Chapter 158: 34th Floor (2)
[Special Activation Skill: Spiritual Conversion]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Transforms the level of the soul into power and imbues it into the body. The user will die after a certain period of time following activation.]
[What?]
The ghost exclaimed in surprise after reading the description.
[You’ll die? Not your soul, but your life?]
Taesan stroked his chin. The effect seemed similar to what the apostle of the goddess had used. It converted the level of the soul into pure power.
However, the cost was slightly different from the ghost’s explanation.
Instead of damaging the soul, it simply cost his life.
[Is this because of Spiritual Ascension? Can it really convert in such a way?]
The ghost kept muttering in confusion. From his perspective, it was an unbelievable concept.
Spiritual Fall damaged one’s soul but granted immense power.
As evidenced by how Taesan, who had previously defeated an apostle without issue, was nearly killed by the apostle using Spiritual Fall, the fall of the soul was a fair trade for power.
Such a thing had now been changed to the cost of one’s life.
“It’s still a significant cost.”
Whether it was life or soul, dying meant the same thing. Either way, continuing to conquer the labyrinth would be impossible.
‘Or maybe not.’
Taesan narrowed his eyes.
‘…It might be possible.’
He recalled a skill he possessed.
A skill given to him by Fapsya after clearing his trial.
[Special Passive Skill: Proof of Existence]
[You have defeated another self. Upon your death, your soul will undergo Fapsya’s trial.]
Nothing was certain. This skill might work differently than he expected.
‘But.’
It could be his trump card.
“Let’s think about it later.”
It was a question without an immediate answer. Given the cost was his life, he couldn’t just test it out.
The first use would have to be in a real situation.
[…Alright, let’s do that.]
The ghost finally agreed. Taesan continued his review.
Apostolic Transformation had also shown a system message indicating it had risen a level due to Spiritual Ascension.
[Special Activation Skill: Apostolic Transformation (Lakiratas)]
[The power granted by the god of struggle and death upon his first birth. You will gain a portion of the power held by the apostles of Lakiratas for 20 minutes. This skill cannot be used for 24 hours after activation.]
The duration had increased from 10 minutes to 20 minutes. Given that Apostolic Transformation not only raised the level of his soul but also increased his stats, this was a significant improvement.
[Apostolic Transformation… even that is altered.]
The ghost groaned.
Apostolic Transformation was a power directly granted by a god. A skill given by Lakiratas, who governed two domains.
Spiritual Ascension was affecting even such a skill.
‘Is it higher-level than I thought?’
While the ghost was organizing his thoughts, Taesan also finished his review.
“Alright.”
Taesan clenched his fist.
Facing an apostle required risking his life, but the rewards were worth it.
Having confirmed everything, Taesan proceeded through the labyrinth.
[34th Floor Quest Start.]
[Defeat the boss of the 34th floor and pass through.]
[Reward: Ring of Haturia.]
[Secret Reward: ???]
The 34th-floor monster was a knight in black armor.
“A Death Knight?”
[It doesn’t have the aura of death.]
“Just a look-alike, then.”
Clang.
The black knight charged at him. Its longsword sliced through the air, aiming for Taesan’s neck.
Taesan casually swung his sword. His sword met the knight’s sword.
Crack.
The knight was sent flying.
Taesan walked forward calmly. The knight, stumbling to regain its posture, charged again.
Clang!
This time, the knight didn’t get pushed back. It began to engage in a struggle with Taesan.
It pressed its feet into the ground and channeled all its strength into its sword.
For a regular adventurer on the 34th floor, this knight’s strength would be overwhelming.
But Taesan felt no pressure.
“I wonder how it changed.”
The reason he hadn’t immediately defeated the knight was to check the changes in his Ability Sword skill.
Taesan applied more force to his sword. Under the pressure, the knight’s knees buckled, and Taesan’s sword rose.
[You have activated Grounding.]
The force suppressing the knight suddenly amplified.
The knight’s knees hit the ground. Unable to withstand the pressure, the knight’s body bent, and its sword slowly gave way.
Taesan looked down at the knight and clenched his fist.
The knight, unable to hold on, dropped its sword and was split in half.
“So this is how it feels.”
Several skills had changed as his Ability Sword proficiency increased. One of them was Grounding.
[Special Activation Skill: Grounding]
[Consumes Mana: 2]
[Proficiency: 5%]
[Forces a body in mid-air to land on the ground.]
[Condition: Advanced Swordsmanship (Ability Sword)]
[If your sword is positioned higher than your opponent’s weapon, you will strike down with great force.]
After using it directly, he understood the description.
“It’s similar to Leap but different.”
Leap was a skill that allowed a powerful upward slash when below the opponent. The difference lay in whether he was higher or lower, but the explanation was similar.
In the next room, Taesan tested it on another knight.
This time, he leaped above the knight’s head and activated Grounding.
Clang!
Even in a situation where it was hard to apply force, the skill activated without issue. Unable to withstand the weight of the sword, the knight was crushed.
Watching the process, Taesan’s eyes sparkled.
Unlike Leap or Force Strike, he didn’t need to exert any strength for the skill to activate. It could deal a proper attack even in situations where he had no footing.
The condition that his sword had to be higher than the opponent’s weapon was a necessary one given the skill’s effect, so it wasn’t a major issue.
Having confirmed this, Taesan moved to find another enemy.
