Chapter 340
A massive force engulfed the space. The rippling mana took shape, beginning to exert its influence on the world.
Even for Taesan, this was an opponent he could not guarantee victory against.
He examined the magic circles covering the walls and ceiling.
Those formations were summoning immense power.
Clang!
The manifested mana solidified into form and surged across the battlefield. The continuous damage tried to consume Taesan, but the invisible aura surrounding him flared up, shielding him.
A passive skill—the power of Absolute Protection.
Seeing Taesan remain unscathed, Shayan scowled.
“…I confirmed it during your fight with the Spirit King, but you truly are immune to sustained damage. How does such a skill even exist?”
Clicking his tongue, Shayan shook his head. Power began to gather in the staff he held.
“Die.”
[Shayan has activated Frozen World.]
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crack!
Frost clashed between them. Shards of ice shattered everything in their path.
But Taesan’s Frozen World was being overpowered.
Despite its greatly enhanced strength from increased proficiency, it was being pushed back like a weak ember in a blizzard.
Taesan kicked off the ground. Fortunately, the 73rd floor was quite spacious, allowing him enough room to maneuver and evade.
The area where he had stood moments ago was swallowed by extreme cold.
Shayan swung his staff. Mana condensed and erupted with power.
[Shayan has activated Blazing Cascade.]
Space cracked open as embers of fire appeared.
Sparks rained down, scattering in all directions, consuming the surroundings.
Taesan calculated their trajectory, direction, and speed—then dodged.
His gaze fixed on Shayan.
Shayan had not moved a single step from his original position.
The Demon God had told him that, from now on, the Guides of Sin would also be watching Taesan’s battles—to ensure fair combat.
Shayan must have seen the skills and abilities Taesan had used against the Spirit King of Fire.
Taesan had tried to withhold information about his powers, but the Spirit King had been a formidable opponent. He had been forced to reveal most of his abilities to win.
Up until now, Taesan had been analyzing and countering the Guide of Sin’s leadership.
Now, it was his turn to be analyzed and countered.
Just how well had Shayan prepared for his abilities?
[You have activated Apostle Transformation: Darkness and Chaos.]
Buffs stacked—Avatar of Nature, King’s Vessel, and more.
Taesan also activated the deep-floor adventurer-exclusive skill Enemy of Those Who Tread the Deep. He gripped his sword tightly.
[You have activated Hollow Path.]
The fire sparks scattered across the battlefield had their trajectories distorted.
With both swords moving in tandem, Taesan carved a path toward Shayan.
He tensed his legs and kicked off.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
Swoosh!
Taesan rapidly closed the distance toward Shayan.
With his already high stats amplified by Skill Acceleration, even a high-ranking leader would struggle to react.
Even Shayan couldn’t help but murmur in admiration.
“Impressive. But… that is all.”
Shayan calmly struck his staff against the ground.
[Shayan has activated Distortion.]
Suddenly, the space warped.
Taesan, who had been rushing straight toward Shayan, was now running in the opposite direction due to the twisted space.
Clicking his tongue, Taesan quickly adjusted his posture. He charged toward Shayan again, but Shayan simply cast Distortion once more.
“Tch.”
Taesan, aiming straight for Shayan, was suddenly flung to the left.
The space around Shayan was bent within a fixed radius.
“No matter how fast you are, it’s just physical movement. If I twist space itself, you’ll never reach me.”
Murmuring, Shayan raised his staff.
“You are remarkable. The power you wield is rare even throughout the labyrinth’s history.
“But I am a mage.”
Buzz!
The magic circles surrounding the floor shone with intense light.
“I am the eternal master of the great Mage Tower. I have spent countless years designing and preparing this place solely to kill you.”
This was Shayan’s domain—his personal workshop, his mage’s territory.
“Surrender beneath the overwhelming force of magic.”
[Shayan has activated Magic Stacking.]
[Shayan has activated Frozen World.]
[Shayan has activated Starlight Arrow.]
[Shayan has activated Echoing, Resounding Wave.]
Three spells activated simultaneously.
But they did not immediately strike.
Instead, all the magic was focused, compressed into Shayan’s staff.
[Shayan has activated Magic Unleashing.]
And then, all at once, the power was released.
Three intermediate-level spells merged into one as they surged toward Taesan.
The freezing cold shimmered with light and shook the entire space.
Taesan instantly judged—he could not dodge this.
[You have activated Greed of Destruction.]
The power stored in his bracelet awakened, clashing against the incoming magic.
The Greed of Destruction was pushed back—but it greedily opened its maw, trying to consume the spell.
Although it failed to devour the entire attack, it reduced it to a level Taesan could handle.
Swinging his sword, Taesan cut through the magic and closed the distance to Shayan.
He reached into his inventory and pulled out a flute.
[You have activated the Flute That Calls for Silence. For 10 minutes, all magic within the range is sealed.]
[Due to the Magic Circle of Free-Flowing Mana, the flow of mana cannot be blocked. The Flute That Calls for Silence has been forcibly canceled.]
Taesan swiftly stored the flute and gripped his sword again.
He had tried it as a potential counter, but he hadn’t expected it to work against a Guide of Sin—especially with an item obtained from the lower floors.
[You have activated Marbas’s Pitch-Black Wave.]
Dark waves spread across the battlefield, obscuring the view. Taesan’s figure vanished in the shadows.
