Chapter 462
[I expected you’d return as a god.]
A voice filled with fatigue and wariness echoed.
[We’re aware of the situation on Earth from here too. It wasn’t a difficult prediction. So we accounted for it and adjusted the difficulty of the Labyrinth. That you’ve reached the realm of a Transcendent, albeit imperfectly—that much was within tolerance.]
Balbamaba descended into the Labyrinth, manifesting in perfect form.
[However… the authority of the Old Gods was unexpected.]
A skill that denied the laws of the world itself was acting upon him. The transcendental [Immutable Self].
“Is there a problem?”
[Plenty. That authority is dangerous. Your mere presence here could distort the laws of the Labyrinth.]
“Don’t worry. I’m not capable of handling it to that extent yet.”
[Immutable Self] only activated when Taesan was directly targeted. Passive laws of the Labyrinth that influenced the world naturally through existence were unaffected.
But Balbamaba’s wariness didn’t fade from his voice.
[It may not be a problem now… but who knows in the future.]
“When that time comes, I’ll make sure the Labyrinth isn’t harmed.”
[That’s not something you can guarantee. No being in this world has ever acquired the authority of the Old Gods. Nothing is certain.]
Taesan didn’t refute it. Balbamaba’s caution was reasonable.
“So?”
[To be honest, I want to seal your power.]
Balbamaba was the administrator of the Labyrinth.
A being born to manage the Labyrinth, eliminate all instability, and correct any errors. For him, [Immutable Self] was intolerable.
[But… the Magician told me to leave you be.]
Balbamaba suppressed his emotions with effort.
[Since my master has commanded it, I won’t interfere either.]
“So the Magician said that.”
[I can’t understand it. To allow a risk that could collapse the Labyrinth…]
He grumbled, but he clearly had no intention of defying the Magician’s orders. His eyes glinted.
[Just in case, let me ask—do you have any intention of sealing [Immutable Self] yourself?]
“No.”
Taesan shook his head. His firm response silenced Balbamaba.
[You’d better be careful. I don’t know how you stole the Old God’s authority, but it doesn’t belong to this world. It can collapse and destabilize it. You, its wielder, could be destroyed as well.]
Balbamaba warned Taesan.
It was a valid point, and Taesan acknowledged it with a nod.
[I don’t know when you might wreck everything, so I’ll have to start reinforcing the Labyrinth bit by bit. I thought things were finally settling down, but it looks like I’ll be busy again.]
“Wait.”
Taesan stopped Balbamaba as he turned to leave.
[What is it?]
“Can points be used for anything else?”
Taesan currently had over twenty thousand points.
Up to now, he had been using them to increase skill proficiency.
But as many of his skills reached higher levels, it became increasingly inefficient to use points for proficiency.
Especially for top-tier skills, the cost was far too great. Even if he spent all his current points on magic proficiency, it would only increase by 3 or 4%.
And raising mid-tier skill proficiency wasn’t worth it either. The cost was still significant, and most of those skills would eventually reach 100% naturally without investment.
Exchanging them for gold or stats was the worst option of all.
In short, Taesan had no meaningful use for his points.
As the administrator of the Labyrinth, Balbamaba might know a better way. That’s why Taesan stopped him.
[Points, huh.]
Balbamaba paused.
After a brief moment of thought, he spoke.
[It’s not impossible. For convenience, we split usage into three categories, but points are a kind of reward given to you. They can be used differently. We just assumed most things could be handled with the three options.]
“Really?”
That had indeed been the case. Taesan had made good use of his points until now.
But he had become so strong that using points for proficiency was now inefficient.
Balbamaba made his decision.
[Alright. I’ll grant you a reward in exchange for your points. Equipment or skill—choose one.]
“Wait a moment.”
Now it was Taesan’s turn to think.
“What’s the quality of the equipment?”
[Enough not to disappoint you. To be specific, it’s on par with what’s currently sold in the shop. The skill is of similar value.]
“That’s a relief.”
Twenty thousand points only converted to about two hundred thousand gold. Equipment of that value would’ve been a massive waste.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Equipment or skill.
The conclusion came quickly.
“I’ll take a skill.”
Taesan had close relationships with Haphran and Koslun—two outstanding blacksmiths.
He could always craft equipment later using materials.
But skills were a different story. Meeting the acquisition conditions was difficult. There were still several skills from his previous life he hadn’t been able to reacquire.
When it came to equivalent value, skills were the obvious choice. Once Taesan made his decision, Balbamaba moved swiftly.
[Then I’ll present your options.]
[1. Offensive Skill]
[2. Defensive Skill]
[3. Support Skill]
“That’s all?”
[If you were expecting to describe a specific skill and receive it, sorry. That would fall outside the Labyrinth’s allowable framework.]
Offense, defense, support.
Taesan made his choice.
“Support skill.”
Offensive skills had less meaning now that he was already a force of destruction. Defensive skills were also unnecessary—[Immutable Self], [Attack Nullification], [Last Opportunity], [Endure]—he already had plenty of survival-based skills.
So support was the obvious pick. Balbamaba accepted his choice.
[Among the skills permitted to you now… this one seems appropriate.]
[Balbamaba has activated #000421.]
[You have acquired the special passive skill [Cooldown Acceleration].]
Taesan’s eyes lit up.
Even by name alone, he could roughly guess its effect.
