100 Floors All Master - Chapter 51

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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 051

9th Floor. White Sword Gate (1)

Kim Tae-yeon was now standing before countless people.

With reddened faces and veins bulging in their necks, they were shouting something at her.

“What are you going to do! Kim Tae-yeon!”

“If you suddenly tell us you’re disbanding the guild, what are we supposed to do!”

“Didn’t you say you would protect us!”

Kim Tae-yeon silently listened to their reproaches.

She had no choice. Their words were all justified criticism.

The Green Guild that she had created.

She had put forward the value of protecting people.

Believing those words, countless people had joined her guild.

Yet now she was talking about disbanding the guild.

It was clearly her fault.

Normally, their words would have torn at her heart. But she had already finished preparing herself.

Kim Tae-yeon bowed her head politely.

“I am truly sorry. I have led you all down the wrong path. It’s all my fault.”

“Is an apology enough!”

“You need to take responsibility!”

“Of course I will take responsibility.”

Kim Tae-yeon spoke calmly.

“Those who are prepared to climb the Tower, those who are prepared to risk their lives, please come find me. For those people only, I will help with everything I can.”

Full support from one of the top ten highest-ranking Players.

It was certainly an indescribable benefit. But the people actually looked confused.

“What?”

“No. That’s not what we mean.”

Among those who were stammering, someone shouted.

“Climb the Tower? What are you saying! We won’t climb the Tower!”

“Th-that’s right! You said we didn’t have to climb it!”

“That’s impossible.”

Kim Tae-yeon shook her head.

“The situation has changed. If you don’t climb the Tower, all that awaits is a miserable death. The only ones I can help are those who are prepared.”

“…Liar!”

“You said we didn’t have to climb it!”

“You can blame me all you want. It’s clearly my fault. But there’s nothing I can do for you. In the truest sense, I don’t have that ability.”

Kim Tae-yeon smiled bitterly.

“Those who are prepared, please come find me. For those who aren’t, I’m truly sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

People were bewildered by her attitude.

Kim Tae-yeon had been kind.

Gentle and warm-hearted. She was weak to emotional appeals, unable to easily refuse their requests, always wearing only an ambiguous smile. That’s why they had subtly criticized her behind her back, saying she wasn’t leader material.

But now was different. She was speaking with determined eyes, expressing a clear opinion. Kim Tae-yeon spoke calmly.

“Is there nothing more you wish to say to me? Then I’ll end this conversation here.”

* * *

[Title: Has anyone cleared the 9th Floor?]

[What is this? Isn’t this just a floor designed to kill people? And what’s with that NPC?]

[Baek Seon-ah (Floor 14): Ah, you cleared that floor… It’s quite a strange floor. How should I put it. There have been many strange floors, but that was the first one that was completely insane. Though the reward the NPC mentioned did sound attractive.]

[Choi Ga-young (9th Floor): Yes. I really wanted to get that reward… It seemed like the most attractive reward in the Tower. Ah, what a shame. I should have challenged it a bit more.]

[Gu-ryong (22nd Floor): Everyone who thought that way died. It’s the floor with the most casualties.]

* * *

[9th Floor Quest.]

[Meet the spirit of White Sword Gate and challenge his test.]

Kang Jun-hyeok arrived at the 9th Floor.

That place was a space close to a cave. Looking up at the sky, endless cliffs stood towering.

It was a cave inside the cliff.

And in front of that cave, a small stone monument was erected.

As he approached the stone monument, he could see small characters carved into it. They were Chinese characters.

[This place is the tomb of White Sword Gate.]

[To those who are qualified, I shall bestow everything of White Sword Gate.]

[But you who lack qualification. Do not set foot in this place.]

[For you will not be able to obtain what you desire here.]

Kang Jun-hyeok smiled.

A small cave existing beneath towering cliffs.

And inside that cave, some kind of tomb existed.

‘How typical.’

Kang Jun-hyeok placed his hand on the stone monument. Then the monument began to emit light. Soon the cave started opening with rumbling sounds.

[It begins.]

Manbyeonggi’s voice was somewhat excited.

[Come now. Show me.]

Your worth.

Prove your words.

Kang Jun-hyeok stepped inside the cave.

Inside the cave was a space the size of a small park. And in front of it stood a massive door.

And in front of the door, Chinese characters were carved.

[First Gate]

[Ooh.]

And inside the cave, someone was waiting for him.

It had the form of a human. It was an old man with a long beard, wearing Chinese-style martial arts robes.

But it wasn’t human.

The Old Man’s body was translucent. Like a ghost.

The Old Man stroked his beard and smiled gently.

[A visitor after such a long time. What is your name?]

“My name is Kang Jun-hyeok.”

[Kang Jun-hyeok. A good name! Nice to meet you!]

The Old Man laughed heartily.

[I am the 8th Sect Leader of White Sword Gate. My name is Baek-hwa!]

* * *

Kang Jun-hyeok greeted him calmly.

