Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 290: Projection of Will (1)

Haphran murmured in disbelief.

“That’s not the kind of power a mortal can possess…”

“I obtained it in your world,” Taesan replied.

“So, I’d like to go back and investigate it further.”

“Hmm…”

Haphran stroked his chin, his smooth, beardless skin glinting as he contemplated.

“The next time I intended to send you to my world was after you’d entered the Abyss. Without that level of strength, you’d surely meet your death there.”

The star itself would perceive Taesan as a threat and attack him with absolute hostility.

Without the strength to reach the Abyss, survival in that world would be impossible.

“With that power, it might be possible…”

After a brief deliberation, Haphran spoke again.

“But it’s dangerous. You may be able to manipulate will, but you haven’t fully mastered it yet. You could die.”

“That’s always been the case.”

Throughout his descent in the labyrinth, Taesan rarely had moments of safety. The strength he possessed now was the result of battles fought with his life on the line.

This time would be no different.

Haphran chuckled at Taesan’s response.

“Fair enough. Then, as a resident of this place, I’ll fulfill my duty to assist an adventurer.”

—

[Sub-Quest Initiated]
“Deep in my world lies a cave housing the Spring of Purity. Go there and bring back its water.”

[Quest Details]
– Haphran requests the pure water from the Spring of Purity in his ruined world.
– Objective: Retrieve the water from the Spring of Purity located in the deepest cave.
– Reward: Equipment crafted from the pure water.

—

Taesan nodded. The quest was accepted.

“If you bring it back properly, I’ll use it along with the Giant King materials you’ve brought to craft equipment for you.”

With Haphran’s final words, Taesan’s body began to shift.

He arrived in Haphran’s ruined world.

—

As he set foot on the vast expanse, the world began to tremble.

Rumble!

The sky howled, and the ground groaned beneath him. A palpable hostility directed itself toward Taesan.

He braced his stance.

At the same moment, the earth rose as though to swallow him whole.

The massive wave of earth surged toward him. Taesan struck with his fist, shattering the advancing ground into countless fragments.

Boom!

The sky bore down on him.

A massive pressure enveloped his entire body.

The air condensed into dozens of storms that hurtled toward him.

This was the perfect opportunity to test his new power—whether his will could affect even the will of the stars themselves.

Taesan focused his mind.

His solidified will projected into reality. He concentrated on breaking apart one of the storms.

Snap.

With a sharp headache, one of the storms distorted.

The storm wavered, destabilized. Taesan infused his will further and commanded:

“Shatter.”

At his word, the storm dispersed.

It was confirmed—he could interfere with the will of the world itself.

However, the efficiency was abysmal. Dispersing a single storm among dozens left him with a splitting headache.

For now, it wasn’t practical. Perhaps once his mastery improved or he ascended to greater heights, it would become viable.

Dodging through the gaps in the storms, Taesan sprinted forward.

‘In the end, it’s about power.’

He realized he couldn’t rely on will alone; he had to escape using physical strength.

Trying to endure or fight was pointless. He would only meet his end.

Avoiding confrontation entirely was the most logical solution. Running non-stop to the quest’s destination was the optimal approach. While the star sought to kill him, his current strength far surpassed his previous self. Surviving until he reached his goal seemed plausible.

But Taesan was considering a different method.

[You activated Essence Identification.]

[Will of the Star: Seeks to kill all living things.]

Essence Identification revealed not only the nature of his opponent but also its weaknesses.

[The star targets beings with will other than its own.]

The star wasn’t chasing Taesan with its eyes—it was tracking him by sensing his will.

It targeted those imbued with will.

And Taesan could project his will onto the world.

‘Could this work?’

He dispersed his will.

Maintaining his sense of self while suppressing his will’s influence on the world was paradoxical. To uphold one’s identity while discarding the will to act was something no ordinary being could achieve.

But Taesan could.

He spoke softly.

“Dissipate.”

With his words, his will gradually concealed itself.

A change occurred.

Rumble!

The storms still raged, the sky still bore down, and the earth still rose like a tidal wave.

But the forces no longer targeted Taesan.

The wave of earth passed mere inches from his side. The storms tore through a distant area.

It was as if the star could no longer pinpoint his exact location.

“Interesting.”

Taesan’s eyes gleamed. The star could no longer accurately track him.

To confirm, Taesan sprinted across the terrain at high speed.

Boom!

The world still sought to kill him, with explosions rocking the ground and air alike.

But none of the attacks landed precisely.

Taesan realized the star was estimating his location but failing to determine his exact position.

‘So that’s how it works.’

Taesan smirked.

Dispersing his will didn’t directly affect the world, which likely explained the reduced headache. It was manageable.

Moreover, he was starting to understand how to utilize his concept skill effectively.

‘Declarations imbued with will.’

Simply gathering and focusing his will wasn’t enough; it required a decisive declaration to guide it.

Thinking back, the gods always declared their intentions when performing significant acts. When the Demon God destroyed Vekeseta, or when a god attempted to kill him, they had spoken first.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, but it seemed to be an integral part of the process.

With his will concealed, the star’s attention wavered. It could no longer track him effectively.

Taesan made his decision and stomped forward.

His destination wasn’t the deepest part of the world.

