Chapter 136: The 30th Floor, Guide of Sin. (Part 2)

The red-haired man, looking frivolous, had a look of shock on his face.

“What the?”

He had come down after receiving a call, only to find that all those who had summoned him were dead. And the one who appeared to have killed them was standing right before him.

“Did you kill them all?”

“What if I did?”

“Huh, impressive.”

The man marveled. There were five corpses visible at a glance. It meant that an adventurer of the 30th floor had defeated five of his equals.

“Your name is…”

As he was about to ask out of curiosity, the man paused mid-sentence.

At the end of his gaze, there was a ghost.

“Uh, um.”

[Long time no see, red-head.]

“…Hello?”

The man awkwardly scratched his head.

The ghost cackled.

[Not a chance for hellos, you bastard.]

It was a playful tone, but a deep anger was laced within it. The man laughed awkwardly.

“This is really embarrassing. Ah, but please don’t get me wrong. I honestly didn’t plan on this. Killing them by exploiting a loophole was truly shameful.”

[So what am I supposed to do about it? You want me to just overlook you?]

“There’s nothing to overlook or forgive. What’s done is done. You’re dead.”

The man shrugged. His gaze then shifted to Taesan.

“Are you going to interfere?”

[No plans to meddle. Handle it yourself.]

The ghost spoke briefly.

The man smiled.

“Understood.”

He took a step forward.

“Wow. That’s amazing. Even I couldn’t have defeated five at once. How did you do it?”

The man burst out in admiration, but his eyes were deeply sunken.

[You have activated Scouting. Due to the level disparity, some effects of the skill are sealed.]

[Ambresia Marin]

[Level: ???]

No other information was visible except the name. Ambresia stroked his chin.

“Honestly, I’d like to recruit you to our side…”

It was a pity.

With this capability, he could have risen to their ranks. If Taesan were on their side, they could have successfully conquered the previously impassable 74th floor.

“But this is crossing the line.”

He had not just defeated the second-tier, but wiped out even the third-tier adventurers. Adventurers rarely came to the labyrinth, and reaching the second-tier was extremely rare.

Though the second-tier was considered weak, they were still their comrades. Keeping Taesan alive after he had killed them all was not an option.

“Well then, goodbye.”

Ambresia threw a punch. The air exploded, and a storm swept through the room. It wasn’t just a simple blast of air; it was an attack linked with special equipment that involved physical destruction.

For the current Taesan, it was an attack impossible to resist.

[Your first attack nullification has been triggered.]

That notification vanished. Ambresia’s pupils dilated as he looked on.

Startled, Ambresia faced Taesan, who had drawn his sword. Ambresia, puzzled, raised his fist.

“What are you?”

“See for yourself.”

[You have activated the Apostle of Rakiratas.]

Divine power coursed through Taesan.

Ambresia hesitated at the changed atmosphere.

“What?”

Taesan charged. Ambresia, with a baffled expression, raised his arm.

Clang!

[0 damage to Ambresia]

The sword collided with his arm, and a miserable system notification appeared.

Given the level difference, it was natural that no damage was inflicted as he hadn’t used any aura.

Yet, Taesan continued his assault relentlessly. Ambresia easily parried, still looking bewildered.

“Wait a minute, won’t you?”

“I’d rather not.”

Taesan kept up his attacks, each showing zero damage, but he persisted without care.

[You have activated Mephisto’s Black Lightning.]

Crack!

Black lightning pierced Ambresia’s body. Likewise, no damage was done, but Ambresia was visibly shaken.

“Dark magic?”

The power granted by a Demon God to his demon kin. Humans were not permitted such power, yet Taesan wielded it.

“Who are you?”

Ambresia grabbed Taesan’s arm and flung it.

Taesan barely managed to land on his feet using the wall.

“Well, that won’t work.”

He knew it. Even if Taesan was powerful, there was a clear line. An adventurer of the 70th floor would neither harm nor threaten him.

Yet, he fought with such fervor for one reason.

[You have fought an overwhelmingly strong opponent without losing your fighting spirit. You have acquired the Special Always-On Skill [Blade of Fighting Spirit].]

A skill gained only when one continues to fight for victory against a foe so formidable that one couldn’t even touch them with a fingertip.

The skill was as exceptional as its prerequisites. It was something Taesan had to obtain eventually.

Having gained what he wanted, Taesan stood up.

Ambresia was still looking at him with a confused expression.

“An apostle of the gods? And of Rakiratas at that?”

An offer made by the gods to those they favored. An apostle’s soul is bound to the god, moving according to his will.

But among the Guides of Sin, including Ambresia himself, almost no one had received such an offer.

If there were any, they were not genuine offers but rather contracts to use them as tools and discard them later. Thus, none among them had ever become an apostle.

Especially not an apostle of Rakiratas, a capricious god with no regard for divine dignity, acting however he wished.

“And dark magic?”

The Demon God was a particularly tricky deity. He cherished his possessions but not all demons. Among the Guides of Sin, too, there were demons, yet the Demon God had never spoken to many of them.

But conversely, he treasured what was his.

That this Demon God had granted dark magic to a human?

This meant the Demon God had prioritized this human over the demons.

Dark magic granted to a human by the Demon God was unheard of.

“Who are you?”

‘Well then.’

That was enough. Ambresia had come here to execute him, but no longer showed the will to touch him.

The reason was simple.

Because touching him could lead to unpredictable outcomes.

“Are you going to keep fighting?”

“Uh, just wait a moment.”

Ambresia spread his hands, blocking Taesan, his face a complex map of thoughts.

They also knew it. The gods did not like the Guides of Sin, who called themselves such. They did not interfere according to the laws of the labyrinth but would crush them at the slightest provocation.

