put them in his mouth.

“Mm.”

Spicy taste. Sweet taste. Salty taste. Ramen with all of that mixed together.

A smile appeared without him realizing it. It was a taste he hadn’t experienced in hundreds of years.

Kang Jun-hyeok devoured the ramen in an instant. He even took out rice and mixed it in.

“Phew.”

Only after his stomach was full did his confused mind begin to work again. His eyes slowly settled.

‘…I’ve returned to the past.’

To three days before he entered the Tower.

How did he return? There was an immediate answer to that.

‘Milarepa High Monk.’

At the very end, he had handed Kang Jun-hyeok a gem.

The name of that gem was the Returning Gem.

There was no need to think about what its effect was. It was obvious from its name alone, and from the fact that he was here now.

“So there was an item in the Tower that could return you to the past.”

Kang Jun-hyeok had cleared the 100th floor. It was a great achievement that no one else had accomplished.

But that didn’t mean he had grasped everything about the Tower. There were certainly many parts he didn’t know about.

It was probably Milarepa High Monk’s own item that he had obtained in the process of clearing the Tower himself. It seemed he had saved it without using it until the very end.

And he had given such a thing to Kang Jun-hyeok.

“…Why, Milarepa High Monk?”

No. He knew the reason.

It was because he thought that even if he himself returned, he couldn’t change the future of destruction.

Kang Jun-hyeok. He judged that if it were him, he could change it, so he confirmed his resolve at the end before handing it over. Kang Jun-hyeok unconsciously let out a bitter laugh.

“How ridiculous, Milarepa High Monk. I never gave you anything.”

He had bestowed many things on those around him. But that was only to the weak. He had only shared his power with those who were so weak they would die quickly if he didn’t help them.

In contrast, Milarepa High Monk was strong. He was a strong person who didn’t need Kang Jun-hyeok’s help, so he received nothing from Kang Jun-hyeok.

But at the very end, it wasn’t the weak ones he had given power to who gave him a chance, but Milarepa, who had reached his realm through his own strength.

It was so ridiculous he couldn’t stand it. Kang Jun-hyeok chuckled and got up from his seat. He headed to the bathroom, turned on cold water, and washed his face.

What did Milarepa High Monk expect from him?

And what should he do?

Through the towel wiping his face, Kang Jun-hyeok’s endlessly sunken eyes could be seen.

Ten years ago from now.

In a world where people lived ordinary lives as always, one message arrived.

[Hello, everyone.]

[After a long, long war, the owner of the Universe has changed.]

[The new owner will abandon the current Universe and create his own Universe.]

[In that process, the current Universe will all be erased.]

[But that’s too harsh a story. So I’m thinking of giving you all one opportunity.]

[The owner of the Universe will bestow upon you a Tower. Climb the Tower. Conquer the floors and reach the end. Solve the trials with the power you gain that way. If you do so, the owner of the Universe will not erase your Universe.]

[So to all of you living in the current Universe. Good luck!]

An extremely sudden, joke-like message.

Naturally, people were confused and didn’t accept it. The majority thought it was a bad prank.

But unfortunately, in just one day they learned it wasn’t a prank at all. Countless people suddenly disappeared, and half of them never returned.

The world they knew was completely shattered.

People came to climb the Tower voluntarily or by force. In that process, countless people died. Death was no longer a story from the news but a story of daily life.

But in exchange, those who survived in the Tower gained tremendous power.

Now, after ten years had passed, people had adapted to the broken world and most had forgotten the peaceful past.

And in the flow of such years, Kang Jun-hyeok still hadn’t been able to climb the Tower.

The reason was simple.

The invitation to climb the Tower.

It was because they were given sequentially.

To gain power, one had to receive an invitation to the Tower.

Kang Jun-hyeok belonged to the quite late group. In terms of percentage, it would be fair to say he was in the bottom 10%.

‘There was a lot of talk about this topic at the time.’

Why weren’t invitations provided to everyone simultaneously? Why was there a time difference? Many speculations and opinions went back and forth.

‘Well. The reason was simple though.’

Simple capacity shortage. And luck.

He had returned to three days before the invitation from the Tower arrived.

Kang Jun-hyeok spent those three days gathering information. Since it was so long ago, he was vague about what the current situation was like.

[American player Michael Smith has declared he will challenge the 33rd floor. If his challenge succeeds, he will reach player rank 14.]

[The conflict between Baekdu Mountain Guild and Green Guild is still ongoing. The Government has conveyed words of appeasement, but it seems to have little meaning.]

“Is this still the time when the 33rd floor is the top player level? About two months until the first test. Three months until the raid. Six months until Universe integration.”

Kang Jun-hyeok organized the information while flipping through channels. Faces he remembered appeared on TV. There were those he missed, and there were also those he despised. Kang Jun-hyeok paused while continuing to change channels.

[Now! Here’s one of Korea’s only top 100 players! Sword Saint Yu Jin-ha! Everyone please welcome him with applause!]

A man with a handsome appearance emerged amid countless sounds of applause.

A good-looking face. A confident smile. Self-assurance that emanated from his every action.

Kang Jun-hyeok knew that face better than anyone.

The final battle.

There, he was the Hero who had been crying pathetically while holding the Holy Sword.

“Tsk.”

Kang Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue and turned off the TV as if disgusted by the sight. He stretched lightly and checked his physical condition.

‘Then.’

It was about time.

Kang Jun-hyeok sat quietly on the bed and waited. And after several minutes. A massive wave resonated.

Wooooong.

A scientifically inexplicable wave that covered the entire Earth.

At the same time, a message arrived before Kang Jun-hyeok.

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained an Invitation to the Tower!]

[From now on, you can challenge the Tower by your own will! And enjoy numerous benefits as well!]

[But before that, we will conduct a light test to see if you are qualified to climb the Tower.]

At this very moment, not just him, but tens of thousands of people around the world would have received the same message.

Most of them would be in despair. The terror of being forced to go to a horrific place would be dominating their entire bodies.

The past Kang Jun-hyeok wasn’t much different. He didn’t particularly want to fight risking his life either. The fact that his parents were invited to the Tower on the day the world collapsed and never returned was also one of the reasons.

But not anymore.

“It’s here.”

Kang Jun-hyeok muttered as if he had been waiting. It was time for everything to begin again. His eyes were endlessly sunken.

His past life self was weak.

It wasn’t a matter of strength, but of spirit.

He pitied the weak and couldn’t abandon them. Beyond protecting them, he even yielded the power he rightfully should have possessed to them.

The reason was very simple.

Because he was strong enough to be fine even after yielding power to others.

Because he believed that the weak had simply not gotten opportunities, and if given sufficient power, they would be helpful on the front lines.

But that wasn’t the case. The enemy was more formidable than he thought, and those he had shown kindness to were of no help on the front lines.

His past life self was weak and only repeated wrong choices.

As a result, they perished.

Milarepa’s last words came to mind.

‘Please, this time, don’t make choices you’ll regret.’

“I have no intention of regretting anything.”

Kang Jun-hyeok twisted his lips.

This time he wouldn’t yield the power he should possess to others. The Holy Sword, Lemegeton, the Spirit King, Ten Thousand Year He Shou Wu and Azure Stone Oil.

That’s not all. Now he had information. Information about the Tower, tall and deep, with countless treasures buried within. He could obtain things his past life self couldn’t get.

He would become strong.

Even more than in his past life.

And he would challenge it proudly, with proper qualifications.

[Floor 0 Quest begins.]

[Prove yourself.]

With his resolve, Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was transported to the Tower.

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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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