[Special Passive Skill: [Cooldown Acceleration]]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[You may designate an item or skill with a cooldown. The cooldown will be reduced. However, if the cooldown exceeds one month, it cannot be designated. Once a target is set, it cannot be changed until its original cooldown is restored. Cooldown is reduced by 10%.]
Just as expected. It allowed him to accelerate cooldowns for skills or items.
‘Impressive.’
Taesan was impressed.
10% cooldown reduction. On its own, it didn’t seem significant. Reducing a 30-day cooldown to 27 wouldn’t make much of a difference.
But what mattered wasn’t now—it was the future.
As this skill’s proficiency increased, so would its effect. From 10% to 30%, and from 30% to 50%. Perhaps even more.
Its value would skyrocket.
He could use [Replication] every thirty minutes. [Choice Exclusion] every half a day. It was a skill that could multiply the effectiveness of all others.
Cooldowns longer than a month couldn’t be targeted—but none of his skills had such cooldowns. Meaning it could be used on virtually all his skills.
[Judging by your expression, you’re satisfied.]
“More than enough.”
It surpassed his expectations.
Taesan immediately chose the skill he would use [Cooldown Acceleration] on: [Restricted Blink].
At 10%, the effect wasn’t huge for now. But because it was frequently used, the proficiency would level up quickly.
As he made his adjustments, Balbamaba, who had been quietly observing, spoke.
[Have you finished your choice?]
“Yeah. But why are you still here? Don’t you have something to do?”
[I just remembered I have something to explain to you. You’re heading down into the Labyrinth, right? I’ll wait for you on Floor 88.]
Balbamaba leapt through space. Taesan descended the stairs.
[88th Floor Quest Initiated.]
[Bring stability to the world.]
[Reward: Staff of the Crawling Something.]
[Hidden Reward: ???]
On the 88th floor, Balbamaba was waiting.
[You’re here. Floor 88 is a new floor I created specifically for you. I’ll explain the quest.]
Taesan stood before Balbamaba.
Balbamaba spoke.
[The place you’re headed is Mariseion. A world where two immortals have opposed each other for centuries in pursuit of godhood.]
“That’s curious.”
It hadn’t been long since Taesan obtained divinity. Yet the 88th floor quest was directly related to it. Balbamaba answered calmly.
[It’s a coincidence. Your task is simple. The long war between two immortals has devastated the world. Bring stability and restore it to its original state.]
“Hold on.”
Taesan raised his hand.
[Have a question?]
“If they’re trying to become gods, does that mean they’re also seeking universal worship like I did?”
[No. There are various methods to become a god. The way you achieved it is highly unique. Normally, it’s much simpler.]
“Can I ask what those methods are?”
It didn’t concern Taesan much now that he was a Transcendent—but he was curious. Especially since the Green Witch was aiming for Transcendence.
[You already know. The god of Vekeseta, Harmon, wasn’t worshipped by all. Yet he was a god.]
“I was wondering about that.”
Taesan only knew about achieving godhood through universal worship or ascending to a high realm via domain creation. Balbamaba explained.
[There are several ways. One of them is through imprinting upon the world.]
“Imprinting?”
[If everyone holds the belief that a being is a god—as if it were common knowledge—that belief is imprinted. When that imprint is etched into the world itself, the being becomes a god.]
If people regard a certain entity as a god…
And that belief spreads…
Until everyone believes it…
Then that being truly becomes a god.
[Worship strengthens a god’s rank and power. But imprinting is what matters. People’s beliefs become power and alter reality. That’s how gods are born.]
Balbamaba pointed at Taesan.
[You forcibly pulled that imprint through the extreme method of universal worship. Normally, it would’ve taken hundreds or even thousands of years to accumulate.]
“I see.”
[Other methods involve already having the qualifications—by bloodline, contract, or otherwise. If one has the right to become a god, and overcomes the appropriate trials, they ascend. There are other ways too… but I can’t tell you those. The two I mentioned are the most common paths to Transcendence.]
“Doesn’t sound that hard.”
[It’s not impossible. But the realm they reach through those methods is limited.]
Balbamaba spoke plainly.
[There are two kinds of Transcendents. One relies on something else to exist…]
[And the other governs the laws of the world, ruling over concepts. As long as the concept exists, they cannot be destroyed.]
Taesan already knew the difference. Planetary gods like Levinenov or Harmon were fundamentally different from Transcendents like the God of Magic or Maria.
[There are exceptions like the Demon Gods, but you cannot reach the level of governing concepts by relying on anything else. It must be achieved through your own power.]
“So that’s the difference.”
The image of the Green Witch crossed Taesan’s mind.
There was no way she didn’t know this. With her power, even slowly gaining universal worship wasn’t out of reach.
‘So she wants to reach the level of governing laws.’
After organizing his thoughts, Taesan spoke.
“So the two immortals are trying to imprint themselves as gods.”
[Something like that. And the world is a complete mess because of it. It’s affecting the surrounding realms as well. Your job is to fix it.]
“Alright.”
[Then go.]
Balbamaba opened a portal. Before entering, Taesan asked,
“Does it matter how I do it?”
[No. Whether through peace, negotiation, or brute force—how you resolve it is up to you.]
“Got it.”
Taesan smirked at Balbamaba’s answer.
He stepped through the portal.
A new world revealed itself.