Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 202: 50th Floor, The Madman (1)
[You’ll reach the 50th floor soon.]
“Unless something unexpected happens.”
Nothing could stop him now. Taesan sorted through the items he had acquired while descending to the 48th floor.
After setting aside the items to be offered as tributes or sold at the shop, not much remained.
[*Wrist Guard of Malice*]
[*A wrist guard imbued with the desire to kill everything except its owner. Created by the whims of a witch. There’s still something hidden within it. It has absorbed the Red Rose Thorn and the Green Vine Root.*]
[*Attack Power +75*]
[*Defense +10*]
The 45th-floor clear reward had been the Green Vine Root. Since it didn’t have any special effects, Taesan had planned to either offer it as a tribute or use it as crafting material, but the wrist guard suddenly absorbed the vine.
Hapran had mentioned that it was possible a witch had entered the Labyrinth.
As Taesan descended further, he might encounter traces of her presence.
He also obtained a few more rings.
[*Ring of Universal Wrath*]
[*Strength +100*]
[*Agility +100*]
[*Attack Power +30*]
[*Everyone harbored feelings of anger toward the one who wore this ring. Remnants of those emotions linger in the ring.*]
[*Ring of the Silent Sage*]
[*Intelligence +150*]
[*Defense +50*]
[*They say silence is the virtue of a sage. Conversely, those who do not remain silent are not sages.*]
[*Ring of Somaria’s Red*]
[*Agility +100*]
[*Attack Power +50*]
[*Defense +20*]
[*The ring of Solyun, who wielded a blood-red sword. When he killed thousands, their blood flowed down his sword and stained the ring.*]
Taesan swapped out three rings. Now, nearly all the rings he had obtained from the upper floors had been replaced with these more powerful ones.
He also managed to acquire a new belt.
[*Belt Used by the Lord of the North*]
[*Strength +50*]
[*Attack Power +30*]
[*Defense +70*]
[*It is said that the one who wears this belt can dominate the entire North. Most of those who wore it did. Those who didn’t left no name behind, dying in obscurity.*]
After equipping the belt, Taesan’s attack power was now just shy of 1000.
This was a remarkably high value, considering he had not yet replaced his primary weapon. The rewards were quite satisfying.
He had made four equipment changes in total.
The rest of the items were either unnecessary or not worth keeping, so he offered them as tributes or sold them in the shop to acquire gold.
“Hehehe! Heehee!”
With each emotion Taesan delivered while clearing the floors, Valencia was becoming more and more visibly unhinged.
Without paying much attention, Taesan continued descending.
As he went down, he took the time to test something.
“This is much more useful now.”
[*Special Passive Skill: Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination*]
[*Proficiency: 35%*]
[*Twisted beings can manipulate their spiritual force by twisting it. By bearing a significant burden, you can control the spiritual force that resides within or that you possess.*]
The S-ranks and Apostles he had encountered on Earth, created by Aphrodia.
Defeating them with his Spiritual Force had significantly increased the proficiency of Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination.
Most skills undergo significant changes and become more effective once their proficiency surpasses 20%. Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination was no exception.
Taesan focused his mind and moved his fingers. Instantly, a wave of fatigue washed over him, but at the same time, immense energy gathered at his fingertips.
He could now somewhat control his spiritual force even without using Apostle Transformation.
Although his spiritual force was still relatively low, making this ability not particularly useful yet, it gave him a glimpse into the skill’s potential. The burden he had felt every time he manipulated his spiritual force had also lessened.
This meant that he could potentially use Spiritual Force Coordination against regular enemies, not just powerful ones like Apostles.
“Not bad.”
Taesan retracted his spiritual force and continued onward.
He thoroughly explored the 48th floor and advanced. Then, he encountered and defeated the boss.
[Your level has increased.]
Taesan’s level had risen by a decent amount since his level was now somewhat aligned with that of the monsters. He had been at level 91 before entering the 41st floor, and now he was at level 97.
[*Kang Taesan*]
[*Level: 97*]
[*Barrier: 2109/2109*]
[*Health: 23020/23020*]
[*Mana: 3002/3002*]
[*Magic: 426/426*]
[*Strength: 5138*]
[*Intelligence: 4474*]
[*Agility: 4758*]
[*Attack Power +996*]
[The target is in optimal condition.]
