Ascension Through Skills

“Hmm.”

Taesan gazed thoughtfully at the system window.

This was the first time he had seen such a description. Not only him but Normal and Hard Mode players had also never seen such information.

Only Lee Taeyeon had claimed to see this benefit window before.

[Oh. Are you receiving this already? I got it after going down quite a bit.]

The ghost muttered. It seemed to be a benefit received upon surpassing a certain level of growth.

“What should I choose?”

Taesan murmured. Six options. All were attractive.

“What did you choose?”

[Me? I chose equipment. They give quite good equipment. It's not to the level of the weapon I gave or the ring you have, but it's equipment you would only get after going down another 10 floors from where you are.]

That certainly was good equipment. For the average player, choosing equipment might have been the right choice.

“If it’s of a similar tier, a potion for proficiency should also raise about 3 or 4%.”

That also had its merits. Currently, Taesan has skills that are just shy of 100% proficiency. He could reach 100% just by using them.

But neither was especially necessary.

Proficiency would increase eventually as he descended the labyrinth. It might be frustratingly slow, but he wouldn’t fail to get it.

Of course, if there was an immediately necessary skill, it might be different, but there wasn’t any such skill, so the priority was relatively low.

Equipment was the same. There was no reason to change equipment since he could go down with his existing gear to the 30th floor without any problem.

Stats were the same as well. They weren’t worth giving up other rewards.

Overall knowledge about the labyrinth also wasn’t very attractive. He had the experiences from his previous life, and he remembered what Lee Taeyeon had blabbered about. Having the ghost with him, he could know roughly all the information.

So, the choices narrowed down to the last two.

“Truth and information.”

Truth could be related to gods, magicians, monsters, and NPCs. Knowing about them would be of no harm to Taesan, who would be clashing with them a lot.

Information was also not bad. There are conditions and restrictions, but knowing what he wanted to know had its merits.

Taesan, after contemplating, made a decision.

“The sixth one.”

He also wanted to know about the truth, but it wasn’t so necessary. Moreover, having been involved a lot with gods, he had a high chance of getting to know them eventually.

As Taesan made a decision, the floor of the labyrinth rose. Bricks assembled to form the shape of a gigantic apparatus.

[I am the servant of the great magician, the observer of all things. Balbabamba.]

The apparatus opened its brick eyes.

[O traveler of the magician's labyrinth, what do you wish to know, having called me?] [What. So, this guy answers?]

The ghost muttered in a surprised tone, seeming to know about the entity referred to as Balbabamba.

“Who is it?”

[He serves as a kind of guide, giving basic strategies. When you go down to the deep stratum, he occasionally appears and provides guidance or information about the labyrinth. Adventurers believed he knew the entire labyrinth as he answered all questions and provided solutions to all problems.]

Everything.

The meaning contained within that word was not small. The ghost seemed to guess Taesan’s thoughts.

[There were a few who tried to subdue him, but they vanished without leaving a trace. After that, no one touched him.] [I am the servant of the magician. This place is a labyrinth created by the magician. Absolute laws are in my hands.]

Balbabamba spoke calmly.

[The same goes for knowledge. Ask. I am the one who knows the labyrinth. I will give you the answer.]

“About the acquisition conditions for skills.”

Taesan had learned several skills. Among them were skills that were, in reality, impossible to learn, bordering on irrational. Seeing the ghost’s reaction, it appeared these were skills unknown even to adventurers who had ventured deep.

So, Taesan became curious.

“Are the skills directly designed by the magician, or are they created to match conditions?”

Did he learn already existing skills?

Or did Taesan gain the skills by achieving something?

It was a question of what came first, the chicken or the egg.

[I have received the question.]

The bricks that formed Balbabamba clashed loudly against each other. They aligned like assembling a puzzle, and the clashing stopped. Balbabamba opened his eyes.

[I … understand the reason for the question.]

The eyes, made of bricks, were radiating a strange energy.

[So such utilization was possible. When he created it, he was ridiculed for wasting energy on meaningless actions, but it was a premature judgment. Never thought I would see the result right before my eyes.]

“So, what is it?”

[I will answer. Skills are not pre-made. They are created according to the achievements accomplished.]

“I thought so.”

[Humans, spirits, demons, and many other races. When they accomplish irrational achievements or perform repetitive actions, skills are born. Once a skill is created, it becomes standardized, allowing others to learn it too. That's the skill of the labyrinth, the grace of the magician.]

Assuming that all skills were anticipated and pre-made was hard. They kept being created; that was the mechanism of skill generation.

