Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 298: The Green Witch (3)

“The reason immortals want to kill you is that you possess a potential they do not—something they abandoned. In other words, because they gave up,” the witch said with a sorrowful smile. “But… I have not given up.”

‘Sssk.’

The whip coiled around Taesan’s wrist began to slither toward the witch. The witch, sipping her tea, noticed it and smiled gently.

“Come here.”

The whip rubbed against the witch affectionately, like a child reunited with a long-lost parent.

“So, he sold you this. It brings back memories.”

“Are you referring to the shopkeeper?”

“The Dwarf King. A pitiable soul who lost everything and lacked the strength to retrieve it, so he made a pact with a magician. A truly unfortunate child.”

The witch, belonging to the same world as the shopkeeper, had been the creator of Taesan’s wristguard. She stroked the whip fondly before standing up.

“For now, rest. We can discuss the details later.”

Taesan gazed at the forest around him.

This place, with its myriad flora moving and growing, bore some resemblance to the mysterious forest inhabited by the deity on the 51st floor.

[‘Quivering and Shifting Weeds’]

[‘Weeds that move on their own, possessing the strength to uproot the earth. They are highly resistant to external forces and do not easily harmonize with others. They can only be controlled under specific conditions.’]

Information about many of the plants here was visible to Taesan, and they were descriptions he had seen before.

‘Alchemy.’

The force distinct from magic, taught to him by the gremlins of the 51st floor.

Most of the phenomena here were similar to alchemy.

While alchemy was undoubtedly useful, it required pre-established domains to function. Thus, it was almost impossible to use outside of specific situations, like returning to Earth.

Taesan wondered if he could refine his proficiency here to the extent of using it even within the labyrinth. He fiddled with a leaf.

“What do you think?”

The witch’s voice came from behind him, though he had not noticed her approach.

“This is my domain. My world.”

“It’s vast and powerful,” Taesan replied, letting go of the leaf. It was no idle compliment; this forest was the most formidable world he had encountered.

To create a world itself—such was the nature of an immortal.

It was a feat akin to the work of gods.

And yet, despite this seemingly divine achievement, the witch’s face was filled with dissatisfaction.

“This is a world I’ve proudly created over countless years. But surely, you, who have caught the attention of the gods, can see,” she said with a bitter smile, “my domain is different from theirs, isn’t it?”

Taesan nodded quietly.

Transcendents—those who had their own domains of influence.

Their domains were complete unto themselves. No one could trespass upon or interfere with them, governed as they were by absolute laws rooted in their divine concepts.

Having visited many divine domains, Taesan understood.

Their domains were self-contained universes, functioning solely by their laws and principles.

In contrast, while the witch’s domain was undoubtedly powerful, it was merely a world—a plain and imperfect one, lacking the absolute laws of a transcendent.

“Transcendents naturally acquire a domain to govern. Within their domain, they are no different from absolute beings.”

The witch crouched and swept her hand over the ground. The weeds bent to her will and fell flat.

“In comparison, immortals are simply strong beings who have transcended mortality. And that’s where it ends. They can never witness a higher world.”

She murmured softly, “What is the difference between them and me? What allows them to become transcendents, while I remain an immortal?”

Her quiet musings turned to Taesan.

“To find the answer, I made a pact with a magician and entered this place.”

Among the immortals Taesan had encountered, there had been a twisted hunchback obsessed with pursuing a warped form of mystery. Maddened by jealousy, that being sought to kill mortals with potential simply because he couldn’t transcend.

The witch was different. She sought to rise beyond her immortal status to become a transcendent.

“Do you think you can uncover that secret?”

The method by which an immortal might become a transcendent.

Taesan shook his head. He had no idea.

“I don’t know.”

“No, you do,” the witch said confidently. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to enter this place. Even if you don’t know consciously, the things you’ve built will hold the answer.”

The witch stood, waving her staff. The forest began to ripple and shake.

Even if she wasn’t a transcendent, there was no denying she was a fully realized immortal.

“That’s why I propose a deal, remarkable child,” she said with a slight smile, leaving the trembling forest behind. “Show me what I wish to see. In return, I’ll give you what you desire.”

[‘Sub-Quest Initiated’]

[‘The Green Witch, an immortal, wishes to transcend and acquire her own domain. She seeks your guidance to uncover the method.’]

[‘Quest Objective: Provide the key to transcendence.’]

