Ascension Through Skills
chapter-294

Their swords clashed.

The greatsword tore through the air. The twin swords moved to deflect the explosively swinging greatsword.

Ka-ka-ka-kang!

Taesan pressed Shaman with superior stats, while Shaman countered with his immeasurable combat experience and honed skills.

“Grrr.”

Minerva watched the ongoing battle with a sullen face.

“Nothing I can do…”

Her power was completely ineffective against Shaman. She occasionally tried to interfere, but he didn’t even turn his gaze. There was no need to be cautious if it couldn’t harm him.

“Is that an adventurer of the labyrinth?”

It was astonishing.

Even though she was not in perfect condition and still somewhat unskilled, to be able to overwhelm a Spirit King like this.

And it was awe-inspiring. Both Taesan and Shaman.

Ka-kang!

The swords collided. What could be seen was extreme movement, perfect and flawless.

Minerva was a Spirit King. She somewhat believed that the power of spirits was the greatest in the world.

But even for her, the battle in front of her was beautiful.

Ka-ang!

The swords clashed and bounced back. Taesan adjusted his posture and charged at Shaman. Shaman hesitated as he was about to swing his sword against the attack that disregarded defense.

“Click.”

He clicked his tongue and pulled back the greatsword to defend against Taesan’s attack.

Taesan broke through the defense forcefully.

[7034 damage to Shaman.]

“Annoying.”

Taesan’s skill. First Attack Nullification.

He was wary of a potential third one.

Shaman thought the First Attack Nullification was the end. It made no sense to have multiple such skills.

But there was a second. There was no reason there wouldn’t be a third.

Shaman decided to confirm the existence of Attack Nullification, and Taesan’s goal was simple.

To pressure Shaman as much as possible before he confirmed it.

[You activated Absolute Judgement.] [You activated Frozen World.] [You activated Magic Concentration.]

Jjeojeojeok!

A wave of cold rushed forward. The contained power was frost that could freeze everything. Shaman frowned and struck down with his sword.

[Shaman activated Crushing Blow.]

Kuuuuung!

A massive explosion occurred. The Frozen World shattered from the sword strike.

“It can even be used against magic. Ridiculous.”

[You activated Sure Hit.] [You activated Absolute Judgement.] [You activated Starlight Arrow.]

Taesan activated Absolute Judgement again and used Starlight Arrow. Shaman tried to dodge, but the Starlight Arrow pursued him with certainty.

Shaman’s pupils dilated. He raised his sword to shield himself.

As the Starlight Arrow was about to touch the sword, Taesan clenched his fist.

[You activated Magic Separation.]

The split light arrows pounded Shaman’s entire body.

[1032 damage to Shaman.] [932 damage to Shaman.] [1023 damage to Shaman.]

“Grr!”

Shaman, impacted, wavered. Taesan didn’t miss the opportunity and activated acceleration. Shaman barely managed to swing his sword against the descending strike.

Jjeoong!

“Ugh!”

Shaman was pushed back again. His stance broke, revealing a gap. Just as Taesan aimed for it.

[Shaman activated Reformation.] [Shaman activated Mountain Splitting Strike.]

Shaman’s greatsword struck down.

It was far faster than any movement Shaman had shown so far, and Taesan twisted his body to avoid the sword strike.

Shaman struck down at Taesan, who was focused on defense.

Ka-ka-kang!

Taesan was pushed back. Shaman, instead of charging immediately, frowned silently.

He couldn’t attack recklessly due to the existence of Attack Nullification.

“It’s a waste to use it, but I have no choice.”

Shaman murmured. He opened a space and took out a small arrow.

“Go.”

With a calm command, the arrow shot towards Taesan at supersonic speed.

[You activated Essence Identification.] [Sure Hit Arrow] [This arrow will definitely hit.]

A very simple explanation. But the content was not simple.

The arrow made a ping sound as it targeted Taesan’s weaknesses from all directions. Taesan focused his mind.

Kuuung!

Shaman didn’t stay idle. He charged at Taesan.

Ping!

The arrow rushed towards Taesan.

