Chapter 304: 68th Floor
Taesan’s sword struck down the boss with a sharp ‘crack’. The floor-clear window appeared, along with the rewards.
[You have obtained the Potion of All-Stat Increase.]
[You have obtained ???.]
[Potion of All-Stat Increase]
[Effect: Increases all stats.]
[You used the Potion of All-Stat Increase.]
[Permanently increases HP by 300, Mana by 100, Magi by 50, Strength by 200, Agility by 200, and Intelligence by 200.]
With the 67th floor cleared, Taesan leveled up twice.
The secret reward and secret room rewards were all related to black magic. After offering them to the Demon God, he was able to learn intermediate black magic for the first time in a while.
[Intermediate Black Magic: Sabnac’s Jet-Black Thread]
[Mana Cost: 50]
[Base Magi Cost: 150]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Description: Summons a jet-black thread imbued with Sabnac’s power. Though it once had the strength to carve the world, it is now degraded to the point of merely carving the earth.]
Without delay, Taesan descended further.
The ‘Return to Earth’ quest only stated it would occur “in a few days,” without specifying exactly when it would begin. Until then, he intended to progress as quickly as possible.
—
[68th Floor Quest Start]
[Objective: Clear the labyrinth and defeat the boss.]
[Reward: Bracelet Enchanted by Crimson Blood.]
[Secret Reward: ???]
The 68th floor wasn’t significantly different from the 67th. With nothing notable, Taesan swiftly moved through the labyrinth, defeating monsters and honing his skills on his way to the boss.
At this point, ordinary monsters posed no meaningful challenge to him, so he focused on increasing his proficiency.
This resulted in noticeable changes to several skills by the time he reached the 68th floor.
—
[Supreme Skill: Airach Weapon Technique]
[Proficiency: 40%]
[Effect: A technique for handling weapons and the body. With increased proficiency, power transmission losses are eliminated, and slight fluctuations in attack and defense values can now occur.]
One of the skills that evolved was the ‘Airach Weapon Technique’.
It was an infamously difficult skill to level. Despite acquiring it immediately upon entering the labyrinth, it had only just reached 40% proficiency.
For comparison, ‘Insight’ had already reached 100%, evolving into ‘Reconnaissance’, which was now over 60%. This made the slow progress of ‘Airach Weapon Technique’ even more staggering.
However, the benefits of each incremental improvement were substantial.
At 40%, the technique now added fluctuations to attack and defense stats.
Testing it against a monster, Taesan naturally adapted to the enhanced skill, seamlessly integrating its improvements into his combat style.
The 68th floor monsters were dinosaur-like creatures resembling tyrannosaurs. As one lunged at him with its jaws agape, Taesan focused and struck.
Crunch.
“Kaaargh!”
[You inflicted 5,581 damage to the Guardian of the Deep Lair.]
The monster screamed as it was flung backward. Observing the damage window, Taesan noted the change.
His current base attack power was approximately 4,900. Excluding the ‘Airach Weapon Technique’, this was pure, unaltered attack power. Yet the damage inflicted had exceeded 5,500.
“A fluctuation of about 10%?”
The technique added a 10% boost to attack and defense stats. Taesan chuckled wryly.
At only 40% proficiency, the skill was already enhancing his stats this significantly. Clearly, ‘Airach Weapon Technique’ was on another level entirely.
“This is why it’s capable of generating damage numbers like 35,000.”
And that wasn’t even at full strength—it had been a casual attack. Even after reaching the early deep layers and defeating a faction leader, Taesan didn’t feel confident about overcoming Ainzhar.
‘Beloved Goddess, Levinenoff.’
Ainzhar was descending the labyrinth in search of that goddess.
In his previous life, Taesan hadn’t been able to locate her. At least, that was what Lee Taeyeon believed.
This time, however, Taesan had revealed the goddess’s location:
The 78th floor, in the 24th secret room of the Library of All Things.
