Ascension Through Skills

‘Acceleration?’

Bradley was momentarily confused.

The reason was that Ehili’s trial prohibited the use of all skills unrelated to swordsmanship.

Acceleration, a skill that increased speed and not a sword technique, was not supposed to be usable.

To break the trial’s condition, one would need to be as strong as a god, and Taesan wasn’t there yet.

So, there was only one answer.

‘Is that a newly acquired sword technique? It’s unique.’

Since it came from Taesan’s body, Bradley couldn’t immediately discern what Taesan had obtained. He assumed it was related to skills since Taesan mainly used them.

‘But.’

Acceleration was a skill that increased the speed of a charge. He knew all about it. Blocking it was not a problem.

Taesan, who had swiftly approached, swung his sword.

Bradley, trying to block, was startled.

The speed of the sword strikes had changed.

“Ugh!”

Bradley’s hands moved frantically. The sound of clashing swords filled the air.

Bradley blocked the attacks with a bewildered face.

The attacks were twice as fast as before.

‘How can agility increase this much?’

Acceleration only affected charging speed, not agility. Taesan kept swinging his sword.

[You have activated Strong Blow.]

Clang!

Suddenly, Bradley’s arm was knocked away. Bradley quickly regained his composure.

Strong Blow not only increased damage but also momentarily increased the power behind the sword. Using it along with Acceleration wasn’t unusual.

But Bradley was perplexed again by the next combination.

Clang!

“Ugh.”

Bradley’s arm was pushed back again.

‘What’s this?’

Strong Blow’s effect dissipated after one hit. Yet, Taesan struck twice, and the effect of Strong Blow remained.

‘What’s going on?’

Taesan’s swordsmanship itself hadn’t changed significantly. With a clear mind and calmness, Bradley could easily block and counterattack.

But the unexpected change made his hands erratic, and he could only defend.

[You have activated Leap.]

Clang!

Taesan raised his sword. With a heavy sensation, Bradley’s body lifted into the air.

Landing at a distance, he let out a hollow laugh.

“The skills have changed?”

Acceleration, Leap, Strong Blow.

All these skills were exhibiting effects entirely different from their descriptions.

“What exactly…”

Instead of explaining, Taesan moved to show directly.

Clang!

Their swords collided. Bradley’s eyes changed. His arms moved erratically, eventually creating numerous afterimages of blades.

Stormscar’s first sword. Wolf’s Fang.

Instead of blocking with Stormscar Swordsmanship as before, Taesan pushed the tip of his sword.

[You have activated Flow.]

The moment Bradley’s sword was about to touch Taesan’s, it slipped away.

The same happened with the next attack.

Like Acceleration and Strong Blow, Flow kept activating.

“What is this…”

Boom!

Taesan stamped the ground and swung his sword. With a loud noise, Bradley was pushed back.

Taesan’s movements, initially awkward, became faster and more precise as the battle continued.

The tide had turned. Now Bradley was struggling to block.

Clang!

Taesan brought down his sword. Bradley tried to block.

[You have activated Continuous Attack.]

Clang!

The sword vibrated intensely. The violent tremor traveled up Bradley’s arm. He barely managed to hold onto his sword, but the gap was too wide.

Taesan didn’t miss the opportunity.

He swung both swords at Bradley. Bradley blocked with one hand but couldn’t stop both swords.

Shush.

Taesan’s sword cut across Bradley’s chest.

Staring blankly at his split clothing, Bradley and Taesan gasped for breath.

[You have created the advanced sword technique [Ability Sword].]

It was neither learned nor acquired nor practiced.

It was a sword technique Taesan had created himself.

[Condition Achieved] [Ehili is satisfied with the result.]

A system notification for clearing the trial appeared.

Bradley chuckled.

“This is beyond imagination.”

He had anticipated a change related to skills. He even considered the possibility of using skills.

But this was more than that.

The effects of the skills themselves had changed.

‘This is…’

A sword technique that interfered with the Labyrinth system itself.

As he pondered this, Bradley’s body suddenly started to disappear into light particles.

“Oh. Is this the end?”

The body he received was temporarily given by Ehili for the trial. It made sense that it was being retracted now that the trial was over. Bradley watched his disappearing hand with a bitter expression.

“What a pity.”

After such a long time, an almost forgotten span, he was able to wield a sword again.

And now it was ending, which was deeply regrettable.

“But it was quite fun. Now you understand what I meant, right?”

Taesan nodded.

Indeed, this was a realization only obtainable through sparring with someone.

It couldn’t be discovered alone. With such high stats and expertise, no monster on the 30th floor could counter his swordsmanship. Naturally, it was difficult to realize its weaknesses and limits, forcing him to keep descending.

It was only at the brink of death that Taesan could feel the limits and solutions, which he gained through a duel with the ghost using the same swordsmanship.

“Thank you.”

“Thank Ehili as well. He’s the one who made it happen.”

Bradley’s physical form was almost completely disintegrated by now.

Only his upper body remained.

He smirked.

“I’m curious too. What you’ve learned. Let’s see it together.”

With those words, Bradley disappeared.

