Chapter 350

This was the domain of the Immortals. The fragments of their power floating in the air were clearly beyond the reach of mortality. As someone who was still bound by mortality, Taesan had no means to counteract them.

He could wield divinity to push them away, but the consumption of divine power would be immense. It was not an effective solution.

Thus, he turned to the Black.

The Black was the power of the Old Gods—an existence beyond the concepts of mortality and immortality. It was possible that it could withstand the oppressive force of this space.

However, this was not the place to experiment. It was an untested method, and he needed practice.

With the duration of his [Avatar of Nature] nearly expired, Taesan returned to the labyrinth.

Balbamaba, who had been waiting, was surprised to see him return after only a few hours.

[You’re back already? Did you give up?]

“No.”

Balbamaba observed him for a moment and then realized the truth.

[Ah… you’ve already completed the quest. That was much faster than I expected.]

While he knew that Taesan had the strength to clear it, most adventurers had taken years to do so. He had never expected it to be completed this quickly.

[The quest conditions have been met. If you wish, I can acknowledge your clearance of the 74th floor.]

Balbamaba had assumed that Taesan would end things here.

But Taesan shook his head.

“Not yet.”

[…You intend to continue exploring the 74th floor?]

“There are still four remnants of the Immortals left, aren’t there?”

He would not leave until he had checked them all.

Hearing the firm resolve in his voice, Balbamaba spoke with a vague tone.

[You truly are formidable. Throughout the history of this labyrinth, no one has gained as much power at the entrance to the deeper layers as you have.]

Taesan was undoubtedly powerful. Even through Balbamaba’s eyes, he could see that Taesan was already standing at the boundary of mortality.

But that place belonged to the Immortals.

It was a space filled with the remains of beings who had transcended mortality. Even for Taesan, continuing the quest beyond this point was reckless.

[I am merely a manager. I am not permitted to interfere with adventurers, but I can still offer advice. Overconfidence will kill you. There are times when you must be content to leave, even if you cannot claim everything.]

“This is not overconfidence.”

He was prepared. Having descended through the labyrinth, he had acquired countless skills, and he judged himself ready.

Balbamaba said no more.

[Very well. Then what will you use to break through the domain of the Immortals? As you are now, there must be a limit.]

Balbamaba spoke quietly.

Taesan answered with action.

[You have activated the Black.]

A surge of darkness erupted from Taesan’s body.

It was not Magi.

It was a force from beyond the world, defying both laws and providence.

[This…]

Balbamaba let out a groan.

A darkness, blacker than the void itself, slithered across the ground.

[Even seeing it again, it is unsettling.]

He had already witnessed Taesan wielding the Black before, and yet it remained disturbing. A mortal handling the power of the Old Gods was simply beyond comprehension.

Balbamaba quietly gathered his strength in case Taesan’s Black went out of control.

Taesan slowly refined the flowing Black.

He was far stronger and more refined than when he had first obtained it. Bit by bit, the Black responded to his will, beginning to wrap around his body.

‘It’s controllable.’

But there was still a major issue.

The Black that shrouded his body writhed, attempting to consume his flesh.

Both his mind and body were under immense strain. Even with his resistance skills against mental corruption, it was difficult to endure.

Pushed to his limits, Taesan withdrew the Black.

He could wield it.

The problem was resolving the corruption of his body and mind.

Taesan began searching for an answer.

[Divine Apostle Transformation] and [Avatar of Nature] could mitigate the corruption to some extent. But they weren’t perfect solutions. Even if he elevated his rank through [Divine Apostle Transformation], it wasn’t enough to resist the Black’s corruption.

[Partial World Alteration] might work, but its duration was far too short.

“In the end, divinity is the answer.”

Divinity was the perfect counterforce to the Black. By using divinity to suppress its corruption, he could endure.

But that too had its issues.

If divinity and the Black intertwined, the Boundary would activate.

At his current level, Taesan could manipulate the Boundary to some extent, but it would only work once.

He needed to wield both divinity and the Black simultaneously without letting them mix, ensuring the Boundary did not trigger.

He had never attempted it before.

He had never even considered it possible. But now, he was certain—he could do it.

Taesan enveloped his body with the Black.

He did not spread it. Instead, he kept a thin layer of it around his body, no thicker than a sheet of cloth.

His goal was to maintain balance between divinity and the Black, having them suppress each other.

He had succeeded once before.

Back when he defeated the dragon enslaved by the Old Gods, he had maintained a balance between divinity and the Black.

At that time, he had forcibly overwhelmed the Black with divinity, relying on the direct faith of the people to sustain it. That was no longer an option.

But this time, he had no intention of exerting such overwhelming power. A thin layer around his body would suffice.

Moreover, he had become much more adept at handling both divinity and the Black than before.

Taesan spread his divinity.

The divinity met the Black.

Creak.

A distorted sound rang out as a shade of gray began to form.

Balbamaba clicked his tongue and gathered his power.