As Ainzhar approached that destination, Taesan grew curious. Would Ainzhar achieve his goal? And if he met the goddess, what path would he take?
—
[Special Activation Skill: Breathless Attack]
[Mana Cost: 2]
[Proficiency: 81%]
[Effect: Enables movements that disregard breath during combat. Lasts for about three minutes, allowing for continuous action at full power.]
Though minor, ‘Breathless Attack’ had also seen significant proficiency gains.
Meanwhile, ‘Enhanced Senses’ had reached 100% proficiency.
[Special Passive Skill: Enhanced Senses]
[Proficiency: 100%]
[Effect: Sharpens senses, allowing detection of killing intent, blind spots, and the unseen. Enables observation of a defined range centered on the user.]
While the description remained unchanged from 80% proficiency, reaching 100% unlocked a new skill:
[Special Passive Skill: Synchronized Senses]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Effect: Synchronizes your senses with a defined surrounding range. Currently, the detectable range is limited.]
The range roughly covered the size of a labyrinth room centered around Taesan.
It felt as though every detail—textures, scents, and sensations—was now directly connected to his senses.
Although he had acquired skills for observing his surroundings before, ‘Synchronized Senses’ was far more direct. It was as if his body had physically extended to encompass the area.
Naturally, this heightened his already sharp instincts, making them even more precise. It would now be nearly impossible for even faction leaders to approach Taesan unnoticed.
‘Maybe Lee Taeyeon could manage.’
Her skillset was filled with evasion techniques, many of which rivaled Taesan’s most advanced skills.
Despite frequently sparring with Lee Taeyeon in his past life, Taesan had never been able to locate her when she fully concealed herself.
She was, quite literally, built for evasion.
Taesan’s skills in his previous life rarely had a chance to shine. Only he and Lee Taeyeon could face the constant assaults from S-class entities.
When Lee Taeyeon hid herself, countless others would die in her place. Because of this, she had no choice but to seal away most of her evasion-related skills.
“What a tragic woman,” Taesan muttered.
Beyond that, many minor skills of his had also seen significant proficiency increases. With the deep layers looming ahead, the number of skills nearing 100% proficiency had grown noticeably.
Taesan finished clearing the 68th floor. The boss was a red tyrannosaurus-like monster. As it charged toward him, Taesan unleashed his magi.
[You have activated Sabnac’s Jet-Black Thread.]
‘Zing.’
Threads gathered in Taesan’s hand and began to unravel, shaking the entire room. Acting swiftly, he summoned his shield.
[You have activated Aegis Shield.]
‘Crack-crack-crack!’
The threads tore through the space entirely. Though the assault pounded against Taesan, the Aegis Shield absorbed the damage, leaving him unscathed.
‘Boom!’
The charging tyrannosaurus was sliced into dozens of pieces and collapsed.
The newly acquired ‘Sabnac’s Jet-Black Thread’ was a skill that shredded everything in its vicinity—including its user.
The first time Taesan had activated it without understanding its effects, he had lost 20% of his health.
Its power was undeniable, surpassing all other skills he wielded.
However, it lacked stability. Misusing it could easily lead to self-destruction.
Fortunately, there was a slight delay before the threads unraveled, allowing him to escape the area using skills like ‘Random Blink’.
Having grasped the skill’s power and limitations, Taesan moved on to review the 68th-floor rewards.
—
[Bracelet Enchanted by Crimson Blood]
[Strength +400]
[Agility +200]
[Attack +20]
[Defense +200]
[Description: A bracelet soaked with the crimson blood of a saint. The one who killed this saint carried the bracelet for the rest of their life.]
As always, it was an excellent piece of equipment. Approaching the deep layers, the quality of the gear had noticeably improved.
The secret room and secret rewards both turned out to be rings.