[‘Reward: The witch’s magic.’]

“Will you accept?”

The witch’s calm smile prompted Taesan to nod.

[‘Sub-Quest Accepted’]

“Thank you.”

“I don’t think I had a choice,” he replied dryly.

If he refused, she seemed ready to force him to comply. The witch chuckled awkwardly.

“I apologize, but I’m desperate.”

She clapped her hands.

“Well then, let’s begin immediately.”

[‘…So you’ve come to me for this?’]

“Yes. I believe you can provide a good fight for this child,” the witch replied.

The Lake Giant muttered hesitantly.

[‘If it is my master’s command, I will obey. Shall we begin the battle as we are?’]

“Exactly. Fight with all your might. Prepare to kill one another.”

The witch stepped back, preparing to observe the clash at leisure.

“Though I must admit,” she added with a wry smile, “even I don’t know the precise difference between immortals and transcendents.”

“So you’re testing everything.”

“Precisely. Combat is a simple yet effective metric.”

[“If that is your will, Master.”]

The Lake Giant began to gather its strength. Taesan raised his sword.

‘Boom!’

Power erupted.

The Lake Giant glared at Taesan with the intent to kill. Taesan, too, faced the giant with utmost seriousness.

The witch observed the scene quietly.

‘As expected, he’s strong.’

She silently admired him. Although she never left her domain, she had many eyes and ears, allowing her to stay informed about the labyrinth’s happenings.

Thus, she was also aware of Taesan—the adventurer who had garnered the attention of the gods.

An adventurer who piqued the interest of the proud and exacting gods.

An adventurer whom immortals despised and sought to kill.

She was intrigued by his strength and power. Seeing it firsthand, she found it astounding.

The Lake Giant, an existence she had carefully created with the greatest power among mortal beings, was now being fought by an adventurer who hadn’t even reached the deeper layers of the labyrinth.

“And he far surpasses the level needed to catch the gods’ attention.”

Yet, it wasn’t enough.

While undeniably remarkable, it wasn’t at the level the witch desired.

What she sought was the power of transcendence. Even in her mortal days, she had wielded power equivalent to this.

However, she had failed to become a transcendent. That level of power amounted to nothing.

‘Could it be an issue unrelated to strength?’

When the witch first settled in the labyrinth, she had told the magician under the contract terms to invite any adventurer to her domain if they could offer a clue toward transcendence.

The magician had agreed.

Thus, the witch and the magician had forged their contract.

But such a condition was nearly impossible. No one knew how an immortal could become a transcendent. If it were so simple, countless immortals wouldn’t have succumbed to jealousy and madness.

The witch was well aware of this.

Yet, she had entered the contract for the faintest sliver of hope.

For now, the witch intended to stop the fight. She wanted to analyze Taesan’s power through means other than battle.

The Lake Giant unleashed its raw energy.

[“Try stopping this!”]

A swirling vortex of water—a strike that could crush mountains and divide seas.

Taesan faced the vortex and spoke.

“Scatter.”

‘Boom!’

The vortex exploded, scattering water in all directions. The giant was astonished, and the witch’s pupils widened.

“’Intent Projection’?”

The power Taesan had just displayed was something she recognized.

A power that could physically alter the world with mere will.

A power that mortals could never possess—attainable only by those who had transcended mortality.

‘How?’

It was a mystery.

And it piqued her curiosity.

If he had wielded Intent Projection as a mortal, then perhaps…

Suppressing her excitement, the witch swung her staff. With a deafening crash, the Lake Giant was slammed into the ground.

[“M-Master?”]

“This will be enough.”

The witch halted the fight and turned to Taesan.

Her tone was elevated, her expression animated as she spoke.

“It seems I’ve found a clue. Let’s talk more in detail now.”

The witch began asking Taesan questions—how he had acquired Intent Projection and how he controlled it.

Taesan answered.

“Spiritual Ascent?”

The witch’s expression grew puzzled.

“What kind of skill is that?”

“I’m not sure either.”

It was a skill he had gained in his past life by defeating an S-rank opponent. Its effects had been astonishing. It had even activated against the god-tier monster, allowing Taesan to gain much.

However, its nature remained elusive. The source of ‘Spiritual Ascent’, its limits—Taesan knew none of it.

“You don’t know either?” he asked.

