Ascension Through Skills

“You’ve lost.”

Taesan leisurely commented as he pulled the knife out of Seo Jangsan’s chest.

“What will you do? Will you continue? If so, I won’t stop you.”

A cold gaze pierced through Seo Jangsan.

Seo Jangsan lowered his head.

“…I won’t. I’ve lost.”

He gracefully stepped back.

“I will yield.”

An undeniable strength. Even when a hundred of them charged, they were defeated without laying a finger on Taesan.

It was their defeat. Nothing more needed to be said.

“Good choice.”

Taesan laughed. That laughter sent chills down Seo Jangsan’s back.

Swallowing, he said,

“…I crave power, but not to the point of throwing my life away.”

If he had resisted even slightly or had raised his voice in denial of reality, he would have died. Seo Jangsan instinctively felt this.

“Then, Kim Hwiyeon.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

Kim Hwiyeon, who had been watching blankly, quickly came to her senses and approached.

“I told you. I have no intention of becoming the king. And you said you could handle it.”

“…Yes.”

With a determined look, Kim Hwiyeon nodded. She looked down at Seo Jangsan with an awkward expression.

“Jangsan…”

“You’ll be the next king?”

Seo Jangsan laughed bitterly.

“I don’t think I’m in the wrong. I lost without even laying a hand on him… But in the end, only Hard Mode players can stand against monsters. The weak must be sacrificed to survive.”

This world was hell.

Only the strong survive in hell.

Seo Jangsan wanted to enforce that with his own hands.

“Do you plan to save them too? I wonder how that will end.”

“Just shut up and hand it over.”

Taesan smacked Seo Jangsan’s head. Seo Jangsan clutched his head, reeling from the sharp pain.

“I abdicate.”

[Seo Jangsan has ceded the throne to Kim Hwiyeon.] [The king has been decided.] [The one most involved in the change of the king is Kang Taesan. There will be a bonus when returning to the labyrinth.]

“Thank you.”

As the fallen Hard Mode players were being tended to and people were accepting the change of the king, Kim Hwiyeon approached Taesan and bowed her head.

“What is it?”

“…For not killing Seo Jangsan.”

She knew. She knew that Taesan held no feelings towards Seo Jangsan.

And that he wasn’t compassionate enough to spare an enemy on purpose.

If he had killed Seo Jangsan immediately after requesting the change, there surely would’ve been chaos. Hard Mode players who didn’t witness the process might have rebelled.

And that malice might have been directed at Kim Hwiyeon. After all, she benefited the most from Taesan killing Seo Jangsan and becoming the king.

The relationship with Taesan would have been doubted, and her right to speak would have been damaged. Even if she managed to survive and return to the labyrinth, she likely would have been excluded.

Kim Hwiyeon realized, somewhat belatedly, that Taesan had considered everything in his actions.

“You better work hard then. That’s the only way you can repay me,” Taesan said.

Kim Hwiyeon looked at Taesan with a curious expression as if asking why he was being so kind to her.

“Just consider it a debt,”

Taesan responded with a slight smirk.

“A debt…?”

“Yes,” he smirked again.

In his past life, during his third return, when he was weak, a rebellion by Choi Junghyuk caused Seo Jangsan and most of the Hard Mode players to disappear. Only about 10,000 survived. The following journey to Seoul was hellish. They were confronted by monsters they couldn’t resist, and humans died like mere playthings.

In that hell, Kim Hwiyeon saved half of their lives.

Taesan was one of them.

“It’s because I can’t stand seeing people die,”

Kim Hwiyeon had replied, on the night before her near-death, to Taesan’s question of why she didn’t just save herself by running away.

In a time when order disappeared, and laws meant nothing, she voiced and upheld this simple principle. Taesan still remembered.

“I am truly… truly grateful. For you to do all this for someone like me…”

She believed Taesan was perfect, a person who could do anything. He effortlessly solved her problems and saved many. To her, these were feats beyond her capabilities.

She even admired him.

But for such a man to care so deeply about a weakened version of her felt truly overwhelming.