And now, here was an adventurer who seemed to have attracted the interest of not one but two gods.

‘If I mess this up, it could all go downhill.’

Ambresia swallowed his saliva.

After all, it was Rakiratas and the Demon God. Neither was a god who followed rules or was indifferent to mortals; rather, they showed infinite interest in those they favored. They were entities that could intervene significantly.

‘No way.’

Ambresia concluded. He could not kill him. Taesan had been watching this entire sequence of events unfold.

[I can hear the gears turning in your head.]

“Hahaha.”

Ambresia laughed awkwardly. No more hostility was apparent.

“First off, friend. What’s your name?”

“Kang Taesan.”

“Alright, Taesan. I’m Ambresia.”

“I know.”

“Ah, you’ve used Scouting already.”

Ambresia scratched his head. The impact of the apostleship had overshadowed it, but when he thought about it properly, the fact that Taesan had already learned Scouting was also unbelievable.

After some deliberation, Ambresia made a decision.

“Friend, how about we stop here?”

Ambresia raised his hand.

“I think this has crossed a line I can’t handle alone.”

It was not his alone to judge. Ambresia had reached this conclusion.

“Then get lost.”

“Sorry, but that’s not possible either. You’ve broken our rules. I can’t just leave you be.”

Ambresia spoke lightly, but his eyes were somber.

If refused, he would forcibly take him away. This was expected, so Taesan responded without much emotion.

“So, what do you propose?”

“It’s not just my decision; we need everyone’s judgment.”

The anticipated answer returned.

“You want me to go down to the deep layers?”

That was what Ambresia was aiming for—not just his own, but the other leaders’ judgments.

But Taesan had no reason to do so. If he went deeper into the labyrinth, the rewards from the previous floors would vanish. He had no intention of going down, even if it meant death.

“Don’t worry about that. I have no intention of ruining a promising guy, whether he becomes an enemy or an ally.”

Ambresia held up a small key.

“You’ll see.”

[The Labyrinth’s Secret Key]

[It leads to the 70th floor. Can be used again to return to previous floors. Using this key does not affect the labyrinth’s system.]

The ghost sneered.

[Using the secret key here? They’re not coming down themselves anytime soon, are they?]

“Don’t be too harsh. The others didn’t want to come up, whining about it, so I had no choice but to come myself. They won’t complain about this.”

Ambresia shrugged.

Taesan held the key silently, and the ghost spoke.

[The shopkeeper only sells this very valuable, consumable key to those who go down to the deep layers. It’s expensive, so they can’t use it lightly. Don’t worry about any other tricks.]

“Good.”

Taesan nodded.

“How do I use it?”

Ambresia was slightly taken aback by Taesan’s bold words.

“Are you going now?”

“Why wait? Let’s finish this. I need to go down into the labyrinth too.”

‘…What?’

Ambresia was flustered. To descend all the way to the 70th floor, the enemy’s stronghold, without knowing anything was a situation even a very bold adventurer would normally avoid or fear. But no such signs were evident in Taesan.

In fact, he seemed to even look forward to descending.

‘Is there something he wants?’

The thought crossed his mind, but Ambresia shook his head.

It couldn’t be. The ghosts had information that they also possessed. They had thoroughly scouted the 70th floor.

Having organized his thoughts, Ambresia spoke.

“It’s not difficult. Just think in your head that you want to go there.”

Taesan closed his eyes. As Ambresia had instructed, he envisioned the place. Then the air against his skin changed.

When he opened his eyes, a completely different scene was before him.

Ambresia spread his arms.

“Congratulations. Being under level 150 and stepping here? You must be the first.”

[You have arrived on the 70th floor.]

[You have used the secret passage to reach the deep layers. You have obtained the title [Walker of the Cracks].]

The walls of the labyrinth were ash-gray. To be precise, it was hard to even call it a labyrinth.

The space he had arrived at was as large as a soccer field.

Not a hidden room or a boss room, but a room of this size existed in the labyrinth he had descended through.

“Let’s rest here for a while.”

Ambresia waved his hand, and leather chairs and refreshments were summoned.

“I’ll call the others. Just wait a bit.”

He swiftly exited the room. Taesan watched him leave for a moment before sitting down.

“Comfortable.”

The chair was exceedingly plush, rivaling even luxury chairs from Earth…

“And the snacks are tasty.”

It wasn’t just sweetness. The ingredients mixed together pulled out a complex flavor. It was an exceedingly refined taste.

“Is there a chef around?”

[A few who’ve been stuck here a lifetime picked up cooking as a hobby.]

“That’s rather sad.”

Taesan chewed vigorously on the snacks.

[So, you’ve come this far…]

“From here on out is the problem.”

Descending the labyrinth was something that had to be confronted eventually.

The Guides of Sin would come to capture him. It was expected. He couldn’t just wreak havoc and demolish the third tier without being watched.

The organization had rules, and those rules had to be adhered to. Someone would come down to enforce those rules and execute Taesan.

But even if they came down, they couldn’t kill him because Taesan was favored by the gods.

The gods who had established themselves in the labyrinth.

They disliked the Guides of Sin. It was something Taesan had felt and the incumbents surely knew.

Those gods wouldn’t easily touch him. At the very least, they would gather for a meeting first.

All of this had been anticipated. Predicted perfectly through mentions of the Demon God, stories from Lee Taeyeon, and advice from spirits.

“So, what should I do?”

From here on out, it was up to Taesan himself.

“First of all.”

Taesan moved.

The 70th floor.

There was something to be gained here.

While he was doing something, the leaders of the Guides of Sin began to gather.