Instead, he headed toward the distant forest where he had previously retrieved the Root of Madness during his first visit to Haphran’s world.

As he approached the forest, the star’s hostility continued to fail in accurately targeting him.

Taesan entered the forest with a smirk.

—

[Splintered Wooden Shards]
– *Remnants of a ruined world. They serve no purpose alone, but when planted in soil, they grow into distorted trees.*

[Desiccated Soil of Decay]
– *Soil from a ruined world. It serves no purpose alone, but anything planted in it will grow into a twisted, unrecognizable form.*

—

Taesan gleefully gathered the materials.

Though he didn’t know how to use them, Haphran certainly would. With these materials, Haphran could forge excellent equipment for him.

“Not bad.”

Rumble!

The star’s power intensified as Taesan collected the wood and soil, but he evaded the raging forces while securing the materials.

Satisfied with his haul, Taesan moved on.

This time, he didn’t head for the deepest part of the world either. Instead, he made for the ruins of the Dead King, which he had visited during his second visit.

At the time, his focus had been solely on the Crimson Orb, but upon reflection, there had been other items that seemed valuable. Now, he planned to gather them all.

—

As Taesan sprinted, the star unleashed its power once more.

Rumble…

The ground split apart entirely. The sky pressed closer to the earth, and the winds swirled with increasing ferocity.

The star clearly recognized Taesan and sought to kill him, but it still couldn’t pinpoint his exact location.

“Do you know why this is happening?” Taesan asked aloud.

There was no immediate response.

“Hey?”

[…Oh?]

The ghost finally replied.

[Were you talking to me?]

“Who else would I be talking to?”

The elemental spirit had been unsummoned, as its presence could have exposed their location. Only Taesan and the ghost remained.

The ghost seemed distracted, its mind elsewhere.

“Ever since meeting Arrogance, you’ve been unusually quiet. Something on your mind?”

Taesan could guess the reason.

Arrogance had told the ghost about the three choices it would soon face, and the time for those choices was approaching.

[Yes, I’m a dead being. My time is over,] the ghost quietly admitted.

[I’m bound to the labyrinth through a contract with a magician. Once my wish is fulfilled, I’ll depart this existence. That’s all I am. But for someone like me to have three choices… what does that mean?]

The ghost’s voice was tinged with complex emotions.

[And it’s clear what those choices would be.]

The ghost’s wish was simple: revenge against the one who had killed him.

For the ghost to make a choice, it meant something more important than revenge might come into play.

There was only one possibility significant enough for that.

Resurrection.

Escaping death and returning to the labyrinth.

If that was the case, it was something the ghost had never dared hope for. To be resurrected and descend the labyrinth again. Depending on how it unfolded, the ghost might even be able to complete its original goal: to conquer the labyrinth and save its ruined world.

[But there’s no reason for the gods to allow such a thing.]

Resurrecting the dead was something even the gods rarely did.

Even if Taesan died, the gods would likely vie for control over his soul rather than revive him.

Whoever wanted to resurrect the ghost must stand to gain significant benefits.

And so, the ghost wondered what those benefits might be. This question plagued its mind.

Taesan spoke firmly.

“That’s a problem for later. Thinking about it now is pointless. Just ignore it for now and make your decision when the time comes.”

[…You’re right. I should.]

The ghost sighed deeply. It had always known this but hadn’t been able to reach that conclusion on its own.

The ghost’s voice brightened slightly.

[But seriously, your ability is insane. You’ve managed to make the star unable to properly perceive you.]

“Though it still seems to have a rough idea of my location.”

Rumble!

The ground continued to quake around Taesan. While the star couldn’t pinpoint him precisely, it could roughly estimate his position.

[To put it simply, you’ve hidden yourself in a way that’s akin to blinding a person. It’s like trying to swat a fly while blindfolded—you can hear it buzzing nearby, but hitting it accurately is almost impossible. At least, for an ordinary person.]

“That makes sense.”

[At least for now, the star hasn’t gone into a full rage. That could change if things escalate, though.]

For now, there was no problem. Taesan arrived at the ruins of the Dead King.

—

Upon entering, he noticed things he hadn’t seen before.

[Paranoa’s Mask]
– *A relic of a ruined world. The legendary dancer who wore this mask was never seen without it, not even by royalty. With the world’s destruction, her face remains a mystery forever.*

—

Taesan collected every valuable material he could find.

While these weren’t items Haphran had specifically requested, their inherent value made them worth gathering, especially since they were effectively free.

[This definitely isn’t how this quest was intended to play out…]

The ghost chuckled dryly.

The quest in Haphran’s ruined world was designed to be accessible only to someone with strength exceeding entire floors.

Its rewards were equipment crafted from materials unique to Haphran’s world. Each piece was a rare treasure, difficult to obtain even within the labyrinth. The deeper one ventured into Haphran’s world, the more materials could be gathered to craft powerful equipment.

But the further one delved, the stronger the star’s hostility became. Without the strength to overcome it, one could only snatch a few materials and retreat.

The materials from this planetary-scale world required strength beyond the Abyss to claim in full.

Yet Taesan was bypassing these restrictions entirely, exploiting the power of his skills to gather them.