Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 270: 61st Floor, Hall of Trials (1)

As Taesan entered the 61st floor, the shopkeeper greeted him with a wide grin.

“You made it through. Planning to buy something?”

“No.”

Taesan shook his head. The 61st floor marked the start of a new theme, and the shop’s equipment would have also leveled up accordingly.

However, Taesan wasn’t inclined to make any purchases. The deep levels were approaching, and he needed to start saving if he wanted to afford the equipment there.

The shopkeeper nodded as if he’d expected this answer.

“This place is right before the deep levels. It’s unique. From here on, the labyrinth will start to change bit by bit.”

He gestured with his chin.

“You’ll understand once you go. Win and survive. See you in the lower levels.”

Taesan responded with silence as he left the shop.

He moved toward the passage. Just as he was about to open the door before him, a system message appeared, stopping him in his tracks.

*[Special Quest Start]*

*[God’s Trial.]*

*[In one week, all labyrinth adventurers will be transported to the Colosseum.]*

*[There will be as many Colosseums as there are countries, and participants may choose to meet others in the Colosseum of their choice.]*

*[This quest cannot be refused.]*

*[Upon moving to the Colosseum, complete the quest to receive rewards based on performance.]*

“So, it’s beginning,” Taesan muttered as he scanned the quest window.

The Colosseum only meant one thing.

An arena. Battles between players.

Taesan opened the community window. Right then, he received a message invitation from Lee Taeyeon. As he accepted, familiar voices filled his screen with chatter.

*[Geum Jung-geun (Hard): Uh… I don’t understand this. What exactly does this mean?]*

*[Kim Hwiyeon (Hard): Hold on, Jung-geun. I’m getting a headache too. Let’s think this through.]*

People were grumbling and rubbing their temples. There were no players from other countries in the chat, likely because everyone was trying to get a handle on the situation first.

*[Kang Taesan (Solo): What are you all doing?]*

*[Geum Jung-geun (Hard): Oh, hyung.]*

*[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Ah, Taesan, do you know anything about this? A quest just appeared out of nowhere, calling it a ‘God’s Trial.’ It’s too sudden to make sense.]*

They were all paying attention to Taesan’s response. He had previously shown connections with gods directly, so they assumed he might know what was happening.

But Taesan replied with a denial.

*[Kang Taesan (Solo): I don’t know. I know a few gods, but none of them would do something like this without explaining it to me first.]*

*[Kang Jun-hyuk (Solo): Not even you know? Then who could this be?]*

Of course, Taesan actually knew what was going on—how the event would unfold, whom they would meet, and the kind of quests they’d face.

But this knowledge came from having reversed time, and he couldn’t share that fact.

*[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): …Could it be some sort of trial issued by a god over the entire labyrinth?]*

*[Kang Jun-hyuk (Solo): It’s possible. Predicting the actions of gods is as pointless as it gets.]*

Having dealt with gods and survived their trials, both Kang Jun-hyuk and Lee Taeyeon understood one thing: gods placed no value on the weak. They only cared about the ones they favored.

Ultimately, there was no answer to this. In a week, they’d know once the quest began.

For now, it was more practical to focus on what they could actually check.

*[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): What about choosing a Colosseum from other countries?]*

*[Kim Hwiyeon (Hard): Isn’t it literal? Seems like you can meet people from other countries and go through the quest together.]*

*[Geum Jung-geun (Hard): In that case, we should talk it over. It’d be good to meet if we can.]*

The thought of meeting people from other countries brought a bit of excitement to their group. Knowing they weren’t the only survivors was one thing, but actually seeing others would be different.

*[Kim Hwiyeon (Hard): I’ll make contact and find out. We can figure things out after we talk to them.]*

*[Kang Jun-hyuk (Solo): Okay.]*

The conversation gradually wrapped up. Just as Taesan was about to close the community window, Lee Taeyeon called out to him.

*[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Ah, Taesan. No trouble since then?]*

*[Kang Taesan (Solo): In the labyrinth?]*

*[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): No, I mean, with that Amelia woman?]*

*[Kang Taesan (Solo): A lot of messages came in, but I ignored them all.]*

She had sent numerous conversation invites. With the constant notifications, Taesan had turned them off and forgotten about them; now he saw dozens of invites piled up.

*[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): She kept asking about who you were, so I gave her a vague answer. Ever since then, she seems fixated on you…]*

*[Kang Taesan (Solo): We’ll meet soon enough. Just keep descending until then.]*

*[Lee Taeyeon (Solo): Got it.]*

Taesan closed the community window.

From what he remembered, only players from Korea, the United States, France, and Japan would gather in this Colosseum. The other countries either refused to meet or only interacted within their own groups.

“I wonder how this will turn out.”

The outcome would be different from his previous life, and he looked forward to seeing how it unfolded.

Finished with his preparations, Taesan opened the door.

It was spacious.