Depending on what Taesan did, he could gain countless skills he didn’t get in his previous life.

Taesan smiled.

He had contemplated various things in his previous life, but there were experiments he couldn’t perform due to the lack of time, space, and other conditions. Now, it was worth trying all those conditions.

Balbabamba sent a strange gaze to the rejoicing Taesan.

[Was this the intended design? Interesting. Is your curiosity satisfied?]

Taesan nodded. Balbabamba continued speaking.

[Then there's a condition.]

There were conditions and restrictions for providing information. It had already been explained.

[Do not tell the information you learned to anyone. If the information leaks, I will come to kill you.]

“Okay.”

Taesan affirmed calmly. It was information he didn’t need to share, and he had no intention to.

“Is the ghost okay?”

[He is already a dead entity bound to the labyrinth. He isn't bound by the restrictions. But if he tries to speak, I will move.] [Is that a threat? Don't worry, I don't intend to either.] [Then it's settled. I have answered the question. I will now descend.]

Crushing.

The bricks crumbled down. They began assembling again on the floor, and after a moment, they formed the gleaming floor of the labyrinth again.

“The magician.”

The magician who created the labyrinth. The ghost didn’t know about him either. Seeing Lee Taeyeon didn’t say much either. It seemed safe to assume she didn’t access the truth either.

“I am curious.”

It wasn’t something he could know immediately.

He planned to find out gradually.

It’s settled. It was time to check the reward for clearing the 23rd floor.

[Snake Skin Belt] [Strength +10] [Defense +15] [A belt made from an unidentified snake that can crush trees.]

It had high defense and even added strength. It was not a bad piece of equipment.

[??? used.] [Acquired the gauntlet used by the deity.] [The deity's used gauntlet] [Attack +30] [The gauntlet favored by the deity before he was known as a deity. His abilities and growth are imbued within it.]

It had high attack power. The powerful gauntlet he was currently wearing had the effect of giving five times the attack damage, but it had a limitation of being used only once a month.

Considering this, it was worth the swap.

“I hope some magic items start appearing soon.”

He hadn’t learned any new magic for quite a while. It was regrettable, considering even beginner magic had value at this point.

But wanting it didn’t mean getting it. The items that appeared in the labyrinth were either random or predetermined. Taesan decided to wait patiently.

Having cleared the 23rd floor, Taesan went to find the spirit.

[Hee hee! You came!]

“Here.”

Taesan handed over the high-level spirit core. The deranged spirit laughed maniacally.

[Hee, hee hee! Finally! Finally!]

The deranged spirit swallowed the core greedily.

Kwoong!

A small resonance vibrated within the spirit. The white body, which seemed about to burst a moment ago, slowly calmed down.

[Ha, ha…….]

The laughter gradually subsided.

The unstable energy swirling around the deranged spirit almost disappeared.

[Ha.]

The spirit exhaled. The madness that was overflowing just a moment ago disappeared without a trace.

[Now…… it's almost over.]

The spirit spoke with a gloomy voice.

[Now it's the last. The 29th floor. There's a hidden world there. You'll know when you use this in the boss room.]

The spirit waved its fingertips. A transparent energy settled into Taesan.

[You have learned the Spirit Skill [Natural Harmony].] [The land of spirits. The paradise of the escapees. What's in there? The roots of the tree that maintain that land. Bring that to me. If you have that…… it's almost the end.]

Taesan left the room. The laughter continued to echo behind him.

[It's your fault. Yours. Yours…….]

Leaving the seemingly sobbing voice behind, Taesan exited.

“I wonder how it’ll turn out.”

Why the deranged spirit hated spirits, he didn’t know. Asking wouldn’t get him an answer.

Perhaps he would know when he reached the 29th floor.

He went back to the 20th floor to find the blacksmith Hafran.

“You’re here?”

Hafran handed over a shoe, seemingly waiting.

“Take it.”

“You already made it?”

“Refining the ore itself was difficult. But using it in harmony with the spirit core made it easier to create.”

The shoe made of colorless ore was radiating a strange energy. It looked like the energy of the spirit stone.

[Shoe made of Golem's ore and tempered with spirit.] [Attack + 15] [Defense + 40] [Agility + 30] [Movement Speed + 15%] [Action Speed + 8%] [Can hold the energy of spirits.] [Excellent items crafted by a renowned blacksmith.]

The shoes had an attack power of 15, even though they were not weapons.

They even had higher defense than the armor he was currently wearing.

