Chapter 433
“Even if the seal that banished the Old gods is weakening, it’ll take a long time before it fully breaks. At least until a brilliantly shining star loses its light. But if you use the [Boundary Line], that changes everything.”
With Taesan’s [Boundary Line], the seal could be forcibly broken.
“That’s something no other Transcendent in this world could do. And it’s not just that. You know their goal, right?”
“The death of all Transcendents.”
The incarnate of the Empty Abomination had stated that clearly—something they would never compromise on. The magician nodded.
“They hate the very existence of Transcendents. They want to erase us from this world. But they can’t do it with their own power. No matter how much they corrupt us, some like Levinenov still endure.”
Levinenov’s domain had been corrupted, her body contaminated—but she didn’t vanish. She endured by consolidating the corruption in her heart.
“And gods like Rakiratas and Maria might not even allow corruption to begin. But… with you, things may be different.”
The magician gave Taesan a peculiar look.
“Your [Boundary Line] denies and collapses laws. It might even be able to erase the domains of Transcendents from this world.”
“I’m not that powerful.”
“Of course not yet. But what if the Old gods lend you their power? What if the other gods, weakened like Levinenov, can’t resist?”
Taesan didn’t answer. He couldn’t deny it so easily.
The magician shrugged.
“Honestly, even we don’t fully understand the [Boundary Line]. We know everything within the bounds of law, but not beyond. The Old gods might know—but they won’t tell us.”
A figure crossed Taesan’s mind.
The Archdemon, Baal.
A being closer to the Old gods than any other.
‘He called me “the Blended One.”’
Baal had hinted he knew something about Taesan. He might hold the answer.
But he wouldn’t reveal it. If he intended to, he already would have. Taesan couldn’t rely on Baal.
The magician spoke with a vague expression.
“One thing’s certain—you can collapse the current world. That’s why many Transcendents want you dead.”
“Quite the attention.”
But it made sense. A being capable of releasing the banished Old gods? Taesan was a thorn too sharp to ignore.
The magician grinned playfully.
“Several Transcendents who rule the universe want you dead. How does that feel?”
“Not great.”
Not only the Old gods, now he had to watch out for countless Transcendents. A weaker mind might have gone mad from the pressure.
“Don’t worry too much. Those of us who favor you are stopping them. Nothing big will happen.”
“You’re protecting me too?”
“I’m not foolish enough for that. They’re Transcendents, yet they think so simplistically.”
The magician’s gaze toward Taesan brimmed with intrigue.
“You can release the Old gods. You can kill gods. And yet, you killed a god’s incarnate—something we could only banish—and purified a corrupted goddess we sealed away because we couldn’t handle it.”
The [Boundary Line] was still full of unknowns.
The magician revealed his thoughts.
“So then—is it possible to banish them permanently, forever preventing their return to this world?”
The curiosity in his eyes was nearly madness.
“If we used your power… could we kill the Old gods we couldn’t before?”
He chuckled.
“You… can bring change. Maybe even start a new era. Trying to eliminate someone like that just for being dangerous? That’s the height of stupidity.”
He spoke with disdain for the Transcendents.
In the end, it all began with the [Boundary Line].
And that power was born from [Soul Rank Ascension].
– [You have entered a state of Thoughtless Immersion. Your body and mind become one.]
– [Miraculous power is engraved into your soul. You have acquired the soul skill [Soul Rank Ascension].]
That was the system message when he first gained the skill.
“What exactly is [Soul Rank Ascension]?”
A soul skill that stole the power of the Old gods, the power of immortals.
“To be honest, I don’t really know either.”
Even the magician looked uncertain.
“I understand you gained [Soul Rank Ascension] by reaching a transcendent state—but I can’t tell how high that state was.”
He shook his head.
“If you earned a skill like that, it couldn’t have been a low-level realm. But you didn’t keep that realm. You reached somewhere, but its trace vanished. Immortal? Transcendent? Or maybe something else entirely… I don’t know.”
If what he said was true, then in a past life, Taesan had reached a high realm and acquired the skill as a result.
But that realm didn’t remain with him. Only [Soul Rank Ascension] did.
“It’s hidden by the [Boundary Line]… but I’m more curious about that. What stopped you from keeping that realm? And if it was possible, how did it happen?”
His curiosity was evident.
“Think on it yourself. It’s your power. You’ll find the answer.”
“Right.”
“That’s enough. I’ve told you everything I know. So—what will you do now?”
“Nothing’s changed.”
Taesan replied calmly.
He was still an adventurer in the labyrinth.
He would continue descending, growing stronger. The relationships and politics between gods and Old gods were not important to his path.
The magician smirked.
“I won’t get in your way. You can keep descending the labyrinth. That’s all that matters.”
Kugugugung!
The domain collapsed. Taesan’s body returned to the labyrinth.
“Show me, will you? What lies at your end?”
