Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 287: The Previous Abyss Layer. The Giant King’s Flesh (2)

[Special Passive Skill: Balancing]
[Mastery: 1%]
[Ensures the body maintains balance in any situation.]

The effect was simple. As the description stated, it prevented the body from losing balance. While it couldn’t override physical laws, it provided stability in any circumstance, ensuring combat performance remained unaffected.

For now, that was the extent of its utility, but as mastery increased, its effects would transcend its current level.

This skill had been instrumental in Taesan’s survival until the very end.

‘Still, Spiritual Rank Enhancement isn’t triggering.’

Although rewards would be calculated after clearing the trial, Spiritual Rank Enhancement was part of Taesan’s own power. It should have activated whenever he defeated an enemy, regardless of the trial.

It wasn’t surprising that it hadn’t. The strength of individual ants wasn’t particularly noteworthy.

As Taesan prepared to move forward, a noise reached him.

The sound grew closer to Taesan.

Clicking his tongue, Taesan saw dozens of ants clashing their jaws as they came into view. They noticed him and began scuttling on their crimson legs, charging toward him.

Initially, Taesan responded with Frozen World. Although intermediate magic consumed a fair amount of mana, his high intelligence and mana pool allowed him to cast it dozens of times without issue, breaking through effortlessly.

Summoning Minerva and Varkaza, Taesan pressed on through the blood vessels.

But as he observed the surging ants, he realized brute force wasn’t a viable solution.

If it were merely hundreds, there would be no problem. But this wasn’t that.

The number was literally uncountable.

It easily exceeded thousands. No matter how many he defeated, more kept appearing endlessly. Attempting to deal with all of them was a waste of time.

Moreover, without Spiritual Rank Enhancement, there was no need to obsess over defeating them.

Choosing to break through, Taesan dismissed Minerva and Varkaza, then began to run.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

He targeted the ant at the forefront with the skill and struck down. The ant crashed to the ground, letting out a shriek.

“Screech!”

It didn’t die, but killing it hadn’t been the goal. Taesan passed by the ants without pause. Despite their aggressive attacks with jaws and legs, all were negated by Forced Duel.

“Screech!”
“Screeeeech!”

The ants screamed as they pursued him.

Their speed was considerable. Despite Taesan running swiftly, their cries didn’t fade easily.

“Screeeee!”

The ants’ cries reverberated through the entire space.

Clicking his tongue, Taesan muttered:

“What now?”

Countless ants scurried along the walls and collided with one another as they rushed toward him.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

Crunch.

Activating the skill, Taesan swiftly crushed the targeted ant and continued running through the wave of ants.

“Screech!”

The effect of Forced Duel pushed the ants away. Without hindrance, Taesan kept running.

Yet the swarm of ants seemed endless.

No matter how far he advanced, his view remained filled with ants.

‘How many are there?’

Several branching paths appeared. Taesan used a skill.

[You activated Reconnaissance.]
[Blood vessel leading to the anterior vena cava.]
[Blood vessel leading to the heart’s apex.]

The destination mentioned in the quest objective was getting closer.

Taesan ran toward the heart’s apex, activating Forced Duel continuously as he advanced. After about ten minutes, he finally saw spaces filled with crimson mucus.

Breaking free from the swarm of ants, Taesan sprinted quickly forward.

The ants screamed as they pursued him.

Muttering in an exasperated tone, Taesan said:

“How are there so many?”

There were easily over a thousand. Perhaps the number had already reached ten thousand. Escaping them was grueling.

Even using Stealth occasionally had no effect. The blood vessels were so packed that physical collisions forced his presence to be revealed.

Taesan pondered. If a typical Abyss adventurer were here, could they possibly traverse this place as he did?

The answer was no.

Without Forced Duel, fighting this many ants was impossible. Even Taesan, far stronger than most Abyss adventurers, found the situation challenging. Ordinary adventurers would have no choice but to flee.

Additionally, they wouldn’t have Reconnaissance. While Taesan could locate the path to the heart’s apex, others would wander aimlessly, lost in this labyrinth-like structure until they collapsed.

Taesan finally understood.

Clearing this place wasn’t about brute-forcing through, as Taesan was doing.

One had to find a way to avoid the ants’ attention—whether by hiding in the stomach, brain, or some other organ—and slowly make their way to the apex to defeat the parasite in the heart’s depths. That was the true strategy for this Abyss layer.

‘So this is what the Abyss is like.’

“Screech!”

The sound of ants echoed again. Hundreds more began charging toward Taesan.

Taesan activated Forced Duel and resumed running. Observing him, the ghost muttered:

[This is such a broken skill.]

It had seemed overpowered before, but seeing it in action on the Abyss layer drove the point home further.

Forced Duel redefined how to approach trials.

On the Abyss layer, there were battles against singular powerful monsters, but there were also encounters against uncountable hordes. Forced Duel trivialized the latter entirely.

