Chapter 491
Every time Taesan entered a new floor, the first one to welcome him was always the Shopkeeper.
He was always waiting for adventurers at the entrance of each floor.
But not this time. Even after passing through the entrance, there was no shop in sight. Taesan moved forward and opened a door. With a small sound, the room of the 92nd floor appeared.
“You’ve arrived.”
And inside, stood the Shopkeeper.
He was smiling as he looked at Taesan.
“So it’s finally you.”
“Yes.”
The Shopkeeper bared his teeth. His face was filled with emotions he couldn’t hide.
“What is your desire?”
Taesan spoke quietly.
The Shopkeeper had a desire. It was likely the reason he took on the role of Shopkeeper in the labyrinth.
However, no other adventurer, not even a ghost, had ever caught the Shopkeeper’s attention.
It meant that only someone as strong as Taesan could fulfill the Shopkeeper’s wish. The very fact that he was still on the 92nd floor in a labyrinth strengthened based on Taesan’s level proved it.
“Yes. My desire. Why else do you think I’ve stayed in this damned place for so long? All of it was for my desire.”
The Shopkeeper chuckled.
“My desire, I said. It’s simple.”
His burning eyes tightened as he clenched his fist. His beard trembled.
“I am a lost king.”
“What did you lose?”
“Everything!”
The Shopkeeper shouted.
“My kingdom! My splendid treasures! My people! And the realm I was about to reach! I lost it all! That wretched being stole everything from me!”
He shouted like a madman, his violent emotions shaking the entire space.
To influence the surroundings with mere emotion meant he was a being far beyond the level of the Guide’s upper ranks.
Taesan calmly withstood the outburst. He already knew the Shopkeeper wasn’t weak. Without showing any emotion, he asked,
“So what is your wish?”
“It’s a common one. A goal you can find anywhere. But to me, it holds the greatest value.”
The Shopkeeper grinned.
“I seek revenge.”
[Sub Quest Start]
[The Shopkeeper of the labyrinth wishes for you to fulfill his revenge.]
[Condition: Death of the Transcendent.]
[Reward: Determined by Rakiratas based on your achievement.]
Revenge.
It wasn’t surprising. The Shopkeeper was a lost king.
If someone of that level had lost everything, it was most likely due to external interference.
“I was a resident of a world inhabited only by dwarves. We called our planet Dverza.”
Having vented his emotions, the Shopkeeper spoke calmly.
“It was a beautiful place. Dig a little into the ground, and ores appeared like stones. Enter a mine, and countless rare minerals poured out. Dverza was the dwarves’ paradise. We crafted countless weapons, competed with each other, and lived proudly.”
The Shopkeeper’s eyes were filled with longing.
“I was its king. For hundreds of years. I claimed the one and only gem buried deep underground where no one dared enter, and I forged weapons that even the greatest blacksmiths said were impossible. I was the ruler of Dverza. Everyone worshipped and respected me. I received their absolute faith.”
The Shopkeeper’s face suddenly twisted.
“Yes! I could have become a Transcendent! If I had continued to receive the faith of all, I would have reached that realm and become the true ruler of the planet!”
Taesan listened quietly.
The Shopkeeper could no longer suppress his emotions and cried out fiercely.
“But then! That cursed being invaded my world! He enslaved me and turned my people into dogs of his faith!”
“Was it a Transcendent’s interference?”
“Yes.”
The Shopkeeper ground his teeth.
“He trampled me and forced me to craft weapons for him. I refused! I was a king! Their master! But… before that damned being, nothing mattered.”
He gave a bitter laugh and spread his arms.
“I lost everything. But I didn’t want to be its slave. So I abandoned everything and entered this place.”
“Your wish is the death of that Transcendent?”
“Yes.”
The Shopkeeper’s lips twisted.
“To kill the one who stole everything from me, and reclaim what was originally mine. That is my desire.”
The conclusion of his story was that he lost everything because of a Transcendent’s interference.
He had been close to reaching a great realm, only for it to crumble because of an external force.
Considering that emptiness and sense of loss, it was only natural he sought revenge.
Simple, predictable, common—but precisely because of that, it was a clear motivation.
‘So that’s why his wish hasn’t been fulfilled until now.’
No matter how great an adventurer, most stopped at the level of Immortal. But the Shopkeeper’s goal was the death of a Transcendent.
It explained why no other adventurer had ever satisfied him.
The ghost spoke in disbelief.
[He wants that? No wonder he ignored me. How many adventurers could possibly achieve that?]
“A foolish question. One stands right before you.”
The Shopkeeper smiled deeply. Even the ghost couldn’t refute that.
Taesan quietly organized his thoughts.
The quest’s goal was the death of the Transcendent who had stolen a planet.
‘It’s no different from the quests I’ve done before.’
Taesan had already dealt with worlds ruled by powerful beings.
Even the 88th floor quest had been about eliminating Immortals trying to become gods.
