Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 286: The Previous Abyss Layer. The Giant King’s Flesh (1)

Kang Taesan frowned.

“Explain in detail.”

Taesan urged the ghost for an answer. If it were an ordinary change, Taesan could discover it on his own, but if the ghost’s words were true, the situation was different.

The Abyss Layer. (T/N: Moving forward, I’m calling it Abyss Layer instead of the Previous Layer)

The so-called deep layer of the labyrinth.

Taesan, who had just entered the 63rd floor, had reached this place. No matter how capable he was, he couldn’t move recklessly without information.

[Hmm… wait a moment.]

The ghost hesitated. After organizing his thoughts, he slowly began to explain.

[If my memory serves me right, the previous 71st floor was the Flesh of Life.]

Two questions arose in Taesan’s mind at the ghost’s words.

“What do you mean by the previous 71st floor?”

[Should I even explain this…?]

The ghost replied uncertainly.

[Unlike the rest of the labyrinth, the Abyss layers’ clear quests change periodically. By periodic, I mean it happens only once every few centuries for a couple of floors, but… in any case, they’re not fixed.]

“Why is that?”

[I don’t know either. If I had to guess, it’s probably because the Abyss layers hold some significance even to the gods. Whenever something is accomplished in one layer, it seems to change.]

“So this isn’t the current Abyss Layer?”

[At least when I cleared the Abyss Layer, this place didn’t exist.]

One question was answered. Taesan asked again.

“The Flesh of Life? Isn’t this still a labyrinth?”

[It is a labyrinth. From the Abyss layer onward, each floor becomes distorted. They are labeled as floors, but internally, they are completely different. Sometimes it’s an entirely different world, and other times it’s a space no larger than a single room. Think of it as a completely different place.]

Taesan recalled Lee Taeyeon’s words.

She had said something similar—that the labyrinth changed from the Abyss layer. That’s when it truly became hell.

“Then whose flesh is it?”

[An ancient king so great he opposed even the gods. It’s the remnants of the Giant King.]

“That’s quite the scale for a labyrinth floor.”

Taesan looked around. All he could see were clumps of red, mucus-like substances.

“So this is a blood vessel?”

[Probably, yes.]

This was Taesan’s first time entering the interior of a living organism.

Taesan stepped onto the pulsating mucus. The ground seemed alive, making walking difficult.

“This is inconvenient.”

It seemed like it would interfere with combat.

Loosening his stance, he moved forward until he encountered a fork in the path.

Taesan glanced at the system window he had been noticing earlier.

[Quest Objective]
[Defeat the centipede infesting the Giant King’s heart’s apex.]

The heart’s apex.

That seemed to be his goal.

The problem was that he didn’t know where he currently was.

[All I know is from information, so I don’t know the specifics. From what I’ve heard…]

Before the ghost could finish speaking, his form started distorting.

Like static on a television screen, the ghost flickered and warped.

“Hey?”

[Uh, um.]

A moment later, the ghost returned to normal and muttered awkwardly.

[…I was told not to speak.]

“By who?”

[The God of Trials.]

Taesan scowled.

[The information can be delivered, but anything directly influencing the clear is forbidden. I won’t be much help.]

“Clicking his tongue,” Taesan began assessing his surroundings. It was expected. From a god’s perspective, they wouldn’t tolerate outsiders meddling in a trial they imposed, consuming interference energy for no reason.

First, Taesan needed to understand where he was.

[You have activated Essence Identification.]
[The corpse of the deceased Giant King.]
[The dwelling of parasitic entities.]

Parasitic entities. It likely referred to the parasites mentioned in the quest condition.

[You have activated Reconnaissance.]
[The Giant King’s blood vessels.]

Taesan tested both directions ahead and behind him. Soon, he could roughly estimate his location.

[Vein leading to the right ventricle.]
[Vein leading to the left atrium.]

This was already the heart.

Considering the size of the blood vessels, it made sense. If the quest involved climbing from the legs, it would take days, possibly longer. It seemed the intention wasn’t to waste that much time.

Taesan proceeded cautiously through the labyrinth.

Even near the heart, it wouldn’t end easily. This was the Abyss layer. If merely advancing were sufficient, it wouldn’t be considered a trial. Something significant was bound to happen, and Taesan’s prediction was correct.

Clatter.

A rough sound echoed. The noise grew closer until it reached Taesan.

“An ant?”

It was a red ant the size of a human. Clicking its massive jaws, it glared at Taesan.

[Worker Ant that Feeds on Entrails has appeared.]

It was the first monster he had encountered in the Abyss layer. Taesan readied his stance as the ant began to move.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It leaped over the mucus, bouncing its body as it charged at Taesan.

Despite the unusual movement, Taesan remained calm. He read its trajectory and swung his sword.

Crunch.

“Screech!”

The ant shrieked, and Taesan frowned.

[You dealt 1,104 damage to the Worker Ant that Feeds on Entrails.]

‘It’s tough.’

Given Taesan’s current attack power, the damage should have exceeded 4,000. Instead, it had dealt less than half of that.

The ant’s body appeared extremely resistant to damage. It felt like slashing at a turtle’s shell with a sword.

“Screech!”

The ant jumped again, snapping its jaws at him.

