Chapter 475
There wasn’t much left until Taesan cleared the labyrinth.
Leaving behind the shopkeeper who greeted him, Taesan arrived on the 90th floor.
It was an ordinary room. Just like countless others he had seen on his way down — unremarkable and plain.
But the one waiting inside was anything but ordinary.
The man had gray hair.
An utterly average build, a forgettable face — the kind of person you’d pass by on the street and forget an instant later.
The Magician who had created the labyrinth waved his hand.
“It’s good to see you again, Taesan.”
“You.”
Balbabamba had said he wouldn’t appear past the 89th floor.
That someone else would take his place — most likely the very Magician who had built this place.
“Balbabamba won’t show up from here on. This goes beyond his role.”
“So, this is goodbye?”
“Perhaps we’ll meet again someday — but not anytime soon.”
The Magician’s gaze turned to Bardray, who was now bound within a sword.
“Should I say congratulations? Or is it pity I should offer instead, hero?”
[I’m content with what I am. Hardly a situation that calls for anyone’s sympathy.]
“Then congratulations it is. You didn’t reach your wish, but you’ve found satisfaction in reality. That’s worth celebrating.”
The Magician hummed softly.
“You were an adventurer I took an interest in once. It’s a shame your story ended the way it did… but if you’re at peace with it, then that’s enough. Though there is one thing I’ve been curious about.”
His eyes shifted toward Taesan’s ring.
“What are you?”
[You… know about me?]
Akasha spoke quietly. The Magician shook his head.
“No.”
“You don’t?”
Taesan was surprised.
The Apostle of the Forgotten Goddess existed within the labyrinth — and its master was the Magician.
He had assumed the Magician would at least know of Akasha, but there wasn’t even a hint of recognition.
“I can feel something from you… but I can’t tell what. I’ll need to hear the full story from you.”
His face turned serious.
So Taesan explained — how he met the Apostle, how he prayed before the statue of the Forgotten Goddess, and received her blessing.
The Magician stroked his chin as he listened.
“That’s… strange.”
“You mean even you, the master of this labyrinth, don’t fully understand it?”
“No.”
The Magician denied it.
“I know this place perfectly. I have to.”
His eyes narrowed at Akasha.
“But I didn’t recognize the goddess you mentioned. That’s fascinating. So she erased herself from perception entirely? To interfere in such a way… quite the feat.”
The Magician smiled — a sharp, uneasy smile.
“There really are all sorts of nuisances in existence. How bothersome.”
“So it’s tied to the Old Gods, then.”
“Most likely.”
The Demon King had suspected the same — that Akasha was related to the Old Gods. The Magician agreed.
“She erased herself completely from our perception. The only reason I can sense her now is because of your irregularity. If not for you, I might never have known. And the only beings capable of such an act… are the Old Gods.”
Taesan recalled something and asked,
“Do you know anything about the Old God called the Usurper?”
“The Usurper?”
“They mentioned it once. Akasha reacted to the name.”
“The Usurper…”
The Magician fell silent, deep in thought.
After a while, he spoke again.
“I remember. A god who briefly appeared during the old war. Though, I don’t recall them ever moving in earnest… or maybe I just wasn’t aware.”
He muttered under his breath.
“Do they erase existence itself… or devour the concept of it entirely? Either way, worth investigating.”
The Magician grinned.
“Well, that was an unexpected bit of information. I appreciate it. Now, one more thing.”
He stepped closer and reached out toward Taesan.
As his hand neared, it visibly slowed.
“Remarkable.”
A curious glint appeared in the Magician’s eyes.
“You’ve fully made the authority of the One Who Walks Through Time your own — just like when you obtained Immutable Self. You could probably steal the other Old Gods’ authorities without much issue.”
Taesan stared silently. The Magician tilted his head.
“Why the look?”
“Just thinking. You people might not like where this is going.”
He could now collapse order and law itself.
He’d already done so before, but with each power he acquired from the exiled Old Gods, that potential only grew.
It was hardly something the Transcendents would be pleased about.
“I know what worries you. But listen, Taesan.”
The Magician spoke calmly.
“We don’t intend to repeat their mistakes.”
“Plenty of your kind already have.”
After all, the God of Death had already interfered in the labyrinth to try to kill him. The Magician’s face grew faintly awkward.
“…True. There are exceptions. But as I said, inside the labyrinth, you’ll be safe.”
Satisfied with his own reassurance, he clapped his hands.
“Enough talk. Let’s get to the point. Taesan, do you know why I’m here?”
“To test me.”
The quest itself said: *Pass the Magician’s trial.* There could be no other reason.
The Magician nodded.
“Correct. I’m here to test you. You must prove something to me.”
“What exactly?”
“Yourself.”
The Magician slowly stepped back, putting some distance between them. His movements carried the weight of a duel about to begin.
Taesan frowned. The Magician spoke.
“The quest on the 90th floor is simple. Overcome me by your own strength. Succeed, and you’ll clear it.”
“That’s insane.”
Taesan laughed dryly.
The Magician was a Transcendent.
