Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 234: The Fourth Return. Earth (1)

Taesan fiddled with his dark gloves.

Black energy flickered and flowed over the entire surface of the gloves.

Taesan received a ring and handed two materials to Haphran: ore from the Giant’s world and the **Will of Destruction** obtained from defeating the Flame Hound on the 51st floor.

The two materials combined to create a single pair of gloves.

**[Gloves Imbued with the Will of Destruction]**

**[Ore from the world of giants, Vahulia, combined with the Will of Destruction. The gloves exude a faint aura of destruction.]**

**[Attack Power +300]**

The equipment focused solely on increasing pure attack power, excluding everything else. Considering the materials, it had quite a high boost.

Haphran’s face looked noticeably older, as if the crafting process had been quite taxing.

After telling Haphran that he would be away for a while, he nodded and wished him well.

Taesan replied with a simple acknowledgment.

There were only a few minutes left until the return to Earth. The posts in the community were gradually decreasing.

Everyone was likely waiting anxiously for the return. Taesan felt the same. The only difference was that he felt more anticipation than anxiety.

*Wooooong.*

The space opened.

It was time to return to Earth.

The scene of Earth beyond the portal began to swallow Taesan.

What awaited him was a broken world.

Half-destroyed buildings. And a massive hole visible in the sky.

He had returned.

“Finally back again.”

“But this time it will be different. We’ve become stronger, and most importantly… we have you, Taesan.”

People steeled their resolve. Kim Hwiyeon appeared quickly in the center and clapped her hands.

“Everyone, gather around! We’re going to assess the situation!”

They needed to assess how much everyone had grown since the last return and how many had died while descending the labyrinth.

At Kim Hwiyeon’s command, people began to gather slowly. Taesan approached and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Ah, Taesan.”

Her face, initially bright with joy, stiffened suddenly.

“…Excuse me, but what is that golem beside you?”

**[Hmm. Decent enough, but… weak. Strange. How did they manage to descend the labyrinth with this level of strength?]**

“It can… talk?”

“It’s my spirit.”

Taesan answered simply. Kim Hwiyeon’s eyes wavered even more.

“A spirit?”

“I’ll be stepping out for a moment, so wrap this up while I’m gone.”

“Oh. Yes.”

Kim Hwiyeon nodded blankly as Taesan walked away, heading toward the outskirts of City Hall.

“W-What?”

“A monster!”

People screamed and showed hostility when they saw Varkaza. But then, realizing that Taesan was walking beside him, they stared in shock.

**[There are many.]**

Varkaza muttered as he observed the people.

**[But they are weak. There are a few decent ones, but I’m not impressed. Strange. In the labyrinth I know, they wouldn’t survive with this level of power.]**

“Their conditions are a bit different from mine.”

*Tap.*

Taesan arrived at the outskirts.

The hole in the sky loomed quietly, greeting him.

**[I’m curious. Can you give me a proper explanation?]**

Taesan began to explain the general situation to Varkaza. He told him that his world had been consumed by the Ancient Gods, and during that process, the people were pulled into the labyrinth.

But he didn’t reveal all the details. He decided it was better for Varkaza to see it for himself before explaining further.

**[You have summoned the Spirit King of Wind, Minerva.]**

The wind blew. A figure formed from the gathered wind, taking the shape of a woman. Varkaza bowed.

**[Greetings, my king.]**

“Huh?”

Minerva looked around in confusion.

“This doesn’t look like the labyrinth?”

“You’re right.”

Taesan began to explain slowly.

He explained that they were beings living in a single world, and that a monster had attacked their world.

He told them that they had been given a choice.

Both Minerva and Varkaza had made a contract with him. According to the contract, unless Taesan died, they would remain by his side forever.

So there was no harm in telling them. With that decision made, Taesan told them the general flow of events.

Minerva frowned after hearing the explanation.

“It’s all because of those damn Ancient Gods.”

“Exactly.”

When you think about it, they were truly the source of all evil. They attacked Arullia, targeted the Giants’ world, and destroyed Earth.

Minerva looked up at the sky.

“…It’s thick and strong.”

The black hole in the sky. That’s where the monsters were coming from.

“And it’s directly connected to this world. It would be difficult to close that. But despite being directly connected, the power is weak. Is it because of the intervention of the transcendent beings?”

**[Master. I have a question.]**

“What is it?”

**[You mentioned that the labyrinths are separated.]**

“That’s right.”

Easy, Normal, Hard, and Solo Mode.

Varkaza asked.

**[That separation must be due to the Ancient Gods, correct?]**

Taesan nodded.

The Easy, Normal, and Hard modes weren’t the labyrinth created by the magician. They were copies of the labyrinth, made due to the interference of the Ancient Gods.

Varkaza laughed.

**[That’s quite interesting.]**

“Roughly speaking, yes. So what should we do here?”

“For now, we wait.”

Taesan looked back at City Hall. Kim Hwiyeon was checking on the gathered people.

Soon after returning to Earth, the quest would appear.

And Taesan already knew what this quest was.

“Of the 65,000 who survived the last return, 50,000…”

Kim Hwiyeon frowned as she looked at the people in front of her. It meant that 15,000 people had died while descending the labyrinth. It was no small number.

