Chapter 157: 34th Floor (1)
[What!]
The ghost, who had been quietly floating, suddenly burst into excitement.
[You won! You actually won!]
Taesan collapsed to the ground.
He had no energy left in his body. Even moving a single finger was difficult.
Although his physical condition had returned to its peak thanks to the level-up, his mental fatigue remained.
[How… how did you manage to…]
The ghost was a mixture of shock and confusion, likely due to the incredible feats Taesan had shown during the battle.
Taesan raised a hand.
“Later.”
He needed rest.
The ghost, realizing this, closed its mouth.
Taesan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
Sleep overtook him instantly.
When he opened his eyes, he asked,
“What time is it?”
[About twelve hours have passed.]
“That long, huh?”
It was the first time he had slept for so long.
Taesan first checked his body.
He was in perfect condition. When one levels up, the body returns to its optimal state. There was no reason for there to be any problems.
[Wow, to think you actually beat it. Honestly, I thought you would fail.]
“What would you have done if I had?”
[Well, I’d probably be stuck back in the quest failure zone. I wasn’t too worried about you, though.]
There were many gods interested in Taesan. If he were to die, they would likely try to capture his soul and form a contract with him as an apostle.
Moreover, Taesan had a skill he obtained by clearing a trial given by the god of proof, Fapsya.
[Special Passive Skill: Proof of Existence]
[You have defeated another self. Upon your death, your soul will undergo Fapsya’s trial.]
This skill was obtained after clearing Fapsya’s trial.
However, the exact effects of the skill were unknown. It could be a trial that is nearly impossible to clear, and in the worst case, he might not be able to revive.
It was best to finish the fight without having to use the skill.
Regardless, he had won.
Taesan looked at his clenched fist.
There was even more strength in his body than before.
A smile spread across his face.
[Can I ask now?]
The ghost couldn’t hold back its curiosity.
[How did you dodge all of that? You moved before the monster even attacked.]
The ghost had expected Taesan to die before the monster’s collapse was complete because it seemed impossible for Taesan to perfectly avoid all the monster’s attacks.
Even the aftereffects of the attacks were causing significant damage, so he thought Taesan would be worn down and fall before the monster collapsed.
But Taesan had gradually reduced the damage he took, eventually perfectly avoiding even the aftereffects.
And most impressively, he had dodged all of the gray blades the monster had created at the end.
[Did you foresee the future? Or did you gain a higher level of insight?]
“No, it’s not that.”
Taesan shook his head. It was fundamentally different from that.
“It just… I could see it.”
[See what?]
“The monster’s intent.”
He could see the intent behind its attacks and their locations.
The ghost fell silent.
[Is it because of that skill?]
“Probably.”
Taesan opened his skill window.
[Concept Skill: ???]
[Proficiency: 36%]
[The power of will ??? descends. It synchronizes with all things, allowing you to see and feel their will ???. ??? has been obtained.]
His proficiency had increased significantly.
Additionally, the description now included the ability to see and feel the will of all things.
The experience and the change in the skill’s description confirmed it.
The ??? skill allowed him to feel the will of all things.
“I didn’t realize this skill would be so useful.”
Previously, he could feel the will, but it wasn’t much different from not having it. Recognizing the will and the speed of actions didn’t differ much, making it impractical.
While it had somewhat helped in avoiding traps before, it was more like an intuition rather than a direct sensation.
But this time was different.
Since he could read the apostle’s intent before it moved, he could perfectly avoid its attacks midway through the battle.
The ghost, rubbing its chin as if pondering, spoke.
[It could be because the apostle had fallen.]
“What do you mean?”
[The forgotten goddess’s apostle you fought converted its level into power through Spiritual Fall. That made its strength tremendously high.]
Indeed, the damage Taesan had taken from the final blow was nearly 9000.
Even if Taesan had been in perfect condition, that amount of damage was almost fatal.
[With its intelligence gone and only strength and instinct remaining, its intent would have been even clearer. And since you were constantly focusing during the battle, your proficiency would have increased even more.]
“So, it was thanks to various factors coming together.”
[Probably. It seems that only under such conditions can you read it. It’s a really difficult skill to use.]
As the ghost said, it was a skill with strict conditions and limited targets.
Still, the skill’s value had been proven by allowing him to win against an opponent he should never have been able to defeat.
Taesan opened his status window.
[Kang Taesan]
[Level: 80]
[Shield: 1029/1029]
[Health: 12220/12220]
[Mana: 1915/1915]
[Magic Power: 186/186]
[Strength: 3433]
[Intelligence: 2973]
[Agility: 3298]
[Attack Power + 482]
[Defense + 343]
[You are in optimal condition.]
Taesan laughed.
The labyrinth certainly provided rewards proportional to its difficulty. His current status window was proof of that.
His health, which had never reached 10,000, had now exceeded it due to the level-up, skill rewards, and victory against a formidable opponent. His strength and agility had also surpassed 3000.
The ghost was also in awe.
[What kind of stats are these for someone who hasn’t even reached the 50th floor?]
Even to the ghost, these stats were unprecedented.
“Let’s head back.”
[That’s a good idea. Who knows what might come next.]
The ghost agreed. Before leaving the ruins, Taesan approached the statue of the goddess.
Despite the monster’s rampage, the statue was unscathed.
Whether it was an unconscious act of protecting the statue in its state of pure instinct was unknown.
Taesan prayed to the statue.
The statue crumbled into dust.
