Chapter 161: Floor 36, The Hunchback Who Sought Twisted Mysteries (1)

“Defeated, huh.”

In the dark corridor.

Before those gathered in the darkness, all the jewels had been shattered.

The shattering of these jewels, each linked to someone’s life, signified their death.

A flame, taking the shape of a woman, furrowed her delicate brows.

“What happened, Kaleid?”

“What do you mean?”

A sharp voice rang out. An old man, his face filled with irritation, struck the ground with his yew staff.

“Are you trying to blame me?”

“Did your magic activate properly?”

“It certainly did. My eyes cannot be avoided.”

The old man struck the floor again with his staff, producing an unpleasant sound that echoed through the room.

“He was just stronger.”

“No matter how low the floor, he received the combined power of ten Guide of Sin adventurers. And yet, he was defeated?”

“Don’t blame me. That’s how it happened.”

The old man scowled, displeased.

“He’s strong. Even though my magic activated, he didn’t last long.”

“Hmm.”

They groaned in contemplation. Could they defeat someone with the power of ten Guide of Sin adventurers on the 35th floor?

It was a difficult question, even for those who had overcome countless obstacles and descended deep into the labyrinth.

The Lion King spoke up.

“This is troublesome.”

The entire group of Sin adventurers was wiped out, and Taesan was only on the 35th floor.

This meant he could descend to the 40th floor without any hindrance.

“Is there no way? Kaleid?”

“There isn’t.”

The old man answered succinctly. The Lion King frowned.

“Really?”

“I wouldn’t say it if there was.”

The old man swung his staff with an irritated voice.

“This was a loophole to begin with. The magic circle was permitted by the Demon God.”

The Demon God allowed only minimal interference. They couldn’t completely block Taesan with just ordinary Sin adventurers.

But there were limits. The magic circle the old man cast on the 35th floor was the upper limit.

“Unless you’re thinking of finding a way to escape the Demon God’s sight? A novel way of committing suicide.”

The old man sneered, and the Lion King fell silent.

No matter how much of a hindrance Taesan was, there were things they couldn’t do. Trying to deceive the Demon God was one of them.

“This is very troublesome.”

“If only we could’ve watched the battle, we could’ve learned a lot…”

A woman of mysterious age muttered regretfully. They hadn’t seen Taesan’s battle with the Sin adventurers.

“It couldn’t be helped. The Demon God didn’t allow it.”

The reason was the Demon God. While he allowed their interference, he did not permit them to watch the battle. Thus, they had no idea how the battle unfolded or ended.

This was very advantageous for Taesan.

His combat style greatly benefited from the opponent’s lack of information.

Attack Nullification, Ability Sword, and many other spells and skills.

All of them were unpredictable, catching opponents off guard and preventing them from responding.

Had the higher-ups been able to watch and analyze Taesan’s battle, they would have roughly understood his techniques. At the very least, they would have figured out Attack Nullification and Ability Sword.

Unbeknownst to Taesan, the Demon God had inadvertently helped him a great deal.

“A legitimate way to get the Demon God’s approval…”

The Lion King tapped his fingers on the table. The answer didn’t come easily.

The Spirit King spoke up.

“How about calling for him?”

“Him?”

“The demon child who’s descending now.”

The Lion King realized who the Spirit King was referring to.

Unlike others, who were blocked by the hierarchy, there was a demon in whom they saw potential and allowed to descend deeply. Quaned.

He had already broken through the 50th floor, fueled by their expectations. He was expected to join their ranks someday.

“He might be able to do it.”

That demon was allowed to descend deeply. He possessed power incomparable to the guides on the same floor.

“Will the Demon God permit it?”

“Gods always want to test mortals. Moreover, if his child directly requests it, it’s unlikely he’ll refuse.”

They began to agree on summoning Quaned. Ambresia, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

“You know, if Quaned fails, we won’t have any other options.”

They fell silent.

Ambresia was right. Quaned was incredibly strong, given his deep descent. The labyrinth rewarded those who defeated the strong with great gains.

If Taesan defeated Quaned and gained even greater abilities and new powers…

He could become so powerful that they couldn’t do anything to stop him.

“The opposite is also true. If Quaned wins, he’ll also grow stronger. He’ll descend quickly to where we are.”

“The odds… are fifty-fifty.”

Since they didn’t know Taesan’s true strength, they couldn’t decide easily. In the silent corridor, someone spoke up.

“I’ve decided.”

It was the first time the man spoke.

Everyone focused their gaze on him as if he was the most outstanding among them.

“Ambresia.”

“Me again? I’m just a servant, aren’t I?”

Ambresia grumbled. The man spoke indifferently.

“Summon Quaned here.”

—

Click!

A knight in crimson armor charged.

Taesan raised his hand.

[You activated Twisted Barrier.]

The space around Taesan distorted. The knight’s sword struck down but was repelled.

The knight continued to hammer the space. Cracks began to form, but it held for a considerable time.

“Not bad.”

Taesan defeated the knight and checked the magic.

[Basic Magic: Twisted Barrier]

[Mana Consumption: 5]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Creates a distortion in the space around the user, blocking attacks. Can only block attacks below a certain level.]

It was another skill he acquired while dealing with the guides. Despite its limitations, it could block the attacks of 35th-floor monsters without issue. Even with his current proficiency, it seemed usable up to the 40th floor.

Having confirmed this, Taesan continued forward.

He defeated the knights he encountered, entered secret rooms to collect rewards, and headed for the boss.

