1st Floor: Myriad Arsenal (2)
A deep, weighty voice that sounded like it belonged to a man between thirty and forty.
The voice was undoubtedly coming from the glove.
[What is this? Why have I awakened? I was certainly placed somewhere no one could reach?]
The voice was filled with bewilderment. It carried the emotions of someone who had experienced the impossible.
“An ego weapon?”
Kang Junhyeok muttered. Like the Holy Sword, the glove was a piece of equipment with an ego of its own. Only then did the glove notice Kang Junhyeok’s presence.
[Who are you?]
“A player.”
[Obviously, you are a player if you entered the Tower. That is not what I am asking.]
The glove muttered in bewilderment.
[How did you reach me? I should certainly have been somewhere no one on the 1st Floor could reach.]
“I walked.”
[That is not what I asked.......]
The glove abruptly fell silent. Then shock filled his gaping mouth.
[You bastard, did you really cross the swamp of lava?]
“Was there another way?”
[There is no other way, admittedly.]
“So that really was the only way. What a relief.”
Would that not have felt unfair if he had suffered for nothing when an easier path existed?
Of course, he had gained skills from it, so it had not been a loss, but he still would have had mixed feelings. The glove realized from Kang Junhyeok’s muttering that his suspicion was correct.
[A madman, then. No sane man would walk across lava, especially without knowing what lay on the other side.]
“That hurts when you put it like that.”
Kang Junhyeok lifted the glove.
“So, are you the reward for reaching this place?”
[Hmm.]
The glove belatedly recovered from his shock and regained his composure.
[I never imagined this would happen, so I was not prepared, but you are correct.]
The glove cleared its voice as though trying to set the mood.
[Congratulations, nameless player. You have splendidly uncovered a secret of the Tower and reached this sovereign. However, you must possess the proper qualifications to obtain me.]
“This sovereign?”
It was an exceptionally arrogant title for the glove to call himself. Still, that much was understandable for a Unique item.
An item that required the fulfillment of certain conditions to obtain. Kang Junhyeok had encountered countless such items in the past. He asked.
“What are the qualifications?”
[It is connected to this sovereign’s name.]
Myriad Arsenal [Ten Thousand Weapons].
Ten thousand weapons.
Kang Junhyeok frowned as realization dawned.
“Do not tell me.”
[Quick on the uptake, I see. Correct. The qualification to obtain this sovereign is simple. You must be able to wield ten thousand weapons. That is the qualification.]
[Hidden Quest: Prove Your Worth.]
[Condition: Be capable of wielding 10,000 weapons.]
[Success: Obtain Myriad Arsenal.]
[Failure: You will be expelled from Myriad Arsenal’s domain.]
“What?”
Kang Junhyeok let out a hollow laugh.
Blades, axes, spears, daggers, swords, bows, and so on.
He had to know how to wield ten thousand weapons that existed in this world to obtain Myriad Arsenal.
It was an absurd condition. Ordinarily, anyone who wielded weapons focused on a single one. Even those said to wield many weapons generally reached their limit at around ten.
Yet the condition for obtaining it was the ability to wield ten thousand weapons. Of course, different varieties such as shortbows, longbows, and greatbows would all count, but even then, it was impossible.
[If you wish to obtain Myriad Arsenal, it stands to reason that you should be able to wield ten thousand weapons. If you cannot, you are unqualified to obtain this sovereign. How unfortunate.]
His tone was exceedingly casual. Kang Junhyeok realized something.
“You never intended to let anyone wield you in the first place.”
[Going through futile trouble is tiresome.]
Myriad Arsenal’s voice sank endlessly as he spoke.
[You will fail anyway. I have no desire to be toyed with by a meaningless farce. I intend to sleep quietly until everything ends.]
Why was the glove located somewhere on the 1st Floor that no one could reach?
Because the glove itself had no intention of lending its power to anyone.
Even if someone miraculously reached him, he would send them back by giving them an impossible quest. In that way, Myriad Arsenal intended to remain in the Tower until the universe perished.
In fact, that plan had succeeded. No one had discovered Myriad Arsenal in Kang Junhyeok’s previous life. Kang Junhyeok clicked his tongue.
