Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 226: Darkness Creating a Black World (1)
“…Thus, Odin, who had hidden his identity, revealed himself and gave punishment to those who persecuted him, and bestowed mercy upon those who showed kindness.”
“Wow!”
Minerva’s eyes sparkled brightly.
After days of playing catch, she seemed tired and begged Taesan to tell her a story. So, Taesan told her the story of Odin, the central figure in Norse mythology, who disguised himself as a shabby old man and descended to the human world.
“That was fun!”
“Are you satisfied?”
“Yep!”
Minerva smiled and laid her head on Taesan’s lap. She fidgeted with the hem of his clothes.
“It’s almost over now.”
It had been nearly a week since Taesan had met Minerva. Although her appearance and personality hadn’t changed during that time, the power dwelling inside her had grown immensely.
It was nearing the end. Perhaps in a day or two, Minerva would fully become the Spirit King.
“It’s over now.”
Minerva stood up with a wistful expression.
“I will become the ruler of this place. And once I become king, I’ll be bound here and unable to leave. But you’re an adventurer traveling down the labyrinth. You’ll leave this place.”
Minerva forced a smile.
“But it’s okay. I have a duty to protect this place. Even if you leave, I’ll manage.”
[There is a way.]
The ghost spoke.
[You could make a contract with this guy.]
“A c-contract?”
[Being the Spirit King doesn’t mean you can’t form contracts. If you do, you could come whenever he summons you.]
Minerva’s face brightened for a moment at the ghost’s words, but then darkened again.
“…I can’t. If I form a contract with a being from another world, my power will leak outside. I wouldn’t be unable to protect this place, but it would be dangerous. I must protect this world.”
Taesan spoke to Minerva, who was trying to hide her sorrow.
“Do you like the people of this world?”
“Yes. They’re the ones I need to protect, and this is the world I’ll live in.”
“And that guy outside?”
“The human who made a contract with the High Spirit?”
“Yeah.”
Hasak, who had been severed from his connection by Taesan, was banging on the barrier day in and day out, demanding his power back, claiming it was his.
It was laughable. The power had never been his to begin with. It belonged to the spirit he had contracted with.
Taesan ignored him.
No one cared for Hasak. After realizing that he had lost his power, the others quickly distanced themselves from him.
More than anything, the power Taesan had displayed kept them from approaching. Instead, they worshipped him from afar.
[Your proficiency in Divine Power has increased by 1%.]
As a result, his proficiency in Divine Power was rising, even though he didn’t want it to.
Minerva nodded.
“But still, he’s someone I must protect. As long as he’s with me, I’ll protect him.”
“Is that so?”
Taesan said briefly.
“Then I’m going to sleep. See you tomorrow.”
The white space receded into the distance.
Taesan returned to the sphere.
“I wonder how this will end.”
[It is strange.]
Taesan muttered.
What he had done since arriving in this world was simply find Minerva and protect her. For a quest given directly by a god, it was far too simple. Even if Taesan hadn’t protected Minerva, it would have been fine.
He could guess the reason. They were probably gathering strength—for their purposes, to destroy the world, and to kill Taesan.
So they would soon make their move.
“I wonder how they’ll approach this time.”
Taesan murmured in anticipation.
They wouldn’t be able to send down a monster like they had with the god of magic. That had been possible because the old god had created a rift in the giant’s world, but in Arulia, the Spirit God was tightly guarding the world.
They couldn’t send down a monster. So, they would have to use another method.
Taesan waited quietly.
The day dawned. The Spirit King did not summon Taesan. From within the sphere, he could feel a great power gradually gathering.
It was the final moment.
And at that moment, Akien came to Taesan.
“H-hello…”
She bowed her head with a wavering expression. Taesan nodded in response.
Akien spoke.
“We’re leaving now.”
“Have you given up?”
“We gave up a long time ago. We were only staying because of Hasak, but everyone’s tired now. It’s been decided that those who want to stay will stay, and those who want to leave will leave.”
Hasak, who had controlled and imposed his will on them, had lost his power and become an ordinary human.
There was no longer any reason for them to stay here. Half of the people who had come to this place had been forcibly dragged here by Hasak.
The other half had been interested in the sphere or wanted to study it, but as long as Taesan was protecting it, there was nothing they could do either.
Moreover, they were beginning to suspect something. The natural energy emanating from the sphere was growing stronger by the day, and there were few beings who could possess such power.
An overwhelming force protected the sphere, a person who had contracted with the highest-ranking spirits, someone who could interfere with even contracts made with high spirits.
While they didn’t know exactly what was happening, they knew they were dealing with someone they couldn’t touch.
And Akien knew exactly who he was. She bowed her head.
“Taesan, thank you so much.”
Her words were sincere.
Akien didn’t know exactly how powerful the Spirit King was, but it wasn’t hard to imagine that if the Spirit King held ill will toward them, their world would be shaken.
