Chapter 315
‘KAANG!’
Taesan dodged the monster’s attack and drove his sword in. The monster roared and violently swung its arms in all directions.
The monster was faster and stronger than Taesan. It was impossible to completely evade its attacks.
But it didn’t matter.
The moment his health dropped, it was instantly restored with a golden glow.
Taesan planted his feet firmly and swung his dual swords. With the impact, the monster was slightly pushed back.
[Dealt 3,631 damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
[OOOOOO!]
The monster howled.
It moved its entire body roughly, flailing its arms in every direction. Taesan kept his distance and drew upon his mana.
Divine power restored both mana and Magi.
With no need to worry about consuming them, Taesan could now use methods he previously couldn’t.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
A wave of frost swept over. The monster roared, shattering the ice with the force of its roar.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Taesan cast the spell again.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
He activated the magic repeatedly, casting Frozen World over a hundred times in a flash.
The entire shattered landscape froze over.
At first, the monster shattered the frost with ease. But as the relentless cold pressed in, even it couldn’t hold out and was pushed back.
Frozen World was an intermediate-level spell. Even for Taesan, using it so extensively would deplete his mana almost instantly.
Taesan drew upon his divine power.
The mana that had been depleted was restored again.
Frost surged, and a blinding explosion of light followed.
A wave of darkness engulfed the monster, and roots sprouted from the ground. Black threads tore through the earth, leaving deep wounds on the monster’s body.
Mana and Magi were drained in an instant but replenished just as quickly.
[You have activated Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation.]
He opened a pathway to the demon.
Pouring all his Magi into it, demonic roots descended upon the world.
‘RUMBLE!’
The roots pierced through the earth, soaring high into the sky.
They resembled a massive tower rather than simple roots.
The monster, impaled by the roots, let out a deafening roar. It crushed and shattered the roots as it advanced.
The remnants of the roots exploded outward, but they were all erased by Beatrice’s barrier.
“This thing is absurdly durable.”
Clicking his tongue, Taesan gathered his mana again.
[OOOOOO!]
And the people watched.
Darkness, light, and frost swirled together. At the same time, a bright golden light exploded, filling their vision.
The faith of the people deepened. Beatrice observed the scene with interest.
[Is this the divine power wielded by a mortal?]
As the Spirit God, Beatrice was a being born with divinity, not one forged by faith. To see a mortal wield divine power born of faith was intriguing even to him.
[But this cannot be all.]
He knew of the power Taesan possessed.
[Show me what is uniquely yours.]
‘CRACK!’
Taesan swung his sword and widened the distance. He gazed at the monster with the same calm demeanor as when the fight began.
[Your mastery of Divine Power has increased by 1%.]
With the system message, his senses shifted.
As he dodged the monster’s attacks and checked the skill window, he realized his mastery of divine power had reached 80%.
“That’s fast.”
He had thought it would take until the next return to reach this point, yet it had already climbed to 80%.
The shift in his senses guided him on how to wield divine power more effectively.
Taesan gathered divine power. The golden light emanating from his body spread like a blazing sun, scorching everything around him.
[OOOOOOO!]
The monster’s entire body ignited. Its reaction was more intense than anything it had shown before.
[Dealt 1,631 damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
[Dealt 2,251 damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
[Dealt 1,978 damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
The damage wasn’t minor. The monster writhed in pain, its body surging forward to crush Taesan. As it approached, Taesan unleashed his divine power.
‘Sizzle!’
The monster recoiled violently when touched by the golden light.
Divine power was the power of gods, while the monster was a creation imbued with the power of ancient gods.
The opposing forces burned the monster’s body.
[So divine power can be used for offense, not just recovery?]
“Something like that, but not entirely.”
As he became more adept at wielding divine power with precision and variety, fighting the monster became easier.
But the monster still showed no signs of falling.
Even with its entire body aflame, its movements remained relentless.
‘It’s not impossible to penetrate it, but…’
The ever-growing divine power also began to encroach upon Taesan.
It was as if it was telling him, “This is the limit of what is permitted to a mortal,” and began consuming his identity bit by bit.
It was powerful, but it came with clear restrictions. Taesan had to end it before the divine power completely consumed him.
If so…
Taesan focused his strength.
He drew upon the power of the ancient gods. A deep, overwhelming darkness that devoured everything began to flow from him.
[OOOOOO…]
The monster, charging with a roar, suddenly faltered.
The black energy radiated such terror that even the mindless monster felt a momentary fear.
At the same time, Taesan gathered divine power.
Until now, he had only been able to use the combined force of divine power and darkness in limited ways.
It was a borderline self-destructive move, a double-edged sword that could harm Taesan as well.
But now, Taesan could handle divine power more skillfully.
Divine power enveloped the darkness, fusing into a gray force that threatened to explode.
Taesan intensified his divine power further.
The divine energy drained and replenished in cycles.
The overlapping golden light grew so intense it was difficult to keep one’s eyes open.
The gray energy, surging as if ready to explode, was tempered and controlled with overwhelming divine power, infused into Taesan’s sword.
The sword, overwhelmed by the unbearable power, emitted a shrill cry.
‘Tch.’
Taesan stomped his foot. The monster, seeing this, belatedly roared and charged.
Taesan’s sword moved.
The diagonal slash tore through the heavens, and the monster’s body was utterly obliterated.
[Dealt #@[system protected] damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
[O, OOOO!]
A cry of anguish erupted. Taesan gripped his sword tightly and charged again.
“Wow… What is that…”
Minerva gasped in awe. Taesan wielded the extraordinarily alien power as if it were an extension of himself.
[So that’s it.]