[You have activated Stealth.]
For one second, Taesan disappeared from all detection.
He moved in to strike at Shayan’s opening—but Shayan anticipated it.
A surge of mana spread throughout the battlefield, becoming Shayan’s eyes.
[Shayan has activated the Gaze of Universal Synchronization.]
Taesan’s Stealth was forcefully dispelled as his figure was revealed.
“A skill that hides presence by obscuring vision. In that case, the counter is simple.”
[Shayan has activated Magic Stacking.]
The layered magic exploded once more.
The reverberating waves of power filled the entire space.
The area of effect was too vast to block completely, and brute force was not an option—three intermediate spells had been stacked together, making the direct impact too costly.
Breaking through the attack while enduring the damage was the logical choice, but that would trigger Attack Nullification.
Then it hit him—Shayan was deliberately trying to force him to use up his Attack Nullification.
[You have summoned Minerva, Spirit King of Wind.]
[You have summoned Varkaza, the Shield of Multicolored Light.]
Minerva and Varkaza immediately unleashed their powers.
A whirlwind infused with rainbow light exploded, deflecting the incoming magic.
“Master, you’re really keeping me busy today!”
Minerva shouted as Shayan calmly struck his staff against the floor. A long-dormant magic circle began to activate.
[Shayan has activated the Forbidden Exclusion of Nature.]
Rumble!
“Ugh!”
Minerva let out a sharp groan. The natural energy surrounding her wavered uneasily.
“Spirit Kings are troublesome, but if you know their nature in advance, they’re not hard to counter.”
Shayan unleashed another spell.
Minerva struggled to resist, but she was significantly weakened compared to her usual strength.
Taesan was being systematically countered.
He made his decision—he would force an opening, even if it meant an exchange.
“Minerva, clear a path.”
“Got it!”
Minerva swung her winds, creating a tempest that scattered the mana clogging the space.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
Taesan dashed forward once more.
Shayan immediately cast Distortion, warping the space around him.
But Taesan was prepared.
[You have activated Restricted Blink.]
In an instant, Taesan teleported right in front of Shayan.
Restricted Blink—a skill he had acquired after his battle with the Spirit King of Fire.
Shayan did not know about it.
For the first time, his expression flickered with brief surprise.
But that surprise was quickly replaced by composure.
[Shayan has activated Restricted Blink.]
The moment Taesan swung his sword, Shayan teleported away.
Restricted Blink was an intermediate-level spell—there was no way a deep-floor mage like Shayan wouldn’t have obtained it.
And Taesan knew that.
[You have activated Perfect Fairy Wings.]
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
[You have activated Forced Fall.]
As Taesan’s speed surged, Shayan’s movements slowed.
By using Restricted Blink, he had baited Shayan into reacting—and the moment Shayan did, Taesan immediately followed up with another technique, targeting the brief delay in his opponent’s response.
It worked.
Shayan failed to activate Distortion in time before Taesan closed the distance.
Taesan’s sword lunged forward, aimed to pierce through Shayan—
But at that moment, Shayan’s staff glowed.
[Shayan has activated Frozen World.]
Frost rapidly formed around Shayan.
Taesan ignored the attack and pressed forward. Even if it triggered Attack Nullification, it was worth it if his strike landed.
[Shayan has activated Magic Force Coordination.]
However, Frozen World did not expand outward.
Instead, it condensed around Shayan, forming a protective barrier rather than an offensive wave.
[You have activated Absolute Judgment.]
Crack!
Taesan attempted to break through—but since Frozen World had been forcefully repurposed into a defensive spell, Absolute Judgment could not bypass it.
Cracks formed in the ice, but it did not shatter.
Since Taesan had committed to his attack, he was momentarily unable to retreat.
And in that instant—
[Your first Attack Nullification has been triggered.]
[Shayan has activated Distortion.]
Space warped once again, forcibly widening the gap between them.
Taesan had failed to land a hit.
Worse, his Attack Nullification had been expended.
Shayan gazed at him with smug confidence.
“This is my domain. You will never reach me.”
The magic circles flared to life, unleashing another wave of spells.
Taesan immediately moved to counter.
He couldn’t close the gap. Whenever he advanced, Distortion pushed him away.
And even if he somehow broke through, Shayan’s layered magic would turn the situation against him.
Taesan was forced to stay at a distance, focusing on defending against the relentless barrage of spells.
“Perfect.”
He had to admit—Shayan’s strategy was flawless.
Shayan had meticulously prepared to face him.
He had countered his stealth, used wide-range magic to exhaust his Attack Nullification,
blocked his speed with Distortion,
and converted offensive magic into defensive barriers to nullify Absolute Judgment.
Even the Spirit Kings had been preemptively suppressed with magic designed to disrupt natural energy flow.
Everything Taesan had tried had been countered.
This was a level of magic that Taesan simply could not replicate.
Only those who had devoted their entire lives to magic could reach this pinnacle.
And undoubtedly, Shayan had prepared a way to deal with Partial World Alteration as well.
Despite using multiple high-level spells, he showed no sign of exhausting his mana.
It was the perfect countermeasure against Taesan.
“But…”
Even if that was the case—
Even if Shayan had perfectly prepared to fight the Taesan of the 70th Floor—
Taesan was now on the 73rd Floor.
—
