[Special Activation Skill: Add-On]

[Mana Consumption: 30]

[Doubles the damage.]

An incredibly succinct description window.

There was no proficiency level; a simple explanation about doubling was sufficient.

Taesan swung his sword at the remaining spirits.

[You have activated Add-On.]

[Desolate Spirit 12 took 501 damage.]

The damage exceeded 500. It was an unprecedented figure.

Taesan swung his sword again.

[You have activated a Strong Strike.]

[You have activated a Continuous Attack.]

[Desolate Spirit 25 took 912 damage.]

[Desolate Spirit 25 took 498 damage.]

A total of fourteen hundred damage was dealt. The skill also doubled the efficacy of other skills like Strong Strike.

[Oh dear.]

The spirit could barely muster a groan, only managing a wry laugh. Taesan smiled contentedly.

“I acquired it faster than expected.”

The conditions were too favorable. The Dark Spirits were just the right size to be cut down with a sword, and their uniform and spherical shape minimized variables. And the fact that all the monsters looked the same was a significant advantage.

Hundreds of different monsters of various sizes.

He recalled how long it had taken to acquire Add-On among them; it had easily surpassed two years.

He had invested all that time into acquiring Add-On alone, and it had taken two years. Now, he had reduced it to six days—a substantial reduction in time.

[Oh dear… how can something like this…]

The spirit murmured in awe.

[And why such a skill…]

“I was surprised myself.”

Add-On. A skill using Perseverance to double the damage. It was an unreasonable skill that seemed nearly impossible to learn. Even after learning it, Taesan had wondered why such a skill existed.

But the words of Balbambam confirmed it. Skills were automatically created by the labyrinth’s system, designed to fit the situation.

In other words, most of what he conceived in his mind could be created.

“Excellent.”

Taesan laughed with joy. He would have liked to revel in this triumph, but there was no time.

Only two hours remained. Taesan quickly navigated through the labyrinth. Almost clearing the 25th floor, his level increased.

[Your level has increased.]

[You are in optimal condition.]

The health and mana spent to acquire Add-On were fully restored.

Taesan immediately returned to the shopkeeper. He sold unnecessary equipment and materials and purchased health and mana potions with the earned gold.

“That was close.”

With his preparations complete, space began to split in front of Taesan.

The split space expanded and enveloped him.

When his vision cleared, Taesan was back on Earth.

The ashen sky. A gaping rift therein.

It had been a long time since he’d seen such a sight.

“Ah, no!”

“I don’t want to!”

“I want to go back!”

Like Taesan, others who had returned screamed in terror. Glancing around, he could see the city hall where he had arrived before.

[Special Quest Start]

[Prepare for the next quest at the city hall within 24 hours.]

The quest window appeared.

Taesan moved.

“Hello?”

Taesan calmly approached Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk, who were soothing those around them.

[You’re not dead?]

“Ah.”

“Brother! It’s been a while!”

Kang Jun-hyuk beamed. Taesan playfully tapped his forehead.

“How far did you get?”

“Uh, I barely made it to the 8th floor, but I didn’t face the Trial of Arrogance. There wasn’t enough time; I thought I’d be summoned back in the middle of it.”

“Me too.”

“Is that so?”

[You have activated Scouting.]

[Lee Taeyeon]

[Level: 14]

[Health: 412]

[Equipped Weapon: Sword and Shield]

[The Fearful One.]

[Kang Jun-hyuk]

[Level: 14]

[Health: 432]

[Equipped Weapon: Sword and Shield]

[The Brave and Reckless One.]

Level 14. When Taesan had entered the 8th floor, he was level 20 with health in the 800s. There was a clear difference.

But they weren’t weak.

Now, they could easily defeat Hard Mode players.

“Let’s talk later.”

“Ah, okay.”

Lee Taeyeon hurriedly began moving people.

“Ah… no… no…”

Among the players, some showed willpower, but most were engulfed in fear and dread.

