Ascension Through Skills

Taesan was descending swiftly. Even before he returned to Earth, the 25th floor’s spirits were no longer a problem. He breezed through them quickly and checked the secret room.

The weapon obtained from the secret room was a greatsword.

[The Worst Executioner] [Attack Power +33] [A weapon of a mass murderer. It's stained with the blood of the countless victims he has slain.]

It boasted high attack power, but correspondingly, it was quite large. It was so big that it would hinder movements in the labyrinth, so Taesan planned to sell it to the shopkeeper.

Then, he arrived at the boss.

[A mid-level dark spirit appears.]

Crack.

[470 damage to the mid-level dark spirit.]

He defeated it instantly. The spirit struggled by using division and a veil of darkness, but he saw through it all with his eyes, avoiding and defeating it.

[Obtained Black Robe.] [Obtained ???] [Used ???] [Obtained Blue Magic Book.]

Even though he descended quickly, he checked everything. Taesan took out a staff and a magic book.

[Black Robe of Despair] [Dark Magic +4] [Defense +20] [A robe discarded by a demon as a prank on the surface world. Warlocks considered it a divine gift, valuing it more than their own lives.]

The robe Taesan was currently wearing was the Robe of Stealth, granting a second of invisibility, a useful robe indeed.

However, now that he had learned both invisibility and transparency, it was of no use to him. It was given to replace it since it offered a defense in addition to black magic power.

[Blue Magic Book] [Magic +16] [Casting Speed +15%] [A magic book emitting a blue light. Found deep in the forest, it hasn't found its master yet.]

Though it came with a casting speed bonus, it was still a magic book. For Taesan, who was closer to a swordsman, it wasn’t worth sacrificing a hand’s equipment to wear, so he planned to bring it to Lilis.

He broke through the 25th floor and descended.

[26th Floor Quest Start.] [Defeat the boss of the 26th floor and pass through.] [Reward: Curved Twin Swords] [Secret Reward: ???]

He met the shopkeeper and sold the unnecessary equipment. He replenished his gold and immediately broke through the labyrinth.

The monsters of the 26th floor were earth spirits.

As before, he defeated them and moved on.

Taesan didn’t stop.

Crack.

The boss of the 28th floor fell. A rainbow-colored spirit turns into light.

The boss of the 28th floor was a light spirit. It was slightly troublesome as it moved at the speed of light. It would have taken quite some time if he hadn’t figured out its pattern.

[Obtained Blue Jade Ring.] [Obtained ???] [Blue Jade Ring] [Strength +15] [Agility +15] [Intelligence +15] [The power of nature endows the wearer with deep and profound strength.]

It was a good ring. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it had the best options for a ring.

He removed the Thorn Ring with an attack power of 2 and wore this one, then checked the secret reward.

[Bow Made of Drake's Tendon] [Attack Power +40] [Accuracy +30%] [A bow with elasticity so strong that even the mighty struggle to draw it. If one can pull it, it can unleash immense power, but it's incredibly difficult.]

It was a bow with high attack power. However, its value was minor to Taesan, who had learned magic. He put it in his inventory for now.

“Sigh.”

Taesan caught his breath.

[Are you going to rest now? You came down really fast.]

“There’s no point in taking it easy.”

Taesan descended the labyrinth with the ferocity of a storm.

He hadn’t come down leisurely before, but this time, he quickly cleared all the secret rooms and hidden elements, reaching the 29th floor in just one day.

And he was able to gain quite a lot. Some of the equipment he had to sell to the shop as they were similar or worse than what he was currently wearing, but he still obtained significant items.

First, he acquired earrings for the first time in a while.

[Earrings Soaked in the Blood of a Hundred] [Defense +20] [Recover 20% of maximum health for every 100 enemies defeated.] [A pair of earrings created by a mad noble who summoned a black magician. He became the owner of the last blood infused into the earrings.]

The earrings had high defense and offered a 20% health recovery after defeating a hundred enemies. It was a bit difficult to use intentionally, but it was a nice bonus.

And he also got a necklace.

[White Rune Necklace] [Defense +15] [Magic +8] [Intelligence +25] [A necklace made from the highest-grade white runes. Coveted by all magicians of the magic towers.]

It had high magic stats. Added to that were high defense and intelligence. It was worth more than what he got as a secret reward.

And finally, he also changed his bracelet.

[Mithril Bracelet] [Attack Power +15] [Defense +30] [A bracelet made of mithril. Excellent for both offense and defense.]

Needless to say, it was a neat and superior piece of equipment.

Descending three floors, he changed three pieces of equipment, and his level also rose by 4.

[Kang Taesan] [Level: 65] [Shield: 371/371] [Health: 4250/4250] [Mana: 788/788] [Magic: 55/55] [Strength: 1485] [Intelligence: 1108] [Magic: 55/55] [Attack Power +188] [Defense +232] [The subject is in the best condition.]

Although leveling up was less frequent due to his high level compared to the floor, overall, he had become significantly stronger. It was a satisfactory change.

Taesan frowned.

“But why haven’t they come yet?”

[What hasn't?]

“The ones in the depths.”

The Guides of Sin. The leaders of that group.

It had been well over a month, and there was still no sign of them. The ghost realized what Taesan was referring to and muttered as if it found it strange, too.

[It is taking a long time? They would have come right away if they heard the news. Are they taking that long, I wonder?]

“Probably stuck on the floor you mentioned?”

[Perhaps. They're still floundering about. Such fools.]