Even if that weren’t the case, they were people who had lived with spirits. To them, the Spirit King was an object of worship, and for Akien, who sought harmony with spirits, this was the best possible outcome.
Taesan replied.
“I’m just doing my job.”
“Even so, my gratitude doesn’t change. Thank you for keeping us from walking down the wrong path.”
In a voice filled with genuine emotion, she spoke.
As Taesan was about to respond, power flowed out from the sphere.
The force began to take shape. Soon, a girl with blue hair appeared.
“Hello?”
Smiling brightly, she reached out to Akien. Akien blankly stared at her before taking her hand.
“…Hello?”
“Nice to meet you! You’re one of the people I need to protect!”
Minerva waved her hand with a cheerful smile. Akien’s pupils widened.
“Could it be… are you…”
“I am the Spirit King of the Wind, Minerva! The one who will protect this world!”
Akien froze in shock. She hurriedly lowered herself to the ground.
“Oh, great King! This humble being greets the great one! Please forgive my rudeness…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Minerva waved her hand dismissively. Taesan, who had been quietly watching, spoke up.
“So you can come out like this?”
“I wasn’t supposed to, but it’s almost over, right? Moving this much power is fine.”
Minerva chuckled softly.
Akien seemed on the verge of losing her mind. It was inconceivable to her that the great Spirit King had personally appeared before her.
Minerva looked down at her with a playful gaze.
“I was born to protect you. It’s my duty… but still, I like seeing humans like you. Humans who make me feel they’re worth protecting.”
“Th-thank you…”
“Stand up.”
Minerva personally helped her to her feet. Akien stood with a face full of gratitude.
“Continue to like me in the future, okay?”
“Y-yes…”
Akien nodded.
Minerva was about to say something else when suddenly, darkness fell upon the world.
A purple hue painted the sky. Then, a great clash of powers erupted from that spot.
Light and darkness swirled, colliding with each other.
Even the beings of the earth could feel the immense powers clashing.
Minerva’s eyes trembled.
“Father?”
The power of the Spirit God and the power of the Old God were colliding.
And in that instant, a shadow enveloped the land.
The approaching dawn’s light vanished into darkness.
A thick, abyss-like black shadow devoured everything as it rushed forward. An alien force sought to consume the Spirit King.
[My King!]
Varkaza clapped his hands in a hurry. A barrier formed around them, encasing them.
It was the barrier of Varkaza, a power so strong that even Taesan had struggled to break through it.
Crunch.
The moment it collided with the shadow, it was swallowed.
As if the barrier had never existed, the shadow enveloped it.
[This!]
Varkaza, shocked, reinforced the barrier, but it was shattered just as easily.
The shadow aimed for Minerva.
“Aaah!”
Akien hurriedly wrapped her arms around Minerva. Taesan drew his sword and struck it into the ground.
Vwoong.
Taesan’s force surged through the sword and into the earth.
The shadow collided with the sword.
The shadow slowly began to consume the sword, starting from the tip, turning it black. Taesan violently shook the blade.
Boom!
The air exploded, and the shadow was torn apart.
But the torn shadow began to crawl and devour the earth.
“This is…”
Taesan frowned.
It was thick.
He had faced many of the Old God’s monsters, but this was different.
It was fundamentally different. This shadow…
“T-Taesan.”
Minerva’s face had stiffened. Taesan grabbed Akien by the back of the neck.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll need to step aside for a while. Varkaza.”
[Understood.]
“H-huh?”
Taesan tossed Akien far away. Varkaza clapped his hands, and a barrier formed around the flying Akien.
[Perfect throw. She’ll probably land somewhere deep in the forest.]
[Oh ho… This is… unexpected.]
The ghost chuckled.
[I didn’t see this coming…]
“You.”
Minerva’s face twisted.
On the other side, a blackened Hasak appeared.
“Heh… heheheh!”
Hasak laughed maniacally. His entire body was half-immersed in darkness, making it difficult to see his true form.
“I’ve gained power!”
Hasak shouted.
His voice was laced with darkness.
“The labyrinth no longer matters to me! I have become great!”
“Can being consumed by power be considered greatness?”
Not by Taesan’s standards.
“You…”
Minerva’s face was filled with anger.
“You dare! How dare you! Even though you’re a part of my world! You were someone I was supposed to protect! You severed your bond with the spirits! And you dared… to take the power of those vile ones!”
Her voice echoed with fury. Nature, in response, roared and surged violently.
Enraged by the Spirit King’s wrath, the forces of nature surged toward the blackened Hasak. The ground shattered, and debris flew as the winds turned into a storm.
Hasak twisted his lips into a grin.
“Pathetic!”
The shadow spread out in all directions.
The spreading shadow consumed everything. The debris, the storm-like wind—all of it was devoured.
