Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 259: Those Who Believe in the Ancient Demon God (4)

“Minerva, how much strength do you have left?”

“I can still fight, but not against all of them.”

“Then take the others and get out of here for a while.”

With a nod, Minerva grabbed Annetsha and Quanid and leaped away.

Before leaving, Annetsha shouted urgently, “Lord Taesan! Be careful!”

Taesan nodded as he raised his sword.

Dozens of twisted beings charged toward him, and Taesan launched himself forward.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

*Boom!*

His body exploded into motion. The demon in front of him didn’t even know what hit him as he was sliced cleanly in half.

“Capture him!”

“Grant me your blessing, O God!”

The horde lunged at Taesan, shouting as they swarmed him from all directions.

Taesan moved both hands fluidly.

[You have activated Continuous Strike.]

His swordsmanship had reached 40% mastery, unlocking new abilities. One of these was **Continuous Strike**, which allowed him to combine physical attacks with phantom strikes, striking simultaneously from multiple angles.

Illusory blades swirled around him like a storm.

Taesan struck downward, and the phantom blades slashed in eight different directions.

“Aaagh!”
“Kahak!”

Even though these demons were as strong as mid-20th-floor entities—some even comparable to the 30th-floor level—they were slaughtered by a single skill. The energy released from their fallen bodies flowed toward Taesan.

[You have activated Strong Strike.]

Taesan slammed his sword into the ground, shattering the earth and sending shockwaves outward, sweeping away the remaining demons.

“Chase him!”

The surviving demons stumbled to their feet, shouting desperately.

“Catch him! Offer him to our god!”

Taesan scowled as they rushed toward him, utterly indifferent to their own deaths.

He turned to the front, where more demons were charging toward him in waves.

‘This is endless.’

[You have activated Star Arrow.]

A glowing arrow materialized in Taesan’s hand.

He shot the arrow toward the oncoming horde. Some demons tried to block it, but it was futile.

*Boom!*

The arrow detonated in a brilliant flash of light, erasing everything in its path. When the light subsided, no one remained.

“That’s one wave dealt with.”

He could sense more enemies approaching from afar, but they still had some distance to cover.

“Master, you’re too fast. It’s hard to keep up,” Minerva remarked, landing beside him, slightly out of breath.

“Are you okay, Lord Taesan?” Annetsha asked.

“I’m fine.”

Although he had used some of his energy, he knew he could recover everything within an hour.

“This is going to be annoying.”

While he had cleared the immediate threat, if a divine oracle had indeed been issued, more enemies would continue to appear. And they would keep trying to capture him.

“This isn’t something I can waste time on.”

Eliminating every single one of them was impossible—he needed to find the source.

However, even Taesan didn’t know where that source was.

“Let’s keep moving.”

He sprinted across the abandoned land, scanning the area in search of a concentration of power.

But nothing turned up. The land was so vast that even Annetsha hadn’t been able to detect everything. Searching could take months.

“This is getting difficult.”

Just as Taesan thought this, he sensed something approaching.

It was moving quickly, and it was strong. Taesan stopped in his tracks.

“Haha! Found you!”

A demon, grinning madly, swung his sword at Taesan.

*Clang!*

Their blades collided.

The demon grinned, refusing to back down, and continued his relentless assault, flashing his teeth.

“How fortunate! I found you so close by! Truly, the great god has been watching over me!”

He laughed with excitement.

“I am the tenth finger of the great god! You cannot defeat me!”

“Finger?”

“It’s the title given to the strongest demons here.”

This meant that the demon before him was the tenth most powerful in this land.

The demon looked at Taesan with joy. The oracle had reached him as well, and he was thrilled at the opportunity to be chosen by the ancient god. To be the closest to capturing Taesan filled him with ecstasy.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to earn the ancient god’s favor.

“Surrender quietly, human!”

The demon charged with bared teeth. Taesan raised his sword.

[You have activated Deflection.]

As their swords collided, the trajectory of the demon’s blade suddenly twisted off course.

The demon’s force was redirected, leaving a gaping opening in his defense. Before he could recover, Taesan exploited the opportunity.

[You have activated Strong Strike.]

*Bang!*

The force of Taesan’s strike sent the demon’s sword flying.

The demon tried to retreat, but it was too late—Taesan surged forward.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

Taesan’s body blurred, and in an instant, his sword pierced through the demon’s chest.

“Urgh!”

“You’re strong.”