The ghost clicked its tongue. Its voice was filled with contempt and disdain.

“It doesn’t concern me.”

It was fine if they were late. In the meantime, he could gather everything worth collecting.

Now, it was time for the magic and black magic that had been put off. As he descended the floors, Taesan began taking out the black magic-related equipment he had acquired and prayed.

Then, as the space split, the figure of the Demon God appeared.

[You've returned?]

“Thanks to you. It’s been very useful.”

Dark magic, unlike magic, had the advantage of increasing in power the more magic was invested. Thanks to this, he could deal with monsters more easily.

[Hearing you say that is not bad. It eased my irritation a bit.]

The Demon God narrowed her eyes and murmured.

[You called me to obtain new magic, right? For this much... this should be good.]

After checking Taesan’s offerings, the Demon God bestowed darkness upon him.

[You have learned Mephisto's Black Lightning.] [It's a suitable technique for you now.]

“Thank you.”

A skill chosen by the god herself couldn’t be bad. Taesan expressed his gratitude. The Demon God looked down at him with a peculiar expression.

[...Quicker than I thought.]

“Pardon?”

[The power within you. Is it because you visited the world of the child hammering on iron? The sprout will shoot up before long at this rate.]

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

It was a conversation he couldn’t comprehend. The Demon God shook her head.

[You don't need to know now. No. It's better you don't. Forced growth leads to rot.]

“Is that so?”

He didn’t know what it was about, but it seemed the Demon God was choosing not to tell him for his own good. Taesan didn’t pry further.

[You've heard the general story from the mad combat fanatic, right?]

The remark came out of nowhere. After thinking for a moment, Taesan realized its meaning.

“Are you referring to Lord Lakiratas?”

[Yes. That madman. You must have grasped the general situation.]

“Yes, well… I found out what I wanted to know.”

The Demon God narrowed her eyes.

[Next time, I will come down. That's the agreement.]

“You?”

[So win. I believe in you. Kang Taesan.]

With those words, the Demon God disappeared. Taesan chuckled at her tendency to vanish after saying what it needed to.

“What’s that about?”

Still, her words weren’t incomprehensible.

Descending meant that it pertained to Earth. After he won against the B-grade monster, Lakiratas descended and blessed them.

Next time, it implied that the Demon God would take on that role.

In other words, it meant that stronger monsters would appear next time, just like this time.

“Just what I was waiting for.”

It was nothing but good news for Taesan, who had acquired the Apostle Transformation as a reward.

He had tried using the Apostle Transformation while descending the floors.

And he was astounded by it.

It was a skill on a completely different level. Even compared to Addition, it was hard to say which was superior.

‘It’s not without its drawbacks, though.’

To be honest, it was a bit unpleasant.

But for such a reward, the challenge was more than worth it.

Taesan checked the skill given by the Demon God.

[Basic Black Magic: Mephisto's Black Lightning] [Mana Consumption: 30] [Basic Magic Consumption: 30] [Summon the black lightning of the demon, Mephisto, to pierce the enemy. If the target is weaker than Mephisto, they cannot evade it. Causes slight rigidity upon hitting the target.]

“An unavoidable instant skill?”

That was exactly what the description suggested. Taesan was astonished by the skill beyond imagination.

Although the consumption of magic was quite high, if it was as powerful as Taesan thought, it would be worth it.

Satisfied, Taesan ascended the labyrinth. He met Lilis, who was panting and offered the collected offerings to learn new magic.

[Basic Magic: Random Blink] [Mana Consumption: 40] [Proficiency: 1%] [Teleport to a random location within a certain distance centered around yourself. This skill cannot be used again for 10 minutes after activation.]

“Huh?”

Taesan couldn’t help but laugh at the description of the magic.

Random teleportation was another unbelievably good skill.

Teleportation was extremely valuable as it momentarily made one disappear from the opponent’s sight. Though random, since it was centered around himself, there was some degree of control over the variables.

It could be used to evade attacks, create openings, or even rely on luck in unavoidable situations to turn the odds.

‘Is this really just basic magic?’

He was newly curious about what intermediate and advanced magic would be like.

“Goodbye.”

Leaving Lilis’s farewell behind, he descended the labyrinth again.

[29th Floor Quest Start] [Defeat the boss of the 29th floor and pass through.] [Reward: Ring of Obsession] [Secret Reward: ???]

Crack.

He progressed, dealing with each challenge. The secret reward of the 29th floor was a longsword. It wasn’t better than the weapon Taesan was currently wearing, so it was destined for the shop.

With a decent amount of gold accumulated, he could consider buying new equipment. Reaching the 30th floor might make it possible. With anticipation, he continued through the labyrinth.

Then, he encountered the boss.

[A Distorted Homunculus Spirit appears.]

The aberrant spirit twisted and contorted its body to attack Taesan.

[You activated Random Blink.]

Suddenly, his vision blacked out, and his body moved.

He appeared right next to the spirit. Quickly assessing the situation, he swung his sword.

It was challenging. The spirit twisted its body to dodge Taesan’s attacks and retaliated by transforming its flesh into sharp spikes.

The boss of the 29th floor. Normally, it was a monster that required risking one’s life to defeat.

But that was a story for ordinary adventurers. Taesan, with his superior basic stats and skills, managed to win without significant harm.

“Now then.”

Postponing the reward check, Taesan examined the walls of the boss room.

29th floor.

The deranged spirit mentioned a hidden world of spirits here. He was told to enter that place and bring back the roots of a tree.