Beatrice silently analyzed the power Taesan wielded.
[Divinity.]
The power of gods, a force bound by the laws of existence.
[And darkness.]
The power of ancient gods, a force beyond those laws.
The two forces blended to create something new. Even Beatrice, who had existed since the dawn of time, had never seen such a gray light, which held enough power to shatter boundaries.
[Remarkable.]
While Beatrice murmured in quiet admiration, Taesan continued to wield the gray light relentlessly.
‘CRACK.’
Each time the gray light struck, the monster groaned in pain.
‘BOOM!’
The sword struck again, severing one of the monster’s arms.
Despite its overwhelming power, the monster was crushed with little resistance. The gray light Taesan wielded carried that much force.
But Taesan’s expression wasn’t bright.
‘This is…’
The gray light consumed divine power continuously to remain in the sword.
Even with his immense divine power, the gray light grew increasingly unstable, consuming the divine energy like an unquenchable fire and amplifying its intensity.
If the battle dragged on, the uncontrolled gray light would go berserk.
At that point, whether it was the gray light or the divine power, the overwhelming energy would devour Taesan entirely.
He had to end it before that happened. Taesan stomped his foot and struck the monster again with the gray light.
[OOOOOO!]
The monster rose, thrashing its entire body as it tried to crush Taesan with its arm.
Taesan swung his sword. This time was different. The monster possessed overwhelming strength compared to Taesan, but the moment its arm met the sword, it was deflected.
The monster, which had no concept of defense, could do nothing from the moment the gray light infused Taesan’s sword.
[OOOOOOOOOO!]
A roar erupted.
The power inside the monster began to surge and transform again.
Now as massive as a small mountain, the monster lifted its arm with a cry that sounded like a scream.
[O, OO.]
Its twisted arm carried the monster’s full strength.
Dodging was impossible. The gigantic creature threatened to crush the entire area protected by Beatrice’s barrier.
If evasion was impossible, it had to be overpowered.
Taesan stomped his foot. The monster’s arm came crashing down. Taesan didn’t evade. He raised his sword and drove it deep into the arm.
‘CRACK.’
The immense pressure bore down on Taesan.
[You took 213,024 damage.]
[Your Last Opportunity has been activated.]
“Last Opportunity,” a skill that nullified fatal damage once, triggered.
Taesan released the divine power stored in the sword embedded deep in the monster’s arm. The restrained gray energy found its outlet and began to explode.
The gray light erupted, distorting space itself.
Taesan swung his sword across.
“KYAAAA!”
People screamed, covering their ears and collapsing. The exploding gray energy clashed with Beatrice’s barrier. Even the barrier, created by a transcendent being, shook violently and began to crack.
Beatrice exerted his power. The trembling barrier returned to its original state.
Inside, the explosive energy began to settle.
When people finally lifted their heads, half of the monster’s body had vanished.
The spirits were stunned.
[What kind of power is this…?]
“If Beatrice hadn’t reinforced the barrier, we might have been caught in it too,” someone murmured.
It was fortunate the barrier was there; otherwise, the people who had fought so hard to survive would have perished meaninglessly.
The system window announcing victory appeared.
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. Mastery of Twisted Soul Adjustment has increased by 5%.]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. Gained the special passive skill [Devourer of Life].]
[Special passive skill [Devourer of Life] has evolved due to Soul Rank Ascension. Gained the special passive skill [Seed of Life].]
[Mastery of Darkness has increased by 1%.]
[Mastery of ??? has increased by 3%.]
[Mastery of the Boundary Line has increased by ???.]
Taesan looked at his sword, which had held the gray energy.
The blade of the ‘Heaven’s Greatest Sword’ was cracked, its edge warped.
Equipment from the labyrinth, which had never been damaged or dulled before, was now completely unusable.
“I’ll need a new sword.”
Taesan sheathed the broken sword and landed on the ground. He could feel countless gazes fixed on him, stunned.
They erupted into cheers, finally letting out the cries they had been holding back.
The people shouted his name with reverence, crying tears and bowing their heads.
“Ta-Taesan…”
Kim Hwiyeon muttered blankly. Even she, who had never worshipped him, had a hint of reverence in her expression.
[Fascinating.]
Beatrice murmured as he looked at Taesan.
[Now I understand why the ancient gods coveted you. You are intriguing.]
Curiosity glimmered in Beatrice’s eyes.
But instead of indulging in his curiosity, Beatrice prioritized his duties.
[There are things to do before my curiosity is sated. You have won. Here is your reward.]
[Manifestation of Divine Authority.]
[Blessing Descends.]
[Gained the Divine Blessing [Affinity with Nature].]
The blessing touched every person present.
The people who had been shouting Taesan’s name in reverence were suddenly startled by a strange sensation.
“Huh?”
“What… what is this?”
Feeling the unfamiliar power coursing through them, they glanced at their bodies in confusion.
[And this is the reward you deserve for your achievements.]
The divine blessing had descended upon all humans.
Then, a power meant solely for Taesan began to manifest.
[Gained the special passive skill [Direct Contract].]
[Gained the special passive skill [Spirit God’s Protection].]
[Obtained the Evolution Stone infused with the power of nature.]
“Huh?”
The first to notice the change was Minerva. Her eyes widened as she examined herself, looking at her body in disbelief.
“Father?”
[You’ll have to figure out the rest on your own. It was enjoyable, in its way.]
With a final chuckle in his voice, the Spirit God disappeared.
At the same time, the system window signaling the end of the event appeared.
[Special Quest Complete.]
[Rewards will be distributed based on your performance during the quest.]
[You will return to the labyrinth in one day.]
