Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 293: The Iron Wall Protecting the World. Shaman (1)

Clang.

The knight walked forward, holding a greatsword. A chilling bloodlust filled the air.

[Are we fighting right away? How about a little talk first?]

“There’s nothing to discuss with you. Hero.”

His tone was blunt. He outright refused any conversation, but the specter spoke in an amused tone.

[This guy’s pissed, huh?]

At the specter’s words, Shaman flinched.

[I get it. You’re honestly furious, aren’t you? Why should you, of all people, have to climb up here to deal with this guy? Are you really so weak that this ended up being your fight? That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?]

“Shut up.”

Irritation laced Shaman’s voice.

And it made sense when you thought about it. Shaman was an adventurer who had reached the Abyss. He must have been proud of his accomplishments.

Yet here he was, climbing the labyrinth to face a mere adventurer from the 64th floor.

He had been sent, leaving behind others from the upper ranks.

Shaman, who took great pride in his strength, was enraged.

However, standing before Kang Taesan, Shaman’s emotions slowly settled. Pointing his sword at Taesan, he spoke indifferently.

“I’m annoyed… but that’s not what matters.”

To be honest, when the Demon God first sent only him, he was furious.

The opponent was the Demon God. She enjoyed watching battles fought to the death but not one-sided contests where victory was impossible.

This meant Taesan was chosen as someone who could somehow win against him. It also meant the Demon God considered Shaman the weakest among the leadership.

“I am an adventurer who has reached the Abyss.”

Woosh. Power surged.

Countless skill windows appeared and disappeared around Shaman.

With calm eyes, he looked at Taesan.

“I know you defeated both the spear and the shield. But neither of them reached the Abyss with their own power. Here, I’ll show you the strength of the Abyss.”

He intended to kill Taesan and prove his strength once again.

Shaman’s determination spread intensely.

[Your opponent is one you cannot possibly defeat.]

“We’ll see.”

Taesan also responded.

He activated numerous buff skills. Then, pointing his finger at the opponent, he invoked:

[You activated Forced Fall.]

“Ugh.”

Shaman groaned. After a moment of introspection, he steadied himself.

“You have all sorts of skills.”

[You activated Apostle Transformation [Darkness and Chaos].]

[You activated King’s Vessel.]

Taesan’s presence expanded and intensified.

“Come. Face me, enemy of ours.”

Shaman raised his sword.

“Let’s see which one of us is stronger.”

With a composed voice, Taesan kicked off the ground.

As Taesan charged, Shaman swung his wrist.

The greatsword spun.

It was a light attack, just a flick of the wrist, but the power contained in the greatsword was overwhelming. It crashed down on Taesan with devastating force.

Clang!

Swords collided. The immense shock reverberated against the walls.

Feeling the weight pressing down through his sword, Taesan let out a small laugh.

‘He’s strong.’

Currently, Taesan’s stats were nearly on par with Lee Taeyeon’s. It was a testament to the fact that, despite using unorthodox methods, he stood equal to an adventurer who had cleared the labyrinth.

However, Shaman, while slightly overwhelmed by Taesan, didn’t seem to have any trouble holding him off.

It wasn’t just a matter of stats.

It was the Abyss equipment. And the power of supplementary skills that met sword against sword.

Meanwhile, Shaman’s eyes grew cold as he felt Taesan’s strength.

The stat difference between an adventurer who reached the Abyss and one who hadn’t was enormous. Normally, colliding swords would result in the opponent being slammed into the ground, unable to keep up with the speed.

Yet Taesan was overwhelming him in both strength and speed.

He possessed a skill that increased his stats by a fixed percentage whenever the opponent’s stats exceeded his own.

But even with this skill, he was losing to Taesan.

“As expected, I can’t afford to underestimate you.”

With a quiet voice, Shaman flicked his wrist again. The greatsword, like a storm, crushed everything in its path and bore down on Taesan.

Clang! Clash!

Taesan swung his sword fiercely with both hands, parrying, deflecting, and redirecting the attacks.

“You’re a monster.”

[Fighting is always welcome, but this opponent is unexpected.]

Minerva clicked her tongue, while Varkaza muttered complaints as he unleashed his power. With a clap of light and a gesture from Minerva, a storm began to rage.

As Shaman pressed Taesan, he glanced to the side.

“The Spirit King of Wind, is it?”

Minerva was a Spirit King. Even for an adventurer who reached the Abyss, her power wasn’t something to ignore.

Yet Shaman countered effortlessly. A slight adjustment to the trajectory of his sword split the combined forces of Minerva and Varkaza.

“What?”

Minerva’s eyes widened as her power was so easily severed.

Clang! Clang!

Without sparing Minerva a second glance, Shaman continued to pressure Taesan.

“Hah, hahah.”

Minerva’s face contorted in anger at the complete disregard.

“Then let’s see if you can handle this! Varkaza!”

