Ascension Through Skills
chapter-182

A prolonged battle was out of the question.

All his means of nullifying attacks had been depleted, and only half of the health remained. While health could be somewhat replenished with potions, there was no method to restore the expended mana and skills.

Yet, the most pressing issue was the nearing end of the transformation into an apostle.

Within the dwindling duration of the transformation, the monster had to be vanquished.

Papababak!

Thorns hurtled towards Taesan’s back. He focused his mind.

Amidst a growing sense of detachment and fatigue, the level of force twisted anew.

The thorns that targeted Taesan’s back failed to penetrate the condensed force and were repelled.

Taesan significantly twisted the sword he had plunged into the monster’s body.

Crackling.

Black liquid gushed out, further tearing the monster’s body apart.

[You have dealt 4042 damage to the monster.]

Taesan ignited flames in the monster’s wounds using the tiny spark spirit skill. The monster writhed as if in agony.

Simultaneously, thorns were launched at him once more.

[You have activated a random blink.]

Crack.

Moving counter to the direction of the thorns’ assault, he thrust his sword again and yanked it out.

After thrusting the sword once more, he split it open and spread flames. The monster’s body started to burn.

Kururung!

The monster’s body shook violently.

The room quaked as though on the verge of collapse. At the same time, the thorns resumed their frenzied attack.

Taesan concentrated anew on defending against the relentless assault.

Simultaneously, Taesan’s body momentarily faltered under the immense force and fatigue.

“I can’t go on any longer.”

Taesan barely managed to steady himself. Adjusting the twisted soul’s power considerably strained his mental fortitude. Continuing its use might lead to his actual collapse.

Taesan maneuvered past the monster with minimal defense.

One by one, large scars were inflicted on the body.

Boooo!

The monster cried out in pain. The thorns swirled and charged at Taesan with the force of a storm.

Koong!

Taesan slammed down his shield.

[You have used the Aegis shield. You are immune to all damage for 1 second but cannot move.]

Kagagagak!

The rough storm of thorns grazed past Taesan.

Taesan took no damage and moved again after 1 second, slicing the monster’s flesh.

Black slime stretched out in all directions like a swamp, trying to grasp Taesan’s ankles. As the slime touched him, a terrible mental wave penetrated his mind.

“It doesn’t work.”

Taesan shook it off lightly.

At this point, a mental attack was unlikely to work.

Taesan plunged his sword again.

Burr.

The monster’s body trembled greatly. The impact was so great that the tentacles momentarily stopped.

Seizing the opportunity, Taesan drew his dual swords and deeply embedded them into the monster’s body. Black slime gurgled out unrestrainedly.

It was the moment the monster was dying.

And, as had been the case so far, space opened above the monster’s head, and dark power poured down on the monster.

Taesan calmly observed this scene.

The moment the monster began to regenerate with the received power, space trembled greatly.

The huge force supporting the monster began to shake unstably, like a vessel cracking from being filled beyond its capacity.

‘As expected.’

The regenerative power the monster received was directly bestowed by high gods.

There was a limit to how much one could interfere in realms that were not their own. The high god was walking a fine line at that boundary.

And once again, as the monster was revived, that line broke.

There was one being that could appear in such a situation.

Crackling.

The moment the high god crossed the line, a being waiting for this opportunity appeared. A hand emerged from that place, tearing space apart significantly.

With space torn apart, a being with eyes like starlight appeared.

“You’re late.”

Taesan murmured as he lowered his sword.

The God of Magic had descended.

“Woahhhhh!”

A giant swung an axe at the monster with a shout. The monster did not avoid the giant’s attack.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

It was the axe-wielding giant who was repelled instead.

The giant gritted his teeth.

“What is this……”

They were being overwhelmed by the monsters.

They could barely defeat B-class monsters and had no chance against A-class ones. Although they realized they were facing a much stronger enemy and tried to hold their formation, it was reaching its limit.

The giants fell one by one. Out of the hundreds, already half were dead.

In contrast, they had only managed to kill five monsters.

That they had managed to take down five A-class monsters with their power was an impressive feat, but the desperate situation had not changed.

“The great warriors……”

Their situation was not any better. Their clothes were torn to shreds, and their hair was a mess.

The slime monster they had been suppressing rose up violently. At the same time, the slime spread and surged towards the giants like a wave.

The great warriors hurriedly gathered and raised their hands.

A huge magical barrier was created.

Koooong!

The slime pounded on the barrier. A cracking sound spread little by little across the barrier.

Despite the great warriors pulling more and more power, the emerging cracks did not stop and continued to grow in intensity.

“Is this the end?”

The Giant King laughed bitterly.

The gamble had failed.

Yet, just as he was about to calmly accept defeat.

Wooong!

The wave of the monster that had been continuously hitting his barrier slowly began to disappear.

The Giant King’s eyes shone.

He released the power he was using to create the barrier. The wave that had been spreading throughout the world left only a faint residue and disappeared.

“Huh?”

“This power…”

It wasn’t just the Giant King who realized it. The giants fighting, as well as the monsters, momentarily stopped their attacks and looked towards the castle.

