Chapter 316
Taesan stood amidst the collapsed landscape, experimenting with the use of divine power.
[Divine Power]
[Mastery: 81%]
[The power of gods. Initially meaningless, it became divine power through the collective faith of many people. Human belief and faith have turned into divine power, enabling it to have various effects on the world.]
Reaching 80% mastery allowed him to utilize divine power for purposes beyond recovery. Taesan gathered divine power, forming a domain enveloped in golden light that spread outward.
[“Sacred ground?”]
The ghost muttered. A domain blessed by divine protection had now unfolded across the landscape.
“Minerva, test it out.”
“Got it.”
Minerva gathered wind and unleashed it against the domain. The golden light held its position without wavering.
“That was quite a strong strike. It’s sturdy.”
“A domain, huh?”
The domain created by divine power could protect those within and repel external threats.
While useful for safeguarding large groups, it was less practical in the labyrinth, where its significant consumption of divine power would be a problem. On Earth, where people’s faith directly bolstered divine power, the issue was manageable. However, in the labyrinth, it would be nearly impossible to sustain.
‘Unless I can combine it with other domains.’
A power that spread divine energy to form a domain—its mechanics were somewhat similar to the Green Witch’s magic. If the two could be linked, they might amplify each other.
Taesan extinguished the divine power.
He decided to test various possibilities once he returned to the labyrinth.
Meanwhile, cheers echoed from afar. Taesan headed toward the source of the commotion.
There, Kim Hwiyeon stood with a dazed expression, staring at a flickering flame floating in the air.
“Did you summon that?”
“Ah, Taesan. Yes…”
Kim Hwiyeon nodded.
The flickering flame hovered in the air, rubbing affectionately against her arm.
“A low-tier spirit?”
“It seems so. This feels so strange.”
Kim Hwiyeon scratched her head.
The Spirit God Beatrice had rewarded Taesan’s victory. The power granted to the people was Affinity with Nature.
[Affinity with Nature]
[Increases affinity with nature, allowing contracts with natural entities.]
Now, people could form contracts with spirits.
Looking around, Taesan saw that many others had also summoned spirits. Thousands or tens of thousands of low-tier spirits had appeared across the land.
It was an excellent reward. Having a spirit companion to assist in battle would drastically alter combat strategies.
“Oh… I think I understand now.”
Kim Hwiyeon glanced at Minerva, who stood beside Taesan. Others around them also gazed at Minerva in awe.
Now that they had formed contracts with spirits, they could sense the immense power contained within her.
Minerva held the essence of the world itself. The condensed force of nature that protected the entire world resided within her. Previously overshadowed by Taesan’s power, Minerva now drew the people’s attention. Noticing their gazes, she looked at her hands.
“This wasn’t the case before. I’ve undergone some changes as well.”
The Spirit God had also granted Taesan a reward. Naturally, that reward pertained to spirits, which meant Minerva’s transformation was even greater than Taesan’s.
[Special Passive Skill: Direct Contract]
[Direct contracts with spirits. Contracted spirits can wield their full power without being constrained by the contractor.]
[Special Passive Skill: Spirit God’s Protection]
[Contracted spirits will no longer be reverse-summoned due to power depletion.]
The effects of these two skills were straightforward.
Now, Minerva could use her full strength as the Spirit King without worrying about being reverse-summoned due to energy consumption.
“I didn’t expect him to go this far.”
Minerva waved her hand, releasing a gentle breeze that spread around her.
“So, no more reverse-summoning?”
“Not quite. If I take significant damage, I can still be reverse-summoned. But under normal circumstances, that’s unlikely.”
Minerva, as the Spirit King, possessed strength comparable to the labyrinth’s deepest layers. However, due to limitations, she had been unable to fully demonstrate her abilities.
Now that she could wield her complete power, she would be an invaluable ally to Taesan.
Taesan retrieved an item from his inventory.
[Evolution Stone Infused with the Power of Nature]
[A stone imbued with the power of nature. It elevates the strength of a spirit to the next level.]
“Can you use this?”
“No. I’m the Spirit King. This is essentially the peak a spirit can reach. Surpassing it isn’t impossible, but that stone won’t do it.”
Since Minerva couldn’t use it, there was only one suitable recipient. Taesan handed the stone to Varkaza.
[…Are you certain?]
Varkaza asked hesitantly.
[This was given directly by our god. Its value is beyond words.]
Spirit evolution was an exceedingly rare event in their history.
For a high-tier spirit, reaching the top-tier could take centuries of effort. Even for a top-tier spirit, attaining the power of both offense and defense could take millennia, and most never achieved it.
This stone allowed such a leap in power in an instant—a reward only the Spirit God could bestow.
Taesan spoke indifferently.
“I’ve got no one else to give it to. Just take it.”
[…You are indeed a generous master. I’m glad to have formed a contract with you.]
Varkaza let out a small laugh as he accepted the stone.
The dark-colored stone shattered, and its power began to flow into Varkaza.
[Ooooh…]
Varkaza let out a soft groan. The energy within him began to evolve to the next level.
“There’s not much change in appearance, though.”
Taesan observed calmly.
Varkaza still retained his golem-like appearance, but the power within him had undeniably transformed.
[I have grown stronger… but I still cannot directly interfere in my master’s battles.]
