100 Floors All Master - Chapter 74

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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 074

 

Floor 14. Great Ocean (2)

 

“…A human?”

 

“Th-that’s a human. I’m seeing one for the first time.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“How did a human come down this far?”

 

The mermaids murmur while looking at Kang Jun-hyeok. Confusion and bewilderment are visible.

 

“Ahem.”

 

Then one mermaid clears their throat and steps forward. The other mermaids hastily move aside.

 

“I am the Village Chief of this village. I ask as a representative. Are you human?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

“How did you come to this place? Did you use Down Fall?”

 

Down Fall.

 

That must be the orthodox method of reaching Mermaid Village. Kang Jun-hyeok shook his head. The Village Chief let out a groan.

 

“…How strange. How did you reach this deep part of the sea?”

 

“I enjoy traveling. I arrived here while exploring the deep parts of the sea.”

 

Kang Jun-hyeok brings his legs together and places both hands on his chest. Maintaining his posture, he politely bows only his upper body.

 

“If it wouldn’t be rude, could you treat me as a guest visiting the village?”

 

That was the etiquette humans should follow when dealing with mermaids. Manbyeonggi lets out a chuckle.

 

[Where did you learn mermaid etiquette from?]

 

The Village Chief’s face softens slightly at the perfect etiquette.

 

“Hmm….”

 

The Village Chief makes a troubled expression, then slowly opens his mouth.

 

“Very well. Since you are a guest, I won’t refuse… but if you move carelessly or cause any incidents, I’ll immediately drive you out. Be careful.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Kang Jun-hyeok smiled slightly. Hearing the Village Chief’s words, the mermaids slowly lowered their weapons.

 

Kang Jun-hyeok entered Mermaid Village under their watchful eyes.

 

Mermaid Village was composed of massive coral reefs and several caves. From inside the caves, what appeared to be young mermaids kept glancing at Kang Jun-hyeok.

 

Kang Jun-hyeok politely greeted them.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Ah, hello….”

 

The mermaids responded in surprise and hurriedly hid themselves. Though the Village Chief had accepted him as a guest, the atmosphere was far from welcoming.

 

From their attitude, Kang Jun-hyeok immediately realized something was strange.

 

He had encountered many mermaids in his previous life. He knew well about their ecology.

 

First of all, mermaids never went hungry.

 

Basically, the sea was a treasure trove of life. Countless fish and shellfish lived there.

 

Mermaids could move faster than any fish, and even young mermaids who had been born only a few years ago could easily secure their meals without difficulty.

 

But this place was not like that.

 

The mermaids were noticeably emaciated. No matter how he looked at them, they didn’t appear to be getting proper meals. Not only that, but their houses and caves hadn’t been properly maintained for some time, with water stains covering them.

 

And one more thing.

 

They were extremely wary.

 

Since mermaids lived in the closed spaces of the sea, they often welcomed outside guests.

 

He too had received excessive hospitality every time he visited Mermaid Villages in his previous life.

 

But these mermaids weren’t welcoming Kang Jun-hyeok at all. They simply weren’t driving him away because he was a courteous guest, but they were clearly rejecting him.

 

‘This is troublesome.’

 

To gather information, he needed to build trust. But conversation itself wasn’t being established.

 

Still, it didn’t matter. Where there are a hundred people, there are a hundred different thoughts.

 

Kang Jun-hyeok moved his body.

 

* * *

 

The place he headed to was the Village Outskirts.

 

It was a place where the mermaids didn’t stay.

 

He sat there and waited quietly.

 

And after quite some time had passed, he sensed a presence. A mermaid who appeared to be a child was hiding behind a Coral Reef, stealing glances at Kang Jun-hyeok.

 

Kang Jun-hyeok looked at the mermaid and spoke softly.

 

“Hello?”

 

The mermaid who received the greeting was startled and hid their body. But they hesitated and then looked at him again. Those eyes contained wariness, but at the same time, they held curiosity that couldn’t be hidden.

 

Children are beings full of curiosity, after all.

 

Kang Jun-hyeok smiled warmly and opened his Inventory.

 

“Are you hungry? Would you like to eat this?”

 

He took out a piece of Dried Squid from his Inventory. He had stored all kinds of fresh foods just in case. The child’s eyes widened upon seeing the squid, and they began to approach slowly.

 

“Um… can I really eat it?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Once permission was given, the child, who seemed quite hungry, began eating the squid hastily. After chewing thoroughly even down to one tentacle, the child exclaimed in wonder.

 

“What an amazing taste! Is this really squid?”

 

“It’s Dried Squid.”

 

“Dr-dried?”

 

“All the moisture has been removed. It’s impossible here in the Sea, but it’s possible on the Ground.”

 

“Wow… Um, I have something I’m curious about, can I ask?”

 

“Of course. Ask me anything.”

 

Kang Jun-hyeok spoke warmly. Like a good-natured Traveler, like a wandering minstrel visiting a rural Village.

 

The child excitedly asked about this and that, and Kang Jun-hyeok answered each question. The child’s eyes sparkled as they listened to the stories.

 

“So that’s what the Ground is like… It’s really fascinating.”

 

“Many concepts are different from underwater.”

 

“I want to go up to the Ground when I become an adult too. I’ve been waiting only for that time, but… I don’t know what’s happening.”

 

The child’s expression suddenly darkened. Kang Jun-hyeok asked subtly.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“…Uh.”

 

The Lost Child hesitated. He fidgeted as if caught revealing a secret he shouldn’t have told. Instead of pressing him, Kang Jun-hyeok spoke gently.

 

“I am a Traveler. I travel to various places and have seen many different problems. Perhaps I can help with the problem here as well?”

