Ascension Through Skills

A man with red hair looked surprised.

“What’s this?”

He had come down upon hearing the news, only to find that all those who had called him were dead. And the one who seemed to have killed them was right in front of him.

“Did you kill them all?”

“What if I did?”

“Huh, impressive?”

The man exclaimed in admiration. There were at least five corpses in his vision. It meant that an adventurer from the 30th floor had defeated five of his peers.

“Your name is…”

As the man, curious, began to ask, he hesitated.

At the end of his gaze was a ghost.

“Uh, um.”

[Long time no see, red-head.]

“…Hello?”

The man awkwardly scratched his head.

The ghost chuckled.

[Not so well, you bastard.]

The ghost’s tone was playful, but it was tinged with deep anger. The man gave a vague smile.

“This is really embarrassing. Ah. But please don’t misunderstand me. I honestly didn’t intend to do it. It’s quite shameful to exploit such vulnerabilities to kill.”

[So what are you saying? You want me to spare you?]

“There’s nothing to spare. What’s done is done. You are already dead.”

The man shrugged his shoulders, his gaze shifting to Taesan.

“Are you going to interfere?”

[I have no intention to meddle. Do as you please.]

The ghost spoke briefly.

The man smiled.

“Understood.”

The man took a step forward.

“Wow. Amazing. You really are strong. Even I couldn’t beat five of them when I was here. How did you do it?”

The man burst out in amazement, yet his eyes were profoundly dark.

[You have activated Complete Reconnaissance. Due to the difference in levels with your opponent, some effects of the skill are sealed.] [Ambracia Marin] [Level: ???]

Except for the name, no other information was visible. Ambracia stroked his chin.

“Honestly, I wanted to bring you to our side…”

It was very regrettable.

With such talent, he could have risen to their position. If Taesan had joined their side, it would have been possible to successfully conquer the 74th floor, which had been a stumbling block so far.

“But this is crossing a line.”

He had annihilated not only the second-tier but also the third-tier adventurers. It was rare for adventurers to visit the labyrinth and even rarer for them to reach the second tier.

The second tier might be weak, but still, they were part of them. Taesan, who had killed all of them, could not be spared.

“Well then, goodbye.”

Ambracia threw a punch. The air exploded, and a storm swept through the room. It was not a simple gust of wind. It was an attack linked with special equipment carrying physical destructive power.

It was an attack that Taesan, in his current state, could not possibly resist.

[Your First Attack Nullification has been activated.]

It was erased. Ambracia’s pupils dilated calmly.

Facing the surprised Ambracia, Taesan drew his sword. Ambracia raised his fist in confusion.

“What are you?”

“See for yourself.”

[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Lakiratas].]

The power of the god dwelled in Taesan.

Ambracia hesitated at the changed atmosphere.

“Huh?”

Taesan charged. Ambracia, looking flustered, raised his arm.

Clang!

[0 Damage to Ambracia]

The arm and sword collided, and a grim system window appeared.

Considering the level difference, it was natural. No damage was expected since he didn’t use aura.

However, Taesan kept attacking relentlessly. Ambracia, still puzzled, easily blocked them.

“Can’t you wait a moment?”

“I don’t want to.”

Taesan continued his assault. Though all attacks showed zero damage, he didn’t care and kept attacking.

[You have activated Mephisto's Black Lightning.]

Kroong!

Black lightning pierced through Ambracia. Again, no damage. Yet, Ambracia was greatly disturbed.

“Black magic?”

A power the demon god granted to demons. Taesan was using a power not permitted to humans.

“What are you?”

Ambracia grabbed Taesan’s arm and threw him.

Taesan barely landed on the wall.

‘Well, it won’t work.’

He knew it. No matter how strong Taesan was, there were clear limits. A 70th-floor adventurer wouldn’t be harmed or threatened by him.

Yet, he fought so fervently for one reason.

[You have fought against an overwhelming enemy without losing your fighting spirit. You have obtained the special continuous activation skill [Blade of Fighting Spirit].]

A skill obtained when fighting an enemy that is literally out of reach, where even touching a finger means defeat.

A skill obtained when fighting such an enemy without breaking one’s own fighting spirit, still aiming for victory. Blade of Fighting Spirit.

Its effect was as significant as its conditions. A skill that he needed to acquire someday.

Having obtained what he wanted, Taesan stood up.

Ambracia was still looking at Taesan with a confused expression.

“Apostle of a god? And an apostle of Lakiratas at that?”

An offer the gods gave to those they favored. An apostle of a god.

Those who accepted became bound to the god’s soul and must act according to his will.

However, hardly anyone among the Guides of Sin, including Ambracia himself, had received such an offer.

Even if there were any, it wasn’t a proper offer. At best, it was a contract as a disposable toy, not a real apostle contract. That was why none of them ever received the position of an apostle.

Let alone an apostle of Lakiratas. An apostle of a god who acted as he pleased, without the dignity and strictness typical of gods.

“And black magic?”

The demon god was a very particular deity. She cherished her own, but not all demons were cherished. Even among the demons in the Guides of Sin, many had never been addressed by the demon god.

But conversely, the demon god cherished her own immensely.

That demon god bestowed black magic upon a human?

It meant that the demon god prioritized this human over other demons.

The demon god granting black magic to a human? Unheard of.

“Who are you?”

‘Well then.’

That was enough. Ambracia had come here to execute him, but now he showed no intention of further provocation.

The reason was simple.

He didn’t know what would happen if he provoked further.

“Will you keep fighting?”

“Uh, just wait a moment.”

Ambracia spread his hands, blocking Taesan’s way. He frowned in thought.

