Chapter 354
In theory, if one were to defeat another immortal, they could also seize the authority that immortal possessed.
A mortal body could hold multiple immortal authorities.
It was truly laughable.
The authority of an immortal was the culmination of everything they had built up over their lifetime. And yet, the idea of stealing it—especially by someone who wasn’t even an immortal, but a mere mortal.
‘Or maybe not.’
The ghost reconsidered.
It wasn’t strange that a mortal had a skill that allowed them to elevate their soul rank.
What was strange was that despite possessing such a skill, he still remained a mortal.
‘Is he filling himself up through plunder?’
In many ways, he was an irregularity. At least, it was something beyond the ghost’s understanding.
Taesan checked the skills he had left.
A skill obtained from lingering on the boundary. Beyond the Boundary.
[Special Activation Skill: Beyond the Boundary]
[Consumption: ???]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Those who stand on the boundary between mortality and beyond can wield, even if only slightly, the power beyond the boundary. It can be used in conjunction with attacks and skills.]
“The power beyond, huh.”
It seemed to be a skill that could only be understood through direct testing.
[You have activated Beyond the Boundary.]
At that moment, a peculiar sensation engulfed Taesan.
It was as if he were floating through empty space, weightless. He felt a strange sense of distance from the world.
Taesan gathered mana.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crack!
A wave of frost swept through the labyrinth.
Frozen World was an intermediate-level magic Taesan frequently used.
He had a complete grasp of its power and manifestation.
But this time, the Frozen World that activated was different.
The raging frost froze everything in its path.
Even Taesan was no exception.
From his fingertips where Frozen World was activated, the cold invaded up his arm.
With a crackling sound, his entire body began freezing, the chill stabbing into his lungs.
It was fundamentally different from the Frozen World he had been using.
Taesan quickly canceled the skill and stepped back.
Crack.
Even after he had canceled the skill, the Frozen World continued to expand in size. It was as if it no longer followed his control.
[The power contained within this Frozen World is fundamentally different from what I normally use.]
Even if he stacked magic enhancements and forced amplification, it wouldn’t reach this level of power.
The strength was undeniable. Most mortals wouldn’t even be able to withstand it.
But the risks were also evident.
“It’s hard to control.”
Since it drew power from beyond the boundary, it was difficult to wield as he wished. If he wasn’t careful, he could end up harming himself.
“Dangerous… but useful.”
It was difficult to control, but not impossible. Thanks to his quick adjustments, he had avoided taking damage.
A secret trump card that was more stable than standing on the boundary itself. That was how he decided to see it.
At last, he finished checking everything. Just as Taesan was about to descend to the 75th floor,
A rift in space opened. A thick, dark energy spread through the labyrinth, carving a path for its master.
Taesan halted his steps. He opened his mouth toward the approaching figure.
“It’s been a while, Demon God.”
A young girl’s figure emerged. The Demon God appeared before Taesan with a smile.
[Thanks to you, I got to see something quite entertaining again.]
“You were watching?”
[I didn’t interfere, but I did observe.]
The Demon God’s eyes curved in amusement.
[It was an incredibly rare sight. Even the ones outside must have been quite surprised. And now, they’ll take an interest in you.]
Though I have no intention of yielding to them. The Demon God murmured softly.
[I came here this time to deliver a message to you.]
A black chair materialized behind her. She sat down and spoke.
[The 76th floor. The Guides of Sin will come to fight you there. And unlike before, they won’t be alone.]
“There will be multiple of them.”
Taesan nodded. He had already expected this, so he felt no particular change in emotion.
The Guides could no longer face him alone. So they would resort to numbers. It wasn’t surprising.
However, one question remained.
“That doesn’t mean they can defeat me.”
[That’s true. Right now, no matter how many of them come, you would still win.]
The Demon God acknowledged.
[I placed restrictions on them because the battles weren’t fair.]
Until now, the Guides had always been overwhelmingly stronger than Taesan. Watching a one-sided fight wasn’t fun, so the Demon God had imposed restrictions on them. And that principle applied in reverse as well.
[Taesan, I plan to place a restriction on your leveling up.]
“Leveling up?”
[Under the labyrinth’s system, leveling up restores everything.]
Health, mana, even mental strength—all of it returned to peak condition. Taesan had leveraged this mechanic to secure victories multiple times.
[The restriction I’ll impose on you is that during battles against the Guides, you won’t be able to recover through leveling up.]
Even if his level increased, his state wouldn’t be restored.
Taesan asked,
“Is this mandatory?”
[No. Unlike those fools, you have a choice. You can accept my restriction or reject it. It’s entirely up to you. However, if you do accept… I will grant you an appropriate reward.]
The decision didn’t take long. Taesan nodded.
“I accept.”
For the Demon God to place such a restriction on him, it meant that she still believed he had a fair chance of winning.
And if he could gain another reward from it, there was no reason to refuse. The Demon God grinned.
[Good. Then, I’ll be looking forward to it. Keep getting stronger. And one day….]
With those final words, the Demon God vanished.
Taesan resumed his journey toward the 75th floor.
[75th Floor Quest Initiated.]
[Complete a full lap around the world within 1 hour.]
