Chapter 344

“We lost.”

The Guides of Sin.

Their highest-ranking members were gathered in one place.

Under the permission of the Demon God, they had been allowed to observe the battle between Taesan and Shayan.

They had witnessed every moment—how the battle unfolded and what its conclusion had been.

“What will we do now?”

Someone spoke.

No one answered.

Silence lingered among the Guides of Sin.

The Lion King’s face was stiff, Sociét remained quiet, and Ambresia scratched his head in frustration.

The others were no different.

They all remained silent, their expressions filled with shock.

“…Let’s try to process this first,” Ambresia finally said.

“The first to go after Taesan was Shaman, right? His defeat was surprising, but understandable.”

Shaman, who prided himself on absolute defense.

Even among the leadership, few could break through his defenses.

Since Taesan had descended fewer floors in the labyrinth than they had, they assumed he lacked the power necessary to overcome Shaman.

They had believed Shaman would return victorious without issue.

But he had lost.

That fact had stunned them.

“It was unsettling, but at least it made some sense.”

As absurd as it sounded, if Taesan had a skill that outright ignored defense, then defeating Shaman wasn’t entirely impossible.

And considering the Demon God had only allowed Shaman to challenge Taesan alone, they had assumed there was a reason for it.

“Then came Vishnu.”

The Fire Spirit King.

This time, they had been confident in victory.

Vishnu’s offensive capabilities were among the greatest of the leadership.

Few had ever withstood her King’s Domain and survived.

Yet, she too had lost.

“But even that was acceptable. We could understand it.”

The Demon God had only allowed them to observe the battle after Shaman’s defeat.

Vishnu had fought with no knowledge of Taesan’s abilities.

Moreover, Taesan had prepared countermeasures specifically for her.

Even her King’s Domain had been neutralized by his Partial World Alteration skill.

His victory wasn’t unthinkable.

They had reluctantly accepted Vishnu’s loss.

Next had been the Grand Mage, Shayan.

By the time Shayan fought, they had fully grasped Taesan’s capabilities.

And Shayan was a magician.

He had reached the 73rd floor beforehand and had meticulously prepared an array of magic circles in anticipation of battle.

This time, they knew he would win.

Shayan had been—undoubtedly—one of the strongest among them.

But Shayan, too, had lost.

Which meant none of them could defeat Taesan in a one-on-one fight.

Ambresia let out a bitter laugh.

“…So what do we do now?”

“…Do we even need to fight him?”

Someone spoke.

There was hesitation in their voice.

The Lion King scowled.

“He’s already killed three of us. And you want to leave him be?”

“We’ve been stuck on the 74th floor. We joined forces only to overcome that obstacle. There was never any true camaraderie between us. If anything, your side was the strange one.”

“You bastard—”

“Even if we wanted to team up against him, the Demon God is watching. It’s impossible.”

“If one isn’t enough, then two should go. We have someone perfect for that strategy.”

“The Twin Blades of White might stand a chance, but… it’s still risky.”

“So what? Are you saying we should just sit here and die?”

“No. It’s simple—we hide.”

Run away.

At those words, the Lion King’s aura flared dangerously.

“Have you no pride?”

“The moment we decided to work together to clear the 74th floor, we abandoned our pride.”

The one opposing the Lion King sneered.

“Lion King. You are no longer a great king. You should come to terms with that.”

The Lion King’s expression twisted in fury.

Tension thickened as power surged in all directions.

Voices rose.

They began arguing—loudly.

“A mess.”

Ambresia clicked his tongue as he watched the chaos unfold.

The Lion King and his opponent had never been on good terms, but this was the first time they had clashed so openly.

It was a clear sign of their desperation.

At this moment, they were at the 77th floor of the labyrinth.

They were still a considerable distance from Taesan.

But given his strength, it wouldn’t take long for him to reach them.

“…Is this our end?”

Ambresia gave a bitter smile.

—

Meanwhile, Malakos stood exactly as before.

Clicking its jaw, it cast another spell.

[Malakos has activated Mana Crystal Surge.]

Fragments of mana rained down.

Taesan leapt aside, dodging the attack.

“So it revives, huh?”

Muttering briefly, he dug his foot into the ground.

Pushing through the barrage of mana, he reached Malakos in an instant.

[Malakos has activated Wave of Liberation.]

Condensed mana erupted outward, pushing Taesan back.

As he momentarily widened the distance, Malakos began casting again.

Kagagak!

Taesan deflected the Frost Arrows.

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]
[You have activated Magic Focus.]

Malakos raised its barrier to block the incoming attack.

[Malakos has activated Guardian’s Iron Wall.]

But—

[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

The Starlight Arrow detonated.

Just as Malakos attempted to erect its barrier, the explosion swallowed it.

Staggering from the impact, Malakos wobbled.

Taesan swiftly closed the gap.

