Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 245: The Fourth Return. Earth (12)

Taesan spoke up.

“So this time, it’s Aphrodia?”

[Yes. I descended here because I wanted to.]

“That’s unexpected.”

Taesan had anticipated that the Spirit God or the God of Choice would descend. But it was Aphrodia who spoke.

[Normally, I wouldn’t care. The trivial matters of the labyrinth and the outside world are beyond my concern. However, after the trial I bestowed upon you, I grew interested in this place.]

Aphrodia turned his gaze.

His eyes landed on Lee Taeyeon, who flinched and trembled.

[For such a fragile and weak one to descend through the labyrinth… intriguing. Possibility cannot be ignored.]

Though his voice wasn’t loud, only Taesan could hear it.

Taesan realized something.

When Aphrodia gave Taesan the trial, he must have taken notice of both the end of Earth and the existence of Lee Taeyeon.

Curiosity must have drawn him to descend and see for himself.

‘Still.’

The first god to appear on Earth was the God of War and Death, Rakiratas.

When Rakiratas had descended, Taesan had been far away, fighting, so people could feel the presence of a mighty being descending, but they hadn’t directly witnessed the god.

The second time, it was the Demon God who descended.

Even though Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyuk had sensed the power, they hadn’t seen the god with their own eyes.

In short, Aphrodia was the first god to appear in front of people.

Aphrodia’s appearance was rather ordinary. He had black hair, and while he was handsome, his appearance wasn’t overwhelmingly extraordinary.

Yet, the people couldn’t bear to look at him.

As if gazing upon him was sinful, they averted their eyes on their own.

“Ah… Uh.”

Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyuk’s faces turned pale. As adventurers who had gone through the Solo mode, they, unlike others, could read the aura of Aphrodia, even if just a fraction of it.

“Huff… Huff!”

They gasped for breath, barely managing to calm their frantic breathing as they bowed their heads.

Fear overtook them.

Having challenged the trials of gods multiple times, they could understand how powerful the being in front of them was.

If he willed it, he could easily crush the Earth itself.

Aphrodia briefly glanced at the two before lifting a finger.

[Inadequate power can only strangle oneself. I’ll show mercy, humans.]

With a casual twist of his finger, the people vanished.

Taesan instantly expanded his senses. He quickly realized that all the people had been transported inside City Hall.

No shockwaves, no disturbance of power—it was akin to a god’s authority at work.

Aphrodia turned his gaze back to Taesan.

[First of all, congratulations, mortal. You have overcome this trial splendidly.]

He praised Taesan.

[They changed their tactics. You might have survived, but many others would have perished. We anticipated that.]

The D-rank creature that had swallowed Taesan could not have been escaped with Taesan’s power alone.

The summoned monsters, too, were beyond the level other players could handle.

Though it wouldn’t have been complete annihilation, only a small number would have survived—Aphrodia had thought. But the result was entirely different.

[You achieved victory. And it was near perfection. You should be proud.]

“The Great Transcendent.”

Minerva lowered her body in respect.

“May I ask a question?”

[…Beatrice’s child, are you?]

Aphrodia looked at Minerva with a thoughtful gaze.

[Normally, a mortal’s audacity to speak would warrant punishment. But if I did, Beatrice would likely show her anger towards me. You should thank your father. Speak, spirit.]

“He’s quite the impressive father, isn’t he?” Minerva said playfully with a smile.

Granted permission to speak, she turned her gaze to Taesan.

“The power my master wielded… could you explain it to us?”

The gray power that had defeated the monster.

Even Taesan was curious. He had skimmed the skill’s description, but he still didn’t fully understand what it meant.

Aphrodia smiled faintly at Minerva’s question.

[The power he wielded… you mean the gray-tinged force?]

“Yes.”

Minerva nodded.

Aphrodia looked at Taesan with interest.

[There are many gods who take an interest in you. We were all watching the battle that took place here.]

“Is that so?”

To think that gods were watching him fight—that was unexpected. Aphrodia continued speaking.

[We understood your abnormalities. We knew which direction your power would go… But this was beyond our expectations.]

A power that even the gods hadn’t predicted.

[Your power is unique. You absorb the powers of those you defeat, even if they belong to the ancient gods.]

Aphrodia’s gaze toward Taesan was a mixture of various emotions.

Interest. Curiosity. A slight unease and hostility.

[This is the first time a being of this world has used the power of the ancient gods without forming a contract. And this is also the first time such a being has acquired divinity. You are the first to merge these two forces.]

Aphrodia raised his hand. A small light appeared there.

It was the same divinity Taesan had wielded.

However, the level of that power was overwhelmingly greater.

[Divinity is a power accumulated by transcending. It’s a force created by our will.]

In contrast, the power of the ancient gods was an immutable force from birth.

Aphrodia waved his hand, extinguishing the divinity.

[That power lies at the boundary.]

“Boundary…?” Minerva asked, confused, but Aphrodia didn’t respond.

[That’s the only way to describe it. You seem to be handling it without being corrupted, so I won’t interfere. Though others may not be so lenient.]

Aphrodia muttered quietly.

[With such power, even the ancient gods might approach differently. It will bring about a long-awaited change.]

By “others,” he likely meant the ancient gods.

[I will observe. I want to see where you end up, what awaits at the end, and how your story concludes.]

Aphrodia chuckled softly.

[But first… you’ve done well.]

The God of Despair declared.

[You have triumphed over the beings that sought to invade your world. Be proud.]