Something immense had descended here directly.

The Giant King laughed.

“Isn’t it too late, God of Magic?”

[This feels good.]

The God of Magic laughed, setting his foot on the ground.

[It's been a long time since I've been on the land of my birth. To come here because of such a worthless thing. I love it.]

“Was it the high gods’ interference after all?”

The God of Magic was a giant from the world of arrogant giants, a native of Bahuliya.

But he had never shown himself here before.

Considering the task given to him, the God of Magic had an attachment to his homeland.

There was definitely some interference, and Taesan thought it was the high gods.

[Right. Those annoying ones kept blocking my return. Seems they really wanted to kill the giants.]

The God of Magic swung his hand merrily.

[But that's over now.]

The space created above the monster’s head closed.

[As I expected, Kang Taesan. You did as I wanted. You kept killing the monster, forcing the high god to cross the line. Thanks to you, I was able to descend.]

The God of Magic held his laughter, seemingly very pleased.

[I'll express my thanks, Kang Taesan. It's rare for a god to thank a human, so take it as an honor.]

Gurgling.

The cracks made by the high god disappeared, but the monster had already regenerated. The monster moved its tentacles, launching thousands of thorns at Taesan and the God of Magic.

[This one's on you.]

The God of Magic didn’t even glance at the monster’s attack.

The thorns approaching the God of Magic turned to ash and disappeared.

[I have my own things to do.]

“That may be, but it’s going to be difficult now.”

The transformation was undone, and both his physical and mental strength were depleted. Facing the monster now was practically impossible. Upon hearing Taesan’s words, the God of Magic flicked his fingers.

[Don't worry.]

Mana, invoked by the God of Magic, inhabited Taesan.

[You are in your best state.] [You have learned the intermediate magic [Frozen World].] [The usage will come naturally to you.]

As Zelbando finished speaking, Taesan immediately became aware of all the information about magic, including its effects and power.

[It's quite high-grade, even among intermediate magics, so I hope you like it.]

“…Thank you.”

Taesan nodded, groaning.

[Then I'll go do what I must.]

Zelbando left with a smile.

Taesan turned his gaze towards the writhing monster.

Until now, it had been a fairly dangerous enemy worth risking his life against, but it no longer posed a threat.

Kugugugung!

The tentacles moved, and again, thousands of thorns flew towards him.

[You have activated Frozen World.]

Creaking and cracking!

Space froze over.

A terrible chill rushed at the monster. Due to the battle’s aftermath, the collapsing space froze over, halting the collapse.

Instantly, silence enveloped the vast space.

The state of the monster, directly hit by the magic, was truly pitiful. All its tentacles were frozen solid, unable to move.

The monster tried to fiercely twist its frozen tentacles to shoot thorns at Taesan, but the chill that subdued it blocked even that attempt.

Taesan curled the corners of his mouth and approached the monster.

While he was dealing with the monster, the God of Magic moved towards the Giant King. All the giants stared blankly at Zelbando.

[Are you the king now? Pleased to meet you.]

The Giant King, who had been staring blankly at Zelbando, opened his mouth.

“You are quite small, just like in the books.”

Zelbando’s size was similar to Taesan’s. It was inconceivable that he was one of the giants.

[Right. I was small and weak, always under everyone's protection.]

Zelbando chuckled and raised his hand.

[I have received a lot from you. So, I guess it's time to give back.]

His hand unleashed a tremendous power that reached the giants. As soon as his power touched them, all the giants felt an overflowing strength.

“Oh, ohhhhh…”

A flood of knowledge began filling their minds about the magic that they had forgotten over long and lengthy eons.

Swish.

Simultaneously, the sky split open, and monsters poured down like rain.

Each one was comparable to the slime monsters the great warriors had faced.

[They never give up, do they? But it's too late now.]

Zelbando chuckled merrily.

The Giant King looked down at his fist with serene eyes.

The mental attacks he had been blocking with all his might for a long time were now gone.

“How long has it been since I fully felt my power?”

He stood up, waving his hand towards the dozens of S-class monsters charging at him.

The sky opened, and starlight fell.

Each starlight possessed the power to crush the earth and twist space. The S-class monsters were instantly buried in light and disappeared. Some survived the fall of the starlight, attempting to attack, but even they were crushed under the remnants of the light.

Dozens of S-class monsters.

Monsters that even the previous life’s Taesan and Lee Taeyeon had carefully dealt with were wiped out in one strike.

The Giant King laughed. He clenched his fist.

“Disappear.”

Koong!

The Giant King’s power stretched out to all the worlds.

The cracks that had been established in each territory were one by one pressed down by the power and disappeared.

In just a few minutes, all the cracks that existed in Bahuliya were gone.

Kooong!

Simultaneously, a massive wave was felt from inside the castle.

[It seems that side is finished, too.]

Shortly after, Taesan, covered in black slime, appeared.

Taesan said calmly.

“The quest is complete, God of Magic.”

[Well done.]

The God of Magic smiled faintly.