The opponent was stronger, but the fundamental structure remained the same.
‘This won’t be too difficult.’
Had it been a strange or unnatural wish, it might’ve been troublesome. But this one matched his experience perfectly.
Perhaps knowing that, the Shopkeeper spoke in a calmer tone.
“Think of it like the quests you’ve completed so far. The scale is larger, but it’s not that different. Except for one thing.”
“One thing?”
“That damned Transcendent doesn’t rule just one planet.”
“…A Transcendent ruling multiple planets?”
“Yes. I don’t know everything, but at least five.”
“Wait.”
Taesan raised a hand. His head suddenly became complicated.
The scale was far beyond what he had expected.
[From here, I’ll explain.]
At that moment, a voice echoed.
The ground of the labyrinth collapsed, and Balbabamba appeared.
[I didn’t think it was necessary, but on second thought, I should give you some context for this quest.]
Balbabamba began speaking to Taesan.
[You already know how Transcendents are classified, don’t you?]
Taesan nodded.
Those who reached transcendence through faith.
And those who reached it by governing a concept.
Though there were finer details, these were the two main classifications.
[Simply put, those who reach transcendence through faith are called Faith Gods. Those who rule concepts are Concept Gods.]
“Is that an actual term?”
[Not really. I just call them that for convenience. It’s annoying to keep distinguishing them.]
Taesan chuckled at Balbabamba’s grumble.
[Anyway, Faith Gods reach transcendence by being worshipped for a long time by many. That’s roughly the state you’re in now.]
“It’s still unstable, though.”
Taesan could only exist as a full Transcendent in places where he was worshipped.
Outside those spaces, he hadn’t yet reached true transcendence.
[Still, you’ve crossed the threshold. It’s a rare realm even in the universe. Then there are Concept Gods—Transcendents who rule over concepts and govern the laws of the world. They are true Transcendents in every sense.]
Rakiratas. Maria. Baltazaha.
Those who ruled the very concepts of victory, struggle, and choice.
They were Transcendents in the truest sense.
They had escaped the flow of time itself and engraved their concepts upon the world.
It was the very realm Taesan sought to reach.
[Even on a cosmic scale, they’re rare. And immensely powerful. Their strength cannot be compared to that of Faith Gods.]
Even Taesan couldn’t claim victory against them. Balbabamba continued calmly.
[The one who invaded the Shopkeeper’s world was a Faith God. Like you, he was worshipped by countless mortals on his own planet and rose to the seat of Faith God.]
“A Faith God invading another planet? That’s a first.”
[It’s simple. That Faith God reached transcendence, but desired more. He wasn’t satisfied staying at his current level.]
“So he invaded other planets and stole their faith?”
[He wanted to become a Concept God.]
A being who could rule the very concepts of the universe—true transcendence.
[He wished to escape the reliance on faith and stand alone as a self-sustaining existence. But as you know, that’s impossible through one’s own effort. So he changed his goal. If he couldn’t become a Concept God, he would amass enough faith as a Faith God to rival them.]
“Is that even possible?”
[It’s not impossible. You yourself are stabilizing your realm by gathering faith from multiple worlds. It’s similar.]
That wasn’t wrong.
Earth wasn’t the only planet where Taesan received faith.
Through his quests, several worlds had begun to worship him.
[That Transcendent invaded countless planets, driving out or killing their rulers, and stealing their faith. He accumulated immense divine power. His essence might not differ much, but his strength would easily surpass that of ordinary Faith Gods.]
“How many planets does he control?”
[I don’t know for sure. But… more than ten.]
“Ha.”
Taesan let out a short laugh.
Balbabamba looked toward the Shopkeeper.
[He said it when he first entered, didn’t he? That no adventurer existed who could fulfill his wish. That entering the labyrinth was meaningless. And yet… he finally found a possibility.]
“For revenge. That is my everything.”
The Shopkeeper’s lips twisted.
“For that, I will do anything.”
[I acknowledge that. You are a madman—but a madman with potential. Yet still, only potential. In the end, it’s his choice whether to accept your quest.]
“There’s a choice?”
[There always is. The labyrinth never forces anyone. You can skip combat and descend if you wish. The same applies here. You can ignore the quest and move on.]
A Transcendent receiving faith from over ten planets.
In sheer divinity, he would likely surpass Taesan. Even now, Taesan couldn’t guarantee victory.
The odds might even be against him.
But.
[You look rather pleased.]
“It’s that kind of situation.”
Taesan’s lips curved upward.
The stronger the opponent, the more he stood to gain.
Taesan looked at the Shopkeeper.
“The reward?”
“I’ll give everything I can. Within the limits of what the labyrinth allows, you’ll receive all that I possess.”
Everything—including the equipment of the shop.
“Not bad.”
“Then…”
Taesan nodded.
“I accept.”
[Quest Accepted.]
A radiant light of joy filled the Shopkeeper’s face.