Chapter 324

Everything permitted within the laws and order.

“…What if I wished to escape mortality and attain eternal immortality?”

“You can’t be truly eternal. That would be a power beyond the laws. But you can come infinitely close to eternity. To be precise, until this world ends.”

“So, practically immortal.”

“Not the same, is it? There is still an end.”

Until the world ends.

For a mortal, that was essentially a near-eternal lifespan.

“If you wished to destroy an entire galaxy, it would be possible. If you desired to become the ruler of thousands of planets teeming with life, that too could be done. You could resurrect the dead, move freely through time as you please. Even if you wished to become the master of the labyrinth—”

Taesan fell silent.

He had somewhat anticipated it.

This was not just a mere clearance of the labyrinth, but its conquest. He had achieved a feat that was nearly impossible. The reward couldn’t be insignificant.

But the magician’s words exceeded even Taesan’s expectations.

To think that, if he wished, he could become the master of the labyrinth. That he could destroy an entire galaxy and rule over thousands of planets.

It was essentially the same as saying he could have anything he wanted.

Yet, Taesan’s gaze darkened.

“It’s impossible to interfere with the Old Gods, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

The magician nodded.

“They exist beyond the laws. They are things that disrupt order. They cannot be the object of a wish.”

The ones who created the labyrinth were transcendents—gods of the world.

Yet even they couldn’t completely block out the interference of the banished Old Gods.

Because the Old Gods were beings beyond the laws.

“Unfortunate. Seems I can’t save your broken world so easily.”

Taesan clicked his tongue.

One of the possible paths to victory was now blocked.

He hadn’t expected things to be easy, but it was still frustrating.

The magician spoke.

“Don’t you find them fascinating?”

“Fascinating?”

“Their power is limitless within their own bounds. No matter how much they use it, it never depletes. When you consider that transcendents struggle greatly to recover their expended strength, they are truly unique beings.”

The magician muttered in a voice filled with heat.

“They were banished from this world, but not because they lacked power. Just how far could they go? What could they accomplish? How could they twist the laws and order to create new phenomena?”

Taesan stared at the magician.

Every god who had spoken of the Old Gods had done so with frustration, anger, and hatred.

But this magician was different.

On his face was curiosity and intrigue.

Taesan couldn’t help but ask.

“Why did you create this place?”

The transcendents had settled here to witness the spirit and battles of great warriors.

Then what was the magician’s goal?

“A magician is a seeker of the unknown.”

The magician replied calmly.

“I simply wish to know. All the things I do not yet understand.”

He raised a finger and pointed at Taesan.

“In that sense, you are fulfilling my wish. I told you, didn’t I? That I find you fascinating.”

The magician’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Taesan.

“When I created this labyrinth, I designed it with countless conditions. Until now, not once has anything deviated from my calculations and designs. But you are different.”

The magician’s voice trembled with excitement.

“You rely on the system, yet you possess power beyond my design. Soul Rank Ascension. What exactly is that? What allows a mere mortal body to transcend mortality and contain a power beyond the laws?”

Even Taesan himself knew little about Soul Rank Ascension.

Neither did the Green Witch.

And it seemed the magician was no exception.

The creator of the labyrinth could not understand the skill Taesan possessed.

“At the root of the power you have obtained lies Soul Rank Ascension.”

Divinity, the Black Aura, the Boundary, the Word of Spirits—all these skills were possible because of Soul Rank Ascension.

“What is it, exactly?”

The magician voiced the question.

A question he was asking aloud for the first time in millennia.

“I called you here because it was better than letting you be trampled. That’s all it was.”

The magician had no expectations for the adventurers from Earth.

Rather than leaving them to be helplessly slain by the Old Gods, he had summoned them to the labyrinth, hoping to witness even the tiniest change.

“But you, and that woman too—you both turned out to be interesting. I would have regretted not calling you.”

There was only one woman he could be referring to.

Lee Taeyeon.

The magician grinned.

“That woman is fascinating as well. She descended into the labyrinth in a different manner from you. Not the path I desired, but far superior to those incompetent ones.”

Taesan had many questions about Lee Taeyeon.

But the magician stood up as if he would accept no further inquiries.

“This is as far as our conversation goes. I too have many things I want to know… but anything beyond this is not permitted by the laws.”

Taesan’s body trembled slightly.

As if to signify that no further meetings would be allowed, the space itself was pushing him away.

“You possess many qualifications, but it is still not enough. Come deeper, and we will meet again.”

The space began to close.

Taesan’s body was pulled away from the magician.

“Ah. One last thing.”

Though the magician was no longer visible, his voice reached Taesan as if he were speaking right beside him.

“Do you find the labyrinth to be a satisfying place?”

A question of satisfaction.

There was no need to think. Taesan answered.

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

A satisfied hum echoed.

“That is enough. Keep going deeper. And claim what you desire.”

Boom.

Taesan’s body fell into the labyrinth.

* * *

Balbamaba, who had been waiting, asked.

[Did you have a good meeting?]

Taesan nodded and stood up.

Something was in Taesan’s hand.

“This is…”

[Is that a gift from the master? They claim to never interfere with adventurers, yet here they are, giving you a present. They must have taken quite a liking to you.]

Taesan checked what he was holding. It was an orb filled with magical energy.

[Magic Orb]
[An orb of magic that would satisfy the God of Magic if offered as tribute.]

“A tribute, huh?”

Receiving such a reward from just a single meeting—he had no complaints.

Taesan grasped the orb firmly.

[How was it?]

“It was surprisingly normal.”

He answered the ghost’s question.

Considering that this magician had created a place like the labyrinth, Taesan expected them to be eccentric. Yet, they had been surprisingly easy to talk to.

