Ascension Through Skills

The Broken Man chuckled as he sent a glance over.

“The kid I saw back then grew up in an instant.”

The Broken Man hadn’t expected much from Taesan.

Even if he descended the labyrinth, he thought Taesan would hit a wall and eventually collapse.

But he made it this far. And even defeated Vishnu, the King of Fire Spirits.

It was surprising. Admirable.

Taesan quietly spoke.

“So, all that’s left is to defeat you?”

“That’s right.”

Taesan raised his sword. Unlike Taesan, who took a battle stance, the Broken Man waved his hand instead of raising his spear.

“Let’s take a short break. To be honest, I can’t be your opponent anyway.”

The Broken Man stabbed his spear into the ground. As if he owned the place.

“I’m stuck here on the 70th floor, unable to reach the depths. Vishnu, who made it to the depths, is naturally stronger than me. And you managed to defeat her.”

Just being fast and strong wouldn’t guarantee victory.

But still, the Broken Man knew he couldn’t defeat Taesan. The gap between them was just too large.

“So, there’s no need to rush. Take your time. You may have recovered from leveling up, but it wouldn’t hurt to gather your thoughts, right?”

“That’s true.”

There was no reason to refuse the gesture of goodwill. Plus, there were a few things Taesan needed to confirm. He sat down on the spot.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Haven’t cleared the other areas yet?]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: No. All the communities except Korea, Japan, and China are quiet. They might have been wiped out, but I don’t think that’s the case… It seems like they haven’t returned from Earth yet.]

As of now, only Korea, China, and Japan had completed the Earth quest.

It wasn’t unusual. The designated players from each country had to gather in one place, and there was no time limit for that quest.

Some countries had to cross oceans, while others had to travel across long plains. Normally, the quest would have taken years to complete.

Without someone abnormal like Taesan, it was bound to be a long-term battle.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: …Do you think the High Gods might target other countries?]

The idea was that while Taesan wasn’t on Earth, the High Gods might target players from other countries. It was possible, but Taesan shook his head.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: They wouldn’t have the luxury.]

The High Gods had expended a lot of power to kill Taesan. A god had directly descended and intervened in the quest.

With that, there would be no resources left to target other places.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: That’s a relief.]

Kim Hwiyeon’s message reflected how much stress she’d been under, fearing that possibility.

After that, Taesan exchanged some trivial information with Kim Hwiyeon and the Chinese players through the community. Things like the relations between different countries not being bad. РÃ

After roughly exchanging information, Taesan called Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: How are things?]

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Not bad. Thanks to the power we gained on Earth, it’s been easier going down.]

Taesan asked as he recalled something.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Did you guys make contracts with intermediate spirits?]

[Kang Junhyeok [Solo]: Yes.]

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Are they helping?]

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Yes! Very much! They’re strong enough to assist in battle, and most of all, they’re so cute! Just hugging them makes me feel so happy!]

It was rare for Lee Taeyeon to sound so cheerful and bright. Taesan couldn’t help but smile.

Descending the labyrinth without anyone’s help… that was mentally exhausting. Taesan had the ghost to talk to, but Kang Junhyeok and Lee Taeyeon had no one. They were truly alone.

In that situation, having an absolute ally in the form of a spirit must have made them very happy.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Hang in there.]

Taesan left that message and logged out of the community.

‘That’s good.’

Taesan remembered how much Lee Taeyeon had struggled in her past life. How many posts she had written in the community as she descended the labyrinth.

That wasn’t happening now.

It was a good thing.

Taesan stood up. The Broken Man, who had been waiting from afar, asked.

“Is your rest over?”

“Yes.”

The Broken Man tightened his grip on his spear.

Taesan drew his sword.

They faced each other.

The Broken Man opened his mouth.

“Do you know why I called those guys my kin? It’s because I could see that they would end up just like me.”

As they descended the labyrinth, at some point, they would break, sit down, and give up, becoming failures. The Broken Man thought that the Guides of Sin were no different.

“I just realized it early, and they realized it late. There’s not much difference. But you… you might be different.”

The Broken Man tightened his grip on his spear.

With the sound of the air tearing apart, he accelerated. The spear shot forward, aiming to pierce through Taesan’s head, but Taesan deflected it with a swing of his sword.

Clang!

The spear sliced through the air.

[You have activated the Vessel of the King.]

[You have activated the Incarnation of Nature.]

A great force enveloped Taesan. He moved forward, swinging his sword. With a single strike, the Broken Man’s body was flung far away.

“Haha!”

The Broken Man laughed. He quickly regained his stance and tightened his grip on the spear. The spear twisted, tracing an arc.

The mystery of the spear was indeed an extraordinary skill. Only someone who had dedicated countless years to mastering the spear could reach such a level.

But it shattered.

The mystery the Broken Man unfolded was crushed by the overwhelming power. As the sword strike rushed towards him, the Broken Man laughed.