He couldn’t say for sure, but his power was likely on par with Mariana or Lachiratas — among the highest of the Transcendents.
Even as a Transcendent himself, Taesan was at the lowest rung. The gap between them was insurmountable.
He might possess the irregular power of the Boundary Line, but that alone couldn’t solve everything.
“Try as much as you like. I’ll restore everything you expend except your divinity and black energy.”
“Those are the most important ones.”
“Sorry, those are beyond my interference. But don’t worry — I’ll go easy on you.”
Taesan sighed. The Magician wasn’t going to change his mind. Complaining would do nothing.
“What are the exact conditions?”
The Magician smiled and pointed to himself.
“This body isn’t my true self.”
Taesan had sensed it — unlike their last meeting, there was something off about the Magician’s current form.
His presence and power were the same, yet there was an emptiness within.
“This is a puppet directly linked to me. Wound this puppet, and you’ll have cleared the 90th floor.”
Taesan drew his sword.
The Magician merely watched him, calm and unhurried.
It seemed he would only defend, not attack — understandable, since an active assault would give Taesan no chance at all.
That meant Taesan could ignore defense entirely and focus on breaking through.
[You have activated Spell Overlap.]
[You have activated Grand Collapse (Negation).]
A sphere of condensed black manifested in the world.
Taesan didn’t stop there. He unleashed everything he could.
Black magic, destructive energy, pure mana — all that he commanded filled the labyrinth.
[You have activated Stealth.]
He vanished from sight.
Countless manifestations of his power flew toward the Magician.
“Impressive.”
The Magician murmured in quiet admiration.
Even what was displayed now was enough to destroy a world.
Taesan was undeniably powerful.
Even without the Boundary Line, his strength couldn’t be ignored.
And so, the Magician simply clapped his hands.
Kiiing—
A faint ripple spread through the room. A ripple as harmless as a pebble dropped into still water.
Yet everything it touched was torn apart.
The Grand Collapse shattered and vanished. Baal’s blackened space was brushed aside like dust. Every force Taesan had unleashed dissipated as though it were nothing.
Taesan didn’t look surprised.
He had known the Magician could erase his attacks as easily as toppling a sandcastle. What he sought was something else — the smallest, most imperceptible gap.
Amid the collapsing magic, Taesan emerged — his entire body cloaked in gray.
He had wrapped himself in the Boundary Line.
And then he expanded it.
[You have activated Domain of Chaos.]
Laws and order collapsed. A world belonging solely to Taesan unfolded.
It would last only three seconds.
But that was enough.
The ripple pressed against him, grinding down reality.
Taesan charged forward.
[You have activated Denial of Possibility.]
His sword, saturated with the Boundary Line, struck toward the Magician.
“Hah.”
The Magician couldn’t help but exclaim.
That power was truly irregular.
If it continued to grow — if it reached their level — even they would struggle to counter it.
But that time had not yet come.
“Come to me.”
He murmured softly.
Something immense descended into the puppet.
The Magician reached out his hand.
His hand caught Taesan’s blade.
Kagagagak!
Taesan’s eyes widened.
The gray energy that had always pierced through everything couldn’t penetrate the Magician’s body.
He sensed something strange coating the Magician’s hand.
‘That’s…’
A law.
A law that persisted even within the Domain of Chaos surrounded the Magician.
Taesan poured more strength into his blade. The Boundary Line surged violently.
But it wouldn’t pierce through.
The laws it broke were instantly replaced by new ones.
“The Boundary Line can shatter laws, yes — but that takes time. If I simply refill the gaps faster than you can erase them, your power won’t reach me.”
The Magician’s tone was casual as he tightened his grip.
Taesan felt a tremendous force — his body was thrown back.
He couldn’t resist or counter. He was hurled across the chamber, slamming into the wall.
Kuuuuung!
Taesan gritted his teeth. [Immutable Self] cracked. He forced himself to stand.
The Magician brushed off his hands.
“Your power is impressive, but you’re not yet in full control. That means it can be countered.”
He smiled brightly.
“We defeated the Old Gods, you know.”
The Old Gods — beings who distorted and corrupted the laws of the world itself.
They were far stronger than Taesan was now.
And the gods had overcome them. Naturally, they had methods to counter the collapse of law and order.
“Such ordinary usage won’t reach me. Still… it’s remarkable.”
A glimmer of admiration shone in his eyes.
“To erode my domain this much in such a short time… even the Old Gods struggled to do that. You truly are something else.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’re going easy on me.”
“Sorry, sorry. But you have to meet the baseline, don’t you?”
The Magician laughed.
“You already know what awaits below, don’t you?”
Taesan said nothing, but he understood perfectly.
He might still be at the bottom now, but he had reached the realm of Transcendence.
He had slain the Seventh Fragment of the World Breaker. He had defeated two Immortals combined, crushed Apostles, and even devoured their powers.
So what awaited him next?
The answer was simple.
The Old Gods themselves — and the Transcendents.
The beings who ruled the world.
They would be the ones standing before him on the 90th floors and beyond.