Chapter 419
First, he needed to figure out how to handle the demon’s domain. That had to be confirmed before anything else.
Taesan willed it, and the domain shifted forms in response to his intention.
Rumble!
Cliffs appeared, and enormous mountain ranges soared in the distance. With a wave of his hand, the mountains collapsed and a vast plain appeared.
This was Taesan’s domain.
No matter how he altered the terrain, everything was up to his will.
After a while, as he changed his domain, Taesan realized that his actions meant nothing.
Though the appearance of the domain changed, it was only superficial. There was no change in power.
He needed a different force.
It wasn’t hard to guess what that force was.
Magi flowed from Taesan’s body, spreading throughout his domain.
Rumble!
With that, the domain began to truly change.
Unlike shifting things by will alone, this was a fundamental transformation.
It felt as if he were expanding his own body and adjusting it however he wanted.
Taesan focused his will on the magi spreading through his domain.
What he wanted was a sharp, heavy, black wind that could cut mountains and split seas.
The spreading magi responded to his will and began to transform.
Whoooosh!
The wind blew. It was black.
A wind of deep darkness began to swirl through the previously still domain.
“So this is how it feels.”
Taesan used magi while picturing the beginner-level Black Magic [Seir’s Black Wind].
The result: an actual black wind swept through his domain.
He waved his hand. The scattered black wind gathered, soon forming a storm.
Crack-crack-crack!
A violent jet-black storm shredded everything in its path. In an instant, a vast clearing appeared.
By using magi to imbue his domain with power and create phenomena, then summoning that phenomenon, he could use Black Magic.
But for now, he couldn’t use it easily. Taesan opened his stats window.
[Level: 171]
[Shield: 25,162/25,162]
[Health: 260,901/260,901]
[Mana: 23,558/23,558]
[Magi: 3,244/5,798]
[Strength: 47,027]
[Agility: 47,558]
[Intelligence: 42,221]
[Attack +12,238]
[Defense +7,422]
[Target is in optimal condition.]
“The magi cost is too high.”
Just creating the black wind used 2,500 magi.
For now, it was too difficult to use perfectly.
Still, the fact that he could create his own Black Magic was a definite advantage. He could make the Black Magic he needed for any situation or condition.
[…Huh.]
The ghost was at a loss for words.
He had acquired a demon’s domain. And not just any, but one of the seventy-two demon domains that had existed since before creation.
It was incredible, in a completely different way from before.
[You’re not actually human, are you? Are you a transcendent or a demon’s avatar?]
“I’m human.”
Taesan answered the joking remark. He was human. Even if he was mixed, his nature hadn’t changed.
[Does that make you… a transcendent?]
A transcendent who ruled his own domain.
But Taesan denied that as well.
“No. This may be my domain, but it isn’t truly mine.”
In the end, it was a demon’s domain. It wasn’t something he alone had built or could call his own. Right now, he was close to an immortal who possessed a domain.
“Hm.”
He was lost in thought.
What kind of Black Magic should he create?
A power only Taesan could use.
There was no easy answer.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
He needed to fully grasp what he could do with this domain.
It wasn’t hard to recover the magi spent in his domain. Taesan reclaimed the black wind.
From now on, he needed to increase his total magi. Fortunately, he had gained a skill that would help with that.
[Special Passive Skill: Lord of Darkness]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Master of darkness itself. Gain magi when you defeat an enemy, and passively absorb faint darkness from your surroundings to constantly increase magi.]
A skill that helped him gather magi.
He could gain magi by defeating enemies, and even by just remaining still, he would passively absorb magi from the darkness around him. It was the perfect skill for his current situation.
And now that Taesan had claimed a demon’s domain and become one of the seventy-two demons, he was fundamentally closer to the essence of Black Magic.
Because of that, the restrictions on Black Magic had been lifted.
[Special Passive Skill: Master of Black Magic]
[Black Magic is the power to summon forces from a demon’s domain. As the master of that domain, you have no restrictions on activating Black Magic.]
There was only one restriction left. Taesan raised his arm.
[You have activated Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation.]
Boom!
Roots that pierced through the world were summoned. They spread wildly through Taesan’s domain, filling the space.
A smile crept onto Taesan’s lips.
Black Magic was about summoning power from the demon’s domain.
In other words, to use the true force of Black Magic, one had to open a path to the demon’s domain.
But opening that path took considerable time. Until now, he’d bought time by using magic first, then following up with Black Magic. It was powerful but came with the significant restriction of forced action.
Now, that restriction of opening a path was gone.
“Not bad.”
This alone made clearing the trial worthwhile.
Taesan opened a portal and returned to the labyrinth.
At that moment, a system window appeared to announce his clear.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[You have acquired the Belt Soaked in Water from the Depths of Darkness.]
[You have acquired ???.]
Level up by three. And he received the rewards for clearing the floor.
[Belt Soaked in Water from the Depths of Darkness]
[Black Magic +5]
[Magi +500]
[Strength +400]
[Intelligence +400]
[Attack +30]
[Defense +30]
[A belt made from the hide of a creature living deep within the unknown demon’s domain. The darkness within is so dense, an ordinary person would go mad upon contact.]
High Black Magic and magi stats, with decent attack power as well.
