Ascension Through Skills
chapter-269

The process of organizing the rewards began.

There were numerous things to confirm. Besides the rewards for defeating the King’s Spear and Shield, the 60th-floor clear rewards had yet to be checked.

First, the changes in stats. Defeating the spear and shield increased Taesan’s level by 5. With the effects of Soul Ascension and Desire for Victory, the increase was substantial.

Detailed checks would be postponed. The first focus was on skills.

[Special Continuous Activation Skill: Guardian's Fortitude] [The power possessed by the guardian protecting the king. Reduces all damage received by 20%. This skill activates after defense and defense skills are applied.]

“Ho?”

A 20% reduction. It was a significant number. It now made sense why damage only registered in triple digits when the Absolute Judgement was not used against Hasan.

“If it wasn’t for Absolute Judgement, it would have been really difficult.”

There was a reason it was called the King’s Shield.

And the skill obtained from the spear.

[Special Activation Skill: Guardian's Barrier] [Mana Consumption: 200] [The power possessed by the guardian protecting the king. Creates a barrier with one's power to subdue the opponent.]

It appeared to be the barrier made of flames witnessed during the battle. It seemed that if the opponent had a certain level of strength, they could break the barrier. In other words, it was a skill useful only against weaker opponents.

“This one is just okay.”

It wasn’t a bad skill. If the opponent was weaker than Taesan, it meant avoiding the battle itself.

“No equipment…”

The armor Hasan wielded. The sword. The shield. And the mysterious power wielded by the spear.

None of it was obtained.

Although disappointing, it was as expected, so he accepted it calmly. The drop rate for equipment was very low. Moreover, they were equipment from the depths. It was normal for the current Taesan not to obtain them.

But soon, he would obtain them with his own power.

Taesan then began to confirm the rewards he hadn’t properly checked due to dealing with the shield and spear.

[You have reached the 60th floor. You have obtained the title [One Who Advances into the Depths].] [You have perfectly cleared the 60th floor. You have obtained the title [One Who Sees New Realms].] [You have perfectly comprehended and cleared all floors up to the 60th floor. You have obtained the title [Impossible Achievement].] [You have reached the threshold of the deep places. This is a rare achievement in the long history of the labyrinth. The labyrinth commends your achievement and wishes you to achieve what you desire.] [You have obtained the title [One Who Arrived at the Entrance].] [You have obtained the special activation skill [Transformation].] [Title: One Who Advances into the Depths] [Aims for the deeper places.] [Health + 400] [Strength + 200] [Attack Power + 70] [Defense Power + 70] [Title: One Who Sees New Realms] [Advances further. Has faced the impossible.] [Strength + 200] [Agility + 200] [Intelligence + 200] [Attack Power + 70] [Defense Power + 70]

The other two titles were generally similar. Although not much different from the titles obtained upon entering the 50th floor, the increases in abilities were noticeably higher.

Even with just this, his stats had increased significantly. The labyrinth rewarded those who succeeded in their conquests, and titles were one of those rewards.

“Status Window.”

[Kang Taesan] [Level: 125] [Shield: 4199/4199] [Health: 53820/53820] [Mana: 4280/4280] [Magic: 659/659] [Strength: 9651] [Intelligence: 8361] [Agility: 9115] [Attack Power + 3175] [Defense Power + 2022] [The target is in optimal condition.]

His Health had finally completely surpassed Lee Taeyeon’s.

Attack power also exceeded the 3000 mark. Slowly but surely, he was catching up.

And he had obtained one more skill. It seemed to be a kind of reward granted by the labyrinth itself for reaching the 60th floor.

[Special Activation Skill: Transformation] [Mana Consumption: 1000] [The values of attack and defense can be adjusted. The maximum adjustable value is the sum of attack and defense. This skill can only be used once a week, and the values return to their original state immediately after the attack.]

Taesan, who was reading the skill description, paused.

Taesan, staring blankly, asked,

“Is this what I think it is?”

[I don't know what you're thinking, but it's probably similar.]

The ghost replied.

[You can change the values of your attack and defense as much as you want. For you now... your attack power could go up to 5197. But your defense would become 0.]

“Ha.”

Taesan laughed.

“They even give such a skill?”

[This is the 60th floor. The deep area is right in front of you. It's not strange to give something like this.]

The ghost replied nonchalantly. Taesan tapped his wrist with his finger.

‘Transformation of attack and defense.’

The limit was the sum of his attack and defense.

It wasn’t a skill without restrictions. It consumed 1000 mana, and it couldn’t be used again for a week after one use.

Furthermore, even if the values could be freely transferred, having defense become 0 was a significant issue. It was practically the same as placing an Absolute Judgement on oneself.

But for Taesan, the story was different.

He had Absolute Nullification and Endurance.

“Hmm.”

Lee Taeyeon hadn’t mentioned such a skill.

The reason was easy to guess. Transformation wouldn’t be a significantly meaningful skill for her. She didn’t have Absolute Nullification.

Moreover, being timid, she wouldn’t have felt a great merit in raising her attack by reducing her defense.

It was likely that she didn’t consider it important and therefore didn’t tell him.

