100 Floors All Master - Chapter 316

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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 316
72nd Floor. Fortress of the Defeated (3)
“……Hah!”
In that instant, Do-un immediately widened the distance between them.
Something was dominating the world.
Do-un was a Fourth Tier Esper. He had experience fighting alongside other Espers of equivalent rank. For that reason, he had witnessed countless World Reconstructions, but what Kang Jun-hyeok was unfolding now was utterly incomprehensible to him.
There was only one thing he could discern.
This was dangerous.
Do-un immediately began weaving his hands in intricate patterns.
World Reconstruction. The mechanics of gas and solid matter.
One reconstructed world could be buried beneath another. Since Kang Jun-hyeok had only just begun learning World Reconstruction, his version remained incomplete. Do-un’s own reconstruction should have been able to crush it without difficulty.
But.
‘It won’t…… cover!’
Something incomprehensible resisted Do-un’s World Reconstruction.
No—it went beyond mere resistance, swallowing his reality in reverse. In an instant it devoured the entire area, swelling with its own mass. Do-un’s face paled.
“This is impossible!”
“Mm.”
Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes darkened. He tried to suppress and control the mental image he had unleashed.
But it was not working.
The reconstructing world spun beyond Kang Jun-hyeok’s control, devouring reality ever further.
[There’s no help for it. This is a debt I owe.]
Eldyria clicked her tongue and summoned her power. A gateway to the far side opened, and True Blood came pouring forth.
[Crush it.]
Crash-crack-crack!
The power contained in her True Blood shattered and obliterated the world Kang Jun-hyeok had reconstructed.
But the world did not break easily. It resisted even the might of a great Transcendent, endeavoring to expand its own domain.
[How insolent.]
Yet the fundamental difference in power could not be overcome.
Eldyria’s True Blood consumed everything and erased it from existence. Do-un collapsed as his strength drained away, and Kang Jun-hyeok released a breath.
“Thank you.”
[Normally, intervention on this scale would not be permitted. But this is the Fortress of the Defeated—there is still a boundary, however precarious. In any case…… you must not use that power again.]
“I agree completely.”
[That’s the power you wielded in your previous life, isn’t it?]
Kang Jun-hyeok nodded.
It was indeed the World Reconstruction his former self had commanded.
He had only been able to draw it out and manage it at the very last moment, so for his present self, control itself seemed impossible.
‘That’s not all, either.’
Something had changed.
World Reconstruction drew forth one’s own mental image. Kang Jun-hyeok had experienced failure and rebirth.
With so much experience accumulated, his mental landscape had transformed.
In any case, he could not manage it now. He would need to expand his Psychic capacity further and broaden his control abilities over superpowers themselves to make it possible.
“Ha, haha. Still, you’ve managed to master World Reconstruction. That should be enough, right? It looks like you don’t need my help anymore.”
Do-un spoke in a panic and began edging away. What had just happened made it clear: Kang Jun-hyeok was someone it was no good whatsoever to be entangled with. His fundamental nature, his very origin, far transcended the category of Fourth Tier.
To be frank, he had no desire to remain involved.
But Kang Jun-hyeok smiled faintly and replied,
“No, actually I still need your help.”
“Why, why? There’s nothing left for me to teach you…….”
“I can unfold World Reconstruction in different ways. If you could help me a bit longer, I’d be grateful.”
Do-un’s face fell.
* * *
World Reconstruction was the expansion of one’s mental image into the world.
It was a skill unique to each person, and therefore it was impossible for an individual to wield multiple World Reconstructions.
But Kang Jun-hyeok possessed Control and Acting Skills.
Using his Acting Skill, he shaped his own mental image into a different form; with his Control Skill, he fixed that recast mental image in place.
As a result, Kang Jun-hyeok was able to master another World Reconstruction.
“Done.”
Kang Jun-hyeok laughed with satisfaction. He had known it was possible, but he had never actually tested it in practice—and yet he had acquired it without issue.
“Ha, haha. So you can acquire multiple World Reconstructions…….”
“I’m not omnipotent to that degree.”
He had split his mental image using the Control Skill to create these variations, but there were limits. At most, two or three was the threshold. Do-un let out a hollow laugh.
“That doesn’t make sense either…….”
He was irregular in every conceivable way. Do-un, regarding Kang Jun-hyeok with an expression of disbelief, opened his mouth.
“You’re a martial artist.”
“I can handle martial arts.”
“And you’re a mage too.”
“I practice magic as well.”
“Moreover, you can wield Divine Power.”
“That’s correct.”
“……But why are you trying to master psychic powers on top of all that?”
A typical cosmic being concentrated on only a single form of power.
Players were no exception to this. Touvalt focused on Black Magic, while Ariel devoted herself to Divine Power. It was only natural for each to pour their full strength into their respective domains of confidence.
But Kang Jun-hyeok was different. Rather than concentrating on a single power, he sought to acquire as many powers as possible. Kang Jun-hyeok answered him.
“Because one alone is insufficient.”
“……Insufficient, you say.”
Different.
The very scope of his vision was different. It felt like looking upon a separate entity, not merely another human.
Do-un grasped it only then.
“That is what a true Player is.”
Every Player he had seen thus far was closer to a cosmic being than to a Player proper.
