Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 297: The Green Witch (2)

[What kind of secret domain is this?]

The spirit let out a voice filled with disbelief.

[No way. A place that can only be identified if you possess ‘Intent’? Isn’t that just saying other adventurers shouldn’t even try to figure it out?]

“It’s definitely quite unique.”

Realistically, other adventurers would likely never claim the hidden rewards here. Even Kang Taesan, who had gained rank through Spiritual Ascent, almost left without obtaining them.

“What could possibly be here?”

Muttering to himself, Taesan checked the rewards.

[You have used ??.]

[You have obtained the Liquid of the Cursed Swamp.]

[Liquid of the Cursed Swamp]

[A liquid retrieved from a swamp deep within the forest, where all living things sink. The venom and resentment contained within it hold enough power to destroy the world.]

It was a material item.

And Taesan possessed equipment designed to consume such items.

The whip coiled around Taesan’s arm rose up and absorbed the liquid.

The vines began to darken into a grim shade.

[Bracer of Malice]

[A bracer that seeks to kill everything except its owner. Created by the whims of a witch. Hidden properties still remain. It has consumed the cursed rose thorns, green vine roots, leaves of malice, soil from the blackened earth, and the Liquid of the Cursed Swamp.]

[Attack Power +325]

[Defense +200]

Both attack and defense power increased by 100 each. It was becoming more than a mere bracer—its performance now far exceeded that of most weapons.

Taesan stared at the bracer in silence.

This bracer was crafted by a witch.

The condition for clearing the 65th floor was to break through the witch’s domain.

And this was the Green Witch’s domain.

This meant the creator of the bracer resided here.

“This feels ominous.”

Taesan muttered as he walked through the forest.

What had the shopkeeper said about the creator of the bracer?

Taesan searched his memory.

“She wasn’t eccentric, but she had a very strong sense of self. Some people liked that, but I certainly didn’t. Why do you ask?”

“Because I thought she might have come here.”

“Well, it’s possible… sure, it’s possible. She said she had no intention of coming here, but she was always a capricious woman.”

A resident of the shopkeeper’s world. Unpredictable and strongly self-assertive—traits the shopkeeper didn’t like.

Such a person had now established her domain in the labyrinth.

Rumble…

The roots in Taesan’s path trembled as a massive tree rose up and glared at him.

Faced with unwavering hostility, Taesan drew his sword.

Boom!

The roots churned the ground as they advanced. Taesan stomped his foot.

[You have activated Earthquake.]

The ground collapsed.

The advancing roots were crushed and trampled by the collapsing earth. Taesan charged toward the massive tree thrashing its branches wildly.

Crash!

He deflected the swinging branches and pressed forward.

The jarring weight of the blows transmitted through his sword’s hilt.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dodging and deflecting the relentless attacks, Taesan cut down the tree. As the injured tree began rampaging, Taesan evaded its strikes, steadily wearing it down, and delivered a finishing blow.

Rumble…

[Your Spiritual Ascent has activated. Your health has permanently increased by 1,430.]

“Strong.”

Taesan shook the hilt of his sword.

The wreckage of the giants brought forth by the God of Trials… Even the ants from that place were less powerful than this. This wasn’t the type of enemy one would expect on the 65th floor.

Taesan looked up.

Through the densely packed vegetation, he could see the green sky.

[You have activated Essence Identification.]

[The Green Witch’s Domain.]

All of this was the witch’s creation.

Taesan ventured deeper inside.

After defeating the attacking plants and trees, he arrived at a massive lake. As he approached the lake, its waters began to churn violently.

Rumble…

The lake rose, forming a giant figure.

The lake giant, comparable in size to a mountain, directed its gaze filled with hostility at Taesan.

[The Lake Giant has appeared.]

[…Intruder.]

“It can talk?”

Taesan murmured. The giant growled like a beast.

[How dare you set your filthy foot in my master’s domain? Die.]

The lake erupted.

The giant’s body dissolved into swirling waters.

Taesan swung his sword.

[You have activated Strong Strike.]

Boom!

The water exploded, and Taesan was pushed back. Even in his Apostle Transformation state, he was overpowered.

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, Taesan steadied himself.

[You have activated Frozen World.]

Crack-crack-crack!

The lake began to freeze. But with a fierce roar, the ice was shattered instantly.

[To use another god’s power in my master’s domain! Unforgivable!]

“You were going to kill me anyway, so why does it matter?”

Taesan muttered. With a voice full of rage, the lake transformed into a tidal wave that surged toward him. Taesan spun his sword.

[You have activated Raging Gale Dash.]

[You have activated Flowing Technique.]

Slash!

Surging forward like a storm, Taesan slashed through the tidal wave, creating a path. Beyond the wave was a small water core.

[You!]

The giant, seeing Taesan approach, was flustered.

That’s the core. Realizing this quickly, Taesan thrust his sword. The core hastily gathered water, triggering an explosion.

Boom!

The explosion engulfed the entire forest. Taesan quickly assessed the nature of the attack.

A force that caused an instantaneous explosion. Its duration was extremely brief.

Taesan made his decision instantly.

[You have activated Random Blink.]

[You have activated Aegis Shield. You are immune to all damage for 1 second.]

He created distance and raised his shield. The wave struck his body fiercely.

[Huff, huff… That should have killed you. Death is the only punishment for defiling my master’s domain.]

