Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 238: The Fourth Return. Earth (5)

**The Old gods** aim was simple.

Killing Taesan was not an option. To send down a monster capable of killing him would require gathering a significant amount of power.

On top of that, there were also issues with contracts between the gods, making it an even more difficult decision.

So instead, The Old gods targeted the others.

The current attacks felt exactly like that.

The monsters’ long-range attacks were relentless, scattered everywhere, and there were many of them.

‘It’s not a bad strategy.’

Taesan wasn’t particularly skilled at long-range combat. He could use his bow and magic to attack up to 10 kilometers away, but **The Old gods** was not so unprepared as to be caught off guard by that.

If Taesan tried to attack from a distance using arrows or magic, The Old gods would likely counter it.

Of course, Taesan could still handle it. He had many trump cards, such as **Apostle Transformation**, **The King’s Vessel**, and **Black Power**. He could annihilate them all if he showed his hand.

But that was exactly what The Old gods wanted.

Thus, Taesan used the least energy-consuming power available to him.

Wooong.

A starlight arrow formed in his hand.

It was the intermediate-level magic that the God of Magic, **Zervand**, had recently bestowed upon him.

Standing next to Taesan, Choi Taeman’s face went pale. He wasn’t the only one—everyone else around him also seemed greatly affected.

“Hah… Hah…”

They gasped for breath, their bodies trembling.

‘What is that?’

Just the manifestation of the magic caused an overwhelming pressure. Even a mere glimpse of its power made them instinctively realize that it held an energy they could not comprehend.

‘So it wasn’t an exaggeration?’

Choi Taeman was internally stunned, while Taesan focused his mind.

He expanded his senses, locating the monsters positioned 10 kilometers away that were launching the projectiles.

He memorized the location of each one. He also detected the monsters crawling deep beneath the ground. He read every variable present in his surroundings.

Then, Taesan fired his arrow into the sky. The starlit arrow shot upward, imbued with the power of the stars, ascending to the highest reaches of the sky.

“Scatter.”

The arrow exploded like fireworks.

The fragments of starlight, like meteors, began to fall upon the monsters.

At that moment, the ground shook, and a monster shaped like a massive shield appeared, surrounding the monsters that were firing projectiles. It formed a gigantic barrier.

It seemed to be a monster specialized in blocking long-range attacks. Its strength was likely around A-class. It could easily withstand Taesan’s bow or frost arrows.

‘Of course, they’ve prepared for this.’

The starlight arrows collided with the monster’s barrier.

And then, the starlight shattered the barrier.

The starlight broke through the A-class monster’s defense, which was focused solely on protection, as if it were nothing but Styrofoam. The starlight arrows continued downward and exploded.

Boom!

The ground shook with a deafening roar, and debris scattered everywhere.

“W-what the hell…?”

Choi Taeman was left speechless by the sheer force, as if a missile had struck. Taesan smiled in satisfaction.

“Not bad.”

The monsters vanished without leaving a trace. Despite the defensive monster’s considerable health, it was destroyed in one hit.

**Intermediate Magic: Starlight Arrow**

**Proficiency: 1%**

**Mana Consumption: 40**

**A starlight-infused arrow that can be launched. It can be split into multiple arrows, though its power decreases when divided.**

While **Frozen World** was a spell designed to subdue multiple enemies in close combat, **Starlight Arrow** was specialized for ultra-long-range sniping.

If Taesan didn’t divide the arrow, it could maintain its full power over distances of several tens of kilometers.

Moreover, Taesan could control its speed. While he had used it slowly for the first time, it was possible to shoot it at a speed that even skilled opponents would struggle to react to.

While its value in a confined space like the labyrinth was significant, its worth outside was even higher. It filled a gap in Taesan’s capabilities when it came to long-range combat.

“Let’s keep going.”

Taesan spoke, and the people, still dazed, nodded blankly.

“So, the stories were actually downplayed.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I mean how strong you are,” Choi Taeman said with a bitter smile.

“You’re literally a monster.”

Monsters continued to appear as they moved forward.

They possessed various powers and tried to kill them in many different ways.

But Taesan defeated them all effortlessly.

The strength Taesan displayed in every instance was nothing short of miraculous.

In fact, the rumors Choi Taeman had heard had understated Taesan’s power.

“So, you thought it was fake, huh?”

“Most people did. Not just me—anyone who hadn’t met you thought your strength was exaggerated.”

He glanced at the others.

“But now I understand. I understand why people worship you.”

The people from Busan were starting to show the same reverence and awe toward Taesan that the people of Seoul did.

“At this rate… it could become a problem.”

Choi Taeman grimaced.

Taesan, knowing what kind of problem he meant, responded.

“It won’t be.”

They continued moving forward.

Though more monsters appeared, nothing unusual occurred anymore. After dealing with them all, they finally arrived in Seoul.

“Woohoo!”

“We survived!”

People hugged each other, shedding tears of relief. They bowed in gratitude toward Taesan.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Taesan nodded and entered the city.

Aside from the Easy and Normal Mode players who had been defending Seoul, no one else had arrived yet. This meant Taesan, starting from Busan, had arrived first.

It was as he had expected. The fewer people in a group, the faster they could travel. Since **Varkaza’s** group had more people than Busan, their progress was naturally slower.

Kim Hwiyeon, Lee Taeyeon, and Kang Junhyeok weren’t much different.

Moreover, they weren’t as strong as Taesan, so it took them longer to handle the monsters. And since Minerva had to cross the sea, she was inevitably delayed.

“Rest until the other groups arrive.”