But Kang Jun-hyeok was, in the truest sense, a Player. He answered calmly.
“You’ve worked hard.”
[72nd Floor Quest Clear.]
[Reward is determined by your achievement.]
[Checking achievement rate……]
[Check complete.]
[Achievement Rate: 100%]
[Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be granted.]
[Title effect: Perfect Player has been added.]
[Number of Players who achieved Perfect Clear on the 72nd Floor: 1.]
[That is you alone!]
[Universal Announcement.]
[Rejoice, all beings of the Universe! A Perfect Player of the 72nd Floor has appeared. An achievement no one has ever attained!]
[Achievement +4]
There was no floor clear reward.
Learning something from the Defeated Ones was itself the reward.
The achievement was substantial. He had obtained one World Reconstruction skill, which would prove invaluable in the battles to come.
Kang Jun-hyeok summoned Pixie and transmitted the memory to her.
[What is that?]
Pixie’s expression twisted in bewilderment.
[I’ve seen World Reconstruction a handful of times. It’s a heterogeneous power that reconstructs the very laws of the Universe. But……yours is especially foreign among them.]
“It would be.”
Because his World Reconstruction was specialized in slaying the Victors.
[The problem is that you couldn’t wield it at your current level. So you learned yet another World Reconstruction. I thought there was nothing left to surprise me, but here you are, still harboring new tricks.]
[700 Starlight.]
Pixie spoke with delight before departing.
Kang Jun-hyeok lay back upon the bed.
The 71st and 72nd Floors—the layers where the Defeated Ones began to actively support Players. He had reaped satisfying rewards from both.
And now was the time to make use of those rewards.
From the 70th Floor onward, the Defeated Ones could begin to actively intervene with Players.
They trained Players and granted them new powers.
The Victors operated on the same principle.
Kang Jun-hyeok’s gaze hardened.
* * *
[73rd Floor Quest.]
[Converse.]
[And choose.]
Kang Jun-hyeok entered the 73rd Floor.
It was an exceedingly peculiar quest.
As if everything that transpired here stemmed solely from your choice.
A barren expanse of white space stretched endlessly. There existed only Kang Jun-hyeok and one other being.
“Hello?”
It was a young woman.
She had beautiful features and hair that swayed gently. With a smile that would make anyone take a liking to her, she appeared before Kang Jun-hyeok.
“Nice to meet you, Player.”
“Hello.”
Kang Jun-hyeok answered calmly.
The woman’s eyes flickered with interest.
“Huh. You’re different, as I thought. Other Players got scared and put up their guard against me.”
“The 73rd Floor quest prioritizes conversation. Whatever happens later, for now it means I’m not hostile to you.”
“Sharp.”
The woman grinned. She clasped her hands behind her back and turned in a slow circle.
“Shall we walk for a bit?”
She began walking at a leisurely pace.
Kang Jun-hyeok followed behind her.
The woman opened her mouth slowly.
“You’ve reached the 73rd Floor. Among the countless Players across the Universe, you could even call yourselves the vanguard. Impressive. Your talent and abilities are certainly exceptional. You must have suffered greatly in that journey. You’ve risked your lives more times than you can count.”
Kang Jun-hyeok said nothing. The woman continued as if unbothered.
“You are exceptional. If you continue climbing the Tower this way, eventually you’ll gain tremendous power. Power that could truly shake the world itself. An independent force that no one would dare oppose.”
The woman’s words weren’t wrong. In fact, in his previous life, the Players did acquire such power. They were ultimately defeated, but they succeeded in killing many Victors.
And so the woman spoke.
“So why should beings like you stand with the Defeated Ones?”
She smiled quietly.
“They fought a fair war and lost. Pathetic losers, the lot of them. And now they’re foisting the responsibility for their defeat onto you. Doesn’t that strike you as strange? They were the ones who lost, so why should you risk your lives climbing the Tower to overturn their defeat?”
“Because we are Cosmic Beings too.”
“A lie.”
The woman twisted the corner of her mouth.
“You know it yourself. You can no longer be called Cosmic Beings.”
Kang Jun-hyeok didn’t deny it.
A Player’s body doesn’t sustain injury.
They wield a strange power called Skills.
If Health Points are high enough, even a pierced heart or severed throat won’t bring death.
“You exist between here and there. Straddling two worlds. Can you truly believe in your hearts, across millennia, across thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of years, that you are truly Cosmic Beings?”
The woman turned to face Kang Jun-hyeok.
“You stand with the Defeated Ones simply because you were born in the Universe… but how long will that conviction last? This is a meaningless struggle. You will lose.”
Her voice was like sweet poison.
Her honeyed words seep into the ears. The woman draws closer and whispers.
“Your efforts are hollow and meaningless. You are merely toys in the Defeated Ones’ hands. In the end, you’ll fight and break and shatter. What value could there possibly be in that?”
“Enough.”
Kang Jun-hyeok opened his mouth. His face bore an expression of annoyance.
‘In my previous life or now, she talks too much.’
“Skip the chatter. Get to the point, Huger Pace.”
“Well, the point is simple.”
One of the Victors, Huger Pace, smiled broadly.
“How about joining our side? Perfect Player.”

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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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