Taesan waved it off,

“It’s not just because of that. There are other reasons.”

While Seo Jangsan was different from Choi Junghyuk — the latter was a parasite, offering no help, the former did try to save humanity, even if he considered himself central to it all. For instance, during the second return amidst various waves, Seo Jangsan stood at the forefront, fighting off monsters.

“He has an attitude problem, but he’d listen if you hit him,” Taesan mused.

The idea was to use him efficiently. If he didn’t listen after one hit, then keep hitting until he did.

“Also, we still have other problems to deal with, right?”

“… The food issue,”

Kim Hwiyeon acknowledged it.

Feeding over a hundred thousand people was still a pending issue.

The king had changed from Seo Jangsan to Kim Hwiyeon. Everyone was informed of this change through the system notification. Even without that, since more than half saw it directly, the news would have spread quickly.

The reactions varied.

“So, are we safe now?”

“Can we survive?”

The people from the Easy and Normal Modes were elated. The Hard Mode players had oppressed them, and they had to live in torment, fearing for their lives.

Now, if the new king took care of them, it would be a turn for the better.

In contrast, the people of Hard Mode were not in a good mood.

“We are fighting for our lives…”

“Shouldn’t there be benefits for that?”

Under the leadership of Seo Jangsan, they acted without hesitation. Naturally, they weren’t pleased when those benefits were suddenly taken away.

Kim Hwiyeon was aware of that.

“I’m not denying the benefits. Everyone should receive benefits that match their abilities.”

It was also a fact that they protected the majority of players. With responsibility should also come appropriate rights.

The reason she pushed Seo Jangsan away was because he treated those in Easy and Normal Modes with disdain. But she had planned to leave the benefits for everyone else untouched.

Hearing that, the Hard Mode players didn’t show much resistance. Kim Hwiyeon had a high reputation in Hard Mode, and most of them didn’t particularly enjoy tormenting others.

Many Hard Mode players had close ties with those in Normal Mode.

From the start, they had entered the labyrinth through choices that were almost like coercion. Cases where the parents were in Easy Mode, and the children in Hard Mode were inevitable.

No one wanted to see their acquaintances being toyed with by other Hard Mode players. As long as the benefits weren’t taken away, their decision was inevitable.

With that in mind, they accepted Kim Hwiyeon’s decision.

“So, what will we do now?”

Geum Junggeun asked. Kim Hwiyeon closed her eyes.

The fate of a hundred thousand lives hung in her hands.

It was overwhelmingly heavy.

‘However.’

She opened her eyes.

She had taken on this responsibility. There was no room or reason for complaints.

“How much food do we have?”

“Almost none. If it was just for Hard Mode players, I don’t know, but for all a hundred thousand people? Not even a day’s worth. We have some food everyone brought, so we can last a few days… but the quest lasts longer.”

Junggeun said. It was a month-long quest. With the food they had, it was impossible to sustain.

Of course, Taesan had basic magic. Food production. Using mana to produce food. It was an excellent spell in such situations, but the quantity was the problem.

Even if he used all his mana, it wouldn’t be enough for a hundred thousand people.

It wasn’t necessary to use it right now.

Closing her eyes and thinking, Kim Hwiyeon asked,

“Is there a place nearby where we can get food?”

At Kim Hwiyeon’s words, Seo Jangsan glanced at Taesan’s expression. As Taesan nodded slightly, Seo Jangsan cautiously said…

“There’s a large mart nearby. But we’ve already taken all the food around here, so there’s probably nothing left.”

“We have to go far then.”

She made the decision.

“Let’s move.”

“How far?”

“Yes. We have no choice if we want to get food.”

Most agreed with that statement. But what came next was the problem.

“Why do we have to go?”

Some from Hard Mode resisted. Their logic was simple. If it was a dangerous job, let the Easy Mode do it. Why should they risk their lives?

“Why doesn’t Easy Mode do anything, even for tasks like this?”

Anticipating such a reaction, Kim Hwiyeon calmly said,

“After the first return, everyone got points when they went back to the labyrinth, right? You all have experienced their effects, so you know.”

