Ascension Through Skills
chapter-25

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: I'm too lazy to explain each and every one, so I'll skip that. Just listen up.]

Taesan began his explanation.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: I'll tell you about the skills you can acquire with some effort. Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyuk, you'll know what I'm talking about.] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: Yep.]

Insight was a skill one could acquire by understanding the essence of things.

Cold Judgment was a skill attainable by maintaining a steady mind.

Sensory Enhancement was attainable by keeping the senses sharp.

They were all skills one could only obtain with innate talent.

In essence, these talents were expressed as skills.

These weren’t skills you could learn just by being taught; these were skills you acquired on your own.

Taesan planned to reveal the skills that could be acquired with effort, even if commonplace.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: First, I'll pass over the Disease Resistance skill since I assume you all have it.]

Emergency rations were too expensive for the first-floor players to buy. Until they could purchase a torch, they had no choice but to eat raw meat.

In the process, they would contract food poisoning and recover at the Fountain of Life.

This naturally led to the acquisition of Disease Resistance.

Indeed, the majority of skills reported by the Solo players were Disease Resistance.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: So, the easiest skill to acquire: Pain Reduction.] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: Wow, that sounds good.]

Expectations spread throughout the Community. They were all modern people vulnerable to pain, and gaining a skill that could reduce their pain—it was an incredibly appealing prospect.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Since you've all obtained one or two skills, you know the conditions for acquiring them, right?] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: Replicate the effects of the skill to some extent. I know that. ...Huh?]

Kang Junhyuk, who had been speaking, came to a realization. Taesan responded calmly.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: As you said, the method is simple. Just endure the pain.] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: That's easier than I thought. So, just get beaten up by a Big Rat?] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Would that work?]

The Big Rat’s attacks stung a bit but didn’t count as pain in the labyrinth’s judgment.

[Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: Then how can we obtain it?] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Stab yourself in the arm.] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: ...What?] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: You all have a rusty sword, right? Stab it deep into your arm. It must reach the bone for proper recognition, so don't be scared and do it half-heartedly.]

The only monster on the first floor was the Big Rat. Only people willing to die if this secret got out would come forward, so there was no other way.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Why so silent?]

The once noisy Community had quieted down.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: ...Stab ourselves with a sword?] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Yes. Make sure it reaches the bone. You have the Fountain of Life nearby. What's the problem?]

Even if it hurt, you could recover.

Taesan believed there was no issue.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: While in that state, if you fight the Big Rat, you can acquire the skill called Indomitable Will, as well as the ability to ignore injuries and keep fighting. Make sure you fight.]

Silence fell again. After a while, Kang Junhyuk asked with some difficulty.

[Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: How long do we have to endure it?] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Roughly a minute?] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: ...Wow.?]

It was an exclamation packed with many meanings. As this was the reaction Taesan had expected, he continued posting.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: I'll keep going. The next skill is called Breathless. Dive into the Fountain of Life and hold your breath. Wait until you're on the brink of death, and you can obtain it. Use that skill while swinging your sword to your limit, and you'll acquire Breathless Attack. It's a highly useful skill that grants freedom from breathing, so it's good to learn it.] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Until just before death?] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: How did you learn the Death Line?] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: While fighting in the corridor, two Big Rats suddenly appeared. I ran away as soon as I saw them. When I arrived at the Fountain of Life with just 2 HP left, I got it.] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: That's the feeling. You'll get Breathless in much the same way, alright?] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Ah......]

Realizing the literal danger to her life, Lee Taeyeon closed her mouth.

[Moon Jaeseong[Solo] : ......Is there anything else?] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: There's a skill called Endurance, which nullifies damage leading to death and provides immunity to damage for a few seconds.]

This sounded like a skill with significant benefits to the Community, yet they were quiet. Lee Taeyeon asked, seemingly having given up.

[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: How do you get that?] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: Leave only 1 HP and block the Big Rat's attack about thirty times. Then you can get it. You'll also get a skill called Blocking as a bonus. It's a worthwhile gamble.] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo] : Huh.] [Moon Jaeseong[Solo] : ......Are you lying?] [Park Chanwoong[Solo]: No matter how difficult we must go to such lengths to acquire skills?]

