Chapter 139: The Guide of the Gods, Part 1
Kang Taesan clapped his hands, but the Lion King paid no heed; he was too shocked to care.
“Do the gods remember the names of humans?”
The proud and mighty gods do not remember mortals. Even if one becomes favored enough to be an apostle, they don’t bother to mention mortals’ names as individuals.
Yet a demon god had spoken a human’s name.
This fact deeply unsettled the Lion King.
“Get a grip.”
Taesan clapped his hands again. A refreshing sound filled the air, bringing them back to their senses.
“It’s over now. Send someone of my level if you want, or don’t—it’s up to you. I’m going back.”
He had gained everything there was to gain here. There was no reason to linger any longer.
“…Do as you please. I have no further business with you.”
The Lion King said, his expression much more relaxed.
It wasn’t bad news for them. Rank 4, Rank 5, Rank 6. The Guides of Sin within the labyrinth were now mobilized to attack Taesan. Though there were conditions, they could even send enemies who were difficult to defeat.
If so, killing Taesan wouldn’t be hard. The Lion King’s lips curled into a smirk.
“It would be good to see you again later. It’ll be tough, though.”
With those words, Taesan grabbed a key.
His vision blurred, and shortly after, he was back on the familiar 30th floor.
Taesan chuckled.
“We’ll see each other again.”
He had asked the demon to set rules not only as a safety measure but also because he was confident.
In cases involving enemies of similar strength or uncertain outcomes.
He was sure to win.
“Not bad.”
He had now clearly understood the strength of the leaders he had only heard of in stories, the abstractly imagined leaders.
The power of those who had reached the pinnacle of mortality. That was Taesan’s next goal.
[Really? I’m a bit unsatisfied.]
“You knew she wouldn’t show up, didn’t you?”
Societh had said she was friendly with a ghost. It was unlikely she would appear before one.
“Just go see her directly.”
It wouldn’t take too long. By systematically crushing the Guides of Sin one by one, he would eventually reach them.
[…Yeah, that’ll work.]
“So.”
Taesan opened his status window with a pleased expression.
He hadn’t yet checked the rewards he received from defeating the 3rd rank Guides of Sin.
[Kang Taesan]
[Level: 72]
[Shield: 545/545]
[Health: 5990/5990]
[Mana: 933/933]
[Magi: 72/72]
[Strength: 2263]
[Intellect: 1841]
[Agility: 2055]
[Attack Power: +248]
[Defense: +248]
[The subject is in top condition.]
His level had increased by 3. Thanks to the spirit surge, his stats had significantly increased.
And he had also gained two new skills.
[Basic Magic: Earthquake]
[Mana Cost: 14]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Shakes the earth. It is hard to maintain balance at first. As proficiency increases, the vibrations grow stronger.]
When the Guide of Sin had used it, the ground had only shaken modestly, not significantly. It was unclear whether this was due to the spatial characteristics of the labyrinth or the limits of the magic itself.
[Special Activation Skill: Damage Reduction]
[Mana Cost: 3]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Reduces the percentage of damage taken. It is still at a very minimal level.]
“I don’t need to use this.”
While it was useful, it held no value for Taesan, who was robust. Since it couldn’t be used repeatedly, there wouldn’t be many occasions to use it.
These were the skills he had acquired from defeating the Guides of Sin.
And there were skills he had gained from meeting with the leaders.
[Special Activation Skill: Blade of Fighting Spirit]
[Mana Cost: 50]
[Damage is tripled. This skill cannot be used again for one hour after activation.]
[It’s a good skill. I found it useful on my way down.]
Though restricted to a single use per hour, this skill tripled damage once.
Even as a standalone, it was a good skill, but for Taesan, it added even more.
A skill that doubles any type of damage.
This could also be applied to the Blade of Fighting Spirit.
Triple damage became six times the damage at once. Even considering the one-hour delay, it was a skill of a different caliber.
And the divine blessing bestowed directly by the demon.
[Demon’s Blessing: The Victor According to Rules]
[When achieving a just victory according to the rules set by the demon, additional rewards are granted.]
“A skill exclusive to the Guides of Sin?”
This blessing awarded additional rewards when defeating them. While the extent was unknown, considering the effects of previous divine blessings, it would not be insignificant. Given its conditional nature, its activation might even rival the spirit surge.
“Good.”
He could become even stronger much faster.
Taesan closed the system window and descended further into the labyrinth.
[You are headed towards the heart of the labyrinth.]
[The darkness here is strong. However, those who exist here somewhat fade the darkness.]
[Start Quest for the 31st floor.]
[Defeat the boss of the 31st floor to proceed.]
[Reward: The White Sword]
[Secret Reward: ???]
The 31st floor.
The theme had changed again. Since Taeyeon had told him in advance, Taesan knew what to expect.
[So, he’s on the 31st floor, huh? Thinking about it, you could probably defeat him. What could there be?]
The ghost murmured with interest.
Descending the stairs, the shopkeeper appeared.
“You’ve made it this far?”
The shopkeeper’s smile deepened.
“Good. Just keep going down. And make it to the place I desire.”
“I’ll try.”
Taesan entered the first room of the 31st floor.
There, an NPC was waiting.
“Oh? An adventurer, it’s been a while.”
A knight in golden armor stood there.
[You have encountered Vargan, the Guide of the Gods.]
Vargan was a knight with a white, flowing beard. The armor he wore, along with a large shield and longsword, were all golden, dazzling to the eyes.
“Hmm? A hero?”
Vargan paused when he saw the hero.
“…Has it been a while?”
[Yeah, it’s been a while? We’ve met just once, and never since then.]
“Having you by my side means…”
Vargan looked at Taesan and smiled.
“Are you the adventurer Lord Ainzhar has spoken of?”
