Chapter 129: The Will of the World (2)
As I descended to the 20th floor, the blacksmith was still guarding his spot, just as he had been when I left.
Hapran squinted his eyes as he spotted me approaching.
“I thought you might have finally died since I hadn’t seen you for a while.”
“I just had some places to be.”
I replied calmly, prompting Hapran to give me a curious look.
“You’ve changed. I’ve seen countless adventurers, but none have grown stronger as quickly as you. What did you do?”
“Just a bit of this and that.”
After exchanging some trivial banter, Hapran got to the point.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I have a question. You came here from a world that was destroyed, right?”
“Yes.”
Hapran’s expression was placid, unfazed even by the destruction of his own world.
“You said the Will of the World led to its destruction. Can you tell me more about that process?”
“I could tell you… but it doesn’t seem like something you’d care about. Why do you ask?”
“There’s something I need to know.”
I couldn’t tell him about the significance of ascension. Considering how NPCs had reacted up until now, I had no idea how Hapran might change if he found out about the ascension’s existence.
Hapran, with a slight frown, decided to speak.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give you a rough idea.”
I nodded.
“Our world itself tried to kill us. I don’t know why. Even as it was collapsing, there were those who tried to find a solution, but they all turned to dust. In hindsight, there had been signs all along.”
Hapran began to explain.
“Suddenly, birds would drop dead or a massive spring would dry up overnight, and the earth would crack, spewing fire from exploding mountains. At the time, we thought it odd but didn’t pay much attention.”
A spring could dry up suddenly. Birds might die from a disease. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are possible.
All these were disasters, but understandable ones. Thus, the inhabitants focused more on the aftermath rather than finding the cause.
“But it got worse. Mountains spewed fire daily, and large rivers dried up instantly. Then we realized something was terribly wrong.”
There was a threatening presence endangering their survival.
Realizing this, people began to investigate, but they discovered nothing.
“Some thought it was the threat of a Demon King. Others believed it was a trick by a transcendent. But such ideas couldn’t lead us to any real answers.”
In the end, they learned nothing and slowly met their demise.
“A tenth of our world, covered by forests, turned into deserts. The seas dried up. Buildings crumbled into sand, and all living beings died. Only then did we realize the stars were killing us, but by then, it was too late. Even if we had known, there was nothing we could do.”
What could they do against the will of the stars? The only option was to flee them.
“And so, we perished. Only I survived, finding a place in this labyrinth.”
Hapran finished his story indifferently.
“Does that answer your question?”
“More or less.”
I stroked my chin.
Hapran’s story clarified things.
The will of the stars had shattered his world.
The mysterious skill I’d acquired was likely related to that will.
There was a way to confirm it.
“Can we go there again?”
“Huh?”
Hapran hesitated, sizing me up before scoffing.
“Really, this is funny. I thought you’d need to surpass at least the 40th floor before attempting that again.”
“So, can we go?”
“Yes.”
Hapran nodded.
“I have my reasons too, so there’s no reason for me to refuse. Just wait a moment.”
He brought out a black gemstone.
“This time will be much harder. Before, the world didn’t fully recognize your existence and used only a fraction of its power, but now, it definitely knows you.”
[Sub-Quest Start]
[Hapran has a request for you. Enter his ruined world and retrieve the Crimson Jewel from the Tomb of the Dead King. If successful, a reward will follow.]
“The world will definitely try to kill you. A piece of advice—finish it as quickly as possible.”
With that, my body moved.
When my vision returned, I was in the ashen world on the brink of destruction.
“Phew.”
I exhaled and activated [Shadow Walk], finding it easier to move than before due to my increased proficiency.
‘Things are definitely different this time.’
The ashen sky bore an unmistakable intent to kill.
Roar!
Suddenly, the sky shook. I stomped my foot in response to the blinding light.
Boom!
Lightning struck, turning the earth to glass that shimmered under the fierce heat, and I whistled.
‘They really want me dead.’
Then, of course, I was going to end this swiftly. I gathered my strength in my feet.
Crash!
The earth crumbled as my body sprinted forward. The quest’s destination wasn’t far; I could reach it within an hour if I moved quickly.
But, as expected, it wouldn’t be easy to arrive there without trouble.
Roar!
A mountain in my path shook as if it were alive, the earth rippling like waves. A giant baobab tree stood up from its roots, and stones defied gravity, soaring through the air.
The mountain transformed into a humanoid figure and threw a punch at me.
I stomped the ground, and the punch hit where I had been, creating a massive crater. I drew my sword and thrust it into the creature’s dirt-composed arm.
However, like before, no damage appeared.
This was an undying entity. Therefore, a sword with such a narrow area of effect was useless. I sheathed my sword.
Roar!
The giant made of mountain raised its arm again. Positioned on its arm, I naturally rose into the air.