The demon was no weakling. He could probably reach the 50th floor of the labyrinth if given the chance.

But that was all.

“H-How…”

“Just to be sure—can you tell me where the thorn and the saint are?”

“Curse you, unbeliever! Silence!”

The demon, even in death, shouted defiantly.

“The god has marked you! Everyone here is after you! You will wither and die slowly!”

The demon’s crazed eyes glinted—reason had long left him. Even if Taesan used his emotional interference skills, it would have no effect on him.

“Then die.”

Taesan plunged his sword into the demon, ending his life.

He kept moving.

“Haha! Found you!”

Another demon appeared, panting heavily. His legs trembled, but his face was filled with excitement as he rushed toward Taesan.

Taesan sighed, annoyed, and flicked his fingers.

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

*Thunk.*

The demon’s head was pierced instantly, and silence returned to the land.

“This is tiresome.”

Taesan clicked his tongue in frustration.

Because the land was so vast, it took time for the twisted demons to reach him after each skirmish. Yet they kept coming, one after another, in an endless stream.

While he had no trouble dealing with them, there was no chance to rest.

Taesan resumed moving.

[You have activated Leap.]
[You have activated Reconnaissance.]

He surveyed his surroundings. The only things in sight were more demons rushing toward him—there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

‘Finding it this way will take too long.’

He needed information.

However, the demons here were too consumed by madness to provide useful answers.

He had to find a way to snap them out of their insanity.

For now, Taesan continued his search for the thorn.

As he moved through the land, more demons crossed his path, and he cut them down one by one.

“There! I’ve found him!”

A demon shouted gleefully upon spotting Taesan. The demon rushed toward him, sword raised, but just as Taesan prepared to strike, his senses screamed a warning.

*Clang!*

A powerful force sent Taesan sliding backward. From within the ranks of the demons, a voice filled with admiration echoed.

“You blocked that? Even I wouldn’t have been able to do it again.”

“I told you to leave it to me. Why did you interfere?”

“If it had been you, your head would be rolling on the ground by now.”

Laughter echoed among the demons.

Taesan turned his gaze toward the new arrivals.

Four demons were approaching him.

“Phew. You’re fast, I’ll give you that. No wonder the saint gave the oracle himself.”

“If you hadn’t come this way, tracking you would’ve taken much longer.”

“Ah… ahh…”

One of the demons who had narrowly escaped death stumbled back, retreating in fear.

Even beings consumed by madness were distancing themselves from these new arrivals—a testament to the authority these figures carried.

“The Fifth, the Third, the First, and the Sixth Finger…”

The demons around them showed awe and fear. It was clear these newcomers held significant positions of power in this land.

Taesan asked, “Are you all ‘fingers’ too?”

“Yes. Among the top ten strongest in the demon realm, aside from the saint. The lower the number, the stronger the finger,” said a muscular man, who seemed to treat his fists as his weapon, with a smug grin.

Taesan stared at him calmly.
“So, you’re the First Finger.”

He was strong.

With strength like his, he could easily reach the 60th floor of the labyrinth.

‘So if one invests enough time, they can grow this powerful even out here…’

The man bared his teeth.
“You have a keen eye. Impressive.”

“There are ten fingers in total, right? Where are the others?”

“They refused to cooperate. Each is waiting for their own opportunity.”
He sneered. “Idiots, clinging to their pride even after receiving the great god’s command.”

“Is that so? Good for me, then.”

The man’s face twisted at Taesan’s casual response.

“…Do you think you can defeat the four of us? How arrogant.”

Taesan nodded, stepping forward.

[You have activated Apostle Transformation: Blended Spiritual Force.]
[You have activated King’s Vessel.]

*Thunk!*

A massive burden settled on Taesan, but he swiftly transferred the pressure to the ring, consolidating his power.

His presence filled the space like a storm, crackling with force.

The First Finger’s expression hardened.
“You…?”

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

In an instant, Taesan vanished from their sight.

By the time he reappeared, his sword was already descending upon the Sixth Finger.

“Huh?!”

The Sixth Finger frantically raised his shield.

The moment the sword touched the shield, it was crushed, the remnants driven into the ground.

As Taesan moved to deliver the finishing blow, the other Fingers regained their composure and launched their attacks.

Taesan’s hands moved fluidly, intercepting their strikes.

His blade slashed in arcs, twisting the trajectory of their attacks and shattering their defenses.

He stomped down, crushing the shield beneath his feet and leaving a crater in the earth. The Sixth Finger coughed up blood.