In addition to that, agility increased by 30. Until now, no equipment had such a figure. While Taesan was verifying with a smirk, a phrase caught his eye.

[Can hold the energy of spirits.]

“What does this part mean?”

“Exactly what it says. It can be endowed, just like your weapon.”

The ghost’s weapon, Calvert’s Relic, could hold magic, so he put the flame seed inside. These shoes, although restricted to the energy of spirits, could also hold something.

“I’m not sure what to put in, but if you get it, bring it. I’ll make it.”

“There seems to be no need to wait.”

He had something. Taesan took out the unbound spirit energy and showed it to Hafran.

“Ho?”

Seeing the swaying energy of the wind, Hafran’s eyes lit up.

“This is interesting. Wait a moment.”

Hafran took the shoes and fiddled with them in a corner. After a short wait, he returned with a bright smile.

“So that’s how it is. My curiosity is satisfied.”

[Shoe made of Golem's ore and tempered with spirit.] [Attack + 15] [Defense + 40] [Agility + 3] [Movement Speed + 15%] [Action Speed + 8%] [Can release all things that restrain oneself. This skill can only be used once a day.] [Excellent items crafted by a renowned blacksmith.]

“Oh ho.”

Taesan exclaimed in admiration. It had quite impressive abilities.

It was a sort of status abnormality release technique. He didn’t know to what extent “all things” applied, but given the description, it seemed to have a wide range.

Being able to release them momentarily could be a great advantage in battle. The cooldown of once a day was relatively short, making it a very good skill.

Hafran also seemed satisfied, wearing a pleased smile.

“It’s been a while since I had such a fun project. I wish others would bring unique materials like you did, but they’re usually useless.”

Hafran extended his hand.

“It’s three thousand gold. Hand it over.”

Given the capabilities of this equipment, three thousand gold was relatively cheap.

Taesan handed it over without fuss. Hafran happily pocketed the received gold.

“Then bring more if you find any. I’ll make them cheap.”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

Taesan left Hafran’s room. He immediately went down and reached the 24th floor.

[24th Floor Quest Start.] [Defeat the 24th floor boss and pass through.] [Reward: Staff of Baal.] [Secret Reward: ???]

Now, he was entering the middle stages of the 20th floor.

The monsters on the 24th floor were spirits of darkness. They were spirits who attempted to devour the flesh with tentacles of darkness and obscured vision, the type that would have been very tough if one’s stats were similar to theirs. Taesan proceeded easily, dealing with them one by one.

As he reached about midway, he felt a presence. Taesan halted his slaying of monsters and muttered.

“It’s about time they came.”

[I can't ruin this interesting spectacle. I'll hide for a while.]

The ghost clung to the ceiling of the labyrinth.

One couldn’t notice him unless they concentrated.

“Huh?”

A door opened, and an adventurer walked in. He was taken aback when he saw Taesan.

“Who are you?”

A man with blonde hair asked. Instead of answering, Taesan activated a skill.

[You have activated Reconnaissance.] [Horion Arban] [Level: 65] [Health: 3213] [Equipped Weapon: Sword] [Subjugated One.]

Information that wasn’t visible before was now seen. Such was the power of Reconnaissance.

‘Our health is similar.’

There was a 10-level difference. Despite the level difference, the adventurer’s health didn’t increase much, but Taesan’s was a bit higher.

The ordeal Taesan went through until now was evident. Horion wrinkled his face at Taesan’s silence.

“Who are you? Are you from the second rank? How dare you crawl here? Decided to die, have you?”

The Guides of Sin’s rule was absolute. The moment someone from the second rank stepped below the 20th floor, they were instantly executed.

However, there were those who risked this danger. Those obsessed with strength risked their lives and reaped the rewards.

Horion thought Taesan was one of those. He believed that he didn’t recognize him because he wasn’t interested in the second rank.

Taesan shook his head.

“I am not a Guide of Sin.”

“If not, who are you then? You couldn’t have avoided the eyes of those below. Just die quietly.”

Horion, thinking Taesan was lying, spoke derisively and stamped his foot.

The difference in strength between an adventurer on the 30th floor and one on the 24th floor was clear. And he had been on the 30th floor for a long time, becoming stronger to his limits. He believed that Taesan couldn’t block a single blow.

Taesan made a move.

The tip of the sword met with Horion’s, and the trajectory of power swayed immediately.

“Wh, what?”

Horion’s arm was opened. It opened smoothly without any resistance, and Horion stood there dumbfounded, unable to grasp the situation.

Taesan’s fist swayed. Horion’s face was crushed.