Blocking Shaman’s attack, Taesan activated black magic.

[You activated Absolute Judgement.] [You activated Mephisto's Black Lightning.]

Kuurung!

Lightning pierced through Shaman’s entire body. Just a little, beyond what could be followed with the eyes or targeted at weaknesses, but Shaman hesitated. Taesan swung his sword at the incoming arrow.

As the sword was about to split the arrow, the arrow leaped through space.

It passed the sword and pierced Taesan’s shoulder.

[Your Third Attack Nullification has been activated.]

The arrow, having finished its job, disappeared. Taesan clicked his tongue.

“A sure hit, huh.”

It couldn’t be avoided. An arrow that would definitely hit. Such things seemed to exist in the depths.

Shaman let out a dry laugh.

“Ridiculous. There’s another one, isn’t there?”

Then the third wasn’t the end. There’s a good chance there were more.

Taesan had only made three nullifications, but Shaman couldn’t help but think there might be more.

Ka-kang!

Continuing the battle, Taesan remained wary of the Sure Hit Arrow. However, Shaman didn’t pull out any more arrows.

There was no reason not to use them. For Shaman, the most important thing was confirming the existence of attack nullification. Not pulling out any arrows meant there were no more Sure Hit Arrows.

What Taesan didn’t know was that the Sure Hit Arrow was a one-time use reward from the depths. Shaman had obtained it and saved it until now.

Without the worry of the Sure Hit Arrow, Taesan pressed Shaman.

[You activated Absolute Judgement.]

Ka-kang!

Their swords clashed.

Every single strike used Absolute Judgement. The mana consumption was only 10, making it easy to use continuously.

Kirik!

The sword twisted, scraping against the greatsword and altering its trajectory.

Shaman allowed a hit.

[6943 damage to Shaman.] [Shaman activated Mountain Splitting Strike.]

The greatsword struck down. Taesan raised his sword to block it.

Kaaaang!

The fierce force pressed Taesan down. His knees slightly bent under the pressure.

‘That’s tricky.’

Shaman swung the greatsword with incredible power. It seemed to be a skill attached to his depths-based equipment, similar to the skills used by the Spirit King’s shield. The cooldown was short, allowing continuous use, which prevented Taesan from gaining much advantage.

“Huh.”

Shaman was astonished.

No one in the Guides’ leadership could easily break through his defense. Though he had never won against them either, he had never lost a battle.

His defense was literally absolute.

As he descended the labyrinth, normal monsters couldn’t deal any damage to him. Bosses were no different. He only took damage when accepting divine trials.

He was confident in himself. He focused everything on defense, acquiring and mastering defensive skills.

But all that meant nothing now.

“Ridiculous. Truly.”

Everything he had built was being broken by a single skill. It was laughable.

All his current equipment, except the sword, focused on health and defense. This gave him significantly more health than other Guides.

Even so, he almost died in one strike.

If it weren’t for the skill ‘Unyielding,’ he would have truly fallen.

An opponent where defense was useless. He had to abandon his best card to fight.

But he was an adventurer who had reached the depths.

He calmly assessed his chances.

‘My skill proficiency is superior.’

And it wasn’t the worst situation.

He still had cards to play.

[Shaman activated Infinite Regenerative Wind.] [Shaman activated Whisper of the Green Vegetation.] [Shaman activated Conversion of Protection and Regeneration.]

Kaang!

Their swords clashed. Unlike before, when Shaman fought defensively, wary of attack nullification, he now charged at Taesan aggressively.

[Shaman activated Mountain Splitting Strike.]

Taesan responded by swinging his sword and activating Ability Sword.

[You activated Flow.]

Flow deflected the opponent’s attack when it touched the sword, but the force shattered it. Taesan quickly twisted his body.

Kuuung!

The greatsword struck the ground. Shaman showed a gap but quickly regained his stance.

[Shaman activated Reformation.]

‘That’s annoying too.’

He regained his stance in any condition. Mountain Splitting Strike revealed Shaman’s own gaps due to its power and speed. Reformation removed that weakness.

