Chapter 376
“Hoo.”
The Lion King exhaled.
His entire body was crumbling.
The energy he had released at full power was barely managing to protect his body, but the unstable flickering made it look like it could shatter at any moment.
The Lion King raised his gaze.
In the endlessly spreading gray space, black orbs floated like stars.
The Lion King gritted his teeth and advanced forward.
Rumble.
A fierce pressure descended upon him. The space itself distorted, trying to twist his entire body.
“Krgh!”
The Lion King unleashed his power. It was the full might of one who had reached the edge of mortality.
But it meant nothing.
Like a drop of water falling into the sea—
Only a faint ripple spread and disappeared. The gray space remained deathly silent.
With a hardened face, the Lion King pressed forward.
He had emptied all his gold to equip himself with defense-prioritized gear, but one by one, they were being destroyed. At the end of barely protecting his collapsing body, he arrived before a massive black orb.
“…O great being!”
The Lion King fell to his knees and shouted.
“You who desires the collapse of all things, you who despises all laws, O sovereign! This wretched body! Calls upon you within your domain!”
With his cry, the Lion King took out numerous gems from his bosom and threw them.
The gems were devoured by the massive orb and disappeared.
The Lion King bowed his head to the ground. From here on, he had no idea what would happen. Swallowing dryly, he waited in silence.
Boom.
The orb trembled.
An intense pressure bore down on the [Lion King’s] entire body.
He barely withstood the torrent that felt as if it would melt his mind.
The torrent slowly subsided.
And then it descended.
[Wretched thing.]
A voice filled with irritation echoed. The space quivered from the resonance contained in the voice.
[You struggled to crawl into my domain, and for that, I shall commend you. But you dare summon me, a mere thing like you?]
The Lion King’s entire body began to collapse. Neither his resistance nor strength held any meaning. That was the difference in their standing.
The Lion King remained still, continuing to bow his head.
Then the crushing force gradually subsided.
[Answer. Why have you crawled into my domain?]
The first stage was passed.
Suppressing his racing heart, the Lion King spoke.
“O great [Transcendent One]. I have a proposal for you.”
The moment that answer ended—
An overwhelming force, incomparable to before, surged over the Lion King.
His consciousness snapped.
[You dare make a proposal to me?]
There was only one emotion in that voice: rage.
The Lion King’s trembling lips opened.
“Do you not wish to disrupt the plans of the other gods?”
At those words, the force that had trampled the Lion King vanished in an instant.
Without even a moment to catch his breath, the Lion King continued speaking.
“An adventurer is descending the [Labyrinth]. He possesses tremendous power. Many gods favor him, and when he dies, they intend to take him as their servant.”
This was the chance. The Lion King did not stop speaking.
“If nothing major occurs, he will likely clear the [Labyrinth]. The other gods will be delighted watching him and feel fulfilled. They will believe the creation of the [Labyrinth] was worthwhile.”
The Lion King opened his eyes wide.
“Do you not wish to shatter that expectation? To make their hopes and beliefs meaningless and crush their confident actions?”
His voice was quiet. The Lion King waited.
Moments later, the voice echoed again.
[That would be… quite an amusing endeavor.]
It was done.
The Lion King clenched his fist.
“I will assist in carrying out your will. I will become your instrument and act on your behalf.”
[Why should I bother handling a thing like you?]
“Because you cannot interfere directly with the adventurer.”
A law that bound the [Labyrinth’s] gods: they could not directly intervene with adventurers in the [Labyrinth]. This was why many gods disliked the [Guide of Sin] but did not act against him.
But that restriction did not apply only to the [Guide of Sin].
There were many gods in the [Labyrinth].
And for gods, good and evil held no meaning. They acted based on their domains.
There were certainly gods who disliked Taesan as well.
[So?]
The sharp voice had softened.
[You want me to accept a thing like you because I cannot touch him myself?]
“No. I merely ask for mercy.”
The Lion King quietly bowed.
He felt the gaze upon him.
The Lion King closed his eyes. The result was no longer in his hands. He simply repeated a prayer, not knowing to whom it was offered.
[Very well.]
The Lion King’s eyes opened.
[For your paltry effort, I shall permit it. But it will not be what you desire. Do not regret this, mortal.]
Power engulfed the Lion King.
* * *
Balbamaba appeared. He silently looked at Taesan, then spoke with a thud.
[What a headache.]
Balbamaba spoke wearily.
[You really are a headache to me.]
“Did something go wrong?”
[Nothing is wrong. The clear is not a problem. Among all adventurers who cleared the nth floor, yours was the most perfect.]
The 77th floor. A quest to stabilize a world destroyed by the [Old gods].
Most adventurers solved it with only violence and force. As long as the surviving inhabitants of the planet could scrape by, many just met the minimum requirements and cleared it.
In contrast, Taesan completed the quest flawlessly. Even Balbamaba had not expected such a perfect resolution.
His headache came from something else.
[You reached a certain state, albeit partially. And you haven’t even stepped onto the 80th floor yet.]
“So you knew?”
