Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 303: 67th Floor

Power without an owner could not touch Taesan.

To put it bluntly, such traps posed no threat to him—and this wasn’t limited to traps alone.

Even in the face of natural disasters like oceans rising to swallow continents, volcanoes erupting to engulf the world, or the earth splitting apart to drag everything into the abyss, the outcome would be the same.

If such phenomena were not guided by a will of their own, as in the case of Haphran’s world, but merely natural occurrences, a single command could calm them.

The essence of ‘Declaration of Dispelling’ was projecting one’s will onto the world itself.

Taesan moved forward again. The walls opened once more, releasing countless traps.

“Out of my way.”

[You have activated Declaration of Dispelling.]

Boom!

The traps crumbled under Taesan’s will and disappeared. The ghost let out an impressed whistle.

[That’s overwhelming.]

Even the ghost was astonished. Taesan seemed to expend no significant energy, and the mental energy required for ‘Declaration of Dispelling’ posed no issues for him.

[So this is the kind of power immortals and transcendents wield… truly impressive.]

“That’s why they made places like this.”

[Fair point.]

Continuing forward, Taesan eventually found the statue of the forgotten goddess.

Sitting in front of it, he offered his prayer.

[You have prayed to the forgotten goddess. You have received the blessing of the Forgotten Goddess’s Will.]

[Divine Blessing: Forgotten Goddess’s Will]
[Effect: Your will becomes stronger and more resolute, making it difficult for even great beings to subdue you. However, the blessing is still in a very weak state.]

The ‘Blessing of Will’. Taesan tested it by using ‘Declaration of Dispelling’ to summon flames.

This time, the headache he experienced was noticeably reduced compared to before acquiring the blessing.

Satisfied with the much-needed blessing, Taesan smiled. This marked his third divine blessing from the forgotten goddess.

“Next is the deep layers, then.”

As Taesan prepared to leave, a system window appeared before his eyes.

—

[Your repeated prayers have partially restored the goddess’s divinity.]
[Special Quest Start.]
[The forgotten goddess, long abandoned by all—even herself—has regained some of her divinity through your persistent prayers. However, her power remains too weak to influence the world significantly. As a goddess with a childlike self-awareness, she desires to reclaim her strength.]

[Objective: Find worshippers of the forgotten goddess to restore her faith.]
[Reward: The complete blessing of the goddess.]

—

“So that’s how it is.”

Taesan’s eyes lit up.

The quest seemed to follow a progression where his prayers helped the goddess find herself and regain her power.

He reviewed the quest requirements.

‘Worshippers of the forgotten goddess?’

The goddess had claimed to be forgotten by mortals, gods, and followers alike. It seemed unlikely that anyone would still worship her.

The ghost commented:

[Looks like a quest you can’t act on immediately. It’s probably a quest that progresses automatically when the conditions are met.]

“Which means it’ll have to wait until the deep layers.”

For now, he needed to focus on reaching the foundational layers. He was only four floors away.

Pushing the quest to the back of his mind, Taesan resumed his journey.

—

He defeated knights, cleared secret rooms, and thoroughly examined the floor for hidden elements. Gradually, he conquered the 67th floor.

When everything was done and only the boss remained, a new system window appeared.

—

[Special Quest Start]
[Return to Earth.]

[A few days from now, you will return to the land you left behind. Collaborate with others to expand your domain. Overcome trials and return to the labyrinth. Rewards will be determined based on your achievements.]

[This quest cannot be refused.]

—

The ‘Return to Earth’ quest.

Taesan recalled how much time each return quest had taken in his previous life.

“It’s faster this time.”

[What is?]

“The timing of the return.”

There had been four returns in his previous life. Each time, they had gathered people from across the nation.

Until now, the pace of the return quests had been consistent with his previous life, allowing him to predict and prepare.

However, the fifth return quest in his past life had occurred after a significantly longer interval. While the exact reason was unknown, it was assumed to be because the quest had operated on a global scale.

Now, the fifth return quest had appeared much sooner than expected.

The various changes and variables in this life seemed to have accelerated the process.

—

Taesan opened the community chat.

As expected, the chat was chaotic. Koreans, Japanese, French, and Americans all spoke at once, making it nearly impossible to follow the messages.

[Lee Taeyeon has invited you to a chat.]

Accepting the invitation, Taesan found himself in a conversation with familiar faces.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Oh, Taesan. Hello.]
[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: Ugh, this is giving me a headache. Isn’t this way too soon?]
[Amelia Aerin [Solo]]: …Hello.]