Without Forced Duel, even Taesan wouldn’t dream of advancing in this manner.

No, such a trial wouldn’t have been imposed to begin with.

‘Was the condition to fight a horde while isolating one monster?’

The ghost recalled how Taesan had acquired the skill. He had brought paralyzing arrows to incapacitate all but one monster, fulfilling the condition.

‘The acquisition was surprisingly simple for its performance.’

It had essentially been a free skill.

Moreover, the ghost now understood why Taesan had obtained it back then.

‘It’s too difficult to get later.’

After a certain point, most monsters resisted paralyzing arrows. Not to mention, floors with large groups of monsters became rare. Even when they appeared, meeting the conditions for Forced Duel became almost impossible.

The skill had to be obtained early, and Taesan had done just that.

‘I can see why.’

The conditions to acquire the skill were unique.

It required isolating one monster from a group, perfectly negating interference from others, and winning the battle. Most players descending the Abyss wouldn’t attempt such a strategy. Taesan, however, had done so on lower floors and reaped the rewards.

The labyrinth valued not just raw strength but also ingenuity, strategy, and countless other factors. Skills like this were the evidence of that.

“Screech!”

The ants howled. Taesan put more strength into his steps.

From earlier, he had felt an immense force. The closer he ran, the nearer it became.

The corridor widened until it revealed an enormous space.

Taesan let out a scoff at the sight.

“What the hell is this?”

The space was roughly the size of a massive stadium. Everywhere within, ants were crawling.

It wasn’t just hundreds.

The number easily surpassed thousands.

The sheer volume was overwhelming, but the ghost remained calm.

[There’s fewer than I expected. Still in the process of hatching?]

From the ghost’s words, Taesan realized. At the center of the ants was a winged ant.

It was twice the size of the others and pure white. Countless ants rubbed their bodies against the winged one.

[The Queen Ant that Feeds on Entrails has appeared.]

Taesan immediately knew. The target he needed to eliminate was that white queen ant.

As he stared at the queen, the queen also noticed him.

The queen let out a fierce screech.

“Screeeeech!”

The ants went berserk. As if to protect their queen, they charged at Taesan.

Thousands of ants surged forward, resembling a tidal wave.

Taesan calmly raised his sword, pointing it at the queen.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

The charging ants were flung away. Taesan dug his foot into the ground.

[You activated Acceleration.]

At high speed, he dashed toward the queen ant. The queen shrieked and spread its wings.

Taesan’s sword sliced through the space where the queen had just been.

Looking up, Taesan saw the queen ant flapping its wings and ascending.

The stadium-sized space had an incredibly high ceiling. While the queen ant remained visible to Taesan, it would appear like a mere speck to an average person.

The queen ant flew beyond reach.

“Screech!”
“Screeeeech!”

Thousands of ants snapped their jaws, but they couldn’t touch Taesan.

The effect of Forced Duel meant none but the queen could attack him.

Taesan silently gazed up.

“Chitter… Chitter.”

The queen ant let out mocking cries from above, as if ridiculing him for daring to follow.

Taesan strengthened his stance.

[You activated Perfect Fairy Wings.]
[You activated Leap.]

With wings unfurling, his body soared into the sky.

The queen ant, which had looked minuscule moments ago, grew rapidly in size. Startled by Taesan closing the distance to its throat in an instant, the queen ant frantically flapped its wings.

Taesan pursued the queen ant, his fairy wings fluttering, and clenched his fist.

[You activated Mephisto’s Black Lightning.]

A jet-black lightning bolt pierced the queen ant’s body. The queen ant flinched momentarily, and in that instant, Taesan closed the gap between them.

The queen ant barely shook off the stiffness and twisted its body.

Taesan raised his sword.

Crunch.

“Screech!”

One of the queen ant’s legs was severed. The queen screamed as it flew away.

As Taesan prepared to activate Mephisto’s Black Lightning again, the queen ant let out a piercing cry.

“Screeeeeech!”

A powerful will enveloped the space.

Taesan could sense it. The queen ant was calling for something.

The worker ants, which had been scurrying frantically below, suddenly froze.

“Screeeeech!”

The ants began to rise, their cries filling the air.

They climbed along the walls, colliding with one another as they formed towers. Taesan glanced briefly around. Even the worker ants outside were pouring in, rushing toward the inner space.

“Screech!”
“Screeeee!”

The space became completely filled with ants, leaving no gaps.

The queen ant’s figure was no longer visible.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

Taesan targeted a nearby worker ant with the skill, buying himself some time to think.

“Smart.”

The queen ant had realized it was vulnerable to Taesan’s attacks and changed its strategy, flooding the space with worker ants to obstruct him and obscure its position.

It was a simple but effective tactic. Forced Duel required the target to be visible. With the path blocked and the queen hidden, the only option was to search for it piece by piece.

But would that be possible?

Taesan expanded his senses. Worker ants continued to pour in from outside.