With one final slash—

Malakos collapsed.

The skeletal remains scattered across the ground.

Then—

Clatter.

The bones began to move again.

Once more, they reassembled.

[Decayed Lich, Malakos, has resurrected.]

Click. Click.

Its jaw clattered.

And as if nothing had happened—

It resumed casting.

Taesan dodged, calmly observing his opponent.

[You have activated Reconnaissance.]
[You have activated Essence Identification.]

[A Lich that has hidden its life force externally.]
[Unless its life force is destroyed, the Lich will continue to revive indefinitely.]

“A Life Vessel, huh.”

It didn’t matter how many times he cut down the Lich before him.

Its life wasn’t here. It was hidden elsewhere.

And it didn’t take Taesan long to find it.

A tiny crevice along the cave wall.

Something flickered faintly within.

That was Malakos’s Life Vessel.

Now that he had its location, he could ignore his opponent and destroy it—clearing the 73rd floor instantly.

But Taesan didn’t.

Dodging the onslaught of spells, he simply observed Malakos.

The Lich revived every time it was slain.

Its responses changed slightly with each revival, indicating that it retained memory from previous deaths.

It also seemed to have a degree of will.

“A Lich will revive indefinitely until its Life Vessel is destroyed, right?”

[That’s correct.]

Then this could work.

Taesan tightened his grip on his sword.

First, he needed to confirm the conditions.

Rushing forward, he swiftly cut down Malakos once more.

[Decayed Lich, Malakos, has resurrected.]

And again, the Lich rose.

Its jaw clattered as if mocking Taesan’s fruitless effort.

It was certain now—Malakos retained both its memory and its will.

[Malakos has activated Frozen World.]

Frost spread across the battlefield.

Taesan evaded, carefully analyzing the force contained within the spell.

It was the same Frozen World Malakos had used at the very beginning of their fight.

That meant it didn’t lose power with each resurrection.

With a swift step, Taesan dodged the attack and cast his own magic.

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]
[You have activated Magic Focus.]

Taesan knew from their last exchange that Malakos would likely counter with Guardian’s Iron Wall—so he had used Magic Explosion last time.

Would it react differently now?

Malakos raised its staff.

[Malakos has activated Frozen World.]

Once again, frost surged forward.

Starlight Arrow shattered the ice, but its force was noticeably weakened.

[Malakos has activated Guardian’s Iron Wall.]

Boom!

This time, the weakened Starlight Arrow was successfully blocked.

That confirmed it.

Each time Malakos revived, it retained its previous memories.

It could resurrect indefinitely as long as its Life Vessel remained intact.

And it didn’t lose any power in the process.

A fully conscious, endlessly reviving opponent.

Taesan was sure now.

He could obtain Copying.

Kagagak!

His movements changed.

Rather than simply cutting Malakos down, he drew out the battle—allowing the Lich to reveal every spell it possessed.

One by one, Taesan analyzed Malakos’s magic.

Frozen World, Wave of Liberation, Guardian’s Iron Wall, Scorching Sphere, Frost Arrow, Mana Crystal Surge, Echo of the Earth.

A total of eight spells.

Even when pressured, Malakos didn’t use anything else.

That was its full arsenal.

The ghost, who had remained silent, finally spoke, curious.

[What skill are you trying to obtain this time?]

The ghost had watched as Taesan acquired countless skills.

Attack Nullification, Addition, Absolute Judgment, Absolute Protection…

Skills with immeasurable value.

Not just one—but multiple.

By now, the ghost had stopped being surprised. Instead, he had come to enjoy watching Taesan figure out what he wanted and how to take it.

[The condition seems to be an endlessly reviving opponent. But beyond that, I have no idea. Does it have to be a magician?]

“A magician would make things easier, but it’s not necessary.”

Taesan replied.

“Copying.”

[Copying?]

The ghost paused, considering the implications.

[…You mean copying an attack?]

“Exactly.”

[What?]

The ghost let out a short laugh.

[Copying would mean you could replicate not only the attack but its skill and power, right? If someone used Blade of Will, you could copy that attack too?]

Taesan nodded.

The ghost shook its head in disbelief.

[That’s completely ridiculous.]

Right now, Taesan could use Conversion, Addition, and Blade of Will to momentarily push his damage past 100,000.

With Copying, he could double that—without restrictions or cooldowns.

The ghost was more interested in something else, though.

[What are the exact conditions for obtaining it?]

In the labyrinth, skills were granted when an individual successfully replicated their effect.

To gain Addition, Taesan had used Endurance to double his attack power.

To gain Absolute Judgment, he had needed to strike continuously through an opponent’s ever-changing defenses as if they didn’t exist.

Then what was required for Copying?

The ghost had no idea.

“You’ll figure it out as you watch.”

Taesan kept his answer brief.

He charged forward once more—toward Malakos, who was in the middle of chanting its next spell.