—
[Black Witch’s Jet-Black Ring]
[Black Magic +50]
[Magi +50]
[Intelligence +100]
[Description: A ring once wielded by the Black Witch, who ruled over blackened lands in devotion to the Demon God. After her death, the ring was absorbed into the labyrinth.]
[Cruel Tyrant’s Ring]
[Strength +200]
[Attack +100]
[Defense +100]
[Description: A ring belonging to a tyrant who ruled the world alone. Any opposition to his rule was met with absolute annihilation, even down to the last animal. Until his death, the world was plunged into darkness.]
—
After equipping the new gear, Taesan resumed his descent into the labyrinth.
The 69th floor began.
Taesan drew his sword.
‘Slash.’
In the dense forest, Taesan brought his sword down, cleaving in half a beast that had charged to trample him.
The 69th-floor quest involved finding a single flower hidden in a lush forest. Monsters lurked in every corner, and the dense, sprawling forest made the task of locating the flower particularly challenging.
Of course, this posed no problem for Taesan.
With his heightened senses, he could block monster attacks without even looking. Using ‘Reconnaissance’ and ‘Essence Identification’, he pinpointed the treasure’s location and moved toward it without delay.
Eventually, Taesan found the golden flower. Just as he reached to pluck it, the space around him split open, revealing a dark figure.
[Greetings.]
“It has been a while,” Taesan said, bowing respectfully.
Long jet-black hair and a youthful face—the Demon God had appeared.
[You understand why I am here, don’t you?]
Taesan nodded. The Demon God’s presence signaled that it was time to fight another Guide of Sin.
[Your next opponent awaits on the 70th floor—the last gateway to the deep layers. They will be waiting for you there.]
“Understood.”
[And starting now, I’ve changed the rules slightly. Your strength is nearly equal to theirs.]
Taesan grasped the meaning immediately.
Up until now, the Demon God had ensured that Taesan’s battles with faction leaders were somewhat fair. This wasn’t favoritism but a means to create compelling, balanced fights.
However, Taesan had now reached a level where he no longer needed such adjustments. The Demon God spoke again.
[I have shielded your abilities from their knowledge until now.]
This had been a tremendous advantage for Taesan, as many of his skills were far more effective when their effects were unknown to his opponents.
[But from now on, that restriction will be lifted. The Guides you encounter will know your skills, and that information will spread among them.]
“Understood,” Taesan said with a nod. His ready acceptance drew a small laugh from the Demon God.
[I expected some complaints. This is a rather unfavorable condition for you.]
“If you have decided so, it means it is necessary for a fair fight. I will abide by it.”
The Demon God smiled in satisfaction.
[You’re returning to your homeland, aren’t you?]
“Yes.”
[As always, return victorious. I’ll be awaiting your triumph.]
With those parting words, the Demon God vanished.
—
The new Guide of Sin. Taesan had a suspicion of who it might be.
Grasping the golden flower, Taesan completed the 69th floor.
At the same moment, the system window for the ‘Return to Earth’ quest appeared.
[You will return to Earth in one hour. Please prepare accordingly.]
“How considerate,” Taesan remarked.
With just an hour, descending further was unrealistic. He would have to return to Earth before stepping onto the 70th floor.
Fortunately, he had one task left to complete in the remaining time.
Taesan ascended the labyrinth to the 65th floor, where he found Haphran hammering away.
“You’ve come,” Haphran greeted him with a haggard face.
“Is it finished?”
Taesan had commissioned the creation of a piece of equipment using materials he had obtained from Haphran’s ruined world.
Given the materials, the process had clearly been arduous. Haphran nodded.
“Perfect timing. I just completed it.”
“Faster than I expected. I thought it would take longer.”
“Most of the materials came from my world. Even so, it was hellish—the equipment kept rejecting my touch.”
Grumbling, Haphran handed Taesan a bracelet.
“Take it. It’s exactly what you wanted—a piece of equipment you control with your will.”
[You have obtained the Bracelet of Despair, Containing a Fragment of the World.]
