Ascension Through Skills

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: This is kind of easy.] [Moon Jaesung [Solo]: ...I feel like I'm going to die doing this.] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Relatively speaking, it's easy. If you time it just like a machine, there should be no problems.] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: As soon as you enter the room, you shoot three paralyzing arrows at the goblins, beat them up for 30 seconds, then shoot three more paralyzing arrows. You have to do this almost ten times without making a mistake, but yes. Compared to earning Endurance, it's easier.] [Forced Duel? How do you get that? I've never seen this skill before?]

“Work hard and well.”

[Did a guy on the second floor get it by working hard and well? That's funny.]

The ghost clicked his tongue as if he’d been tricked.

[Even the guy who has such a skill wouldn't give it away. Where did you get the information?]

The ghost seemed to think that Taesan had heard about the Forced Duel from someone else.

Taesan left him to his thoughts.

If the ghost dug too deep, it would be hard for Taesan to come up with a plausible response. He was grateful that the ghost was making assumptions on his own.

[But skills aren't everything. I understand that you just received a good skill, but don't be overconfident.]

“You just answer the questions you’re asked.”

[...Damn it.]

The ghost quaked with anger.

The ghost continued to grumble, seemingly dissatisfied with Taesan’s victory. Taesan listened with one ear while exploring the labyrinth.

[Forced Duel seems like a good skill, but there are a ton of skills in the maze, you know? You know Leap, right?]

“I know.”

[...You know?]

“But why Leap? Couldn’t you learn Big Leap?”

[What? What is Big Leap?]

“Seems like you didn’t learn it.”

Taesan replied dryly. The ghost grumbled at his words.

[I admit, you know your skills. But that's not everything in the maze. How you survive and what you discover are also important here. But what are you doing now?]

“What does it look like?”

Taesan was examining the bricks in an empty room. The ghost realized it belatedly.

[A secret room? That's going to be a pain.]

Exploring this type of secret room was pure grunt work. There was no other way but to check every single brick in the room.

The only ways to shorten the process were either to increase the number of heads or to have a special skill. It was one or the other.

[You have a strong premonition.]

One of the numerous bricks caught Taesan’s eye. Taesan stared at it for a moment before walking over and pulling at it.

Creak.

The brick receded, revealing the secret room.

[Huh?]

“Just as I thought.”

It was an ability that manifested once his proficiency in Perception exceeded 20%. It occasionally provided him with important information.

It came to Taesan in the form of a premonition and resolved all of the issues that were clouding his mind at that moment.

It had the effect of allowing him to bypass the trial-and-error phase that was absolutely necessary for navigating the labyrinth.

The ghost must have realized that Perception had been activated because he mumbled in a flustered voice.

[...You have Perception? And it's over 20% proficiency?]

Taesan entered the secret room. Inside, he could see a corridor filled with numerous traps.

“Goblin traps, huh.”

[These are traps they use to protect what they consider valuable. Given the haphazard setup, getting through will be tricky. It might be a better choice to give up and turn back.]

Taesan stared quietly at the traps.

The first trap was an arrow trap.

The second trap appeared to be a collapsing floor trap.

And the third and fourth were warning traps with moving walls.

It was the same as Easy Mode. Taesan walked towards the traps.

[Huh?]

Whoosh!

He fended off an incoming arrow.

He stomped on the ground to dodge the collapsing floor.

With a grinding noise, the wall moved to crush Taesan.

Rather than rushing to escape the moving wall, Taesan sprinted nimbly and clenched his fist. He swung it towards the approaching wall.

Crash!

The wall turned into sand and crumbled, and Taesan dusted off his hand with a grim face.

“Same as always.”

The moving wall was a trap for a trap. If you panicked and rushed forward to escape, dozens of traps activated at once.

It was not impossible to pass, but it would cause some trouble.

The easiest way to clear it was to destroy the wall.

The moving wall was different from the labyrinth’s wall; it was made by the goblins.

Its durability was not that high, so it could be destroyed with a punch.

