Chapter 145: Outside, Battlefield of the Gods (1)
[“Intermediate magic. They’re giving it to you already?”]
“Yes. I’m not sure if they’re serious.”
[“The God of Swords is similar, but they don’t joke around… This is unusual. Intermediate magic at the 30th floor?”]
“Could you explain it in a way I can understand?”
Taesan interrupted, waving his hand.
“What does it mean to learn intermediate magic?”
[“Oh. Now that I think about it, you’ve never seen intermediate magic. You’ve used magic before, right? You know what beginner magic is like.”]
“I know very well.”
Magic held tremendous value in the labyrinth. Up to the 30th floor, it was possible to clear with just beginner magic.
Outside the labyrinth, its value increased even more.
In Bekueta, the magicians were astonished by the magic he used. It was at a level that even the best magicians in their world could barely manage or couldn’t cast at all.
And that was just beginner magic.
So what was the level of intermediate magic?
The ghost answered the question.
[“It’s magic that works even in the deep layers. Simply put, even those Guides of Sin you saw would have to avoid it.”]
“Interesting.”
Taesan’s lips curled up naturally.
A skill that could harm those who had ventured into the deep layers. If it could cause physical interference to those who used emotions to induce physical effects, it certainly held high value.
Lilith murmured with a conflicted expression.
“Normally, you’d have to be beyond the 50th floor for this…”
[“That’s right. This guy is just really exceptional.”]
“I’m happy, but it’s also a bit overwhelming.”
Lilith grumbled. Still puzzled, Taesan asked again.
“What about advanced magic?”
If the value changes this much from beginner to intermediate, the difference at the next level must be even greater.
[“Only a few in the Guide of Sin’s upper echelon can use it. It allows you to tackle the deep layers with just magic.”]
“And the highest level?”
[“I don’t know that either.”]
The ghost shook his white head.
[“I’ve never seen anyone use it. Does it even exist? That, I don’t know.”]
“I don’t know either…”
Lilith scratched her cheek with an awkward face. It seemed that even someone who dedicated their life to magic and a warrior who descended to the deep layers didn’t know if it existed.
“Is it higher than the highest-level skills?”
Taesan had the highest-level skill, the Eye of Insight. While the ghost was amazed at how he obtained it, he wasn’t surprised by the skill itself.
This indicated that the ghost was aware of the existence of the highest-level skills. But he didn’t know if the highest-level magic existed, which was unexpected.
The ghost spoke calmly.
[“Magic is harder to learn and more valuable than simple skills. Anyone can access skills or swordsmanship, but magic is cut off by talent right from the start. Among those, only the highest-level can achieve it.”]
“Beyond the deep layers, then.”
[“I don’t know. I’ve met some apostles of the God of Magic, but none of them could use the highest-level magic.”]
Taesan concluded the conversation. He was curious but not interested enough to delve deeply.
“So when can I learn intermediate magic?”
“Not immediately. When the right time comes, the god will give a trial, and upon passing it, you will be qualified.”
“So not yet.”
For now, continuing to conquer the labyrinth was the priority. Taesan said goodbye to Lilith and headed to the 33rd floor.
[Quest Start: 33rd Floor]
[Defeat the boss of the 33rd floor and pass through.]
[Reward: Shield of Protection]
[Secret Reward: ???]
As always, a quest window and reward window appeared. Taesan dismissed the notification and descended the stairs.
The shopkeeper tilted his head.
“Why do you keep going back and forth?”
“I have to learn magic.”
“You mean that useless kid.”
The shopkeeper looked indifferent. Lilith, living off Taesan while he focused on conquering the labyrinth, held no value to him.
“You’re not buying again, are you?”
“No, but I have a question.”
“A question? What is it?”
“What is this exactly?”
Taesan raised his wrist. The whip with thorns was tightly wrapped around his arm.
The shopkeeper frowned.
“Why has that changed?”
“It consumes materials on its own and transforms.”
“…Really?”
“Didn’t you sell this to me?”
The shopkeeper seemed genuinely clueless. He explained defensively.
“I did sell it, but I didn’t make it. I got it from someone else. It said so, didn’t it?”
Taesan recalled the whip’s description.
“It said it was made by a witch’s whim.”
“Right. I got it from her. I put it in the shop because it didn’t seem to do anything weird. I don’t know much more.”
“Were you close to her?”
“Not really.”
The shopkeeper scrunched his nose.
“She wasn’t quirky but had a strong will. Some liked that, but not me. Why do you ask?”
“I wondered if she entered here.”
A witch who could create such useful equipment for the labyrinth. With such abilities, it was possible she entered the labyrinth.
The shopkeeper pondered Taesan’s words.
“There’s a chance… Yes, there’s a chance. She said she wouldn’t come, but she was very whimsical.”
“That’s enough.”
The thorn devoured by the wristguard was said to guard the witch’s house.
Since the shopkeeper didn’t know about it, it meant it came into the labyrinth through a different route.
Taesan left the shopkeeper and moved to another room.
“Now, I need to check the new magic.”
Taesan checked the magic.
[Beginner Magic: Brand]
[Mana Consumption: 1]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Carves a brand at your location. The next magic cast will target the branded location.]
“More supportive than offensive?”
Taesan experimented immediately. He cast Brand and moved forward, then cast a spell.
[You cast Frost Arrow.]
Swoosh!
The magic flew directly to the branded spot as soon as it was cast.
“How should I use this?”
Frost Arrow and Flame Ball could be directed as he wished. Branding seemed like a penalty.
After some thought, Taesan came up with an idea.
“How about this?”