“So you’ve given up?”
[You know nothing of what lies beyond this point.]
Myriad Arsenal spoke calmly.
[You know nothing of what awaits at the end or what the master of the universe is. I know you must be exceptional to have reached this sovereign...... but that is all. You cannot change the course of events.]
Conviction filled Myriad Arsenal’s words. They were words only someone who had reached the end could utter.
And for that very reason, Kang Junhyeok, who had also reached the end, sneered.
“I know nothing?”
[You may believe you know, if you wish. It has nothing to do with this sovereign. I pity you for your wasted effort, but you must have gained skills on your way here. Consider those your reward.]
“No.”
Kang Junhyeok shook his head. He had no intention of returning after gaining only a few skills. He began putting on Myriad Arsenal. Myriad Arsenal scoffed.
[Do you intend to force the matter? It is impossible. Unless you truly can wield ten thousand weapons, the quest will end in failure. Return quietly.......]
[Condition fulfilled. Hidden Quest completed.]
[You have proven your qualifications.]
The quest was complete. Wearing Myriad Arsenal, Kang Junhyeok smiled with satisfaction.
“It fits well. It feels like I’m not wearing anything.”
[Uh, uh, uh?]
Myriad Arsenal cried out in stupefaction.
***
Myriad Arsenal was stupefied.
Even he—the great and mighty being who had once reached the end of all things—could not understand what had happened.
[Why is this sovereign on your hand?]
“Because I fulfilled the condition.”
Kang Junhyeok replied calmly, as if wondering what sort of question that was. After dozens of seconds of silence, Myriad Arsenal finally managed to speak.
[You can wield ten thousand weapons?]
Spears, blades, axes, hwando, kukris, daggers, bows, crossbows, greatbows, and more.
He knew how to wield all those countless weapons?
It was impossible to believe. Yet Myriad Arsenal was undeniably fitted around Kang Junhyeok’s hand without any issue. That meant it was true.
[No. No. This.]
Even with the result before him, Myriad Arsenal stammered as if he simply could not accept it. Kang Junhyeok paid him no mind and secured the glove.
“I don’t care what you saw at the end or what you think of me.”
All that mattered was that he had obtained Myriad Arsenal.
“I crossed the lava and reached you. I also passed the quest you gave me perfectly. Therefore, I am your master.”
[.......]
Myriad Arsenal could not find anything to say. Kang Junhyeok ignored him and searched the surrounding area more thoroughly. No matter how carefully he looked, he found nothing else.
“Is this it?”
The missing 99.9% of the Completion Rate had referred to Myriad Arsenal. Considering that he was Unique Grade, it made sense, so Kang Junhyeok left the hole.
SPLASH.
He stepped into the lava again. Flames flared and pain crashed over him, but it was noticeably weaker than before. At worst, it felt like an ordinary burn. The pain was terrible, but not unbearable.
After crossing the lava, Kang Junhyeok climbed onto a platform. He headed for the exit. Myriad Arsenal remained silent throughout, apparently still unable to recover from his shock.
Step.
He crossed the platforms and reached the exit. There was no reason to hesitate any longer. Kang Junhyeok stepped through.
‘Now, then.’
What would happen? Anticipation and anxiety mingled within him. Soon, a System Window appeared with the answer.
[1st Floor Quest cleared.]
[Your rewards will be determined by your performance.]
[Checking Completion Rate......]
[Check complete.]
[Completion Rate: 100%]
[Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be issued.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[Health + 100]
[Speed + 3]
[You have obtained Weapon: 1st Floor Sword.]
[You have obtained Stat: Achievement.]
[1,321 Gold has been issued.]
[You have obtained the Perfect Clear reward [Title: Perfect Player].]
[You have obtained the Perfect Clear reward [Weapon: Myriad Arsenal].]
“Ha.”
The sound escaped him unbidden. It was an astounding amount of Gold. On top of that, he had received a title he had never seen in his previous life as a Perfect Clear reward. And that was not all.
[Players who achieved a Perfect Clear of the 1st Floor: 1.]
[You are the only one!]
[Universal Notice.]
[Offer your congratulations! Everyone in the universe! The 1st Floor’s Perfect Player has appeared. This is an achievement no one has ever accomplished before!]
