Chapter 111: The 23rd Floor. Wind Spirit, Kashpa (2)
The wind becomes a blade, slicing through the air with a piercing sound. Taesan swings his hand broadly.
Clang!
The blade shatters, and the air explodes. Taesan leaps into the air, dodging the incoming attack with an aerial maneuver and arrives above Kashpa to bring down his sword.
Just as the sword is about to reach Kashpa’s horn, the wind explodes, pushing Taesan back. He lands on the ground and moves his hand. The wind shot like a cannonball disappears as it collides with his fist.
“This is tough.”
Taesan shakes off his hand. Although he can block and avoid taking significant damage by scouting everything, he also hasn’t been able to inflict any considerable damage on the spirit.
Taesan had acquired skills that allowed him to attack spirits, even the crazed ones.
However, if the attacks don’t hit, they are meaningless.
“This is your limit, human,” says the spirit in the form of a deer, arrogantly.
“I acknowledge your greatness. Lower and mid-level spirits cannot stop you,” with defense negation, acceleration, among other spells.
The power and abilities Taesan displayed were beyond what even Kashpa had seen. It was too much power for an adventurer of the 23rd floor to possess.
Honestly, Kashpa was internally impressed as the battle went on.
“But that’s as far as you go. Your power cannot touch me.”
“You’re in the same boat, though.”
Kashpa had not been able to inflict any significant damage on Taesan either. Kashpa seemed indifferent.
“Your goal is to kill me. I just have to drive you out from here. It’s clear who has the upper hand.”
“Hmph.”
Taesan snorts but doesn’t retort.
Indeed, his attacks had not reached Kashpa.
Whenever Taesan tried to approach, an explosive wind pushed him back. Despite using acceleration, powerful strikes, and evasive maneuvers, most of his attempts failed.
Magic was largely ineffective as well. Frost arrows were stopped by the wind, losing their acceleration, and fireballs were not even formed due to the wind’s flow.
Lightning was somewhat useful but caused only negligible damage, making it a waste of mana.
‘It’s more focused on defense.’
At least with his current stats, he couldn’t breach its defenses.
“Repent your arrogance and return, human.”
“I’d rather not.”
Kashpa sneers at Taesan’s display of refusal.
“Ugliness is almost a symbol of adventurers. Fine. Feel the powerlessness.”
The wind around Kashpa thickens. Even without scouting, a dense colored wall unfolds.
Taesan flicks his sword. Everything he has tried and learned so far has been ineffective against this opponent.
“I wanted to practice more, but it can’t be helped.”
Muttering, Taesan charges. Kashpa smirks seeing Taesan rushing towards him.
“Like a moth to a flame.”
The wind shreds into pieces, swirling around the room. Burnt grass cuts away, fluttering like petals.
Taesan charges towards Kashpa, darkness expanding behind him.
[You have activated Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation.]
Dozens of giant roots burst from the darkness. Kashpa, who had been waiting leisurely, panics.
“What is this!”
Boom!
The roots thrash, filling the room. The wind’s fragments are blocked by the roots and disappear.
“You are not a demon!”
Kashpa, in denial, sends wind blades. Instead of blocking with his sword as before, Taesan hides behind the roots.
Crack!
Marks appear on the roots. Deep, but not enough to cut through. With the power contained in the wind, it should have been sliced off.
‘As expected.’
Neither magic, aura, nor skills had damaged the spirit, but only dark magic could.
Taesan moves between the roots, dodging the wind to get closer to Kashpa.
“Foolish tricks.”
The wind around Kashpa strengthens. The accelerating wind becomes a storm before Taesan. Taesan touches the storm.
[You have activated Marax’s False Flame.]
A substance resembling fire pours out. It fiercely beats the storm, emitting intense heat.
“How far can you block this false flame, which inflicts continuous damage?”
The storm shakes violently with a tearing sound. The false fire, like a living creature, rises and devours the natural force.
“How dare you corrupt a spirit with such twisted power!”
Kashpa, filled with rage, gathers power. The room shakes violently with the condensing power of the wind.
[You have activated Raum’s Emotional Turmoil.]
In previous battles, when Taesan activated random mental attacks, Kashpa was unaffected and even scoffed.
“Ah, ah!”
But not this time. Kashpa begins to show visible confusion.
The raging wind calms, and the false flame continues to melt the storm.
Finally, a small gap appears in the storm. Taesan accelerates, swiftly moving through the gap with his sword.
The storm is torn apart, leaving Kashpa defenseless. Taesan’s sword flames blue.
“Human!”
“Enough.”
[210 damage to Kashpa.]
The damage window scrolls down as the sword moves. Kashpa roars, gathering wind.
“How dare a human wound a spirit, a natural being!”
“Quiet.”
