Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 232: 53rd Floor (1)

**[53rd Floor Quest Start]**

[Defeat the boss of the 53rd floor and pass through.]

[Reward: The robe held by Barbosi.]

[Secret Reward: ???]

The monsters on the 53rd floor were shifting shadows. Shadows on the ground morphed into various forms, attacking Taesan.

Naturally, they were no match for Taesan, who quickly dealt with them and continued through the labyrinth.

Then the quest arrived.

**[Special Quest Start]**

**[Return to Earth]**

[One week from now, you will return to the land you abandoned. Survive there and return. Your rewards will be determined based on your performance.]

[This quest cannot be declined.]

“It’s finally here.”

**[Has it arrived?]**

Taesan nodded. The time had come to return to Earth, their homeland.

**[What are you talking about?]**

Varkaza, curious, asked, and Taesan briefly explained. Varkaza chuckled after hearing the explanation.

**[It seems your world was not protected. A world trampled by the Ancient Gods… Are you going to stop their attacks?]**

“In a way, yes.”

**[Interesting. Sorry to say this, but I’m looking forward to it.]**

Varkaza murmured excitedly.

Taesan opened the community chat.

As before, the community was chaotic.

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: How’s the situation?]**

**[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Ah, Taesan, you’re here? I was worried since I hadn’t seen you around lately.]**

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: I had some things to do.]**

**[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: Well, the situation’s not great, but it’s not terrible either.]**

There was a sense of control within the community’s chaos. Everyone was scared and confused, but there was a strong will to survive.

**[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: This is the fourth time, so I think people are starting to adjust.]**

They had seen many deaths. Despite that, they endured and continued to survive as they cleared the labyrinth.

Those who survived until now had hardened their resolve. They wouldn’t fall into despair or give up just because fear had arrived.

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Really?]**

It was faster than expected.

In Taesan’s memory, people didn’t reach this level of mental resilience until the fifth return. It seemed that as many things differed from his past life, people’s mental maturity had accelerated as well.

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: What about you, Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk?]**

**[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: We’re progressing without any issues. We’ll reach the 20th floor soon.]**

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: That’s fast.]**

When he was on the 44th floor, they had just reached the 16th floor. Now, they were already nearing the 20th. It was noticeably faster than before.

**[Kang Jun-hyuk [Solo]: It’s all thanks to you. The Dark Magic and the Ability Sword… they’re unbelievable skills.]**

Jun-hyuk’s words radiated awe. For those just clearing the 10th floor, the value of those two skills was almost absolute.

**[Kang Jun-hyuk [Solo]: This time, we’ll get different results than before.]**

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Do your best.]**

Taesan skimmed through the community. Many were discussing the upcoming return to Earth.

Among their words, something stood out.

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: It seems like everyone has a guess about this return’s quest.]**

**[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: The pattern has been obvious so far.]**

During the first return, people from the city had gathered in one place. In the second return, they had gathered around the province. And in the third return, the people of Gyeonggi-do and Seoul gathered at Seoul City Hall.

So it wasn’t hard to guess what the fourth return’s quest might be.

It was highly likely that the quest would be for all Koreans to gather in Seoul.

**[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: We’re preparing for that, so we’ll need your help, Taesan…]**

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: No problem.]**

**[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Ah, thank you.]**

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: So, is there any issue?]**

**[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: Well…]**

**[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: There are… some minor conflicts. It’s not a big deal, but it might be a bit annoying for you… It’s kind of a clash of values among us.]**

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Values?]**

Taesan pondered for a moment before realizing what they meant.

**[Kang Taesan [Solo]: I see. Don’t worry about it. There won’t be any problems. I’ll see you later.]**

**[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Understood.]**

**[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: See you later, bro.]**

**[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Whew. This is exhausting.]**

**[Kang Jun-hyuk [Solo]: I just want to get there quickly and tear all these monsters apart.]**

Taesan closed the community.

“So, it’s happening already.”

In his memories, this had happened much later. The reason was simple.

“Values” were something people only cared about when they had the luxury to do so, which meant such discussions only came up after achieving psychological stability.

During the fourth return in his past life, people didn’t have that luxury. They were barely surviving.

But that wasn’t the case now. They no longer worried about food, and the fear of death had decreased significantly.

That gave people the mental space to start considering these values.

“It’s not a problem.”

In his past life, these clashes had never caused any real issues. They were just a minor annoyance.

Taesan continued descending the labyrinth.

And then he found a secret room.

**[This is it.]**

The ghost who had been quietly following behind spoke.

**[Do you remember what I told you before? That there was a place where you could get the weapon I used?]**

“Yeah, I remember.”

**[This is the place. The secret room on the 53rd floor.]**

Taesan looked at the secret room.

It was significantly larger than any he had seen so far. Next to a staff that seemed to be a reward was a grayish sword.

“That must be it.”

**[Seeing it like this brings back memories. Just take it. It won’t be a problem for you.]**

Taesan stepped into the passageway.

*Boom!*

Suddenly, the walls moved, and countless traps emerged.

After the 50th floor, the traps in secret rooms became much more dangerous. These were traps no ordinary adventurer could easily pass.

But they were nothing to Taesan.

“Varkaza.”

Varkaza clapped his hands. A barrier spread out, causing the traps to crumble.

Taesan walked toward the reward as if taking a stroll.

He grabbed the staff.

**[Staff of Five Colors]**

**[Magic +80]**

[A staff embedded with five radiant gemstones. The gems amplify each other, creating overwhelming power.]

[A prank of a transcendent being lingers on it.]

