Ascension Through Skills

[I came because there is something I need to tell you.]

She twirled her hair, her expression ambiguous, and began to speak.

[On the 40th floor, at its very end, there's an entity waiting for you.]

“Is it the Guides of Sin?”

[You could say that.]

Taesan realized it through the words of the Demon God.

“It seems to be one person.”

Taesan had already defeated all the fourth-rank adventurers from the 40th floor.

If so, next would be the fifth-rank adventurers, but it was still too much for all of them to come down.

So, probably just one person.

Someone talented.

Someone who has understood many things about the labyrinth, made breakthroughs, and acquired numerous things.

Not someone who was simply satisfied with clearing the floors like other ordinary adventurers, but someone who, like Taesan, focused on the skills and strategies themselves.

There was a high possibility that such an outstanding person would come down.

The Demon God nodded.

[Right. He will come to you. And then he will fight with you and either die or kill.]

The Demon God looked regretful.

[He is... my child.]

“A demon?”

[Yes. He has remarkable talent. However, his experience is very lacking, and he made the wrong choice. A pitiful child.]

The Demon God’s eyes narrowed. For a moment, the air grew tense.

[To be honest... I want to kill them all.]

A chilling sensation enveloped Taesan.

[But that wouldn't be right.]

The Demon God shook her head. The energy that had engulfed the space disappeared.

[The affairs of the labyrinth are for the adventurers of the labyrinth. That's our rule. Even if that pitiful child was deceived, it was his own choice. There's nothing I can do about it. So do as you wish. Kang Taesan.]

“That’s what I was planning to do.”

Taesan responded.

The Demon God disappeared with a bitter expression.

“It seems you’ve grown quite fond of him.”

[The Demon God shows great affection towards her children, especially if the demon possesses talent. However, as she mentioned, she won't interfere, so there's no need to worry about any disturbances.]

If she’s making a statement like that, then the demon must indeed be formidable.

Taesan steeled his resolve and advanced to the next level.

On the 40th floor, he encountered a Golden Knight wielding a longsword. The knight, gripping the sword with both hands, charged at Taesan.

Taesan swung his sword, easily overpowering him.

Sure Hit was ineffective against such an adversary. Since the knight had no intention of dodging, it was essentially as if Sure Hit was an inherent ability.

The true moment for Sure Hit to prove its worth would likely come when facing the entity at the end of the 4th tier.

Taesan, sword in hand, swiftly continued his journey through the floor.

The Golden Knight on the 40th floor was considerably stronger than previous foes, but this difference was negligible for Taesan, allowing him to smoothly navigate the labyrinth.

As before, he discovered a secret room, overcame its traps, and secured a reward.

[Leap's Boots] [Defense + 40] [These boots belonged to someone who aspired to soar high into the sky. He perished, burned by the sun.] [Allows for a 20% higher leap.]

While the boots offered decent defense, Taesan’s current footwear was superior, so he stored them in his inventory.

Taesan pressed on, encountering no special trials from the gods or NPCs on the 40th floor, which allowed him to reach the boss unimpeded.

Clank.

[A resplendently shining Golden Knight has appeared.]

True to its name, the boss was a golden knight, its armor casting brilliant light throughout the room.

The knight, wielding a longsword, charged at Taesan.

Clash!

Floor 40. As the final boss of this level, it was indeed formidable. For an average adventurer, this would be a foe worth risking their life to defeat.

Crack.

Taesan brought his sword down, and the knight was slammed into the ground while blocking with its own sword.

Taesan waved his hand.

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

Dozens of arrows formed in mid-air.

They pierced through the knight. With a tearing sound, holes began to form in the armor.

Thus, the knight fell.

With that, the 40th floor was conquered.

[You have defeated the brilliantly shining Golden Knight.] [Your level has increased.] [Your Soul Ascension has been activated.] [You have obtained the Majestic One's Necklace.] [You have obtained ???.] [You have reached the 40th floor. You have obtained the title [The Unstoppable One].] [You have perfectly cleared the 40th floor. You have obtained the title [The Unsatisfied One].] [Your level has increased.] [You have perfectly understood and cleared all floors up to the 40th floor. You have obtained the title [The One Who Steps into Perfection].] [You have reached a place that no one can deny. You have obtained the title [The Recognized One].] [Your footsteps will not only leave many traces but will also serve as a guideline for those who follow.] [You have reached the entrance of the floor desired by the creator of the labyrinth. As a reward, one benefit is given.]

The creator of the labyrinth. The level desired by the sorcerer. Taesan had seen such a system window when he reached level 55. Along with it, an entity appeared.

The bricks on the floor rose up, starting to form shapes in the air as if assembling a puzzle.

The administrator of the labyrinth, Balbabamba, has appeared.

Balbabamba moved its brick eyes.

[You've come this far.]

“Do you remember?”

[I am a tool. An entity without forgetfulness. I remember everything. Especially since recently, no one but you has come this far.]

The sound of bricks clacking against each other resonated.

[Human. You have reached the floor the magician wanted the adventurers to reach. Let me give you a reward for that. Choose. The highest currency or valuable equipment.]

“Are there fewer choices this time?”

[Don't ask me. It's the magician's will.]

Currency and equipment. It seemed to be a choice between gold and items. Taesan began to ponder.

Up to now, he would have chosen equipment without question. However, the level of equipment Taesan was wearing now was too high. Even if he received something decent, there wouldn’t be much difference if he replaced it, or he might not even be able to replace it if it wasn’t compatible.

