Chapter 163: Floor 36, The Hunchback Who Sought Twisted Mysteries (3)

[This is getting ridiculous.]

The ghost clicked his tongue.

The difficulty of the trial had increased mid-way through.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Lakiratas had done something similar.

Thinking about it made Taesan laugh. A god was acting like an immortal.

“I’ve received a lot, but a scoundrel is still a scoundrel.”

Taesan muttered as he moved to find the next monster.

The next knight he encountered exuded an even more powerful and concentrated transcendent energy. The knight swung its twisted arm, wielding the sword.

Taesan blocked and deflected the attack before thrusting his own sword.

Thud!

The moment his sword struck the corroded armor, it bounced back.

Taesan quickly stepped back and steadied his stance.

‘So now they completely ignore physical attacks.’

This was certainly different from the gods. Though it was called a trial, unlike the gods who wanted to test him, the immortal truly wanted him dead.

The vast presence that lingered around the floor exuded murderous intent directed at Taesan.

[Immunity to physical attacks? What is this? Even for an immortal, this level of power consumption should be significant. Is he that desperate to kill you?]

“Did you experience anything like this?”

Taesan asked as he dodged the charging knight.

[I just felt some annoying gazes, but they never went this far. It seems different with you.]

“Is it because of the magic?”

Taesan had already been granted permission by the God of Magic to learn intermediate magic.

As an immortal pursuing mysteries, he seemed determined to cut down Taesan’s potential, even if it meant using considerable power.

“But this won’t be enough.”

Crackle.

Dozens of Frost Arrows formed around Taesan simultaneously. They shot toward the charging knight.

Clang!

The knight swung its sword to deflect them, but Taesan raised his finger.

[You activated Mephisto’s Black Lightning.]

Boom!

The pitch-black lightning pierced through the knight. Mephisto’s Black Lightning had the power to momentarily paralyze its target. The stunned knight was then struck by dozens of Frost Arrows.

[You have defeated the blue knight blessed by Twisted Mysteries.]

[Your soul force has increased. Magic resistance proficiency has increased by 2%.]

“It’s been a while since I saw this.”

Taesan had rarely faced enemies who used magic, and even when he did, he usually defeated them without getting hit, making the skill somewhat redundant.

Still, it felt good to see proficiency increase, however small.

As Taesan defeated the blue knight, the atmosphere of the labyrinth’s energy changed.

This time, it was joy.

It was as if the immortal was eagerly waiting for Taesan to fall.

Considering how emotional this being was, Taesan thought it was quite amusing and continued forward.

Knights kept appearing. All were immune to physical attacks, so Taesan had to use magic, dark magic, and spirit skills.

But this posed no problem for Taesan. With just these three, he could easily defeat the monsters.

Taesan thus defeated ten knights.

The energy filled with joy gradually turned to confusion and denial.

“You didn’t expect this, did you?”

Taesan muttered as he struck down another knight with Lightning Strike.

“What were you expecting?”

[They probably thought your mana would run out.]

The ghost’s words made Taesan realize why the immortal’s emotions were so volatile.

Mana was the slowest of the basic stats to increase. Even with level-ups, the increase was limited, requiring special artifacts to significantly enhance magic use.

In his previous life, Taesan struggled to use skills properly due to mana shortages.

A normal adventurer would’ve exhausted their mana quickly.

But Taesan was different.

[You activated Lightning Strike.]

Lightning repeatedly struck the knight. Even after using over twenty spells, Taesan’s mana was nearly unchanged.

Thanks to the skill received from the God of Victory that increased specified stats, Taesan’s mana had surpassed 2000.

Furthermore, his high intelligence reduced mana consumption, and mana recovery skills meant that basic spells barely consumed any mana.

His mana wouldn’t run out before clearing the floor. The immortal’s desired outcome wouldn’t happen.

And from this conversation, Taesan realized something else.

Taesan’s mana was exceptionally high. With his various skills and high intelligence, it was nearly impossible to deplete it.

Yet the immortal tried to kill him by exhausting his mana.

If the immortal knew about Taesan, he would never have used such a method.

Boom!

[You have defeated the blue knight blessed by Twisted Mysteries.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Magic proficiency has increased by 1%.]

The knight, unable to withstand any longer, crumbled. As the knight turned to ashes, Taesan spoke.

“They don’t know me.”

If the immortal knew about Taesan’s battles, what he received, and how he grew stronger, he would have tried a different method.

In other words, unlike the gods, the immortals didn’t have a full grasp of Taesan. They didn’t know what he had been through or what he had acquired.

[Immortals lack the appropriate dignity or domain. Unlike gods, they don’t possess near-omniscient abilities. They might have heard rumors but don’t know the details.]

“Really? That’s underwhelming.”

The difference from the gods was clear.

Taesan continued forward, defeating the monsters. Each time, the energy’s turmoil grew more intense.

Eventually, Taesan arrived before the boss.

[A silver knight consumed by Twisted Mysteries appears.]

