Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 229: Darkness Creating a Black World (4)
The branches of the curse spread out from Taesan, extending into the world.
Hasak shuddered at the strange, foreign power.
‘That…’
It wasn’t a power that belonged in this world. Just like the power he wielded, it was an unnatural force, one that shouldn’t have been allowed. Hasak realized this.
“…But!”
At the same time, Hasak also recognized something else.
Those branches held far less authority than the shadow he controlled.
Confident in his victory, Hasak swung his shadow. It surged forward, aiming to devour everything, including the branches.
Crack.
The branches and shadow collided.
And then, the shadow shattered.
“What?!”
Hasak gasped in disbelief. Taesan continued to spread the branches as if this was the obvious outcome.
“The power you wield may have a higher level of authority, but the difference lies in the person using it.”
The gap between Taesan’s skill and Hasak’s was the reason for this result.
The branches slowly but surely extended further.
The shadow occupying the space broke apart, clearing a path toward Hasak. Taesan gripped his sword.
Tap.
Hasak, seeing Taesan rushing toward him, howled like a wild animal and charged forward.
The shadow surged.
It raged toward Taesan like a torrent, trying to consume him. Even if the user was incompetent, it was still the power of an Old God. It couldn’t be underestimated.
So, Taesan didn’t underestimate it. He fully intended to destroy it.
His sword moved.
The shadows shattered and disappeared.
Twisting his body and using his footwork, Taesan dodged the surging darkness and crushed it. In an instant, he was right in front of Hasak.
Hasak panicked and wrapped himself in shadow.
Taesan raised his hand.
Crack.
The shadow was forcibly torn apart, creating an opening. Hasak’s body was exposed.
Slash.
Taesan’s sword struck.
[$#@! takes 253 damage.]
“No, no!”
Hasak tried to gather his strength. The shadow surged up from the earth.
Taesan stomped down on the ground.
The creeping shadow was repelled. He swung his sword again, cutting through and destroying the shadow.
Then, he pressed his shoulder forward. Hasak let out a pained groan as he was flung back.
Tap.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
Taesan immediately closed the distance again. He crushed the shadow Hasak swung in desperation and tore through his defenses.
“Aaaah!”
Hasak screamed and struggled, but it was pointless. He was easily overpowered and thrown to the ground.
“No, no!”
Fear spread across Hasak’s face.
No matter what he did or what means he used, everything was being shattered.
The confidence he once held, the belief that no one could defeat him, crumbled away. In a panic, he gathered his power. But power driven solely by emotion was no threat to Taesan.
Crack.
It shattered easily as Taesan’s sword pierced Hasak’s neck.
The shadow tried to cover the wound, but like a loose patch being reattached, it barely held together.
He was going to die.
That fear consumed Hasak. His very identity began to unravel.
The fragile balance he had maintained was destroyed by his terror.
“No!”
Hasak screamed in fear, but it was too late. The shadow devoured every part of him.
At the same time, Taesan’s instincts warned him. This was dangerous. He needed to get away immediately.
The shadow erupted.
It was much darker and deeper than before. The surging shadow destroyed the branches of the curse and spilled out in all directions.
Taesan kicked off the ground. He blocked and deflected the shadow as it spilled out like a stain across the world, but it wasn’t easy.
“Ugh!”
The shadow’s interference rattled his mind for a moment. Taesan shook his head and managed to clear it.
[You have activated Random Blink.]
Taesan teleported far away and observed Hasak.
[This is…]
Darkness was seeping out of every hole in Hasak’s body.
[This is… dangerous.]
The figure that resembled Hasak raised its head.
It looked at Taesan.
[$#@!$%]
{[@#!#! protected]@#!#!…….}
[$!$!!!]
[Judgment successful!]
Unfamiliar judgments attempted to invade Taesan’s mind. He managed to push them away, but a deep sense of unease filled his head.
Heheh.
It laughed.
It was an eerie laugh, a mix of mockery and amusement, from an entity that was impossible to understand.
[Ugh.]
Even the ghost’s form wavered uneasily. Even though it was merely a spirit, it too was affected by the gaze of that thing.