But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t impenetrable.

Taesan closed in.

[You activated Strong Blow.]

Ka-kang!

The swords clashed. The effect of Strong Blow pushed Shaman back.

Off balance, he allowed an attack.

[8343 damage to Shaman.]

Initially, the increased power of the sword’s attacks pushed Shaman back. But after taking several hits, Shaman realized there was a timing to the sword’s impact. He disrupted the timing, resetting the Strong Blow.

Adventurers at this depth could respond to the Ability Sword. Taesan confirmed this.

Jjeojeok!

A close-quarters battle ensued. Shaman moved his greatsword.

With a twist of the wrist, the sword wavered. The greatsword moved with mystical precision, as if it had no weight.

The ultimate mastery of swordsmanship. Only those who perfectly controlled their swordsmanship could display such wonder.

Pook.

Taesan’s and Shaman’s swords pierced each other’s shoulders.

[7543 damage to Shaman.] [2043 damage to you.]

Both took damage. After more than ten exchanges, Shaman finally managed to deal damage, baring his teeth.

“No more.”

He charged.

[Shaman activated Gale Dash.]

His sword stormed like a whirlwind. Taesan activated Flow to deflect, but it had little effect due to Reformation.

Kwaak.

Their swords clashed once more.

[You activated Frozen World.] [You activated Starlight Arrow.]

Two spells surged simultaneously. Shaman swung his sword.

[Shaman activated Crushing Suppression.]

Kugugugung!

The force bore down on Taesan. The incoming Starlight Arrow and frost shattered. Shaking off the pressure, Taesan focused his will.

“Come out.”

Pivik!

Several arrows shot out, guided by his will, targeting Shaman’s entire body.

Shaman made a quick decision. He couldn’t handle Taesan while blocking everything, so he ignored them.

Pabak!

Arrows pierced through Shaman’s entire body. Individually, the damage wasn’t significant, but cumulatively, it was hard to ignore.

Despite being in a favorable position, Taesan frowned.

He had dealt over a hundred thousand damage to Shaman.

A normal adventurer would have fallen long ago.

Even a deep-level adventurer would be no different. Taesan had raised his health to nearly twice that of other adventurers through Soul Ascension. Even Lee Taeyeon had a limit to her health, and it was unlikely that Shaman could have a hundred thousand health.

There was no chance to use a potion. It was improbable for his health to be purely a hundred thousand.

Moreover, Shaman’s combat style had changed.

Shaman no longer properly blocked Taesan’s attacks. It was as if he believed that even if he was attacked multiple times, as long as he succeeded with a single Mountain Splitting Strike, it was worth it.

It was indeed troublesome. The Mountain Splitting Strike, used with a greatsword, was not easy for Taesan to counter.

‘A health recovery skill.’

Recovering health proportionate to the damage taken.

Or a skill that recovered health as the battle progressed.

There were several plausible scenarios. Shaman had activated various skills when he first faced Taesan.

And some of those seemed to be recovery skills.

[Shaman activated Crisis Regeneration.] [Shaman activated Forced Damage Conversion.] [Shaman activated Distorted Regeneration's Blessing.]

While the exact effects were unknown, they were likely recovery skills. He probably also had passive skills.

It was highly likely he had over ten health regeneration skills.

And the skill activated during the battle.

‘Conversion of Protection and Regeneration.’

Based on the skill’s name, it likely converted defense or its effects into health regeneration.

Reducing his health by normal means was nearly impossible.

Exchanging damage to win was not an option. He needed to pour everything out in an instant.

As soon as Taesan made his decision, he gathered his dark energy.

[You activated Wolf Familiar.]

A wolf formed from Soul Ascension rose. Shaman swung his sword to shake it off, but the wolf persistently bit down.

[You activated Seed of Calamity.]

A fire demon containing calamity erupted. Shaman pushed the wolf away and swung his sword in proper form. The fire demon was split.

With the time bought, Taesan drew out his power through the open path.

[You activated Naberius's Golden Sword.]

“Minerva.”

“Got it. At least this much for the end!”

