Chapter 130: The Will of the World (3)
I wanted to leisurely check the new skills, but there was no time for that. The ashen sky flickered ominously, heralding another lightning strike.
I quickly entered the ruins.
Roar! Boom…
Loud noises echoed down the corridors, but inside, the ruins were unaffected—a testament to their incredible physical or magical resilience.
“It should be safe here for now.”
It was time to check the skills.
[Special Activation Skill: Leap]
[Mana Cost: 3]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Allows for a very high, long leap.]
I smiled with satisfaction. Being able to jump incredibly high was literal. With increased proficiency, this skill could take me above the clouds.
If used in conjunction with Acceleration, it could close vast distances in an instant. This would have been handy back when I was wave-managing across continents on Earth.
On its own, it wasn’t without drawbacks. Being airborne meant taking significant damage on falling, and it was a difficult skill to control for precise landings.
But I had also acquired another skill to resolve this.
[Special Activation Skill: Landing]
[Mana Cost: 20]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Safely land at a desired location when airborne.]
Exactly as described. It allowed for a controlled landing at a specific location, eliminating any fall damage. Even from above the clouds, if timed right, this skill would prevent any harm.
And I had another reason for wanting these skills.
‘Can it be combined with Mid-Air Dodge?’
A spell that allowed movement again while in the air.
If they could be linked, their value would be immense.
However, I couldn’t test it in the cramped interiors of the ruins. I decided to explore further first.
The blacksmith had mentioned that these were ruins, typically protected by various traps. As I stepped forward, a trap activated with a loud clang.
I casually deflected an arrow with a wave of my hand.
The deeper I went, the more frequent and complex the traps became, but they were too crude to stop me. I reached a massive door without hindrance.
“Here we are.”
I clenched my fist, and the door cracked open, revealing a sarcophagus with a person inside and a red gem behind it.
That must be the item the dwarf wanted.
As I approached, I paused.
Drip, drip.
Ashen slime was leaking from the ceiling of the ruins, pooling on the floor before merging into a single form.
Soon, it took on a human shape.
The formed slime raised its head toward me, and at the same time, a burst of energy exploded out.
A colossal rage seemed intent on crushing me.
I drew my sword and backed away.
“What is this now?”
[It seems like a collective of wills.]
“A collective?”
[Powerful wills can manifest physically. It’s not an ordinary being; if it’s the world’s will, it can definitely become a sort of avatar.]
An avatar of the stars.
And it was furious with me.
Screeeech!
The ruins trembled unstably as the sarcophagus shattered. The thickening air made it hard to breathe, as if needles were pricking all over my skin.
Just the emotion alone was drawing physical phenomena.
“A sort of divine being, then.”
I tightened my grip on the sword with a serious look.
The ashen being raised its arm. I saw an intangible aura wavering from its hand.
I stomped the ground hard.
Crack.
At the same time, the space where I had been standing distorted, literally twisting out of dimension.
‘Spatial distortion?’
A hit from this would mean death regardless of health. If it weren’t for my evolved Sight Adaption, I wouldn’t have dodged it.
Crack.
Again, space twisted, and I narrowly escaped.
Being an avatar of the stars, it was incredibly powerful—enough to kill me dozens of times over.
‘But it’s clumsy.’
Its way of manifesting power was terribly slow and visibly obvious.
Raising its hand seemed to be the trigger for its powers, which also took a noticeable time to activate. There was a tell, and as long as I was careful, I could avoid it.
Thrust.
I charged at the avatar. It raised its hand to unleash power in my direction, but I twisted my body and dodged, continuing my charge.
Crack.
My sword pierced through the avatar’s chest. Energy exploded, and the avatar’s form dispersed.
[Your Spirit Rank has been activated. The proficiency of ??? has increased by 5%.]
With that, I felt a change in perception.
It was indescribable, but I was sensing something I hadn’t before.
[You’ve gained something, but it might be good to move?]
“Right.”
But there was no time to explore this feeling further.
The ruins were creaking, a sign of the overwhelming force pressing down from the surface.
I grabbed the red gem and returned to the labyrinth.
The dwarf greeted me upon my return.
“Successful again, I see.”
[Sub-Quest Completed.]
[Crimson Jewel]
[An artifact from a destroyed world. The last king held onto this gem, believing it would save him from death. It contains great power, but not enough to save the deceased, hence his wish faded into oblivion.]
“Here.”
I handed over the jewel to Hapran, who accepted it with a pleased expression.
“Very good. You could really make it work.”
“What can you make with it?”