 

“Uh, umm…”

 

After pondering for a long while, the Lost Child seemed to make a decision and whispered cautiously.

 

“Well… the adults sternly warned us not to go outside the Village. They said our lives couldn’t be guaranteed if we went out. Even the adults gather in groups and carry weapons whenever they go out.”

 

Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes gleamed. He asked.

 

“Do you know the reason?”

 

“I don’t know the details either. The adults won’t tell us.”

 

“How long has this been going on?”

 

“About one or two months? I think. Since then, we haven’t been able to get Food Supplies properly, so it’s driving me crazy. I’m hungry…”

 

The Lost Child whined. Kang Jun-hyeok thought quietly.

 

There was some kind of problem.

 

Because of it, they seemed unable to properly solve their meal situation.

 

If that was the case, the story became simple. Kang Jun-hyeok looked at the Lost Child.

 

“Child. What’s your name?”

 

“It’s Raman.”

 

“I see. Raman. Could you perhaps lend me your Mermaid’s Orb for a moment?”

 

The water pressure of the Deep Sea wasn’t easy for even mermaids to endure. That’s why they each carried a special orb made through mermaid magic. With it, they could move freely underwater as if on Ground without any stamina consumption.

 

At Kang Jun-hyeok’s words, Raman hesitated.

 

“Uh. Um… that’s.”

 

“It’s just borrowing it for a moment. Of course, it’s not for free. If you lend it to me briefly, I’ll give you this.”

 

To the hesitating Raman, Kang Jun-hyeok took out a small Ruby from his Inventory and handed it over. Raman’s eyes instantly lit up.

 

“Wow, woah! It’s beautiful!”

 

The Gems that could be found in the Sea were limited to pearls and such stones at best. Since it was underwater, processing was difficult, so Gems processed with Ground technology held extremely high value for mermaids.

 

Indeed, Raman’s eyes went wide.

 

“Can, can I really have this?”

 

“Of course. You just need to lend me your Mermaid’s Orb for a moment.”

 

“Of course! Here it is!”

 

Raman smiled brightly and handed over a small orb. Kang Jun-hyeok grinned and stood up.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Uh. Are you leaving?”

 

“I’ll go out for a moment and come back.”

 

Kang Jun-hyeok left the Mermaid Village. Thanks to the orb, he could now move around without any problems with water pressure or breathing.

 

The first objective of the Quest.

 

Arriving at the Mermaid Village had been accomplished.

 

The next thing to do was build trust with the Village.

 

“This is my specialty.”

 

Muttering, Kang Jun-hyeok took out his Spear. He tied Thread around the spear tip and took his stance.

 

[Spear Throwing.]

 

* * *

 

“Hmm….”

 

The Village Chief of the mermaid village was groaning with a troubled expression on his face.

 

The situation was already bad enough, and now some mysterious human had suddenly appeared.

 

‘…Is he just a simple guest, or is this part of that thing’s scheme.’

 

Unable to make an easy judgment, his mind was incredibly complicated. While he continued his endless worrying, a mermaid urgently came looking for him.

 

“Village Chief!”

 

‘What’s the matter.’

 

“This child approached that human and gave him a Mermaid’s Orb!”

 

“What?”

 

The Village Chief’s eyes widened. Raman was crying and sniffling in the other mermaid’s hands.

 

“I, I did something wrong….”

 

“Raman. What did you do!”

 

“It, it’s nothing big! I just talked with that person and lent him the orb!”

 

“…You gave him the orb?”

 

The Village Chief frowned after hearing the urgent explanation. The Mermaid’s Orb was a special artifact passed down only among mermaids. It should never be given to other races.

 

“You must be too young to understand its value. I’ll punish you severely later.”

 

“Eek!”

 

“Where is that human now?”

 

“He disappeared.”

 

“Was the Mermaid’s Orb his objective?”

 

“That’s what we think… Should we pursue him?”

 

“…We should pursue him, but.”

 

Unfortunately, their current situation wasn’t good. They could barely secure proper food supplies, yet now they had to send soldiers to chase after a human who had fled to who knows where. It wasn’t an easy task.

 

While the Village Chief was lost in thought, a commotion could be heard from outside. The sound of something massive being dragged echoed.

 

Kugugugugung!

 

“What is that!”

 

The Village Chief who hurriedly went outside had his eyes widen in shock.

 

“…Huh, huh?”

 

“I am a Traveler. But at the same time, I am also a pilgrim. I couldn’t just leave those in trouble alone.”

 

Kang Jun-hyeok, who had returned, wore an extremely gentle, saint-like smile.

 

“After talking with Raman, I could see you were troubled by food shortages. I don’t know exactly what the problem is, but for now, I can solve the food supply issue for you.”

 

Kuuung!

 

The ocean floor trembled.

 

Kang Jun-hyeok hadn’t returned alone.

 

He had come dragging a Giant Squid impaled on his spear.

 

A Giant Squid so massive it could cover half the village. It was large enough to feed all the mermaids in the village for several days and still have leftovers. The mermaids’ mouths hung wide open.

 

“He, he dragged that thing here by himself?”

 

“Even if dozens of people worked together, it seems like they wouldn’t be able to move it….”

 

“I have traveled to countless places and possess the power to solve problems.”

 

Kang Jun-hyeok spoke calmly.

 

“If any of you have concerns or problems, please feel free to tell me without hesitation. I will solve them for you.”

 

For the mermaids’ sake as well.

 

And for his Quest as well.

 

Kang Jun-hyeok smiled slightly. Manbyeonggi let out a quiet chuckle.

 

[What a cunning fellow.]

 

[The proficiency of your Acting Skill has increased.]

 

[The proficiency of your Persuasion Skill has increased.]

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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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