Chapter 429
The girl with ashen hair sat quietly with her eyes closed.
She held her breath and steadied her breathing as if trying to sense something.
‘…I can feel it. That you’re coming here.’
The girl murmured. Her voice held delight and anticipation.
‘How will you react? Will you curse me? Or will you show pity? Will you rage and tell him to kill me?’
She giggled, as if any outcome would be satisfying.
‘I won’t back down. So hurry and come here, my prince.’
Before the girl stood something in human form.
—
Taesan stepped onto the 84th floor.
[84th Floor Quest begins.]
[Defeat the Abyss that corrodes all things.]
[Reward: Weapon Engraving.]
[Secret Reward: ???]
And at that moment, Balbamaba appeared.
“You show up often.”
[That just means you’ve done that many things. I can’t just let you descend to the 84th floor like this. A standard 84th floor would be too easy for you.]
The magician had said it. That he would adjust the difficulty of the labyrinth to suit Taesan. It seemed this floor was exactly that.
[Ainzhar happened to give me something useful. The quest Ainzhar gave you. I’ll turn that into the 84th floor quest.]
[84th Floor Quest begins.]
[Complete Ainzhar’s Quest.]
[Reward: Weapon Engraving.]
[Secret Reward: ???]
Rumble!
The labyrinth shifted. It trembled and moved to accommodate Taesan. Then the movement stopped.
[You’ll see it once you pass the passageway.]
Taesan stepped into the transformed labyrinth as Balbamaba had said.
After passing through a corridor of reasonable length and opening the door, a shimmering spatial passage appeared.
And beyond that was a collapsed world.
Levinenov’s world, dyed entirely in black.
It was the first time he had seen a world utterly destroyed by the Old gods.
［To be honest, I don’t want to send you there.］
Balbamaba said. As an administrator, he showed aversion toward the quest.
［That place was devoured by the Old gods. It can no longer be called land of this world. It’s more their domain now. Their influence is stronger than ours.］
The world beyond the passage was highly alien. It felt similar to the domain of the Old gods he had seen in Arullia.
[The gaze of the Old gods is likely focused there. The moment you step in, they’ll react immediately.]
[It’s dangerous, of course, but isn’t a life-risking struggle the purpose of the labyrinth?]
[He won’t die there.]
Balbamaba said. His voice carried calm certainty.
[In fact, that’s precisely the problem.]
‘…Are you saying the Old gods won’t kill me?’
Come to think of it, it was the same before.
The Old god he met in the Demon Realm, the former Demon God.
He hadn’t tried to kill Taesan.
He was trying to capture him. As if killing wasn’t their goal at all.
[I personally think we should leave things be, but it seems the magician and the gods think differently. They want you to know the truth.]
The truth.
［But going into that world as you are wouldn’t last long. So we will bestow blessings upon you.］
Balbamaba’s authority manifested. As the labyrinth’s administrator, he bestowed blessings upon Taesan on behalf of the gods.
［The usage should’ve surfaced in your mind. It’s a one-time blessing, so use it wisely.］
The blessings of all the gods Taesan had met took root within him.
［Still, even if you activate the blessings, if the Old gods truly target you, it won’t mean anything. That’s why the gods will act directly.］
Screeeeech!
A tearing sound rang from beyond the passage. He felt the clash of colossal forces.
[The gods will block the direct intervention of the Old gods. They won’t last long, so finish quickly and come back.]
“Is this really necessary?”
It was the first time since the battlefield of the gods that so many gods had intervened. Even if they favored Taesan, it didn’t seem like they’d go this far just to help him clear a quest.
[This quest has meaning for the gods as well. Levinenov is a god corrupted by the Old gods. Even Transcendents couldn’t do anything about it. If this is a test of possibility, it’s worth investing in.]
That, he could understand. Since Levinenov embedded himself in the labyrinth, the magician and the Transcendents must’ve tried various methods, but Levinenov never recovered.
If Taesan could succeed, it would be worth the gods’ effort.
[And they probably want you to find out the truth on your own. It’s easier to understand when you realize it yourself than when someone tells you.]
Balbamaba extended the passage.
[The rest, see for yourself. Then, I wish you a safe return.]
Taesan stepped beyond the passage.
At that moment, an intensely foreign sensation swept over his entire body. It felt like being flung into outer space. A world where the laws of reality didn’t apply—where gravity vanished and friction didn’t exist.
Taesan cloaked himself in divinity and crossed the threshold.
He stepped into the black world.
At a glance, the world seemed intact.
The forest, the rocks, and the plains still held their form, though all were dyed black.
But he felt nothing. No scent of grass, no wind of nature. It was truly empty.
This was the world destroyed by the Old gods.
Taesan looked up at the sky.
There, massive beings were clashing. The shockwaves alone were powerful enough to destroy stars.
He had to finish the quest before that battle ended.
The quest was to find the relic of Levinenov left in the ruined world.