Minerva gathered her strength with the wind. The wind condensed and formed into a single sphere.

A sphere of wind that contained all her remaining strength. Shaman prepared to respond, wondering if he could withstand even this.

“As a Spirit King, I can’t just leave.”

With a smirk, Minerva disappeared. Taesan dashed at Shaman.

Shaman’s pupils dilated for a moment.

Instinctively, he swung his sword behind him.

“Ugh!”

The greatsword pierced Minerva’s chest.

But she didn’t disappear.

Smiling through the pain, she said,

“Impressive. But… The victor is my master.”

She swung the wind in her hand at Shaman.

A gale surrounded Shaman.

The wind enveloping Shaman threw him away. It shattered everything it touched and blew him away with the Spirit King’s remaining power. Shaman couldn’t withstand it and was flung towards Taesan.

Taesan swung the golden sword at Shaman flying towards him.

[24103 damage to Shaman.]

The damage was relatively low due to the cooldown of Spirit Strike Enhancement and Conversion, but it was enough. Shaman’s body shook from the impact.

“Grr!”

[Shaman activated Reformation.]

Gritting his teeth, Shaman activated Reformation. Returning to a combat stance, he attempted to counter Taesan.

Paang!

But the wind surrounding Shaman exploded again.

Caught off guard by the second explosion, Shaman couldn’t respond.

Twin swords pierced Shaman’s chest again.

Kwadeuk.

[9103 damage to Shaman.]

He didn’t retreat.

Taesan closed in and began swinging his sword.

Shaman’s face hardened.

In an instant, nearly thirty thousand damage had been dealt. His total health was forty-five thousand. Two-thirds had disappeared immediately.

The situation was dangerous. Although his health regeneration was extremely fast, it still required some time.

Taesan was certain from Shaman’s sudden reaction. This was the correct approach.

Kakakak!

He continued to press. Avoiding the swung greatsword, Taesan placed his hand on Shaman’s armor.

[You activated Branch of Despair.]

Suddenly, all kinds of despairing emotions flooded Shaman’s mind. He quickly activated Adventurer’s Will to withstand it but allowed another strike.

Shaman grew desperate.

He rushed to shake off Taesan.

[Shaman activated Gale Dash.]

Charging like a storm, he pushed Taesan back.

But Taesan didn’t take a single step back.

Instead, he closed in further, exchanging damage with Shaman.

[8534 damage to Shaman.] [1532 damage to you.]

Until now, Shaman had willingly exchanged damage because he quickly recovered, but Taesan did not.

But now the situation was different. Taesan gave him no time to recover.

Shaman swung his sword wildly.

[Shaman activated Mountain Splitting Strike.] [You activated Amon's Pitch-Black Spike.]

Jeooong!

The sword and spike clashed, bouncing off each other. Shaman, not expecting his strike to be repelled, hurriedly activated Reformation but allowed another hit.

[You activated Frozen World.] [You activated Starlight Arrow.]

Cold and light arrows exploded.

Magic burst continuously. Mana drained quickly. Shaman, realizing he couldn’t endure, kicked Taesan to buy time. Taesan kicked off the ground and floated in the air.

[You activated Landing.]

Kakakak!

“Ugh!”

Shaman’s stance crumbled under the stronger-than-ever strike from Taesan’s sword.

Landing, Taesan slashed upwards at Shaman.

Kwadeuk.

[You activated Leap.]

Shaman’s body was lifted into the air. Taesan activated dark energy: Marbas’s Pitch-Black Wave. The black wave engulfed the surroundings.

Shaman’s vision was blocked, but it didn’t matter. At this level, he could sense his opponent’s position and actions even with his eyes closed.

[You activated Stealth.]

But all traces of Taesan vanished.

Shaman quickly realized he couldn’t detect his opponent’s location.

‘Still!’

He was a deep-level adventurer.

He had arrived here by overcoming all hardships and trials.

He closed his eyes and swung his sword instinctively.

The sword cut through empty air.

Kwachik.

Taesan’s sword pierced through Shaman’s back and emerged from his chest.