“At least the survivors have gotten stronger.”

Among the Hard Mode players, there were a few who had become twice as strong as they were during the previous return. She, Geum Jung-geun, and Seo Jang-san were among them.

“By the way, where did Taesan go?”

“You called?”

“Ahh!”

Kim Hwiyeon screamed and backed away. She clutched her chest in surprise.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

“Bro, how are yo—”

Geum Jung-geun, who was about to greet Taesan, froze as he glanced at the figures beside him.

**[Not bad, but too weak. Is this the limit of the fragmented labyrinth?]**

“There are a lot of people. Or rather, it’s not that many when you think about it as everyone from this area gathering here.”

The golem-like figure and the beautiful woman with blue hair muttered as they observed the crowd.

Geum Jung-geun cautiously asked.

“So, bro, these two are…”

“I am the Spirit King of Wind, Minerva. Nice to meet you.”

Minerva smiled.

Geum Jung-geun, dazed, nodded absentmindedly.

“Oh, uh, yes…”

“Are the checks complete?”

At Taesan’s question, Kim Hwiyeon snapped out of her daze.

“Yes. Although quite a few people died while progressing through the labyrinth, everyone is much stronger than before.”

“That’s good.”

Taesan gathered his power. A dark energy spread over the people.

The onlookers, who had been watching him nervously, let out sounds of amazement.

“Ooh…”

“I think I’ve gained about half of it.”

“Now that you mention it, I did have this.”

Geum Jung-geun opened his skill window. A Dark Magic skill he hadn’t acquired before had now appeared in his skill list.

Thanks to the Demon’s reward, Taesan was able to grant Dark Magic to the people of Earth. He provided them with powers they hadn’t obtained before, due to their lack of strength.

As the people marveled at their new powers, Taesan spoke.

“What about Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk?”

“They went down for a quick sparring match. They’ll be back soon. By the way, bro…”

Geum Jung-geun kept glancing nervously at Minerva and Varkaza.

Taesan, noticing his curiosity, spoke.

“Don’t worry. They’re on our side.”

“I trust you, but some of the others seem a bit uneasy.”

While Minerva had the appearance of a beautiful woman, Varkaza looked like a golem. Since his appearance resembled a monster or creature from the labyrinth, people were understandably nervous.

Taesan responded.

“Don’t worry. They’ll find out soon enough.”

As the people’s concerns lingered, the check-up was completed. Then the quest appeared.

**[The next quest will begin in two days.]**

They had a two-day grace period. People planned to rest and wait until the next quest appeared.

But Taesan knew.

From the fourth return onward, there was no such thing as true rest.

*Rumble!*

A loud noise echoed from outside City Hall. The sentinels screamed as they rushed in.

“Monsters! There are over a hundred monsters!”

“What?”

Kim Hwiyeon jumped up in alarm.

She checked outside and grimaced.

“This is a full wave!”

During previous returns, there had been instances where monsters approached during the grace period, but the numbers had been so small that they posed no threat.

They had thought the same would happen this time, but suddenly a hundred monsters had appeared.

“And…”

The power of the monsters could not be underestimated. Among them, Kim Hwiyeon spotted a few creatures even she couldn’t guarantee victory against.

She urgently shouted.

“Gather everyone!”

“There’s no need.”

Taesan stepped forward.

“Varkaza. And Minerva.”

**[Good. Crushing the Ancient God’s creatures. There are few joys greater than that.]**

“I feel the same. If it disrupts their plans, I welcome it.”

Both stepped forward eagerly. The gathered people stared in awe.

The monsters were mostly of D-rank strength. For the Hard Mode players, it would be a struggle to defeat them, but they could barely manage it.

Varkaza clapped his hands toward the approaching monsters. A massive barrier materialized, encircling City Hall.

*Bang!*

The monsters pounded on the barrier.

But the barrier didn’t budge.

It stood firm, like the walls of a fortress that had withstood hundreds of years of assaults, blocking every attack.

“What?”

“Whoa…”

The people murmured in awe, and Varkaza clapped his hands again.

Light surged.

The light swept forward, piercing through the bodies of the monsters, erasing them in an instant.

**[Weak.]**

Varkaza now possessed the power of someone beyond the 50th floor. D-rank monsters couldn’t pose a challenge to him.

Minerva waved her hand.

A gentle breeze rose.

And that breeze soon became a storm.

*Whoosh!*

“Aahh!”

People screamed and ducked as the fierce winds blew toward the monsters.

*Crash!*

When the hurricane passed, not a single monster remained.

“How much power did that consume?”

“Almost none. If I keep it at this level, I could stay here for years.”

“That’s good.”

It was much better than Taesan had expected. At this level, they would be an incredible asset on Earth.

“…What?”

Kim Hwiyeon stared blankly.

The monsters they would have had to fight for their lives against were all wiped out with just two attacks.

During the last return, Taesan had demonstrated overwhelming strength. He had shattered wind with his fists and cracked the earth with his leaps.

But it had still been understandable. After all, the stronger their stats became, the more they transcended human limitations.

But this…

“Oh… Ooh…”

The people gasped in awe and fell to their knees. They looked at Taesan with shining eyes.

**[Your proficiency with Divine Power has increased by 1%.]**