Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 300: Skill Acceleration (1)

To achieve this, there was a skill that needed testing: ‘Raging Gale Dash’.

[Special Activation Skill: Raging Gale Dash]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Mana Consumption: 100]
[Dash forward while swinging your sword like a storm. Movement can be somewhat controlled.]

‘Raging Gale Dash’ was a skill that slightly increased Strength and Agility stats while propelling the user forward.

[You have activated Raging Gale Dash.]

Standing before a monster, Taesan activated the skill. His feet moved forward as he swung his sword like a storm.

The shadow mimicked Taesan’s movements precisely.

It stepped forward, swinging its sword.

‘Clang!’

The blades collided as they closed the distance, continuously pressing against one another.

‘Clang!’

Taesan stepped back just as the effect of ‘Raging Gale Dash’ ended.

He realized something: ‘Raging Gale Dash’ required two conditions to sustain activation—continuously swinging the sword like a storm and maintaining forward momentum. Without meeting these criteria, the skill would end.

So, with these two conditions satisfied, how long could ‘Raging Gale Dash’ last?

[You have activated Raging Gale Dash.]

‘Clang!’

Swords clashed. The shadow, having stolen Taesan’s strength, moved similarly, attempting to push him back.

But the shadow’s movements were degraded imitations. Taesan held a slight advantage, enough to overpower it.

‘Bang!’

He pressed forward, forcing the shadow back.

As long as the condition of forward momentum was met and the sword continued to be swung like a storm, the skill persisted.

As a result, Taesan managed to maintain ‘Raging Gale Dash’ for several minutes.

His eyes gleamed.

‘The skill doesn’t end?’

A skill that, once activated, continued as long as the conditions were met. That was ‘Raging Gale Dash’.

‘No wonder this was a favorite among the upper ranks.’

The description of dashing forward seemed vague, but as long as he could press his opponent and maintain movement, the skill would persist.

This made his goal achievable.

Taesan began preparations.

[What are you trying to achieve this time?] the spirit asked curiously.

Taesan experimented with ‘Raging Gale Dash’, and the spirit, recognizing his pattern, realized it was for acquiring a new skill.

Skills like ‘Endurance’, ‘Addition’, and ‘Absolute Judgment’—skills that had astonished even the spirit, a former deep-layer conqueror. Watching Taesan obtain these skills had been highly entertaining.

But Taesan shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

[What? You don’t know?]

“I’ve never acquired it before.”

The labyrinth’s skills could be obtained by demonstrating a skill’s effects to a certain extent. ‘Addition’ and ‘Endurance’ were both acquired this way.

Taesan had conducted countless experiments and made numerous attempts.

One of these attempts was to double the speed of a skill itself.

He theorized that if he could accelerate skills involving movement, such as ‘Dash’ or ‘Leap’, he might unlock a new skill.

Taesan was convinced it was possible.

Thus, he had tried repeatedly to acquire such a skill.

‘But it was impossible back then.’

It was an issue of location and conditions.

What Taesan sought was to increase the speed of a skill itself.

However, he lacked the right skill for such experiments.

His theory involved maximizing the effects of skills that influenced physical speed, like ‘Acceleration’.

But ‘Acceleration’ already brought speed to its limits. Pushing beyond that through normal methods was impossible.

The only viable approach was to activate ‘Acceleration’ and continuously run while relying on endurance to increase speed further.

However, ‘Acceleration’ required visual confirmation and designation of a target for activation.

Endurance increased efficiency through repetitive actions over time, but this required an exceptionally long duration of repetition. With ‘Acceleration’, the skill only allowed him to reach a target quickly, not maintain activation.

He experimented with several other speed-related skills, but all were hindered by their own limitations.

Through various trials, Taesan identified what was needed:

– A skill with infinite duration.
– The ability to perform repetitive actions.
– A connection to movement speed.

And in his past life, Taesan lacked such a skill.

Concluding that its acquisition was impossible, he moved on to other skills after months of attempts.

But now, he had the chance to obtain the skill he had once given up on.

Balbamaba had explained that labyrinth skills weren’t pre-existing but were created based on an adventurer’s actions. Taesan’s extensive experience suggested this was now within his grasp.

The spirit let out a dry laugh.

[You really try everything. What about ‘Ability Sword’? Can’t that work?]

“I thought about it, but I’d run out of mana.”

‘Ability Sword’ could also be maintained continuously if timed correctly.

But even though the mana consumption was minimal, it still consumed mana constantly.

Taesan had thousands of mana points. His high Intelligence stat reduced mana consumption, and the ‘Blessing of the Forgotten Goddess’ allowed mana to regenerate quickly. Yet, even with these advantages, it wasn’t feasible.

“To the same extent, ‘Fairy Wings’ are also impossible.”

‘Fairy Wings’ had infinite duration, but Taesan had dismissed it quickly.

The skill doubled speed, pushing it past the sound barrier.

The problem was finding space to execute such speed. The labyrinth was too confined, and outside conditions weren’t conducive to achieving the required velocity.

This made ‘Raging Gale Dash’ the answer.

Taesan steadied his breathing and gripped his sword.

‘The only skills available are passive ones, excluding activation skills.’

The plan was to continuously press the shadow, using ‘Raging Gale Dash’ to double its speed. The theory wasn’t complicated.