Achieving a Perfect Clear on a given floor broadcast a notice across the entire universe. Kang Junhyeok already knew that, so it did not surprise him. What mattered came afterward.
[Lofty achievement accomplished.]
[The Winners have become aware of your existence.]
[The Losers have become aware of your existence.]
Kang Junhyeok’s gaze sank as he looked at the System Windows.
The Winners and the Losers.
Aside from the master of the universe, they were the beings currently capable of exerting and wielding the greatest influence in the universe.
They had begun to notice Kang Junhyeok’s existence.
“Those tiresome things.”
Kang Junhyeok muttered under his breath.
[Returning.]
Kang Junhyeok’s body returned from the Tower to Earth. Arriving in his familiar studio apartment, he sat leisurely on the bed.
***
Kang Junhyeok wore an immensely satisfied expression after returning.
Naturally. The average Completion Rate for the 1st Floor was 0.1%. Myriad Arsenal was more than enough to fill the remaining 99.9%. He had known that.
But it had only been a hypothesis, not something he could be certain of. Now that he had confirmed his prediction was correct, he could not help feeling pleased.
“Phew.”
Kang Junhyeok exhaled briefly to calm his excitement, then checked his rewards.
[Kang Junhyeok]
[Level: 8]
[Health: 260]
[Strength: 15]
[Speed: 18]
[Achievement: 11]
[Attack + ?]
[Defense + 0]
“What is this?”
A disbelieving laugh escaped him. His level and stats were astounding. In his previous life, he had only reached these values after passing the 10th Floor.
The 1st Floor was a noncombat floor where players crossed the swamp of lava by stepping on platforms. His Level ordinarily should not have risen, but his 100% Completion Rate had forcibly raised it as a reward.
That alone would have been satisfying enough, yet he had also obtained a new stat.
The stats provided by default were Strength and Speed. Only those two.
But those were not the only stats in existence.
Inner Power, Mana, Psychic Power, Affinity with Nature, and more.
All kinds of stats existed.
They could be obtained while climbing the Tower, and Kang Junhyeok had possessed more than thirty different stats in his previous life.
The Achievement stat he had just obtained was one of them.
It was a highly unusual stat gained by accomplishing a great feat that others could not attain.
‘To think I would obtain this already.’
In his previous life, Kang Junhyeok had not obtained the Achievement stat until around the 30th Floor. Given that its acquisition condition was to accomplish a feat beyond anyone else’s reach, it had been exceptionally difficult to obtain.
It offered no help in combat whatsoever. However, certain systems could only be unlocked by possessing the Achievement stat. Having it or not made an enormous difference.
And then there was the Gold.
[Current Gold: 2,533.]
He had only just cleared the 1st Floor, yet he already possessed more than 2,500 Gold.
‘This should be enough to get an Active Skill before entering the 2nd Floor.’
He felt exceedingly pleased.
Everything up to this point consisted of rewards he had also obtained in his previous life. They were as satisfying as he had expected.
But that was not all. This time, he had obtained something even his past self had not.
A title.
Kang Junhyeok opened his Title Window.
[Title: Perfect Player.]
[The beginning of the Tower. A title granted to one who has perfectly cleared the 1st Floor.]
[Current Effect: All stats + 1]
[The title’s effect increases with the number of Floors on which you achieve a Perfect Clear.]
“What?”
Kang Junhyeok’s eyes widened. For a moment, he doubted his eyes and closed them before looking again, but the words remained unchanged.
The title’s effect increased with the number of Floors on which he achieved a Perfect Clear.
It was a growth-type title.
Kang Junhyeok was astonished. In theory, the title could grow almost a hundred times. Yet even its base effect granted +1 to all stats. It was excellent.
‘No wonder each of my stats was one point higher.’
Since it affected every stat, its efficiency would increase exponentially as the number of his stats grew.
He also understood why he had never obtained the title in his previous life. Its acquisition condition was a Perfect Clear of the 1st Floor. Of course no one had ever obtained it.
It was a title only he, having returned to the past, could obtain.
“What a ridiculous condition. They must be insane. Now I have even more reason to obsess over Perfect Clears.”