The knight no longer looked like a knight.

Its armor was dried and twisted, and its helmet grotesquely fused, revealing a hideous face. Only the sword retained its original form.

[Roar!]

The knight howled like a beast. Simultaneously, a storm whipped around it.

Taesan chuckled.

“Now you’re using magic?”

And more than that.

The twisted knight emanated fragments of great dignity.

It meant only one thing.

The knight before him had become an apostle of the Hunchback who sought Twisted Mysteries.

While it certainly didn’t have the true strength and dignity of a proper apostle, it was far stronger than the knights he had faced so far.

The ghost clicked his tongue, finding it absurd.

[They made a monster into an apostle? How much do they want you dead?]

“It doesn’t matter.”

Seeing the desperation to kill him only fueled Taesan’s determination.

[You are facing a difficult opponent.]

[You activated Apostle Slayer.]

[Desire for Battle has activated.]

[Honorable Duel has activated.]

[Proof of Limits has activated.]

[You activated Contempt for the Strong.]

[Giant Killer has activated.]

[You activated Apostle Transformation: Lakiratas.]

The power of the god imbued Taesan.

Information related to this transformation filled his mind.

Taesan understood what an immortal was and the state of the enemy before him.

There was some interesting information, but for now, the priority was defeating the enemy.

Taesan gripped his sword tightly and charged at the knight.

Clang!

Swords clashed loudly. Thanks to the Apostle Transformation, Taesan wasn’t repelled and could match the knight’s strength.

[Roar!]

The knight howled as magic activated. A storm raged, and a blizzard swept through the room.

As an apostle of the immortal pursuing mysteries, it used magic far superior to Taesan’s.

But this didn’t matter to Taesan.

He thrust his sword and activated a skill.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

Forced Duel. A skill that created a one-on-one situation. It was meaningless with only the two of them present, but it was different for Taesan.

With the activation of Forced Duel, the storm and blizzard vanished the moment they touched Taesan.

It was as if they couldn’t approach him.

Clang!

Taesan swung his sword without magic.

Despite the increased strength, the knight was fundamentally a 30th-floor boss monster. Its only challenges were immunity to physical attacks and using magic, both nullified by Apostle Transformation and Forced Duel.

So there were no problems. Taesan activated Ability Sword and continued to land attacks. The knight swung back but couldn’t match Taesan.

[You dealt 2028 damage to the silver knight consumed by Twisted Mysteries.]

The battle was one-sided. The energy became agitated, struggling to make a decision.

Finally, the energy decided.

[The power of the Hunchback who sought Twisted Mysteries has diminished.]

[The power of the Hunchback who sought Twisted Mysteries intensifies the Distortion of the Twisted.]

“Too late.”

Slash.

Taesan’s sword pierced the knight’s chest, just as it started to gain strength. He twisted the blade, enlarging the wound, and drove it into the ground.

[Your soul force has increased. Your health has permanently increased by 540, strength by 132, agility by 98, and intelligence by 12.]

[Magic resistance proficiency has increased by 2%.]

[Apostle Slayer proficiency has increased by 1%.]

[Ability Sword proficiency has increased by 1%.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

The life force drained from the knight’s body, which had been infused with immense power.

“You should have acted sooner.”

Taesan sneered. The Hunchback who sought Twisted Mysteries had hesitated too long. He must have wavered between the great power consumption and the desire to kill Taesan.

In the end, he chose the latter, but by then, it was too late.

The energy that filled the floor quietly wavered.

“It wasn’t bad.”

Forced Duel was also one of the skills transformed by Ability Sword.

[Special Activation Skill: Forced Duel]

[Mana Consumption: 10]

[Proficiency: 11%]

[Duel the target. For 10 seconds, only the target can deal damage to you.]

[Condition: Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword]

[If the opponent uses a sword, both parties can only use swords.]

The penalty of only being able to use swords if the opponent did made it a tricky skill to use.

He had expected it to take a long time to use, but fortunately, the perfect opponent had appeared, allowing him to defeat it without much trouble.

Taesan had won the trial.

It was now time to receive his reward, but the immortal showed no signs of movement.

“You can’t be thinking of withholding it, can you?”

[That’s impossible. This is the labyrinth’s law. No matter how powerful the immortal or even a god, they can’t escape it if they’ve taken root in the labyrinth.]

With confidence that he would receive the reward, Taesan now felt curious.

The gods had granted Taesan skills related to their domains upon passing their trials.

But immortals had no domains.

Taesan’s question was soon answered.

[Commencing forced settlement.]

[You obtained the secret room reward for the 36th floor: Lightning Struck Oak Staff.]

[You obtained the clear reward for the 36th floor: Bracelet Containing a Fragment of the Core.]

[You obtained the clear reward for the 36th floor: ???]

[The power of the Hunchback who sought Twisted Mysteries manifests. Your health has increased by 800, mana by 200, and attack power by 80.]

[You obtained the Withered Calamity Staff.]