[I’m the administrator. I know most of what happens here.]
Balbamaba spoke in a troubled tone.
[Well, it’s not unheard of. Sometimes, due to a contract with a god, someone reaches that state. But… reaching it entirely by one’s own power, that’s a first…]
Balbamaba, after a moment of hesitation, shook his head.
[Let the magician handle it. I won’t concern myself.]
It was beyond his responsibility.
Balbamaba gave up. From now on, any matter related to Taesan would be pushed onto the magician. He was certain that was the least painful choice.
[Now, the reward.]
This was a problem too.
Taesan had cleared it perfectly—far beyond what Balbamaba had expected.
So the reward needed to match.
However, Taesan had now reached a limited form of enlightenment. A mediocre reward wouldn’t satisfy him.
After some thought, Balbamaba made a decision.
[At times like this, simple is best.]
Power flowed into Taesan.
[You have obtained the title [Savior of the World].]
[You have obtained the [Ring of the One Who Saved the World].]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Check the rewards yourself.]
[Balbamaba’s] body began to collapse. Just before vanishing, he said:
[You are unstable as you are now. If you fully attain enlightenment, the magician will come to you.]
“Got it.”
With those final words, Balbamaba disappeared.
Taesan checked the rewards.
[Title: Savior of the World]
[A title granted to one who has perfectly saved a world.]
[Health +2000]
[Mana +500]
[Magi +200]
[Attack Power +20]
[Defense +200]
Taesan realized what Balbamaba meant by “simple.”
It was a title that purely boosted stats in a major way.
“Not bad.”
Unlike equipment, a title’s effects were active just by possessing it. Its performance alone rivaled any gear from the [Deep Layer].
[Ring of the One Who Saved the World]
[A reward given to one who restored a world on the brink of destruction.]
[Mana +50]
[Magi +10]
[Attack Power +300]
All the stats were ones that benefited Taesan. It was a significant item.
The default clear reward, the [Bloodstained Hammer], was a weapon he didn’t use and planned to sell at the shop.
Then came the skills.
[Special Divine Skill: Sanctuary Creation]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Divinity Cost: ???]
[Manifest your own divinity to create a domain and establish a sanctuary. The size and traits of the sanctuary vary based on the consumed divinity and manifestation method.]
It was his first divine skill.
It would be more useful on Earth than in the [Labyrinth]. It was perfect for use on the devastated Earth.
As long as faith was offered by people, the sanctuary could be sustained indefinitely. Low-grade monsters wouldn’t even be able to approach it.
Then there was the transcendental skill—comparable to black-grade ones.
[Transcendental Skill: Eternal and Undying Faith]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Consumption: Faith and Status.]
[You receive faith from all life in one world. They will send you unwavering faith for eternity. By consuming their faith and your status, you can obtain true divinity.]
“Hmm.”
Taesan had a general idea of what the skill did.
[You have activated Eternal and Undying Faith.]
In an instant, [Taesan’s] inner world expanded.
Faith from those who worshipped him, beyond space, seeped into him. As an intense load pressed on, his body and mind reached a higher state.
The omnipotent sensation he felt in the world on the brink of destruction filled his body again.
[Oh.]
The ghost let out an involuntary exclamation.
Right now, Taesan was transcending mortality.
[Is this for real…?]
“No.”
Taesan canceled the skill. The omnipotence vanished, and fatigue took its place.
“I’m not quite there yet.”
He could temporarily transcend mortality, yes.
But the duration and stability were problematic. With the load it placed, it was hard to maintain for even a few minutes.
And faith was being consumed at an abnormal rate. The number of people who believed in him didn’t even reach one hundred thousand. Forcing it could even collapse the sanctuary that relied on their faith.
“…So it’s a state limited to that world.”
In a way, it was natural.
He had become a god by receiving the faith of everyone in a world on the brink of destruction. It was a state reached by exploiting a loophole.
In other words, his divine power could only be used in that world.
Trying to use such power in other places came with a heavy burden.
[Still, it’s an unbelievable thing. To even temporarily transcend mortality—do you understand what that means?]
The ghost spoke with a slightly excited tone.
[Unless your opponent also transcends mortality, they can’t defeat you.]
This was different from everything before.
Even those who stood at the boundary could never defeat Taesan. That was an unchanging fact.
“It’s still unstable power. But…”
The upcoming Earth-return quest.
Already, players from China, Japan, and Korea worshipped Taesan.
What if people from other countries came to revere him too?
Stories of Taesan were already spreading through communities. His name was being talked about even in other countries.
Many had died fighting monsters or descending the [Labyrinth], but there were still far more surviving players than in the world on the brink of destruction.
If he could receive their faith… if he could earn their devotion even on Earth…
He could potentially maintain the skill’s effect stably. He might even be able to reach 100% proficiency in divine power.
The return to Earth held great promise.
Taesan proceeded to the 78th floor. The quest window filled his vision.
[78th Floor Quest Initiated.]
[Successfully complete the librarian’s request at the Library of All Things.]
[Reward: Book of Knowledge.]
[Secret Reward: ???]