With those final words, Taesan arrived.
* * *
[So? The conversation’s over?]
“Roughly.”
[Must’ve been a real secret if you kicked me out for it.]
“I won’t deny it.”
Taesan clenched his fist.
He had learned many new truths, but the fundamentals had not changed.
That was enough. He remained unshaken.
*
*
[Really now. What kind of talk was so important you kicked me out?]
The Green Witch’s voice rang out. Taesan shook his head.
“I can’t say.”
[Hmm… Well, if the magician says so, I guess it really is a secret. Unfortunate, but I’ll keep watching.]
Her voice faded again. She had contracted with him because of his strangeness. Even now, reaching the mid-80s floors, her wish seemed distant.
‘I’ll find the answer as I descend.’
With his thoughts organized, he opened his skill window.
[Special Passive Skill: Twisted Spirit Coordination]
[Proficiency: 82%]
[Twisted beings can distort and wield their Soul Rank. This allows control over one’s inherent or acquired Soul Rank. Additionally, the Soul Rank can affect the world directly.]
At 80% proficiency, a new effect had been added—his Soul Rank could now influence the world.
And indeed, his perception of rank had changed. Taesan manipulated his Soul Rank—not just within his body, but outward.
Kugugugung!
Taesan’s Soul Rank spread over the world. He immediately understood what he had done.
“It’s similar to [Partial World Alteration].”
[You have activated Frost Arrow [Negation].]
Zzeojeojeojeok!
He used [Negation] magic without activating [Partial World Alteration].
His Soul Rank had forcibly boosted his control over mana.
Now, without materials, he could invoke [Partial World Alteration] effects within a certain range.
If combined with the real [Partial World Alteration], the influence would be even stronger.
Then—[Black].
[Transcendence: Black]
[Proficiency: 20%]
[Consumption ???: ???]
[?#[system protected]!! #[system protected]# @#@! [system protected]#! !!]
Finally, it reached 20%.
Though the description was unreadable, his control over [Black] had clearly improved.
Taesan scattered [Black].
It spilled across the labyrinth floor, consuming the space.
[…That looks a bit dangerous.]
The ghost groaned.
The space stained with [Black] could hardly be called part of the labyrinth.
It resembled the domain of the Old gods.
“So this is the feeling.”
Taesan retracted [Black]. He could now control it to a much wider extent—not just around his body or weapon.
‘…Can I use [Boundary Line] the same way?’
Until now, he had used [Boundary Line] only as a weapon.
Sometimes, like with Boundary Recoil, he surrounded his whole body—but it never extended far.
But now that he could manipulate [Black] on a larger scale—
Could he manage a domain of his own using [Boundary Line]?
It seemed possible.
But testing it now was dangerous. It might shatter the labyrinth and bring Balbamaba rushing in. He’d try it when the time was right.
‘Even without [Boundary Line]…’
Demons were similar to the Old gods.
He could use [Black] within a demon’s domain—blending it with magi to wield [Negation] magic.
There were many uses. Taesan organized his thoughts and checked other skills.
[Soul Skill: Blade of the World]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[A sword forged from the world itself. The user may summon and wield it. Due to the user’s insufficient rank and qualifications, the sword requires time to recover after a single use.]
A massive sword, like the one wielded by the incarnate.
He could summon it.
Its power alone made it worth it. Even if one swing consumed it, that was enough.
[Weapon Engraving]
[An engraving embedded in a weapon. It bears no symbol, yet hides an undeniable rank within.]
An item for weapons. Taesan embedded it into Cabert’s relic.
[Cabert’s Relic: Blade Steeped in Ancestral Blood]
[Relic of a world now destroyed. Claimed the lives of many royals.]
[Attack +1000]
[Attack +150 against all enemies]
“Hoo.”
Attack rose by 500. That was more than changing an entire piece of equipment.
The hidden reward was a black magic material—Taesan decided to offer it as a tribute.
[Special Activated Skill: Purification of the Unclean]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Consumption ???: ???]
[Can purify unclean forces that defile the world. Currently limited in the types of corruption it can cleanse.]
A skill obtained from purifying the goddess’s corruption.
It appeared to be usable against Old god corruption. But he’d need to test it directly to know its effects.
After finishing the review, Taesan pulled out the black fragment.
“What should I do with this…”
[Fragment of the Old God]
[A part of an Old God that lies beyond law.]
A fragment of the Old God.
Not something easily handled. He still had crystallized divine blood sleeping in his inventory too.
What to do with both?
Taesan pondered and stored them.
Then he walked toward the 85th floor.
But no system window appeared for the 85th Floor’s quest. Instead, another window popped up.
“So it begins.”
[Special Quest Start]
[Return to Earth.] (T/N: Nice! I always love “Return to Earth” arcs.)
[One month from now, you will return to the land you abandoned. Survive there—and return. Rewards will be based on your performance.]