Chapter 368
The crystallized power manifested before Taesan in the form of a blue gem.
The gem slowly descended into Taesan’s palm. With a cold sensation, it settled into his hand.
[You have obtained Crystallized Divine Blood.]
“Divine Blood, is it?”
[That is a portion of my power. How you choose to handle it… is entirely up to you.]
Maria spoke leisurely.
[You may graft it into your own body and wield it that way. Or you could use it as a material to craft a weapon. But at least for now, it will be too much.]
Taesan looked down at the [Crystallized Divine Blood].
Though stabilized like a blue gem, it held a terrifying amount of power.
It was a power that even Taesan, as he was now, seemed incapable of controlling.
[Crystallized Divine Blood cannot be found anywhere in the world. It is a one-of-a-kind reward granted only to you.]
“Thank you.”
Maria was right. [Divine Blood] was a power that could not be attained unless one was born with it. The Emperor had tried to obtain it through sacrificial means, but whether that would’ve worked was uncertain.
He had gained power that could never be acquired through normal means. That alone gave it immense value.
[This is a reward, yes, but also a kind of expectation. Become strong enough to wield it. Then you’ll truly understand its worth.]
Maria chuckled.
[A reward for overcoming my trial. I’m sure you have some questions, don’t you? Go ahead and ask.]
“Then, if I may ask…”
Taesan opened his inventory.
In his hand was a very small ornament shaped like a flower. It had seven petals, each one gleaming with rainbow hues.
[Maria’s Gift]
[A gift bestowed upon a human favored by the gods. Currently has no effect.]
“What kind of item is this?”
It was a reward Maria had given him when they first met.
That had been a long time ago—when he was only on the 12th floor, even weaker than Lee Taeyeon or Kang Junhyuk were now.
But even now, he had been unable to use Maria’s gift.
Every time he remembered, he had activated [Essence Identification] or [Focused Detection], but nothing ever came up.
[You’re asking about that? Then I must answer.]
Maria slowly opened her mouth.
[That gift cannot be used alone. It can only be used when you meet someone tied to your fate.]
“…Someone tied to my fate?”
Everyone connected to him was already dead. That was because he had turned back time.
And Maria knew this as well.
When she had first met Taesan, she had said it: that he was someone who had turned back time, using what the serpent had regurgitated after making the wrong choice and getting entangled with the Old gods.
Yet she mentioned someone tied to his fate.
Taesan’s gaze darkened.
Maria quietly smiled.
[Let’s leave that for the joy of later.]
With those words, Maria’s domain began to recede.
[I will be waiting for you in a deeper place. Come down soon.]
With that final, quiet voice, Taesan returned to the labyrinth.
‘Someone tied to my fate…’
His mind grew a little tangled. Taesan absentmindedly fiddled with the flower ornament.
* * *
Though some questions remained, one thing was clear—he had cleared the 76th floor.
[Crystallized Divine Blood]
[Stabilized by crystallizing Divine Blood itself. If someone unqualified attempts to control it, it will go berserk.]
It was as good as a warning—and Taesan felt the same. Though it was a reward, it wasn’t something he could use right now.
For now, he had no choice but to hold on to it. But given the power of [Divine Blood], it was not a trivial reward. Just as Maria had said, it was something to consider after he had become stronger.
And then, the rest of the 76th floor’s clear rewards.
[Armor Tempered in Deep Darkness]
[Strength +900]
[Defense +90]
[Black Magic +30]
[Black Magic Resistance +1]
[Armor forged by the one who created Black Magic as a hobby within their own domain. Though made in jest, it contains immense power.]
If the creator of black magic had made it, that meant it was a demon. It appeared to be equipment made by a demon, fittingly imbued with black magic and resistance to it.
[Rough Ore Ankle Guard]
[Strength +50]
[Attack +400]
[Defense +500]
[One day, a mysterious ore fell onto a planet. Countless blacksmiths tried to forge it, but just trimming it a few times killed them with its unknown power. After countless lives were lost, it was finally shaped into an ankle guard.]
It was a standard clear reward that never disappointed.
And when the Emperor fell, [Soul Rank Ascension] had activated.
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated. Divinity Mastery has increased by 3%.]
A 3% increase in [Divinity Mastery]. At first glance, it might seem insignificant. But for Taesan, who understood the value of divinity, it was massive.
At 81%, the progress of [Divinity Mastery] had stopped entirely. Even though many players from Earth were surely worshiping him, it didn’t budge.
Once it reached 100%, he might be able to obtain his own divine nature—so its growth was extremely slow.
To have increased it by 3% was more valuable than acquiring most skills.
And then, the skill he gained:
[Special Activation Skill: Law of Disicipline]
[Cost ??? : ???]
[Mastery: 1%]
[Summons the domain of disciplines and enforces its laws. However, the user’s rank and qualifications are severely lacking to wield this power.]
A [Soul Skill]. The description was similar to [Soul Skill: King of Machinery]. That alone told him what kind of skill it was.