“This is what it was after.”
Taesan tightened his grip on his sword.
He could sense the immense presence hidden deep within Hasak.
But it was merely a remnant left by the contract. It shouldn’t have been able to influence the world.
That’s how it should have been.
[His mind has collapsed… He’s lost his sense of self. With the balance of the contract broken, the passageway has forcibly expanded…]
The ghost spoke in pain.
Hasak was now just a passageway in the shape of Hasak.
And beyond that passageway, an enormous entity was directly watching this place.
Taesan could feel the gaze of the Old God.
“Varkaza. Stand back.”
[Ugh… I’m sorry, master.]
Varkaza quickly retreated. His mind couldn’t withstand the darkness.
Heheh.
With a laugh, power surged through the passageway. The coarse shadow devoured everything, rushing toward Taesan.
Taesan braced himself and kicked off the ground.
Clang!
He deflected the swirling darkness with his sword. But the shadow coiled around his sword like a serpent, wrapping tightly.
“Damn!”
Clang!
Taesan twisted his sword violently and barely managed to shake it off.
His head throbbed from the oppressive presence of the surrounding darkness.
Just looking at it was enough to affect his mind.
[This is dangerous. That’s the Old God’s power, directly wielded. Even though it’s diminished after passing through the passageway, it’s still the power of the entity itself.]
The ghost swallowed nervously.
[You have to run. That passageway won’t last long.]
Hasak’s body was already flickering, as though it might collapse at any moment.
The passageway would probably close in a few minutes. This was the result of forcibly pushing through the power. If Taesan ran, he could survive.
Tap.
But Taesan dug his feet into the ground.
“No.”
[Why not?!]
“If I run, what will happen to this world?”
The ghost hesitated.
The Spirit King and the Spirit God were still fighting in the sky. There was no one left to stop the darkness before him.
If Taesan ran, the Old God’s power would spread throughout this world.
And when the passageway closed, half of the world would likely be destroyed.
“The quest I received is to protect the Spirit King. If the world is destroyed, the Spirit King won’t survive either.”
This was the Old God’s plan all along.
So, he would fight.
That was Taesan’s decision.
[Do you even have a chance of winning?]
“Somewhat.”
Taesan’s eyes narrowed.
[I trust your decision.]
The ghost fell silent.
Taesan raised his sword. At that moment, another great entity descended from the sky.
[You’ve come this far, I see.]
“Is it alright for you to come here?”
[Thanks to that thing focusing its attention on this side, I’ve been given a bit of freedom.]
Beatrice stared at Hasak, who was exuding shadow.
[It must really want you dead. With interference like this, it won’t be able to meddle in this world for a while.]
Beatrice smiled.
[Let’s put an end to this.]
Bzzzt.
A light descended upon Taesan.
[I’ll grant you a portion of my power. I’m not in the best condition either, so it’s not much, but it’ll be enough to withstand that creature’s attacks.]
“Thank you.”
[Then, fight and win, mortal.]
Beatrice disappeared again.
Taesan calmly assessed the situation.
The passageway, as the ghost had said, was unstable and could collapse at any moment.
If he could land a single decisive blow, the passageway would close immediately.
Taesan charged toward the darkness.
The shadow surged like a tidal wave.
Clang!
His sword collided with the shadow. A powerful, alien force traveled up through the hilt.
Taesan gritted his teeth and pushed back. The shadow recoiled.
Because the power had passed through the passageway, it was significantly diminished.
And with the direct protection of the Spirit God, he could fend off the attacks.
If that was the case, then it was possible.
[You have activated Small Ember.]
Fwoosh!
The apocalyptic flame roared and rushed toward the shadow. The fire that could bring about the end of the world barely scorched the edges of the shadow.
But even that was enough.
Clang!
Taesan swung his sword, creating a small opening.
By now, nothing but darkness remained around him.
Inside this deep and thick abyss, Taesan pressed forward.
Clang!
He blocked the descending shadow. The tip of his sword was slowly being covered by the darkness.
He shifted his foot. The snake-like shadow wavered slightly.