Taesan responded briefly, noting that the group from before had reconvened.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: Everyone’s here, so let’s discuss what to do next.]
[Oliver Khan [Hard]]: Not that it helps much. We don’t have enough information.]

Up until now, the quests had been confined to individual nations, making them relatively predictable.

But now, the quests operated on a global scale, rendering any predictions about their duration or scope nearly impossible.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: Still, we need to consider all possibilities. That’s the only way to prepare.]

The group began discussing strategies.

Taesan, however, remained silent, observing quietly.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: Based on the flow so far, they likely won’t have all countries meet at once. Probably just a few.

[Daniel Darmont [Hard]]: Would they group connected countries? Or within a specific range?

[Oliver Khan [Hard]]: More likely by country. Range doesn’t make sense with the size differences between nations.

For instance, countries like the United States or China were as large as all of Europe combined.

[Ichijo Eika [Hard]]: Past quests have been region-based rather than size-based. It’ll probably be the same this time.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: If that’s the case…

It was clear which country Korea would encounter.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: Most likely, we’ll meet Japan.

[Ichijo Eika [Hard]]: That seems likely. I look forward to working with you.

The atmosphere was amicable. Kim Hwiyeon had already established some communication with Japanese players, so there wasn’t much potential for conflict.

The issue lay elsewhere.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: But it probably won’t just be Japan. North Korea or China might be included as well.

[Ichijo Eika [Hard]]: That’s a strong possibility.

[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]]: Have Chinese players ever used the external community? I don’t think so.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: No, they haven’t.

The labyrinth had several types of communities: those designated for specific countries, ones for global conversations, and ones restricted to people within a nation.

The Chinese community was highly active, with players exchanging information amongst themselves.

However, Chinese players never engaged with external communities.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]]: Honestly, it’s creepy.

When the quest expanded globally, survivors were excited to realize they weren’t alone. Many nations began communicating frantically.

While some countries imposed restrictions on outside contact to prevent chaos, it wasn’t common, nor was it strictly enforced. Players from different nations occasionally shared stories in global communities.

China was the sole exception.

Not once had a Chinese player stepped out of their community.

They ignored all questions and invitations.

Even Chinese players living abroad, like those born and raised in the U.S., refused contact, even with family.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]]: Their isolation is unsettling. If we’re grouped with China, it’s going to be a headache.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: Well… we’ll deal with it if it happens.

[Ichijo Eika [Hard]]: What about North Korea?

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: They don’t post in their community at all. I’ve seen their community exists, so someone must be alive, but there’s complete silence.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]]: That’s troublesome. Not that we’re much better—Mexico still has cartels alive. Cleaning that up will be a nightmare.

The group continued exchanging predictions and information. Eventually, someone addressed Taesan.

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]]: What about you, Taesan? Any thoughts?

[Kang Taesan [Solo]]: About the same as you. Nothing new to add.

Taesan had memories of his previous life. However, with so many changes already, including the accelerated timing of the return quest, he couldn’t rely on them entirely.

What he could do, though, was focus on what he needed to accomplish.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]]: How far have you all progressed?

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Junhyeok and I just reached the 30th floor.

Thirty floors. That was about what Taesan expected for Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok. Amelia, however, surprised him.

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]]: I’m at the 42nd floor.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]]: That’s fast.

Taesan was slightly impressed.

The deeper one ventured into the labyrinth, the harder it became to progress.

While Amelia had considerable strength to begin with, things changed when divine trials were introduced.

Amelia had escaped the grasp of the God of Fall, freeing her soul but losing much of her power. Taesan had expected her progress to stall, but she had kept pace with her past self.

Amelia, noticing his reaction, smirked.

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]]: Who do you think I am? I’m Amelia, the strongest player in America. Even without divine support, my strength doesn’t waver.

After a brief pause, she added:

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]]: …Though, honestly, the information and skills you shared helped the most.

Taesan chuckled.

The 42nd floor didn’t hold anything significant in his memory. However, he recalled the 44th floor.

It housed the God of Despair.

He wondered what form Amelia’s despair would take.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]]: Good luck.

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]]: Oh, uh… thanks.

Caught off guard by the sudden encouragement, Amelia responded awkwardly.

The group continued chatting briefly before Taesan closed the community.

Divine trials were unique to each individual, so there wasn’t much he could offer in terms of guidance. Amelia would have to overcome it herself.

—

“A few days, huh.”

The ‘Return to Earth’ quest loomed closer.

Unlike his past life, this return would play out entirely differently.

Until then, Taesan resolved to gather as much as possible. Gripping his sword, he resumed his conquest of the labyrinth.