The room was the size of four stadiums, with stairs leading down on the other side.

This room was the entirety of the 61st floor.

Taesan instinctively understood.

He glanced around. In one corner of the room, a man was sleeping against the wall.

‘Just as I thought.’

Taesan approached the man, who sensed his presence and opened his eyes slightly.

“…A new face.”

The man rose slowly.

Dressed in tattered robes and wearing a pointy hat that a mage might wear, he was about a head shorter than Taesan. His whole frame looked so thin it seemed he might topple with a single push.

“You’re an adventurer?”

Taesan nodded. The man began to speak.

“Nice to meet you. I am an adventurer who once reached the deep levels. I settled here to test other adventurers.”

The man pulled out a staff. It was a dried, shriveled wooden staff.

“I am the mage who failed in his duty, Beldenkia. Nice to meet you.”

*[You have encountered the Mage Who Failed to Save the Princess.]*

The Mage Who Failed to Save the Princess, Beldenkia.

Taesan studied him as Beldenkia glanced over and finally noticed the ghost.

“A hero?”

[It’s been a while, Beldenkia.]

“…So that’s what happened. You struck a deal with a mage after dying due to betrayal? Now you’re bound to this adventurer to seek revenge?”

[No need to go into details. Yeah, I’m tied to the labyrinth to get my revenge on those bastards.]

“What a pity. I thought you could make it to the end of the labyrinth. A clear without any meaning is still a way to regain honor.”

Beldenkia laughed, a hollow and slightly deranged chuckle.

He clapped his hands.

“Well then.”

He looked at Taesan.

“Since you’ve made it here, you must want to move forward, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then, what’s your name?”

“Kang Taesan.”

“Then, Kang Taesan. You read the system message upon entering this place, didn’t you? What did it say?”

“It mentioned that it’s a place guarded by gatekeepers.”

In the labyrinth, the theme changed every 10 floors. The theme from the 61st to the 70th floor was the Gatekeepers.

“Exactly.”

Beldenkia tapped the floor with his staff.

“I am a gatekeeper. My role is to test whether adventurers who reach this point are worthy of moving forward or if they should stay put.”

Beldenkia smiled.

“After all, if they’re only going to sink into despair, it’s better they don’t hold onto any false hopes, wouldn’t you say?”

“So, does that mean I have to fight you?”

Taesan looked at Beldenkia calmly.

“I’d rather not waste my strength.”

“…Oh?”

A glint appeared in Beldenkia’s eye.

“Impressive. Even though I’m restraining my power, you noticed it right away. Even the hero next to you charged in without recognizing me.”

[Shut up.]

The ghost grumbled, and Taesan shook his head.

“Why are you, an adventurer, choosing to act as a gatekeeper here?”

Beldenkia was a monster.

Even while holding back, his power was evident. The mage standing before him was strong. Neither the Lion King nor the Fire Spirit King would pose any threat to this mage. He possessed the power to crush all of them combined.

‘Possibly…’

He might even be on par with Ainshar.

“The reason is simple. I am a mage who failed in his duty and didn’t achieve his desires.”

Beldenkia smiled as he spoke.

“So, I made a pact with the labyrinth’s mage. Think of it as a simple pastime.”

He lifted his staff. His robe billowed around him.

“You don’t need to know more than that, not yet. Anyway, you want to descend, right?”

“Yes.”

Taesan nodded. Beldenkia looked at him for a moment before speaking.

“I won’t stop you. In the end, it’s your choice.”

He tapped the floor lightly with his staff.

“Then let the trial begin.”

*[Sub Quest Start]*

*[61st Floor Gatekeeper. Mage Beldenkia tests those who reach this place. You can earn rewards by challenging and passing his trial.]*

“I’ll explain the trial now.”

Taesan waited silently for the explanation. He had heard some details from Lee Taeyeon, but she hadn’t told him everything.

“Those who are weak have no reason to go lower. Down there, it’s even more brutal and terrifying. Stopping here to settle down is a valid choice. I am the one who tests for that.”

Beldenkia pointed his staff at Taesan.

“So, I will test you. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. You just need to pass my trial once.”

“What does the trial involve?”

“You’ve gained a lot as you’ve descended through the labyrinth.”

Beldenkia began to speak.

“It could be swordsmanship, or maybe skills. My trial will test the various powers you’ve accumulated.”

Beldenkia continued.

“I will test how perfectly you can wield that power. How far you’ve come. And if you pass, that’s it. You can go past me and descend.”

*[Beldenkia’s Trial]*

*[You may choose one power.]*

*[All powers except that power and your stats will be sealed.]*

*[You must pass Beldenkia’s trial in that state. The trial has multiple stages.]*

*[Clearing the trial will reward you accordingly.]*

*[You may challenge the trial as many times as you wish.]*

*[You can select a different power to continue attempting the trial, and the rewards will increase with each success.]*

*[The trial can only be attempted once per day.]*