Chapter 474
[Did you get it?]
At Bardray’s question, Taesan nodded. Bardray let out a hollow laugh.
[Heh… just how many Old God authorities have you obtained now?]
“Two, not counting the black power.”
[Immutable Self] and [Time Interference].
Both obtained within a remarkably short time. Bardray groaned.
[It’s good that you’re getting stronger… but there’s too much to be uneasy about. Honestly, I don’t know how the gods are going to react to this.]
The authority of the Old Gods was something that shook the very laws of the world.
Taesan was becoming something closer and closer to them. Even if the Transcendents who favored him were watching over him, this level of power might already be enough to draw the direct intervention of gods like the God of Death.
“Maybe.”
Taesan had thought of that as well. But it wasn’t something he could control—and he wasn’t particularly worried either.
“Zervand said they’d help us.”
It likely didn’t just mean by preparing trials suited to each floor.
[They’ll probably help, but… I can’t help being worried.]
Bardray’s voice trailed off. Taesan shook his head.
“It’s something to think about later. For now, let’s focus on what’s in front of us.”
It was time to check what he had gained.
Since he had pierced through the authority of possibility itself, it had been a while since he’d gotten a new skill.
[Special Activation Skill: Denial of Possibility]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Mana Cost: 100]
[Your next attack eliminates possibilities that do not lead to victory. The number of possibilities that can be excluded is currently limited. After activation, the skill has a one-hour cooldown.]
The effect of [Denial of Possibility] was similar to Paradise’s authority over possibilities.
While it was undoubtedly an inferior version, weakened and limited, it was still highly unorthodox and powerful. Taesan was satisfied.
And next—the true prize he had aimed for from the beginning: the Old God’s authority.
[Transcendence: Time Interference]
[Proficiency: 0%]
[Cost: ???]
[Time— $#%. Around you— %&***. Also !%뷁쉑읽 붥.]
As always, the description was corrupted beyond recognition.
But Taesan already understood how to use it. He had grasped its essence through intuition—and through his battle against Paradise.
Now it was time to test it firsthand.
There were still a number of servants left in the Old God’s outpost. They had watched from afar, knowing their strength was useless, and when the Apostle fell, they panicked and fled.
His goal was simple: clean up the outpost.
There was no reason to spare them.
Taesan reached out toward empty air.
[You have activated Teleport.]
His body leapt through space. In front of him appeared a servant running for his life.
“H-heuk!”
Startled by Taesan’s sudden appearance, the servant reflexively swung his sword.
And Taesan saw it.
The sword approaching him began to slow.
Watching silently, Taesan took a single step. The blade plunged harmlessly into the ground.
“Huh?”
The servant’s eyes widened—he could tell time itself had slowed.
Taesan didn’t counterattack.
He merely spread his arms as if to say, ‘Try again.’
Fear filled the servant’s face.
“Uwaaaah!”
The servant swung his sword again, channeling every bit of power he had, invoking his own authority in desperation.
But he couldn’t touch Taesan. Taesan avoided every strike effortlessly, with nothing more than a twist of his body.
Though he far outclassed the servant, not even Taesan should have been able to dodge with such perfection.
It was thanks to his newly gained authority—[Time Interference].
Taesan continued widening and closing the distance repeatedly, testing the range and effects of the ability.
Soon, he had a clear grasp of it.
Its core principle was the same as when Paradise had used it. It affected everything within a certain range centered on him—the closer the target, the slower time flowed.
The range was roughly half of what Paradise had shown.
At point-blank distance, time slowed to about 20% of its normal speed.
“Not bad.”
Taesan was quite satisfied.
It was indeed weaker compared to Paradise’s version. Paradise could slow Taesan to the pace of an ordinary human.
But even 20% was no small feat.
In close combat, Taesan could effectively move 20% faster than his opponent—without any cost or limitation.
Because it slowed the time of the surrounding area rather than a specific target, even projectiles or spatial movement became easier to counter.
Taesan focused his mind. The slow world around him suddenly resumed normal flow. He had forcibly deactivated the interference.
“I can control it too. Excellent.”
He hummed softly.
There was still one more aspect he wanted to test, but he couldn’t just yet—his black energy hadn’t fully recovered.
So, he turned to the other skill.
He raised his sword toward a servant panting from exhaustion after a futile assault.
[You have activated Denial of Possibility.]
He swung his sword.
It wasn’t particularly fast—a speed that could easily be blocked by anyone focused. The servant widened his eyes and quickly raised his weapon to defend.
But the sword twisted.
Taesan noticed it—the trajectory of his swing continuously adjusted, correcting itself toward a strike the enemy could not block.
Crunch.