But for Taesan, it was an excellent skill. Simply put, 5197. With Addition, Blade of Will, Strong Blow, he could potentially produce damage close to 40,000 without using the Golden Sword.

And that wasn’t all.

‘With this… I could obtain it more easily.’

Transformation of attack power.

The best part was that this was an activation skill and would reset with just one attack.

This characteristic could greatly help in acquiring specific skills.

In obtaining the special activation skill, Multiply.

It was still a long way off. Considering the conditions for Multiply, there were still many skills to acquire.

But thanks to Transformation, it could be obtained faster than before.

Even if fast meant it would be after the deep areas, the possibility was visible. That alone was enough.

And now it was time for the 60th-floor clear reward.

[Anklet Blessed by an Unknown God] [Strength + 200] [Agility + 200] [Intelligence + 200] [Defense + 200] [Action Speed + 5%] [An anklet blessed by an ancient, now-forgotten god who bestowed it upon those who believed in him.]

It was useful equipment that generally enhanced abilities.

[Soil of the Black Land] [The soil of a land where no sunlight reaches, feared by all beings. The soil itself contains power, having never seen the light since its creation.]

Material item. As he thought about taking it to Halfran, the anklet moved.

Swoosh!

It moved like a whip and stirred the soil. The soil touched the anklet, and the power within it was slowly absorbed.

[An Anklet with a Killing Intent.] [An anklet that tries to kill everything except its owner. Made by the witch's whim. Something hidden still exists. It has devoured Red Rose Thorns, Green Vine Roots, Cursed Leaves, and the Soil of the Black Land.] [Attack + 225] [Defense + 100]

“Ho…”

Attack power increased by 100. Defense power increased by 90. It was a decent change without having to change the existing equipment.

The anklet was equipment created by the witch’s whim. And the Soil of the Black Land was a reward given on the 60th floor.

It devoured such a reward without any issue. It meant the witch’s power was quite strong.

“Is she an immortal?”

Taesan became curious anew.

The rewards were confirmed. Minerva, who had been waiting quietly, raised her hand.

“Can I go back now?”

“Take a rest. You’re at your limit, right?”

Minerva nodded.

The King’s Spear was strong. She couldn’t save her strength either and had exhausted most of the power needed for her descent.

It was time to return to recover her strength.

“Unfortunately… I am accepting it. They made their choice. I made mine too.”

Minerva stood up, dusting herself off.

“And since they are here, it means we will meet their master soon, right?”

Taesan nodded.

The spear and shield. Direct subordinates of the king. There was nothing in between.

So, from now on, it was the king’s turn.

“Indeed… I wonder what will happen.”

Minerva smiled gently.

“Still, I’m on your side. Good luck.”

With those words, Minerva departed.

Taesan, who had been gazing at the place where she had been, moved his feet and descended the stairs.

[This is the entrance leading to the depths of the labyrinth.] [This place is getting closer to the abyss. Those who have declared themselves as gatekeepers guard this place and intend to test those who come.] [61st Floor Quest Start.] [Defeat the boss of the 61st floor and pass through.] [Reward: Emperor's Ring.] [Secret Reward: ???]

Finally, he had reached this point.

“Not much left.”

Taesan walked toward the deep and profound place.

“We lost.”

The Guides of Sin. The conference room of the leaders.

The light from the two gems in the center of the table vanished. The face of the Spirit King of Flames contorted.

“It’s unfortunate. Old lady.”

“Shut up.”

Ambracia’s words were sharply rebuked by Vishnu. Her fist, placed on the table, tightened.

Her spear and shield. They had been with her since she entered the labyrinth. They had sworn unwavering loyalty, risking their lives for her, and had been with her for an immeasurable amount of time.

Those two had died.

Her flames wavered in anger. The great mage clicked his tongue.

“This is unexpected for us too.”

The King’s Shield, Hasan, had been given three pieces of deep equipment. They had asked the demon god for permission, but they weren’t sure if it would really be granted.

Therefore, they had expected victory. The deep equipment had that much power.

They believed that those who had not reached their level would not be able to overcome it.

But they had been defeated.

Moreover, the time it took for the battle to end was too short. It meant he was much stronger than they had anticipated.

“Now I understand why she laughed.”

The demon god had shown a peculiar smile when granting permissions for the deep equipment. They didn’t understand it then, but now they did.

It was a mocking smile, as if asking if that would be enough.

The Lion King spoke.

“Anyway… he is coming here. And we have no more cards left.”

It was now their turn to step forward.

The one who had risen from the bottom had chased them up to their throats.

“The one fortunate thing is that we are no longer stuck either.”

74th floor.

How many years had they invested? There were leaders who had died trying to break through.

They had finally pierced through that floor.

They too now had the possibility of growth.

“But the best thing would be to kill him before he gets here.”

“It’s me.”

Vishnu spoke roughly. The flames flickered.

“I will go up and kill that guy.”

“Calm down, Spirit King. We have no choice in the matter.”

The Lion King spoke. Ultimately, the decision was up to the demon god. If she did not grant permission, they could not even fight him.

“For now… we should start moving our heavy butts.”

The leaders of the Guides. Those who could be called the strongest among mortals.

They began to take action directly against Taesan.