Taesan pushes forward, activating Marax’s False Flame again. The substance resembling fire engulfs and crushes the gathered wind.
He had figured out how to approach and had succeeded. From here, it was one-sided.
He inflicted damage with his sword and restricted the opponent’s actions with dark magic. Spirit skills didn’t trigger a system window, but being this close allowed him to predict them in advance.
Crunch.
Finally, the spirit falls. It didn’t take long, as its health wasn’t as high as expected.
“Ha, haha.”
Kashpa chuckles weakly.
“A mere human… a mere human!”
Regret quickly turns to rage. A voice filled with hatred resounds.
“Human! Our king will judge you! You will pay for touching a spirit!”
“Is the Spirit King here too?”
“He resides in the deep, deep depths! To oppose us for a crazed spirit! You will pay for your arrogance!”
“Don’t worry about me. We were bound to be adversaries anyway.”
Taesan delivers the final blow. Kashpa’s body disperses into the air, and the power contained within transfers to Taesan.
[You have defeated Kashpa, a superior Wind Spirit.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your Spirit Enhancement has been activated. Permanently increasing your strength by 32, intelligence by 22, and mana by 60.]
[You have acquired the Spirit Skill [Deer Walking the Wind Path].]
[You have obtained the core of a superior spirit.]
[You have obtained the Unbound Spirit Essence.]
His level and stats significantly increase, but the skills catch his eye first.
[Spirit Skill: Deer Walking the Wind Path]
[Mana Cost: 100]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Duration: 30 minutes]
[A spirit born from the wind itself can move its cradle. During the duration, you exert influence over the wind.]
The mana cost is quite high, but it’s a duration skill.
This explains why the system window didn’t show when Kashpa manipulated the wind. Once activated, it becomes a continuous skill.
Taesan immediately tries it.
[You have activated Deer Walking the Wind Path.]
A strange sensation envelops him.
He becomes aware of air currents he had never noticed before. He waves his hand, sensing the wind’s direction and path with his movement.
Taesan tries to create a wind barrier like Kashpa. The wind coalesces into a bluish barrier around him.
But it’s weak and unstable, seeming like it could break at any moment.
Taesan clenches his fist. The barrier explodes, forcefully striking the room.
“Is this all? It’s still hard to use effectively.”
Taesan murmurs, feeling the wind’s strength.
Whether because he’s not a spirit, or due to lack of proficiency, it’s not yet suitable for offense or defense.
But it’s not entirely useless. The fact that it’s a continuous skill is significant. Being able to freely use it for 30 minutes is enough for movement assistance.
Against significantly weaker opponents, the spirit skill alone might suffice.
“A useful skill.” With that judgment, Taesan checks the items obtained.
[Superior Spirit’s Core]
[The core of a spirit. Pure and strong. If possessed by a nature without self-awareness, it would become a spirit.]
It seems to be a quest item. He should take it to the crazed spirits. Taesan checks the other item.
[Unbound Spirit Essence]
[Spirits are not bound. Among them, wind spirits soar the skies, embodying the unbound nature. If used on certain equipment, it seems to grant a special power.]
“Another item for refinement.”
It’s about time for the refinement he requested to be finished. He has another reason to visit.
After checking everything, Taesan starts to clean up the room. Heading towards the boss room, he asks the ghost.
“Ever seen the Spirit King?”
Kashpa had mentioned their king. Said he resided in the deep depths, and the ghost had also ventured down to the depths.
“I did. But I wasn’t interested.”
“Why?”
“He was a guide to sin.”
An unexpected response.
“Was he an adventurer, not a monster or NPC?”
“Spirits, like demons or humans, are part of a race. There’s no need for them to enter the labyrinth in the form of a monster. I don’t know why he came. He wasn’t interested in the weak.”
A faint anger lingers in the ghost’s indifferent voice.
“Thinking about it, did he contribute to my death? Then I have a purpose. I’ll tear him apart too.”
“Let’s leave that for later.”
Taesan arrives at the 23rd floor’s boss.
The boss is a mid-level wind spirit. Naturally, he defeats it easily. After defeating a superior spirit, a mid-level one stands no chance.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your Spirit Enhancement has been activated. Your strength permanently increases by 15, agility by 18.]
[You have obtained a Snake Skin Belt.]
[You have obtained ???.]
[Your level has reached 55.]
[You have reached the entrance level desired by the mage using the labyrinth’s system. The mage, delighted by your growth, grants you a privilege.]
[Choose your reward.]
[1: Provision of special equipment.]
[2: Increase in proficiency of a specific skill.]
[3: Permanent increase in a specific stat.]
[4: Overall knowledge about the labyrinth]
[5: Part of the hidden truth of the labyrinth.]
[6: One piece of information you want, with conditions and restrictions.]