Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 296: The Green Witch (1)

“He’s dead.”

A cold voice echoed, though it carried an undeniable hint of agitation.

“He’s dead.”

The Archmage frowned as he looked at the extinguished jewel.

“The Shaman is dead.”

“…Really?”

“The jewel doesn’t lie. You know this. The Shaman no longer exists in the Abyss.”

Groans erupted from all around. Ambresia scratched his head with a perplexed expression.

“Should we hold a funeral or something?”

“We are adventurers who risk our lives descending into the Abyss. We’ve already abandoned our lives. Didn’t we agree not to indulge in moments of silence for each other’s deaths?”

“That’s true, but… that only applies when someone dies during the descent into the Abyss. But this is…”

Ambresia trailed off, unable to continue. The King of Fire Spirits closed his eyes. The Lion King furrowed his brows.

“…I can’t understand it. How?”

His voice carried clear confusion.

“Fine, let’s say the Shaman was defeated. But he descended less than a day ago. Are you telling me someone pierced his defenses in just one day? Is that even possible?”

The Lion King looked around at them.

“Is there anyone among us who could break through the Shaman’s defenses in a single day?”

None of them could readily raise their hands at that question. Sociét was the first to speak.

“I might have a chance.”

A cold yet elegant voice rang out.

“And you too, Lion King. There’s a possibility for you. Both of us are focused on offensive power. The Archmage could also break through if he was fully prepared. The Spirit King, perhaps?”

“I can’t. The Shaman’s defenses are specialized against spirits as well,” the Spirit King replied quietly. The Shaman had acquired numerous defensive skills against spirits from sparring with her. Even she could not breach his defenses.

“And while there’s a possibility for you all, in reality, it’s unlikely.”

Sociét nodded quietly.

If the Shaman did nothing in response and simply endured their attacks, it might have been possible. However, the moment he responded earnestly, he could hold out for days.

The Guide of Sin.

The one who prided himself on his impenetrable defense.

The weight of that title was far from light.

Yet now, Taesan had defeated the Shaman in less than a day.

“This is troubling.”

A voice filled with a sigh resonated.

“Very troubling…”

None of them had thought the Shaman would lose. He was different from the other Guides they had encountered so far.

The Shaman had been their comrade, someone who had sparred with them thousands upon thousands of times and advanced with them into the depths.

Having seen the Shaman’s strength up close for so long, it was hard for them to believe he could lose to an adventurer who had barely set foot into the depths.

Ambresia scratched his head.

“Well… let’s calm down first. It’s already happened, hasn’t it?”

“…Yes, we must.”

Their expressions quickly regained composure.

In the Abyss, anything beyond imagination could occur. For those who had reached the depths, the ability to recover quickly from unexpected situations was an essential quality.

“Let us pay our respects to the Shaman. If anyone wishes to mourn him privately, I won’t stop you. Especially you, King of Fire Spirits—you were fairly close to him, weren’t you?”

The King of Fire Spirits nodded. Her gaze was somber.

They had spent immeasurable time together in this place. While they weren’t close enough to lay down their lives for each other, those with similar dispositions had formed some degree of camaraderie.

“Then, let’s begin our investigation.”

They still lacked information about Taesan. The Demon King had blocked the acquisition of mutual information to ensure fair combat between the parties.

However, they now had a clue.

The Shaman, of all people, had been defeated. That fact alone was information.

“Among us, there were those who could not defeat the Shaman. Yet the Shaman was chosen.”

The Demon King didn’t arrange hopeless battles. She desired intense duels between roughly equal opponents.

In other words, the Shaman alone had been deemed an opponent Taesan could defeat.

“Does he possess a skill that pierces defenses?”

“But simple defense-piercing wouldn’t suffice. The Shaman had skills to counter even that.”

“On top of that, the Shaman was equipped with numerous defensive gear. Even if a high-level defense-piercing skill were used, could an adventurer who hadn’t reached the depths breach him in just a day?”

Sociét, who had been silent, asked the Archmage.

“Would magic work?”

“It’s possible. Magic is a great power. But it would require an extensive preparation process.”

The Archmage waved his staff.

“You’d need to create a magic circle, seize control of the area, and prepare to manifest the spell. At the very least, you’d need to prepare days in advance. Since Taesan met him right after clearing the 64th floor, that would have been impossible.”

“The Shaman also had recovery skills. He might even have had skills that reduce healing.”

“Ambresia, you mentioned he had a skill that nullifies attacks when you fought him. Elaborate on that.”

They began their discussion, gradually uncovering information about Taesan.

—

“They must be noisily debating by now,” Taesan remarked.

[About what?]

“The higher-ups.”

[…Ah.]

The ghost understood and chuckled.

[Of course they would.]

Taesan had defeated the Shaman, the Guide with unparalleled defensive power.

Even if the Demon King restricted information, that itself was information.

They would be discussing how Taesan had broken through the Shaman’s defenses and secured victory.

And through that process, they would come to suspect that Taesan possessed the ability to penetrate defenses.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

If he was going to fight the higher-ups anyway, they would eventually learn such details. That much was within his expectations.

The important thing was that Taesan was growing stronger, faster, and more definitively than they had anticipated.

Taesan cleared the 65th floor, swiftly dealing with the monsters and arriving at the boss room.

[A fragment of the Vines that Enveloped the World has appeared.]

The boss room was entirely covered in vines.

The vines thrashed wildly, attempting to swallow Taesan whole. Taesan opened his mouth and spoke.

“Burn.”

Flames ignited from the tips of the vines, spreading to engulf the entire room.

Ignoring the searing pain, he unleashed his magic. Light and frost swirled chaotically.