24 hours.

In that time, he had to soothe them and finish the preparations.

Kim Hwi-yeon grasped her forehead. She felt like her head was about to split.

“The labyrinth was easier.”

Others might spend the 24 hours organizing their thoughts or resting, but she had no time for that. Kim Hwi-yeon looked despairingly at her desk.

“When will I ever get this sorted…”

Numerous documents lay before her.

Surviving Easy Mode players, Normal Mode players, Hard Mode players. Their numbers, approximate stats, and their equipment and will to fight.

She had to separate and assign roles to all of them, and just creating the documents took 12 hours; she had to speak now, within the remaining 12.

Geum Jung-geun laughed as he helped sort the documents.

“It can’t be helped. You were put in charge by him, weren’t you?”

“It’s too much. There must be others who can do it better than me.”

“There aren’t.”

“Eek!”

Startled by the voice behind her, Kim Hwi-yeon jumped from her seat. She barely calmed her pounding heart as she saw the person who had entered through the window.

“…Why did you come in through the window?”

“It’s easier this way. I don’t want to deal with annoying hallways.”

“Ah, I see.”

She muttered under her breath but was inwardly shocked.

The floor she was assigned to was the highest in the city hall. Even after becoming stronger in the labyrinth, it was a height she couldn’t reach without clinging to a wall.

He had jumped up to that height in a single leap.

“Really, you’re not human.”

“Now you mention it.”

“Brother, you’re here.”

“Yeah.”

Taesan greeted him and scanned the documents.

“That’s a lot?”

“Yes, loads.”

Kim Hwi-yeon grumbled as she organized the papers, her fingers tightening around them.

“But… it’s less than before.”

At first glance, there were fewer than thirty thousand. This meant that many had died descending the labyrinth after the first return.

Kim Hwi-yeon bit her lip. As an administrator, she couldn’t just be sad. She had to recalculate and readjust based on the reduced numbers.

“Can’t someone else do this? I’m a humanities major.”

“You’d be good at persuading people. Perfect, right?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Hwi-yeon bit her lip in frustration.

Taesan was aware of her complaints.

“There’s no one else but you.”

Kim Hwi-yeon was the right person for the job. This had been concluded in the previous world.

“As I said before, I’m not the kind of person who can manage and command people. Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk are the same.”

It wasn’t that they couldn’t do it; it was a matter of efficiency and effectiveness. In his case, it was more efficient to act directly than to govern people, and Lee Taeyeon was too passive.

In the case of Kang Jun-hyuk, he was too young to be a focal point. Taesan looked at Jung-geun.

“He’s better at assisting than managing.”

“That’s my true calling.”

Geum Jung-geun proudly shrugged. Kim Hwi-yeon spoke painfully.

“Still, better than me…”

“There might be.”

Over twenty thousand people were here. Surely, some could manage better than Kim Hwi-yeon.

“But a weak one can’t be a focal point. You know that, right?”

“That’s true.”

Politicians and leaders of civic groups.

They were weak. They hadn’t descended into the labyrinth and didn’t understand the power of the strong. Hence, they were only blabbering about punishing Taesan.

Even if that weren’t the case, Hard Mode players wouldn’t easily follow them. It was natural for the voice of the powerful to grow louder. Someone with enough skill to suppress that needed to be the focal point.

“At least a Hard Mode player. You’re the right choice.”

During the third return.

Due to an incident caused by Choi Jung-hyuk, only about five thousand people had survived.

And they were given a quest. To break through the monsters and head to Seoul.

With only five thousand people, they had to head to Seoul.

Even Grade E and D monsters had appeared, trampling and killing them. At that time, Taesan was only as strong as a top Easy Mode player, and Lee Taeyeon wasn’t much different from Hard Mode players. Most of the few Hard Mode players had died, and everyone had given up on life.

Kim Hwi-yeon had managed to save over half of the players and sent them to Seoul.