“Ghhhk!”
The servant failed to block, coughing blood as he collapsed.
“I’ll need to test this more.”
It wasn’t a skill that could be fully understood with one use.
Fortunately, there were plenty of test subjects here.
Each time the cooldown reset, Taesan hunted down the remaining servants and activated the skill.
After a full day of experimentation, he understood it roughly.
Paradise’s authority rewound time to forcibly find the correct answer—whereas [Denial of Possibility] adjusted and corrected the outcome in real time.
Different in method, but both achieved the same goal: reaching a successful result.
Unlike Paradise, Taesan didn’t need a specific weapon, but the number of corrected possibilities was limited.
Whereas Paradise’s bullets rewound more times than Taesan could count, [Denial of Possibility] could only modify around ten possibilities.
‘That’s more than enough.’
To adjust the outcome ten times in a single engagement could easily change the result of a battle between equals. It was far from a weak skill.
Taesan was satisfied—[Denial of Possibility] was more than worthy of being called a main skill.
Now, one last effect to confirm.
A full day later, his [Boundary Line] was sufficiently recharged. Not perfect, but enough for testing.
Taesan teleported toward a hiding servant. The man panicked, summoning his own authority.
Taesan drew out his black energy.
At his command, the blackness gathered to its limit—and he gave voice to a word of power.
“Stop.”
Kiiiiing!
With a strange noise, a wave spread outward.
And the world stopped.
The swaying wind froze. The flickering traces of dark energy in the air went still. The servant’s attack, mid-swing, hung motionless.
Within a set radius around Taesan, time itself had halted.
[This is insane.]
[Master… this is—]
“Ha.”
Taesan let out a soft laugh.
Now, he could reproduce the effect of [Simple Time Stop]—but through his own authority.
“Perfect.”
He plunged his sword into the frozen servant’s chest. At that moment, time began to flow again.
“Huh?”
The servant blinked, confused.
“W-what—”
He never finished the sentence.
The authority of [Time Interference] had two effects.
One—a passive interference with time in the surrounding area, slowing everything near him. Like [Immutable Self], it required no cost.
The other—an active time stop within his area, consuming black energy.
Its effect was identical to [Simple Time Stop], though the mechanics differed greatly.
‘Maybe this could even work on Old Gods.’
Labyrinth skills could be resisted by those on the level of Old Gods. When facing the Seventh Fragment of the World Breaker, many of his skills hadn’t even activated properly. That was why he had considered [Simple Time Stop] useless against beings of that level.
But [Time Interference] was an Old God’s authority.
Its power could influence even gods or transcendents depending on Taesan’s proficiency and strength. Its rank was incomparable.
Still, there were drawbacks.
To stop time, he needed to consume black energy—and a large amount of it.
Even after saving up for a full day, he could only stop time for about ten seconds.
‘I can’t use it freely.’
Black energy was one of his most essential core powers—fuel for countless abilities. With its high cost, he’d only be able to use it for one or two seconds in an actual fight.
‘I’ll need to increase my black energy reserves.’
That was his next task.
He had finished testing everything.
Taesan moved. In an instant, he wiped out the remaining servants.
Crunch.
“Ghhhk!”
And the moment he finished off the last one—
[Quest Complete.]
The quest of the 89th floor was finished.
Taesan returned to the labyrinth.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[You have obtained the Ring of Eternal Echoes.]
[You have obtained ???.]
—
He checked the rewards. It had been a while since he last received equipment.
[Ring of Eternal Echoes]
[HP +2000]
[Mana +1000]
[Magi +500]
[Attack +30]
[Defense +30]
[The echo never ends.]
[Magic and Black Magic power increased by 10%.]
A simple yet powerful effect. If it applied to divine or denial-based magic as well, it would be a high-tier item indeed.
And the ??? item:
[Belt Containing a Trace Beyond the Laws]
[Strength +1000]
[Agility +1000]
[Attack +800]
[Defense +500]
[A plain belt with no markings. An item that could never be crafted by anyone less than a Transcendent. It contains something alien—something not of this world.]
[Slightly increases resistance to forces beyond the laws.]
“An anti–Old God item, huh.”
He didn’t know how strong it was, but since a Transcendent had created it, the resistance must be solid. For Taesan, it was a perfect fit.
Then—
It was time to descend.
Balbamaba did not appear this time. It was as if this place was no longer his domain—and that someone else now guarded the path ahead.
Taesan stepped onto the staircase.
The 90th floor—
the final floor announcing a new theme—began.
[90th Floor Quest Start.]
[Pass the Magician’s Trial.]
[Reward: Magician’s Hat.]
[Hidden Reward: ???]