Ascension Through Skills

“It wasn’t among the skills……”

“There are a few skills not listed. Duel is one of them.”

“You seem to know everything.”

Kang Junhyeok muttered in awe. Lee Taeyeon tilted her head.

“What kind of skill is it?”

“A skill that allows two players to compete. Except for the two, no one else can interfere. It can only be accepted if the other party agrees.”

Taesan pointed at Kang Junhyeok with the tip of his sword.

“In other words, if you accept, a fight will take place just between us.”

“Uh…”

Kang Junhyeok backed away with a trembling face.

“Wouldn’t it be meaningless for me to fight with you?”

The difference in their stats was too significant. He couldn’t even keep up with Kang Taesan’s movements, let alone learn anything from a fight in his current state.

“That’s why there’s a following statement, right?”

Taesan lightly said.

“The duel will take place on equal terms. The stats, attack power, and defense power; all of it will be adjusted to the lower party. In this fight, you and I are equal.”

“What about the skills?”

“I won’t use any activated skills.”

The conditions were almost identical, though not perfect. The only differences would be experience and proficiency.

“You don’t have the right to refuse. Accept.”

“Fine, I accept.”

Kang Junhyeok accepted with shining eyes.

[Duel established.] [Kang Junhyeok and Kang Taesan start the duel.]

“But can you die from this?”

“In a regular duel, yes, but this is a conditional duel. You won’t die even if you run out of health.”

“That’s good.”

Kang Junhyeok steadied his breathing and drew his sword. He took a stance and stared at Taesan.

‘If the stats are the same, I have a good chance of winning.’

Taesan was as strong as a monster. Not just because he had higher stats and more skills, he likely had good sense and movement.

However, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Or rather, Junhyeok thought he himself was quite capable. His confidence had grown stronger as he made his way through the labyrinth.

He intended to prove to Taesan through this duel that he was not weak, that he was strong enough. Kang Junhyeok saw this as a sort of opportunity, and this thought was evident on his face.

Seeing the excited look on Kang Junhyeok’s face, Taesan chuckled inwardly.

“I’ll make my move.”

While Lee Taeyeon was watching blankly, Kang Junhyeok charged confidently. He quickly swung his sword down.

His movements were pretty good. He wouldn’t lose to a player of similar stats at this rate.

Taesan moved his sword.

Clang.

Their sword tips collided, and Taesan flicked his wrist. Taesan’s sword smoothly grazed Kang Junhyeok’s blade and brushed past it.

A mark was drawn on Kang Junhyeok’s forearm.

[8 damage to Kang Junhyeok.]

“Eh?”

Kang Junhyeok paused. He looked down at his forearm. There was a fairly deep wound, and blood was trickling down.

“Wha, what?”

“We continue.”

Taesan moved his sword. Kang Junhyeok, who had been standing dumbfounded, hastily blocked. Their sword blades collided.

Taesan pulled his wrist back, and their sword blades parted. The moment his sword completely cleared the other, he stabbed immediately.

Thud.

Kang Junhyeok’s shoulder was pierced.

“Won’t you block?”

Taesan spoke languidly while moving his body. Kang Junhyeok’s expression hardened. He gritted his teeth, focusing his senses to defend himself.

Clang.

But he couldn’t block.

Like a living creature, the sword ignored Kang Junhyeok’s defense and cut through. In an instant, large and small wounds appeared all over his body.

“What, what the…”

Kang Junhyeok couldn’t accept it.

Their stats were equal. The first attack was blocked without any problems.

But he couldn’t block any attacks after that.

Even if he focused and tried to block, the sword blade was already cutting through his flesh.

“Why is there such a difference…”

“Stats and skills are not everything.”

Taesan slashed in a diagonal line, and Kang Junhyeok blocked hastily. The moment the blades collided, Taesan lowered his stance and plunged toward Kang Junhyeok’s lower body.

As his body moved, the sword smoothly grazed past Kang Junhyeok’s blade and cut through his thigh.

“You’re weak.”

Kang Junhyeok gritted his teeth.

The moment he tried to kick Taesan, his knee was stomped down to block it. The moment he tried to forcefully swing his arm to strike Taesan, his forearm was grabbed and suppressed. He was pushed down just like that.

Taesan brought down his sword.

Crash.

It struck right next to Kang Junhyeok’s face on the ground.

As Taesan pulled out his sword, he spoke languidly.

“Sensitivity, judgment capability, the method to exploit momentary weaknesses. Such physical factors cause a great difference. You’re not weak, but you’re still too inadequate. You’re not at a level to survive in Solo Mode. Moreover, you’re not properly controlling your stats, right?”

They obtained an inhuman strength called stats. They gained the power to smash the earth and blow up the sea without any hard training.

Since it was not something they had made their own through training, they couldn’t help but be inexperienced in the transmission of strength and movement.

It was possible to perfectly control the body only through endless physical training, but Kang Junhyeok did not appear to have undergone any particular training.

“Still, can such a difference exist just because of that…”

“It’s not just because of that. It’s a huge difference.”

Taesan kicked Kang Junhyeok. The boy let out a gasping sound and clutched his stomach.

“It’s not over yet. Stand up.”

With a flushed face, Kang Junhyeok grasped his sword.

Thus, thirty minutes later, a worn-out Kang Junhyeok collapsed.

[Victory of Kang Taesan.]

“You’re starting to get the feel, right? What level you are at?”

“Yes. I’m frustratingly aware.”

Kang Junhyeok spits out his response with an exhausted voice.

He didn’t even manage to inflict a single point of damage.

All of his attacks were blocked, and he took all of Taesan’s attacks.

His confidence was shattered, giving rise to a sense of self-abasement.

