Chapter 173: Return to the Labyrinth (1)
The position of a Saint.
In the battles of the gods, the position of a Saint was one that managed all the believers of a god. It was a significant position, chosen directly by the deity, though not as powerful as an Apostle.
The Demon God had granted such a position to a human, not a demon.
What did she want from him?
Taesan knew she held a favorable view of him. But granting such benefits out of mere affection seemed unlikely. She surely expected something from him.
‘I don’t know.’
Taesan shook his head.
The only clear thing was that she had goodwill towards him.
For now, he would gratefully accept her gifts.
Taesan called Kim Hwiyeon, Geum Joong-geun, Kang Jun-hyuk, and Lee Taeyeon to confirm.
“Did everyone get Magi?”
“Yes.”
“About 10 points? I saw it below Mana on my status window.”
“Did you learn any dark magic?”
Having Magi alone was useless. One needed the dark magic directly granted by the Demon God to use it.
At Taesan’s question, they shook their heads.
“No, we haven’t learned anything like that.”
“Hmm.”
Taesan read the description of his title.
He had significant influence over humans with Magi.
An idea struck Taesan.
“Hold still for a moment.”
Taesan skillfully manipulated his Magi to envelop them. It felt natural, as if he had known how from the beginning.
“Huh?”
Their pupils suddenly dilated.
“Taesan, what is this?”
“Just as I thought.”
Taesan clicked his tongue.
The influence mentioned in his title allowed him to transmit dark magic to humans.
“What did you all learn?”
“I learned the basic dark magic, Seir’s Black Wind, and one beginner dark magic, Dekarabia’s Twisted Vegetation? Why is that name so long?”
“Oh? You guys learned two?”
“How many did you learn?”
“I only got Seir’s Black Wind.”
“Same here.”
From their chatter, it seemed Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk had each learned one basic dark magic and one beginner dark magic, while Kim Hwiyeon and Geum Joong-geun had only learned one basic dark magic.
“It seems the limit depends on their strength.”
It made sense that the Demon God wouldn’t want those without qualifications to wield her power.
“It’s impossible to pass dark magic to everyone.”
Taesan spread the darkness.
The darkness spread and enveloped the survivors.
Several people who had been resting suddenly froze and then exclaimed.
Kim Hwiyeon, realizing what Taesan had done, muttered blankly.
“This is really… unbelievable.”
To be the only being who could pass dark magic to humans. It was a power that didn’t seem like something a human would possess.
“But if you give it, can you take it back?”
“Probably.”
Taesan clenched his fist. The power he had given Kim Hwiyeon was pulled back.
“…It’s true.”
“Of course, it’s natural since it’s power given by Hyung.”
Geum Joong-geun nodded.
Taesan returned the skill to Kim Hwiyeon.
“You won’t be able to use it often due to a lack of Magi, but it should be useful.”
Unlike Taesan, those without means to increase their Magi would find it hard to gain a significant advantage immediately. However, considering the uniqueness of dark magic, it would be a great help in navigating the labyrinth.
They all knew the effects of the dark magic Taesan had used, so they nodded gratefully.
“Thank you very much.”
“Enough of that. Lee Taeyeon, Kang Jun-hyuk, follow me.”
Taesan grabbed his sword.
The two nodded with serious faces.
The fastest way to increase proficiency in sword skills was to spar directly with someone who had mastered the skills.
Once they returned to the labyrinth, it would be very difficult for Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk to increase their proficiency on their own.
So, Taesan pushed them hard for the two days before their return.
As a result, Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk increased their Ability Sword proficiency by 2%.
Thanks to the Authority of the Master title, Taesan’s proficiency also increased by 1%. It wasn’t a bad outcome.
“That’s it.”
There was only an hour left before their return. When Taesan stopped, Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk finally collapsed.
“Huff, huff.”
They couldn’t even speak properly, catching their breath. Meanwhile, Taesan was still breathing steadily.
“You followed surprisingly well. I thought you’d ask for a break at least once.”
They had sparred dozens of times, and each time they had complained. But for the past two days, they had followed silently.
Lee Taeyeon, barely catching her breath, spoke up.
“We realized how big the gap is.”
“We can’t afford to whine now.”
Both of them had been confident. They could easily defeat most monsters and believed no one but Taesan could compare to them.
It wasn’t arrogance. No monster could stop them. The gap with Hard Mode players had widened to the point where they could handle a 3:1 fight.
But the appearance of the three-digit monster shattered that belief.
The monster had enough power to send them flying with just the shockwaves from their clash.
They had felt they would be killed without being able to do anything. The gap between them and the monster was that vast.
But Taesan had defeated the monster without a scratch.
“What floor are you on now?”
“The 36th.”
“36th…”
Kang Jun-hyuk smiled bitterly. To think he was already on the 36th floor. They had to reach that level someday, but it seemed so far away.
Their swelling confidence deflated like a pricked balloon.
Taesan shook his head.
“Don’t compare yourselves to me. I’m on the level of a 50th-floor adventurer.”
