Ascension Through Skills

[Start of the 37th-floor quest.] [Defeat the boss of the 37th floor and pass through.] [Reward: Ankle Protector submerged in the Abyss] [Secret Reward: ???]

A familiar system window appeared.

Taesan passed the shopkeeper and arrived at the area with monsters. Instead of moving immediately, he began to check his newly acquired skills.

Taesan placed his hand on the ground.

[You have activated Leraje's Territory Detection.]

Wooong.

A thick, dark energy swept across the floor through the ground.

At the same time, Taesan was fascinated by the numerous pieces of information about the labyrinth that entered his mind.

The distances between corridors linking rooms.

The sizes of each room.

And the numbers of monsters occupying each room.

He could know all that information.

“This is pretty good.”

[Basic Black Magic: Leraje's Territory Detection] [Mana Consumption: 18] [Basic Magic Power Consumption: 10] [Proficiency: 1%] [This skill sends out the wavelengths of the demon, Leraje, that read all things. It allows one to know a lot of information within a certain range.]

While Insight lets you know things within your sight, this skill allows you to understand things within a certain range even if they were not in sight. Although it didn’t provide as detailed information as Insight, it’s exceptionally efficient for reconnaissance.

Following the information provided by the territory detection, Taesan entered a room.

Inside the room, a knight wielding two purple-colored swords awaited Taesan.

As soon as the knight spotted Taesan, it charged at him, and Taesan responded with a skill.

[You have activated Vital Point Designation.]

After designating the knight’s wrist as a vital point, he dodged the swinging sword and stabbed his own sword into the designated spot.

Kaang!

[2450 damage to the knight with double swords.]

The knight’s body staggered significantly.

Taesan continuously struck at the vital spot. The knight collapsed without much resistance.

“Nice.”

Though he had used it in his previous life and already knew its effects, it was indeed a highly useful skill. The ability to designate a vital point wherever he wanted exerted pressure on the opponent.

Taesan continued moving forward.

Soon, he discovered a monster in the next room. Taesan waved his hand toward the charging knight.

[You have activated Decarabia's Distorted Vegetation.]

Koogooong!

Roots burst forth, engulfing the room. Their color was darker, and their thickness was much greater than before.

The skill had been enhanced due to his increased proficiency in black magic.

The knight struggled against the roots, but they remained unyielding.

Taesan smiled at the unexpected power.

With only 30% proficiency, it was this powerful. He became very curious about how much stronger it would become with higher proficiency.

After dealing with the struggling knight, Taesan moved to the next room. It was time to experiment with the newly learned offensive black magic.

[You have activated Seir's Black Wind.]

Suddenly, a black storm erupted.

Though it was not big enough to fill an entire room, the power within was not to be underestimated. The knight hit by the storm was flung against the wall.

Taesan repeatedly activated the black wind as the knight struggled to stand. The wind took the form of blades and storms, depending on Taesan’s intent.

“Not bad.”

[Basic Black Magic: Seir's Black Wind] [Mana Consumption: 1] [Basic Magic Power Consumption: 5] [Proficiency: 1%] [This skill summons the black wind that the demon Seir wielded.]

Without much explanation on how to use it, it seemed he could manipulate it as he wished.

The wind could be shaped into a spear or used defensively. It could also be turned into a storm to blow away projectiles.

Though not very powerful, it was a versatile skill that could be used in various ways.

‘I wonder if it can be combined with The Deer Walking on the Wind Path.’

Both were wind-related skills. Although they were of different systems, it seemed like it could be quite useful if possible.

And then the last skill.

It was the one Taesan was most looking forward to.

[Basic Black Magic: Marbas' Pitch-Black Wave] [Mana Consumption: 5] [Basic Magic Power Consumption: 45] [Proficiency: 1%] [This skill summons the pitch-black wave that guards Marbas' territory. The deep, dense wave of darkness seems to devour everything, likely even trivial barriers.]