This was a power granted only to the Apostle of the God of Discipline.
He had obtained it through [Soul Rank Ascension].
[So it even works on a Transcendent… this is seriously hard to accept.]
[Soul Rank Ascension] drew power regardless of whether the opponent was immortal, an Old god, or a god’s Apostle.
It was a truly incomprehensible skill.
It was a considerable reward.
Though he couldn’t use it right away, the fact that he could wield part of a god’s authority if he became qualified was no small matter.
Perhaps because he had defeated an Apostle, [Apostle Transformation] had also changed. While the name remained the same, its effect had been slightly enhanced.
That concluded the rewards.
Then it was about time to check in. Taesan ascended a floor. Haphran welcomed him as if he had been waiting.
“You’re here. I’ve been waiting to see when you’d show up.”
“Is everything finished?”
“Yes.”
Taesan had entrusted Haphran with the [Crystal of Pure Light] he had obtained in the Spirit Realm. It seemed that work on it was complete.
Haphran handed Taesan a shimmering shard of light.
“I wasn’t sure what to make, so I went with something simple yet powerful.”
[Powder of Pure White Blessing]
[A powder of blessing. Apply it to a weapon to imbue it with this power.]
[Attack Power +200]
[Once per hour, activates “Light of the World.”]
[Light of the World]
[Summons the primordial light of creation. Repels unholy beings and drives back darkness.]
“You can use it on that relic of Caburt you have.”
“Not bad.”
The raw attack power was quite high. He wasn’t sure how effective [Light of the World] would be, but if it was on par with [Forced Amplification], it would be fairly useful.
The stats he had lost from the freed spirit had been more than recovered. Taesan sprinkled the powder onto his sword.
“That everything?”
“No, I have something to ask.”
Taesan showed the black and white rings he wore on his fingers.
“How exactly were these rings made?”
To use [Two Become One] on the rings, he needed to understand them thoroughly. Haphran looked puzzled but responded.
“What are you curious about?”
“The crafting process. Did you intend them to be a pair from the beginning?”
“Not at all.”
Haphran shook his head.
“Initially, I tried to make them into one piece of equipment. But the materials were so overwhelmingly powerful, they repelled each other. Nearly killed me.”
The materials embedded in the rings weren’t something Haphran could easily control.
After much trial and error, Haphran reached a conclusion.
“I made two rings using the exact same process. The materials were different, so they look different, but the process itself was perfectly identical. I used that to synchronize them, amplify their power, and stabilize them. That’s how the rings were made.”
“The process was identical?”
“Not a sliver of difference. That’s what makes them twins.”
“I see.”
Perfectly identical rings.
Then it might really be possible. Not immediately, but the potential was there.
“That’s all I needed. Thanks.”
“You provided the materials and asked me to make them. Of course I’d answer. Is that all?”
“One more thing.”
Taesan showed him the [Crystallized Divine Blood].
“Think you can forge this?”
Haphran stared at the Divine Blood for a moment before grimacing.
“You bring something that can’t even be found on the 90th floor… Do you really think I can?”
“Figured as much.”
He hadn’t expected much from the start. Taesan returned the Divine Blood to his inventory.
“I’m impressive, but I’m still just a mortal. I hope you understand that.”
Haphran grumbled. Taesan bid him farewell and descended the floors once more.
Just as he was about to head toward the 77th floor, system windows suddenly cascaded into his view, blocking his sight.
They were all community notifications. Taesan opened the community.
[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: …Why are you all already back?]
[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Well, things wrapped up early on our end.]
[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: What about China? I definitely felt something explode over there.]
[Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: Ah, that? It’s kind of a long story if I start explaining…]
[Oliver Khan [Hard]: Go ahead. We have to rest for a while anyway.]
In the community, countless people were conversing.
Taesan realized—players from other countries had finally completed their trials and returned to the labyrinth.
* * *
“Faster than I thought.”
He had assumed it would take at least another half year. But judging from the conversations, it looked like every country had completed their quests.
Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyuk were explaining what had happened in China to players from other countries.
[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Is everything done?]
[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: Yeah.]
[Ichijo Eika [Hard]: Oh. Long time no see. We were starting to wonder what you were up to.]
[Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: He’s always like that. We don’t even know what he’s doing most of the time.]
[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Because there’s no need to say anything.]
Taesan slowly explained about Jinryong. After hearing the story, Amelia went quiet for a moment.
[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: …It’s similar to me.]
[Kang Taesan [Solo]: No, it’s different. At least you descended into the labyrinth with your own strength.]
Even if the God of Fall had assisted her, it was still Amelia’s own power that carried her through the labyrinth. Jinryong, who had entrusted everything to an immortal, was a different case.
[Kang Taesan [Solo]: This is good timing.]
It had been quite a while since he last spoke through the community. Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyuk had likely descended far into the labyrinth. The Hard Mode players as well.
He figured now was a good time to check in with everyone.
[Kang Taesan [Solo]: So, tell me. How are things going for all of you?]