Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 302: Skill Acceleration (2)

Taesan looked at the system window and smiled.

He had finally acquired it—a skill he couldn’t obtain in his previous life, one he had given up on before.

Excited, he opened his skill window.

[Special Activation Skill: Skill Acceleration]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Mana Cost: 10]
[Effect: Accelerates the execution speed of the next skill.]

The description was simple and easy to understand.

“A skill that influences the speed of an action,” Taesan murmured.

In other words, it applied to physical skills like acceleration or leap.

With this new skill in hand, it was time to test its effects. Taesan delivered a final blow to the battered shadow and moved to find a new monster.

He stepped toward a shadow drawing its weapon.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
[You have activated Acceleration.]

In an instant, his body left afterimages.

Even Taesan’s eyes struggled to follow his own movements. The speed was near-impossible to counter.

The shadow, unable to process the speed, failed to react and was slammed into the wall.

Boom!

The shadow twitched against the wall. Taesan clicked his tongue.

“What’s this?”

[Your speed has literally doubled.]

The base speed was multiplied by the acceleration effect, resulting in a final speed twice as fast. It was similar in mechanism to ‘Addition’.

He continued testing the skill. He kicked at the staggering shadow.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
[You have activated Leap.]

Boom!

The speed of his jump was incredibly fast.

To an observer, it might appear as though he had teleported. Taesan leaped above the shadow’s head and aimed his foot downward.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
[You have activated Landing.]

Boom!

Even his landing speed had accelerated. Like a falling boulder, the shadow was crushed beneath him.

“Hm.”

Taesan’s eyes gleamed.

It seemed the skill could be applied to any action-related skills, such as ‘Leap’ and ‘Landing’.

“This might even link with Ability Sword.”

The effects of ‘Ability Sword’ transformed ‘Leap’ and ‘Landing’ into powerful moves that slashed upward and struck downward with great force. Taesan decided to test it.

He leaped again, slashing at the shadow with his sword. The shadow tried to block with its weapon.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
[You have activated Landing.]

Crunch.

The shadow’s defense was utterly crushed.

With a deafening crash, it was driven into the ground. Taesan sheathed his sword and laughed.

The synergy with ‘Ability Sword’ worked perfectly.

“This is good.”

Since the shadow could no longer fight, he dispatched it and moved on to find another monster.

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

He tried using ‘Skill Acceleration’ on ‘Frost Arrow’. However, there was no noticeable change.

It seemed that ‘Skill Acceleration’ only worked with action-related skills. For magic, there was ‘Magic Acceleration’.

‘What about this?’

He wondered if it would apply to attack-based skills like ‘Strong Strike’.

Since he had obtained it through ‘Raging Gale Dash’, it should work. He tested his hypothesis, and as expected, it did.

‘Skill Acceleration’ could be activated with skills like ‘Strong Strike’ and ‘Counter’.

Taesan continued testing.

By using all the skills he had, he determined that ‘Skill Acceleration’ could be applied to most physically oriented skills.

It allowed him to momentarily double his speed. The synergy with ‘Ability Sword’ was particularly impressive.

[Ha. What an absurd skill.]

A ghostly laugh echoed around him.

Doubling his speed was like doubling his agility stat. Against adventurers of similar strength, it made him nearly unbeatable.

The value of ‘Skill Acceleration’ was hard to overstate. Its benefits were on par with ‘Addition’ or ‘Absolute Judgment’.

“But no skill comes without drawbacks.”

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
[You have activated Raging Gale Dash.]

His body moved at breakneck speed. The accelerated dash tore through the shadow violently.

Crash!

The shadow couldn’t resist and was completely subdued.

Though it was overwhelming, Taesan’s expression remained grim.

“It’s hard to control.”

Stats like agility and strength, gained through progression in the labyrinth, were assets adventurers could handle seamlessly, as if they had possessed them from the start.

But ‘Skill Acceleration’ was different.

This skill instantly doubled his speed, but it didn’t accommodate the user’s control.

Using ‘Skill Acceleration’ on ‘Raging Gale Dash’, Taesan found it almost impossible to maneuver.

Even without acceleration, there were parts of the dash he couldn’t fully control. Doubling the speed made precise control nearly unattainable.

The same issue applied to other skills. While the sudden increase in speed made it difficult for opponents to respond, it also hindered Taesan’s ability to adjust his actions dynamically.

For most skills, proficiency could improve control, but ‘Skill Acceleration’ was inherently challenging to manage because of its doubling effect.

Additionally, the mana cost of 100 was substantial. Unlike ‘Addition’ or ‘Absolute Judgment’, it couldn’t be used with every attack.

‘But…’

Its overwhelming performance made these drawbacks tolerable.

In his previous life, this skill would’ve been nearly useless. The high mana cost and his lackluster stats would’ve rendered the acceleration ineffective.

But now, things were different.

This skill was perfectly suited for Solo-mode Taesan.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

He eagerly anticipated facing a guide, where he could fully utilize this skill.

And that wasn’t all. Seventeen days of repetition had increased the proficiency of several other skills.

[Special Activation Skill: Raging Gale Dash]
[Proficiency: 20%]
[Mana Cost: 10]
[Description: Slash with the force of a storm and dash forward. Movement can now be partially controlled.]

While nothing new had been added, one restriction had been removed—the part about moving only in a straight line.