Taesan walked through the corridor, calmly removing each of the traps one by one.

[...]

The ghost silently followed. At the end of the corridor, a small box appeared. Taesan pulled a lever to break all the traps and checked the box.

[Ring of the Deep Well] [Mana +5] [A ring filled with water from a hidden well deep within. It emits a faint azure scent.]

“A mana ring?”

Pleasant surprise mixed into Taesan’s expression. An increase in mana was always a good thing.

Moreover, it was a ring, not other jewelry. Unlike necklaces or earrings, a ring could be worn on any finger, making it the best piece of jewelry if obtained.

“This is nice.”

Taesan put on the ring and happily exited the secret room. The previously silent ghost spoke.

[Who are you?]

“Would you understand if I said I’m the second?”

[The second?]

The ghost did not seem to understand. From the ghost’s reaction, Taesan confirmed one fact.

‘It seems that you can only get the Seat of Uroboros after passing the 80th floor.’

Given that Lee Taeyeon hadn’t told him anything, he didn’t know how to get it either. However, he intended to look for it, considering there might be a chance to get it once more.

Anyway, that was a story for after going to a deep floor.

Taesan walked through the labyrinth and arrived in front of a red door.

Taesan went inside. The ghost, surprised by his unhesitating attitude, asked.

[Won't you ask me?]

By their contract, the ghost had to share everything it knew. As an NPC that had descended to the 80th floor, it would certainly know what the 2nd-floor boss was and how to strategize against it.

“No need.”

Taesan already knew what the 2nd-floor boss was. The reason he struck a deal with the ghost was to ask about something else.

“Huh?”

There were two goblins inside the boss room.

One was an ordinary goblin, but the other was different.

Unlike the goblins he had seen so far, it was dressed in cloth of superior quality.

It wore a long hat and held an unwieldy wooden staff in its hand.

[A Goblin with a Staff has appeared.] [A Goblin Escort has appeared.]

“Heeek!”

The goblin swung its staff, and the magic began to gather at its tip. A goblin that looked like a bodyguard protected him.

The boss of the second floor was the goblin with a staff.

What it used was magic.

It was the first enemy that used magic in Hard Mode. In Easy Mode, such a monster wouldn’t appear until after the 40th floor.

“Keeek!”

While the magic was being cast, the Goblin Escort rushed at Taesan. Taesan nonchalantly raised his sword.

Schwiiing!

“Kugh, Kaaak!”

The goblin was slammed into the ground, and Taesan stabbed it in the back. After about three stabs, the Escort Goblin died and disappeared.

[You have defeated the Goblin Escort.]

In the meantime, the magic had been completed. Taesan calmly watched.

This would usually be the wrong approach.

Low-level players did not have a way to block magic.

The correct answer was to ignore the escort or shoot a paralysis arrow and immediately deal with the magician. Lee Taeyeon didn’t know that and had a hard time.

However, Taesan deliberately left the magician alone. The ghost made a frustrated noise.

[Oh dear. This is not how it's supposed to be done. Seems like he knows about the skills but not the strategy.]

From his point of view, it would seem as if Taesan was using the wrong method.

But for Taesan, this was correct.

“Kaak!”

The staff shone brightly.

[The Goblin with a Staff has cast Confusion.] [Starting the judgment.] [Judging Confusion…….]

His mind wavered. Something external was trying to invade his neural pathways. All sorts of images appeared and disappeared in a cycle.

[...]

The judgment for confusion magic was extremely strict. Even the slightest mistake or mental disturbance would lead to immediate failure. One would lose themselves and go berserk.

“Get lost.”

Taesan shook his head. The creeping chaos was repelled.

[Judgment successful!] [You have resisted with indomitable mental strength!] [All stats have increased.]

“Keeek!”

The goblin was using magic again. Taesan just waited quietly.

[The Goblin with a Staff has cast Madness.] [Starting the judgment.] [Judging Madness……]

“I told you to get lost.”