[Reward: A ring forged from the world’s core.]
[Hidden Reward: ???]
[What the.]
The ghost’s voice rang out in delight upon seeing the quest conditions.
[The 75th-floor quest is still the same? Even after all this time, it hasn’t changed. Brings back memories.]
“You’ve cleared this quest before, then?”
[I told you before, didn’t I? That there’s a floor where you have to complete a full lap around the world within an hour. This is that place.]
Taesan stepped onto the 75th floor.
Inside the floor’s chamber was a space endlessly distorted. The moment he entered it, the space flipped.
Taesan found himself on a desolate planet.
[You have activated Leraje’s Domain Detection.]
Dark energy spread across the ground.
And with it, he confirmed—there was no one here.
When he lifted his gaze, he saw an endless cosmos. The planet had almost no atmosphere.
In space, nothing was visible.
This planet alone had been abandoned, left adrift.
It was an environment unfit for sustaining life. A world that had ended in a different way than Haphran’s world.
“There’s no extra condition—just completing a lap?”
The world didn’t seem particularly vast. Judging by its visible radius, it was minuscule compared to Earth. Even an average adventurer, if adequately prepared, could complete a lap without too much difficulty.
[You really think it’s that easy?]
The ghost’s words had barely ended when a system message appeared.
[Complete a full lap around the world within one hour while overcoming all obstacles.]
A sinister will began to seep across the entire planet.
“So, these are the obstacles.”
Taesan nodded and took a step forward.
And at that moment, the will of the world awakened to obstruct him.
This tiny wandering planet had nothing from the start.
Abandoned in a corner of space, it never belonged anywhere, destined to drift and eventually fade away in the cold void.
Normally, such a planet would possess no will of its own.
But this wandering planet was unique.
Perhaps because it had drifted past countless planets teeming with life, at some point, it developed a faint will.
And the first emotions the wandering planet felt were rage and hatred.
Why was I abandoned like this?
Why must I vanish alone, in solitude?
Why can I not harbor life?
These emotions reverberated across the entire planet.
Yet there was no one to hear them.
It had gained a will, but not the power to sustain life.
Thus, the wandering planet drifted endlessly through space, seething with fury.
The greatest misfortune of the wandering planet was that it had developed a will at all.
For an immeasurable span of time, it wandered, and it was doomed to continue doing so—until someone arrived.
“This place… Balbamaba sure found something interesting. I should praise them later.”
The man who leaped through space and landed on the planet murmured to himself.
The planet, which had only known endless rage, hesitated upon seeing a living being set foot upon it.
A creature that breathed.
The man who would one day create the labyrinth smiled and waved.
“Nice to meet you.”
At the sound of his voice, the planet’s killing intent surged. The rage it had accumulated over countless ages had long since rotted into unbridled hatred for all living things.
The ground rose to crush the magician, and the air turned to poison.
The magician observed the malice directed at him.
“This much? Not bad.”
Having assessed the situation, the magician clapped his hands.
At that moment, the raging ground settled. The air, once turned to poison, instantly calmed.
The world was no longer in control. As the planet reeled in confusion, the magician spoke.
“Do you hate all that lives and breathes?”
Though conveyed in words, the meaning was clear even to the planet.
The planet stirred, affirming the question. Its emotions were twisted and crude, having never conversed with anything before, but the magician understood them effortlessly.
“Then, why don’t we make a contract?”
The magician made an offer.
The planet would be connected as a floor of the labyrinth. Adventurers would come here regularly.
What happened to those adventurers was up to the planet. It could kill them, let them go—it didn’t matter.
If an adventurer met the conditions, they would be transported elsewhere.
The planet did not fully understand the contract, but it accepted without hesitation.
Life would visit this forsaken land. And it could do whatever it wanted with them.
There was no reason to refuse.
And thus, the planet became the 75th floor of the labyrinth.
Many adventurers came. The planet sought to kill them.
Some perished, unable to withstand it. Others survived and returned.
This time, another life had arrived.
How much would this one endure?
The will of the planet smiled quietly.
At some point, tormenting and killing adventurers had become the pillar of its existence.
For now, a light test. The planet gathered its strength.
Rumble!
The ground rose into a massive wall, crashing down toward Taesan.
Not only was it heavy with soil and rock, but it also carried the will of the planet itself, making it nearly impossible to block.
This wouldn’t kill him—
The planet, having observed adventurers for ages, had a rough understanding of their strength.
Surely, he would emerge from the debris, albeit injured. Every adventurer before him had.
However, what emerged was beyond the planet’s expectations.
Taesan emerged unscathed. Not even a speck of dust clung to him.
The planet grew agitated.
It unleashed more of its power, but none of it could harm Taesan.
The moment things didn’t go its way, the planet furiously summoned a storm.
The wind swelled into a massive tempest.
This was its strongest attack—the force that had slain the most adventurers.
Normally, it would toy with them for a while before using this just as they neared the objective, but in its frustration, it unleashed it immediately.
This time, surely, Taesan would suffer damage.
As the raging storm surged toward him, Taesan clenched his fist.
Boom!
With a single punch, the storm was obliterated.
The planet hesitated.
Taesan dusted off his hands.
“Not too difficult.”
