Chapter 184: Level 38 (1)
Kang Taesan’s Concept Skill proficiency surpassed 40%.
Perhaps because of this, a specific word was added to the name of the skill.
However, he still had no idea what it meant.
“If I increase my proficiency, I’ll figure it out.”
Moreover, there was a more important aspect.
As his proficiency increased, he found that he could adjust his will.
As his proficiency increased, Taesan experienced a strange sensation. He had a rough idea of how to use it, but it was difficult to predict what effects it would produce.
Therefore, he planned to experiment directly.
The monster on the 38th floor was a spear-wielding knight. The monster charged at Taesan with its spear.
Taesan focused on his new sensation.
The sensation enveloped the knight.
At that moment, the knight recoiled. It raised its spear defensively as if it expected Taesan to charge at it.
“Is this how it works?”
Muttering, Taesan summoned the sensation again.
As he directed it at the knight, the knight quickly retreated. Observing the knight responding as if to his attacks, Taesan grasped the skill’s power.
The ability of the newly acquired Concept Skill was to move his will as he wished.
When he projected the will to attack, the monster moved to defend against the attack. Taesan had not moved a single step.
The knight continuously tried to charge with its spear, but Taesan pressured it with his will each time. The knight was driven back to the wall, unable to do anything.
A thought came to Taesan’s mind.
“Concept Skill is the regulation of will.”
Distorted Spirit Enhancement increases Spirit.
And what he had built up was materialized and spread as three proofs.
What he had built up was Spirit, and at the same time, a type of will.
After finishing his thoughts, Taesan activated three skills simultaneously. At the same time, physical pressure spread in all directions. It was a force that could easily crush the weak.
Taesan adjusted the force spreading from him.
Then the force materialized and moved.
Boom!
The knight crashed into the wall. The impact was significant enough that the knight could not steady itself.
“Is it something like controlling Qi?”
It felt somewhat similar to the realm occasionally depicted in martial arts novels he had read on Earth, where the will was moved to attack the opponent.
“This is pretty good.”
[It seems to be beyond just good.]
Just by moving his will, the 38th-floor monster was being tossed around without much resistance.
Of course, it was possible because of the significant gap between him and the monster. It was highly likely that it would not have much impact on a stronger opponent.
However, if the proficiency of Distorted Spirit Regulation and the Concept Skill increased, and Taesan became stronger, the three proofs’ influence might change things in the future.
The downside was the fatigue caused by the Distorted Spirit Regulation. However, thanks to repeated use, it wasn’t as severe as before.
The change in the Concept Skill was satisfying.
Next, it was time to test magic.
[You have activated Frost Arrow.]
Crackling.
Cold air filled the room. The cold was distinctly different from before. Just existing, it was enough to freeze the skin and lungs.
The knight, barely standing, swung its sword and charged, but Taesan shot a Frost Arrow.
Bang!
The Frost Arrow collided with the knight’s sword, shattering it and piercing the knight’s body.
[736 damage to the Spear-Wielding White Knight.]
A large hole was punched through the armor.
From that spot, the armor slowly began to freeze, and the knight’s movements stiffened. Eventually, the knight was completely frozen.
Taesan nodded.
The God of Magic had raised his magic proficiency. Additionally, thanks to the robe, his magic stat had increased by 40.
Because of this, the damage of his magic had greatly increased, and there were significant improvements in power and speed in all aspects.
Of course, that alone couldn’t explain this power.
After repeated use, his Frost Arrow proficiency had also surpassed 40%.
[Beginner Magic: Frost Arrow]
[Mana Cost: 6]
[Proficiency: 41%]
[Fires a Frost Arrow. The less immune the target, the greater the damage. Attempts to apply the status ailment ‘Frostbite’. Strong cold freezes everything it touches.]
“It took a long time.”
Frost Arrow was the most frequently used magic he had learned. It was difficult to find any magic that consistently performed above average in any situation.
Even so, it had only now surpassed 40% proficiency. It was infamous for its slow proficiency increase.
However, the power it showed was worth it. The 38th-floor knight was frozen solid by just one Frost Arrow.
“With this, I could probably descend to the 50th floor using only magic.”
If there were no trials or interruptions from the Guides, it seemed possible.
Crackling!
The knight barely broke free from the ice.
Taesan lightly waved his hand at the staggering knight.
[You have activated Ice Spread.]
A beginner magic that scattered a large amount of ice particles. It inflicted minor damage and hindered the opponent’s movements, but until now, it hadn’t been very effective.
Crunch!
But now, with increased proficiency and new items, it was different. The knight, trapped in the particles, could not escape.
Clang! Clang!
Taesan moved toward the knight, who was desperately hitting the particles.
There was still more to confirm.
[You have activated Tracking.]
A faint magical aura settled on the knight’s chest.
At the same time, the scattered particles flew towards the magical aura.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
The knight’s body shook violently. Hit directly by numerous particles, the knight looked like it could fall any moment.
Watching the series of events, Taesan’s eyes shone.
“This is good.”
[Beginner Magic: Tracking]
[Mana Cost: 4]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Designates a specific part of the target. Subsequent attack magic will aim at the designated location according to the user’s will.]
