Ascension Through Skills
chapter-270

As Taesan entered the 61st floor, the shopkeeper looked at him and grinned.

“You’ve overcome it. What will you buy?”

“Nothing.”

Taesan shook his head. The 61st floor marked the beginning of a new theme. The equipment in the shop must have also upgraded a level.

But Taesan had no intention of buying anything. The deeper floors were approaching, and considering the price of the deep-floor equipment, he needed to start saving up now.

The shopkeeper nodded as if he had expected this.

“This is the place right before the deep floors. It’s a unique place. From here on, the labyrinth starts to change gradually.”

He gestured with his chin.

“You’ll see when you get there. Overcome it and win. See you on the lower floors.”

Taesan answered with silence and left the shop.

He headed towards the passage. Just as he was about to open the door ahead of him, a system window suddenly appeared, stopping him in his tracks.

[Special Quest Start] [Trial of the Gods] [One week from now, all adventurers in the labyrinth will move to the Colosseum.] [There are as many Colosseums as there are countries, and if desired, you can choose and meet in each other's Colosseums.] [This quest cannot be refused.] [After moving to the Colosseum, proceed with the quest and receive rewards according to your performance.]

“So it’s starting.”

Taesan muttered as he read through the quest window.

Colosseum. It had only one meaning.

An arena. Battles between players.

Taesan opened the community. Just then, an invitation for a conversation came from Lee Taeyeon. When Taesan accepted, familiar voices were chattering noisily.

[Geum Junggeun (Hard): Uh... I don't get it. What exactly does this mean?] [Kim Hwiyeon (Hard): Wait a minute, Junggeun. My head hurts too. Let's think for a bit.]

People were groaning and holding their heads. There were no people from other countries, probably everyone was trying to grasp the situation first.

[Kang Taesan (Solo): What are you doing?] [Geum Junggeun (Hard): Ah, hyung.] [Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Taesan, do you know about this? Suddenly, a quest called 'Trial of the Gods' is given. It's so abrupt.]

They focused on Taesan’s words. They seemed to expect Taesan to know since he had shown direct connections with gods before.

But Taesan responded with a denial.

[Kang Taesan (Solo): I don't know. I do know a few gods, but there's no reason for them to do this without explaining anything to me.] [Kang Junhyeok (Solo): Not even you, hyung? Then who the heck is this?]

Of course, Taesan knew what it was. How it would proceed, who he would meet, and what kind of quest he would receive.

But that was because he had turned back time. He couldn’t talk about it.

[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): ...Is it just a trial from the gods to the entire labyrinth?] [Kang Junhyeok (Solo): That's possible. Predicting the actions of gods is one of the most meaningless things.] [Geum Junggeun (Hard): Anyway... let's check it out.]

They began to discuss.

[Geum Junggeun (Hard): It's a forced quest.] [Kim Hwiyeon (Hard): And since it's called the Colosseum, does that mean we have to fight someone?] [Kang Junhyeok (Solo): It's highly likely. The problem is who we'll be fighting...]

A moment of silence followed those words. Lee Taeyeon posted an ambiguous message.

[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Maybe we'll have to fight among ourselves...] [Kim Hwiyeon (Solo): But there's no mention of separating by mode in this quest. It's too one-sided, isn't it?] [Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Hmm. I don't know either. Logically, it should be separated by mode...] [Kang Junhyeok (Solo): Gods aren't beings that pursue logic.]

Having experienced gods and their trials, Kang Junhyeok and Lee Taeyeon knew. Gods held no value for the weak. They only paid attention to those they favored.

In the end, there was no answer. In a week, when the quest started, they would find out.

It was more productive to talk about things that could be confirmed immediately.

[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): What does it mean that you can choose and meet in each other's Colosseums?] [Kim Hwiyeon (Hard): Doesn't it mean exactly what it says? You can meet with the countries you want and proceed with the quest together.] [Geum Junggeun (Hard): Then we should talk. It would be good to meet if possible.]

They could meet people from other countries.

The fact that they weren’t the only survivors swayed their emotions positively. Knowing it and seeing it directly were different matters.

[Kim Hwiyeon (Hard): I'll contact them first. Let's confirm the details after talking to them.] [Kang Junhyeok (Solo): Okay.]

The discussion was slowly getting organized. Just as Taesan was about to turn off the community, Lee Taeyeon called him.

[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Ah, Taesan. Nothing special happened after that?] [Kang Taesan (Solo): In the labyrinth?] [Lee Taeyeon (Solo): No, I mean that Amelia woman.] [Kang Taesan (Solo): She made some noise. I ignored it all.]

She had sent several conversation invitations. He had turned off notifications because it was distracting, but now he saw dozens of invitations piled up.

[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): She kept asking about you, so I gave her a proper answer. Maybe that's why she's fixated on you...] [Kang Taesan (Solo): We'll meet soon anyway. Just focus on getting down here.] [Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Yep.]

Taesan turned off the community.