The strongest black magic Taesan had obtained so far was Mephisto’s Black Lightning.

An attack from Mephisto or a weaker opponent was unavoidable and came with a stunning effect. It was a very useful skill, but it consumed a lot of mana and magic power.

However, the consumption for the Pitch-Black Wave was even higher.

With anticipation, Taesan headed to the next room and activated the magic towards the monster there.

[You have activated Marbas' Pitch-Black Wave.]

Suddenly, a rift opened next to Taesan.

A pitch-black wave gushed out from a rift connected to a deeper dimension.

Whoosh.

The wave violently swept the room. Seemingly sentient, it began to crash toward the knights rushing at it.

Koong.

The knight tried to withstand the attack, stamping the ground and swinging his sword.

But the wave, almost mockingly, split and engulfed the knight.

The knight swept away by the wave disappeared from sight, followed by sounds as if it was being chewed by teeth.

Crunch. Crunch.

[350 damage to the knight with double swords.] [532 damage to the knight with double swords.]

As the damage indicators vanished and the wave subsided, leaving no trace, nothing remained where it passed.

The ghost spoke in a lackluster tone.

[Quite useful... huh?]

“Does the wave itself have a consciousness?”

The monsters of the 37th floor literally vanished without any resistance. The magic seemed powerful enough to be effective even beyond the 40th floor, perhaps even at the 50th.

[It's a good skill, but something feels off. It's too directly connected to that side. It's not good if the demons take an interest.]

“Is that a bad thing?”

[It's not a good thing. Demons, although under the Demon God, are not exactly docile creatures.]

“What exactly do these demons do?”

All the black magic skills were related to demons. However, Taesan did not fully understand the difference between demonkind and demons.

The ghost explained.

[They are beings similar to the High Gods.]

Taesan frowned.

“Similar to the High Gods?”

[You know that the power of the High Gods is immutable and infinite from birth, right? Of course, they have their limits.]

Taesan nodded. He had heard this explanation before.

[Demons are similar beings. Much weaker than the High Gods, but still possessing considerable power. They lend their power to demonkind through black magic in exchange for a contract with the Demon God.]

“A contract, huh.”

[I don't know the details. They might have obtained freedom as a trade-off for lending black magic, not wanting to be sealed away like the High Gods. But they're not friendly to humans, so it's best to be careful. It's unlikely that a demon would mess with someone the Demon God is interested in... but there's always a mad one out there.]

The ghost muttered.

Keeping the ghost’s words in mind, Taesan continued moving forward.

He discovered a secret room, bypassed traps, and secured a reward. The reward was an ordinary sword, so he planned to sell it to a shopkeeper.

Without resting, Taesan soon faced the boss.

Crack.

With a swing of his sword, he shattered the knight’s helmet. Another swing broke the knight’s breastplate. Taesan then overpowered the knight, slamming him to the ground.

He struck down with his sword.

The knight offered little resistance as he fell.

[That was easy.]

“Time to go down.”

He had spent too much time on the 30 range of floors for various reasons. Once he finished this task, he planned to focus on conquering the labyrinth.

[Ankle Protector submerged in the Abyss] [Strength +50] [Agility +50] [Defense +45] [An ankle protector submerged for countless years in the deep, uncharted abyss. It contains power from a place yet unreached by humans.]

The equipment boasted high strength, agility, and defense. Taesan quickly put it on.

[You have used ???] [You have obtained the Aegis Shield.] [Aegis Shield] [Defense +150] [The shield used by the great saint Aegis throughout his life.] [If you become immobile for 1 second, you become immune to all damage. This effect has a one-month cooldown.]

“Oh?”

Taesan’s eyes sparkled.

Immunity to all damage was an effect he had never encountered before. The immobility penalty seemed manageable.

Considering its potential in various situations, Taesan decided to take the shield with him.

After clearing the 37th floor, Taesan ascended the stairs to meet Lilis. On his way to the 36th floor, he made sure to dispose of the unnecessary equipment at the shopkeeper’s.