[Judgment successful!] [You have resisted with indomitable mental strength!] [Your action speed has increased.] [Well, well.]

By this point, the ghost realized it too.

[You're just resisting, aren't you?] [The Goblin with a Staff has cast Curse.] [Judgment unnecessary! You have shaken it off with your indomitable mental strength.]

Taesan looked at the grumbling goblin. He had never failed a judgment on his mind since he was in his previous world. The ghost muttered, seemingly astounded.

[It's my first time seeing someone resisting mental magic just with their mental strength, without any skills or items. Even I couldn't do it like this.] [Judgment unnecessary! You have resisted with indomitable mental strength!] [You have experienced mental magic multiple times. You have acquired the Special Constant Activation Skill [Mental Resistance].]

A skill that aided in resisting all sorts of mental attacks. And to Taesan, it was a rather useless skill.

Taesan confirmed his skill while shaking off the confusion.

[Special Constant Activation Skill: Mental Resistance] [Proficiency: 100%] [You will succeed with a very high probability in all judgments related to the mind.]

“So this is something that carries over.”

[Huh.]

The ghost chuckled dryly.

[This is truly ridiculous.]

Even after gaining Mental Resistance, Taesan didn’t rush to defeat the goblin but remained still. The ghost also didn’t urge him on, instead lying down on the ground as if the whole thing was troublesome.

[Darn it. I thought I could teach this ignorant guy this and that, make him move according to my will, but he's crazier than I imagined. I never thought it would be this boring.]

“Cough, cough”

The goblin hiccuped and cast magic. The ghost, who had been watching idly, opened his mouth.

[They can even use magic. These goblins are really interesting.]

“Didn’t they use it in your world?”

[Magic users were rare. Can you imagine? I don't know how the creator of the labyrinth did it, but overall, everything has become stronger. Even goblins have an average strength comparable to orcs. And orcs are stronger than lizardmen.]

As expected, the labyrinth’s monsters were stronger than those from other places.

[What were the goblins in your world like?]

The ghost asked, seemingly curious. It seemed like he was trying to guess what kind of person Taesan was, or perhaps he was simply satiating his own curiosity.

“There weren’t any?”

[...No goblins? Then what about orcs or ogres?]

Taesan laughed at the mention of these popular monster names.

“Why would they exist?”

[Then what did exist?]

“Nothing, really. At best, we were burdened with luggage.”

[That sounds like a very comfortable world.]

The ghost muttered as if it was strange.

[Why is someone from such a world doing so well here?]

Once again, a judgment for confusion appeared. Upon succeeding this time, Taesan was able to acquire the skill he wanted.

[You've been exposed to magic multiple times. You have acquired the Special Constant Activation Skill [Magic Resistance].]

Magic Resistance. A skill that provided damage reduction and resistance to all magic.

It was also a skill that must be acquired to break through the labyrinth.

Taesan endured a few more spells and increased his Magic Resistance.

Only after reaching the limit did he swing his sword.

The goblin, who was conjuring magic while whimpering, died on the spot.

[You have defeated the goblin with a staff.] [You have gained a large amount of experience.] [Your health has been restored by 10.] [You have acquired 453 gold.] [You have acquired a Random Staff of Spirit.]

“Oh. A staff?”

Getting it immediately despite the low probability was extremely fortunate.

[You have won against a formidable enemy single-handedly. Your intelligence permanently increases by 2. Your mana permanently increases by 2.]

He also received rewards for overcoming a formidable enemy. Magic wasn’t supposed to appear in the lower levels, and Taesan won because he was essentially immune to mental judgments. Otherwise, he would have struggled through all sorts of curses and confusion.

In fact, Lee Taeyeon almost died here.

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Your agility permanently increases by 1. Your intelligence permanently increases by 2.] [You have defeated the boss of the 2nd floor. You've obtained the basic reward [Beginner's Mana Increase Potion].] [You have figured out the hidden element of the 2nd floor. You've obtained the reward [??].]