“D-Damn…!”

[You have activated Mephisto’s Black Lightning.]

*Rumble!*

Lightning shot forth, piercing through the remaining three simultaneously. They faltered, stunned by the sudden assault.

Taesan thrust his sword into the cracked shield, shattering it completely.

“This… can’t be…”

Those were the Sixth Finger’s final words before he crumbled.

“Bastard!”

As the other Fingers recovered from their paralysis, they charged at Taesan.

[You have activated Marbas’ False Flame.]

Flames engulfed Taesan, obscuring him from view.

The First Finger scoffed, throwing a powerful punch.
“You think you can fool me with that trick?”

*Boom!*

His fist shattered the false flames, but it was exactly as Taesan had planned—the flames were never meant to deceive but to block their vision.

[You have activated Stealth.]

“Wha—?!”

With **Stealth**, Taesan’s presence vanished for one second, slipping past all detection.

[You have activated Shoes of the World’s End. You move a short distance instantly.]

In a blink, Taesan reappeared directly in front of the Fifth Finger.

The demon, stunned by the sudden appearance, raised his sword to block.

[You have activated Strong Strike.]
[You have activated Blade of Resolve.]

*Crack!*

The sword shattered, and the Fifth Finger’s body was cleaved in two.

“You…!”

Within moments, two of the four were dead.

Only the First and Third Fingers remained. The First Finger gritted his teeth.
“Fall back! Support me from behind!”

The Third Finger specialized in wielding the ancient god’s power spread throughout the land, a rare and formidable ability. With his support, the First Finger could fight with enhanced strength.

Taesan, however, pointed at the Third Finger.

[You have activated Forced Duel.]

*Clang!*

The First Finger’s punch rebounded the moment it touched Taesan.

The Third Finger, trying to summon his power, was far too slow to react. Taesan closed the distance in a flash, cutting him down.

“Y-You…!”

[There’s no way numbers will matter against this guy.]

With **Forced Duel** in play, no matter how many enemies there were, each battle became one-on-one.

[Why didn’t you use Forced Duel from the beginning?]

“Just trying to get a feel for the new skills. No point in having them if I don’t practice.”

Skills weren’t just about acquiring them—they needed to be used to truly master them.

Satisfied with the outcome, Taesan turned toward the last remaining Finger.

The First Finger stared blankly at the fallen bodies of his comrades.

He had fought alongside them for countless years, and now they were dead—just like that.

“…You bastard!”

Taesan calmly raised his sword.

“Urgh!”

The First Finger was powerful—on par with a being from the 60th floor of the labyrinth. Even the Demon King would struggle against him.

But Taesan now wielded strength that could reach even the deepest levels. With **Soul Rank Enhancement** and **King’s Vessel** activated, the First Finger stood no chance.

“H-Hah… hah… How… could this happen?”

He had trained for countless years, suffering unimaginable pain to grow stronger, battling endlessly with the strongest opponents.

Even in a place where death did not exist, pain was ever-present, and he had lived with it as his constant companion.

He had become the strongest in this land, convinced that no one outside the saint could match him.

And yet, he now faced death at the hands of an outsider. It was a reality he could not accept.

“This makes no sense… I… I…”

Taesan’s sword pierced the First Finger’s throat, silencing him. The light faded from his eyes.

“Hm.”

Taesan opened and closed his fist repeatedly. He had turned off the system notifications earlier, so he couldn’t check right away, but he felt something shift as he fought the Fingers.

**Soul Rank Enhancement** had activated—something had changed.

He wanted to confirm it, but first, there was something more pressing.

Taesan surveyed his surroundings.

The twisted demons who had been watching the fight no longer showed signs of madness.

“What…?”

These beings had believed the Fingers to be overwhelmingly powerful—yet they had fallen without achieving anything.

The sheer shock of witnessing their defeat caused the faith that had consumed the demons’ minds to waver.

Now was the perfect moment.

With madness fading, rationality began to return. And along with it, fear.

[You have activated Raum’s Emotional Disturbance.]
[You have activated Emotional Interference.]

“Hrk!”

A wave of unsettling energy spread outward. Taesan sensed the fear spreading across the demons’ faces.

“S-Spare me!”

It was no longer the cry of mad zealots, but the desperate plea of beings terrified for their lives.

Taesan smiled faintly and grabbed one of them by the throat.

“I’ll let you live—if you answer one question.”