Ascension Through Skills
chapter-21

[Lakiratas offers you an Apostle's Contract]

“Eh?”

Taesan was startled.

“An apostle’s contract? What’s this?”

Taesan stared blankly at the window. However, no matter how long he waited, no explanation appeared.

“So, I have to make a choice.”

Taesan sat down hesitantly while stroking his chin.

The Apostle’s Contract. Lee Taeyeon had not been offered such a contract since she had fled. She had no information regarding what kind of contract it was.

Taesan summoned the system window.

[Lakiratas' influence area has decreased]

This was displayed before the window that offered the apostle’s contract. Seeing the system window stating that the influence area decreased while enhancing Lakiratas’ servant, it seemed that gods suffered penalties when exerting their influence.

Perhaps he was willing to accept such penalties just to make him his apostle.

Although it was closer to favor than hostility, Taesan felt a sense of reluctance.

The other party was a god.

Lee Taeyeon said they did whatever they wanted, and Taesan also felt it deeply. The fact that Lakiratas had strengthened the trials midway meant that it would have been dangerous if Taesan had been a little weaker.

Would an offer given out of goodwill by such a being be really beneficial to him?

It was hard to guarantee that the god’s favor would coincide with his purpose.

Perhaps there was a high possibility that he would live as a slave, like Lakiratas’ servant.

Taesan made a decision.

“I will not accept.”

[You refused Lakiratas's offer. The apostle's contract is put on hold.]

The god did not explode in rage because of the refusal. Whether the gods were merciful to those they recognized, or if that was just Lakiratas’ way, the contract was merely put on hold, as if suggesting that the choice could be made at any time.

That was a relief. It meant there would be no grudge that would lead the god to withhold the reward.

[Lakiratas grants you a reward. You have received [Ritual Knife of Lakiratas].]

The mist gathered, and soon a blood-red longsword appeared before Taesan. It was not rusted at all and was extremely sharp.

Taesan’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the exceptionally good-looking weapon.

[Ritual Blade of Lakiratas] [Attack +5] [Upon eliminating a target, recover 5 health points] [A blade used by those who serve Lakiratas. The blade is stained red with the blood of sacrifices.]

Taesan’s eyes stopped for a moment. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things wrong, and checked again.

“It’s real.”

There was no change in the description, and Taesan let out a dry laugh.

“What? Can they even give something like this?”

The attack power was a whopping 5. It was not an item one could obtain on the second floor. His current attack power was 4. If he changed his weapon, it would become 7. If he wielded dual swords, it would become 9.

Judging by attack power alone, it was a nearly twofold increase. In terms of damage, it was about 30% stronger.

On top of that, it also had a special effect. Recovering 5 health points upon defeating an enemy. A minor but significantly perceptible effect.

“Awesome.”

It was a reward that made all the hard work worthwhile. Taesan was quite satisfied.

But the rewards weren’t over yet.

[You cleared the enhanced trial. Additional rewards will follow.] [You have acquired a special constant activation skill, [Mark of Struggle].]

It was a skill he had no knowledge about. If the first reward was a sword with an attack power of 5, then this skill must be quite good too. Taesan checked it with anticipation.

[Special Constant Activation Skill: Mark of Struggle] [Proficiency: 1%] [You have proven your struggle. The more you fight and defeat enemies, the stronger you become.]

“An acceleration skill?”

It was a skill that increased speed and stats. Such skills were called acceleration skills. Many players found them useful and categorized them as buffs.

It seemed that the Mark of Struggle was such a skill. The detailed effects would only be known when it was used, but since it was a reward given by a god, it was unlikely to be bad.

Lakiratas did not stop there.

[Sub Quest Start] [Lakiratas wishes to give you another trial for successfully overcoming his challenge.] [Condition: Defeat the enemies of the 2nd and 3rd floors and return.] [Reward: Lakiratas will decide based on your achievements.]

Taesan looked at the quest window with a bit of trepidation. He was hesitant to accept, as Lakiratas had already altered the contents of his previous trial.

Taesan made his decision.

“I won’t take it.”

Someone who had stabbed him in the back once could do it again at any time. Taesan refused the quest.

[You have refused the sub-quest.]

Then another window popped up.