“It varies. We can craft new equipment or enhance existing ones. What do you want?”
“Can it be used on the Dragon’s Claw?”
The claw I had received from a dragon in Vexatia was still with the dwarf.
Hapran paused, then stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“It’s possible… could make something interesting.”
“Then please do that.”
“But one gem won’t be enough. At least five are needed to make something proper.”
“That’s fine.”
If the investment resulted in equipment that could be used to clear the labyrinth, it was worth it.
“Alright then. I’ll keep it safe.”
Hapran accepted the jewel with a curious look.
“But you’ve changed. Did you get something from there?”
“I’m not sure.”
I looked at my hands.
“I intend to find out.”
[Concept Skill: ???]
[Proficiency: 20%]
[The power of will manifests as ???. You have gained ???.]
Now that the proficiency reached 20%, new information had been added about acquiring ???.
Clearly, I had gained something.
But what it was, I couldn’t tell.
“Hmm.”
I crossed my arms in the middle of the room, feeling a power I had never known before. It wasn’t just in my body; I could sense it in the walls of the labyrinth, the floor, even the doors.
“What is this?”
[Who knows.]
When in doubt, experimentation was the answer.
I moved to clear the room. A shadow spirit greeted me.
I effortlessly dispatched its attacks, trying to discern the nature of the new power. After about ten minutes of trying and failing, I questioned:
“Is this even a real sensation?”
There was something there. Every time the shadow spirit moved, the power shifted.
But that was it.
What it meant, how it could be used, remained unclear.
The watching spirit asked.
[It changes with each attack from the spirit?]
“Yes, but I don’t know what it means.”
[What about if you attack?]
“Only one way to find out.”
I immediately attacked the spirit, and felt a movement of power from within me.
“It changes when I attack, too.”
But still, I had no idea what it was. I looked puzzled, but the spirit seemed to have a notion, muttering to itself.
[Could it be… really?]
“Do you know what it is?”
[Attack again. And check if your body moves first, or let’s simply call it willpower. See which moves first.]
I complied. I readied myself and swung my sword at the spirit again.
The spirit fell, and I nodded.
“The will moves first.”
Right before my body moved, there was a tiny, almost imperceptible lead—it was the will the spirit referred to.
[It’s true.]
The spirit chuckled.
[You’re not even trained for eons, and you’ve got this?]
“What is it?”
[It’s a kind of realm. What do you do before you attack?]
“I position myself, choose how to attack.”
Head, counterattack, or a vital point?
That was the first decision, then I moved.
[Yes. You read the sword’s motion, the muscles, the opponent’s gaze, and beyond that, you read their mind. It’s something from tales of transcendent realms.]
“Is that the power I gained?”
[Exactly as the tales describe. Since you’ve taken the world’s will, you can understand the will of all things.]
That made sense.
Even the walls of the labyrinth, crafted by a sorcerer with a purpose, if that will could be sensed, then feeling it from everything was plausible. The spirit grumbled, incredulous.
[It’s absurd. I haven’t even reached that realm…]
“Honestly, I’m not sure how useful it will be.”
There was almost no delay between the movement of my body and my will. Acting on it first in combat seemed impossible.
[Get used to it, and you’ll see how absurdly powerful it is.]
It was akin to reading an opponent’s mind, anticipating their moves before they even made them.
‘…Is it just that?’
The spirit wondered.
While it was an extraordinary realm, at least within human limits, considering it was the world’s will, it seemed undervalued. If it was just reaching the limits of mortality after taking a transcendent’s power, that was low.
If that was all, then why did the proficiency increase after defeating a divine beast?
If proficiency reached 100%.
Maybe it wasn’t just reading will but manifesting it.
‘Surely not.’
The spirit concluded. It seemed impossible.
To directly influence the physical world with will alone—without a body, implying material interference from a purely spiritual existence—was a power reserved for transcendents.
But upon reflection, the very idea of taking anything from the world’s will seemed far-fetched. To the spirit, Spirit Rank was a skill far beyond the mortal plane.
‘Who knows.’
It was intriguing. Unknowable.
And he was curious to see how far Taesan could go, what he might become at the end of his journey.
The spirit urged, hiding its thoughts.
[Should we go down soon?]
“Indeed.”
Taesan nodded and sorted out the spirit. It had been a long time since he’d descended deeper into the labyrinth.
From the 25th to the 29th floor, he descended non-stop. Then he cleared the spirit’s quest and dealt with the guides on the 30th floor.
Taesan set his sights and began to swiftly break through the labyrinth.