Ascension Through Skills
chapter-268

[Kaaaah!]

A tearing scream resounded through the room.

It was the first scream Hasan had uttered in hundreds of years. His body flew explosively and crashed into the wall.

Rumble…

It sounded like the labyrinth was collapsing. Of course, not a scratch appeared on the labyrinth’s walls. The labyrinth’s toughness was such that it could only be barely damaged by an attack from Ainzhar, so it was impossible for Taesan to make any mark.

But it was powerful.

It was an overwhelmingly powerful force. The ghost let out a hollow laugh.

[Forty thousand... even I haven't seen that much damage.]

Taesan’s attack power had already reached a deep level due to the Airak weapon technique. With the addition of the absurd skill “Addition,” it resulted in damage that even the ghost who had reached the depths couldn’t achieve.

Yet, Taesan was dissatisfied.

“It’s lower than I thought.”

[Lower? This?]

“If it were normal, the damage should have reached eighty thousand.”

The base attack power of Naberios’ golden sword was around ten thousand. With the blade of spirit that tripled the damage, “Addition,” and then “Strong Blow” activated.

Including additional damage against spirits, it could have reached one hundred thousand, but it stopped at forty thousand.

The reason was not hard to guess.

“It’s the problem of rank.”

Absolute Judgement only ignored the opponent’s defense and defensive skills. Penetrating the rank was the essence of true impact.

In the end, to deal perfect damage, one had to learn the true impact as well.

Still, it was decent damage. No, it was damage that couldn’t be explained as merely decent. Judging by the sheer numbers, it meant that this strike could take down even Lee Taeyeon.

[Kaaak. Cough.]

And Hasan staggered and slumped to the ground.

Taesan was surprised.

“You’re not dead?”

Forty thousand damage. It wasn’t something a player who had only reached the entrance of the deep layers could withstand. Yet, although Hasan seemed to be in a critical state, he was not dead.

[Because he’s a spirit. The labyrinth's system also considers race. Their basic health is vastly superior to humans, and their growth stats are higher. Plus, that guy is a shield.]

A shield that protects the king from external threats. His health stat must be exceptionally high compared to others.

[Huff. Huff.]

But he was far from fine. He staggered as he tried to get up.

Taesan kicked his foot forward.

Hasan gritted his teeth and lifted his weapon.

Buzzzzz.

[Hasan activated Golden Demise.]

A golden orb swallowed up the space.

Taesan clicked his tongue and stepped back.

‘As expected, it’s tricky.’

He attacked the shield, but as long as that sword existed, it wouldn’t be easy to defeat him.

[Aah. Ah…]

syystem_end

Barely regaining his senses, Hasan trembled.

He was terrified.

At the moment the strike landed, he felt the fear of death. The overwhelming fear he felt when he first reached the deep layers was brought by the adventurer in front of him.

[Aah...]

And that fear confirmed one thing for Hasan.

This man was dangerous.

This man’s sword could reach his king.

[No...]

He was the shield that protected the king.

Even if it meant burning his own life, he had to protect the king.

The fear that had been shaking his body subsided. Instead, his gaze, filled with determination, turned toward Taesan.

[Hasan activated Spirit Amplification.] [Hasan activated Twisted Dragon Armor.]

Voooong.

A colossal force descended upon Hasan’s body.

It was a flame that consumed life.

And his armor began to melt. The golden armor started to permeate Hasan’s entire body, becoming a part of him.

Hasan grew to about twice his size.

And his strength also increased by that much.

Hasan put away his shield. Taesan clicked his tongue.

He had hoped he would cling to the shield in denial of reality, but it seemed he wasn’t that foolish.

[Spirit Amplification. He definitely wants to kill you.]

“Even the armor was from the deep layers.”

As the armor melted, its power infused into Hasan. Since defense was meaningless against Taesan, he seemed to have decided to engulf him entirely.

The amplified power and rank of the spirit were depleting at a rapid rate.

It looked like a sort of berserk state. The giant Hasan moved his body.

Rumble!

Just moving shook the room violently.

If it weren’t for the absolute protection, it would have nullified the attack just by that. Taesan instinctively swung his sword as he was warned.

Clang!

Taesan’s body was repelled.

Hasan moved again. He charged at Taesan at a speed hard to follow with the naked eye. Instead of relying on his eyes, Taesan moved his sword according to his instincts.

Clang!

[Hasan activated Golden Demise.]

A golden orb tried to engulf Taesan.

Taesan tried to pull back, but it was too late. The orb swallowed Taesan.

As time resumed, Taesan quickly widened the distance. Hasan immediately pursued.

‘He’s faster and stronger than me.’

A being who had reached the depths was trying to kill Taesan with everything he had. With the armor synchronized to enhance his power, Taesan found it difficult to catch up.

And the special power of the sword also made it hard to counter.

Speed.

Power.

And the sword.

These three cards were being used to kill Taesan.

‘Is that all?’

Taesan laughed.

Lee Taeyeon was faster than Hasan. And she was stronger than Hasan, and her equipment was superior to what Hasan was wielding now.

And she wore such equipment all over her body.

But even Lee Taeyeon, facing his Easy Mode stats and modest gear, could not hold a definite advantage over him.

“In the end, battles are about card games.”

Who had more cards. And who had stronger cards.

Taesan muttered as he deflected Hasan’s attacks. Despite being pushed back by the overwhelming force, none of the attacks hit Taesan.

Thud!

Every time Hasan charged, Taesan’s instincts warned him. The line of death also activated. All his senses focused, predicting Hasan’s movements.