[Right?]

The ghost muttered, as if something felt off.

[For someone who climbed to that position and created this insane place… to be so normal?]

[My role is done. The rest is up to you.]

Balbamaba’s body began to collapse.

[Good luck, adventurer.]

With those final words, he returned to being part of the labyrinth’s walls.

Taesan took a moment to organize what he had gained.

Come to think of it, he still hadn’t checked the 70th-floor clearance reward.

[Reward: Necklace of the One Who Has Reached]
[HP +1000]
[Mana +500]
[Strength +500]
[Agility +500]
[Intelligence +500]
[Attack Power +200]
[Defense +200]
[A necklace given to those who have reached deep, deep places.]

Taesan paused when he saw the necklace’s stats.

“What… is this?”

Accessories like rings and necklaces usually didn’t provide such significant stat bonuses.

Yet, this necklace outclassed most armor he had obtained.

[This is the deep layers now.]

The ghost spoke as if it were obvious.

[From here on, the rewards you receive will be entirely different from what you’ve been getting.]

Taesan also checked the Secret Room Reward and the Secret Reward.

[Staff of Dawn’s Call]
[Magic +400]
[Mana +250]
[A staff infused with sunlight that has illuminated the world in the darkness thousands of times.]

[Sword Infinitely Close to Immortality]
[Strength +500]
[Attack Power +500]
[A longsword forged by one who has transcended mortality. Its aura still lingers on the blade.]

The stats were leagues beyond any previous floor rewards.

These items were on par with rewards from divine trials or weapons crafted from materials given to a master blacksmith.

“So, from now on, all equipment will be on this level.”

[This is just the entrance-tier equipment. Compared to true deep-layer gear, it’s still low-grade.]

Taesan chuckled.

Only now was he obtaining weapons of the caliber that Lee Taeyeon in his past life and the Guides he had fought had wielded.

Before heading toward the lower layers, he first ascended the labyrinth.

He met Lilith and offered the tribute.

The Magic Orb given by the magician was worth the same as a mid-tier spell.

Thanks to that, Taesan was able to obtain a mid-tier spell he had been wanting.

[Intermediate Magic: Restricted Blink]
[Mana Cost: 200]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Allows a spatial leap within a certain distance. Cannot be used again for 10 minutes.]

A teleportation skill.

Unlike Random Blink, this one did not require him to place a mark—he could teleport freely to where he desired.

The range limit was approximately 1 km, which was quite generous.

It was a satisfying spell.

Then, Taesan handed Haphran the Aggregate of Corruption.

After examining the material, Haphran stated that it alone was not enough to create something exceptional.

If Taesan wanted something proper, he would need to bring more materials.

Taesan agreed and then returned to the lower layers.

[Deep Layer Quest Started.]
[Break through the Domain of the Starving Shadows.]
[Reward: Mythical Ankle Guards.]
[Secret Reward: ???]

After passing the chamber where he met Balbamaba, he entered a passage where he saw a shopkeeper.

“You’re here.”

The shopkeeper quietly greeted Taesan.

“From here on, it’s the Deep Layers. You understand what that means, right?”

“Your wares will now be of Deep Layer quality as well.”

“Correct.”

The shopkeeper smirked and muttered in admiration.

“I’ve seen many adventurers, but you’re the first to reach this far without spending any gold.”

Taesan had barely purchased anything, aside from a few skill-related materials and recovery potions.

He hadn’t spent money on weapons, except for two exceptions:
– A ring that increased all stats by a percentage.
– The Witch’s Wristguards.

In other words, Taesan still possessed an enormous amount of gold.

The shopkeeper asked with curiosity.

“How much do you have?”

“Roughly… about 650,000 gold.”

“Ha.”

[You saved up that much?]

The shopkeeper let out a chuckle, and even the ghost was astonished.

650,000 gold.

Even in the Deep Layers, such an amount was hard to accumulate.

Taesan replied.

“I barely spent any since the 40th floor.”

The only real expense had been potions for when he was attempting to acquire the Absolute Judgement skill.

Everything had been for this moment.

After selling off Heavenly Sword, Taesan asked the shopkeeper.

“Can you show me your wares?”

“Of course.”

The shopkeeper opened a spatial rift without hesitation.

Swords, spears, bows, staffs, grimoires, whips, armor, and more.

An uncountable number of weapons of immense value poured forth.

Taesan began checking them one by one.

[Red Whip Soaked in Divine Blood]
[Attack Power +700]
[Against those with Divine Blood: +20% Attack Power. Unlocks Slayer of Saints skill.]
[A whip used to torture those who inherited divine blood. Their blood has soaked into its very core.]
[600,000G]

Taesan gazed at the whip.

700 Attack Power.

On top of that, +20% damage to those with divine lineage, along with a special skill.

It was on an entirely different level from any weapon he had obtained before.

Next, he checked a bow.

It was as large as a human torso, looking difficult even to pull.

[Guardian’s Bow, Crafted from the World Tree’s Root and Trunk]
[Attack Power +600]
[The elves cut the World Tree’s root and wove its branches to create this bow. They claimed it was to protect the tree, but no one believed them.]
[The more forcefully the bow is drawn, the greater the Attack Power and range. No limit exists on this scaling.]
[Once per month, can activate Root Descent.]
[720,000G]

A bow that grew stronger the harder it was drawn, with no limit on its scaling.

Taesan didn’t know what Root Descent did, but considering it had a one-month cooldown, it was likely an extremely powerful trump card.

He looked around.

More than a hundred pieces of equipment were displayed.

And not a single one was any weaker than the two he had checked.