The initial trust, faith, and joy were gone and were replaced by skepticism. Taesan reviewed the somber posts.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: I don't intend to force you to learn. There's no reason to. The choice is yours.] [Moon Jaeseong[Solo]: I, I can't. How am I supposed to do such an insane thing?] [Kim Yohan[Solo]: Me too. No matter how much I need skills, I don't think this is right.]

Most of the reactions were refusals. They couldn’t accept the fact that they had to go to such lengths to gain skills. And it was the reaction Taesan had expected.

After all, they were people who had lived in the modern world.

War was a story of history, and starvation was something that happened in faraway lands. They’ve never once risked their lives for anything in their lives. Even if they were suddenly thrown into the maze, their fundamentals didn’t change. There was no one willing to endure pain to gain something, even if they knew it would save their lives.

They’ll realize this after they’ve gone through some hardship. The problem was that most of them would die by then. Those who knew before experiencing hardship were very few.

[Lee Taeyeon[Solo] : ......Is there no other way?] [Kang Taesan[Solo] : None.] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: Wow, this is crazy.]

Although he grumbled, his words were filled with determination.

[Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: Sigh. Still, we have to try.] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Living and living, I end up doing all kinds of strange things.] [Moon Jaeseong[Solo]: Uh, Junhyuk, are you really going to do that crazy thing?] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: Then what should we do? If we learn, it will definitely help.] [Moon Jaeseong[Solo]: They could be lying, right?] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Taesan? For what reason?]

Reading Lee Taeyeon’s words, Moon Jaeseong was speechless. Taesan had proven himself by posting the strategy.

[Lee Taeyeon[Solo] : Why would someone who's doing well on his own lie? Let's just learn safer skills first. Holding your breath isn't that dangerous, right?] [Kang Taesan[Solo] : It's okay if you exit as soon as you see the system window. But you're going to have to suffer a bit? It's not easy to suppress instinct.]

Excluding him, the only one who learned Breathless in his previous world, Junggeun, also succeeded only after dozens of attempts.

Enduring the fear of death was not a simple thing.

Only someone mentally abnormal somewhere could withstand it easily.

[Kang Junhyuk[Solo]: Ugh, I'll have to try.]

The only ones showing some will were Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyuk. This was also expected. Only those with talent and a spirit of challenge were able to move forward. The rest would rot in the labyrinth, or they might belatedly realize and make their best effort.

‘I wish one or two would step up.’

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: Work hard. I'll tell you when you can learn the next skill.]

Taesan closed the Community. The remaining people would probably make a lot of noise, but it was none of his business.

[Is it over? What did you do?]

“Just some advice.”

The ghost didn’t know what the Community was, but he would have guessed roughly by Taesan’s actions. The ghost grumbled.

[You're doing such a pointless thing. Anyway, those who are going to die will die, and those who are going to live will live. That's how it is here.]

“Even so, the ambiguous ones might be able to survive.”

He was giving them various pieces of advice for that. By the time he opened the Community next, something would have changed. The ghost urged Taesan.

[Are you done? Hurry up, let's go!]

Taesan stood up and opened the door in front of him, inspecting the inside.

“Kkiruk.”

“Kieek.”

Inside, there were four goblins. And as Taesan predicted, there was a red door beyond them.

These would probably be the last monsters on the second floor.

Taesan opened the door calmly. Against the terrified goblins, he drew his bow.

“Kek!”

“Kak!”

“Kak!”

He shoots a paralyzing arrow at the three. The ghost asked with a tone of surprise.

[Why are you wasting arrows?]

“Just watch.”

Taesan drew his sword.

“Kkeuk, kkiek.”

The only goblin that hadn’t been hit by the paralyzing arrow nervously raised its shield. Taesan pointed his sword at the goblin.

Jeong!

[10 damage to the Goblin with a shield]

“Kkiieek!”

The goblin screamed and knelt. If he exerted a little more strength, the goblin would probably be split in half by the sword.

But Taesan held back his sword. The goblin, sensing its impending death, closed its eyes in confusion.

“Kek?”

Taesan removed all kinds of attack power accessories. After reducing his attack power to 1, he swung his sword carelessly. The goblin blocked it in a fluster.

“Kaak!”

“Karuk!”