The destination was easily located. In a world where nothing could be sensed, a spot radiated divinity.
That was where Levinenov’s relic lay.
Taesan launched his body toward it.
As he began to move in earnest, the darkness spread across the world started to shift. It clung to Taesan, trying to stain him with its color.
Taesan summoned his divinity to block it, but even his divine power was being tainted black, reducing its effectiveness.
After brief contemplation, Taesan manifested the blackness.
The blackness wrapped around Taesan’s entire body.
Then the darkness no longer approached him.
Taesan rushed toward his destination. Levinenov’s world was larger than Earth, but for Taesan now, physical distance posed no challenge.
A massive structure resembling a temple came into view. Like everything else, it was blackened, but divine energy could be felt within.
Taesan entered the building.
And there, someone was waiting for him.
“Nice to meet you.”
A black figure greeted Taesan.
[The Avatar of the Empty Crimson Substance has appeared.]
—
He was a tall man with a handsome impression.
In terms of appearance, he belonged to the attractive side. His easy smile was enough to earn goodwill.
But he was not alive.
Though in human form, it was merely a grotesque imitation of something monstrous.
‘Immortal?’
No, that wasn’t right. Traces of it remained, but it was twisted with something entirely different.
He saw the blackness enveloping Taesan and let out an exclamation.
“Amazing. There are quite a few in this world who’ve offered themselves to those beings, but ones who wield their power so freely like you? Rare. And you didn’t even offer yourself. I can see why they’re interested in you.”
Taesan drew his sword. The being before him belonged to the Old gods—his enemy.
The man quickly raised his hands.
“Let’s not be hasty. You and I, we might be on the same side.”
“Bullshit.”
“Aren’t you curious why the gods sent you here?”
The man grinned slyly.
“There’s no rush, right? Why not talk a little?”
Taesan hesitated briefly, then lowered his sword without resistance.
“Alright.”
His lack of resistance made the man uneasy instead.
“…Well, fine. If you came to this world, there’s only one thing you’re after. Come.”
The man entered deeper into the temple.
Taesan calmly followed.
“That’s what you want, right?”
At the deepest part of the temple lay a relic.
A sacred relic shaped like a small pillar. Contained within was the remains of a Transcendent. Its rank surpassed even Taesan’s current level.
‘With that…’
It might be possible to restore Levinenov to his original state.
As Taesan reached to retrieve the relic, the man blocked him.
“Before that, let’s talk a bit.”
“What do you want from me?”
“It’s simple, Kang Taesan. Mixed being.”
The man smiled as he made a proposal.
“Won’t you join us?”
—
“You’re asking me to side with the Old gods?”
“I won’t deny it.”
“Nonsense.”
Taesan dismissed him. The Old gods had shattered his world and hunted him. He had no reason to join them.
“Of course I understand your feelings. They are destroyers. They wreck and break the world. You were harmed by that too. But look at it another way.”
The man raised his hand.
“You’re alive. The ones who died—those weren’t related to you. Set aside personal feelings. Isn’t there no issue?”
Taesan silently stared at him. The man twisted his lips.
“More than anything, you’re mistaken. It’s not their fault. This weak-ass world is to blame. Don’t you think this world is far too fragile?”
His face twisted.
“Humans die for no reason, and even those who reach lofty realms lose their lives to the whims of gods. Even as immortals, it’s the same! With a mere flick of a Transcendent’s hand, everything they’ve built and worked for vanishes!”
He shouted in fury.
“This world is wrong! It’s a flawed world!”
Taesan didn’t deny his words.
The God of Ruin had shown exactly what he described. Countless talented mortals were blocked and toyed with.
And not just the God of Ruin. The demons of Vekeseta were driven to extinction by the god of that place, Hamon. And Hamon was then crushed by the Demon God with Vekeseta.
In that process, countless lives must have perished.
Most Transcendents had no respect for mortals. That was Taesan’s conclusion. Even the Demon God only cared for demons, showing no interest in humans.
Taesan looked at the man.
“You were an Immortal.”
“Yeah. But I nearly lost everything to a damn Transcendent’s antics. In that moment, the Great One saved me.”
The man smiled coldly.
“I offered myself to them. I became the avatar of the Great One and act on their behalf. That’s who I am.”
“So what do you expect me to do?”
Taesan replied indifferently.
“The Old gods are exiled. They may still interfere with the world in roundabout ways, but they’re still losers.”
“No.”
The man smiled.
“Taesan. You must feel it too. Their influence grows stronger with time. Do you know what that means? It means the seals placed by the Transcendents who banished them are weakening!”
BOOM!
A massive shockwave erupted from beyond the heavens.
Blackness surged from beyond the cosmos and began devouring the world. Transcendent-like beings suppressed it, but the blackness left a scar that could not be erased.
The man burst into mad laughter.
“They will return soon! To this world they were exiled from! And they will trample everything and return the world to the form it was meant to be!”