They also knew. The gods did not favor them, the self-proclaimed Guides of Sin. They wouldn’t bother unless provoked but were ready to crush them at any opportunity.

And here was an adventurer who seemed to have caught the attention of such gods.

‘If I mess this up, it could be disastrous?’

Ambracia swallowed hard.

Especially Lakiratas and the demon god. Both were gods who didn’t follow the rules and showed indifference to mortals but showed infinite attention to those they favored. They were beings who could definitely intervene.

‘No way.’

Ambracia concluded. He couldn’t kill Taesan. Taesan had been observing this entire process.

[I can hear your thoughts rolling around.]

“Hahaha.”

Ambracia laughed awkwardly. No more hostility was shown.

“So, friend. What’s your name?”

“Kang Taesan.”

“Right, Taesan. I’m Ambracia.”

“I know.”

“Ah, you already used reconnaissance.”

Ambracia scratched his head. He hadn’t paid much attention due to the impact of the Apostle Transformation, but upon reflection, learning reconnaissance so early was also an incredible feat.

Ambracia made a decision after much thought.

“Our friend. How about we stop here?”

Ambracia raised his hand.

“This seems beyond what I can handle.”

It was not a matter for him alone to judge. Ambracia made that decision.

“Then leave.”

“Sorry, but that’s not possible either. You’ve broken our rules. I can’t just leave you alone.”

Ambracia spoke lightly, but his eyes were dark.

If refused, he would forcibly take him. As expected, Taesan responded without much surprise.

“So what do you propose?”

“I need to see the judgment of everyone, not just me.”

The anticipated answer came back.

Taesan spoke calmly.

“Are you telling me to go deeper?”

He meant the judgment of the other leaders, not just himself. That was Ambracia’s answer.

But Taesan had no reason to do so. Descending the labyrinth by bypassing the floors meant foregoing the rewards of the previous floors. He had no intention of going down, even at the cost of his life.

“Don’t worry about that. I don’t intend to ruin a promising guy. Whether he becomes an enemy or an ally.”

Ambracia held up a small key.

“You’ll understand when you see it.”

[The Labyrinth's Secret Key] [Leads to the 70th floor. It can be used again to return to the previous floor. Using this key does not affect the labyrinth's system.]

The ghost snickered.

[Using the secret key here? So even if they die, they won't come themselves, right?]

“Don’t be too hard on them. The others whined about not wanting to come up, so I had no choice but to come. This should keep them from complaining.”

Ambracia shrugged his shoulders.

The ghost spoke to Taesan, who was quietly holding the key.

[It's a very precious key sold only to those who descend to the deeper layers by the shopkeeper. It's consumable and expensive, so they can't use it easily. Don't worry about any other tricks.]

“Good.”

Taesan nodded.

“How do you use it?”

Ambracia was slightly taken aback by Taesan’s confident question.

“Go now?”

“Why delay? Let’s finish this quickly. I need to go down to the labyrinth, too.”

‘…What?’

Ambracia was perplexed. Going down to the 70th floor, into the heart of the enemy’s territory, without knowing anything.

Any ordinary adventurer, even a very bold one, would hesitate or show fear, but Taesan showed none of that.

Rather, he seemed eager to go down.

‘Is there something he wants?’

The thought crossed Ambracia’s mind, but he shook his head.

Impossible. The information held by the ghost was also known to them. The 70th floor was fully explored.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Ambracia spoke.

“It’s not difficult. Just think in your mind that you want to go there.”

Taesan closed his eyes, picturing the place as Ambracia described. The air around him changed perceptibly.

When he opened his eyes, a completely different scenery lay before him.

Ambracia spread his arms.

“Congratulations. You must be the first to set foot here below level 150.”

[You have arrived at the 70th floor.] [You have used the secret passage to reach the deeper layers. You have gained the title [Walker of the Gaps].]

The walls of the labyrinth were ash-colored. To be precise, it barely qualified as part of the labyrinth.

The place he arrived at was a room as large as a football field.

A room of this size, neither hidden nor a boss room, was unlike anything he had encountered in the labyrinth so far.

“For now, just rest here.”

Ambracia waved his hand, and leather chairs and snacks appeared.

“I’ll call the others. Just wait a little.”

He left the room quickly. Taesan, watching him go, sat down.

“Comfortable.”

It was very plush. Comparable in comfort to luxury chairs on Earth…

“And the snacks are delicious, too.”

They weren’t just sweet. The ingredients were mixed to create a complex flavor. It had a very refined taste.

“Is there a chef or something?”

[Some have taken up cooking as a hobby since they're stuck here for life.]

“That’s rather sad.”

Taesan crunched into a snack.

[So, you've come this far...]

“Now the real challenge begins.”

Descending the labyrinth was an inevitable path to confrontation.

The Guides of Sin would come after him. He expected it. They couldn’t just overlook him causing havoc and annihilating the third tier.

There were rules in the organization, and those rules must be followed. Someone would come down to execute Taesan for breaking these rules.

But even if they came down, they couldn’t kill Taesan. Because Taesan was favored by the gods.

The gods who resided in the labyrinth.

They disliked the Guides of Sin. What Taesan sensed, the main characters surely knew.

They wouldn’t easily touch Taesan. At the least, they would gather and hold a meeting.

He knew all this would happen. Predicted perfectly through the words of the demon god, the story of Lee Taeyeon, and the ghost’s advice.

“So, what should I do now?”

From here on, it was up to Taesan. His own ability.

“Before that.”

Taesan moved.

The 70th floor.

There was something to gain here.

As he was doing something, the leaders of the Guides of Sin. The rulers of that group began to gather together.