Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 284: 62nd Floor (1)

“…Did you say you found the princess’s soul?”

Beldenkia spoke with a trembling voice. Taesan shook his head.

“I cannot be entirely certain it’s the princess. I entered the domain of the God of Fall, a place where the souls of suffering mortals were gathered.”

Only tormented souls resided there.

Hundreds of souls—all of them likely betrayed by the God of Fall after being filled with hope.

“Most of them seemed to have completely lost their sense of self, as they were entirely consumed by darkness. But one soul remained gray. Despite being eroded by its surroundings, it appeared to retain its sense of self.”

Beldenkia’s eyes widened.

“I cannot confirm if it is the princess you are searching for. However, if the God of Fall has not interfered with mortals since the princess, it is highly likely that this soul is a recently captured princess.”

“Ha… hahaha.”

Beldenkia laughed, his eyes filled with hope and anticipation.

“Yes, that must be it. As far as I know, the God of Fall has not revealed himself since the princess.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“Because ever since I took up residence here, not a single adventurer has been chosen by the God of Fall!”

Beldenkia stood, unable to contain his emotions.

Tears streamed down his face as he wept.

“Oh… Princess. To think that even after being swallowed by a transcendent being, you still have not lost yourself. Please wait just a little longer. I will do whatever it takes to rescue you…”

Taesan waited for Beldenkia to calm down. After thirty minutes, he finally regained his composure, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“Sorry, I got a bit carried away.”

“It’s fine.”

Beldenkia had been stuck in the labyrinth for centuries solely for the sake of rescuing the princess. And even if he continued for hundreds more years, success was uncertain.

Considering his goal of opposing a god, it could take millennia.

And by then, there was a high possibility that the princess would be completely lost.

While Beldenkia longed for the princess’s salvation, he had likely harbored some resignation deep within.

But now, there was hope. He had confirmed that the princess had not yet lost herself.

It was enough reason for joy.

“However, her physical body seems to have already been lost.”

“I figured as much. To a god, a mortal’s body is worthless. They likely extracted only her soul. It’s fine; I’ve made preparations for that.”

Beldenkia smiled faintly.

“Did you try using the music box?”

“No, I didn’t have the time for that in front of the god.”

“Then there was no helping it. Still, you’ve managed to face a god and return unscathed…”

Beldenkia gazed at Taesan with awe before grinning.

“Well, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

—

[You have cleared the 61st floor.]

[You have acquired the Emperor’s Ring.]

[You have acquired the Lazy Mortal’s Staff as a secret room reward.]

[You have acquired ???.]

The secret room rewards seemed to be automatically given upon clearing the 61st floor. Beldenkia stepped aside.

“Take your time and check them.”

“Thank you.”

Taesan sat down and began examining the rewards he had received.

This was the 61st floor, the point where rewards noticeably improved.

—

*[Emperor’s Ring]*
– Health +1000
– Mana +20
– Attack Power +80
– Defense +8
*A ring used by an emperor who ruled over all continents. None could oppose him, and all knelt before him. Until an immortal destroyed the world, the emperor was an absolute existence.*

“Oh.”

Taesan smirked.

This wasn’t a secret or quest reward—just a floor-clear reward—yet it was this powerful. It was a piece of equipment worth anticipating.

—

*[Lazy Mortal’s Staff]*
– Magic +200
– Mana +1200
– Intelligence +500
*A staff belonging to a lazy mortal who, despite possessing talent to become a transcendent, chose to die as a mortal due to their laziness.*

A Magic stat of 200.

A Mana stat increase of 1200. It was an extraordinary staff.

Of course, given Taesan’s combat style, he had little use for a staff. However, it would make an excellent offering to the God of Magic for mid-level magic.

‘If the staff is this powerful…’

He wondered how exceptional the sword would be.

Taesan soon found out.

—

*[??? was used.]*
*[Acquired the Peerless Sword.]*

*[Peerless Sword]*
– Attack Power +250
*The sword of a swordsman unmatched under the heavens. None could surpass it.*

Its effect was simple, and so was its description.

But it was simply a powerful weapon. With an attack power of 250, it was 100 points higher than his current weapon.

“Not bad.”

Taesan swung the sword to get a sense of its balance. After a few swings, he felt he had grasped its weight distribution.

While the 61st-floor rewards ended there, there was more to check.

The rewards from clearing the God of Fall’s trial: points, a piece of equipment, and a skill.

The equipment and skill, prepared by the God of Fall for Amelia, now belonged to Taesan.

—

*[Necklace of Ugly Depravity]*
– Strength +100
– Agility +100
– Intelligence +100
– During combat, gradually decreases all stats of the opponent by a fixed percentage.
*Those at the bottom would rather drag others down than climb up themselves.*

As expected of something tied to the God of Fall, it was quite an unusual piece of equipment. Taesan equipped the necklace and turned to Beldenkia.

“Would you mind sparring with me for a moment?”

“Hmm? I can’t offer you rewards anymore, you know?”

“I understand. I just want to test the effects of some equipment.”

“Well… considering all you’ve done for me, I suppose I can.”

Beldenkia waved his hand, and Taesan kicked off the ground.

Dodging the magic hurled at him, Taesan swung his sword at Beldenkia. Having experienced Taesan’s overwhelming strikes before, Beldenkia chose to evade rather than block.