[Sub Quest Start] [Lakiratas wishes to give you another trial for successfully overcoming his challenge.] [Condition: Defeat the enemies of the 2nd and 3rd floors and return.] [Reward: Lakiratas will decide mercifully based on your achievements.]

The word ‘mercifully’ was added to the description. Taesan, with a wry smile, accepted it this time.

This wasn’t a quest that presented something like a trial but rather a task to eliminate things already existing in the labyrinth. It was impossible for any kind of trickery. Judging from the changed quest window, it didn’t seem like Lakiratas intended to do anything, so it seemed okay to accept.

[Sub Quest Start] [Lakiratas is pleased with your choice.]

If he was to kill, he should kill them all. If the quest required killing all the enemies on the 2nd and 3rd floors, he would have to spend a lot of time here. He thought he should prepare a bit before that.

Taesan returned to the shop.

“Why are you back so soon?”

“I have something to buy. The potion is 200 gold, right?”

“It is 200 gold… you’re buying already?”

“I think I’ll need a few.”

He hadn’t originally planned on using them on the lower floors. Still, his thought had changed after his previous trial was enhanced.

There would be more places like the Altar of Lakiratas.

He would never know when and where something might attack him.

He could pass them without much trouble if he had healing potions at such times.

If he had potions this time, he could have cleared the floor even more smoothly.

Taesan currently possessed a total of 650 gold.

As he was also thinking of selling the unused equipment, Taesan brought out a rusty sword and a crude bow.

“How much for these?”

“Those two? I’ll give you 100 gold each.”

850 gold. He could buy four potions.

“Do you sell mana potions too?”

“We do, but it’s more expensive. 250 gold each.”

“Then, give me one of those and three healing potions.”

“Got it.”

The dwarf quickly exchanged the gold for potions. Three red potions and one blue potion were handed to Taesan.

[Health Recovery Potion] [Recovers 50% of health] [Mana Recovery Potion] [Recovers 50% of mana]

The basic preparation was over, and Taesan put the potions into his inventory. The dwarf, who had been looking at Taesan, grimaced for a moment.

“… That sword.”

The dwarf’s gaze was on the Ritual Knife of Lakiratas.

“Lakiratas. Did you get it from that pervert?”

“Pervert?”

“He’s a pervert if he enjoys watching others fight, isn’t he?”

The dwarf spoke with a frown, seemingly not liking Lakiratas very much.

“Seeing that you have that, you must have passed the trial. It’s too much of an item for you now… but I can’t take what you’ve received.”

The dwarf clearly didn’t seem pleased that Taesan had received a weapon. Gods and NPCs. He didn’t know the clear distinction between them yet, but they didn’t seem friendly towards each other.

“I had anticipated this, though. I knew you would have cleared it.”

“I almost died, you know?”

“Oh, you almost died?”

The dwarf’s face hardened. He asked in a serious tone.

“Don’t tell me the trials suddenly became more intense?”

Taesan nodded. The dwarf’s face twisted.

“This insane god still hasn’t corrected his habit.”

“Was it always like this?”

“He’s always been like that to those he fancies. I don’t know what he’s doing, chipping away at his own domain. I would understand if he were nurturing talents, but he ends up killing everyone. What’s his aim?”

The dwarf looked at Taesan in amazement.

“So far, everyone has died, but you survived. That pervert must be thrilled.”

The dwarf seemed to know quite a bit about Lakiratas. Taesan then asked a question.

“May I ask one thing? What is the Apostle’s Contract?”

“Huh?”

Surprise spread across the dwarf’s face.

“Did Lakiratas propose that to you?”

“Yes, but I postponed it since he didn’t give any explanation.”

“Good decision. It’s not something to decide easily. He mentioned a contract… When was the last time this happened?”

After a long period of contemplation, the dwarf opened his mouth with a grimace.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t answer that.”

“…I see.”

Taesan stared strangely at the dwarf, who, after hesitating, said he couldn’t answer. The dwarf explained it as if making an excuse.

“I can’t help it. All I can do for you is my role as a shop owner. I can’t do more than that. That’s the contract condition.”

“Contract?”

“That’s why I’m tied to this place.”

The dwarf snorted as if he was annoyed and gestured with a face that no longer wanted to continue the conversation.

“You’ve bought everything you need, haven’t you? Leave now.”