Many had held the position of leader until humanity was doomed, but in Taesan’s view, Kim Hwi-yeon had been the most outstanding. If only she had been there, they might have held out a bit longer.

Taesan murmured quietly.

“Well, you’ll know in a few days.”

“What?”

“This side of the story. How about the other Hard Mode players? Those not here, in other regions?”

“…I hadn’t thought about that.”

Kim Hwi-yeon realized what Taesan was talking about.

During the first return, they had gathered at Anyang City Hall. Everyone there had resided in Anyang.

Even just in southern Gyeonggi, there were cities like Seongnam, Gwacheon, Gunpo, Uiwang, Suwon, Hwaseong, Yongin, and more. The number was hard to count for the entire country.

Hard Mode players summoned to regions other than Anyang.

He was asking about the stories they had shared in the labyrinth.

“But there’s no reason to meet them, right?”

To meet them, they would have to leave Anyang and move to other regions, and there was neither reason nor leisure for that. They were too busy just surviving here.

Kim Hwi-yeon hadn’t paid much attention to that for the same reason. She thought they could only meet in the labyrinth anyway.

Taesan gestured with his chin.

“Just tell me.”

“They were all preparing various things. But I didn’t ask for details. I was busy preparing myself.”

“That’s fine.”

Taesan spoke calmly.

“Work hard. Not much time left, right?”

“I could use some help…”

“I have my own things to handle.”

Taesan exited through the window like the wind. Kim Hwi-yeon looked mournfully at the piled-up documents.

This quest was a 24-hour preparation quest. There were no restrictions on movement.

Taesan left the city hall. He sprinted through the ruined city to the closest location to the sky rift.

Crackling.

Cracks spread through the sky from the rift.

This rift was growing larger and would eventually become big enough for even gigantic monsters to emerge.

“It’s definitely gotten bigger.”

The second return in the previous world. The rift was larger now than it had been then.

“The power is also fluctuating.”

Having met the gods directly and felt their power, the energy beyond the rift felt more tangible.

The power inside the rift was slowly expanding, as if something mighty was about to descend.

It wasn’t a Grade D level of power.

It was at least Grade C, if not B.

“Despicable creatures.”

Taesan scoffed. He briefly surveyed the rift and then returned.

The usually silent spirit spoke.

[But why go through such troublesome acts?]

“The high gods?”

[Yes. They are powerful. I thought this was the limit until I saw the Devil’s power and realized I was wrong.]

The Devil had crushed a star itself, even as another god resisted. That was the level of power the gods possessed.

[If they wished, they could crush this small world in an instant. Why bother creating such rifts, initiating returns, and giving quests?]

“Who knows.”

That was a question for him too.

Gods were powerful and fierce beings. If they were exacting revenge on those who had ousted them by crushing the world, there was no reason for such cumbersome acts.

They could just crush everything and move on.

However, the high gods seemed to be showing mercy, sending down monsters and giving time according to their strength.

“Twelve years. They’ve crushed 258 worlds,” he said.

That was a relatively slow pace considering their strength. The spirit grunted ambiguously.

[Are the labyrinth gods interfering?]

“That’s the most likely.”

To interfere with the vengeful high gods, numerous gods of the labyrinth might be checking them. It was the most logical and plausible explanation.

But it didn’t completely make sense for entities that would show such benevolence.

After a long contemplation, the spirit gave up.

[I don’t know. We’ll find out as we go down into the labyrinth.]

“Or we might find out soon.”

The rift was trembling, as if it was about to spew something forth.

This return seemed set to be different from the last.

When Taesan returned to the city hall, everything had been arranged, and 24 hours had also passed.

[Special Quest Start.]

[This quest is given to all players in southern Gyeonggi.]

[Assemble at Yongin City Hall.]

[Time Limit: One week]

[Reward: Differential payment based on performance upon return to the labyrinth.]