The boss was no match for him. The knight in crimson armor was faster and stronger than other monsters but still couldn’t withstand Taesan’s attacks.

“Too easy.”

[If it were difficult, it wouldn’t make sense.]

The floor itself was no longer a challenge. At his current state, he could probably handle the final Sin guide without any trouble.

Now, only divine trials or guides could provide a challenge for Taesan.

“It’s good that it’s comfortable, but…”

Something felt lacking. It meant he wouldn’t receive the proper rewards for such an easy path.

“I’d like to learn new magic soon.”

He wished for something new.

[The guides probably can’t interfere for a while. At least not until the 40th floor.]

“Probably.”

The Demon God wouldn’t allow all the Fifth Hierarchy adventurers to descend. And a few alone couldn’t defeat Taesan.

So they would gather their strength as much as possible and then go all out when the opportunity was given. The ghost thought so, and Taesan agreed.

Taesan checked the clear rewards. He started with the secret reward.

[Ring of Deep Scars]

[Attack Power +25]

[A ring engraved with a terrible scar. The presence of the one who carved the scar curses everything that approaches.]

The attack power boost was quite significant.

Though it was an excellent piece of equipment, Taesan didn’t find it particularly remarkable.

And then the floor clear reward.

[Helmet of Madness]

[Strength +30]

[Defense +50]

[Action Speed +4%]

[A helmet once bestowed by the God of Madness to his follower. It once bathed the continent in blood. Most of its madness has now dissipated.]

[Damage increases when madness is present.]

High strength and defense, plus it was a helmet. Helmets were rare, and Taesan still used one obtained from the Death Knight, making this valuable.

[You used ???.]

[You obtained the Armor of Hatred.]

[Armor of Hatred]

[Strength +5]

[Defense +80]

[An armor bestowed by the God of Hatred to his follower. Everyone who wore it died hated by all. Most of its hatred has now dissipated.]

[Damage increases when hatred is present.]

“It’s been a while since I changed my armor.”

The new armor greatly increased his defense.

There was also an unexpected bonus.

[You are wearing both the Armor of Hatred and the Helmet of Madness. Strength and Agility increase by 20. When you succumb to hatred and madness, [Emotional Frenzy] activates.]

“A set effect?”

Taesan’s eyes gleamed.

Similar to what he had seen in the shop, wearing certain equipment together granted additional effects.

The items he obtained this time were of that sort.

“Will I encounter more sets as I descend?”

[They are rare but do appear. The downside is the forced combination of items, but the effects are worth it.]

“Are there more sets?”

With anticipation, Taesan descended to the next floor.

[36th floor quest begins.]

[Defeat the boss of the 36th floor and pass.]

[Reward: Bracelet Containing a Fragment of the Core]

[Secret Reward: ???]

The monsters on the 36th floor were the same knights as before.

On the 35th floor, they wore crimson armor. This time, they were clad in blue.

“It reminds me of the Battlefield of the Gods.”

There, knights in blue and red armor also fought.

Muttering to himself, Taesan moved forward.

Like before, there were no significant obstacles, and before long, he found an altar.

[You have discovered the relic of the Hunchback who sought Twisted Mysteries.]

[First Discovery Bonus]

[Mana +50]

Fifty mana. Not a bad reward.

The relic differed from the altars of the gods he had encountered so far. Whereas altars usually featured a single structure, this relic transformed the entire room into one large structure.

The room’s appearance was unpleasant.

Pink slime crawled along the walls, and the floor was soggy like a swamp.

The energy felt different as well.

Gods had distinct auras. Despite their varying natures, they had a clear presence due to their domains.

But here, there was no such aura.

Instead, it felt like an all-consuming, greedy presence that sought to absorb everything.

[The Hunchback who sought Twisted Mysteries. An immortal.]

“An immortal?”

[I mentioned it before. There are beings who oversee their domains and those who do not.]

“Did you?”

It was so long ago that Taesan barely remembered. The ghost chuckled.

[We weren’t supposed to be together this long back then.]

Originally, the ghost was an NPC meant to part ways after completing the quest by defeating the sage on the 10th floor. It was only due to receiving a new quest that they had come this far together.

[And to meet immortals, you have to descend quite deeply. I didn’t think we’d encounter one this soon.]

“What’s the difference?”

The ghost spoke with a voice full of nostalgia, and Taesan asked.

[What do all the gods you’ve met so far have in common?]

“They each had their own domain.”

Lakiratas, the god of combat and death. Balthazar, the god of victory. Maria, the god of choice.

They all had their own domains.

[A transcendent is the final stage a mortal can reach. Even over hundreds of years, only a handful achieve it. Those who do possess unmatched talent.]

But becoming a god required more than just talent.

[You’ll understand if you think about the gods you’ve met.]

Taesan recalled his encounters.

The god of victory wanted Taesan to achieve victory. The god of choice wanted him to overcome the opposite of choice. The god of combat and death sought combat.

The god of swords wanted proof through swords, and the god of self-validation wanted proof through self-battles.

Each god demanded achievements related to their domain from Taesan.

Taesan realized.

“So, that’s what made them gods.”

[Exactly. They transcend mortality and govern their domains. That’s a god. But… immortals are different. They lack that dignity.]

The ghost explained calmly.

[They have the power to reach transcendence but lack the dignity. They didn’t build up enough to receive a domain. So, they didn’t become transcendents. That’s what immortals are.]