Ascension Through Skills

[So far, it's just a suspicion, but it means that Harmon was a mortal a hundred years ago. And I've heard that soon after becoming a transcendent, the self is often not intact.]

“Is that why he attacked the demons?”

[We cannot ignore the possibility. Many gods are obsessed with what's theirs. It's not unreasonable to think that this direction has become more aggressive. It's risky to keep a distance from Lucifer, but if he doesn't come out of his own world, it doesn't matter.]

“Lucifer cannot even beat the indigenous gods on their own turf.”

[Definitely. The gods within their territories are monstrously strong. As far as I know, even Lucifer cannot interfere if he decides to exclude, even if she is a powerful god.]

“That’s why I was called.”

[Maybe that's the case? Because you're a human, not a demon.]

“Ho…”

There were a few more things he was curious about. But nothing would change.

He just needed to break the quest.

Taesan pulled out his sword. As always, he began training to gain aura.

Time passed. Taesan’s routine did not change. He ate, trained his aura, and drove away the hunters who came after him.

“Don’t you ever get tired of this?”

Taesan sheathed his sword with a fed-up face. The hunters came almost every day, and it was getting annoying. It would be different if there were strong guys and he could learn something, but that wasn’t the case. It was a waste of time.

After tidying up, Taesan went back into the cave.

Inside, Annetsha was praying with her eyes closed.

Taesan didn’t disturb her and went out to catch some fish or wild game. Two hours later, Annetsha opened her eyes and was startled to see Taesan.

“When did you come?”

“Two hours ago.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Taesan, who was casually grilling meat, shook his head and asked.

“Are you praying to Lucifer?”

“Yes.”

Annetsha calmly nodded her head.

Lucifer abandoned them.

At least, that’s what Annetsha believed.

Taesan quietly ate his meat.

And that night, as always, the conversation began. Stories about Taesan’s world and what the demons were. A variety of words flowed out.

In the process, naturally, the story about Lucifer also emerged.

“Lucifer was very kind. When I was a child and couldn’t sleep because I was scared of ghosts, she would sometimes come down and comfort me.”

Annetsha murmured with a longing face, and the ghost exclaimed in admiration.

[Did the god directly come down and talk to you? That must be quite extraordinary?]

“Is it common for Lucifer to talk?”

“No. It’s a rare occasion. My father was very happy when Lucifer directly spoke to him. He said it was an event that happens once in a thousand years.”

Annetsha spoke with a smile.

Taesan, who was looking at her lost in memories, opened his mouth.

“So, it all fell apart ten years ago?”

“……Yes.”

Annetsha drooped her head in sorrow. Taesan stirred the campfire.

“Did the god abandon you?”

“No!”

Annetsha raised her voice.

“There must be a reason. There must, there must be a reason.”

Annetsha spoke while biting her lip. But her eyes were endlessly shaking.

Distrust, denial, and faith.

In the eyes filled with various emotions, Taesan didn’t say anything more.

Since he was sent down here, he didn’t think he was abandoned. But because he didn’t know why he was asked to hide his identity, he found it hard to be sure.

Within the doubts, time flowed again.

Thus, ten months had passed since Taesan arrived here.

During that time, nothing special happened. It was only a repetition of trackers coming after them and then him stopping the trackers.

Taesan, sitting on a rock, shook his leg.

“Should I change the plan?”

“We need to make a big move.”

“What?”

Annetsha, who was adjusting the taste of the stew, opened her eyes wide. Taesan spoke.

“Nothing will happen as it is. So I’m going to change the method.”

“W-what, is there a problem? If I did something wrong…”

“It’s not you. It’s our problem, so you don’t have to worry.”

Take Annetsha to a safe place. That was Lucifer’s quest.

But there was no such thing as a safe place in this world. Harmon sent trackers wherever he went.

Even if he dug deep into the ground to hide, the trackers accurately located him and would try to invade in just three hours. So, practically, hiding was considered impossible.

There were a few methods.

The first option was to protect Annetsha until she died. Unless the god intervened directly, there was no one in this world who could stop Taesan, so it was not impossible.

But it took too much time. Taesan may not age and die, but it was a matter of several decades. Lucifer did not seem to desire such a prolonged quest.

Or, the God of Light, born from this earth. He could go directly to the temple of Harmon, the God of Vekveta, and challenge him.

At first, he had considered this option. Because the god he had encountered so far was rational and valued honor as a god, he expected that even Taesan, who was close to being an enemy god’s subordinate, would not be harassed recklessly.

However, this option is also excluded because the ghost suggested the possibility that Harmon’s sanity may not be intact.

After a few considerations, Taesan realized the solution.

“You said the demons were extinct, right? But you’re on the run. Wouldn’t there be others like you who are hiding somewhere and have formed a village?”

Those who knew her.

Those who could protect her.

Those who were hiding their bodies.

There were places in this world that were out of the sight of the gods, and he learned from the trackers that they could not be found if they hid there.

