100 Floors All Master - Chapter 52
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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 052
9th Floor. White Sword Gate (2)
Internal Energy.
The power to condense True Energy in the Dantian, circulate it through the body, and wield it.
Its applications are truly diverse. You can strengthen the body, imbue weapons with Internal Energy, leap through the air, or do anything you can imagine.
It was truly mystery itself.
It was one of the stats that had to be obtained. There were many ways to acquire Internal Energy later on, but the 9th Floor was the fastest way to get it. Baek-hwa’s eyes gleamed.
[How about it. Are you interested?]
“Yes. I’ll take the challenge.”
[Good! White Sword Gate does not refuse challengers!]
Baek-hwa shouted quickly as if he wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
[I don’t sense Internal Energy from you. But don’t worry! A test for those who are not Murim people has also been prepared!]
Having shouted that, Baek-hwa pointed with his finger toward a door deep inside the Cave.
The Chinese characters carved on that door were First Gate.
It meant the first door.
[We will test whether you are qualified to inherit the legacy of White Sword Gate. A total of ten trials await! Come!]
Rumble rumble rumble.
The First Gate opens. A dark space becomes visible.
[Unfortunately, since I am a spirit, I might become distorted if I enter the Formation. I’ll be waiting on the other side for you to pass through the First Gate!]
With a smile, Baek-hwa’s body disappeared. Kang Jun-hyeok stepped inside the First Gate.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
A strange sound echoed. It was the sound of the First Gate’s Formation activating. Kang Jun-hyeok relaxed all the muscles in his body.
‘This is where the real problem begins.’
The rewards of the 9th Floor were Mental Cultivation Method, Sword Technique, and Internal Energy.
It was a fantastical power that only appeared in novels.
How attractive was this? Even those who had been carefully climbing the Tower would risk their lives to challenge it with a glimmer of hope.
But among them, none had obtained Internal Energy.
‘No, that’s not quite right.’
Just one person.
There was someone who had reached the end of the 9th Floor and obtained Internal Energy. Kang Jun-hyeok thought as he moved forward.
The interior of the First Gate was an incline of about 45 degrees.
At the end of the slope was a small door. If he reached that place, he would be able to go to the next gate.
And naturally, there were obstacles.
However, they weren’t ordinary obstacles.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A thunderous sound echoes. The ground shakes. Kang Jun-hyeok mutters as if he’s dumbfounded.
“Damn thing’s huge.”
Literally house-sized.
A boulder filling the entire space was rolling down the slope at tremendous speed.
There was nowhere to hide. He would either be crushed flat like dried squid, or he had to block it. But blocking the mass of a house-sized boulder was impossible. Even a 9th Floor Player would be no different.
Kang Jun-hyeok raised his great sword to protect his body.
[Block.]
Kuuuuung!
The boulder collided with Kang Jun-hyeok’s body. Despite activating Block, his body was pushed back by the enormous mass.
But he wasn’t crushed.
The boulder’s speed slowed down slightly.
Kang Jun-hyeok quickly examined the boulder. Rock masses always have grain patterns. Using his Observation Skill’s effect, he quickly identified the grain and thrust his great sword into it.
[Thrust.]
Kagagak!
The sword tip embedded into the boulder. Cracks spread across the massive rock with a crackling sound.
[Sword Energy Wind Blade.]
Sword energy exploded, and the boulder burst apart.
Fragments scattered in all directions, shaking the entire space.
Even a 9th Floor Player couldn’t block the boulder, but Kang Jun-hyeok was different. He casually shook his head to dodge and headed to the next gate.
There, Baek-hwa was waiting for him.
[Oh! You passed magnificently! That’s the correct answer! The soft can overcome the hard, and the weak can overcome the strong! If you understand this principle, you can perfectly deflect a simple chunk of stone!]
That wasn’t it.
He had simply smashed it to pieces. Unaware of this fact, Baek-hwa smiled brightly and shouted.
[Then proceed to the next gate!]