Beatrice’s protective power condensed at Taesan’s will. The gathered light burst forth, creating a path through the darkness.
Step.
Taesan advanced.
The ghost was nowhere to be seen. Even a spirit couldn’t withstand this shadow, so Taesan was completely alone.
He advanced, taking each step alone.
The shadows gradually filled his vision. Even the light protecting Taesan began to dim.
Clang!
Taesan summoned more light, infusing it with his spiritual force, and struck downward with his sword. The shadow split apart, creating a narrow path just wide enough for him to pass through.
Taesan entered.
His spiritual force was depleting. Beatrice’s power was also fading.
But he didn’t stop.
He continued to advance, pushing through the darkness with precise control of his power.
Step.
And beyond the darkness, Hasak appeared.
Taesan swung his sword.
Crash!
The shadow shattered, revealing Hasak.
This was the end. But Taesan’s steps halted.
In front of Hasak was a mass of deep, dense darkness.
Taesan realized it then. The shadow that had filled the space had only been a diversion.
What the Old God truly targeted was Taesan himself.
The darkness exploded.
The thick, heavy force engulfed Taesan.
[Huh?]
The ghost, anxiously waiting outside, trembled.
The ghost and Taesan were connected through the quest. Naturally, if Taesan died, the ghost would return to the labyrinth.
And now, that connection was shaking.
[…No way.]
The ghost’s voice trembled with unease.
Inside the darkness, Taesan saw an endless abyss.
Taesan coldly analyzed the situation.
When he reached the passageway, the darkness swallowed him. The Old God had gathered all its power to kill him alone.
It wasn’t a physical attack.
‘This is mental interference.’
It was an attempt to descend directly into his mind.
Taesan raised his gaze.
Beyond the abyss was a massive entity.
It was an indescribable being, but it was clearly watching him.
Crack.
Just that alone made Taesan’s entire body feel like it was about to collapse. It felt as though his limbs were melting.
The incessant ringing in his head urged him to surrender, to bow before this overwhelming existence and beg for mercy. The pressure was suffocating, threatening to swallow his very sense of self.
‘Shut up.’
Taesan shook his head.
The interference fell away.
He took a step closer to the massive being.
The closer he got, the stronger the pressure became. He could no longer feel his limbs, and his mind struggled to function properly.
But he kept walking.
‘I am myself.’
His mind was his own. His body was his own.
He existed in this world as himself. Not even a god, not even an Old God, could interfere with his sense of self.
If he were someone who could be consumed by such darkness, he would have already fallen long ago.
His unshakable will suppressed the encroaching influence. Taesan moved forward once again within the darkness.
Crack!
A crack appeared in the shadow that had swallowed him.
Taesan raised his sword.
Clang!
The darkness shattered.
When the world came back into view, Taesan was standing in front of Hasak.
This was the final moment. Taesan poured all his spiritual force into his sword.
Slash.
Taesan’s sword pierced the passageway.
The passageway screamed as it collapsed. The shadow that had extended toward the world began to be sucked back in.
The entity beyond the collapsing passageway cast a strange gaze at Taesan.
Boom!
The passageway broke apart.
The fragments scattered and began to merge into Taesan’s body.
[Your spiritual force has increased. The proficiency of the special passive skill [Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination] has increased by 7%.]
[The proficiency of [Anti-Divine Theory] has increased by 5%.]
[The proficiency of [Clear Mirror Reflection] has increased by 32%.]
[Your spiritual force has increased. You have obtained the transcendent skill [Black].]
For a moment, a strange sensation swept through Taesan’s entire body.
It was a power that was both familiar and foreign at the same time.
[Hey, you!]
As the darkness dissipated, the ghost rushed toward him.
[What just happened?! Our connection suddenly went weird!]
“Calm down.”
Taesan shook his head.
[You… you… What the hell…]
The ghost stammered, unable to contain its agitation. For a moment, it had felt as though the connection between it and Taesan had become twisted, as if Taesan’s very existence had been tainted.
“Anyway, it’s over. Let’s talk about it later.”
Taesan looked up at the sky.
The rippling purple light and power were gradually fading.
“It looks like it’s over on that side too.”