He did not know where that place was, but the fact that it existed was known by everyone he met.

Perhaps the demons were hiding there.

“That’s…”

Annetsha closed her mouth. She also knew about it. But there was a problem.

“I’m being tracked by the god himself. If I go to the place where they’re hiding from here, we’ll just die together.”

She spoke resolutely.

It was not that she didn’t want to see her kin. She certainly thought there would be survivors.

But she was being watched by the world. Wherever she moved, trackers followed, so she couldn’t meet anyone.

“If that problem is solved, would you want to?”

Annetsha, who had been hesitating for a long time, nods.

“…Yes.”

“That’s all we need.”

“Ha, but how do you plan to solve it? The enemies keep coming…”

“It’s simple.”

Taesan spoke in a deep voice.

“We just show them our strength.”

“A lot of them have come, haven’t they?”

A man with a spear on his shoulder blew a whistle.

At the end of his gaze, there were more than a hundred people.

And all of them were somewhat known figures.

“Wow, even a high-ranking mage came?”

“He must belong to a school that was recently established. He probably wants to capture the princess of the demons and make a name for himself.”

A woman with red hair, holding a whip, spoke calmly. The man admired the sight as he checked the surroundings one by one.

“It’s impressive. With the people here, they could easily destroy a city, right?”

“Stop being noisy and just check. Did you forget why we came here?”

“Yes, yes. We need to do our job.”

The princess of the demons, Annetsha, and her bodyguard.

That story was the noisiest story in the world right now.

The destruction of the demons itself was less than a decade ago and was still a topic of conversation.

Information about the last surviving princess of the demons had always been a big deal.

Everyone thought that the princess would die soon. A frail girl couldn’t survive the world’s pursuit.

Some looked with pity, some with joy.

But one day, a bodyguard appeared for the princess of the demons.

In itself, it wasn’t a big deal. Demons fleeing from the massacre often sought out Annetsha to protect their princess.

But all of them could not hold on for long and died. They were only able to buy time from the pursuers but couldn’t protect the princess.

During this time, someone appeared who could truly protect the princess.

And this bodyguard was monstrously strong.

He killed the mages of the magic tower and shook off all of the high-ranking hunters’ pursuit. Even a top-ranked swordsman who went to capture the princess did not return.

It was rumored to the extent that he had reached the realm of a renowned Swordmaster.

The man and woman were dispatched from the information organization to understand him. The man grumbled.

“Even if our organization is weak and needs a big break, isn’t this too dangerous? All the pursuers so far have died, you know?”

“Quiet! Don’t you realize we will all starve to death at this rate? There’s no information, even though we are an information organization!”

The woman complained.

“And will this many be enough?”

There were a considerable number of them. They had a chance if there were this many, even if the opponent was a Swordmaster.

“It seems like the princess’s story is coming to an end.”

The woman muttered.

With serious faces, they slowly entered the forest. Though discord might have arisen among the strong individuals, they bowed to each other, were aware of the danger, and were able to advance without major issues.

And then, they found them.

“There are a lot of you.”

In front of a small hill, Taesan greeted them.

“Hello?”

Cha-ja-jang!

They quickly drew their weapons. The mage prepared a protective barrier with his staff, and the archer drew his bow.

The man who was scrutinizing Taesan grimaced.

“A demon?”

Taesan had killed everyone who came to find him, so no information about him was known. Rumors ballooned, saying that he had several arms, that he was a devil sent by the Demon King or even a dragon.

Upon seeing such a figure surrounded by rumors, they first thought: a demon.

Black hair, black eyes. Naturally, their thoughts veered that way.

However, upon closer inspection, they realized. It was just a dark color, too faint to be a demon. Additionally, they did not sense the unique aura of a demon.

They realized that Taesan was human.

The man carefully examined Taesan.

He had a cold expression. He wore clothing made from an unknown material, but it looked quite good. His weapon was especially impressive. At a glance, it was a well-known sword.

Despite having nearly a hundred people before him, his expression did not betray fear or disturbance.

“Hm.”

An old man in a robe stepped forward.

He was a powerful senior mage from a faction that had not been established for even a hundred years. The old man spoke to Taesan.

“Are you the guardian of the abandoned princess?”

“It seems so.”

“Step aside. Our goal is the princess. We have no intention of fighting you.”

The old man brandished his staff, and his magic created a rough wave.

In the face of the mage’s threat, Taesan grinned.

“I refuse.”

“…Do you really intend to fight us?”

The old man, who thought Taesan would willingly step aside, was taken aback.

Over a hundred people had come to find him, and they were all among the top members of the groups they belonged to.

Even if he was a Swordmaster, it would be difficult to win.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I need you to spread the word far and wide.”

Taesan rose from the rock. He reached out his hand.

Ssssk.

An arrow of frost was drawn in mid-air.

“I did have something I wanted to test, so come on.”