Ascension Through Skills
chapter-232

[Level 53 Quest Start] [Defeat the boss of Level 53 and pass through.] [Reward: The Robe harbored by Barvosiga.] [Secret Reward: ???]

The monsters on the 53rd floor were transforming shadows. Shadows etched into the floor took various forms to attack Taesan.

Of course, they were no match for Taesan, who quickly dealt with them and broke through the labyrinth.

Then the quest arrived.

[Special Quest Start] [Return to Earth.] [In one week, you will return to the land you abandoned. Survive there and then return. Rewards will be determined based on your performance.] [This quest cannot be refused.]

“Finally.”

[Has it arrived?]

Taesan nodded. It was time to return to their homeland, Earth.

[What are you talking about?]

To the curious Barkaza, Taesan roughly explained what was about to happen. Barkaza chuckled at the story.

[It seems your world has not been preserved. A world trampled by the high gods... Are you going to stop their attack?]

“If you put it that way, yes.”

[Interesting. Sorry to say, but I want to leave quickly.]

Barkaza muttered with an excited voice.

Taesan opened the community forum.

The community was as chaotic as before.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: How's the situation?] [Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Ah, Mr. Taesan, you’re here? I was worried because I hadn’t seen you recently.] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: I had things to do.] [Kim Junggeun [Hard]: The situation isn’t great. But it's not bad either.]

Amid the chaos of the community, restraint was evident. Everyone was panicked and fearful, yet the will to survive shone through.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: It’s our fourth time, so everyone must be getting used to it by now.]

They had seen many deaths. They had endured and continued to survive in the labyrinth.

Those who had survived so far were only those whose minds were fortified. They did not succumb to despair or collapse in the face of the sudden fear that struck.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Is that so?]

Faster than expected.

People had become mentally stable since the fifth return. Their minds had matured faster than in previous lives due to various changes.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: How about you? Lee Taeyeon, Kang Jun-hyeok] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: We're going down without any problems. We’ll probably reach the 20th floor soon.] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: That’s fast?]

When he was on the 44th floor, they were talking about the 16th floor. And now, they were almost on the 20th floor. Their pace had clearly increased.

[Kang Jun-hyeok [Solo]: It’s all thanks to you, brother. Black magic and Ability Sword. These skills are really... unbelievably powerful.]

Even text could not hide his admiration. For those just breaking into the teens of floors, the value of these two skills was nearly absolute.

[Kang Jun-hyeok [Solo]: This time, we’ll produce a different result.] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Work hard.]

Taesan briefly skimmed through the community forum. Many people were discussing various things about their return.

Among their conversations, a notable story emerged.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: It seems everyone has a guess about what this return quest will be.] [Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Given the pattern so far, it's obvious.]

The first return. People from the city gathered in one place. During the second return, they gathered around the road. And for the third return, people from Gyeonggi Province and Seoul gathered at Seoul City Hall.

Then, it wasn’t hard to guess what the quest for the fourth return would be.

It was likely a quest that would gather all Koreans in Seoul.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: We're preparing for that. So, Mr. Taesan, you might need to help a bit…] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: No problem.] [Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Ah. Thank you.] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Then there's no issue?] [Kim Junggeun [Hard]: Uh. Well.] [Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: There might be an issue, but there might not be…] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: What is it?]

Kim Hwiyeon hesitated to post.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: There's a bit of a clash of opinions. It's not a big deal, but you might find it slightly annoying… Maybe it's a clash of values? There's a bit of opposition happening among us.] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Ideology?]

After pondering its meaning for a moment, Taesan realized.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: I see. There won't be any problems, so don't worry about it. See you later.] [Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Yes.] [Kim Junggeun [Hard]: Brother, see you later.] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Whew. I'm going to die. I’m really going to die.] [Kang Jun-hyeok [Solo]: I want to go quickly. I want to tear those damned monsters apart.]

Taesan turned off the community forum.

“That already happened.”

It was an event from much later in Taesan’s memory. The reason was simple.

Ideology was only valuable when there was leisure to consider it, hence it only emerged after psychological stability was achieved.

During the fourth return in his previous life, people had no leisure. They were overwhelmed just trying to survive.

But now, it was different. There was no worry about food, and concerns for their lives had significantly decreased.

Therefore, people had become more relaxed. They were psychologically stable enough to pursue spiritual values.

“It doesn’t matter though.”

Even in his past life, it had never been a problem. It was just annoying.

Taesan continued descending through the labyrinth.

And he discovered a secret room.

[Here it is.]

The ghost following quietly spoke.

[Remember what I told you before? There’s a place where you can find the weapon I used.]

“That’s right.”

[This is the place. The secret room on the 53rd floor.]

Taesan looked at the secret room.

It was noticeably larger than before. And next to what seemed to be a staff as a reward, there was a grey-colored sword.

“That must be it.”

[Looking at it makes me nostalgic. Just take it. There should be no problem if it's you.]

Taesan stepped into the corridor.

Krrrrung!

Then, the walls moved, and innumerable traps sprang out.

Upon entering the 50th floor, the traps in the secret rooms also underwent significant changes. Even a seasoned adventurer could not easily navigate through these traps.

Of course, this posed no problem for Taesan.

“Barkaza.”

Barkaza clapped his hands. The barriers unfolded, and the traps were scattered.

Taesan strolled towards the reward as if he were merely taking a walk.

He grasped the staff.

[The Staff of Five Colors] [Magic +80] [A staff adorned with brilliantly shining, multicolored gems. The gems amplify each other to create overwhelming power.] [It contains the mischief of a transcendent being.] [This staff repels the user’s weapon.]