An A-rank monster was on par with a Hard Mode Clear player. Even in Solo Mode, such a monster was difficult to defeat. A typical 36th-floor adventurer would have been defeated without being able to do much.
“There’s no need to rush.”
Taesan spoke calmly.
“You’re doing well as it is.”
Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk had already descended to the 13th floor. They were progressing faster than Taesan had expected.
“Slowly but surely, build yourselves up. One day, you’ll reach where I am.”
Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk’s eyes steadied.
And finally, the remaining time ended.
The return to the labyrinth began.
[Monster Disposal Bonus + 351]
[First Wave Bonus + 54]
[Second Wave Bonus + 55]
[Third Wave Bonus + 52]
[Fourth Wave Bonus + 61]
[Fifth Wave Bonus + 65]
[Special Victory Bonus + 641]
[Suppression Bonus + 84]
[Victory Bonus + 115]
[Settlement Complete]
[1,478 points awarded.]
1,478 points. Simply calculated, it could nearly increase his skill proficiency by 150%.
Of course, due to skill proficiency limits, the actual effect wouldn’t be that high, but it was still a significant reward.
However, Taesan didn’t use the points immediately.
He had acquired several skills during this return. He needed to check those first.
“I didn’t expect to learn this so soon.”
[Special Activation Skill: Essence Identification]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Identify the essence of the target.]
A simple skill with no detailed description.
In his previous life, he had only obtained this skill after surpassing the 70th floor, but he hadn’t understood its full effect back then. In Easy Mode, there weren’t enough challenging enemies to warrant identifying their essence.
But the true value of this skill lay in its synergy with other skills. The skill that allowed him to attack an opponent’s weak point: Weak Point Attack.
When Weak Point Attack’s proficiency reached 100%, it evolved into Weak Point Designation, allowing him to designate a weak point and attack it for increased damage.
If he then reached 100% proficiency in Weak Point Designation while having Essence Identification, he would unlock Essence Strike.
A skill that ignored all defensive measures and struck the target’s essence directly.
This skill had enabled him to defeat Apostles.
In his previous life, he had realized the value of Essence Identification too late and couldn’t reach 100% proficiency by the end.
But now he knew its value.
He was curious what would happen if he reached 100% proficiency in Essence Identification, something he hadn’t achieved in his previous life.
Taesan immediately increased Essence Identification’s proficiency. Considering he would face enemies related to gods or higher beings in the future, investing in it was worthwhile.
[Special Activation Skill: Essence Identification]
[Proficiency: 50%]
[Identify the essence of the target. Know the source of its power and identify its weak points.]
Like with Mana, the point cost increased significantly after 50%. There seemed to be restrictions on skills of a certain level.
Taesan turned his gaze to the ghost.
[You have activated Essence Identification.]
[Ghost]
[The fallen prince of Carbert.]
[A being at the crossroads of choice.]
[What? Why are you looking at me like that? What do you see?]
“Nothing.”
It was similar to Scout but provided more in-depth information about the target. He wondered what effect it would have on monsters.
Taesan continued to check his other skills.
[Special Passive Skill: Twisted Spirit Adjustment]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Twisted beings can manipulate their spirit rank by twisting it. By bearing a great burden, they can control the spirit rank that resides within them.]
Adjustment.
According to the skill’s description, it seemed possible to control the spirit rank elevated by Apostolic Transformation. While the monster used it to protect its weak points, it could also likely be used offensively.
Although the burden was unknown, its value was sufficient if it could be used as a variable in battle.
988 points remained.
It wasn’t a difficult decision. Considering the value of Essence Strike, the skill to upgrade was clear. Taesan immediately increased Weak Point Attack’s proficiency.
[Weak Point Attack’s proficiency has reached 100%. The Special Activation Skill [Weak Point Attack] has evolved into the Special Activation Skill [Weak Point Designation].]
[Special Activation Skill: Weak Point Designation]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Designate a part of the target as a weak point. Attacks on the weak point deal double damage. Once designated, the weak point cannot be re-designated on the same target for a day. Only very small areas can be designated as weak points.]
It was a skill that allowed designating a weak point on the target. If the opponent’s weapon was a fist, designating the fist as a weak point could nullify their attacks.
Although the designated area was small, the skill’s value increased significantly with proficiency.
The remaining points were invested in dark magic. This increased his dark magic proficiency by about 30%.
[Dark Magic]
[Proficiency: 36%]
[Handle the Demon God’s magic. Use dark magic by consuming Magi. The power and range vary depending on the amount of Magi consumed. The basic power can be extracted.]
Dark magic, like regular magic, or perhaps even more so, was a skill that didn’t easily increase in proficiency.
Now that he had learned new dark magic, its value had increased, making it a worthwhile investment.
Finally, it was time to check the effects of the new dark magic he had learned.
“It might take a bit longer, but they’ll understand.”
The God of Magic had told him to return after the quest. However, not knowing what trials awaited, he decided to check everything he had gained before meeting the god. Taesan headed to the 37th floor.
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