Then, stones and wood embedded in the giant’s body flew at me like bullets.
I threw a punch.
Ka-boom!
The air exploded as I collided with the meteor-like stones, scattering them in all directions.
Roar!
The giant attempted to crush me with its other arm. I escaped from its grasp and fell towards the ground.
‘What to do?’
As I fell, I pondered. I had to defeat this giant to achieve my objective. Even as I fell, various things flew towards me.
[You have activated the “Path of the Windwalking Deer”.]
The wind enveloped my body.
My body moved through the sky. I dodged the incoming objects and struck them harshly, shattering everything that approached.
[You have activated “Strong Strike”.]
I clenched my fist and pulled back, then struck.
Boom!
A heap of rubble collapsed as the giant staggered, unable to withstand the force.
The giant made of mountain crumbled under the impact of a human fist.
I landed on the fallen giant.
‘Where could it be?’
I continued to throw punches.
The giant shook its arms in resistance, but I trampled and burst them, ignoring its efforts.
During my previous visit, everything that attacked me had an ashen aura.
That was what I was searching for. It took time due to its large size, but after a thorough beating, I found it.
‘In the sole of the foot.’
I gathered the ashen aura. The resisting giant paused and eventually collapsed.
[Your “Rank of Spirit” has been activated. The proficiency of ??? has increased by 3%.]
As expected, the proficiency had increased. I checked and found the content had changed.
[Concept Skill: ???]
[Proficiency: 15%]
[The power of will manifests as ???.]
The word ‘power’ had been added.
‘Indeed.’
Something imbued with will. The act of defeating it had stolen some of its essence.
I tried using points experimentally, but they didn’t apply. This meant the skill could only increase its proficiency in this way.
‘What happens when it reaches 20%?’
I was curious, but there was no time to ponder further.
Roar!
The ashen sky churned as lightning continued to strike down. I moved swiftly to dodge.
From afar, a giant hurricane approached with a roaring sound, and the earth split open to reveal its underlayers.
Multiple natural disasters struck at once.
‘So, the real challenge starts now?’
I stomped the ground.
Crack!
The storm engulfed me. Its force was much stronger than any sandstorm I had experienced before, inhibiting my movement.
[You have used the ore of a golem and the spirit-forged boots. All that restrains you is undone.]
Suddenly, the wind disappeared.
I took advantage of the break to activate acceleration. I burst out of the storm at a speed surpassing the sound barrier.
What welcomed me was a landscape falling apart like puzzle pieces.
Rumble!
The ground was breaking into pieces, making it difficult to find a proper foothold. Yet, I managed to find just enough space to move forward swiftly.
Roar!
Lightning struck again. I dodged a direct hit, but the tip of my arm was slightly burned.
[You take 215 damage.]
The air thickened further, now viscous enough to inhibit movement.
[You have activated “Recoil”.]
The air was pushed back, granting freedom of movement. I took advantage of this to step on unstable platforms and charge forward.
The destination was not far. It was right before me.
But a vast cliff blocked my path, looming ever closer.
And behind me, another cliff of equal size approached quickly.
“Wow.”
I chuckled dryly. Their intent to kill was clear.
The cliffs moved quickly, though slower compared to me. But given their length, escaping by moving around was not an option.
Yet, it was also an opportunity.
I powered my legs and ran towards the cliff. As I got close, I stomped the ground.
Crack.
I planted my feet on the cliff and began to climb. The cliff stretched high into the sky, but I quickly started to ascend.
As I reached the midpoint, the cliff suddenly moved faster.
[You have activated “Freedom of Choice”.]
I invested intelligence into agility to climb faster.
When the opposite cliff was within reach, I jumped over the edge.
Boom!
The cliffs collided, shattering into pieces. The force would have caused significant damage if I had been caught between them.
I whistled as I looked down.
‘Now then.’
I had climbed the cliff all the way to the sky. Then, the cliff crumbled away.
From a great height, I began to fall. The sharp wind scraped my cheeks.
I had used all my skills to nullify attacks and leap through the air. And even if I had them, I wasn’t planning to use them now.
The only skill I planned to use while falling was “Firmness” to prepare for the impact.
Boom!
And then the ground hit. I clenched my teeth from the impact.
[You take 1243 damage.]
Even with “Firmness” activated to halve the damage, it was still significant. Falling from a cloud-high place, the damage was as expected.
If I had activated “Path of the Windwalking Deer,” I could have reduced the damage, but I chose not to use the skill.
The reason was precisely because of this skill.
[You have landed on the ground from a very high place. Special activation skill [Leap] obtained. Special activation skill [Landing] obtained.]
[Did you know?]
“Of course.”
Leap was a unique skill gained under specific conditions. It was difficult to meet these conditions, so I had planned to obtain it later, but the opportunity presented itself, and I quickly seized it.
And before me was the entrance to the underground ruins.