Ascension Through Skills

The attack of a mortal touched the body of a transcendent being.

It was a miraculous event, a feat that no one had achieved for thousands of years.

Unaware of this, Taesan was quietly satisfied. Although there wasn’t even a scratch on the Old Demon God’s body, the fact that his attack had reached it was enough to please him.

One of the Old Demon God’s arms moved. An immense power that even Taesan couldn’t handle began to gather and concentrate.

But Taesan smiled without responding.

“This time, I win.”

Boom!

The power gathering in the Demon God’s arm dispersed.

It didn’t gather again and slowly started to be sucked into the space beyond.

“Time limit’s up.”

The Old Demon God had descended here with Elain’s help, and there was a time limit for the descent.

Originally, he could have lasted longer, but he had used excessive power to attempt to crush Taesan. The wave of energy he used at the end was the greatest.

Now, the Old Demon God could no longer do anything here.

“So, get lost.”

The black barrier surrounding them began to collapse. The space expanded and gently enveloped the Old Demon God.

The Old Demon God disappeared.

[Congratulations.]

He offered words of pure congratulations.

[You have won. This time.]

And then the Old Demon God vanished.

As the immense presence was completely erased, Taesan collapsed.

‘The Soul Ascension didn’t activate, huh.’

It was disappointing, but part of him felt it was for the best.

An alien existence. The very body of a transcendent being. If Soul Ascension had activated against such an entity and brought something back, it might have killed Taesan instead.

Not yet. He needed to become stronger, to gain power and try again.

The tension in his body released. The fighting spirit and will that had filled his mind disappeared without a trace.

Although the battle time wasn’t long, he was more exhausted than any fight since his past life.

“…Phew.”

Taesan strengthened his legs.

As the Old Demon God had said, he had won. Therefore, he should stand proudly as the victor.

Crack!

The black barrier completely collapsed.

The surrounding scenery came into view.

“Taesan…”

A trembling voice called out from Anetsha. Taesan frowned, noticing the demon god next to them.

“…Were you watching?”

[Yes.]

The demon god nodded.

Her face was filled with endless satisfaction and pride.

“It would have been nice if you had helped a bit.”

[I believed you would win. And indeed, you came back victorious, didn't you?]

“That may be true, but…”

Taesan grumbled as he turned his gaze.

“Cough! Cough!”

As the black space disappeared, Elain, who had been buried within, appeared.

He let out a dry laugh.

“Hahaha… You’re truly amazing. Not only did you survive witnessing such a great being, but your mind didn’t collapse either…”

Elain’s gaze towards Taesan was peculiar.

It was as if he was looking at something enormous.

“Are you really a mortal? It makes me wonder.”

“For now, yes.”

He had not yet reached their level. But one day, he would.

“First of all… congratulations. You have defeated a great being.”

Elain smiled as he was dying.

“But this result is not bad for them either. They’ve confirmed the power you possess and realized even more what they can achieve through you.”

This meant that the old gods would target Taesan more directly.

Elain, whose limbs were collapsing, spoke in a dying voice.

“I’m curious… what will become of your path…”

“You won’t be around to see it.”

Taesan drove his sword into his chest. Elain’s body completely collapsed.

“That’s… quite a shame…”

[Your Soul Ascension has activated.] [The proficiency of the special continuous activation skill [Cradle of the Abyss] has increased by 6%.] [The proficiency of the special continuous activation skill [Twisted Soul Tuning] has increased by 5%.] [You have acquired the special continuous activation skill [Double Casting].]

The Saint of the Old Gods died, just like that.

Taesan shook off his sword. The ghost approached him.

[Did you win?]

“Yes.”

Taesan replied briefly. The ghost chuckled.

[You monster.]

“Uh…”

Minerva, who had collapsed, began to get up, holding her head.

“Why is she down?”

[The demon god temporarily knocked her out. She was a bit noisy because of you.]

“Master…”

Minerva hurriedly looked around. Her pupils widened when she spotted Taesan.

“…Master!”

She ran towards Taesan.

He patted her head as she hugged him tightly.

“I’m alive.”

“Oh, Master… Master…”

Minerva, her head buried in Taesan’s chest, began to cry. Although his clothes got wet, it didn’t feel too bad.

[Though the demon god assured me, seeing it actually happen is peculiar. How did you manage it?]

“Now you’re a real monster. I can’t believe I faced someone like you.”

Barkaza asked curiously, and Quaned grumbled. Anetsha, holding back tears, approached and spoke.

“Congratulations. As expected of Taesan.”

“Yes.”

Taesan briefly looked at her before turning his gaze to the demon god.

“Demon God, I have completed your task. What do you think?”

[Very, very satisfied. Kang Taesan.]

The demon god smiled.

The quest was over. It was time to return to the labyrinth.

Before that, thanks to the demon god’s consideration, Taesan stayed in the demon realm for a while.

[Even you must be quite exhausted? Take a good rest.]

It was a considerate gesture. The battle with the Old Demon God was mentally and physically tiring. There was no harm in resting before returning to the labyrinth.

Barkaza and Minerva were temporarily summoned back to the spirit world.

In Barkaza’s case, he had expended considerable energy while breaking through the abandoned land, and Minerva had exhausted all her power trying to save Taesan during his battle with the Old Demon God.

As a result, Taesan rested in the demon realm for a day.