“Even compared to the Named Ones in the labyrinth, I’m not exceptionally outstanding.”

Taesan said this as his victories against them were based on skills and information; he couldn’t overpower them with just his movements.

“Confidence is good. But keep your limits. At your current state, you wouldn’t even be able to get through the trials of Lakiratas on the second floor, let alone get through the place where this guy is waiting.”

Looking at oneself objectively was a must for survival.

Kang Junhyeok was done. Taesan pointed to Lee Taeyeon. The woman who had been watching in a daze was startled.

“Wow.”

She looked dismayed, hesitated, and then approached.

[Duel Request. This duel will be conducted on equal terms.] [Duel begins.] [The duel between Lee Taeyeon and Kang Taesan begins.]

“I-I don’t need to do it. I already know I’m weak, so I don’t think I’ll cross the line.”

“You have a different problem. You lack confidence.”

Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok had similar skills, but they had completely opposite problems.

Lee Taeyeon was a coward.

This was an undeniable truth. Thanks to this, she managed to survive till the end, but on the flip side, she had given up everything she could possibly achieve.

Her personality suppressed her potential. Taesan approached her and brought down his sword. Lee Taeyeon screamed and blocked it.

“Try to counter.”

“Hee-heek!”

She randomly moved to block Taesan’s sword. Her face showed no trace of composure, but her movements were efficient. She would have been pierced and hit if there was even a slight disruption, but somehow she managed to block it.

Taesan lunged forward and reached out. Lee Taeyeon let out a scream-like kihap (a martial arts shout), struck his hand away, and punched. Taesan caught her wrist and threw her as is.

“Ugh.”

Looking at her sprawled on the ground, Taesan twisted his wrist.

“How is it?”

“……Wow.”

Lee Taeyeon dusted herself off and wobbled. She looked down at her hand with a strange expression.

She pulled off a move she thought she couldn’t do.

“You’re not as weak as you think.”

She wouldn’t have cleared the challenge if she were merely a coward. She had the potential to become stronger than she was before.

“Of course, confidence is good, but you can’t be too bold. If it feels wrong intuitively, you need to pull out immediately. There’s no right answer.”

Even Taesan had to rely on his senses in his all-in mode, where he gambled on probabilities.

What he taught was how to increase their chances of survival and how to become stronger.

After a general lesson, Taesan began to share information.

“You guys don’t have Guard or Counter yet, right? It might not have been feasible until now, but it’s good to learn now. Depending on how you use it, these are skills you could use until the end…”

He taught them how to survive along with the necessary skills. He shared basic information. He didn’t give a perfect countermeasure but gave basic hints. Both Kang Junhyeok and Lee Taeyeon listened with serious expressions.

“That’s it for now. You can share it with the others.”

“……Thank you.”

Kang Junhyeok expressed his gratitude with a serious look.

“I’ll hear that after we’ve survived to the end. Both you and Lee Taeyeon. Don’t die.”

His words were composed but serious.

Both looked up at Taesan with slightly emotional faces. Taesan flinched.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s just that your words were warmer than I expected… I thought you were a very cold person.”

“Do you think a cold-hearted person would be so generous with information?”

“Haha.”

Kang Junhyeok scratched his head. His perception was drawn from Taesan’s usual tone and indifferent attitude, not from the information given.

And this was something Taesan was not aware of.

To him, all of them were already dead. And most of them were bound to die.

No matter how hard he tried to save them, it didn’t change. Players in Easy and Normal Modes died in the aftermath of fights. It was an unconscious attitude to avoid attaching emotions from the start.

Lee Taeyeon changed the subject.

“But, what’s happening inside there now?”

Already six hours had passed. In six hours, the Wave was set to begin.

“I don’t know. We’ll know when we get there.”

Taesan casually stood up.

“Hoo.”

Kim Hwiyyn massaged her head as if she had a headache. Given the importance of her role, she was given a single room, but she wished she could just let it all go.

“This is driving me crazy…

“What happened?”

At the voice coming from behind her, she hastily distanced herself. She swallowed and smiled.

“When did you come in?”

“It’s best to keep the windows closed. If your stats are high, you can just break in.”

Taesan stood by the window, looking at her.

“I see.”

Hwiyun muttered quietly.

She found Taesan’s presence to be slightly uncomfortable.

She knew they were not enemies, and he was not a bad person, but his indifferent attitude and the way he killed people calmly made her slightly scared.

She hid her emotions and opened her mouth. This attitude was visible to Taesan’s eyes, but he didn’t point it out.

“First, as they’re coming from four directions, we plan to distribute our forces accordingly. There were people who resisted and questioned why they should do so, but what could we do? In the end, they complied.”

“To block them from inside?”

“No.”

Hwiyun shook her head.

“We think it’s best to block them from the outside, so we’ll move out before the quest starts.”

Wave. They didn’t know what it was, but they inferred it meant enemies would attack.

The city hall interior was too cramped for a hundred thousand people to move about. The idea was to move outside and deal with it in a broader space.

And that was the right answer. Hwiyun had used this formation in the previous world. Thanks to this, quite a few people survived.

‘About twenty thousand people survived, I guess.’

That was a decent survival rate. Taesan opened his mouth.

“I’ll handle one direction.”

“Pardon?”

“I can manage it. Redirect those people elsewhere.”

“Oh, are… are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t.”

A complicated emotion crossed Hwiyun’s face for a moment. She quietly nodded.

“Thank you… really, thank you.”

“Let’s meet back here alive first.”

Time passed.

People waited in silence.

There were those biting their lips, gnawing at their fingernails. Some were panicking, but they were quickly subdued.

And so, six hours passed.

The monsters showed themselves.

Looking at them approaching from the edge of his sight, Taesan grasped his sword.