[As the king commands.]

Varkaza, a support-type spirit, clapped his hands. Minerva gathered her strength. Light beams intensified, and winds surged violently, creating a storm that filled the narrow labyrinth and threatened to obliterate the entire forest.

This was a force Shaman couldn’t afford to ignore. He widened the distance, letting the storm crash toward him.

Even Taesan couldn’t underestimate the force. If that power was directed at him, defending against it would prove challenging.

But Shaman raised his sword.

Charging into the raging storm, he struck down with his blade. With a deafening roar, the storm disappeared.

“What?”

“A Spirit King who hasn’t lived long, I see.”

Shaman shook off the impact from his sword and spoke.

“I’ve faced thousands, tens of thousands of Spirit Kings like you.”

The leadership had been stuck in the Abyss. The time they spent there was immeasurable.

They did everything they could to break through the Abyss.

Among those efforts was sparring with each other.

Through countless battles, they analyzed their power and honed their abilities.

Shaman found Minerva’s efforts clumsy. With that level of power manifestation, no matter how strong it was, he could crush it.

Boom!

Shaman stomped his foot.

In an instant, he was in front of Kang Taesan and brought his sword down. Taesan clicked his tongue and countered.

Clang!

Sparks flew. Taesan frowned under the intense pressure.

‘He’s strong.’

Even with superior stats, the battle was evenly matched.

It was purely due to experience—Shaman’s was far greater.

Although Taesan had been through countless battles, Shaman, as he mentioned, had trained with the leaders of the Guides of Sin for an immeasurable amount of time. When it came to experience, Taesan couldn’t compare.

Minerva and Varkaza diligently supported Taesan, but their assistance proved ineffective.

Realizing he wasn’t contributing, Varkaza made a decision.

After all, he was a spirit. He wouldn’t truly die; even if defeated here, he’d merely be unsummoned.

Varkaza charged at Shaman.

Shaman’s face briefly faltered, as if he hadn’t expected the spirit to physically rush at him.

Even though Varkaza was weak compared to him, he was still a top-tier spirit—not someone to be completely ignored.

As Varkaza closed in, he clapped his hands.

Beams of light surged violently.

Everything around them shattered as the beams targeted Shaman.

Shaman, however, responded to every single attack.

He spun his greatsword, blocking the light beams, and pierced through Varkaza’s body.

[Ugh.]

Varkaza endured the shock and unleashed a final burst of light. His form was unsummoned, and for a moment, the world flashed. The overwhelming light forced even Shaman to close his eyes.

It was a very brief but definite opening.

[You activated Acceleration.]

Taesan darted forward. His sword swung toward Shaman’s waist.

Clang!

[Shaman’s Guardian activated.]

[Shaman’s Fortification activated.]

[Shaman’s Immortal Shield activated.]

[Shaman’s Unyielding Iron activated.]

[Shaman took 0 damage.]

Boom!

Shaman struck down with his sword as if he had been waiting.

[You activated Random Blink.]

Taesan’s body shifted backward. Shaman clicked his tongue.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Shaman had deliberately allowed the attack to hit him, planning to exploit the opening when his opponent realized the attack had done no damage.

However, thanks to Varkaza’s sacrifice and Taesan’s swift response, he had achieved nothing but revealing more of his abilities.

Shaman calmly adjusted his stance.

“You use magic as well? I heard you deal in black magic too, but you really have a variety of powers.”

Taesan silently stared at him.

His current attack power was around 4,000. Even without additional boosts or attack-increasing skills, aiming for an opening would have pushed the damage to 5,000 or 6,000.

Yet the damage was zero.

This meant the opponent’s defense was higher than even Lee Taeyeon’s.

The fact that none of Taesan’s attacks penetrated, despite having several defense-piercing skills, indicated that Shaman also possessed skills that reduced damage by absolute values.

“You’re quite the piece of work.”

“I am the Guide of Sin. Among them, the adventurer boasting absolute defense. Die, enemy of ours.”

Boom.

Shaman charged.

This time, unlike before, he abandoned defense entirely. Now that it was clear he wouldn’t take damage, he had no reason to hold back.

Boom!

Taesan focused on defense. Minerva attempted to assist by unleashing a burst of wind, but even that was blocked.

[Shaman’s Spirit Negation activated.]

[Shaman took 0 damage.]

“What the…”

Minerva let out a hollow laugh. None of her attacks landed. As Taesan blocked Shaman’s attacks, he studied him.

Shaman’s eyes were calm.

Despite overwhelmingly dominating Taesan, there was no hint of excitement or arrogance.

‘Is there no other way?’

Taesan made up his mind. He began attacking fiercely.

As Taesan’s tempo abruptly changed, Shaman immediately adapted. At close range, they swung their swords at each other.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Dozens of clashes occurred within a single second. Amidst the intense exchange, Taesan suddenly twisted his body, throwing himself at Shaman’s sword.