“Is it time?”

There was almost no physical damage. If anything, it was mental fatigue, which had recovered in just one day.

It was time to return to the labyrinth.

At that moment, the door opened, and Anetsha entered.

“Taesan, can I have a moment?”

“Sure.”

She sat across from Taesan. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke.

“Taesan, you are truly amazing…”

It was pure admiration and respect.

The Old Demon God. A transcendent who had ruled the demon realm, seen only in legends. Although expelled by the demon god, he was an equivalent being.

Taesan shook his head, having defeated such an entity and returned.

“It’s not that amazing.”

“No, it is amazing. If it were me, I would have accepted defeat the moment I saw him.”

Anetsha smiled slightly. She stopped smiling and asked.

“Are you going back now, Taesan?”

“I should.”

“…Will you ever come back here?”

“Well, if there’s a reason, I might. I can’t give a definite answer.”

“Then… can I ask you one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

She took Taesan’s hand.

“If you can, even just once, please come back here.”

Taesan nodded.

“I’ll try.”

“That’s enough.”

Anetsha smiled.

After she left, Taesan waved his hand toward the space. The space opened, and Taesan’s body was sucked into it.

[Have you rested enough?]

“Yes.”

The demon god was seated on the throne.

She smiled slightly.

[As I said before, I want you to find a place to rest your body.]

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

[That's all I ask. It's not an obligation, so take it easy.]

The demon god crossed her legs.

[Well then, it’s time for you to receive the reward for all your hardships.]

It was time for the reward.

[But before that, it seems you have quite a few questions, don't you?]

“Quite a lot.”

But the demon god would not answer. Taesan could instinctively tell.

The demon god spoke with a vague expression.

[You probably have a guess. It’s because of the boundary you possess. That power. But… as you expected, I can’t give you an answer to that question.]

She twirled her hair.

[Because it’s something beyond what you can handle.]

“Even though it’s my power that I obtained?”

[It’s simple. If you know what you can do with that power, many beings will target you. That includes transcendents and immortals.]

“…It’s quite a big deal.”

Not just mortals, but even transcendents wanting to kill him. In other words, even they saw Taesan’s grey power as something alien.

The demon god gave a bitter smile.

[The old gods, after being banished, have shown nothing but anger and hatred to this world. But greed? Do you know how strange it is for a near-eternal being, unchanged since birth, to want the power you possess?]

The demon god sighed.

[So I can't tell you. If you know, you'll only become more confused.]

“Understood.”

[To think that you could gain something like that through the labyrinth's system.]

She muttered. The demon god, who seemed to be thinking for a moment, clapped her hands to change the mood.

[Then let’s get to the main point. Taesan. You have done exactly what I wanted.]

He had erased the entire bothersome abandoned land. Not only that, he had even defeated the descending Old Demon God.

There couldn’t be more satisfaction.

[As a reward, become my apostle…]

“I won’t.”

Taesan refused decisively.

The demon god, seemingly expecting Taesan’s refusal, waved her finger without much change in expression.

[Well, I figured. You have no reason to become anyone's apostle right now. But... the power of an apostle itself would be of great help to you. So, I’ll give you this first.]

The divinity of the god enveloped Taesan.

[The special activation skill [Apostle Transformation [Myriad Souls]] has changed to the special activation skill [Apostle Transformation [Darkness and Chaos]].] [Check it out. You’ll be very satisfied.]

The apostle transformation was currently one of his most crucial skills, given the high-level enemies constantly appearing. Therefore, the change in the apostle transformation was one of the most satisfying rewards Taesan could receive.

[And… your ring.]

The demon god looked at the black ring.

[The white one is too unique and demands too much power, so I can’t touch it, but the black one is doable.]

The demon god’s power infused the black ring. The ring resisted, releasing power. The demon god waved her finger as if finding it cute.

[Stay calm.]

Boom!

Power concentrated in the ring.

The ring made a squeaking sound, and the power it emitted became stronger.

[I’ve slightly lifted the restriction due to your lack of power. Its self-awareness has strengthened, but… with your current state, you can handle it without problems.]

“Thank you.”

[It's still an insufficient reward for what you’ve done.]

And it wasn’t over yet. The demon god added softly.

The main reward was black magic. All other rewards were personal gifts from the demon god.

[I originally intended to give you a high-tier black magic. One of considerable quality.]

That alone would have been a satisfactory reward for Taesan. Considering the likes of Frozen World and Starlight Arrow, he knew the level of the high-tier class.

But the demon god had an uncertain expression.

[But they intervened.]

“They?”

[The demons I’ve contracted with, who lend power through black magic.]

The demon god squinted her eyes.

[They've taken an interest in you.]

“…Doesn’t sound like good news.”

Demons.

Like the old gods, they were complete from birth, but their power wasn’t great enough, so they made contracts with demon gods to lend their power to demons.

However, while not great compared to the old gods, they still far surpassed mortal levels.

Even the power shown when using beginner black magic through the passage was evident.

[It's not good news, but at least for now, it’s not bad. Take it.]

Darkness enveloped Taesan, materializing and becoming part of his power.

[You have acquired the high-tier black magic [Naberius’ Golden Sword].] [You have acquired the high-tier black magic [Amon’s Pitch-Black Spike].] [You have acquired [Lemegeton].]