Taesan cast Brand and moved away. After gaining some distance, he cast magic.
[You cast Random Blink.]
Then he blinked to the branded spot.
“This is good.”
The drawback of Random Blink was its random teleportation. Brand solved this with one mark.
The only problem was that Brand could only be cast where he stood, but this could be managed in battle.
Satisfied, Taesan moved forward.
The 33rd floor featured knights wielding hammers. The powerful swings of the hammers, cutting through the air, would be hard for an ordinary adventurer to withstand.
Clang!
But Taesan easily deflected the hammers.
He then activated Acceleration and swiftly defeated the knights.
“This floor is good.”
It was perfect for training his newly learned swordsmanship.
Taesan cleared the rooms.
He continued refining his swordsmanship. Instead of defeating monsters quickly, he focused on raising the proficiency of Ability Sword.
The results were evident.
[Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword]
[Proficiency: 12%]
[Unique swordsmanship created by a labyrinth adventurer. Based on the labyrinth system. Built on the swordsmanship used by a prince from a destroyed world. Some skills can be perfectly linked with swordsmanship.]
“Already at 12%.”
Passing one floor increased his proficiency by 4%. Even against much weaker opponents, it was a rapid pace. The ghost was impressed.
[“Is it because you created this swordsmanship yourself? The speed is remarkable. At this rate, you could reach 20% by the mid-30th floors.”]
That wasn’t all. The proficiency of related skills also increased, changing their descriptions.
[Special Activation Skill: Aura]
[Proficiency: 20%]
[Reward for mastering the sword. You have begun to understand Aura.]
An aura shimmered on Taesan’s sword.
Instead of sparking, the aura blazed like a campfire. As proficiency increased, the aura stabilized.
“It took a while.”
Although its effects were unknown, it likely increased damage since it had no consumption value.
Vital Strike also changed.
[Special Passive Skill: Vital Strike]
[Proficiency: 20%]
[Inflicts greater damage when striking a vital spot. Adds slightly more than half additional damage.]
Apart from the increased damage, there were no major changes. Taesan was pleased with the useful enhancement.
The secret room reward on the 33rd floor was a golden bow.
‘Since I have magic, I can sell this at the shop.’
Soon, he reached the boss.
[A black hammer knight with only instincts left appeared.]
Boom!
The giant hammer swung. Despite being fitting for the floor, the hammer’s weight was enough for Taesan to feel its force.
However, its movements were slow. The boss seemed designed to be evaded rather than blocked.
Taesan swung his sword fiercely.
Clang!
The giant hammer bounced off the thin sword. Taesan kept timing his attacks to strike the knight’s hammer or armor.
[You have defeated the black hammer knight with only instincts left.]
[Ability Sword proficiency increased by 1%.]
[Your level has increased.]
It had been a while since his level increased. He thought he wouldn’t level up for a while due to the level difference with the monsters, but he had accumulated quite a bit of experience.
[Shield of Protection]
[Defense +50]
[A shield made with utmost care but failed to protect its bearer. Mere durability couldn’t protect anyone.]
[You used ???.]
[You obtained the Cursed Phantom Hammer.]
[Cursed Phantom Hammer]
[Attack +70]
[A massive hammer that can barely be wielded with both hands. Made to exterminate ghosts, it houses countless phantoms.]
[Attack +20 against ghost-type enemies.]
“Nothing useful here.”
He didn’t use shields. The hammer had high attack power, but its description indicated it was a two-handed weapon. Despite his high stats, Taesan didn’t prefer weapons that forced both hands.
So it was off to the shop.
Taesan returned to the entrance and sold the accumulated equipment and materials to the shopkeeper.
“Shall we go, then?”
Bargan had told him to go to the far left end of the 33rd floor. As he reached the leftmost room, he saw a small door.
Inside, a small altar appeared.
Like a passageway, two small stones stood at a slight distance.
[Someone will come to take you outside the tower.]
As soon as the ghost’s mumbling ended, a powerful force began to descend on the altar. The gathering force felt familiar.
“Lakiratras?”
[“We meet again, Kang Taesan.”]
A voice filled with interest echoed from the misty force.
“Are you in charge?”
[“Do you not think it suits me?”]
“It does, indeed.”
Struggle and death. It suited the battlefield.
Lakiratras asked in an amused tone.
[“Did you decide to head to those bastards’ battlefield?”]
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone else suitable besides me.”
[“That’s true. It took quite a while to find a proper person due to the trivial restrictions imposed by those outside.”]
Lakiratras’s voice was gentle. Taesan could sense friendliness in his tone.
It was a refreshing surprise for Taesan. Even when he met him on Earth, Lakiratras had seemed to have good feelings towards him but hadn’t smiled or spoken gently. His voice had been blunt and calm.
But now, it was very different.
Most importantly, he called Taesan by his name, not as a mortal.
[“I have no interest in the outside. Some find it annoying, but it means nothing to me. Whatever they do, it doesn’t affect me.”]
Lakiratras was the god of struggle and death. If the gods outside created battlefields leading their followers to death, it was satisfying for him.
[“But this, this is intriguing. It’s not just a mortal’s trivial action.”]
Lakiratras spoke with laughter.
[“Will you accept?”]
[Special Quest Start]
[Participate in the battlefield of the gods outside and show them the greatness of the labyrinth.]
[Condition: Conquest of the Battlefield]
[Reward: Appropriate rewards from Bargan and the god of the labyrinth according to performance.]
“I’ll accept.”
Taesan nodded. Lakiratras chuckled.
[“I’m pleased. Very pleased. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this emotion since sitting in this tedious position.”]