Chapter 268: The Spear and Shield of the Spirit King (2)
[Aaargh!]
A tearing scream resounded.
It was the first scream Hasan had let out in hundreds of years. His body flew through the air, crashing into the wall with an explosion.
Rumble…
The sound echoed as though the labyrinth itself were collapsing. Yet, not a scratch appeared on its walls. The labyrinth was so resilient that it would only suffer damage under a blow from Ainshar; Taesan’s power wasn’t yet capable of such a feat.
But the force had been powerful.
It was overwhelming. The ghost let out a faint laugh.
[Forty-five thousand… I’ve never seen that much damage before.]
Taesan’s attack power had reached the level of the deep levels due to his Irach Martial Technique. Coupled with the absurd skill Addition, he achieved damage even beyond what the deep-level ghost could reach.
However, Taesan looked less than satisfied.
“Lower than I expected.”
[Lower? This?]
“It should’ve been close to eighty thousand under normal circumstances.”
The base attack power of Naberius’s Golden Sword was around ten thousand. With Blade of Determination tripling the damage, Addition, and Strong Strike, the damage should have reached over a hundred thousand, considering the extra damage against spirits. Yet, it had stopped at forty-five thousand.
The reason wasn’t hard to guess.
“As I thought, it’s an issue of ranks.”
Absolute Judgment only ignored the opponent’s defense and defensive skills. Penetrating “ranks” would require Essential Strike.
He would need to learn Essential Strike to achieve perfect damage.
Still, it was impressive damage. In purely numerical terms, this strike was strong enough to defeat even Lee Taeyeon.
[Ugh… argh.]
And yet, Hasan staggered and remained alive.
Taesan was surprised.
“He’s not dead?”
Forty-five thousand damage. No player at the beginning of the deep levels should have been able to withstand that. Yet, while clearly gravely injured, Hasan was still alive.
[He’s a spirit, remember. The labyrinth system checks each race’s base health, and spirits have significantly higher health and growth stats than humans. Besides, that guy is a shield.]
A shield meant to protect the king from external threats. His health stat had to be incomparably higher than others’.
[Huff… huff…]
But Hasan was far from fine. He struggled to rise.
Taesan moved swiftly.
Hasan gritted his teeth and raised his weapon.
Hum…
[Hasan has activated Golden Destruction.]
The golden sphere expanded, consuming the space around it.
Taesan clicked his tongue and pulled back.
‘This is troublesome.’
He could handle the shield, but as long as that sword was in play, Hasan wouldn’t go down easily.
[A… ah…]
Hasan barely regained his composure, his body trembling.
He was terrified.
The moment that strike connected, he felt the fear of death. It was the same overwhelming terror he had felt the first time he set foot into the deep levels, now brought forth by this adventurer.
[Aah…]
And that fear confirmed one thing for Hasan.
This human was dangerous.
This man’s sword could reach his king.
[No… I cannot allow this.]
He was the shield protecting his king.
Even if it cost his life, he had to protect the king.
The trembling in his body from fear subsided, replaced by a fierce resolve as he looked at Taesan.
[Hasan has activated Spirit Amplification.]
[Hasan has activated the Twisted Armor of the Dragon.]
Buzz.
A massive power descended upon Hasan’s body.
It was a flame that consumed life itself.
And his armor began to melt. The golden armor seeped into Hasan’s body, becoming a part of him.
Hasan grew twice as large.
And his strength doubled along with him.
Hasan discarded his shield. Taesan clicked his tongue.
He had hoped Hasan would stubbornly cling to his shield out of desperation, but it seemed he wasn’t that foolish.
[Spirit Amplification… They really want to kill you.]
“His armor was from the deep levels too.”
The power of the armor flowed into Hasan as it melted. Realizing that his defense was useless against Taesan, he had absorbed it entirely.
But the increased spirit power and intensity also accelerated the depletion of his energy.
It seemed to be a form of berserk state. The enlarged Hasan began to move.
Rumble!
Just his movement shook the room violently.
Without Absolute Blessing, the shock alone would have consumed one of Taesan’s Absolute Nullifications. Taesan followed his instincts, swinging his sword.
Clang!
Taesan’s body was knocked back.
Hasan moved again, charging at Taesan with speed hard to track with the naked eye. Rather than visually tracking him, Taesan relied on his instincts to counter and defend.
Clang, clang!
[Hasan has activated Golden Destruction.]
The golden sphere moved to engulf Taesan.
Taesan tried to retreat, but he was too late. The sphere swallowed him.
As time rewound, Taesan quickly created distance. Hasan immediately pursued him.
‘He’s faster and stronger than me.’
This was an opponent from the deep levels who had poured his everything into killing Taesan. Even the power from the armor had synchronized, making it difficult for Taesan to keep up.
And the peculiar power of the sword was challenging to counter as well.
Speed.
Strength.
And the sword.
With these three cards, Hasan was trying to kill him.
‘Is that all?’
Taesan laughed.
Lee Taeyeon was faster than Hasan. She was stronger than him, and her equipment surpassed everything Hasan wielded now.
And she was armed with such equipment from head to toe.
Yet Lee Taeyeon hadn’t been able to establish an overwhelming advantage over him, despite his modest Easy Mode stats and equipment.
“In the end, a battle is a matter of cards.”
Who has more cards? And who holds the stronger cards?
Taesan muttered as he parried Hasan’s charging attacks. Though he was constantly pushed back by Hasan’s overwhelming power, not a single attack connected with him.
Boom!