But obtaining a new skill he had never acquired before was uncharted territory.

There were still countless variables Taesan had yet to understand.

It was time to analyze them.

[You have activated ‘Raging Gale Dash’.]

‘Clang!’

The swords collided. Taesan pressed aggressively, forcing the shadow back.

‘Step.’

Taesan advanced with ferocity, swinging his sword relentlessly and keeping the shadow under pressure.

‘Clang!’

The shadow countered, but its movements lagged slightly. Slowly, it began to retreat.

‘Raging Gale Dash’ continued to stay active.

Taesan struck down with his sword, and the speed of his movement had increased slightly compared to when he first began.

The effects of two skills were now in play:

– ‘Persistence’, which increased speed with repetitive actions.
– ‘Madness of Struggle’, which enhanced strength and speed the longer a battle continued.

Thanks to these, Taesan was becoming faster and faster. The shadow was pushed further back until its back was against the wall.

‘Clang!’

Taesan’s sword struck, pinning the shadow against the wall. As he rushed forward to finish it, his movement suddenly slowed.

‘Thud.’

The effect of ‘Raging Gale Dash’ had ended.

Clicking his tongue, Taesan sheathed his sword.

“Forward momentum.”

In other words, without consistent forward movement, ‘Raging Gale Dash’ would stop.

This raised the question: what defines “forward”?

[You have activated ‘Raging Gale Dash’.]

‘Clang!’

Taesan resumed pressuring the shadow. This time, instead of forcing it straight into the wall, he adjusted his strikes slightly, angling the shadow diagonally.

As a result, he discovered that ‘Raging Gale Dash’ allowed for a certain degree of angular movement.

With this understanding, Taesan’s movements became more precise. He began pressing the shadow as if drawing a circle, ensuring he wouldn’t collide with a wall and interrupt the skill.

‘Clang, clang, clang!’

Swinging his sword, Taesan’s movements grew faster over the course of tens of minutes of combat.

But soon, his speed began to surpass his ability to control it.

“Tch.”

Ignoring Taesan’s attempts to rein it in, his sword broke through the shadow’s defense with a thunderous crash, sending it flying.

‘Raging Gale Dash’ was interrupted.

Taesan frowned.

“As the speed increases, control becomes an issue.”

The description of the skill stated that “movement can be somewhat controlled.”

In other words, complete control was impossible. The faster he became, the harder it was to maintain control.

How could this problem be solved?

After a moment of contemplation, Taesan made his decision.

[You have activated ‘Raging Gale Dash’.]

‘Clang!’

He relied on repetition and experience. Swinging his sword aggressively, he advanced.

As his speed increased, his sword strikes began to slip out of his control. Taesan studied the trajectory and intensity of each strike, using every ounce of his ability to regain control and prevent the shadow from being knocked away.

‘Clang!’

This time, Taesan managed to sustain the skill a little longer than before.

Repeating this process over and over, Taesan gradually grew accustomed to managing movements that were difficult to control.

Eventually, his stamina reached its limit.

With trembling arms, Taesan unleashed magic and black magic. The shadow was pierced and dissipated.

Taesan collapsed to the ground.

Despite his exceptionally high Strength and Agility stats, as well as skills to sustain combat, his stamina was nearly depleted.

Each attack introduced new variables that required adjustment. Predicting and compensating for uncontrollable movements, twisting his sword’s trajectory, and shifting his stance to keep the shadow from falling all demanded constant focus.

This battle was far more exhausting than facing a strong enemy, where the sole focus was defeating the opponent.

After just two days of continuous sword strikes, his stamina was spent.

[This is… beyond ridiculous,] the spirit muttered.

Despite Taesan’s stats being at abyss-layer levels, his stamina being drained in just two days signified the extraordinary difficulty of the process.

As he quietly recovered his stamina, Taesan murmured, “It’s different from before, but it’s still hard enough.”

‘Addition’ required unchanging repetition amid dynamic conditions.

‘Absolute Judgment’ demanded memorizing and responding to every possible pattern an opponent could exhibit.

This skill, however, required immediate, real-time adjustments to constantly shifting variables.

Purely in terms of stamina drain, this skill was the most taxing.

But it wasn’t impossible.

Little by little, Taesan was extending the duration of ‘Raging Gale Dash’.

The next day, fully recovered, Taesan began battling another shadow.

He fought longer than the previous day. However, as his speed and power increased, the shadow was pushed back faster. This prevented him from creating a circular trajectory, and the shadow was forced into a wall, interrupting the skill.

As his speed and strength grew, new challenges emerged. Taesan adapted fluidly, controlling the shadow’s movements to overcome them.

Three days passed as Taesan continued his battle with the shadows.

He studied every pattern and variable, responding in real time while maintaining combat.

[Proficiency in ‘Madness of Struggle’ has increased by 1%.]
[Proficiency in ‘Persistence’ has increased by 1%.]
[Proficiency in ‘Sustained Combat’ has increased by 1%.]

‘Clang!’

Taesan relentlessly pressured the shadow.

Seventeen days of combat later.

When ‘Sustained Combat’ reached 100% proficiency, Taesan acquired a new skill.

[Through countless attempts, you have doubled the speed of your skill’s actions. You have acquired the special activation skill ‘Skill Acceleration’.]