Differential rewards. Points. The impact was significant. Gold, stats, and proficiency were raised without risk, leading to noticeable differences based on the points earned at that time.

“This time, too, the rewards will be distributed based on performance. So, the more active you are in obtaining food, the more you can earn,” someone else remarked.

Upon hearing this, they fell silent. If points could be secured, it was worth taking the risk.

“We won’t just be fooling around with the Easy and Normal Modes. We need to gather as much food as possible, so we’ll move in teams, organized in a certain proportion.”

“Are we supposed to protect them?”

“I won’t ask you to risk your lives. But do your best to protect them. I’m asking you.”

Kim Hwiyeon lowered her head. Hard Mode players hesitated.

“Ah, understood.”

“I might seem like the bad guy now.”

As everyone was agreeing, Seo Jangsan spoke up.

“It’s still not enough.”

“What?”

“100,000. Even if we spread out to get food, there’s a limit. How will we get by for a week? And what about the next week? How will we survive a month?”

“Jangsan, I didn’t permit you to go that far. Shut it.” Taesan said, cutting him off before turning to the rest. “But your concerns are valid.”

“Then why did you tell me to shut up?”

“Because it’s too loud.”

Seo Jangsan closed his mouth, looking aggrieved.

Taesan held resentment towards him. He had oppressed those in Easy and Normal Modes and didn’t provide them with adequate food.

The primary rationale was that Hard Mode players needed to fill their bellies and prepare.

Taesan, being an Easy Mode player himself, did not receive food. The memory of holding his starving stomach and peeling tree roots to eat still lingered.

He felt that not killing Jangasan was already an act of great mercy.

“Don’t worry about what you said. I’ll take care of it. And if possible, bring back seeds of potatoes and corn.”

“To cultivate? Wouldn’t that be difficult?”

While cultivating corn and potatoes would be beneficial, there wasn’t enough time.

With only a month, crops wouldn’t mature in time, and they’d likely rot by the time of the next return.

Taesan shook his head.

“That’s not the point. Just bring anything cultivable.”

“Um… okay.”

Hwiyeon looked puzzled but nodded.

Then, Junggeun, who had been silent, spoke.

“Do you mean any food that can be cultivated?”

“Probably.”

Taesan didn’t know for sure. Last time, they only obtained potatoes. But if potatoes worked, other crops might as well.

“I know a place nearby.”

“Then move with me.”

From there, Lee Taeyeon began organizing teams, and Taesan moved with Junggeun.

“Where is it?”

“Just this way. It’s not too far.”

Taesan followed Junggeun. Monsters occasionally appeared, but neither Taesan nor Junggeun had trouble with them.

“Here.”

Junggeun arrived at a small building next to them.

“It hasn’t collapsed.”

Junggeun entered. Passing through an empty room, he arrived at a door leading to the basement.

He confidently entered a password and went inside.

“Oh?”

Taesan was intrigued. Numerous plants filled the basement. They had rotted from lack of care, but it must’ve been a sight when they were alive.

“Just wait a moment.”

Junggeun entered deeper into the plant room. Shortly, he returned with several vacuum-sealed seed packets.

“They seem well-preserved. They haven’t decayed or dried out. They should be cultivable.”

“What seeds are they?”

“Corn, watermelon, greens… various ones.”

“Great.”

It was excellent news. Such a variety of seeds would be a significant help for survival.

“I’m sorry, but there are no potatoes. They grow from tubers, and they’ve all rotted.”

“That’s fine. How did you know about this place?”

“A friend of mine loved cultivation. I occasionally brought him here. I never thought it’d come in handy like this.”

Junggeun gave a bitter smile.

Not bringing the original person meant he probably died. A fleeting sadness crossed his face.

“They’d be happy to see their seeds used like this. But why are you collecting these?”

“There’s a skill I can obtain.”

A skill to cultivate food quickly anywhere. Essentially, a skill that sustained humanity until the end.

Taesan knew how to acquire it.