100 Floors All Master - Chapter 279

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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All Master of 100 Floors Episode 279
Third Universe Quest (4)
Everything collapses.
The world shatters outright. The Players within the blast radius don’t even manage to resist before being swept away. Only two survive: Touvalt and the Saintess Ariel.
“Gaahhhhh!”
“Uuuugh!”
They too were far from unscathed. They barely clung to life, their condition barely distinguishable from death.
Yet even that was surely something miraculous.
For the force their enemy had wielded was that of the Fourth Tier.
Despite the overwhelming gap that should have crushed them, the two gritted their teeth and pulled out every ounce of strength they possessed.
“Gates of Heaven above, descend unto me!”
“Come forth!”
Divine and Demonic energy coalesce around the two, and Sangyeon’s expression shifts.
“You manage to endure? Now that I think about it, you two are garnering some attention as well. If not for that one, you’d have monopolized my focus entirely.”
Snap.
Sangyeon flicks his finger. Concentrated force obliterates Touvalt and Ariel utterly.
As he stamps his foot, a shockwave tears across the landscape. Even the Players beyond the immediate range begin dying in rapid succession.
“Ah…….”
“A… ahhh.”
Before such overwhelming power, the Players lose all will to fight.
They are all those who have passed through two trials.
They had triumphed over the Defeated Ones, beings of remarkable fortitude. They possessed unbreakable, indomitable will to match.
Yet now, that will shattered.
What is this force?
It is not a power any single life ought to possess.
It transcends such categories — a being from a higher order.
How can one victory against such a being? The Players despair and lower their weapons.
But among them, there is one Player who moves with the same unchanging expression as before.
Crash-crash-crack-crash!
In the collapsing world, Kang Jun-hyeok propels his body forward. He evades the cascading torrent of fierce power and charges ahead.
“How bothersome.”
Sangyeon lightly flicks his finger. In that instant, debris all around rises and pours down upon Kang Jun-hyeok.
An avalanche directed at a single individual. And since it is bolstered by Sangyeon’s power, it is no ordinary natural disaster. Literally, a force capable of reducing an entire region to ruin.
“Hhh.”
Kang Jun-hyeok steadies his breathing. With perfect control over his own power, he hefts sword and shield.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crack!
He strikes aside the avalanche, defends against it, and lets it flow past.
The ultimate principle of suppressing and controlling force itself.
This is Manbyeonggi’s Divine Art — before such calamity, there is not a hint of retreat. Sangyeon lets out an exclamation of admiration.
“I had heard the tales, but to think you truly command his Divine Art.”
This approach will not kill Kang Jun-hyeok. After a moment’s consideration, Sangyeon flicks his finger.
A chill runs through the air.
Death Line Awakening activates.
Stay still and he dies. He plants his feet hard.
Crack-crack-crack!
In that same instant, the very space where he stood crumbles. Sangyeon’s expression grows even more bemused.
“How did you evade that? That’s a surprise attack that even registers against Fourth Tier.”
He mutters as he continues to wave his hand. An entire mountain ridge shatters like a toy and cascades down.
Truly, a power that grasps the world itself and wields it.
This is Fourth Tier.
A realm where one transcends life and death, and can traverse the Universe alone.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
The density of the cascading force grows thicker by the moment. Even as he deflects and blocks and diverts, it pours down again.
“Hhh.”
Kang Jun-hyeok steadies his breathing. If he merely defends, he will be slowly worn down and die. Even at the cost of injury, he must push forward.
[Dragon Scale.]
The mighty shell of a dragon wraps around his body.
Crash-crash-crash-crash!
He deflects what can be deflected, and meets what cannot with his own body. The Dragon Scale, its Proficiency risen, can defend even against a Fourth Tier attack.
But its limits are clear. Even now, the Dragon Scale shreds away at a rapid pace.
Yet within that, he seizes an opportunity.
Snap.
He plants his feet and moves through the gaps in the torrential cascade. Sangyeon’s expression shifts in surprise.
‘So fast.’
And so skilled.
In mere moments, he perceives the gaps in the cascading power, approaches, and closes in. For Fourth Tier, such a feat is difficult.
‘……No. That’s not it.’
The Player before him accomplishes what is difficult even for Fourth Tier.
If that is so, there is only one meaning.
Sangyeon’s expression darkens profoundly. He clenches his fist.
Crackle-crackle-crackle.
In that instant, everything around him crumbles.
As though crushed by vast gravity itself, seeking to pin Kang Jun-hyeok down.
An attack of this magnitude is nearly impossible to escape. One would need to expend considerable power merely to slip free.
And Kang Jun-hyeok was anticipating exactly this.
[Crack Movement.]
Kang Jun-hyeok’s body leapt through the fissure.
His reappearance finds him directly behind Sangyeon. As he draws his blade for a sharp sword strike, a violent shockwave explodes from Sangyeon’s body.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Kang Jun-hyeok’s body, mid-strike, is sent flying and slams down hard. He clicks his tongue and quickly regains his stance.
“I thought I had you, but you were setting a counter-trap.”
“My apologies, but I’ve faced the Authority of Cracks far too many times to grow tired of it. I knew you could wield that Authority too. What surprised me was this: you aimed perfectly, yet in the final moment, you dissipated the force. A masterful touch of restraint.”
Sangyeon speaks in admiring tones as he flicks his finger. In that instant, force blooms outward from Sangyeon’s center, forming a spherical barrier.
Hmmmmm.