“Have you heard?”
“Yes. He spoke very highly of you. Said he met a fine adventurer after a long time.”
Vargan looked at Taesan with shining eyes.
“You might not be too bad.”
Swoosh.
He drew his sword. The blade of the longsword was pure white.
Taesan instinctively drew his weapon.
“Don’t be too wary. I’m sort of a test conductor. You can hear the details from the ghost behind.”
[A sort of qualification test? I don’t know what it is. I failed it.]
“You did?”
Taesan was surprised. The ghost should have been able to handle at least a couple of adventurers on the 30th floor with ease.
A test even the ghost failed.
“What’s it about?”
“I’m testing two things. One is the qualification to ascend here.”
Vargan raised his shield. His whole body was covered by the shield.
“This one is quite easy. Just show the right amount of strength. And there’s no rule saying you can’t come down without my permission. It just means you’ll likely die, so be satisfied here.”
“And the other?”
“Qualification to enter the battlefield of the gods.”
Vargan grinned.
“I’ll judge whether you’re worthy to herald the greatness of this place. You know the criteria, don’t you?”
[Sub-quest started]
[The Guide of the Gods, Vargan, wants to test you. If you pass his test, he will give you rewards and another quest.]
[Vargan has challenged Kang Taesan to a duel. In this duel, they cannot kill each other.]
Taesan took his stance.
The qualification to enter the battlefield of the gods. It seemed the ghost had not earned it. And if he had failed, it meant that Vargan before him was a formidable opponent.
There was no reason to refuse. It wasn’t a deadly crisis, and if he obtained the qualification, like the crazy spirit had, he might receive a special quest.
[Duel accepted.]
“Let’s do this.”
“Good.”
Vargan took his position.
“Then let’s start right away.”
Boom!
A loud sound resonated. Vargan was moving at a great speed.
Incredibly fast. It was incomparably faster than any Guide of Sin he had seen before, but not to the level that he couldn’t follow with his eyes.
[You have activated Mental Acceleration.]
[You have launched a Breathless Attack.]
He activated all basic skills and moved.
Clang!
The sword collided with the shield, emitting a sharp noise. Taesan grimaced at the force transmitted through his wrist.
‘Strong.’
His strength stat was much higher.
As surprised as he was, Vargan was equally astonished.
‘He blocked my charge?’
He had tested hundreds of adventurers, but none had ever blocked his charge. Not even the heroes.
Taesan created distance. Vargan thudded as he charged towards Taesan.
Strong and heavy. A frontal confrontation had almost no chance of success.
Then.
[You have activated Random Blink.]
At the moment Vargan’s sword swung, Taesan activated the skill. His body vanished, only to reappear right above Vargan.
Quickly assessing his position, Taesan utilized the force of gravity to strike down with his sword. Vargan grunted and pushed up with his shield.
Clang!
Taesan’s body flew through the air. Due to the stat difference, the speed of his flight was extraordinary. If it continued, he might hit the wall and suffer significant damage.
Boom!
Vargan didn’t miss the opportunity. In the air, no matter how strong one is, movements aren’t free. He planned to close in and finish it off.
In an instant, Vargan caught up to Taesan, raising his shield like a tank to push forward.
[You have activated Aerial Leap.]
Taesan stepped on the air. Vargan’s body brushed past, and Taesan struck down at his nape.
Crash!
“Ugh!”
[Vargan took 64 damage.]
‘Is that all it did?’
Taesan clicked his tongue. If it hadn’t included aura damage, it would mean no damage was dealt.
“Ah!”
Vargan halted his foot and struck at Taesan. Taesan blocked with his sword, but the difference in stats was inevitable. His body flew through the air again.
Vargan charged. Aerial Leap could only be used once in the air, and Taesan hadn’t yet touched the ground.
However, Vargan had to stop his advance.
[You have activated Landing.]
Taesan’s body manipulated the forces and landed on the ground.
“Landing as well… Remarkable.”
Vargan couldn’t help but admire.
“I see why Lord Ainzhar mentioned you. It’s unbelievable.”
“That’s my line.”
From the recent combat, it was clear. He was not an opponent Taesan could defeat.
Perhaps possessing strength above the 60th floor. There was a huge gap compared to the leaders of the Guides of Sin, but the current opponent far surpassed his level.
Yet, Taesan raised his sword.
“Let’s continue.”
An impossible enemy to defeat.
But it was against such foes that one could gain valuable things. Taesan dug his feet in.
“That’s far enough.”
Vargan stopped his sword. Taesan, sweating profusely, gleamed in his eyes.
“I can’t go further. If I do, I might end up using all my strength.”
Vargan forcibly suppressed his fighting spirit.
It had been nearly an hour of combat. During that time, Vargan had not been able to overpower Taesan.
[Duel ended.]
With the end of the duel display, Taesan collapsed. He had fought with all his strength, and it wasn’t a bad outcome.
Fighting such an opponent affected the proficiency of his skills. In fact, the proficiency of skills like the Tough Opponent Skill or Blade of Fighting Spirit had also increased by 1 or 2%.
Taesan was satisfied, and Vargan couldn’t contain his amazement.
“A newly arrived on the 31st floor… you held out against me for an hour?”
It was impossible. Even the strong hero had only lasted five minutes against him. And even he had been a worthy opponent, gaining adequate rewards.
But an hour?
He wanted to continue fighting, but he was the Guide of the Gods. He had his role to play.
“You might be able to… ”
“What?”
“Have the qualification to represent the labyrinth in competition.”
Vargan grinned widely.
[Sub-quest completed]
[Vargan wants to give you a suitable reward.]
With the completion, another quest began.
[Sub-quest started]
[Head to the battlefield of the gods and achieve victory.]