Taesan made his decision.

“The highest currency.”

He had just passed the 40th floor. The shop’s items were scheduled to change, so he planned to buy according to that.

Balbabamba blinked its eyes.

[Good. According to the magician's will, I will give you valuable currency.] [You have obtained 90,421 gold.]

Ninety thousand gold. It was more than he had anticipated. With this amount, he could choose and buy the equipment he wanted from the store.

Balbabamba spoke to a smiling Taesan contentedly.

[Then continue to descend, human. If it's you, you might be able to reach the place my master desires.]

“That’s the plan.”

The bricks scattered again and turned back into the floor. The ghost murmured.

[That taciturn one is saying such things…]

Words filled with expectation. The ghost had never heard such things. To Balbabamba, who had seen countless adventurers since the inception of the labyrinth, Taesan was an exception.

Taesan began to check the rewards for clearing the floor.

[Majestic One's Necklace] [A necklace that is simply ornate and gold-plated, worn by those who adorn themselves with nothing but the most expensive things. Its value is immeasurable.]

“For sale, huh.”

It had no stats attached. It seemed to suggest that it should be sold in the shop for an item worthy of the clear reward.

[??? was used.] [You have obtained a Colorless Ring.] [Colorless Ring] [Health + 200] [Mana + 100] [Strength + 30] [Agility + 30] [Intelligence + 30] [Attack Power + 30] [A colorless ring with no design or color. It's impossible to know who the user is or who made it.]

“Ah-ha.”

It was a pretty good ring.

Overall, it had lower stats than the ring Vargan had given him upon completing the quest in the gods’ battlefield. However, that didn’t mean this ring wasn’t remarkable; it simply meant that Vargan had given him an exceptionally good ring.

Considering it could be used until reaching the deeper levels, the stats of this ring were suitable for use until then.

Taesan replaced a ring with 8 attack power with the Colorless Ring.

And then, the rewards for clearing a theme on the 40th floor.

[Title: The Unstoppable One] [You have come down to the 40th floor without your heart being broken, and your feet not stopping.] [Attack Power + 30] [Defense + 30] [Title: The Unsatisfied One] [You were not satisfied even after settling and continued to descend the labyrinth, seeing the results.] [Strength + 60] [Agility + 60] [Intelligence + 60] [Attack Power + 20] [Defense + 20] [Title: The One Who Steps into Perfection] [You have come down to the 40th floor without missing anything. It's an almost impossible feat.] [Attack Power + 50] [Defense + 50] [Title: The Recognized One] [You have reached a place that no one can deny and must acknowledge your achievements.] [Attack Power + 40] [Defense + 40] [The price of items in the shop decreases by 10%.] [NPCs and gods will have a favorable impression of you.] [You have obtained the special continuous activation skill [Defense Penetration].]

“It really boosts the attack power a lot.”

[There's a limit to how much attack power you can gather. But for you, that's not an issue.]

As the ghost said, for Taesan, who had mastered the Airak weapon technique, attack power was not particularly lacking.

Although gathering it was more challenging than acquiring statistics, it was rewarding to achieve such high figures in this manner.

[Kang Taesan] [Level: 88] [Shield: 1599/1599] [Health: 17920/17920] [Mana: 2582/2582] [Magic: 312/312] [Strength: 4298] [Intelligence: 3854] [Agility: 4083] [Attack Power + 809] [Defense + 638] [The target is in optimal condition.]

This represented Taesan’s current status.

He had managed to reach approximately a third of Lee Taeyeon’s level, marking a satisfying rate of progress.

But that was not all.

The title “The Recognized One” also bestowed a skill upon him.

[Special Continuous Activation Skill: Defense Penetration] [Proficiency: 1%] [Ignores 10% of the opponent's defense.]

A reduction in defense was somewhat unexpected, yet he surmised the reason behind it.

“Could it be an advantage when facing adventurers in deeper parts?”

In the labyrinth, attack and defense calculations were straightforward, based on addition and subtraction. That is, if an opponent’s defense surpassed one’s attack power, it was presumed that inflicting damage was impossible.

While not insurmountable with strategies involving critical hits, specific skills, or the dynamics of battle, such a disparity was not easily bridged. Without the Airak Weapon Technique, Taesan would have found it significantly challenging to overcome this hurdle.

“It was granted later than I anticipated.”

[Up to this point, if you exerted enough effort, victory wasn't out of reach, but moving forward, winning will truly become unattainable. It's about time for such a disparity to emerge.]

A shift from the experience up to the 40th floor.

He was filled with anticipation for the items and skills he would acquire in the future.

However, there was something he needed to attend to first.

Sensing someone ascending the stairs, Taesan murmured,

“Waiting until I was done checking. That’s considerate of you.”

“It’s the most thrilling part of descending the labyrinth. I wouldn’t want to interrupt that.”

The newcomer was a man with black hair.

He still appeared youthful. To Taesan, he seemed to be around the same age as Anetsha, whom he had met in Vekveta.

His expression was listless, as if devoid of any will to fight, and he waved his hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah.”

Taesan replied calmly and observed the demon.

It was different from what Taesan had anticipated.

He had expected the demon, like the Guides of Sin before him, to show hostility and charge at him the moment he saw Taesan. So, the moment he sensed the presence, he had prepared to activate all his skills.

However, the demon in front of him showed no apparent hostility.

“I really hate it. I hate it.”

Instead, a sense of denial was even visible.