[You have prayed to the forgotten goddess. You have received the divine blessing [Blessing of the Soul of the Nameless Goddess].]
With that, everything was finished.
Taesan stood up.
“Let’s go back.”
Passing through the corridor and returning to the labyrinth, he found Hapran waiting with an anxious expression.
“Oh! You’re back!”
Seeing Taesan, Hapran’s face lit up.
“I was getting worried since you took a while. With your skills, there shouldn’t have been any problems, right?”
“I almost died.”
“You almost died?”
Hapran’s pupils shook.
“From the power I sensed from outside, you should have been able to win easily.”
“It was like that at first.”
Neither he nor the ghost had known that the apostle had the Spiritual Fall ability.
“Anyway, I brought what you wanted.”
Taesan took out the tangible gray energy from his inventory.
[Essence of the Apostle]
[The core containing the essence of a divine apostle. Materialized by the fallen spiritual level.]
“Oh.”
Hapran couldn’t hide his admiration.
He accepted the essence of the apostle with trembling hands.
“This is beyond my expectations. With this, it’s definitely possible.”
His eyes sparkled.
Hapran opened a space and put the essence of the apostle inside, then asked Taesan with eager eyes,
“So, what kind of equipment do you want?”
Taesan began to ponder.
Logically, it should be a weapon. It was the equipment that directly affected damage.
But for Taesan, who had mastered the Iraq weapon technique, it was a bit different.
For him, the attack power was integrated across all parts, and he could deal damage with any part of his body, not just with a weapon. Therefore, the value of a weapon was lower for him than for others.
Of course, weapons still offered the most attack power, so it was still a primary choice.
As Taesan pondered, the ghost spoke.
[I recommend something other than a weapon.]
[You can get a weapon from below. If no one has taken it, you can get the one I used.]
Following the ghost’s advice, Taesan made a decision.
“A piece of jewelry. Specifically, a ring.”
He could equip it right away, so he wouldn’t lose anything.
“What effect do you want on the ring?”
“Attack power. Make that the top priority.”
“The Iraq weapon technique… It’s a really interesting skill. Got it. With these materials, I might be able to make a pair.”
Hapran looked very pleased.
“How long will it take?”
“At least a month.”
Considering the level of the materials, it wasn’t something that could be completed quickly. It was a relatively short time, thanks to Hapran’s skills, so Taesan nodded.
“I’ll be back then.”
“Look forward to it.”
Hapran, filled with excitement, grabbed his hammer.
Leaving behind the sound of the hammer ringing, Taesan exited the forge.
The quest was completely finished.
It was time to check what he had obtained.
[Divine Blessing: Blessing of the Soul of the Nameless Goddess]
[A blessing from the goddess. Your soul ascends to a higher level due to the goddess’s blessing. It is still a very weak state for a divine blessing.]
Another blessing obtained by praying to the goddess’s statue.
This time, it was a blessing of the soul.
“If my level has increased, can I deal with an apostle without the Apostolic Transformation?”
[There’s a possibility. After all, an apostle is ultimately a being whose level has been raised by a god.]
If that were the case, it would be a very useful skill. The duration of the Apostolic Transformation was very short, requiring him to defeat the opponent within that limited time.
This would be alleviated by the goddess’s blessing. Higher-level opponents would frequently appear in the future, so it would be useful.
And several skills had increased in proficiency and changed.
It had become difficult to find skills with changed descriptions due to their high proficiency, but a single battle had changed several.
First, the proficiency of the Iraq weapon technique had finally increased.
[Top-tier Skill: Iraq Weapon Technique]
[Proficiency: 20%]
[A technique for handling both weapons and the body. The transmission of force has become seamless.]
“It seems the damage restriction is gone.”
[…It seems that way. That’s really crazy.]
It meant he could deal 100% damage with any part of his body, not just with a weapon. Taesan’s smile widened.
If the changes at 20% proficiency were this significant, he looked forward to what would happen at higher levels.
Proficiency increased slower as it rose.
Taesan set his goal to reach 40% proficiency before reaching the deep layers.
Sensory Enhancement had also changed.
[Special Passive Skill: Sensory Enhancement]
[Proficiency: 80%]
[Senses are heightened, allowing you to perceive the invisible more clearly. Detects everything within a certain range centered on yourself.]
As per the changed description, Taesan could feel everything happening within a 2-meter radius as if touching it.
“It rose faster than I expected.”
It hadn’t been long since Sensory Enhancement reached 60%, yet it had already reached 80%. It seemed that the battles heavily relying on his senses had accelerated its growth.
The proficiency of Ability Sword had also increased.
[Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword]
[Proficiency: 22%]
[Unique swordsmanship created by an adventurer of the labyrinth. Based on the labyrinth’s system. Created on the foundation of swordsmanship used by the prince of a destroyed world. Can perfectly link several skills to swordsmanship.]
The description was the same as before, but Taesan could sense the change.
Previously, the skills that met the conditions of Ability Sword included Acceleration, Force Strike, Leap, Distortion, Counter, and Continuous Attack. These skills explicitly mentioned Ability Sword in their descriptions.
Now, there were more skills with this condition.
The exact effects would need to be confirmed, but considering the skills he had used so far, they would certainly be valuable.
And another skill.
“I don’t understand this one.”
The monster had used Spiritual Fall.
By defeating the monster, Taesan had obtained Spiritual Fall.
And Spiritual Fall had evolved into a completely different skill due to Spiritual Ascension.