The moment the paralyzed goblins were able to move, Taesan drew his bow again.

“Kieek!”

“Kkak!”

The three goblins were frozen again. Taesan continued to pummel the remaining goblin, who was left stunned.

[What kind of nonsense is this?]

“Don’t you know?”

[Isn't this to get a skill?]

“So you do know?”

Taesan fired a paralyzing arrow. He had been pummeling one goblin for nearly two minutes.

The ghost pounded its chest in frustration.

[Knowing vaguely makes it so scary. Indeed, you can obtain skills in such a manner. However, there are no skills to be gained this way.]

“There are.”

There were very good skills. Taesan again cast a paralyzing arrow, and the ghost chuckled.

[Do you know how many floors I've been down? I've been to the 80th floor. The 80th floor! There is nothing that I do not know!]

“Then shall we bet?”

[A bet? What can a dead man like me gain?]

“If you win, I will become your puppet. I will obey everything you say, even if you tell me to die.”

[Oh?]

“But if I win, you must answer without lying when I ask a question. That’s the bet.”

[Huh. This guy has big guts.]

The ghost laughed, seemingly delighted.

[A newbie who has just entered the labyrinth wants to challenge me, who's dead and buried, with information?]

“So, you don’t like it?”

At Taesan’s relaxed response, the ghost nodded vigorously.

[Of course, I like it! The noble imperial family of the Calvert Empire! I bet on the name of Alkelite! If you win, I will answer your question without a trace of a lie! But if I win, you are my slave!]

“Okay.”

Even during the conversation, Taesan kept tormenting the goblin with his sword. The goblin was half-heartedly moving its shield as if it had given up.

“Can you see the system window?”

[If you want to show me, I can see it.]

“Then that’s good.”

Taesan shot another paralyzing arrow. A look of annoyance began to appear in the eyes of the frozen goblins. The ghost mumbled joyfully.

[What are you doing? This creature can happily roam around until it's about to die.]

Taesan ignored and moved his hand. Four minutes had passed like that.

[Give up now?]

Instead of responding, Taesan opened his mouth.

“Isn’t there a duel skill?”

[It's a basic skill, why don't you know?]

It was a skill used when players challenged each other, and once both parties agreed, no other player could interfere. It was a skill more frequently used outside the labyrinth rather than inside.

“You can obtain something similar here.”

The difficulty of obtaining it was quite low. However, because of its peculiar nature, it was a skill that nobody knew about until Taesan obtained it.

It seemed that the ghost was not much different.

[What the hell are you talking about……]

As the ghost asked what he meant, the system window appeared.

[You have fought against multiple enemies while continually engaging with only one. You have obtained the special trigger skill [Forced Duel].]

He got it. Taesan struck his sword down, and the goblin disappeared without even being able to scream. The ghost mumbled in confusion.

[……Huh?] [Special Trigger Skill: Forced Duel] [Mana Consumption: 10] [Proficiency: 1%] [You duel with the target. For 10 seconds, no one but the target can damage you.]

Taesan, who confirmed the contents of the skill, smiled satisfactorily.

It was a main skill. Although it consumed a lot of mana, it made it so that nothing could interfere.

The interference here referred to literally everything.

Continuous damage, DOT damage, poison judgment, confusion judgment, intimidation judgment.

It erased all judgments, effects, and substances.

Depending on how it was used, even if you were stuck in lava or flung into space, you could survive with a Forced Duel.

It lost some value because it didn’t have its own buff, but its power as a main skill was sufficient.

[……This doesn't make sense.]

The ghost mumbled in confusion.

[Where did such a skill exist? A skill of this level obtained in such a way…….]

“That’s why everyone couldn’t get it.”

When facing multiple enemies, they needed to exclude the rest and only hit one. They also needed to deliberately not kill them for more than five minutes. It was a method that a normal person wouldn’t do.

However, Taesan tried and challenged all sorts of things. The acts he did to obtain Forced Duel were relatively less crazy the first time around.

“Do you remember our bet?”

If he lost, he would become the ghost’s slave. If he won, the ghost would tell him everything it knew.

[……Fine. Let's say that's the case. Anyway, unlike the others, I don't have such restrictions.]

The ghost looked at Taesan uneasily.

[But who are you?]