The declaration of victory from a god himself. Power surged from Aphrodia’s entire being.

[Now, I must give you a fitting reward.]

The power spread across the world.

It enveloped the entire land of Korea, and it began to infuse into the people residing there.

[Accept this. Your first reward.]

[The divine authority has been manifested.]

[The domain of the ancient gods that enveloped Earth is partially lifted.]

[With the removal of the domain, restrictions are lifted.]

[You can now acquire skills on Earth.]

[Items obtained from the labyrinth can now be traded. However, equipment cannot be traded, and only consumables can be exchanged.]

Taesan’s eyes widened.

Cheers and voices could be heard even from City Hall. Aphrodia asked.

[Are you satisfied?]

Taesan nodded.

Earth had many restrictions. The most significant ones were the inability to acquire skills and the inability to trade items.

The first of those was the most critical.

No matter how hard one worked to obtain a new skill on Earth, it was all sealed and unusable.

In his previous life, Taesan had tried to teach returning players the minimum skills, but it had been futile due to this very restriction.

Now, that restriction was lifted.

Moreover, consumables could now be traded.

In his previous life, as an Easy Mode player, Taesan had always lacked mana and stamina.

He had anticipated this and filled his inventory with potions when he returned to Earth, but even those had run out after a few years.

That’s why he had struggled with a lack of mana while fighting monsters.

But now, the restriction on consumables had been lifted. Everyone could trade potions and arrows.

Although Taesan currently didn’t feel much shortage of mana, it would be a different story after clearing the labyrinth.

Once returning to the outside world became impossible, managing limited consumables would be critical. In that sense, the ability to trade consumables would directly impact survival.

“This is more than I expected.”

[You already knew. In other worlds, you can obtain skills from the labyrinth, but here, it was blocked. Those vile ones manipulated it. Across the entire world, that might be too much, but now that you’ve won, I can lift the restrictions in this domain.]

“Thank you.”

It was more than he had anticipated. Taesan was genuinely satisfied.

But Aphrodia wasn’t done.

[Now for your second reward.]

His power once again descended upon the people at City Hall.

[The divine authority is manifested.]

[A blessing is bestowed.]

[You have obtained the divine blessing: Willpower Amidst Despair.]

[Check it.]

“Thank you.”

Taesan opened his skill window.

[Divine Blessing: Willpower Amidst Despair]

[It is a grace. When your mind reaches the brink of despair, the blessing will activate. It will awaken your mind, filling you with the willpower to achieve victory.]

A blessing related to mental fortitude. It was a good one.

The labyrinth was a brutal place. Even in Easy Mode, many had fallen into despair, become broken, or died.

This blessing would alleviate mental strain, reducing the number of deaths caused by psychological collapse.

“Thank you for your grace.”

[It is a blessing desired by all mortals. But for you, it holds little value.]

Taesan silently acknowledged it.

By now, he didn’t experience despair. He only moved forward toward strength and victory.

For him, Aphrodia’s grace had no real worth. Aphrodia waved his hand.

[Then, I’ll grant you something else.]

His power began to descend upon Taesan.

[It seems you still haven’t fully utilized the power I granted you.]

The skill Taesan had acquired after clearing Aphrodia’s trial: the Seed of Despair.

Every time Taesan felt his enemies’ despair, the skill would grow.

Having dealt with the Spirit World and the 51st floor, it seemed to have accumulated considerably, but the skill still wasn’t fully utilized.

[It appears you’ve gathered enough, so I’ll help you fill the rest.]

[The conditions for the special skill, Seed of Despair, have been lifted. It has evolved into the special skill, Branch of Despair.]

“Thank you.”

Having the restrictions lifted directly by a god—its value was undoubtedly immense.

With all the rewards seemingly granted, Aphrodia straightened his body.

[Now, let’s wrap things up.]

Wrap up.

Taesan had a good guess as to what that meant.

All the people of Korea had gathered in Seoul and completed the quest.

It was now time to move on.

Aphrodia clenched his fist.

Crack!

The world began to distort. People inside City Hall screamed and collapsed.

Taesan calmly looked beyond his vision.

At the translucent barrier stretched across the edge of the land.

That barrier had prevented movement until the quest was cleared. Because of it, Taesan hadn’t been able to assist other regions during his second return.

Now, that barrier was distorting and breaking.

[Open.]

With the god’s words, the barrier shattered.

The distorted world returned to its original form.

Simultaneously, a system window appeared.

[Congratulations. You have cleared the final quest of this region.]

[The barriers surrounding each nation are being removed. You can now travel to other countries. There are no restrictions on movement, but you may face disadvantages in future quests.]

[For the next return, national-level quests will be implemented. Prepare and brace yourselves.]

[The community has been expanded. You can now communicate with players from other countries, not just those from your own.]

‘Finally.’

The first restriction had been lifted.

Aphrodia’s body began to dissipate. He floated upward into the sky.

[Prove your worth, mortals. And survive.]

His mighty voice echoed across the world. Before completely vanishing, Aphrodia glanced back at Taesan.

[I look forward to next time.]

Taesan nodded.

Aphrodia disappeared completely, and Minerva let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s nerve-wracking to speak directly with a transcendent. How are you so calm, master?”

“I’m used to it.”

Taesan answered as he turned his body.

City Hall was bustling. No doubt they were trying to process the system messages they had just received.

Taesan intended to explain it to them.

He began walking toward City Hall.