“Nice to meet you.”

[Hmm. Usually those who face me are surprised or shout for me to go away, calling me a ghost. How bold! Yes. A man should be like that!]

Baek-hwa laughed heartily and asked.

[How did you come to be in This Place?]

“I lost my way. Then I mistepped at a cliff. When I came to my senses, I was here.”

He made up a reasonable story. Baek-hwa nodded vigorously as if he understood.

[You have discovered a fateful encounter!]

“A fateful encounter… you say?”

[That’s right! This Place is a tomb containing the legacy of White Sword Gate! To explain about White Sword Gate, it’s a sect with single-person succession! Each and every one was an exceptionally skilled master! My master, the 7th Sect Leader, was one of the ten great masters of Murim! I was the same!]

“Is that so?”

[I was the 8th Sect Leader of White Sword Gate! I too wandered Murim and built my reputation! It was a very fulfilling time.]

Baek-hwa spoke proudly. Kang Jun-hyeok observed such Baek-hwa.

“But you don’t seem to be alive.”

Baek-hwa’s body was translucent. His feet were also blurred and invisible, the typical appearance of a ghost.

Baek-hwa’s expression instantly became dejected.

[…That was the great problem. As the 8th Sect Leader, I had to find a successor. I traveled around Murim and searched for various talents, but… none were satisfactory. They all lacked the qualifications. I thought about just picking anyone randomly, but I absolutely couldn’t accept that. I searched for decades until my strength began to wane, but in the end, I couldn’t find one.]

“Didn’t you say White Sword Gate was a sect with single-person succession?”

[That’s right. If I couldn’t find a successor, the great lineage of White Sword Gate would be cut off. But I couldn’t compromise on that matter. As a result, I thought of one solution!]

Baek-hwa’s eyes lit up.

[Creating a massive tomb containing all the legacy of the sect! If a worthy challenger enters, I would make him the sect leader of White Sword Gate! Fortunately, I was able to create the tomb before I died!]

“Then you are…”

[The spirit of the 8th Sect Leader, Baek-hwa! I bound my soul to This Place to welcome challengers and guide them!]

“I see.”

Kang Jun-hyeok nodded as if he understood. He turned his head to look at one corner of the cave.

“Then is that corpse your appearance from when you were alive?”

There was a single corpse with only white bones remaining. Baek-hwa affirmed.

[It’s a remnant of the past. It has no meaning now, so don’t mind it.]

The background of the 9th Floor was simple.

A sect master of a single-successor sect that commonly existed in Murim had created a tomb for his sect beneath a cliff to find a successor.

Taking the sect’s test in that place.

That was exactly the purpose of the 9th Floor.

Kang Jun-hyeok asked something he had been curious about since his previous life.

“But why specifically beneath a cliff? If your purpose was as you said, wouldn’t it be better for people to find if you just made it on some secluded mountain?”

[Well… you know, there are those stories of fortuitous encounters beneath cliffs. I was thinking of something like that when I made it… but I think I made a mistake too. People just don’t come at all.]

Baek-hwa made a groaning sound. Kang Jun-hyeok let out a hollow laugh. The reason was simpler than he had thought. Baek-hwa glanced at Kang Jun-hyeok.

[So what are you thinking of doing? Are you thinking of challenging the position of White Sword Gate’s successor?]

There was a pleading emotion in Baek-hwa’s voice. It was natural. According to his words, there would be few who even found this place. He had no choice but to be desperate toward Kang Jun-hyeok.

“I have one question.”

[Hmm. Ask anything!]

“If I accept, what will I gain?”

[First, you’ll take a test! And if you pass that test, I’ll give you everything of White Sword Gate!]

When Kang Jun-hyeok showed interest, Baek-hwa spoke excitedly.

[The great White Sword Gate’s sword techniques and excellent mental cultivation methods. And I’ll even bestow upon you the elixir pills that White Sword Gate treasured!]

“Elixir pills?”

[That’s right! Very special elixir pills! They’re elixir pills containing White Sword Gate’s secret arts, and you can gain much internal energy! That’s not all! They have one very special characteristic!]

“What is that?”

[They allow even someone like you to gain internal power! Normally, you absolutely cannot gain internal energy unless you train mental cultivation methods from childhood. But if you use White Sword Gate’s elixir pills, you can accumulate internal energy from now on and become a master of Murim!]

Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes lit up.

That was exactly the real reward of the 9th Floor.

Currently, he only had three stats: strength, speed, and achievement.

But that didn’t mean those were all the stats.

In the process of climbing the Tower, he could acquire stats one by one and gradually increase them.

Mana, superpowers, nature affinity, divine power, demonic energy.

And internal energy.

Besides those, countless other stats existed. In his previous life, he had possessed over 30 stats.

Each one was powerful and special. If even one had been lacking, Kang Jun-hyeok wouldn’t have possessed such strength.

The 9th Floor was a floor where he could obtain internal energy, one of those stats.

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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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