The rewards for leveling up vary based on what you did until the level increased. Because Taesan had only defeated the spiritual beings without engaging in any proper battles, he didn’t receive as significant a boost as before, but it was still substantial.
His Strength was now nearly half of Lee Taeyeon’s. It was an incredibly fast progression.
The rewards weren’t particularly noteworthy. He planned to sell everything at the shop, hand over the emotional core to Valencia, and then proceed to the 49th floor.
[49th Floor Quest Start.]
[Defeat the boss on the 49th floor and pass through.]
[Reward: Jewelry of the Enshrouded One]
[Secret Reward: ???]
As soon as Taesan set foot on the 49th floor, darkness split.
The Demon God appeared.
[I came because there’s something I need to tell you.]
“Is it about the Guides?”
There could be no other reason for her appearance. The Demon God nodded.
[They won’t be waiting for you on the 50th floor. They’re preparing with everyone on the 51st floor.]
“The 51st floor? I heard you can’t go below the Hierarchy, but I guess they allowed it?”
[It would have been too one-sided otherwise.]
No matter how many of the 50th-floor, 5th Hierarchy adventurers gathered, they wouldn’t be able to defeat the current Taesan. So even the Demon God had permitted it.
The 51st floor.
If what Lee Taeyeon said was true and the Guides were indeed gathered there, it could be quite troublesome.
“Understood.”
Taesan nodded. Although the information had been conveyed, the Demon God did not leave immediately but instead gazed at Taesan.
[What could he have seen in you?]
“What do you mean?”
[Aphrodia. Hearing him talk made me curious.]
Taesan understood what the Demon God was implying.
The gods knew that he had used the Ouroboros Meteorite to return to the past.
But they didn’t know what had happened during that process, what he had faced, or what he had obtained.
[I’m curious. What do you possess? What did you confront?]
“You’ll find out eventually.”
[Indeed. If not, I’ll make sure I do.]
The Demon God smiled.
[Come down a bit further. I have something to ask of you.]
With those final words, the Demon God vanished.
Taesan resumed his descent.
The 49th floor was filled with spiritual beings that emanated a sense of quiet despair. For an ordinary adventurer, the emotions they exuded could rob them of all willpower, leaving them motionless like dolls.
But such emotions had no effect on Taesan. He swiftly cleared the floor, dealing with everything in his path.
[*Bracelet of Malira-Barya*]
[*Attack Power +65*]
[*Defense +100*]
[*A bracelet belonging to a great adventurer who reached the end of the world. Adventure is always accompanied by danger, and one who overcame it all could not be weak.*]
Aside from the bracelet, the rest of the items were mostly useless equipment and items, so they were either offered as tributes or sold in the shop.
Taesan took the emotional core he had collected and went to Valencia.
Unlike before, Valencia wasn’t laughing maniacally. He simply smiled quietly.
“This is the last one.”
“That’s right.”
“Do you know? The great ones always demand sacrifices. They take life and spirit as payment to become greater.”
Valencia bared his teeth.
“Bring me the final spirit. Then everything will be complete.”
Since this was something Taesan had expected, he wasn’t particularly surprised as he descended to the 50th floor.
[50th Floor Quest Start.]
[Defeat the boss on the 50th floor and pass through.]
[Reward: Armor of Hepinesia]
[Secret Reward: ???]
Finally, he had reached the 50th floor.
The spiritual beings would no longer appear after this.
The monsters on the 50th floor were spiritual beings filled with arrogance and pride. Taesan quickly dealt with them as he advanced.
He touched a pillar and extracted pure emotions from it.
Then, he dealt with the boss.
[Your level has increased.]
[You have reached the 50th floor. You have obtained the title *The One Who Reached*.]
[You have perfectly cleared the 50th floor. You have obtained the title *The One Who Gains Satisfaction*.]
[You have completely explored and cleared every floor up to the 50th. You have obtained the title *The One Who Approaches Perfection*.]
[You have descended nearly halfway through the Labyrinth. Although greater trials await you, this is an achievement that will go down in history. You have obtained the title *The Strong and Excellent One*. You have also obtained the special passive skill *Resilient One*.]
[Your footsteps will be followed by those who come after you.]
Just like before, a flood of rewards came all at once. Taesan first checked the 50th-floor clear reward.