He wasn’t wrong. Even with Varkaza’s newfound strength, he was still akin to a weapon or shield. The opponents Taesan would face moving forward would all be on par with, or exceed, Spirit Kings.
[Fortunately, as a supporting spirit, I can assist Minerva instead.]
Varkaza clapped his hands, causing a rainbow-colored light to form around Minerva. When Minerva manipulated the wind, its power was noticeably amplified compared to when she acted alone.
“Not bad.”
[Not bad, you say. Truly, master, you are extraordinary.]
The reward Varkaza received was not something easily given. By human standards, it would be worth more than a nation. Yet Taesan had handed it over as casually as if it were a simple recovery potion.
Varkaza was astonished.
In addition to the evolution of Varkaza, Taesan had acquired several new skills and observed changes in his proficiencies. He began reviewing them one by one.
—
[Special Passive Skill: Twisted Spirit Coordination]
[Mastery: 64%]
[Twisted entities manipulate their soul essence by twisting its nature. This allows them to control the soul force within or around them with minimal burden.]
Reaching 60% mastery significantly reduced the strain of controlling soul energy.
This was a small but meaningful improvement. Among Taesan’s powers, many affected the mind and soul. Reducing the associated burdens allowed him to focus more on abilities like Divine Words or Divine Power.
—
[Special Passive Skill: Seed of Life]
[Mastery: 1%]
[Consumes life to partially seize the power within the consumed entity. Assists in soul rank ascension.]
Originally, this skill was ‘Devourer of Life’, but it had evolved due to ‘Soul Rank Ascension’. It was likely a skill granted to the True Dragon by an immortal. The enhancement made it a valuable, if indirect, asset.
The proficiency of Darkness had also risen by 1%, and the proficiency of Concept Skills had increased by 3%. However, the most perplexing change was in the Boundary Line proficiency.
—
[Boundary Line]
[Mastery: ?]
[The space between laws and beyond them. A force that intertwines Divine Power and Darkness.]
[??????]
[System error. Please contact the labyrinth administrator for further details.]
Whether it had increased, decreased, or changed at all was impossible to discern. The mastery window displayed strange, unreadable text.
—
Taesan recalled the previous battle.
The True Dragon, blessed by the ancient gods, possessed strength on par with a single-digit-ranked monster. Even in his current state, Taesan could have won, but it would have required fighting for tens of hours.
Yet the Boundary Line had obliterated such a foe with ease.
Even though it wasn’t fully controlled and was barely maintained through forced manipulation with Divine Power, it had demonstrated overwhelming power.
After a few uses, Taesan gained a rough understanding of its nature.
The Boundary Line erased the very essence of its target.
There were other skills capable of erasing specific aspects—absolute judgment negated defense, and essence strikes removed the essence of a being.
But all those skills targeted single concepts.
The Boundary Line didn’t stop at defense or essence; it erased everything, disregarding the laws and principles of the world itself.
Taesan remembered the moment he unleashed the Boundary Line’s full force. It had even affected Beatrice’s barrier.
The barrier, created by a transcendent being far beyond mortal comprehension, had wavered under the Boundary Line’s influence.
‘What is this power?’
It was his own, yet he couldn’t fully understand it.
“So this is why the ancient gods coveted me.”
If mastered, there would be no one in the labyrinth capable of stopping him.
But such mastery was impossible for now.
His use of the Boundary Line during the battle had only been possible because the people fighting alongside him had offered direct worship. The influx of Divine Power had barely allowed him to suppress the gray energy.
In the labyrinth, where Divine Power recovered much slower, such battles would be unfeasible.
Moreover, his weapon had broken. It was fortunate the Boundary Line had only been used on the ‘Heaven’s Greatest Sword’. If it had been used on both swords, he would have lost them entirely.
(T/N: I’m not sure if i remember it correctly, but did we use the name “Heaven’s Greatest Sword” before? It’s my first time seeing it here and on the previous chapters. I double checked the untranslated version and it looks correct. I’m not sure if I used a different term before. )
[Labyrinth weapons breaking… I’ve never heard of such a thing.]
The ghost spoke with disbelief.
The risks didn’t stop there. Divine Power, the strength of gods, wasn’t something a mortal like Taesan was fully qualified to wield. The more he used it, the more it tried to consume him.
If he lost control, Divine Power would devour him, leaving behind a soulless machine existing solely to receive worship.
The same applied to the Darkness. Both powers were currently beyond Taesan’s capability to wield recklessly.
“It’s still far off.”
Taesan muttered to himself.
However, there was something that could aid him.
A pair of rings had transformed. The pure white ring now contained its own soul essence and an added effect to assist Divine Power. The blackened ring had a simpler change—it raised his attack power by 250, reaching 1,000.
The rings, which strengthened as Taesan grew, would undoubtedly play a crucial role in his mastery of the Boundary Line in the future.
Having completed his review, Taesan looked around. The people were testing their newly contracted spirits, joyfully exploring their newfound abilities. They chanted Taesan’s name with fervent enthusiasm.
Divine Power remained at 81%, blocked by a wall. Taesan, content to let it grow in time, spent the remaining day training Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok.
—
A day passed.
[Monster Kill Bonus +1,343]
[Warped Entity Kill Bonus +2,121]
[Victory Bonus +675]
[Final Calculation Complete]
[4,139 points have been awarded.]
They returned to the labyrinth.