Paang!

The moment Taesan held the staff, the sword he was carrying was forcibly ejected.

“Well, look at that.”

Krrrung!

And at that moment, the secret room began to collapse.

Walls slowly moved to block the passage, and the ceiling descended.

‘A trigger, perhaps.’

A trap that activated when the reward was taken. Taesan rolled his foot nonchalantly.

[You have activated the Shoes of Leaping to the World’s End.]

Taesan’s body leaped a short distance. He caught the flying sword in an instant.

Paang!

He forcefully suppressed the staff that was pushing the sword away and placed it in his inventory. He also picked up a steel-colored sword that had fallen to the floor.

[You have activated Random Blink.]

Taesan’s body escaped through the passage outside.

[The Sword of a Trained One] [Attack Power +120] [A sword from one who refined and relentlessly practiced with it until death. A hint of their will is imbued in the sword.]

“Is this it?”

[Yes. As expected, you handled it without any issues. I struggled a bit because of this.]

“Such a perverse trap.”

The moment he held the staff from the secret room’s reward, the weapon he was carrying was flung away. Simultaneously, the labyrinth’s walls began to close.

The walls and floors of the labyrinth were indestructible to anyone not as powerful as a fighter of Ainzhar’s caliber. The walls closed in so quickly that there wasn’t enough time to retrieve a thrown sword and escape.

Essentially, the staff was a trap designed to make one lose their weapon.

[Damn trickster deity. Even jokes should have their limits.]

“Is there really a deity of pranks?”

[If you go down, you might meet one. Not exactly a deity I'd want to encounter.]

Despite the ghost’s struggles, Taesan managed to escape without any issues.

Moreover, he had acquired a decent sword.

Its attack power was 120, which was 50 points higher than the weapon given by the deity that gave him his current sword. It was definitely a useful weapon for an adventurer on the 53rd floor.

“This is good.”

The staff would also serve as a fine offering.

Taesan wrapped things up and continued his descent through the labyrinth.

The boss of the 53rd floor was a long shadow that extended darkness, similar to a high god, but the difference in rank and power was as vast as heaven and earth. He won easily.

Both the reward and the secret reward were magical in nature.

Indeed, it was a magical object intended for an offering.

However, he had no immediate plans to ascend. With only a week left, he intended to maximize what he could obtain and then conclude his journey.

Taesan reached the 54th floor.

The monsters on the 54th floor were embodiments of wind, materialized from the wind itself.

For Taesan, who had a contract with the Wind Spirit King, they were very easy opponents. Without any special attacks, merely by stirring his power, the enemy could do nothing.

Taesan continued his descent.

And the things he had accumulated began to show results.

“Finally, a lot has changed.”

The proficiency of skills increases and evolves as they are honed. For a while, there was no noticeable change as they accumulated, but now the buildup had begun to yield results.

[Special Activation Skill: Vital Point Designation] [Proficiency: 20%] [Designates one part of the target as a vital point and deals double damage when attacking this point. Once a vital point is designated, it cannot be redesignated on the same target until a day has passed. Only very small areas can be designated as vital points. The judgment of vital points has slightly widened.]

Reaching 20% proficiency, the change in Vital Point Designation was an easing of its judgment.

Previously, vital point attacks literally required hitting a tiny dot-sized area. Any slight movement by the opponent would disrupt it.

Now, the judgment has expanded from the size of a dot to that of a coin—a significant difference.

[Special Always-Active Skill: Bearer of the Sword] [Proficiency: 20%] [Recognized by the deity of swords as reaching a proficient level. When fighting an enemy wielding a weapon, their gaps and weaknesses are easily identified, and proficiency with the sword increases.]

Taesan swung his sword. His created ability sword technique unfolded.

His movements were smoother than before.

It wasn’t a major difference, but in the grand scheme of combat, it was a change that could block variables.

[Special Activation Skill: Essence Understanding] [Proficiency: 60%] [Understands the essence of the target. It can identify where the power originates and the associated weaknesses. The state of the target can also be discerned.]

The ability to discern the state was added. Testing it on Barkaza yielded immediate results.

[A high-grade spirit with a variety of colors. Barkaza.] [A spirit contracted with Kang Taesan.] [In a state that has reached the very limits of his grade.] [Why are you looking at me like that?]

“Just checking something.”

It wasn’t a bad change. The faster the Essence Understanding reached 100% proficiency, the greater the power he could gain.

Aura also changed.

[Special Activation Skill: Aura] [Proficiency: 40%] [A reward given to those who have proven themselves with the sword, demonstrating a decent understanding of the aura and the ability to wield it effectively.]

Despite its constant use, the increase in proficiency was gradual. He had become more adept at manipulating the aura, resulting in enhanced damage and the ability to significantly broaden the attack range by enlarging the aura.

Subsequently, the proficiency of the Ability Sword evolved as well.

[Advanced Sword Technique: Ability Sword] [Proficiency: 41%] [A unique sword technique, conceived by an adventurer within the labyrinth and inspired by the system of the labyrinth itself. It was developed from the sword technique utilized by the Prince of the Destroyed World, allowing for the seamless integration of several skills with the sword technique.] [Already at 40%. That's quite rapid.]

Given that the Airak Technique, which he had learned much earlier, was still hovering around the 30% mark, the difference was stark. As a skill he had developed himself, the pace of advancement was notably quicker.

With the increase in proficiency, there were new transformations among the skills enhanced by the Ability Sword, along with additional effects being added to the Ability Sword’s capabilities.