Grounding wasn’t the only skill that had changed.
Another knight charged at him in the next room.
[You have activated Mitigation.]
Clang.
Taesan’s sword clashed with the knight’s sword. Taesan frowned.
He applied more force and sent the knight flying, then checked Mitigation.
[Special Activation Skill: Mitigation]
[Consumes Mana: 30]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Reduces the percentage of damage taken. Currently, the reduction is very minor.]
[Condition: Advanced Swordsmanship (Ability Sword)]
[When your sword clashes with an opponent’s, it slightly reduces the burden on your sword.]
“Is this even applying?”
[Can you really tell at this level of difference?]
The ghost responded as if it was obvious.
The altered Mitigation reduced the burden on his sword. It was a skill designed to prevent him from being easily overpowered by a stronger opponent.
However, the difference in strength between him and the knight was overwhelming.
He couldn’t determine its effect against such a weak opponent.
“What a waste.”
Taesan cut down the charging knight. It was a single strike.
“At this level, I can’t check the others either.”
There were more skills that had changed. But it seemed difficult to verify their effects against such weak opponents.
[You’ll have to check next time.]
“Looks like it.”
Taesan nodded and moved forward.
Taesan had grown stronger.
After passing through the battlegrounds of the gods and defeating the apostle of the forgotten goddess, he had gained immense power.
Already strong, he had become even stronger.
The monsters on the 34th floor were no longer a match for him.
They couldn’t withstand even a casual strike from him.
In fact, he didn’t even need to use his sword.
“This is boring.”
It was an unexpected side effect. The current labyrinth didn’t offer him any thrill.
Taesan cleared the floor without any obstacles and decided to check in with other players after a long time.
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): We are currently clearing the 12th floor.]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): Really? That’s faster than I expected.]
The last time they had communicated, they were clearing the 10th floor. He thought they would be on the 11th floor now, but they were already on the 12th floor, which was much quicker than expected.
Lee Taeyeon clarified his doubt.
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): It’s all thanks to you, Taesan.]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): Thanks to me?]
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): The Blessing of Struggle and Death. It made us really strong.]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): Ah, you mean that?]
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Yes. It’s incredibly beneficial.]
When Taesan defeated the B-rank monster, Lakiratas had appeared and bestowed the blessing of Struggle and Death upon them.
Although it mentioned gaining talent related to death, its exact meaning was unclear. The important part was the talent for struggle.
Their combat process had significantly improved. Even Taesan could move more skillfully and quickly, so the effect on others was even more pronounced.
He also contacted Kim Joonggeun, who said something similar. Thanks to the talent for struggle and death, they could progress faster than before.
[Kim Joonggeun (Hard): Oh, hyung, do you know about this?]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): About what?]
[Kim Joonggeun (Hard): About the other mode players.]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): I don’t know. Not really interested.]
Taesan was only communicating with Lee Taeyeon, Kang Junhyuk, and Kim Joonggeun. He wasn’t using the community, so he didn’t know what was happening there.
[Kim Joonggeun (Hard): You don’t know, huh.]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): What don’t I know? Explain.]
[Kim Joonggeun (Hard): Um… how should I put this? To put it simply, people are worshiping you.]
Taesan paused.
[Kang Taesan (Solo): What?]
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Oh? You haven’t checked yet?]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): Why would I look at what they’re talking about?]
The community was of no use to Taesan, so he hadn’t bothered with it.
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): If you have time, you should check it out. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it might become a problem if you don’t know about it.]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): Got it. Oh, by the way.]
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): What is it?]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): You said you cleared the 10th floor, right?]
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Yes.]
That meant it was about time for them to encounter the Guides of Sin.
[Kang Taesan (Solo): If anyone claiming to be a Guide of Sin appears, it’s best to follow my advice.]
It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it was a way to deal with the immediate problem.
After listening to his explanation, they groaned.
[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Uh… do we have to?]
[Kang Junhyuk (Solo): I don’t like it, but…]
[Kang Taesan (Solo): Even if you don’t like it, there’s no other way. You can’t handle it like I can. So there’s no choice.]
Though they were reluctant, they agreed.
Having finished his explanation, Taesan closed the window and opened the community.
He fell silent.
[Han Nara (Easy): Where do you think Kang Taesan is now?]
[Kim Se In (Normal): He must be past the 50th floor by now, right? Of course, he would be.]
[Lee Hana (Easy): We just need to wait. He will save us.]
After glancing through the community briefly, Taesan closed the window.
A little more, and his mind might have gone blank.
“What is happening?”
[What’s going on?]
“Nothing much.”
Taesan explained to the ghost. After quietly listening to him, the ghost spoke.
[That’s not surprising at all.]
“Really?”
[If every human has gained the talent for struggle and death, that’s a remarkable achievement. People tend to worship those who achieve such feats, especially when it benefits them.]
“That makes sense.”
It was certainly different from his previous life. Back then, he was the only strong one, but this time, he had helped all humans become stronger.
“Shouldn’t be a problem.”
After all, it was just worship and not something directly impactful.
Taesan cleared his mind and resumed his exploration of the labyrinth.
Despite moving slowly, he had already reached the boss room. Just as he was about to enter,
Swoosh.
Space tore open.
Black energy billowed out, forming a shape.
Taesan stopped and watched as the shape materialized.
[Greetings, my child.]
“It’s been a while.”
The demon god appeared.