Second Gate.
That place was a long passage. About two hundred meters in distance, and there didn’t seem to be any boulders like at the First Gate.
Instead, there was something else.
Pababababak!
Dozens of arrows flew at him simultaneously. As he moved to dodge them, more arrows came flying again.
Dodge the frantically flying arrows and reach the gate. That was the Second Gate’s test. Kang Jun-hyeok looked at the gate on the far side.
[Crack Movement.]
He folded space and moved. The arrows uselessly cut through empty air. As he exited the gate, Baek-hwa burst into admiration.
[Fast! The arrows’ trajectories are predetermined! If you understand them, you can pass through as if taking a leisurely stroll!]
That wasn’t it. He had simply crossed over using Crack Movement. It was a wave of arrows that even Players with System assistance couldn’t break through conventionally.
“I have one question.”
[What is it?]
“Have there been other challengers besides me?”
[Not too many, but not too few either. This is a cliff below a main road, so people occasionally fall down here. There were Murim warriors and ordinary merchants too.]
“What happened to all of them?”
[They died without passing the tests.]
Baek-hwa said this very lightly, as if it were nothing at all.
[It’s regrettable. But if they couldn’t even pass tests of this level, how could they obtain White Sword Gate’s legacy! Don’t you think so?]
“I see.”
Kang Jun-hyeok let out a bitter laugh. Even hearing it again, it was insane talk.
[Now then. Here’s the next gate! It’s been quite a while since a challenger entered the Third Gate!]
Baek-hwa disappeared with an excited expression.
The Third Gate’s test was simple.
Above an endless cliff, there was a bridge barely wide enough for one foot.
Storm-like winds raged around it, where even the slightest mistake would send you tumbling into the cliff.
[This is insane.]
Manbyeonggi, who had been quiet, let out a bitter laugh.
[Is that guy looking for some once-in-a-lifetime talent from Murim?]
“Do you know what this is?”
[The First Gate tested understanding of power flow, the Second Gate tested judgment and spatial control abilities, and the Third Gate tests balance of power. This is simple.]
Manbyeonggi spoke quietly.
[This is talent assessment.]
“Talent, huh.”
[Well, assessing talent itself is what every sect does when seeking successors. I understand wanting to see physical talent in someone without Internal Energy, but… this far exceeds normal standards.]
Each test was difficult enough that even Players climbing the Tower would struggle to pass. For ordinary humans, it went without saying.
[The standards are too high. Is he planning to find a Heavenly Martial Body?]
Manbyeonggi muttered as if incredulous.
The difficulty of the tests was high enough to perplex even Manbyeonggi.
However, this didn’t apply to Kang Jun-hyeok. He could simply overwhelm them with his crushing stats and Skills. He passed the Third Gate, then the Fourth Gate, and even the Fifth Gate.
His movements were extremely fast and swift. Manbyeonggi muttered with puzzlement.
[He moves as if he knows what the test contents are.]
Manbyeonggi’s guess was correct.
Kang Jun-hyeok knew the contents of all the tests on the 9th Floor. Kang Jun-hyeok smiled silently.
[Oh! Ohhhhh! This is the first challenger to make it this far!]
The more gates Kang Jun-hyeok passed, the more excited Baek-hwa became, and by the time he passed the Seventh Gate, his eyes were practically rolling back.
And next was the Eighth Gate.
In pitch-black darkness, avoid dozens of blades hanging from strings and colliding with each other to reach the gate.
Probably meant to dodge by sensing the killing intent of the blades through intuition.
He could have just ignored them and charged through. His stamina was more than sufficient. But Kang Jun-hyeok listened carefully.
The sound of blades colliding.
The wind created by their movement.
The sound of strings tangling.
He could hear it all. It was the effect of the Ears That Hear Many Things skill.
He collected and organized the information that came through. Using it, he avoided the blades and reached the gate.
[The proficiency of Ears That Hear Many Things has greatly increased.]