“When will you buy something?”

“It won’t take long.”

By now, Taesan had accumulated a substantial amount of gold. He could afford a decent piece of equipment.

Nevertheless, aiming for higher-quality gear, Taesan intended to save as much as possible.

He sought out Lilis once more.

“Ah, you! Where have you been!”

She greeted Taesan with a mix of exasperation and relief. From Lilis’s perspective, it was understandably alarming for Taesan to vanish suddenly after going to meet the God of Magic.

“I had some matters to attend to.”

Taesan replied calmly.

“May I go to meet him again?”

“Yes, yes. God said to come back after you return.”

Taesan prayed as he had previously done.

The space split open, and Taesan was summoned to the realm of the God of Magic.

This time, he arrived in a space filled with galaxies without any hindrance.

[You're here?]

The God of Magic greeted Taesan, assuming the same posture as before.

[Did you have a good meeting?]

“Yes, but it was a bit strange.”

The interest and reward the Demon God showed him.

It was more than mere kindness.

Zelbando smiled faintly.

[We have expectations of you. That child probably does too. You'll find out soon enough.]

Zelbando clapped his hands.

[Now, you've done as I wanted with those guys. So, I should give you a reward. What would be good...?]

His gaze, which had been fixed on Taesan, shifted to Taesan’s gauntlet.

[That gauntlet went to you?]

“Do you know about it?”

[It was a glove I once used. I miss it.]

A glove directly used by a god. That in itself was not so surprising. Taesan had seen equipment used by mortals who became gods before.

However, meeting a god who had directly used the equipment he wore was a first, giving him a somewhat novel feeling.

[This should do it.]

Zelbando murmured, waving his finger.

[The seal of mystery in the Rough Grasp Gauntlet has been released.] [You have obtained the Rough Grasp Gauntlet.] [Rough Grasp Gauntlet] [Attack +50] [Magic Effect +30] [Made from a part of the gauntlet of a being that crushed everything. His power still remains.]

Taesan’s eyes widened at the changed description.

The magic effect boost broadly impacted the power of magic. An increase in magic by 1 meant a 1% increase in all effects of magic, a very useful effect, but there were hardly any equipable items that significantly utilized it.

In simple terms, it meant a 30% increase in the power of magic.

[This should suffice as a reward.]

“Thank you.”

[No need to thank me yet. It's not a free gift.]

Intermediate magic.

And the trial to obtain it.

Zelbando scratched his cheek.

[In fact, I was a bit worried. It seemed too hasty. Excess can be worse than scarcity. But... with you as you are now, it seemed enough.]

Zelbando smiled.

[Actually, it's a bit insufficient, but I should give it since that poor and admirable child wants it so badly.]

“Thank you.”

Taesan recalled something Lilis had said, which he had forgotten.

“And she asked me to convey her thanks to you.”

[Really?]

Zelbando’s lips curled into a smile.

[A pitiful and cute child. It's rare to find someone who enters here and survives just to learn magic.]

He chuckled. Unlike the gods Taesan had met before, Zelbando seemed like a lighter-hearted deity.

Taesan waited for Zelbando’s next words. Zelbando’s laughter faded.

[The trial I will give you is the Demon God's. Similar to what that young child gave you.]

The trial from the Demon God was to rescue the demonkind’s princess from a world where demonkind was persecuted.

Zelbando raised a finger, and countless stars whisked past them.

[The world of the arrogant giants. Bahuliya.]

Zelbando pointed to a planet.

That planet was noticeably larger than the others, appearing to be at least ten times bigger.

[Once, the giants, who delved into the mysteries of magic more than anyone, have now forgotten me. So, your task is to make them remember me. Call my name and make them recognize me again. That is the trial I give you.] [Start of Sub Quest] [The God of Magic, Zelbando, wants to imprint the existence of magic on the giants who have forgotten his presence.] [Reward: Intermediate Magic]