Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 206: 51st Floor, The Forest of Mystical Beings (3)
“Are you going to accept it?” the gremlin asked with a sharp glare. Taesan nodded.
“Yes.”
If what Lee Taeyeon had told him was true, then clearing the 51st floor required completing the gremlin’s quests. While there might be other methods, this seemed like the straightforward route, so there was no reason to refuse.
[Sub Quest Accepted.]
The gremlin grinned wickedly.
“First, I want you to deal with those damn fairies. They take great pride in their wings. Tear them off and bring them to me.”
“That’s pretty savage.”
“They were the ones who first mocked me, calling me a lowly creature that crawls on the ground without wings, telling me to get lost from their domain. What do you think they’ll say when I rip off their precious wings?”
The gremlin chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“Go on.”
“Aren’t you going to give me anything?”
Taesan asked, expecting some item or skill to help with the quest, but the gremlin responded indifferently.
“Why would I give you anything? You have to handle it yourself.”
He pointed at himself with a finger.
“I have something I desire, so I gave you a quest.”
Then he pointed at Taesan.
“The rest is up to you. Bring back what I want, and you’ll get a reward. If you don’t, you fail. It’s simple, right?”
“And if I want to give up on the quest and leave?”
“Then I’ll let you go.”
The gremlin answered without any change in his expression.
“I’m not forcing you. Whether you take on my quest or leave the forest and return, it’s all your choice.”
The gremlin showed no intention of holding Taesan back. It was as if he was saying that whatever choice Taesan made, he would have to bear the consequences.
“You’ll send me back?”
“Yes. If you want, I can send you back to the village with just a wave of my hand. Want me to?”
“No.”
Taesan shook his head and thought to himself.
‘So it’s about giving choices.’
He had thought it was strange. The difficulty of the 51st floor had suddenly increased, and yet there was a village that hadn’t been seen before. Moreover, it was populated by those who had lost their will to go on. It all seemed unnatural.
Meeting the gremlin, Taesan understood the reason.
The 51st floor was unique because it acted as a sort of filter.
Will you move forward or give up?
The people in the village likely hadn’t given up right away. They probably kept taking on the gremlin’s quests, trying to clear the 51st floor.
But all those attempts would have ended in failure.
At some point, they must have realized that this path wasn’t meant for them, that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t progress. They couldn’t get past this filter.
And so, the broken-hearted stayed in the village on the 51st floor, in a sanctuary created by a magician for their sake.
The reason only the broken-hearted remained in the village was simple. Those who weren’t broken either died trying to push past the 51st floor or succeeded in moving on to the 52nd floor.
Just like the Hero, Kwaned, and Lee Taeyeon.
“All I need to do is bring back some wings? It doesn’t matter how many?”
“The more, the better, but just one will do for now.”
Taesan left the gremlin’s domain.
He passed through the monochrome trees and returned to the colorful, rainbow-like forest. As he did, the fairies’ voices reached him again.
[He’s back.]
[The interesting human has returned.]
[Let’s play.]
They scattered, giggling. Once more, beams of light shot toward Taesan, who began dodging them with swift movements.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
The light pierced through the trees, and other trees quickly filled the gaps.
‘What did Lee Taeyeon say she did?’
Fairies would eventually get bored and leave if they attacked an adventurer who survived for long enough. Then, they wouldn’t return for quite some time.
After a few such experiences, Lee Taeyeon realized that the key was to keep the fairies from getting bored.
Like a clown, she danced and sang, expressing her emotions dramatically. Being naturally expressive, she likely had no trouble with the performance.
Her antics intrigued the fairies, who watched her with curiosity.
Rather than finding pleasure in toying with her, they found joy in observing her. Because of that, the fairies didn’t attack her, allowing Lee Taeyeon to continue her clown act.
The fairies’ wariness toward her gradually disappeared, and they began to get closer.
After over a month of playing the clown, Lee Taeyeon judged the time was right and swiftly twisted a fairy’s neck.
Her method was likely one of the correct approaches. However, Taesan had no intention of using such a method.
Zing!
Taesan dodged all the beams of light and clenched his fist.
[You have activated Marbas’s Pitch-black Wave.]
Boom!
The black wave swept across the forest, trampling everything in its path. The fairies who had been attacking from a distance came into view.
[Run.]
[Run away.]
The fairies screamed briefly and began to flee.
They were too far away for a normal attack to reach them.
But he didn’t need a physical attack.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
His body shot toward the fairies at incredible speed. The fairies’ screams grew louder as they scattered.
Taesan targeted the closest fairy.
[You have activated Emotional Interference.]
[Ah, ah!]
The fairy, who had been fleeing, suddenly grabbed its head and twisted in agony. Unable to retreat quickly enough, the fairy was quickly overtaken by Taesan.
It tried to stumble back into the forest, but it was already too late. Taesan’s sword pierced the fairy.
[Kiehhk!]
The fairy’s face twisted in pain.
Taesan drove the sword into the ground. The fairy thrashed a few times before going limp.
[Doesn’t it feel like you’re the bad guy?]
“A little.”
The fairy had a beautiful appearance, like something out of a fairy tale.
Stabbing and killing such a creature did feel strange.
Taesan tore the wings from the fairy’s corpse. With his prize in hand, he returned to the gremlin’s domain.
The gremlin, who had been sipping tea, looked at Taesan with a stunned expression.
“Already? …No, you gave up, right?”
“Here.”
Taesan handed over the fairy’s wings.
The gremlin took them, dazed, and muttered.
“…Seriously? How did you get them so fast? Even the quickest one before you took a week.”
He was bewildered, but soon his face broke into a broad grin as he attached the fairy wings to his back.
“How do I look?”
“Strange.”