Kang Junhyeok muttered happily and lightly clapped his hands.
“So, have you come to your senses now?”
[More or less.]
Myriad Arsenal responded to Kang Junhyeok. Having apparently recovered from the shock at last, he spoke in a drained voice.
[Deny it as I might, I cannot undo what has already happened. I am displeased to have been placed in the hands of a mere child...... but I am not foolish enough to refuse at this point. I have no choice but to accept it.]
Myriad Arsenal, now somewhat calmer, checked Kang Junhyeok’s status and groaned.
[Wait. What is this? Your stats are strange, bastard.]
“You can see my stats too?”
[We are attuned now. You have only cleared the 1st Floor, yet you are already Level 8 with 18 Speed?]
As he continued examining Kang Junhyeok’s status, Myriad Arsenal could not hide his astonishment.
[Three skills. Fire Resistance and Pain Resistance. Dagger Arts as well. Did you kill the mantises on the 0th Floor? And you have 2,500 Gold?]
Suspicion filled Myriad Arsenal’s voice.
[Did you use some dark art? No. The Tower could not have been designed so carelessly. You truly obtained all of this through your own ability? What are you?]
Myriad Arsenal let out a hollow laugh.
[You surpass my expectations. You might even avoid dying halfway up the Tower. You should be enough to pass the time.]
There was no expectation for Kang Junhyeok in Myriad Arsenal’s voice. He apparently still did not believe the outcome could be changed.
Kang Junhyeok paid it no mind. Time would naturally prove it to him anyway.
[At any rate, I look forward to our association for the time being, Kang Junhyeok.]
“Right. What should I call you?”
[Call me Myriad Arsenal. That is this sovereign’s current name.]
“I look forward to working with you, Myriad Arsenal. So, what are your abilities?”
Kang Junhyeok asked the most important question. He had gotten a rough idea from the equipment’s description, but hearing it directly from Myriad Arsenal was very different. Myriad Arsenal began to explain.
[It is as the name suggests. This sovereign can store ten thousand weapons. I am, at most, something akin to an equipment-type inventory.]
Kang Junhyeok chuckled softly at that. Hearing someone speak about an inventory in the archaic manner of a martial artist was oddly amusing.
[Why are you laughing?]
“Nothing. It’s nothing. Anything else?”
[Hmm. If I had to name one other ability, it would be the freedom to switch weapons during combat.]
Myriad Arsenal spoke as though it were nothing special and held little significance.
But Kang Junhyeok took it very differently.
“......That’s impressive.”
Switching equipment during combat was impossible.
If someone took out a bow to deal with a distant monster, they could not simply draw a sword when a hidden monster suddenly ambushed them.
That applied not only to Kang Junhyeok, but to every player. It was a restriction built into the System itself. Even if they obtained excellent weapons, it was difficult to use each one as the situation demanded.
Every player had grumbled about why the master of the Tower had created such a restriction. But because that was how the System worked, they had been forced to adapt.
With Myriad Arsenal, however, that problem was perfectly solved. He was a piece of equipment that allowed different weapons to be wielded as the situation required, making him increasingly valuable as time passed.
Satisfied, Kang Junhyeok took out the 1st Floor’s standard reward.
[1st Floor-Issued Sword]
[Slot: Weapon]
[Grade : Lowest]
[Attack + 10]
[A sword issued to those who clear the 1st Floor.]
It was exactly the weapon described. Ordinarily, players who cleared the 1st Floor received only this sword and a small amount of Gold. Kang Junhyeok slipped the sword into Myriad Arsenal with practiced ease.
“I should be able to make good use of you.”
Myriad Arsenal was bewildered by Kang Junhyeok’s reaction.
[What are you?]
Myriad Arsenal himself had said his ability was nothing special, but it was, in fact, extraordinary.
However, a novice had no way of recognizing that.
Only an experienced player who understood the restriction against switching weapons during combat and just how significant it was could appreciate that value.
Yet Kang Junhyeok, who had only just cleared the 1st Floor, had already grasped his true value.
[How peculiar. You bastard. Are you truly a player who has only just entered the Tower?]
Myriad Arsenal asked suspiciously.