[Ohhhhh!]
Baek-hwa let out a scream-like sound.
[That’s right! If you sharpen your senses enough, you can read the blade’s killing intent!]
Baek-hwa looked at Kang Jun-hyeok with bloodshot eyes.
[You arrived here in truly an instant! Even without a single wound! You! You are truly outstanding! A genius I’ve never seen in my entire life!]
‘That’s not really it.’
He had simply broken through with overwhelming stats and skills. He hadn’t even dodged perfectly. He simply hadn’t been injured thanks to the System’s protection.
But Baek-hwa had an expression of absolute belief. It was a face that truly thought an ordinary human could pass through with pure talent alone.
[Then it’s the Ninth Gate! Come! Come! Hurry along!]
Kang Jun-hyeok stepped into the Ninth Gate.
That place was a space the size of a small room.
Countless blade marks were carved into its walls.
Chaotically carved marks. They seemed to have no meaning. At least Kang Jun-hyeok couldn’t find any meaning in them.
[Oh ho. This is quite useful.]
But Manbyeonggi muttered as if finding it interesting.
“Can you tell what it is?”
[These are sword strike trajectories. The marks carved into the wall are close to one complete sword technique. It seems you’re supposed to figure that out and open the door.]
“You can see such things?”
[Where would there be any reason I couldn’t read it.]
Manbyeonggi spoke as if it wasn’t particularly difficult.
The trajectories carved into the walls of the Ninth Gate.
Manbyeonggi wasn’t the only one who found meaning there.
In his previous life, there had been one Player who reached the Ninth Gate.
He too had seen meaning in the trajectories like Manbyeonggi. After staring at the wall for a moment, Kang Jun-hyeok spoke.
“Internal Energy, martial arts – they require talent, don’t they?”
[You’re stating the obvious. Martial arts were originally techniques for those with talent.]
Manbyeonggi spoke quietly.
[The dull-witted cannot reach third-rate even after a lifetime of training, and ordinary people cannot surpass second-rate even after a lifetime of training. Even those renowned as geniuses cannot be sure if they can overcome the wall of first-rate. That is martial arts.]
Training in martial arts required talent that was almost violent in nature. For those without talent, the path was never open to begin with.
[That guy demands excessive talent, but it’s not impossible.]
“If you were an ordinary human, could you pass this test?”
[You’re asking the obvious.]
Manbyeonggi spoke indifferently, as if the question itself was meaningless. Kang Jun-hyeok nodded.
“I suppose so.”
9th Floor.
A floor that demanded violent talent.
No one had been able to clear it.
Except for one person.
He wasn’t from Murim. He was a man who barely scraped by as a Shop Assistant, receiving small change.
But with the Tower’s appearance, the man’s life changed.
With his pure, unique talent, he had achieved a Perfect Clear of the 9th Floor.
At the end of that journey, his talent blossomed, and he was called the Greatest Martial Artist.
Setting aside his personality, his talent was real.
The 9th Floor was close to being a floor designed for such players.
Kang Jun-hyeok stared intently at the marks.
The sword trajectories that Manbyeonggi, the Greatest Martial Artist from his previous life, had grasped the meaning of.
“Hmm.”
‘I still don’t understand.’
He had no talent for martial arts.
Not just martial arts, but anything else as well. He could reach a certain level in everything, but that was exactly where it ended.
He was not a genius.
If he had been born in Murim, even if he trained in martial arts his entire life, he would never have escaped the realm of second-rate. He would have lived as an ordinary warrior and died ordinarily.
That was the limit he possessed.
But it didn’t matter. He was not a Murim person, but a Player of the Tower.
He didn’t care about talent for martial arts or reading sword strikes or whatever. The only important thing was how to clear and how to obtain rewards.
Kang Jun-hyeok opened his inventory. He took out the key and inserted it into the door.
[Near-Universal Key used.]
Kuguuuuuung!
The door that could not be opened without understanding the sword technique was forcibly opened.
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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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