[*Armor of Hepinesia*]
[*Strength +100*]
[*Defense +130*]
[*Armor crafted by a blacksmith believed to have the blood of a god. Even an ordinary sword cannot leave a scratch on it.*]
The high defense and decent strength increase made it better than his current armor, so he equipped it.
[You have used ???.]
[You have obtained a Spike.]
[*Spike*]
[*When embedded into a wound, it inflicts significant damage and pain.*]
“Simple enough.”
The effect was straightforward but clearly powerful. If the description mentioned “significant damage,” it meant it would deal considerable damage even by 50th-floor standards.
If combined with other skills, it could be an item that deals overwhelming damage in a short period.
[*Title: The One Who Reached*]
[*The one who has reached halfway through the Labyrinth.*]
[*Health +200*]
[*Strength +100*]
[*Attack Power +50*]
[*Defense +50*]
[*Title: The One Who Gains Satisfaction*]
[*You have begun to achieve satisfactory results.*]
[*Strength +100*]
[*Agility +100*]
[*Intelligence +100*]
[*Attack Power +50*]
[*Defense +50*]
[*Title: The One Who Approaches Perfection*]
[*You are significantly approaching a perfect strategy.*]
[*Health +300*]
[*Mana +100*]
[*Attack Power +60*]
[*Defense +50*]
[*Title: The Strong and Excellent One*]
[*You have proven that you are incredibly resilient and capable of overcoming many challenges.*]
[*Attack Power +100*]
[*Defense +100*]
The effects of the titles had become even better compared to those from the 40th floor. Given the trend so far, these rewards were somewhat expected.
[*Special Passive Skill: Resilient One*]
[*Your resistance to pain has greatly increased. You will not easily fall, and you can maintain your resolve under any circumstances. As long as your mind does not break, neither will your body.*]
“A skill that provides an advantage for both the mind and body.”
While the mental aspect wasn’t particularly useful for Taesan, the physical aspect was different. Increasing his resistance to pain was certainly beneficial, as pain could cause brief moments of hesitation.
[*Kang Taesan*]
[*Level: 99*]
[*Barrier: 2209/2209*]
[*Health: 24020/24020*]
[*Mana: 3032/3032*]
[*Magic: 535/535*]
[*Strength: 5450*]
[*Intelligence: 4614*]
[*Agility: 4938*]
[*Attack Power +1315*]
[*Defense +1177*]
[The target is in optimal condition.]
“Nice.”
He was just one level away from 100.
His health, strength, intelligence, and agility had all increased significantly, and his attack power had suddenly spiked. Clearing each floor’s theme visibly made him stronger.
[Now it’s time to take care of the loose ends.]
Taesan gathered the core and descended to the 41st floor.
There, Valencia, who had been waiting anxiously, lit up.
“How did it go?”
“Here.”
Taesan handed him the pure emotional core. Valencia trembled with emotion.
“O-oh… Oooh!”
Unable to contain his emotions, he let out a loud cry.
“Haha!”
The emotions began to take shape. Thousands, tens of thousands of them, gathered to form a massive force.
“Yes! This is it! This is my power! This is where I was meant to be!”
Valencia exclaimed with a face twisted in joy.
Taesan, indifferent, asked,
“So, I suppose it’s time to give me my reward.”
Valencia’s laughter abruptly stopped.
“…Come to think of it, there’s one thing I haven’t told you.”
He smirked.
“The emotions I’ve gathered are indeed great and diverse. But to reach true greatness, I need a body to match. Unfortunately, my current body is too weak.”
Valencia’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
“So, you’ll become the sacrifice!”
The emotions surged like a tidal wave. Taesan immediately braced himself.
*Boom!*
As the overwhelming force swept through the room, Taesan calmly drew his sword.
‘I figured this would happen.’
It was obvious. He had known from the start that Valencia would attack him once the quest was complete.
“Let me consume you!”
*Boom!*
The emotions solidified into blades, aiming to pierce Taesan.
Taesan focused his spiritual force.
*Clang!*
He deflected all the incoming emotional blades and landed back on the ground, muttering.
“I’m curious. What happens to future adventurers if I kill you?”
“What… what?”
“No matter, I suppose.”
There had already been a time when a Spirit had vanished in a similar manner. Back then, Balbamamba had temporarily resolved the situation.
“So there’s no problem. Die, madman.”