The Broken Man didn’t lose his fighting spirit. Even as he was pushed back by the overwhelming force, he tried to find a way to win.

It was likely the same method he used when he descended the labyrinth in the past.

But even so, he couldn’t win.

After a battle that was short if short and long if long, the Broken Man was defeated.

“So this is the power of someone who has the potential to see the end. I’m somewhat satisfied.”

The Broken Man dropped his spear.

He was someone who had failed. Someone who had judged that he couldn’t go further and gave up.

The emotions a failure feels when looking at someone moving forward are envy, longing, or jealousy and hatred.

The Broken Man was the former.

“I may be stuck here, unable to escape… but I’ll be rooting for you.”

The Broken Man smiled and disappeared into light.

He wasn’t dead. He was probably sent back to the beginning of the labyrinth.

The Broken Man would resume his role of guiding those who descend further into the labyrinth.

Taesan sheathed his sword.

A loud system window filled his vision.

[Your level has increased.]

[You have reached the 70th floor. You have acquired the title: [One Who Arrived at the Entrance of the Depths].]

[You have perfectly cleared the 70th floor. You have acquired the title: [One Who Entered a New Domain].]

[You have perfectly understood and cleared all floors up to the 70th. You have acquired the title: [March of Conquest].]

[You have arrived at the minimum location desired by the Mage. You have acquired the title: [One Who Meets the Mage’s Expectations].]

[You have arrived at the deepest of depths. Beyond this lies the place where the gods reside, where all terrifying things live, and where the secrets of the world can be revealed.]

[Whether you move forward or sit here content is up to you.]

[A new reward is given based on your achievements as you reached the 70th floor. You have acquired the title: [The Qualified One].]

[Simply arriving at the deep depths grants great enlightenment. You have acquired the special passive skill: [Might of the One Who Reached the Entrance].]

[Title: One Who Arrived at the Entrance of the Depths]

[You have arrived at the entrance of the depths.]

[Health +500]

[Strength +300]

[Attack Power +100]

[Defense +100]

The titles “One Who Entered a New Domain” and “March of Conquest” weren’t very different from “One Who Arrived at the Entrance of the Depths.” They were titles that increased overall stats and attack power.

The differences came afterward.

[Title: One Who Meets the Wizard’s Expectations]

[A small reward given to the one who reached the location desired by the Wizard.]

[Magic +50]

[Mana +1000]

[Mana regeneration speed increases by 30%.]

As expected from a wizard, the reward involved magic-related enhancements. While the increase in magic and mana was notable, the boost in regeneration speed caught his eye first.

[Title: The Qualified One]

[A symbol given to one who descended the labyrinth, utilizing many things and obtaining their own strength.]

[Attack Power +100]

[All skill proficiency growth rate increases significantly.]

“This…”

Taesan quietly read the description of the skill.

An increase in skill proficiency growth rate.

“Did you get this?”

[Hmm?]

The ghost looked at the system window. After reading it for a moment, the ghost responded in a somewhat displeased tone.

[...No. What is this? I didn’t get a title like this.]

“What did you get then?”

[I also had the title ‘The Qualified One,’ but its effect increased swordsmanship proficiency and helped me understand the mysteries of swordsmanship.]

The titles had different effects.

Taesan understood the reason.

“New rewards based on achievements.”

The titles’ effects varied depending on what one dealt with and achieved while descending the labyrinth.

The warrior who focused on swordsmanship gained increased swordsmanship proficiency. In contrast, since Taesan handled almost every type of skill, his title seemed to increase the proficiency growth rate for all skills.

“How effective was it?”

[Quite effective.]

The ghost replied.

[Since it’s something you’ll figure out as you descend the labyrinth, I won’t go into detail, but you won’t be disappointed.]

“So it’s like that.”

The phrase “significant increase” was written. Considering how strict the labyrinth’s system explanations were, it was easy to expect that a “significant increase” would indeed be satisfying, as the ghost mentioned.

Given the slow proficiency growth for spirit magic, intermediate magic, and black magic, this title would be very helpful going forward.

[Special Passive Skill: Might of the One Who Reached the Entrance]

[Simply arriving at the deep depths grants great enlightenment. The user’s might is enhanced.]

Once again, it was a skill that enhanced might. It was something Taesan had anticipated. Even the higher-ups hadn’t been overwhelmed by him, who possessed Apostle Transformation and the Vessel of the King.

This implied the existence of skills or items that enhanced might.

This title appeared to be one of them.

He finished his general checks.

Taesan descended the stairs.

Finally, he had reached the depths.

He felt something change in his senses.

And instead of the shopkeeper who was always waiting, Balbabamba was there waiting for Taesan.

[You’ve arrived.]

Balbabamba quietly said.

[Welcome, adventurer. You have arrived here, in the depths.]