The giant caught its breath. As the waves receded, Taesan emerged unscathed.

[…How?]

“Strong.”

Taesan lowered the shield.

[This is strength worthy of a high-ranking commander, and that’s no exaggeration.]

[“You…”]

The giant growled, gathering its strength again. The lake began to surge violently as Taesan steadied his stance and gripped his sword.

Just as the giant was about to unleash its power, a soft voice rang out.

“What is going on here?”

The voice was small, unhurried, and gentle as it reached their ears.

Though it carried no particular power, the giant flinched. The force it had been gathering hesitated.

“I felt a sudden disturbance… so it was you, little one?”

[“No, no, no, Master. This is…”]

“Is that so?”

The bushes parted, revealing the owner of the voice.

She had long, lush green hair cascading down to her ankles. Her unwrinkled face bore a soft smile, but her green eyes were still.

On her head was a witch’s hat. She wore a witch’s robe and held a broom-shaped staff in one hand.

A quintessential witch, in every sense of the word, revealed herself.

[‘The Green Witch has appeared.’]

“Well now, little one.”

The witch raised her staff.

“Can you tell me what happened here that caused such devastation in my forest?”

Taesan looked around.

The forest had been utterly ravaged by the giant’s unleashed power. If left to recover naturally, it would take at least a hundred years to heal.

The giant shrank back, visibly hesitant.

[“There was… an intruder… and I was trying to defeat it…”]

“Didn’t I tell you five hundred years ago to welcome visitors?”

[“Pardon? Didn’t you order us to kill all who entered?”]

“That was a thousand years ago.”

[“…”]

The giant fell silent. The witch let out a sigh.

“It’s understandable to be confused, given no one has visited for the past thousand years. But isn’t this a bit much?”

[“I-I’m sorry.”]

“Then you must be punished.”

The witch swung her staff lightly.

Even the faint energy that spilled out from her staff was but a fragment of her true power.

Yet, at the same time, the lake crashed into the ground with a deafening roar, embedding itself deep into the earth.

[“Ugh… Ughhh!”]

“I’ll retrieve you later. Reflect on your actions until then.”

The witch tapped the ground with her staff. The destroyed forest began to regenerate, restoring itself to its previous state within seconds.

Each action she took was far beyond Taesan’s reach. Her movements altered the fabric of the world itself.

She was an existence that surpassed mortals.

The witch turned her gaze to Taesan.

“Forgive me. It seems my hospitality has been lacking. I’ll ensure your compensation is more than sufficient.”

“…It seems there was a misunderstanding. No need for an apology.”

“You’re a polite one.”

The witch smiled faintly.

“But you don’t need to refuse. I also have a favor to ask of you.”

She swung her staff again. Trees distorted and rearranged themselves to form the shape of a house. Before long, a small hut stood before them.

“Come in.”

The witch entered the hut. As her figure disappeared inside, the ghost let out a groan.

[“Why is a being like her here on the 65th floor instead of in the deep layers?”]

Taesan followed her into the hut.

Inside, she had removed her hat and was pouring tea from a small kettle.

“Here.”

She placed a teacup on the table as she sat down.

Taesan sat across from her and sipped the tea.

To his surprise, it was just ordinary tea. It didn’t enhance his stats or elevate his mind. Noticing Taesan’s reaction, the witch blew on her tea lightly and spoke.

“I’ve grown tired of peculiar things. This is something I used in the simpler times.”

“I see.”

The witch’s gaze shifted to the ghost behind Taesan. She smiled faintly.

“So, you’re the one causing all the commotion lately.”

[“…Are you referring to me?”]

The ghost hesitantly asked, clearly not expecting the witch to address it rather than Taesan. She nodded.

“Yes. I wonder what choice you will make. It’s intriguing.”

The ghost’s choice.

Several beings had spoken of it. All of them were transcendents.

Taesan opened his mouth to speak.

“May I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you an Immortal?”

The witch, who had been lifting her teacup, paused.

After a moment, she looked at Taesan and smiled softly.

“You’re bold. I like that.”

She placed the teacup down.

Suddenly, an immense wave of power rippled through the air.

Outside the hut, everything began to twist and distort. The heavens and earth trembled, and the very fabric of reality started to change.

As Taesan observed the forest, he realized its sheer scale—it was as vast as a planet.

And yet, the witch before him controlled it all effortlessly from her seat.

The world itself was in her hands.

“As you guessed.”

Twisting reality itself, the witch spoke.

“I am one who has surpassed mortals but has not transcended. I have achieved immortality. I am the Witch of the Cursed Forest and the one who seeks to grasp what cannot be reached. The Green Witch.”

An Immortal.

A being that had failed to transcend but had surpassed mortality.

And for that reason, they despised mortals with potential, seeking to destroy them.

Taesan had encountered such an entity before. Though he knew they were ultimately meaningless, his body instinctively prepared for a fight.

But slowly, Taesan eased his tension.

The witch remained seated calmly, as she had before revealing her identity.

The witch seemed intrigued by his reaction.

“Impressive. No mortal has ever remained so composed before me.”

“I’ve gained some experience.”

And he understood. Unlike the immortals he had faced before, this witch showed no intent to harm him.

From the moment they met, she had called him a guest. She had something she wished from him.

The witch resumed sipping her tea.