The next quest wouldn’t begin until everyone was gathered.

After sending the people into City Hall, Taesan stepped outside again.

He moved quickly, flying toward Kim Hwiyeon’s group. Soon, he spotted them.

“Argh!”

They were desperately fending off the monsters.

‘Not bad.’

The monsters were among the strongest of the D-class. While it was difficult for them to handle, they were managing to deal with them one by one.

Taesan didn’t intervene. If they were barely holding on, he would have helped, but since they were capable of winning, there was no reason to step in. Experience was an invaluable asset.

He moved on.

He also checked on the groups led by Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok, but they didn’t seem to be in any major trouble.

‘Looks like they managed.’

Their ragged appearance suggested that a C-class monster had appeared, but they had evidently won. With the combined strength of the two, it was more than possible.

‘Varkaza and Minerva shouldn’t have any issues either.’

All that remained was to wait.

Taesan returned to Seoul. There, the people from Busan, including Choi Taeman, were wandering around with dumbfounded expressions.

“This place is…”

It was too intact.

Although most of the buildings had been damaged, they were still standing. In Busan, even the roots of the buildings had been blown away.

The faces of the people were bright. Their faces showed only hope for the future, believing that they would survive.

Likewise, many people had survived. Unlike the countable number from Busan, there were tens of thousands of survivors here.

‘And…’

Choi Taeman clenched his fists.

His strength had clearly improved compared to before. This was because he was now receiving support from the domain Taesan had established when they entered Seoul.

“Hah.”

He let out a hollow laugh.

The fact that such a gap existed solely because of one person was both astonishing and saddening.

The people of Seoul warmly welcomed the people from Busan. While players from the same difficulty level could meet each other, meeting on Earth felt different.

Families and acquaintances reunited, sharing their joy.

And the more they talked, the more they realized the difference between Seoul and Busan.

The people of Seoul understood that without Taesan, they could have ended up like Busan.

The people of Busan, now in Seoul, believed that they too could now live with hope for the future.

As a result, their faith in Taesan deepened even further. His proficiency with divine power visibly increased, surpassing 30%.

Time passed like that.

Gradually, people began to gather.

The last to arrive was Kim Hwiyeon’s group. Since they had the most people and had to deal with each monster one by one, it took them the longest.

Finally, everyone was gathered.

“Alright. Let’s start the meeting.”

Kim Hwiyeon spoke.

Nearly ten people were gathered in a small meeting room. Most of them were the leaders of their respective regional players.

Kim Hwiyeon looked at them with an awkward expression.

“I’d like to say it’s nice to see everyone, but it’s all familiar faces.”

Choi Taeman gave a bitter smile.

To become a regional leader, you had to be a Hard Mode player. And you had to be particularly strong even among them.

There was no way they wouldn’t know Kim Hwiyeon or Geum Jung-geun. Kim Hwiyeon tapped the table with her fingers.

“There’s a lot I want to talk about, and I’m sure you all have questions…”

Everyone kept sneaking glances at Taesan, as well as at Minerva and Varkaza, who stood beside him.

Admiration, curiosity, awe.

And a hint of hostility.

[Master.]

‘Wait.’

Taesan responded to the voice echoing in his mind.

“We’ll handle questions later. For now, let’s start by organizing things.”

Kim Hwiyeon asked seriously.

“How many of you survived?”

They needed to determine the number of survivors and the players from each mode.

Choi Taeman was the first to answer.

“Busan. Ten Solo Mode players. Twelve Hard Mode players. Fifty-seven Normal Mode players. One hundred and two Easy Mode players. A total of 181 survivors.”

Everyone fell silent at the grim numbers.

Out of approximately 3.5 million people, only 181 had survived. Choi Taeman spoke with a sorrowful tone.

“You can blame me. I couldn’t save them.”

“No, it wasn’t your fault.”

Everyone knew what had happened in Busan. The leader of Jeju Island spoke next.

“Jeju Island. Three Solo Mode players. Twenty Hard Mode players. Thirty Normal Mode players. One hundred Easy Mode players.”

“Gwangju. Eight hundred thirty Hard Mode players. Two thousand five hundred twenty Normal Mode players. Five thousand three hundred Easy Mode players.”

Each leader began to report.

The region with the most survivors was Daejeon, with 1,150 Hard Mode players, 3,000 Normal Mode players, and 6,000 Easy Mode players surviving.

The man reporting this seemed proud. He had saved many lives under his leadership, and it showed in his face.

He glanced at Taesan.

His gaze contained a hint of, “What do you think?” along with faint hostility and caution.

‘It’s been a while.’

A world where everyone cooperates with smiles and laughter doesn’t exist. People always clash and compete with one another.

One example of this was Choi Junhyeok.

He had incited discord and caused many deaths in order to survive.

But Choi Junhyeok had a clear objective—he wanted to live.

His methods may have been wrong, but his desire to survive wasn’t inherently a problem. That’s why Taesan had dealt with him but understood his intentions.

The same went for Seojangsan. He had oppressed the Easy and Normal Mode players in an attempt to survive rationally. His approach had failed and led to poor outcomes, but in a world facing destruction, it was a decision that could be understood.

But the man standing before him now, the leader of Daejeon…

Taesan could never understand him.

In Taesan’s memory, this man had died the most foolish death he had ever witnessed.

It was Kim Hwiyeon’s turn to report.

She spoke.

“150 Solo Mode players. 5,720 Hard Mode players. 20,580 Normal Mode players. 22,070 Easy Mode players. A total of 48,525 survivors.”

Once again, people were left speechless, but for a different reason than in Busan.