Clang!

The swords collided.

All the opponents Taesan faced in his previous life were fast and strong enough that he couldn’t catch up. He had defeated such opponents. Mere speed could not pressure Taesan.

[You activated Starlight Arrow.]

Arrows of light materialized and flew. As Hasan dodged with a leap, Taesan triggered a spell.

[You activated Magic Explosion.]

Light exploded and spread everywhere.

Even Minerva, who was fighting from a distance, was caught in the explosion. She waved her hand with an exasperated expression.

[That's impressive.] [Ugh!]

Hasan’s voice was filled with pain.

No matter how fast he was, in this confined space, he couldn’t avoid the explosion of the Starlight Arrow.

Ignoring the pain, Hasan charged with his sword.

[Hasan activated Golden Demise.]

As the golden orb tried to engulf Taesan, he activated a skill.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

Forced Duel was a skill that designates a single target, making both parties able to attack only each other. No outsiders can interfere.

So Taesan used Forced Duel on the King’s Spear fighting Minerva.

Although the golden orb engulfed Taesan, he emerged without a scratch. Hasan, bewildered by the situation, hastily swung his sword, but all attacks were deflected due to the effect of Forced Duel.

As soon as the duration of Forced Duel ended, Taesan slipped under Hasan and placed his hand on him.

[You activated Branch of Despair.] [Aargh!]

A torrent of horrible emotions overwhelmed Hasan.

The skill given to Taesan by the God of Despair, Branch of Despair, planted despair in the opponent it touched.

It was his first time using it, but it was quite effective. As Hasan writhed in pain, his movements noticeably slowed.

[You activated Amon’s Pitch-Black Spike.]

A black spike materialized in Taesan’s hand. He swung it against Hasan’s sword.

Thud!

Hasan’s sword was repelled.

Hasan was taken aback, not expecting to be overpowered when he had an overwhelming advantage in strength. Taesan didn’t miss the opportunity and thrust his sword.

[Aaargh!]

Hasan was on the verge of madness.

With each clash, Taesan brought out new techniques.

Hasan felt like he had only five cards, while his opponent kept drawing an endless number of cards from somewhere.

The fear of the unknown made Hasan hesitate. Warily anticipating what Taesan might bring out next, he became passive, which created opportunities for Taesan.

Taesan gathered his magic, confirming that Hasan’s power and rank had somewhat diminished.

[You activated Marbas' Pitch-Black Wave.]

A black wave engulfed the surroundings.

Hasan, suffering from the effects of Branch of Despair, protected himself with Golden Demise. Meanwhile, Taesan activated Invisibility.

Losing sight of Taesan for a moment, Hasan remained on high alert.

And Taesan was now far away.

A black portal appeared above his hand.

A portal leading to the demon’s domain. Hasan sensed he had to stop it, but it was already too late. In his overly cautious state, he was excessively wary of the vanished Taesan.

[You activated Naberios' Golden Sword.]

The golden sword materialized, incomparable to anything Taesan had used before.

It emitted a bright golden light, like the sun.

A demon. The power of a being beyond mortals was there.

Hasan, who was about to retreat, stopped in his tracks. He was here under the king’s command. Killing the enemy before him for the king was his duty.

He couldn’t retreat.

Hasan raised his sword. Taesan launched himself forward.

Hasan trusted in the power of the deep layers.

The place where he first felt fear and believed he could never overcome, where even their king could not break through.

If it was the weapon of that place, it could kill the enemy before him.

[Hasan activated Golden Demise.]

The golden orb engulfed the space.

And the moment it collided with the golden sword, it shattered like glass.

A golden diagonal line swallowed Hasan.

“It was somewhat enjoyable.”

Taesan said, plunging his sword into Hasan’s fallen body.

The opponents he had faced so far were all related to the High Gods, so it had been a long time since he fought a proper battle, displaying each skill one by one to defeat his opponent.

[My king, I am sorry. I could not protect you...]

Hasan spoke gloomily before disappearing.

The power he possessed began to infuse into Taesan.

[Your level has increased.] [Your level has increased.] [Your level has increased.] [Your Desire for Victory has activated.] [Your Soul Ascension has activated. Permanently increased Health by 5200, Strength by 320, Agility by 401, and Intelligence by 350.] [Your Soul Ascension has activated. Gained the special passive skill "Guardian's Solidity."]

Hasan wasn’t an easy opponent.

If he hadn’t learned Absolute Judgement, it would have taken a considerable amount of time to defeat him.

The demon god had told Taesan that an enemy would be waiting on the 60th floor when he was on the 58th floor. Taesan had learned Absolute Judgement on the 59th floor.

Even the demon god wouldn’t have expected him to gain such a game-changing skill in just one floor.

Anyway, he won. And it wasn’t over yet.

“Should I help?”

Taesan moved towards Minerva. She smiled.

“That would be appreciated.”

[Aah, aah…]

The King’s Spear let out a despairing groan.

Taesan gripped his sword.

From the beginning, Minerva alone couldn’t defeat this opponent. As Taesan joined, Quya was overwhelmed by the sheer difference in power.

Quya also seemed to have equipment from the deep layers, but it didn’t matter much. Ignoring it with attack nullification, Taesan slowly killed Quya.

And before long, Taesan won again.

[Your level has increased.] [Your level has increased.] [Your Desire for Victory has activated.] [Your Soul Ascension has activated. Permanently...] [Your Soul Ascension has activated. Gained the special active skill "Guardian's Barrier."]

At that moment the 60th floor was perfectly cleared.