The shimmering fairy wings looked bizarre on the gremlin’s green body.
“Yeah, maybe it’s the size difference? I’d love to have a whole bunch of fairy wings.”
Taesan could already guess what the gremlin was about to say next.
“Bring me more fairy wings.”
“Even if you want more, it’s going to be difficult.”
The fairies had already suffered at Taesan’s hands. They were likely to be on guard and might not show themselves again.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it.”
The gremlin grinned slyly.
“Fairy wings have a special pheromone. It syncs with the pheromones of their kin, allowing them to communicate their location.”
Bubble, bubble.
Something was boiling in a pot. The gremlin tossed the fairy wings into it.
“And when I process these…”
He rummaged around, throwing all sorts of roots and wood chips into the pot.
“And add this.”
Finally, he dropped a black fragment into the pot.
Sizzle!
The boiling mixture rapidly cooled down, leaving only small crystals.
The gremlin gathered the crystals and pressed them into a compact form.
“This will let you locate the fairies’ dwelling.”
“So that’s why you only needed one wing?”
“Exactly. Just one wing’s worth is enough to determine their location.”
[Fairy Wing Sigil]
[A sigil created through advanced alchemy. It seems to guide you to the fairies’ resting place.]
“And since you’ve probably already become a target for those creatures, take this too.”
The gremlin scraped up the remaining crystals and began mixing them with something. The concoction was then sprinkled all over Taesan’s body.
[You have obtained the Fairy’s Cloak of Invisibility.]
[Fairy’s Cloak of Invisibility]
[A cloak made of finely powdered dust through advanced alchemy. It allows you to erase yourself from the fairies’ perception for a certain period. Additionally, the forest will recognize you as a mystical being, preventing it from changing.]
“This should let you reach their dwelling without any trouble.”
Taesan quietly read through the effects.
Both items were marked as products of alchemy.
A spark of interest lit up in Taesan’s eyes.
“With alchemy, can you combine herbs and such?”
“It’s possible. That’s how I was able to create my own domain and survive here.”
The gremlin spoke with pride.
“Advanced alchemy provides power in a different direction than magic. It requires a lot of preparation and is a bit of a hassle, but the results are worth it. The reason I can survive despite the persecution I face is thanks to the power of alchemy. Just look at this forest—it’s my own domain, created through alchemy.”
Indeed, the forest had stopped changing when Taesan entered the gremlin’s domain. It seemed the gremlin had used something to prevent outside forces from entering.
“Those damn fairies can still annoy me from a distance with their light, but at least I’m not in danger of being killed like before. So, I’m satisfied.”
“You created this domain?”
“There are other abilities, but this one is the main focus. If used correctly, you could turn this entire forest into your domain.”
The gremlin boasted.
Taesan asked,
“Can I learn alchemy too?”
Alchemy.
He was intrigued. Lee Taeyeon had received a blessing powder made from fairy wings as a reward for clearing the 51st floor.
Its effect was to allow her to use magic indefinitely for a certain period by preventing any decrease in mana—a practically infinite supply.
She had used it all during her time in the labyrinth, so Taesan hadn’t seen it firsthand, but if the effect was genuine, it would be of great significance to him. It meant he could use *Frozen World* dozens of times in a row.
That powder was likely created through alchemy as well. If he learned it, he wouldn’t be limited to relying on rewards; he could make such items on his own.
And the creation of domains.
While this might not be useful in the labyrinth, on Earth, the value of such a skill was immense.
If he could acquire it, it would be a great asset.
“…You, learn alchemy?”
The gremlin’s face twisted in disgust. He looked at Taesan as if he were someone trying to steal his most cherished treasure.
“This is something I’ve spent my entire life developing. It’s my only hope, painstakingly accumulated so I wouldn’t have to live with my wretched kin. Thanks to it, I was able to enter the labyrinth and carve out a place for myself.”
The gremlin spread his arms wide.
“Look at this forest! It’s a treasure trove of alchemy! The herbs scattered here are worth a fortune, and even the roots of the trees are rare, appearing once in decades!”
The gremlin shouted with a blissful expression, but his face soon twisted in anger.
“I hated my kin. Wretched creatures who crawl on the ground, barely surviving day by day. So I learned alchemy. I poured my life into mastering it, and I finally gained enough mystical power to stand equal to them, but nothing changed. To them, I’m still just an ugly gremlin.”
He chuckled bitterly.
“You want to learn alchemy?”
His eyes, filled with anger, turned to Taesan.
“Then kill them. And bring me what I desire. Depending on what you bring and how you do it, I might change my mind.”
“Fine.”
Taesan received his answer.
He turned to leave. As he did, the gremlin seemed taken aback.
“You’re accepting it just like that?”
“Why would I refuse?”
He would receive a substantial reward. If not, his journey down here would have been meaningless.
“So, I just need to bring back more fairy wings?”
“Uh, yeah.”
The gremlin stammered.
Taesan swiftly ran out of the forest. Thanks to the powder cloak, the fairies didn’t show themselves even when he entered the rainbow-colored forest.
Taesan took out the orb and read the fluctuations of power and their direction.
Quickly but quietly, he moved toward the source. Without the forest following him, he was able to reach his destination faster than expected.
There, he found a small lake.
A large number of fairies were playing, splashing water around.
Among them was one fairy that was three times the size of the others.
[The Fairy Queen has appeared.]
[The Fairy Queen. Looks like they’re out on an outing.]
The ghost whispered softly.
[She’s much stronger than the other fairies. She’s not a 51st-floor monster.]
“That works out perfectly.”
The gremlin had said that his reward would depend on what Taesan brought him.
The Queen’s wings should be more than enough to satisfy him.
Taesan quietly observed the fairies, formulating his plan of attack.