[Can you contain it?]

Balbamaba understood the power contained within.

It was a force that warped the very laws of existence. Even as a manager who held near-absolute authority within the labyrinth, he could not guarantee that he could stop it.

Balbamaba braced himself for impact.

A mighty force—one straddling the boundary—began to manifest in the world.

Taesan focused his mind.

He did not seek the collision of divinity and the Black.

What he wanted was for them to repel each other while maintaining equilibrium.

Then.

Taesan instinctively found the answer.

Kiiing.

A pure white ring glowed. With its assistance, he wielded divinity.

The divinity and the Black began to rotate in opposite directions.

The two forces, which had previously attempted to mix, started to find balance through their respective rotations.

Kagagagak.

As time passed, the initially repelling forces of divinity and the Black gradually stabilized and separated.

Balbamaba, who had been gathering his strength, hesitated.

[That is…]

“It’s done.”

Taesan steadied his breath.

A thin layer of divinity wrapped around his body, while the Black flickered over it.

Since the Black was blocked by divinity and could not attach to him, there was no mental or physical corruption.

He had succeeded.

At that moment, a system message appeared.

[You have acquired (Boundary Recoil).]

[Your proficiency in (Boundary Line) has increased by @#[email protected].]

Taesan dismissed the Black and divinity before opening his skill window.

[Boundary Recoil]
[Proficiency: ?]
[Something between laws and what lies beyond them. It repels divinity and the Black, extracting power from their opposition.]

It was similar to the description of [Boundary Line], but there was a key difference. While [Boundary Line] involved handling both divinity and the Black to extract power, [Boundary Recoil] functioned by repelling them to achieve the same result.

Taesan activated the Black and divinity once more.

Perhaps because he had gained the skill, it was slightly easier to control than before.

Kagagagak.

Divinity and the Black rotated in opposite directions without mixing.

Success.

Taesan smiled and deactivated [Boundary Recoil].

The ghost muttered, no longer surprised.

[What are you planning to obtain next? Why not try wielding the Black alone?]

“That’s still impossible.”

But with time and further growth, it would become feasible.

Balbamaba, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

[Unbelievable.]

His voice carried a complex mix of emotions.

[Truly unbelievable.]

Divinity was the power of the gods.

The Black was the power of the Old Gods.

Wielding both simultaneously and producing a stable result was an anomaly.

Even Balbamaba, a manager of the labyrinth who had encountered numerous gods and adventurers, found it hard to accept.

[Are you going back?]

“Yes.”

[Then this time, I will accompany you.]

Balbamaba wanted to witness firsthand the power Taesan had obtained.

He gathered his strength. As the space warped, Taesan was transported to Valhalluni.

This time, Balbamaba stood beside him.

Taesan activated [Boundary Recoil].

The moment he stepped out of the blue barrier, the lingering fragments of the Immortals began to press down on him.

But this time, things were different.

The oppressive force of the world disappeared the moment it touched the Black, unable to reach Taesan.

He wasn’t using [Apostle Transformation], [Avatar of Nature], or even [King’s Vessel], yet he was effortlessly resisting the world’s pressure.

[…What is this?]

Balbamaba murmured in shock.

The gap between mortality and immortality was insurmountable. No matter how much one struggled or sought out methods, it was impossible—a fundamental law.

But the Old Gods existed beyond laws.

Breaking the boundary between mortality and immortality was not unexpected.

The strange part was that Taesan, a mere mortal, was the one achieving it.

[…]

This was dangerous.

The power Taesan wielded was too foreign.

A mortal who could withstand the force of the Immortals—what would happen if he acquired an even higher state of existence?

He could collapse the labyrinth’s very laws.

The instincts of a manager warned Balbamaba of that future.

But he did nothing.

The mages and gods had already encountered Taesan and recognized his unnaturalness.

Yet they had not acted.

So there was no reason for him to intervene either. He would leave it to them.

[Then I’ll be going back. Do as you will.]

“Alright.”

Balbamaba vanished.

Taesan erased the surging force with the Black and moved forward.

This was the domain of the Immortals. The power that crushed mortal bodies and shattered minds was spread throughout the space.

But it did not touch Taesan.

[This is ridiculous.]

Though his reaction differed from Balbamaba’s, even the ghost found it difficult to accept.

[Even if someone were a transcendent, if they’re wrapped in that, they wouldn’t suffer any mental pressure, right?]

That wasn’t an unreasonable interpretation.

But Taesan shook his head.

“That’s not quite right.”

Since he was using it directly, he understood.

It wasn’t a power that could be applied in every situation.

“Even though I’ve stabilized it, it’s still precarious.”

He wrapped his body in a thin layer of divinity and the Black, rotating them in opposite directions to maintain balance. Theoretically, it was perfect.

However, since it required such delicate control, he could only extract the tiniest amount of power from it.

“I can endure this right now because the energy here lacks intent.”

The force in this place wasn’t directed at him personally.