The mark designated a position, allowing it to link with special magic like random blinks.
However, Tracking was more useful for attack magic since it could designate even from a distance.
[You have activated Frost Arrow.]
Crackling.
Taesan fired Frost Arrows to his left and right. Arrows moving in entirely different directions suddenly changed trajectory and pierced the knight.
Unable to withstand any longer, the knight fell.
[You have defeated the Spear-Wielding White Knight.]
Overall, the changes were satisfying. It was worth the effort of defeating the monsters.
However, the most significant gain was the intermediate magic skill ‘Frozen World.’
[Intermediate Magic: Frozen World]
[Mana Cost: 30]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Summons cold that freezes everything. Currently unable to exhibit its true power.]
The first intermediate magic he had acquired.
Its power was enough to freeze the tentacles of a monster that even Taesan couldn’t take lightly.
And yet, it still wasn’t showing its true power. It was a skill with great potential to become even stronger as its proficiency increased.
However, the mana consumption was ridiculously high.
Even Taesan, who had never worried about mana shortage before, had to be concerned about mana depletion after using Frozen World a few times.
Nevertheless, it was a powerful skill that could bring significant variables to future battles.
Thinking of variables naturally led him to think about another skill.
[Special Passive Skill: Distorted Spirit Regulation]
[Proficiency: 4%]
[Distorted beings can twist and manipulate their spirit. By bearing a great burden, they can control the spirit residing within them.]
It was a skill he gained by defeating the High God’s monster. Its proficiency increased again when he defeated Bahulia’s monster.
“It’s a good skill.”
Without this skill, victory would have been extremely difficult.
By twisting the heightened spirit from the Apostle state, he defended against the monster’s attacks. Without this skill, victory would have been nearly impossible.
However, the burden was substantial.
The fatigue and exhaustion that covered his entire body at the time were not to be underestimated. Though the burden had slightly lessened with recent use, it was still considerable.
[You should be thankful it ends at that. Originally, it’s a power not allowed to mortals.]
The ghost spoke.
[Even Apostles can’t twist or regulate their spirit. Only Transcendents and Immortals can do it. A weak person would be crushed to death by their spirit the moment they tried.]
“Is it that significant?”
[Yes, it is. To touch the spirit.]
It was a skill that needed to be used cautiously. But as long as he stayed within limits, it was a highly useful skill.
Having confirmed the general aspects, Taesan resumed his advance.
“It’s about time to go down.”
Recently, various events like clearing the gods’ trials and returning to Earth had kept him from properly progressing through the floors. Despite being on the 30th floor for quite a while, he was still on the 38th floor.
Although he had gained a lot, it was unavoidable that he felt he was stagnating compared to before.
So, he planned to focus on advancing through the floors for the time being.
Taesan swung his sword at the approaching monster. The knight was slammed into the ground.
Taesan easily progressed through the floors.
As usual, the monsters couldn’t stop him. As he continued his conquest, he also gained unexpected rewards.
[Effect of the Demon God’s Second Saint activated. Your Magi increased by 2.]
The humans on Earth had gained new Magi. And each time they grew stronger, Taesan also gained Magi.
[Authority of the Consort activated. Sword ability proficiency increased by 1%.]
“They’re doing well
.”
Even standing still, his stats were rising. There was hardly a more delightful occurrence.
[Proficiency in Divine Power increased by 1%.]
“I don’t particularly need this.”
Muttering, Taesan continued to advance.
He found a secret room and claimed the reward. The reward was a pair of shoes. Since they weren’t better than what he was currently wearing, he stored them in his inventory.
[Effect of the Adventurer title activated. Secret room reward is doubled.]
“Oh.”
The shoes doubled.
Taesan laughed and stored both pairs in his inventory.
Continuing forward, Taesan soon encountered the boss.
The boss was a knight wielding two spears. Taesan reached out towards the swinging spears.
Snatch.
He grabbed both spears.
Taesan kicked the knight, sending it flying into the wall. Approaching the knight, he plunged his sword into its chest and consecutively summoned Frost Arrows.
The knight collapsed.
[Necklace of Spells]
[Magic +15]
[Intellect +20]
[A necklace favored by a great mage. The specially enchanted necklace can store a spell.]
[It can store one spell for later use. However, it cannot store overly powerful spells.]
It was a unique necklace with a storage function. He tried to store an intermediate spell, but it didn’t fit due to the restriction.
Still, since it had a higher magic stat than his current necklace, Taesan switched to wearing it.
And then the secret reward.
[You used ???]
[You obtained the Ring of the Simple.]
[Ring of the Simple]
[Strength +4]
[Agility +4]
[Intellect +40]
[A ring made by a blacksmith who didn’t want to think about complicated things. It could have had better effects if handled by a more competent person, but the blacksmith was content with this.]
The blue ring he had been using increased all stats by 15. This new ring was a superior version, so Taesan switched rings.
Thus ended the 38th floor.
Taesan immediately headed downward.
The 39th floor began.
[39th Floor Quest Start.]
[Defeat the 39th floor boss and advance.]
[Reward: Rune of Lightning]
[Secret Reward: ???]