The scattered light particles in the air began to take the shape of a ghost.

Taesan quietly observed this transformation.

The ghost returned to Taesan.

Despite having lost his physical form again after an immeasurable time, he appeared incredibly bright.

Whether it was an act or genuine, Taesan knew he was being considerate. Therefore, Taesan also started to wrap things up without saying anything.

[Ehili proposes a contract of apostleship to you.]

“I won’t accept.”

As always, Taesan declined. Ehili didn’t seem to have high hopes and withdrew readily.

No more divine presence was felt from the shrine.

As the ghost had said, Ehili was an indifferent god. He even remarked it was unusual.

[That indifferent god reduced his interference area to give me a body and make you create new swordsmanship. This is... a very rare occurrence.]

“Really?”

[He showed more interest in you than in his own apostles.]

Though Taesan didn’t know the details, it seemed Ehili had great expectations for his potential.

“That’s good.”

Ehili gave him two rewards: one skill and one accessory.

[Special Constant Activation Skill: The Sword Wielder] [Proficiency: 1%] [A level recognized by the God of Swords. When fighting enemies wielding weapons, easily discern their vulnerabilities and weaknesses.]

A skill effective against weapon-wielding enemies. It was conditionally limited but beneficial in identifying weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

And the accessory was a pommel to be attached to the handle of a sword.

[Pommel Made by Ehili's Follower] [Attack Power + 10] [A pommel crafted with great care by a follower of the God of Swords. Ehili was quite pleased with the craftsmanship. Contains a hint of Ehili's energy.] [Helps in balancing the sword] [This effect can be detached and transferred to another weapon at any time.]

“Good.”

What he liked most was the freedom to attach and detach it.

Taesan immediately fitted the pommel onto Calvert’s Relic.

“These descriptions are getting longer.”

[It's a strange feeling as the previous owner.]

The moment he attached it, Taesan immediately felt the weight of the sword change.

After swinging it a few times to check, he smiled satisfactorily.

“It’s good?”

It made swinging easier. Though a minor difference, it was significant for someone who had to swing the sword thousands, even millions of times.

[Then, is everything finished now? Let's quickly check. I'm dying of curiosity.]

The ghost urged Taesan. Taesan opened the system window he had closed.

[You have created the advanced swordsmanship [Ability Sword].] [You have created a sword technique. You have obtained the title [Qualification of a Master].] [The advanced swordsmanship [Stormscar Sword] has been integrated into the advanced swordsmanship [Ability Sword].] [You have created a sword technique yourself. Achievement unlocked. Strength + 50, Agility + 50, Intelligence + 50, Health + 200.]

The achievement numbers were quite high.

50 was a figure comparable to clearing a certain theme floor.

Simply for creating a sword technique.

[Quickly. Open it. Quick.]

Now, it was time to check the skill. The ghost waited excitedly.

[Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword] [Proficiency: 7%] [A unique sword technique created by an adventurer in the Labyrinth. It's based on the Labyrinth's system. It's created on the foundation of a sword technique used by a prince of a destroyed world. It can perfectly link several skills with swordsmanship.] [It's real.]

The ghost chuckled in disbelief.

[Really... The contents of the skill changed? It's far beyond advanced level. Is it a skill that barely misses being top-tier?]

The top-tier Airak weapon technique allowed the owner to inflict damage with any part of the body, not just the weapon. It was a technique that intervened with the system of the Labyrinth itself.

The sword technique Taesan created was no different. Transforming the content of a skill that no one else could touch seemed to the ghost that, with a little more development, it could reach a top-tier level.

This was evident even from the change in proficiency.

The proficiency of his Stormscar Sword was 39%. When it was integrated into the Ability Sword, the proficiency transferred was only 7%.

It meant there was such a difference between the two sword techniques.

[Can we know how the content of the skill has changed?]

“Looking at it now… I can sort of tell.”

Upon examining the skills, he noticed a few had additional content.

He was curious, but there was something else to check first.

[Title: Qualification of a Master] [A person who has created a sword technique. A realm where one can pass on their created sword technique to disciples. Only a very few among numerous swordsmen can reach this realm.] [Strength + 50] [Agility + 50] [Intelligence + 50] [Attack Power + 20] [Defense + 20] [The speed of proficiency increase in sword techniques greatly increases.] [If you wish, you can pass on your sword technique to others.]

“Did you also get this?”

"I did. I modified the original Stormscar Sword to suit me. It's a pretty good title. The proficiency increase feels like more than 40%?" [That's... quite advantageous.]

Taesan found that there were several more skills and titles that increased skill proficiency. They didn’t know how they would influence each other, but it meant at least an additional 50% increase.

And there was also the part about passing on.

‘Could I pass it on to Lee Taeyeon or Kang Junhyeok?’

He planned to check the next time they met.

[But I'm really curious about something.]

The ghost spoke with a voice full of excitement.

What he wanted was not difficult for Taesan to guess.

“But I don’t really know.”

When fighting the ghost, he didn’t read the descriptions one by one. After getting a rough sense, he relied on his instincts to continue the battle.

“Let’s go and experiment to find out.”

Taesan moved.