Crunch.

Taesan blocked the jaws with his sword. The ant clamped down on the blade and pulled.

The ant’s pulling force was quite strong.
If Kang Taesan were a regular adventurer on the 63rd floor, he might have been dragged along.

[You activated Flowing Technique.]

“Screech!”

In an instant, the sword twisted and slipped free from the ant’s jaws.

Taesan swiftly thrust his sword into the ant’s neck.

“Screech! Screech!”

The ant flailed wildly, its legs striking Taesan.

[Your First Attack Nullification has been triggered.]

Taesan drove his sword deeper. This time, he activated Strong Strike, Absolute Judgement, and Addition.

Even then, the ant continued thrashing its legs and clashing its jaws. Taesan had to strike with his sword a few more times.

“Screeee…”

[You have defeated the Worker Ant that Feeds on Entrails.]
[Rewards will be calculated upon trial completion.]

“Their health is nearly 20,000.”

The ghost responded as if it were obvious.

[It’s the Abyss layer. That’s actually quite low. On deeper levels, hundreds of thousands wouldn’t be unusual.]

Before the ghost could finish, the sound of clashing jaws grew louder.

Dozens of red ants appeared all at once.

Clicking his tongue, Taesan stomped his foot.

Dozens of ants charged at him, snapping their jaws and bouncing erratically as they closed the distance.

Given the time it took to deal with a single one, such a number would pose a significant challenge. But for Taesan, it wasn’t a problem.

He had a skill that rendered numbers meaningless.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

He targeted the furthest ant with the skill. The charging ants were suddenly thrown back.

Crunch.

Taesan quickly dashed forward and stabbed his sword into the ant’s chest.

The ant screeched, snapping its jaws. Taesan leaned back to dodge and plunged his sword deeper.

The ant resisted a few more times before dying.

Taesan swiftly targeted another ant with Forced Duel and moved toward it.

The ghost, observing him, muttered:

[Now that I think about it, you have that skill, don’t you? Numbers mean nothing to you.]

Forced Duel—a skill that isolates a target, preventing any interference from others. Negating numerical superiority was a massive advantage in the labyrinth.

Because of this, the ants weren’t a threat.

Taesan’s thoughts turned to other matters.

The ground was covered in mucus, and the mucus was highly elastic. It felt like fighting on a trampoline, making proper combat difficult.

‘But.’

It was manageable.

Even on the Abyss layer, Taesan’s strength—earned through descending the labyrinth—was sufficient.

Thump.

Taesan stomped his foot.

‘Let’s see if this works.’

The ground here was highly unstable. It was akin to trying to maintain balance on a trampoline with even the slightest pressure.

But such conditions could yield a unique skill. Taesan moved his foot while fending off the ant’s attacks.

“Screech!”

Dodging the snapping jaws, he stepped back. As his foot touched the mucus, a powerful rebound force traveled up his leg.

His balance wavered momentarily.

However, Taesan quickly moved his other foot.

Sliding his foot across the ground, he regained his balance.

Taesan tightened his grip on his sword. As force was applied to his arms, his legs adjusted to maintain balance. Simultaneously, the mucus reacted with more recoil, threatening to destabilize him.

Taesan calibrated the force. Balancing the power in his arms and legs, and accounting for the recoil, he adjusted and swung his sword.

Crunch.

“Screech!”

The ant flew backward, while Taesan’s body maintained perfect balance.

Thump.

Taesan stomped his foot again. This time, using the recoil, he dashed toward the ant.

He swung his sword while stabilizing his precarious balance. Handling both tasks simultaneously was challenging—like dancing on a trampoline while pretending it was solid ground.

But for Taesan, it wasn’t difficult.

He had already attempted similar feats thousands, if not tens of thousands, of times. While the specifics differed, the principle was the same.

As the battle progressed, Taesan’s movements became increasingly precise.

By the time he had defeated around ten ants, his actions were as steady as if he were fighting on solid ground.

Crunch.

After slaying another ant, a system window appeared.

[You have maintained perfect balance in a difficult situation and completed the battle. You have acquired the special passive skill [Balancing].]

Thump.

Taesan activated Forced Duel again and leaped forward. This time, the footing felt remarkably stable. The recoil traveled up his legs as before, but the balance adjusted automatically, allowing him to fight without issue.

“Nice.”

Taesan smiled and raised his hand.

[You activated Frozen World.]

Crackle!

An intense frost spread out, freezing the charging ants.

As the ants struggled to resist, Taesan activated Frozen World once more.

Crack.

All the ants froze completely.

It had taken two uses of intermediate magic to fully immobilize dozens of them.

[This is just the beginning. A little further in, and you’ll face hundreds easily.]

“Annoying.”

[What do you expect? These are Abyss monsters. And you finally got Balancing. Took long enough, though the circumstances weren’t right before.]

“Looks like you’ve had it too.”

[Of course. It’s necessary. And as you go through the Abyss, you’re bound to acquire it.]

Skills could only be obtained by meeting specific conditions. Without fulfilling those, acquiring the skill was impossible.

That’s why Taesan hadn’t been able to regain many skills from his previous life, such as Simple Time Stop.

Balancing had been one of those skills.

Now, it was his.