[Your First Absolute Attack Nullification activated.]

Shaman’s body momentarily shifted backward.

Taesan stomped the ground. The air exploded as he pulled back his twin swords.

Shaman quickly responded, bringing his sword down to force Taesan back.

[You activated Distortion.]

“Ugh.”

Shaman’s sword trajectory warped.

His stance crumbled.

For the first time, his expression faltered.

Taesan didn’t miss the opening.

[You activated Transformation.]

[You activated Addition.]

[You activated Blade of Determination.]

He poured all his power into a single sword.

Shaman instantly understood. The power imbued in Taesan’s sword could break through his defenses.

Smirking, Shaman activated his skill.

[Shaman activated the Blessed One.]

A golden barrier enveloped Shaman.

An incredibly sturdy, absolute barrier that even those at the pinnacle of mortality would struggle to penetrate.

[Shaman activated Reformation.]

Shaman’s posture shifted.

It was as if time had reversed. His broken stance seamlessly transformed into a perfect counter-ready position.

“Attack nullification. Unique and tricky to handle, but it’s no issue if you know it’s coming.”

Shaman muttered quietly.

Taesan had fought Ambresia before. The existence of the Absolute Attack Nullification had been revealed to them.

An ace card that erased attacks and rewound time. It was obvious Taesan would use it in battle.

Thus, they had prepared to exploit it instead.

After nullifying the attack, they had planned to counter with a killing blow. And that plan worked perfectly. Shaman stepped forward, swinging his sword. The strike was powerful enough to shatter mountains and split the skies as it flew toward Taesan.

[Shaman activated Transformation.]

[Shaman activated Blade of Determination.]

Drip. Skills enhancing his attack power activated.

The sword struck Taesan.

Shaman was confident of his victory.

[Your Second Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]

Shaman’s body reverted to its state before the attack.

He froze in shock as the system message appeared before his eyes.

“Second one?!”

To think Taesan had two skills of that level! Shaman quickly suppressed his alarm as Taesan’s twin swords charged toward him.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

The ‘Blessed One’ skill he had activated was his absolute defense. Not even all the members of the Guides of Sin’s leadership combined could easily breach it. This level of power wouldn’t be enough.

[You activated Absolute Judgement.]

And his faith shattered.

The golden barrier of ‘Blessed One’ broke upon contact with Taesan’s sword. Before Shaman could react, the blade pierced his armor.

“Ugh!”

With a groan of pain, he was flung backward.

Boom!

[Shaman takes 52,154 damage.]

The damage was staggering, but Taesan’s expression didn’t show satisfaction.

‘As expected, he’s tricky.’

Even while in a state where he couldn’t take damage, Shaman hadn’t let his guard down.

The fact that Shaman was chosen as Taesan’s opponent meant the Demon God believed Taesan had at least a small chance of winning. Thus, Shaman never showed any openings.

Absolute Judgement was Taesan’s ace. It had to be used at a moment when the opponent’s health was significantly reduced.

Now that Shaman knew of its existence, he would ensure that no attacks could land on him.

Taesan should have raised his attack power further before using it, but the opponent’s reaction had been too swift.

Moreover, two of his Absolute Attack Nullification skills were already consumed. While this was an advantage, it wasn’t particularly satisfying.

Taesan immediately charged toward the fallen Shaman, but Shaman pulled a gem from his pocket.

Crack!

The gem shattered, and the space around them expanded.

[Shaman activated Amores’ Forced Space Expansion. This item will last for 10 seconds.]

In an instant, the space stretched.

The visible distance appeared unchanged, but no matter how much Taesan moved, he couldn’t get closer to Shaman.

“This is ridiculous.”

Shaman staggered to his feet. Even after suffering over 50,000 damage, he hadn’t fallen.

[Shaman received an attack exceeding his total health. The skill ‘Unyielding Survivor’ has been activated. Shaman survives with 1 HP remaining. This skill has a cooldown of one year.]

He let out a dry laugh.

‘Unyielding Survivor’—a skill that activated only when an attack exceeded his total health. It had never triggered since he obtained it, until now.

“So that’s how it is… Looks like I need to change my approach.”

[Shaman activated One-Time Recovery. His health is restored by 50%.]

Calmly assessing the situation, Shaman raised his sword. His swift recovery from the shock made Taesan click his tongue. He had often gained the upper hand when opponents panicked upon encountering his unique skills, but that wouldn’t work this time.

“So, you’re an adventurer too, I see.”

This opponent was unlike any other Guide he had encountered before.

Someone who never gave up. Someone determined to press forward.

An adventurer who had conquered the depths of the Abyss through sheer skill alone.

He never let his guard down, never succumbed to arrogance. He anticipated and countered everything.

“Let’s see how far we can take this.”

Both had revealed many of their cards.

Now, the real fight began.

Taesan tightened his grip on his sword.