The secret reward was a potion that increased magi. It raised his magi by a permanent 500, no conditions attached. Given that magi’s total would be crucial going forward, this was a very useful reward.
And the last remaining reward—
The two intermediate Black Magic spells given directly by Baal.
[Intermediate Black Magic: Baal’s Surge of the Sevenfold Black Space]
[Mana Cost: 2,000]
[Magi Cost: 80]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Summons a space drenched in darkness that exists within Baal’s domain. The space, which shatters concepts and laws, is extremely deteriorated and only possesses physical might.]
The mana and magi costs were much higher than other Black Magic.
Baal was a Great Demon. Even as an intermediate spell, there was a huge difference in power. Taesan immediately tested it.
[You have activated Baal’s Surge of the Sevenfold Black Space.]
Mana and magi drained away as a space consumed by darkness was summoned.
The condensed black space barreled forward in a wave, crushing all before it.
Crack-crack-crack!
With a harsh roar, everything seemed to distort. The space smashed into the labyrinth wall.
Boom!
A huge impact resounded.
When the distorted space returned to normal, a deep scar was left on the labyrinth wall.
“No comparison.”
This was on a whole different level from any Black Magic Taesan had obtained so far.
Of course, compared to high-level spells like [Great Collapse], it was a bit lacking in power, but [Great Collapse] required a lot of time to gather strength, while Baal’s Black Magic materialized very quickly.
The high cost was a trade-off, but it was still extremely useful. Satisfied, Taesan checked the other skill as well.
[Intermediate Black Magic: Baal’s Layered Darkness]
[Mana Cost: 1,700]
[Magi Cost: 70]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Summons multiple layers of darkness from Baal’s domain to shroud your body. This deteriorated darkness can hide you even from a transcendent’s gaze.]
A darkness that cloaked the body. It was a skill he could only verify if someone else was present. Taesan summoned Minerva and Varkaza.
[What is it?]
“Master. Long time no see.”
Minerva appeared in the labyrinth, glanced at Taesan, and let out a wry chuckle.
“Master, you’ve really gone way too far this time.”
Now there was a massive gap in strength between him and Minerva. She let out a pained groan.
“It’s good for me if my master grows stronger, but as a spirit, it’s a bit sad to lose my worth.”
“You both have your own roles. As spirits, your detection abilities are outstanding, right?”
“That’s true. When it comes to detection, I’d say we’re just below an Immortal.”
“And since you’ve contracted with me, you should be able to sense me even better.”
“What kind of spirit would lose track of their contractor?”
Minerva grumbled as if it were obvious. Taesan nodded.
“That’s perfect, then.”
[You have activated Baal’s Layered Darkness.]
Multiple layers of darkness shrouded Taesan’s body.
And his presence completely vanished. Minerva looked flustered.
“…Master, are you really there? I can’t feel anything.”
Minerva was a contracted spirit. She should have been able to sense where Taesan was, what he was doing, and what powers he held.
But now, covered by this darkness, even she couldn’t detect him.
“So this is it.”
Taesan moved his arm. The layered darkness shifted smoothly with his movements.
If he made any sudden movements or was attacked, it would break, but simply moving with the darkness maintained posed no problem.
Even his contracted Minerva couldn’t detect him. It seemed possible to use this in conjunction with the [One Who Hides in the Shadows] skill.
“Not bad.”
It was a thoroughly satisfying skill.
After checking everything, Taesan began descending the labyrinth again.
[83rd Floor Quest begins.]
[Pass the trial of Essence.]
[Reward: Ring of Endless Abyssal Descent.]
[Secret Reward: ???]
“So starting from the 80th floor, it’s all gods’ trials.”
Taesan muttered. The 83rd floor—Essence.
The God of the Fall.
He passed through the passage and opened the door to find Essence’s altar.
The altar was shaped like those used for human sacrifice.
The power emanating from it was incredibly deep.
It was an alien sensation, like falling endlessly into the abyss.
Finally, the God of the Fall. The one who devoured Princess Beldenkia and toyed with Amelia.
Of all the gods Taesan had seen, Essence was one of the closest to an evil god.
Taesan placed his hand on the altar. A powerful shockwave engulfed him.
The space shifted, and his body was transported. Minerva and Varkaza were forcibly unsummoned. Taesan instinctively realized he had arrived in Essence’s domain.
And in a domain, the rightful master always waited. Taesan turned his head.
It was enormous.
So massive its true form was hard to discern.
Its whole body writhed, as if all forms of life had been forced together.
Now, Taesan could see Essence’s true form, hidden by status.
This was the God of the Fall. The real Essence.
A gaze filled with malice fell on Taesan.
At the same time, Taesan felt himself falling.
His rank and power, body and mind, threatened to plummet into the abyss. It was Essence’s power: just being seen caused a target to fall.
“That won’t work.”
But Taesan shrugged off Essence’s power with a light tensing of his body.
The force dragging him down returned to normal.
Emotion filled Essence’s gaze at Taesan. Taesan met it directly.
The eyes of two beings who had transcended mortality crossed.
Displeasure radiated from Essence, but it could not directly affect Taesan. In the end, Essence was the first to speak.
[Let’s make a deal, adventurer.]