When Taesan tested the newly improved ‘Raging Gale Dash’, he found that unlike before, changing direction mid-dash no longer ended the skill. This was a change that made the skill significantly more useful in actual combat.

—

[Special Passive Skill: Madness of Struggle]
[Proficiency: 45%]
[Effect: The longer you continue fighting, the faster and stronger you become. Stamina and mana recovery rates also increase. The effect ends when the struggle concludes.]

‘Madness of Struggle’ had also surpassed 40% proficiency. The newly added feature—enhanced stamina and mana recovery—was synergistic with Taesan’s existing recovery skills, such as ‘Forced Health Drain’. The more recovery skills he had, the better they worked together.

—

[Special Passive Skill: Persistence]
[Proficiency: 20%]
[Effect: Efficiency improves with repetitive tasks.]

Though ‘Persistence’ had also changed, the improvements were minor. This skill wasn’t useful for normal combat as it couldn’t be activated in such situations.

—

The most notable change, however, was in ‘Sustained Combat’.

[Special Passive Skill: Sustained Combat]
[Proficiency: 100%]
[Effect: Fatigue builds up very slowly. The time it takes to reach the limits of stamina is significantly extended. Even when pushed to the brink, movement remains possible.]

At 100% proficiency, ‘Sustained Combat’ unlocked the possibility of nearly endless combat.

Even when pushed to physical limits, it allowed continuous movement. In theory, one could fight for years without rest if they willed it.

Of course, the skill wasn’t literally limitless. The body still wore down, and fatigue accumulated. Movement in a near-death state wouldn’t be normal or effective.

Even with such caveats, the skill was invaluable. It made complete incapacitation nearly impossible.

Taesan proceeded forward, efficiently dealing with shadows.

He cleared secret rooms, completed the floor, and organized the rewards he received.

—

[Potion of Supreme Attack Power Increase]
[Effect: Permanently increases attack power by 200.]

This potion, previously obtained as a reward on the 61st floor from Beldenkia, was finally acquired here on the 66th floor.

The secret room’s reward was a bow resembling a ballista. Though it required immense strength to use, its power and range were exceptional. Taesan decided to keep it rather than sell it.

—

[Whetstone of Frost Edge]
[Effect: Sharpen a sword to an extreme degree. However, such a sharp blade becomes fragile and may break easily. Only a skilled blacksmith and swordsman can handle it effectively.]

This consumable item enhanced a sword’s attack power. It reminded Taesan of an equipment order he had given to Haphran. Before reaching the deep layers, he planned to revisit and check if the item was completed.

—

On to the 67th floor.

[67th Floor Quest Start]
[Objective: Clear the labyrinth and defeat the boss.]
[Reward: Potion of All-Stat Increase.]
[Secret Reward: ???]

The 67th floor was unremarkable. The monsters were shield-wielding knights, and the structure of the floor was straightforward.

Taesan moved through the floor at a steady pace, feeling nostalgic. Such simple floors would no longer appear in the deeper layers.

—

Halfway through the floor, Taesan felt a strange sensation.

It was as if something was calling to him.

He had experienced this sensation a few times before. Following the feeling, he pressed against an inconspicuous brick on the wall.

The brick slid inward with a ‘click’.

Boom!

The space expanded, revealing a long corridor.

[You have discovered the Domain of a Forgotten Goddess.]

The ‘Forgotten Goddess’. Taesan remembered acquiring her blessing on the 70th floor using information from Lee Taeyeon. At that time, he had also received a special quest.

[Special Quest: Forgotten Goddess]
[Objective: Find the statue of the forgotten goddess, who has been forsaken by the labyrinth’s creators, the gods, and their followers. Pray to her to awaken her presence. She wishes for you to save her.]
[Effect: Those blessed by the goddess can sense the statues hidden in the labyrinth.]

It had been a long time since the quest last surfaced, and yet here it was, even before reaching the deep layers.

“What could it be this time?”

On the 70th floor, the statue had been unguarded. However, in a secret area where materials were required, there were traps imbued with intense malice and even apostles of the goddess.

—

[You have activated Reconnaissance.]
[You have activated Essence Identification.]

The corridor’s details flooded into Taesan’s mind.

[This place is filled with numerous traps.]

The analysis revealed the corridor was laden with traps.

To an average adventurer, these traps could cause significant harm.

Unfazed, Taesan stepped into the corridor.

Boom!

The walls shifted with a deafening roar.

The ceiling opened, and the ground collapsed, revealing countless bombs, arrows, and flames.

Taesan spoke calmly.

“Disappear.”

[You have activated Declaration of Dispelling.]

Boom!

Before the bombs could touch him, they detonated harmlessly. Arrows twisted in their flight, and the flames retreated.

Dozens of traps were neutralized with a single word.

Taesan nodded in satisfaction.

“As expected, it’s useful.”

This power, acquired through spiritual enhancement and refined alongside the witch, allowed him to project his will upon the world.

For traps that operated solely on design and not intent, it wielded near-absolute power.

The traps unleashed upon Taesan weren’t trivial. The bombs could shake mountains, the arrows could cleave waves, and the flames could dry up rivers.

Even Taesan would have had to take them seriously if not for his skill.

However, the true owner of that overwhelming power did not exist.

And without a master behind the traps, they could easily be subdued through ‘Declaration of Dispelling’.

It was a simple yet absolute solution.