Rumble…

[You have defeated a fragment of the Vines that Enveloped the World.]

[You have obtained the Green Witch’s Staff.]

[Green Witch’s Staff]

[Magic +160]
[Mana +1500]
[Intelligence +1000]

[A staff used by the Green Witch, who once ruled the northern forests of the world during her mortal days.]

[Greatly enhances the power of Witch Magic.]

“Witch Magic?”

It was a term he had never encountered before. To him, magic was exclusively the domain of the God of Magic.

The ghost commented.

[Seeing the phrase ‘during her mortal days,’ it seems she transcended mortality. There are quite a few beings who, after surpassing mortality, create their own form of magic. However…]

“Compared to the magic of the God of Magic, it’s inferior?”

[Most likely, yes. The God of Magic is the god of magic itself, after all. Even so, the magic of a great being holds immense value, but in the context of the Abyss, its relative worth is diminished.]

The conditions for clearing the floor were fulfilled, and the path to the 66th floor opened.

However, the secret reward was not obtained.

The reward marked as ??? could be acquired by uncovering the hidden elements of the floor.

It was the first time he had ever missed such an opportunity.

“I didn’t see any secret room.”

Taesan frowned. He had meticulously inspected the Abyss while clearing the floor, yet no secret room had been found.

Initially, he thought it might be a floor without a secret room, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“I’ll need to search again.”

[What are you doing?]

“Looking for secrets.”

Taesan began retracing his steps on the 65th floor. At first, the ghost remained silent. But as an hour, two hours, three hours, and eventually a full day passed, the ghost finally spoke up.

[I get it. You don’t want to miss out on a secret reward after collecting everything so far.]

Secret rewards were superior to the standard rewards for clearing a floor. On top of that, achieving a perfect understanding of a floor granted titles.

It was no surprise Taesan wouldn’t give up easily. His persistence was expected, which is why the ghost had initially stayed quiet.

However, as time dragged on, he couldn’t remain silent anymore.

[Could it be a secret reward you simply can’t obtain?]

Taesan’s scouting skills and essence analysis were abilities that ordinary adventurers of this floor could not possess.

Additionally, he had detection skills for both Black Magic and standard magic. It was almost impossible for something to escape his notice. If nothing appeared, only two possibilities remained:

Either the system was lying.
Or it was an entirely unconventional secret.

[The system doesn’t lie.]

Skills are absolute. The system speaks only the truth, and stats cannot be falsified.

This was the fundamental trust adventurers placed in the Abyss.

[So it must be a secret room that requires a completely different approach to find. In that case, you might never locate it.]

It might require a special lineage.
Or a relationship with someone in the Abyss.
Or perhaps a unique skill.

The Abyss often contained rewards that could only be obtained by meeting certain conditions. Taesan’s discovery of the Forgotten Goddess’s room was a case in point.

[You can’t have everything.]

The ghost continued.

The secrets of the Abyss are unfathomable. Created by transcendent beings and magicians, it was beyond mortal comprehension.

Some things simply had to be let go.

[Of course, it’s hard to ignore when you don’t even know the conditions for conquest…]

Clearing the Abyss wasn’t enough. Only by conquering it could one have their wish fulfilled.

What, then, did conquest truly mean?

Taesan didn’t yet know. Thus, he couldn’t afford to miss a secret reward.

[Still, if it truly requires specific conditions, it might be impossible to obtain. If that’s the case, missing it wouldn’t necessarily impact the conditions for conquest.]

A type of secret that simply cannot be obtained. Would such a thing even be necessary to consider the Abyss conquered?

The ghost didn’t think so. The magicians who designed the Abyss didn’t seem to desire that.

“No.”

But Taesan shook his head.

“It’s only been a day.”

It was far too soon to give up.

Taesan resumed his search, and the ghost respected his decision.

For an entire week, Taesan remained on the 65th floor.

“It’s not here.”

Taesan waved his hand dismissively. Despite meticulously inspecting every brick and corner, nothing appeared. If Taesan, equipped with scouting and essence analysis, couldn’t find it, it truly might not exist.

As the ghost had suggested, it likely required specific conditions.

However.

Though difficult to articulate, he could sense something was there.

It was a feeling—a primal intuition honed through acquiring countless skills, an instinct toward possibilities.

‘The Witch’s Domain.’

This place was referred to as the Witch’s Domain.

Who, then, was this witch?

A being involved in this floor.

Most likely, the owner of the bracer Taesan possessed.

If so, how powerful was she?

Even at this advanced stage of the Abyss, her equipment remained useful. Was such a witch truly mortal?

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

[You have activated King’s Vessel.]

[Huh?]

The ghost was startled by Taesan’s sudden activation of his skills.

Taesan, having elevated his capabilities, scanned his surroundings.

Nothing had changed.

The 65th floor remained the same, covered in vegetation.

He focused his will. It manifested as words, influencing reality.

“Open.”

[You have activated the Declaration of Dispelling.]

Boom!

The space split apart.

The hidden area within the floor began to reveal itself.

[Scouting proficiency increased by 4%.]
[Essence analysis proficiency increased by 3%.]
[Intent proficiency increased by 2%.]

[What the…?]

“So this is what a secret is.”

Taesan clicked his tongue. A location only accessible with Intent. It was a secret only Taesan could uncover.

The floor began to transform. Bricks vanished, replaced by vegetation filling every inch of the space.

A rich, profound aroma filled the air.

At the same time, he felt the overwhelming force enveloping the area.

Soon, Taesan found himself in the heart of a vast, deep forest.

[You have arrived in the Green Witch’s Domain.]

[You have uncovered the hidden element of the 65th floor. Reward: ??? obtained.]