Within it, no cracks exist at all. The method of approach via Crack Movement is completely sealed off.
Kang Jun-hyeok clicks his tongue.
This opponent is unlike any of the Tower’s beings he has faced until now.
A Defeated One, who fought the Victors endlessly and brutally.
That singularity, that foreign element, and the knowledge of countermeasures — no one possessed it better.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Attacks rain down again. The Dragon Scale is stripped away in an instant.
The opponent is an Esper.
One wielding Telekinesis, no less.
And Telekinesis is a near-omnipotent force.
The switching of offense and defense. The fine control of power and the constant adaptation to one’s opponent. A force capable of responding to any situation whatsoever.
And Telekinesis possessed one defining characteristic.
Against those weaker than oneself, it never loses.
In all the long history of the Universe, there exists no tale of a Telekinesis user defeated by the weak.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Power cascades down relentlessly. All other Players are already dead. He alone remains.
A hopeless gap.
Yet Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes show not a shred of wavering.
Think.
The Third Universe Quest sends down a Defeated One matched to the Players’ strength. No matter how formidable the opponent appears, there exists a path to victory.
All the other Players have perished. Yet they came here alongside him. To defeat Sangyeon, their aid is necessary in some form — this much is certain.
Think.
Think and think again.
Find the answer.
In the midst of battle, he thinks ceaselessly. From this emerges a single question.
‘How did Touvalt and Ariel survive?’
They did not perish instantly from the enemy’s powerful attack.
They survived and even attempted to counterattack.
This was strange. Sangyeon is a Fourth Tier master. By contrast, they are merely Second Tier. The gap in rank is not one, but two. Yet they did not die instantly? It should be impossible.
Moreover, Sangyeon’s power is Telekinesis — a force renowned for creating no such variables.
In that moment, a single thought flashes through Kang Jun-hyeok’s mind.
‘……There are cracks in his power?’
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Amid the mighty cascade of force, Kang Jun-hyeok focuses his gaze intensely.
Look.
Observe.
‘Observe’ carefully.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-crackle!
The blade of Telekinesis bears down. In that instant, Kang Jun-hyeok perceives it — a tiny distortion within.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
“Hmm.”
The Dragon Scale is completely stripped away. Intent on observation, he failed to evade.
But it was worth the cost.
Sangyeon’s power contained instability.
As he rapidly recalls his experiences, a single possibility comes to mind.
‘Ability Runaway.’
One method to elevate an Esper’s power to the next tier.
A technique used by those who have hit a wall — to trigger an Ability Runaway and breach the next tier of power.
Yet because it is not the proper method, its side effects are severe. One of them is precisely this: instability in the force.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Once he grasps this truth, the distortions begin to reveal themselves again and again. Kang Jun-hyeok lets out a quiet laugh.
Even one possessing Observation Skill must concentrate multiple times to barely discern such distortions.
Yet Touvalt and Ariel perceived it instinctively the moment they faced him, and adapted accordingly. Their genius amazed him anew.
And one more thing.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Force pours down. Kang Jun-hyeok raises his shield to protect his body. The fierce cascade is blocked by his defense.
‘There is distribution to his power.’
A true Fourth Tier would press with far greater intensity.
Each attack should demand his full countermeasure.
But Sangyeon’s attacks are not of that caliber. Violent strikes rain down several times, but the rest he can endure.
‘This is not a true Fourth Tier.’
Because he achieved it through Ability Runaway, wielding true Fourth Tier power carries a cooldown.
‘Roughly five to ten seconds.’
A gap he can exploit sufficiently. Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes sharpen.
He repositions his stance. Like a turtle, he shields his body. He perceives the distortions in the cascading attacks and defends with near-perfect precision.
Unlike before, his defensive posture causes Sangyeon to realize something.
‘He’s caught on.’
He is a Telekinesis user who reached Fourth Tier through Ability Runaway.
As such, he carries multiple weaknesses.
His power lacks stability, creating gaps. Once he channels Fourth Tier-level force, roughly ten seconds of cooldown follows.
“To think you’d catch on so quickly.”
It took Kang Jun-hyeok less than ten minutes to fully grasp his opponent’s weaknesses. Sangyeon clicks his tongue. Truly, the most anticipated Player in all the Universe.
‘But even so, to defend with such perfection.’
While there is a cooldown to wielding true Fourth Tier power, his ordinary attacks still transcend the Third Tier category. Defending against them as he does means the opponent matches him in tier.
“Hmm.”
Sangyeon lapses into thought.
Presently, Kang Jun-hyeok defends his body.
He could beat him one-sidedly. There was no need to take risks.
But.
The gaze that Kang Jun-hyeok fixed upon him.
Eyes that seem determined to uncover everything about him.
This is not overconfidence or bravado. If given ten more minutes, Kang Jun-hyeok would perfectly analyze his habits and gaps — this much Sangyeon knows instinctively.
And so Sangyeon smiled.
“Very well. That much I shall grant you.”
Surely one who commands the Universe’s total attention deserves such regard.
Sangyeon clenches his fist violently. In that instant, crushing pressure bears down upon Kang Jun-hyeok.
True Fourth Tier power.
Kang Jun-hyeok realizes his opponent has committed to direct combat.
Then he too must wield force commensurate with that — a strength approaching Fourth Tier. He swiftly draws his spear. Directing it precisely toward Sangyeon, he plants his feet and steps forward.
[One-Point Pierce.]
His body becomes a flash of light.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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