There was no point in staying, as he wouldn’t get any more answers. Taesan asked another question.

“Before I go, could you show me the items you showed me last time?”

“You don’t even have any money, do you?”

“I’m thinking about buying them later.”

“Hmm… Wait a moment.”

The dwarf showed him the items. There were numerous items that included earrings and rings too.

Among them, an item caught Taesan’s eye.

[Iron Cross Necklace] [Attack Power +1] [A necklace worn by those who served the God of War. It was of no practical use, but they believed it protected them.] [600G]

‘I see.’

After checking, Taesan turned around.

“Then, I’ll be back next time.”

“I’d rather see you on the next floor.”

“That seems difficult.”

Taesan was planning to visit the store often.

NPCs and the gods.

Taesan made a judgment that they were the most important things in Solo Mode.

Taesan opened the Community.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: Are you there?] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: Oh, hyung. Hello.] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Oh, it's Mr. Taesan. Hello.] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: Did you meet the Paladin?]

It was about time that they met the Paladin. He was thinking of confirming what kind of relationship they had established with Ainzhar.

[Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: We did meet.] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: What happened?] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: ...Hyung, it's a bit different from your story?] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: What are you talking about out of the blue?] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: The Paladin? He just spat and left.]

Taesan paused.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: Couldn't you stop him?] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: Could we? Even if we knew how we couldn't move. We were just overpowered, and that was it..] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: The same happened when I met the Paladin. No matter how much I tried to move, I couldn't.] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: You guys too?]

Being able to respond to an attack was another story since Ainzhar’s strike was intimidating in itself. The only reason Taesan could block it was because it was extremely slow.

However, he thought that if Taeyeon or Junhyeok knew beforehand, they would be able to respond, but apparently, they couldn’t.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: So, what happened? Did you cling to him?] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: We did. But he spat and told us to get lost. Said we were worthless to him.] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: That's quite different from what you said, Mr. Taesan.]

Taesan tapped his chin thoughtfully.

One thing became clear. Ainzhar treated only those who could react to his strike as valuable.

Thinking about it, the dwarf was similar. Taeyeon said the dwarf was rude and seemed to begrudge even offering anything.

But he was very kind to him.

Lakiratas might not be any different.

Perhaps even more so than the dwarf or Ainzhar. Being an existence that provides definite rewards based on achievements, there was a high chance he would mock and belittle those who did not accept his trials.

After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Taesan posted a message.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: Where are you guys now?] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: I'm currently hunting Big Rats.] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Same here. I want to level up a bit before going down.] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: What about the others?] [Kang Junhyeok[Solo]: There are a few now hunting Big Rats. But it might take some more time.]

The players were still in the adaptation phase. It would take time to get past the first floor.

‘I can tell them later.’

Taesan prioritized which information to give them. What he was going to teach them now was information about the boss.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: When you try to go down to the second floor, there will be a boss mob. It's called the Giant Rat, a strengthened version of the Big Rat. It has over 200 HP, and even when you block, it deals damage. Be careful.] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: ...How do we kill that?] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: Think about it. I can't tell you everything.]

He intended to guide, not to lead.

If he told them everything, they would rely on him and lose the ability to clear the labyrinth. That would be a loss for both sides.

Taeyeon had already killed the Giant Rat on her own. She and Junhyeok should be capable of doing so.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: If you think a little, you can find a way. And don't die unnecessarily by entering the red door. Inform the other players too.] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Yes. Thank you.] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: We'll do our best.]

Taesan closed the Community. Those two should be able to make it to the second floor without problems.

“Now, I need to gather some money.”

He had the skill Airak Weapon Technique. An absurd skill that applied the attack value of all the gear he equipped.

However, he hadn’t made full use of it yet. With a ring and the Brawler’s Fist, he could only increase his attack power by 2.

So, he thought about buying some items from the store.

The dwarf had shown many pieces of equipment. Among them were necklaces, earrings, and rings.

“It’s a good thing since I have to kill all of them anyway.”

Lakiratas’ quest was to kill all the monsters on the second floor. It would earn him quite a bit of gold.

He would throw all of his gold into the store to buy necklaces, rings, earrings, and countless other accessories.

Even just getting the basics would allow him to exceed an attack power of 10.

And then he would descend to the third floor. That was his current goal.