Every time Hasan charged, Taesan’s instincts warned him. Death’s Line activated, sharpening his senses to predict Hasan’s movements.
Clang!
Their swords clashed.
All the enemies Taesan had faced in his past life had been far faster and stronger than he could keep up with. He had defeated each one. Simply being faster couldn’t overpower him.
[You have activated Star Arrow.]
An arrow of light formed and shot forward. Hasan dodged, leaping to the side as Taesan triggered another spell.
[You have activated Magic Explosion.]
The light burst and spread in all directions.
Even Minerva, fighting at a distance, was momentarily affected. She flicked her hand dismissively, scattering the light with an annoyed expression.
[What incredible power.]
[Ugh!]
Hasan’s voice was laced with pain.
No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t avoid Starlight Arrow’s explosion in this confined space.
Enduring the pain, Hasan charged with his sword.
[Hasan has activated Golden Destruction.]
As the golden sphere moved to engulf Taesan once more, he activated a skill.
[You have activated Forced Duel.]
Forced Duel was a skill that designated a single target, making them the sole focus of each other’s attacks, with no interference from others.
Thus, Taesan cast Forced Duel on the king’s spear fighting Minerva.
Although the golden sphere enveloped Taesan, he emerged unscathed. Hasan swung his sword in confusion, but all his attacks bounced off due to Forced Duel’s effect.
When the duration of Forced Duel ended, Taesan slipped under Hasan and placed his hand on him.
[You have activated Branch of Despair.]
[Gaaah!]
A torrent of agonizing emotions surged over Hasan.
Branch of Despair, a skill given to Taesan by the God of Despair, implanted despair in the one it touched.
Though it was his first time using it, the effect was potent. Hasan’s movements noticeably slowed as he writhed in pain.
[You have activated Amon’s Jet-Black Spike.]
A black spike materialized in Taesan’s hand. He swung it, clashing with Hasan’s sword.
Boom!
Hasan’s sword was deflected.
The overwhelming power he wielded faltered, causing Hasan to hesitate. Taesan seized the moment and drove his sword in.
[Aaargh!]
Hasan was going mad.
With every passing moment, Taesan revealed a new skill.
It felt as though he had only five cards while his opponent kept drawing card after card from an endless deck.
This fear of the unknown made Hasan hesitate, causing him to act cautiously. This hesitation gave Taesan the opening he needed.
Noticing that Hasan’s power and intensity had diminished somewhat, Taesan gathered his magi.
[You have activated Marbas’s Pitch-Black Wave.]
A dark wave spread in all directions.
Suffering from the effects of Branch of Despair, Hasan protected himself with Golden Destruction. Meanwhile, Taesan activated Stealth.
Momentarily losing sight of Taesan, Hasan scanned his surroundings in a panic.
But Taesan was already far away.
Above his hand, a black portal materialized.
A pathway leading to a demonic realm. Hasan knew he needed to stop it, but he was too late. His hesitance in tracking Taesan had made him overly cautious.
[You have activated Naberius’s Golden Sword.]
The golden sword that manifested this time radiated a brilliance incomparable to the one Taesan had wielded before.
It shone like the sun, emitting a dazzling golden light.
The power of a demon—a force beyond mortality—emanated from it.
Hasan, who had been ready to retreat, froze in place. He was here under the king’s command. His duty was to kill the enemy before him for his king’s sake.
There was no turning back.
Hasan lifted his sword as Taesan charged.
Hasan placed his faith in the power of the deep levels.
It was a place that instilled fear in him and seemed insurmountable, even to their king.
Surely, a weapon from that realm would be able to kill the enemy before him.
[Hasan has activated Golden Destruction.]
The golden sphere consumed the space around it.
But the instant it clashed with Taesan’s golden sword, it shattered like glass.
The golden line engulfed Hasan.
“It was fairly enjoyable.”
Taesan plunged his sword into Hasan’s chest as he spoke.
Most of his past opponents had been affiliated with the Demons, making this more of a straightforward, methodical battle, a rarity.
[My king, forgive me. I have failed to protect you…]
Hasan spoke sorrowfully before fading away.
The power he possessed flowed into Taesan.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your Craving for Victory has activated.]
[Your Soul Rank Enhancement has activated. Your health has permanently increased by 5,200, strength by 320, agility by 401, and intelligence by 350.]
[Your Soul Rank Enhancement has activated. You have acquired the permanently active skill, Guardian’s Fortitude.]
He had not been an easy opponent.
Without learning Absolute Judgment, it would have taken significantly longer to defeat him.
The Demon had warned Taesan on the 58th floor that a foe awaited him on the 60th. And Taesan had acquired Absolute Judgment only on the 59th floor.
Even the Demon likely hadn’t expected him to gain a skill of this caliber in a single floor.
In any case, he had won. And it wasn’t over yet.
“Need help?”
Taesan approached Minerva, who grinned.
“Appreciate it.”
[Ah… aaaah…]
The king’s spear let out a despairing groan.
Taesan gripped his sword.
Even Minerva had not been able to defeat him alone. With Taesan joining, Quaya was swiftly overpowered.
Though Quaya had deep-level equipment, it posed little issue. With Absolute Judgement, Taesan nullified Quaya’s defenses, slowly wearing him down until he died.
Before long, Taesan achieved another victory.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your Craving for Victory has activated.]
[Your Soul Rank Enhancement has activated. Your health has permanently increased…]
[Your Soul Rank Enhancement has activated. You have acquired the skill Guardian’s Barrier.]
The 60th floor was now completely cleared.