The remnants of the Immortals lingered in the air, indiscriminately crushing everything.

It was power without will.

That was why he could erase it with [Boundary Recoil].

“And it consumes a lot of focus.”

If the balance even slightly wavered, the forces could merge, triggering the [Boundary Line] and overwhelming him.

Constant precision was necessary to maintain it.

Still, it was undeniable that he could traverse the domain of the Immortals without issue.

As his proficiency increased and his own state elevated, the skill’s effectiveness would only improve.

More importantly, if he could use it like this, there might be other applications for wielding both divinity and the Black.

‘It’s worth experimenting.’

This was a different kind of power from what he had acquired so far—another new strength to master.

Taesan walked toward the area where he sensed an intense force.

Encased in [Boundary Recoil], he did not stop.

At the end of his path, he discovered the remains of an Immortal.

An overwhelming power radiated from the corpse, but the Black surrounding Taesan erased it completely.

Taesan planted a flag.

Kiiiiing.

A massive barrier enclosed the remains of the Immortal.

“Now, three left.”

Taesan continued walking.

Thanks to reducing the consumption rate, he could use divinity and the Black for a much longer duration.

As a result, he quickly located two more remnants of the Immortals.

Now, only one remained. At this pace, he could clear the 74th floor in less than a day since his arrival.

[Those guys are going to be dumbfounded.]

The Guides had been stuck here for an incredibly long time.

Yet, Taesan was effortlessly advancing toward clearing it.

This was proof of the overwhelming difference between Taesan and the Guides.

[Their heads must be aching by now.]

The ghost had some history with the Guides. Because of that, he understood.

The mage Shayan had made every possible preparation before battling Taesan, yet she was defeated.

This meant that no Guide could defeat Taesan in a one-on-one fight. A mage who had prepared their position signified as much.

By now, they were likely falling apart.

From the start, the Guides were not bound by ideology or camaraderie.

They had come together purely to clear floors, and once the floor had been cleared, the foundation of the Guides would crumble.

It was inevitable that many of them would abandon the cause.

‘They’re probably trying to find a way.’

But from the ghost’s perspective, it was impossible with their power.

Taesan was growing ever closer to fulfilling the ghost’s long-standing wish.

Previously, that had been enjoyable. But now, it wasn’t.

The Ashen Woman. Sociét Gardentia.

A woman he had cherished and helped countless times—yet she had betrayed him for the Guides.

The ghost’s mind was in turmoil.

While he wrestled with his thoughts, Taesan continued the 74th-floor quest.

Before long, he spotted the final remnant of an Immortal in the distance.

“A machine?”

The last remnant of the Immortal was mechanical in nature—resembling a humanoid robot.

[Not all life in the universe is organic. A few mechanical lifeforms have descended through the labyrinth before.]

It was within the realm of possibility, but this was the first time seeing one in person.

Taesan opened a rift in space.

“This is the last one.”

The 74th-floor clearance was within reach.

Taesan planted a flag into the ground.

Kiiing.

A blue barrier formed.

[Quest Complete.]

He had discovered all remnants of the Immortals within Valhalluni.

At that moment, an immense force engulfed the world.

Though Taesan remained unaffected, this was the power of a Transcendent covering the entire domain.

“Is it finally over?”

The forces of the Immortals had been layered upon each other, making it impossible for even Transcendents to intervene.

If they did, it could create an opportunity for the Old Gods to interfere.

But now, the locations of all Immortal remnants had been identified.

With the quest complete and everything accounted for, the Transcendents were making their move.

“They’re in quite a hurry.”

[Since the Old Gods are watching, they’re probably trying to clean things up quickly. …But isn’t this way too rushed? You haven’t even returned to the labyrinth yet.]

Taesan observed the Transcendent’s power as it began retrieving the remnants of the Immortals.

There was no emotion behind the power—only a relentless force sweeping through the world.

The world was being purified. The scattered fragments of the Immortals were erased one by one.

The remnants of the Immortals began to vanish. Even the mechanical remnant before Taesan was losing its power.

Then, the sky cracked open.

A pillar of black power, something beyond the laws of this world, descended.

The force of the Transcendent surged, crushing the black pillar beneath its might.

However, a tiny, thread-thin sliver of power touched the remnant of the Immortal.

Kiiing.

[…What?]

The entire body of the Immortal began to glow.

The eyes of the machine flickered, blinking red like an emergency alarm.

At the same time, a powerful force erupted.

The [Boundary Recoil] surrounding Taesan momentarily wavered.

He quickly gathered his strength and retreated.

Kugugugugung…!

A deafening roar echoed.

The remnant of the Immortal began to rise.

“But it was definitely dead…”

There was no will of life present.

The Immortal’s soul was absent from this place.

Yet its body stood up.

It recognized Taesan.

It marked him as an enemy.

Kiiiiing!

The mechanical parts whirred and clicked, coming to life.

A will-less killing intent immediately locked onto Taesan.