As the battle continued, a perplexed expression appeared on Beldenkia’s face.

“Huh?”

His movements were slowing down ever so slightly but noticeably. The speed at which he cast spells also decreased, though only to a subtle degree.

“Is it equipment that curses the opponent?”

“It seems so. How much have your stats decreased?”

“Hold on.”

Beldenkia mimicked opening his status window. Staring into the air, he responded, “Roughly 5%.”

“I see.”

Taesan sheathed his sword. If it caused a 5% reduction in stats, it was undeniably useful equipment.

The opponents Taesan would face next were the Guides of Sin, including their upper ranks. As he descended deeper, he would encounter enemies whose stats were comparable to or even greater than his own.

Against such opponents, reducing their stats by 5% would undoubtedly have a significant impact.

—

*[Special Active Skill: Forced Fall]*
– *Mana Cost:* 20
– *Proficiency:* 1%
– Temporarily reduces the opponent’s stats by a fixed percentage.

The explanation was simple and straightforward. Understanding it was just as easy. Taesan asked for Beldenkia’s permission and activated the skill.

—

*[You have activated Forced Fall.]*

“Oh…”

Beldenkia groaned. After swinging his arm experimentally, he commented, “My stats are definitely reduced. This could have a meaningful impact in battle.”

“Good.”

It was a skill that could be activated at the start of a fight. Both the equipment and the skill weren’t focused on making Taesan stronger but on weakening his opponents.

Beldenkia looked slightly uneasy. As someone opposed to the God of Fall, it was natural for him to feel some resistance toward skills granted by that god. However, since this power now belonged to Taesan, he refrained from making any comments.

—

“Now then.”

It was time to use his points.

2,410 points—a fairly substantial amount.

He had already decided on where to use them.

—

*[Special Passive Skill: Double Casting]*
– *Proficiency:* 1%
– Allows the simultaneous use of two skills that consume mana, magi, or other energy. However, the execution speed of these powers is significantly slowed.

Taesan immediately began spending his points. As his proficiency approached 50%, the cost skyrocketed. At that point, Taesan stopped raising the proficiency further.

—

*[Special Passive Skill: Double Casting]*
– *Proficiency:* 49%
– Allows the simultaneous use of two skills that consume mana, magi, or other energy. The execution speed of these powers has significantly increased.

—

*[You have activated Frozen World.]*
*[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]*

Two spells materialized simultaneously. Ice swirled around, and an arrow of light formed in Taesan’s hand.

Beldenkia, observing, exclaimed in surprise, “Simultaneous spellcasting? Could it be Double Casting?”

As a mage who had descended far into the depths, Beldenkia naturally possessed Double Casting himself. This made him all the more astonished.

Double Casting was something even dedicated mages struggled to acquire. Moreover, until its proficiency was raised, it wasn’t particularly effective.

But once it reached a certain level, it became an immensely valuable skill. Being able to cast two or more spells simultaneously was indispensable for adapting to various situations in the labyrinth’s depths.

Now, with his proficiency in Double Casting significantly raised, Taesan’s casting speed had become remarkably quick.

It was practical enough to be used in real combat. Satisfied, Taesan smiled.

Even with two spells cast simultaneously, the speed wasn’t much slower than casting one.

—

Next, Taesan tried using both magi and mana together.

*[You have activated Frozen World.]*
*[You have activated Naberius’s Golden Sword.]*

Frozen World activated, creating a passage through which the golden sword was summoned. He swung the sword, and a golden slash traced a bright diagonal line in the labyrinth.

Proper use of black magic required opening a pathway with magi. Creating such pathways usually took time, leaving openings during which he was vulnerable.

But now, thanks to Double Casting, he could control when those openings occurred, making it easier to utilize black magic effectively.

The result exceeded his expectations. Now, the only question was how to spend the remaining points.

—

There weren’t any obvious skills to prioritize. Most of his important skills were already at a sufficiently high level, and the cost of further improvement had diminished their efficiency.

Taesan decided to spread the remaining points across various miscellaneous skills. As a result, several skills approached the threshold for content changes due to proficiency, and two movement-related skills reached 20% proficiency, resulting in transformations.

—

*[Special Active Skill: Leap]*
– *Mana Cost:* 30
– *Proficiency:* 20%
– Enables exceptionally high jumps and long-distance travel.
– *Condition:* Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword
– A strong upward slash from a lower position against an opponent.

—

*[Special Active Skill: Landing]*
– *Mana Cost:* 20
– *Proficiency:* 20%
– Allows precise landing from midair.
– *Condition:* Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword
– When your sword is above the opponent’s weapon, execute a powerful downward strike.

For Landing, proficiency increases didn’t bring significant changes, but the story was different for Leap. With enough proficiency, Leap could enable jumps that reached the skies.

Landing, thanks to its synergy with the *Ability Sword*, also became more meaningful as its proficiency increased.

—

“Well, then. Farewell. I’ll be waiting for the day we meet again.”

With everything settled, Beldenkia waved goodbye as Taesan descended deeper into the labyrinth.

—

*[62nd Floor Quest Begins.]*
– Conquer the maze of the 62nd floor and defeat its master.
– *Reward:* Athena’s Crimson Bracelet
– *Secret Reward:* ???