Ascension Through Skills

“Ugh!”

As Cain stepped back, his face was twisted in frustration.

“Didn’t you say you don’t believe in gods? That you’re not an apostle!”

“I’m not an apostle. It’s just something I received.”

“Don’t joke with me!”

Cain shouted angrily.

He couldn’t accept Taesan’s words.

In his world, he was one of the greatest warriors.

He possessed a power rare to find in any nation, and even emperors would hesitate to speak carelessly before him. Everyone he met bowed in reverence.

Even hundreds of excellent warriors couldn’t defeat him, and natural disasters seemed to diminish in his presence.

He was full of pride.

He believed he was unbeatable in this generation and among the strongest in history.

But even he had not received the apostle’s contract until now.

An apostle was a lifetime guardian by the side of a god.

Even warriors considered greater than him had spent their lives unable to attain this position.

It was only as a special case to defeat Taesan that he was barely able to make a contract.

But Taesan’s words were different.

He said he didn’t believe in gods and that it was just a favor from a god.

Cain could never accept that.

“That’s an insult to us!”

“Insult or whatever.”

Taesan was indifferent.

Cain, showing intense emotion, swung his sword down.

It was the strike of an apostle, hard to dodge or deflect, filled with unstoppable power.

Taesan swung his sword.

Clash.

As their swords collided, Taesan twisted his wrist. His sword slipped past Cain’s, targeting his chest.

“Hmph!”

Predicting the counter, Cain sneered and withdrew, lifting his sword.

Cain’s hilt aimed at Taesan’s head.

Clang!

The pommel hit Taesan’s sword blade.

Sss.

And Cain’s wrist was cut.

“What, what?”

Cain grasped his wrist, stepping back in shock.

“How?”

He was sure he had dodged Taesan’s counter and attacked back. And Taesan had blocked his attack.

Yet, suddenly, his wrist was cut.

Though it was incomprehensible, Taesan seemed to have anticipated it and immediately rushed towards him.

“Ugh!”

Cain gritted his teeth and swung his sword again.

Their swords collided once more.

[You have triggered a counter.]

Like before, Taesan deflected Cain’s sword. Cain smoothly gathered his strength for a counterattack. Taesan was forced into a defensive position.

Sss.

[150 damage to Cain.]

But like before, a slight wound appeared on Cain’s wrist.

Taesan shook his sword.

“This time a damage window appeared.”

Until now, it hadn’t shown up. Thinking back, a damage window appeared during the fight with the angel in Vekveta, but it didn’t with ordinary people.

‘Does a damage judgment occur for those directly involved with gods?’

“This, what is this…”

Cain couldn’t understand.

It was supposed to be a situation favorable to him, yet he was the one getting injured.

His face, already agitated, twisted further.

“… You’re using filthy sorcery!”

Cain took it as if Taesan was using magic or black magic, not swordsmanship.

For Taesan, it was a frustrating misunderstanding.

“This is my swordsmanship.”

“Don’t make me laugh! Is there such swordsmanship?”

“Whether you believe it or not.”

This was Taesan’s swordsmanship.

Crafted in front of the God of Swords and certified by the ghost.

[You have triggered Strong Blow.]

Kaaaang!

“Uh!”

Cain’s arm was pushed back. Until now, their strength seemed equal, but with the sudden difference, Cain was inevitably shaken.

Taesan immediately closed in and swung his sword again. Cain hurriedly adjusted his stance to block the attack.

It was the best action for Cain but also exactly what Taesan aimed for.

Kaaaang!

Cain’s arm was pushed back again.

Strong Blow, like Acceleration, could be continuously activated if timed correctly to hit or if blocked by the opponent’s sword.

Kagagak!

Cain couldn’t resist and was pushed back. It was natural, as the strength difference had suddenly doubled.

“Ugh!”

Taesan’s sword grazed his neck. He grasped his neck and retreated.

Blood flowed between his fingers, but Cain was too distraught to notice.

“This, this kind of thing!”

[You have activated Acceleration.]

Pabababak!

Passing by Cain’s sword, Taesan’s attack cut through his entire body.

Cain’s splendid armor was now torn in several places, looking like trash.

Taesan shook his sword.

“Surprisingly sturdy.”

It felt like fighting an adventurer from the labyrinth. Normal people would have died from such wounds long ago, but Cain still seemed to have strength left.

“Is that also the power of an apostle?”

Above all, the wounds Taesan inflicted were slowly healing.

It seemed difficult to defeat him with such minor attacks.

[It's strange that the attacks are affecting him at all.]

The ghost laughed sardonically. Taesan had received apostle transformation, but he was only using a part of an apostle’s power. From the ghost’s perspective, having seen several apostles, Taesan’s apostle form was lacking in many aspects.

Taesan was suppressing Cain with a simple superiority in power.

[Still, it's time to finish this.]

“I know.”

He only had 3 minutes left in the duration of the apostle transformation.

He would end the battle with a single strike.

Taesan assumed his stance. Cain had enough time to prepare, but he was too confused to do so.

“This, what is this…”

He couldn’t resist anything.

Powers entirely different from his understanding kept emerging.

But there was no time to be lost in thoughts. Even so, Taesan was swinging his sword at him.

“Ugh!”

Kagagak!

Cain, belatedly focusing on defense, hunched like a turtle and started to block with minimal movements.

Taesan intended to break through that defense.

[You have activated Continuous Attack.]

Kaaang!

“Ugh!”

A strong vibration traveled up Cain’s sword to his arm.

Cain’s hand holding the sword momentarily loosened. Taesan dived below and lifted his sword to strike. Cain, unable to hold his sword properly, hastily blocked the attack.

[You have activated Leap.]

Kwajik.

A power incomparable to before was contained in the sword.