“Haha! Was that the extent of your power? To think I once clung to such weak power!”
“You, you…”
Minerva ground her teeth. As she began gathering even more power, Taesan pulled her back.
“Don’t stop me, Taesan! That bastard betrayed us!”
Minerva shouted in rage.
“He broke the contract that my father personally made and dared… dared to join hands with those vile ones!”
“Calm down. Are you sure it’s okay to use that much power?”
At Taesan’s words, Minerva flinched.
The sphere served not only as a shield to protect her but also as an auxiliary tool that helped her complete her transformation. Even though it was almost over, drawing that much power outside the sphere wouldn’t be good.
“Go inside. This is something I need to handle.”
His quest from the Spirit God was to protect the Spirit King. It would be absurd if the Spirit King herself stepped forward.
[My King, please protect yourself within the sphere. You are still incomplete.]
Varkaza added. Minerva bit her lip.
Taesan smiled.
“So this is how they decided to come after us. It’s something new.”
At his words, Minerva’s face turned pale.
I asked you… not to kill him…
“That’s not it.”
Taesan dismissed her words.
It wasn’t because he hadn’t killed Hasak that the Old God was interfering. It was simply because Hasak harbored the most intense malice toward Taesan and had been chosen.
There were many humans targeting the sphere. If it hadn’t been Hasak, someone else would have been chosen by the Old God.
“Don’t worry about it and go inside. I’ll wrap this up quickly.”
“…Alright. I’m sorry.”
Minerva’s body slowly began to disperse.
“But be careful. That thing is very different from anything you’ve faced before.”
“I’m well aware.”
Minerva’s scattered form returned to the sphere.
“Heheh!”
Hasak laughed.
“Your power! It’s nothing! You’re nothing!”
Taesan didn’t respond to Hasak’s words. In truth, there was no need to respond.
He was already consumed by power.
His self was buried beneath madness, rage, and strength, leaving him no longer whole. There was no point in talking to him.
Heheh.
The darkness hidden within Hasak’s body laughed at Taesan.
A massive presence turned its gaze toward him.
Taesan relaxed his muscles.
The darkness hidden in Hasak’s body.
The abyss that devoured everything. The darkness that had taken form.
This was no mere monster. Such a pitiful being could not wield such power.
It was something else—something transcendent, something far beyond mortals, an entity that had been banished from the world.
It was an Old God.
[Master, this is dangerous.]
[Oh… I’ve heard stories, but this is the first time I’ve seen a contracted being in person.]
“Do you know what this is?”
[Old Gods desire to trample the world. They’ll use any means necessary. One of their most frequent methods is to send down monsters, just like in your world… And when that’s impossible, they use the residents of that world.]
“A contract with an Old God.”
[Exactly. When a resident of the world makes a contract with an Old God, the world’s protection becomes meaningless. Because the resident has willingly accepted the Old God, they’ve essentially acknowledged its existence. That’s why even the Spirit God’s protection can be pierced.]
The ghost clicked its tongue.
[Why would anyone accept such a contract? Their soul, body, and mind will all be shattered.]
Making a contract with a god wasn’t easy. Even those who possessed overwhelming power couldn’t be chosen unless they met the conditions.
It wasn’t so much the difficulty of the contract itself as it was the requirements.
A contract with an apostle meant that the god’s essence descended upon the human.
In other words, the weak, or those who didn’t meet the requirements, would collapse mentally and lose their sense of self, even if they accepted the contract.
That’s why gods carefully chose the humans they made contracts with. They needed to see if the human was to their liking and whether they had the strength to endure the essence of the apostle.
But Old Gods were different. To them, mortals were mere playthings. It wasn’t uncommon for mortals who pursued only power to be used as disposable pawns by the Old Gods.
[Normally, it would have been impossible… but since the Spirit King, the protector of the world, was in a state of incompletion, they seized the opportunity to send the power of the contract. Hasak… He wasn’t without talent. I can see why the Spirit King is so angry.]
The Spirit King was the protector of this world. She safeguarded all the beings in Arulia.
But for one of the beings she was supposed to protect to betray her and make a contract with an Old God… It was akin to denying her very existence.
[This… even I don’t know what to say.]
The ghost swallowed hard.
[Even though it’s an incomplete contract, no human could withstand a proper one. He probably doesn’t even have a fragment of the Old God’s power. But it’s still a contract with a transcendent being. The power is completely different from any monster you’ve faced so far.]
“I have a rough idea.”
The shadow stretched out.
Its dark color turned everything black.
The space itself transformed into something that was no longer Arulia.
A space where everything was hidden in darkness.
Taesan had seen that kind of space back on Earth.
The massive rift that had appeared in the sky. The power he felt from that was the same as this. It was the power of an Old God, wielded by someone who had directly contracted with one.
“This will be an interesting experience.”
[Your opponent is an enemy you cannot defeat.]
[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination].]