From what he remembered, the countries that would meet in this Colosseum were Korea, the USA, France, and Japan. Other countries either refused to communicate or only met among themselves.

“I wonder how it will turn out.”

The result would be entirely different from his past life. He was very much looking forward to it.

After finishing his thoughts, Taesan opened the door.

It was very spacious.

It was the size of about four gymnasiums put together. Beyond that, stairs leading downward could be seen.

This one room was the entire 61st floor.

Taesan instinctively realized.

He turned his gaze. In the corner of the room, a man was sleeping against the wall.

‘Just as expected.’

Taesan approached the man. Sensing his presence, the man slowly opened his eyes.

“…A new face.”

The man stood up sluggishly.

Wearing a tattered robe and a wizard’s hat, he was about a head shorter than Taesan. His whole body was so frail that he looked like he would collapse with a push.

“Are you an adventurer?”

Taesan nodded. The man opened his mouth.

“Nice to meet you. I am an adventurer who once reached the deep floors. And now, I test adventurers here.”

The man pulled out a staff. It was a dried-up wooden staff.

“I am a wizard who couldn’t fulfill his duty. I am Veldencia. I look forward to working with you.”

[You have encountered the wizard who failed to save the princess.]

The wizard who failed to save the princess, Veldencia.

Taesan looked at Veldencia. Veldencia, sensing a ghostly presence, noticed it belatedly.

“The hero?”

[It's been a while, Veldencia.]

“…I see. The one who was betrayed and killed made a deal with the wizard, right? So you’re attached to this adventurer now?”

[No need to explain, you’re right. I’m bound to the labyrinth to take revenge on those wretched ones.]

“How unfortunate. I thought you would reach the end of the labyrinth. Even if it was a meaningless clear, at least you could regain some honor.”

Veldencia laughed. It was a hollow laugh, tinged with a hint of madness.

He clapped his hands.

“Then.”

He looked at Taesan.

“You want to move forward from here, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. What’s your name?”

“Taesan. Kang Taesan.”

“Then Kang Taesan. When you entered here, you checked the system window, right? What was written there?”

“It said this place is guarded by gatekeepers.”

The labyrinth changes its theme every 10 floors. The theme for floors 61 to 70 was gatekeepers.

“Exactly.”

Veldencia tapped the floor with his staff.

“I am a gatekeeper. I test whether the adventurers who reach this place can proceed or if they should stop here.”

Veldencia smiled.

“Don’t you think it’s better to prevent futile dreams if they are going to despair and sit down anyway?”

“Does that mean I have to fight you?”

Taesan looked at Veldencia quietly.

“I don’t want to waste my strength on futile things.”

“…Oh?”

A small light flashed in Veldencia’s eyes.

“Impressive. You realized it right away despite me holding back my power. Even the hero next to you didn’t notice and charged at me.”

[Quiet.]

The ghost grumbled. Taesan shook his head.

“Why is an adventurer like you volunteering as a gatekeeper here?”

Veldencia was a monster.

He could feel it even from his restrained power. The wizard in front of him was strong. Neither the Lion King nor the Fire Spirit King would be a match for the wizard. Even if they all came at him, he would crush and trample them.

‘Perhaps.’

He could be an adventurer on par with Ainzhar.

“The reason is simple. I am a wizard who couldn’t fulfill his duty and achieve his desire.”

Veldencia said with a smile.

“That’s why I made a contract with the labyrinth’s wizard. Think of it as a simple pastime.”

He raised his staff. His robe fluttered.

“This is a story you don’t need to know yet. Anyway, you want to go down, right?”

“Yes.”

Taesan nodded. Veldencia looked at him for a moment and then spoke.

“I won’t stop you. It’s your choice after all.”

He tapped the floor with his staff.

“Then let’s begin the trial.”

[Sub Quest Start] [Gatekeeper of the 61st Floor. The wizard Veldencia tests those who come to this place. If you pass his test, you will receive a reward.]

“I will explain the contents of the trial now.”

Taesan waited quietly for the explanation. He had heard roughly from Lee Taeyeon, but she hadn’t told him everything.

“Those who are weak have no reason to go down from here. Below this is a harsher and scarier place. Rather than facing a futile death, it is better to stop and settle here. I am the examiner for that.”

Veldencia pointed his staff at Taesan.

“So I will test you. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. You just need to pass my test once.”

“What is the content of the trial?”

“You have gained many things while descending the labyrinth.”

Veldencia began.

“It could be swordsmanship or skills. What I will test is the variety of powers you possess.”

Veldencia continued.

“I will test how perfectly you can handle those powers. How far you have reached. If you pass, that will be it. You can pass me and go down.”

[Veldencia's Trial] [You can choose one power.] [All other powers and stats except for the chosen power will be sealed.] [You must pass Veldencia's trial in this state. The trial has stages.] [If you clear the trial, you will receive a suitable reward.] [You can challenge the trial as many times as you want.] [You can continue to challenge by selecting different powers, and the value of the reward increases the more you succeed.] [The trial can only be challenged once a day.]