Cain dropped his sword.

He watched his golden sword fly far away with a stunned expression.

A swordsman without a weapon was worthless.

Taesan’s sword pierced Cain’s chest.

He charged forward, slamming him into the wall.

“Kuh ahk!”

[1989 damage to Cain.]

Similar damage numbers appeared consecutively. Taesan withdrew his sword.

“It’s my victory.”

The divine aura surrounding Cain was gradually disappearing. It meant his body and soul couldn’t withstand the power of a god any longer.

Simultaneously, the duration of apostle transformation ended.

The immense power that filled his body disappeared, leaving him slightly exhausted.

“I shouldn’t get used to this.”

Knowledge, information, and power beyond human cognition entered his mind.

All of it was attractive.

If he got intoxicated, there was a possibility of selling his soul to become an apostle.

Probably, Lakiratas had given him the apostle transformation for that reason.

Taesan collected his thoughts.

The boiling excitement and heat subsided. After calming down, he looked at Cain, who was chuckling weakly.

“Ha, haha…”

The power that had filled his entire body until a moment ago had vanished without a trace.

“My end is like this…”

He couldn’t continue his words.

Cain died like that.

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Permanently increases health by 500, strength by 85, agility by 88, and intelligence by 97.] [Your Soul Ascension has been activated.] [The proficiency of the Ability Sword increased by 3%.] [The proficiency of Divine Power increased by 4%.] [The proficiency of Woo?? increased by 3%.]

In addition, the proficiency of various skills increased.

He also acquired a new skill.

[You have defeated the apostle of a god. You have obtained the special activation skill [Apostle Slayer].]

“Do you get the title’ God Slayer’ if you kill a god?”

The ghost didn’t give a clear answer, trailing off in an ambiguous voice.

Taesan, who had asked jokingly, didn’t pay much attention and looked at the system window.

[You have dealt with the last disciple of the flamboyantly decorated God of Swords. The flamboyantly decorated God of Swords has been expelled from the Battlefield of Gods.] [The gods of the Labyrinth are satisfied.] [The God of Swords smiles quietly. He is very satisfied with your actions.]

Through the crack in the sky, a great power escaped.

It must be the flamboyantly decorated God of Swords.

This marked the end.

Only Taesan remained in the Battlefield of Gods.

[Special Quest Success]

With the success window, the world began to crack. Like a shattered mirror world, the space started to crumble.

[Returning to the Labyrinth.]

As the world fragmented, Taesan entered the Labyrinth for the last time.

Finally, it was over.

Taesan sheathed his sword.

“This quest would have been impossible if not for me.”

[Probably so.]

Cain had obtained the power of an apostle.

Even if it weren’t against Taesan, Mantra would have likely granted the apostolic authority to their champion if a being from the Labyrinth threatened the battlefield.

Otherwise, he would have come down and killed them himself.

It was an enemy that couldn’t have been defeated without Taesan’s apostle transformation.

And Cain was strong in his own right.

Though he didn’t put up much resistance and was defeated by Taesan, his swordsmanship was not to be underestimated.

Objectively, Cain’s strength was at the level of adventurers in the early 40th floors.

An adventurer attempting the 30th floor wouldn’t have stood a chance.

[It must have been Mantra's swordsmanship. In reality, the level of swordsmanship itself was quite high. It was just that his proficiency was low, making it easier.]

The ghost seemed to think the same.

[The fact that they didn't know how to counter your swordsmanship made it simpler.]

“One of the biggest advantages of my swordsmanship.”

Opponents facing it for the first time would not be able to find a counter-strategy. That was the characteristic of Taesan’s swordsmanship.

The speed of the sword strike suddenly doubled.

The power also doubled suddenly.

In the case of a counter, it was even more so.

The ghost muttered in amazement.

[Did the counter change like that? Isn't this swordsmanship practically saying, 'Don't even try to block it'?] [Special Activation Skill: Counter] [Mana Consumption: 5] [Proficiency: 39%] [Counters the enemy's attack, inflicting greater damage. Counters even attacks that cannot be countered.] [Condition: Advanced Swordsmanship [Ability Sword] [Condition 1. When you attempt to block and counter an enemy's attack but fail.] [Condition 2. If the opponent attempts an attack within a certain time after the counter fails.] [If both conditions are met, you can attack while ignoring the opponent's attack and defense. However, lethal damage is impossible.]

With the effect of the Ability Sword, Taesan could now use counters more actively.

The variable of failing a counter, which Taesan could somewhat control, followed by a guaranteed hit, was enough to confuse the opponent.

In fact, this happened with Cain.

He blocked Taesan’s counter and attempted an attack.

However, when Taesan ignored the attack and struck him, Cain was greatly flustered and couldn’t properly execute his attacks.

The damage itself wasn’t significant, but it was a skill that could create a major variable in battle.

“Still, it’s not that easy.”

The risk of needing to fail a counter was significant. A guaranteed hit also depended on initiating an attack from his side, so it wasn’t a 100% successful condition.

“But it’s still good. It feels like playing a card game.”

Taesan muttered. Meeting conditions and drawing effects. It was similar to a card game.

“But when do I get the reward?”

Quite some time had passed since he returned to the Labyrinth, but there had been no changes.

However, as soon as Taesan finished speaking, the system window appeared.

[Several gods express doubts about the decision of a few gods.]

“Doubts?”

Before he could even ponder on that, the window continued to appear.

[The God of Choice has listened.] [The God of Proof has listened.] [The God of Victory has listened.] [The Demon God's interference has lessened.]

The interference areas of the gods were being reduced.

[The God of Struggle and Death's interference area has lessened.] [The God of Swords' interference area has lessened.] [The God of Magic's interference area has lessened.]

Taesan hesitated.