[This staff repels the user’s weapon.]

*Boom!*

The moment Taesan grasped the staff, the sword in his hand was forcibly knocked away.

“Well, that’s annoying.”

*Boom!*

At the same time, the secret room began to collapse.

The walls slowly moved, blocking the passage, while the ceiling descended.

‘A trigger, huh.’

A trap that activates upon taking the reward. Taesan stomped his foot without any expression.

**[You have activated the Boots of the World’s End.]**

Taesan leapt a short distance. In an instant, he grabbed the flying sword.

*Boom!*

He suppressed the staff’s attempt to push away the sword with sheer force and stored it in his inventory. Then he grabbed the iron-colored sword that had fallen to the ground.

**[You have activated Random Blink.]**

Taesan’s body blinked out of the passage.

**[Sword of the Tempered]**

**[Attack +120]**

[A sword forged through constant training and refinement. Its owner never let go of it until the moment of death. Some of their will remains in the sword.]

“Is this it?”

**[Yeah. You handled it without any issues. I struggled with that one.]**

“It’s a trap with a twisted sense of humor.”

The secret room’s reward was a staff, but upon grabbing it, the weapon you were holding would be knocked away. And at that exact moment, the labyrinth walls would start closing in.

The walls and floor of the labyrinth were indestructible unless one was as powerful as an Ainzhar. The walls closed fast enough that retrieving your weapon and escaping in time would be nearly impossible.

In short, it was a trap where you could lose your weapon if you took the staff.

**[That damned prankster god. There should be a limit to pranks.]**

“Is there really a god of pranks?”

**[You’ll meet him eventually if you go deep enough. Not someone I want to see.]**

Though the ghost had struggled, Taesan was able to escape without any issues.

And he had obtained a decent sword.

Attack power 120. It had 50 more attack power than the weapon given to him by the god. It was certainly a weapon worthy of the 53rd floor.

“Not bad.”

The staff would also make a good offering.

Taesan stored the items and continued descending the labyrinth.

The boss on the 53rd floor was a shadow extending into a long, dark form. It was similar to the Ancient Gods, but its power and level were nowhere near comparable. Taesan won with ease.

Both the main and secret rewards were magical items, so he planned to offer them.

However, he didn’t intend to ascend just yet. With only a week remaining, he wanted to gather as much as possible before finishing up.

Taesan reached the 54th floor.

The monsters on the 54th floor were embodiments of wind. The wind itself gathered to form tangible monsters.

For Taesan, who had contracted with the Spirit King of Wind, they were easy opponents. Without much effort, he subdued them just by shaking his power, rendering them helpless.

And so Taesan descended further.

And finally, the things he had accumulated began to show results.

“It’s finally changing.”

The proficiency of skills changes as they increase. For a while, he had been in a process of accumulation with no changes, but now his efforts were starting to bear fruit.

**[Special Activation Skill: Target Weakness]**

**[Proficiency: 20%]**

**[Designate one part of the target as a weak spot. Attacks to the weak spot will deal double damage. Once designated, you cannot change the weak spot until a day has passed. Only a very small area can be designated as a weak spot. The judgment for the weak spot has expanded slightly.]**

Upon reaching 20%, the weak spot designation skill’s judgment had widened.

Previously, weak spot attacks required hitting a point as small as a dot. Even the slightest movement of the target could throw off the attack.

Now, the judgment area had expanded from a point to the size of a coin. It was a significant improvement.

**[Special Passive Skill: One Who Grips the Sword]**

**[Proficiency: 20%]**

**[One who has reached the level recognized by the God of the Sword. When fighting an opponent who uses weapons, you can more easily identify their weaknesses and openings, and your proficiency with the sword will improve further.]**

Taesan swung his sword, unleashing his Ability Sword technique.

The movement was noticeably smoother than before.

While it wasn’t a huge difference, in the broader context of battle, it could prevent unexpected complications.

**[Special Activation Skill: Essence Grasp]**

**[Proficiency: 60%]**

**[Grasp the essence of the target. Understand the source of their power and discover their weaknesses. You can also discern the target’s condition.]**

An additional feature to discern the target’s condition had been added. To test it, Taesan used it on Varkaza.

**[A top-tier spirit with vibrant colors. Varkaza.]**

**[Spirit contracted with Kang Taesan.]**

**[On the verge of reaching the highest rank.]**

**[Why are you staring at me?]**

“Just checking something.”

It wasn’t a bad change. The faster he raised the proficiency of Essence Grasp, the sooner he would unlock its full potential.

Aura had also evolved.

**[Special Activation Skill: Aura]**

**[Proficiency: 40%]**

**[A reward given to one who has proven themselves with the sword. You have gained a decent understanding of aura and can wield it effectively.]**

Despite being a skill he constantly used, the proficiency increase had been slow. However, he now had better control over aura. His damage had increased, and he could expand his aura to widen his attack range.

And finally, his proficiency with the Ability Sword had also changed.

**[Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword]**

**[Proficiency: 41%]**

**[A unique swordsmanship created by a labyrinth adventurer. It is based on the system of the labyrinth. It was created using the swordsmanship of a prince from a fallen world as a foundation. Several skills can be perfectly integrated with the swordsmanship.]**

**[Already 40%. That’s really fast.]**

The fact that he had only reached 30% proficiency with Irach Weaponry, which he learned much earlier, made it clear just how quickly his own skill was progressing.

As his proficiency with the Ability Sword increased, some of the integrated skills had changed again, and new skills had been added to the swordsmanship.