Tens of thousands of ants.

Even powerful magic or black magic would have limited effect on such numbers. Eliminating one wave would only see another take its place.

Using Apostle Transformation in addition might work, but it would consume an enormous amount of time. And depleting Apostle Transformation before facing the parasite wasn’t an option.

‘How should I handle this?’

As he considered his options, a memory surfaced.

How did the queen ant control the worker ants?

The answer came immediately: it was through its will, conveyed in its cry. The will embedded in the queen’s earlier scream had been so intense that even Taesan had felt it.

And Taesan possessed a skill capable of reading will.

Worker ants had no will of their own.

They merely followed the queen’s commands.

Among the countless lives present, only the queen ant and Taesan had a will.

Taesan closed his eyes.

Focusing his mind, he expanded his senses.

Amid the countless lives, he searched for the will. Soon, he located the movement of will at the far end of the space.

As Taesan prepared to charge, he hesitated.

‘Will.’

The queen ant controlled the worker ants through its will.

Having observed the manifestation and wavelength of that will, Taesan understood its structure.

And Taesan, too, could wield will, influencing his surroundings.

If so—

“Screech? Screee?”

The worker ants hesitated as they aimed their jaws at Taesan. He focused his mind, imbuing his will with strength and spreading it outward.

“Screeeee!”

The worker ants writhed in agony as the conflicting wills tore through their minds.

The queen ant, previously hiding among the swarm, once again manifested its will to reassert control.

Taesan countered. Matching the manifestation of the queen’s will, he mimicked its structure and projected his own will.

The two wills collided and shattered.

“Screeeeeee!”

The worker ants that had been attacking Taesan fell into chaos, flailing aimlessly.

[You activated Amon’s Jet-Black Spike.]

A black spike materialized in Taesan’s hand.

As Forced Duel’s duration ended, Taesan struck the ant before him with the spike.

Boom!

An explosion erupted. With a deafening roar, the surrounding ants were sent flying.

Ordinarily, worker ants would quickly fill the gaps, but without receiving commands, they hesitated in confusion. Taesan immediately propelled himself forward.

Using his wings, he pursued the source of the will. The queen ant, startled by Taesan’s precise pursuit, scrambled to move through the worker ants, but it was no longer effective.

[You activated Forced Duel.]

He thrust his sword.

“Screeeee!”

The blade pierced the queen ant’s abdomen. As the queen screamed, Taesan mounted its back and muttered:

“Fall.”

[You activated Landing.]

Crushing the queen ant beneath him, Taesan descended. The queen struggled, flapping its wings and flailing its legs, but all resistance was subdued.

“Screeeech!”

Boom!

The queen ant, once soaring in the sky, crashed into the ground.

Taesan drove his sword deeper.

Finally, the worker ants, realizing their queen was dead, became frantic. Deprived of will, they had no one to issue commands and fell into confusion.

[You have defeated the Queen Ant that Feeds on Entrails.]
[Rewards will be calculated upon trial completion.]
[Your Spiritual Rank Enhancement has activated. Your health permanently increased by 1030, strength by 204, and agility by 255.]
[Your Spiritual Rank Enhancement has activated. Mastery of ??? has increased by 1%.]

The gains were modest. Considering the queen’s strength wasn’t particularly impressive, this was expected.

Along with the increase in ??? mastery, something within Taesan’s perception shifted.

Though his physical abilities and aura remained unchanged, he felt capable of more than before.

Taesan pulled his sword from the queen ant.

The worker ants, disoriented by the queen’s death, stumbled in confusion. Without will to guide them, they scattered.

Taesan observed the worker ants briefly before projecting his will.

The worker ants gradually calmed.

“Screee…”

Losing interest in Taesan, they began to disperse.

The ghost, astonished, asked:

[Did you just control them?]

“Not control. I imitated.”

Taesan had remembered how the queen projected its will and mimicked it.

He pressed a hand to his forehead. A sharp pain throbbed in his head.

Enduring the discomfort, Taesan opened his skill window.

[Concept Skill: Will ??? Form]
[Mastery: 60%]
[The power of will ??? descends. Synchronize to perceive and adjust the will of all things. Project your will upon the world. ??? obtained.]

“As I thought.”

The mastery of his concept skill had reached 60%.

Additionally, a new phrase had appeared: Project your will upon the world.

[Huh… So it’s not just about mastering the sword, is it?]

The ghost marveled.

After examining the skill window briefly, Taesan began walking again.

Beyond the vast space lay another narrow corridor.

Taesan passed through it.

At the end of the short corridor, he saw it—the heart.

A small heart, nestled within the giant’s body.

Of course, “small” was relative to the giant. It was still much larger than most buildings. The heart, riddled with gnaw marks and nearly half-devoured, had stopped beating.

Blood vessels trickled between its chambers.

And amidst it all, a writhing creature appeared.

[The Centipede Feeding on the Heart has appeared.]