The witch, an immortal, was supposed to have a far greater understanding than him. The gods Taesan had encountered had comprehended his power entirely. Yet, the witch seemed unaware of the specifics.

“I am just an immortal,” she said plainly.

“Though I am powerful and immortal, that is all. While I can grasp the general nature of your strength, I cannot comprehend it entirely, unlike transcendents. It’s such a pitiful status.”

The witch smiled bitterly.

“So I must confirm everything bit by bit. Let’s try again.”

As the witch instructed, Taesan continued to use Intent Projection.

He tested it under various conditions, analyzing its intensity and effects.

“Resist this. Kneel.”

[‘The Green Witch has activated the Declaration of Subjugation.’]

Her will-filled declaration sought to crush Taesan. His knees were forcibly bent, and his very soul urged him to submit to her.

However, Taesan gathered his will and spat out a response.

“No.”

[‘You have activated the Declaration of Dispelling.’]

The oppressive will bearing down on Taesan dissipated.

Taesan pressed his forehead. It had been painful, but he endured.

[‘Intent Projection mastery has increased by 1%.’]

“A mortal resisting a declaration?”

The witch’s face was filled with admiration.

“That’s incredible.”

“Is it really such a big deal?”

“It’s monumental. To transcend the bounds of mortality means existing in an entirely different realm from mortals. Imagine trying to resist as an ant trapped in a cup while a human attempts to kill it. Could the ant resist?”

It was impossible. If a human crushed the cup, the ant would die without being able to do anything.

Such was the gap in power between mortals and those who had transcended mortality.

“What you just accomplished is akin to that.”

As an ant in a cup, you had withstood the murderous intent of a human.

Resisting the Intent Projection of a being who transcended mortality carried that meaning.

“You mentioned that using Intent Projection gives you headaches, correct?”

After a brief pause, the witch spoke again.

“It’s likely because your Spiritual Rank is insufficient to fully handle the power imbued in the Intent. The higher your rank rises, the less severe it will become. But resolving it completely may prove difficult.”

“After all, willpower is a force that can only be wielded by those who have transcended mortality.”

The very idea of a mortal using a ‘Intent Projection’ was absurd.

Yet, Taesan was undeniably wielding it.

The witch quietly contemplated.

‘’Spiritual Ascent’, is it?’

Taesan had explained that he had acquired the ‘Intent Projection’ by confronting the world through ‘Spiritual Ascent’ and obtaining a conceptual skill. After hearing his account, the witch delved deeper into understanding ‘Spiritual Ascent’.

And the more she learned, the more astonished she became.

‘Spiritual Ascent’ was a skill that seized the power imbued within the soul. That alone wasn’t particularly extraordinary—abilities that drained power from defeated foes weren’t uncommon.

But the act of seizing power was inherently limited. No matter how extraordinary, it was exceedingly rare to steal power from beings stronger than oneself.

In contrast, ‘Spiritual Ascent’ had no such limitations.

It could seize power from those who stood on the brink of mortality’s end, from monsters wielding the gods’ tools to shatter worlds, or even from the will of the world itself.

It discriminated against nothing in its ability to rob power.

‘What is that?’

Even the witch, with her eons of life and knowledge, could not comprehend the nature of this power.

She had even summoned monsters from her domain to witness Taesan using ‘Spiritual Ascent’ firsthand. Yet, she still could not grasp the flow of its power.

As an immortal, she couldn’t comprehend the skill possessed by a mortal.

And that wasn’t all. When Taesan wielded his gray power, the witch’s pupils dilated in shock.

Taesan unleashed the gray energy violently. A portion of the forest was obliterated, vanishing entirely.

‘Boom…’

The force contained within the gray power was something beyond mortality.

With a trembling voice, the witch asked, “…What is that?”

“I don’t know either,” Taesan replied, brushing off his hands. He only understood that the gods targeted him because of this power and that they intended to use it for something. Even the gods had failed to provide clear answers about the gray energy.

“…Astounding.”

Her eyebrows quivered faintly.

These powers, beyond her understanding.

They must be the clues leading to the path of transcendence.

The witch smiled.

“Was this place the correct answer all along?”

For thousands, tens of thousands, or even longer, she had searched—seeking to escape immortality and step onto the path of transcendence.

A path she had half-abandoned now seemed to reveal itself at last.

Suppressing her excitement, the witch spoke.

“Let us continue observing.”