Leveling Up With Skills – Chapter 536

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Kiiiiing!

Gold flooded his vision—heat intense enough to evaporate the sea and melt the earth.

But Taesan felt nothing. The heat was blocked by Immutable Self, never reaching him. It couldn’t even obscure his sight.

“I won’t stop you if you want to fight, but it won’t be good for you.”

[You.]

A stiff voice echoed.

[Die.]

Kiiiiing!

Hundreds—no, thousands—of golden swords surged forward in perfect unison.

The sincerity of a Transcender who governed concepts.

Yet Taesan wasn’t afraid.

Against the brilliantly shining gold, gray rose from Taesan.

A deep, dark gray that swallowed both light and darkness.

Kuuuuuung!

The golden swords collided with the gray torrent. Taesan swung his arm, and the gray that shook everything surged forward.

Jjeojeojeojeok!

It was the golden swords that shattered.

The beast-like gray stained and devoured the golden light.

[What!]

Ehilliye jolted, hurriedly gathering his power. A sword even more dazzling—like it had been set with every jewel in the world—manifested.

Kuuuuuung!

The great sword charged at Taesan. Taesan roughly brought both hands together. The gray swirled, swallowing the great sword whole.

He clenched his fist.

The gray compressed. Ehilliye’s great sword resisted, trying to burst with even more golden light, but the pressure didn’t stop—only tightened.

Jjeojeojeojeok!

Cracks rang out. Taesan drove his fist down.

Kaaaaaang!

The great sword shattered, crushed by the gray and vanishing without a trace.

Ehilliye’s pupils trembled.

[My… my Divine Power….]

“Hm.”

Taesan looked at his hand. The sensation of drawing out the Boundary Line still lingered in his body.

“Is it not enough?”

Taesan muttered. Ehilliye didn’t understand.

[You bastard. What did you do!]

Ehilliye erupted in rage.

He couldn’t understand, and couldn’t accept, the gray. It felt like something beyond concepts he could even recognize.

“I wish I could tell you that too.”

Unfortunately, Taesan couldn’t either.

“You’re not enough.”

At those words, Ehilliye felt humiliation he couldn’t endure.

[Youuuuuu!]

Anger twisted into hatred. Hundreds of brilliantly shining swords rushed at Taesan.

Taesan didn’t draw out the Boundary Line.

Instead, he stomped.

Jjeoeoeoeoeong!

Physical Force shattered. The hundreds of swords flying in with Acceleration all lost their Physical Force at once and dropped.

[What!]

“Hoo.”

Taesan flexed his fingers, satisfied. He could control and manipulate any Physical Force directed at him, reducing it to nothing.

He had turned the incoming swords’ movement to zero.

Then Taesan pulled his finger back and flicked it, as if delivering a light tap. Physical Force exploded like a bomb and washed over Ehilliye.

[Ugh!]

Ehilliye was thrown back. He barely raised his Divine Power to block it, but he still took heavy damage from that single exchange.

“Even a simple flick is this strong, huh.”

Taesan was satisfied again.

[H-how….]

Ehilliye’s face was filled with shock.

He could feel it. In Taesan’s attack just now, a concept itself had been mixed in.

In other words, it meant that until Taesan directly handled the Divine Power of Physical Force, Ehilliye hadn’t even realized Taesan possessed the Divine Power of Physical Force.

[Y-you! You! You!]

Ehilliye’s voice rose. One who had reached a high realm was now stained with emotion.

Kiiiiing!

A sword more splendid than anything else appeared.

Ehilliye’s full power.

The Divine Power he invoked to truly kill.

Kareuk.

The beast within Taesan howled—like it had been waiting, like now was the moment to come out.

Just as Taesan’s gaze was about to harden—

[Goodness.]

In that instant, darkness rose.

Deep, pitch-black surged like a tsunami, swallowing Ehilliye’s sword and shattering it instantly.

Kaaaaaang!

[Ah?]

[What are you doing?]

A quiet voice echoed.

The Demon God stared at Ehilliye with sunken eyes.

[Ah.]

Ehilliye’s face went pale. In his emotion, he had forgotten where he was.

This was the Pantheon.

The place where all gods gathered.

[What are you doing to the guest we invited?]

[That’s not it.]

[Enough with the excuses.]

The Demon God raised a finger, as if she didn’t even want to listen.

And Ehilliye was flung away. He couldn’t resist. In an instant, he vanished into the distance.

“Overwhelming.”

Ehilliye was a Transcender, yet with a casual gesture the Demon God had shattered his full power and sent him flying. She spoke indifferently.

[He’s just a Transcender who dominates a small concept. He can’t reach us.]

The Demon God smiled.

It was a bright expression, completely different from when she dealt with Ehilliye.

[It’s been a while, Taesan.]

“It hasn’t been long enough to call it ‘a while.’”

[That’s true, but greetings like that are about the heart.]

“If that’s the case… it’s been a while.”

The Demon God nodded, satisfied. After studying Taesan for a moment, she exclaimed.

[Just like the stories. I heard it from Essential, but it’s amazing.]

“Essential is here too?”

[Yes. I heard and learned a lot from him.]

The Demon God’s gaze held only surprise and admiration.

[You’re… truly amazing. To be honest, I wouldn’t be able to empty and refill myself the way you did.]

Even the mighty—no, precisely because they were mighty—couldn’t do it. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say only Taesan could.

[I really can’t read you.]

The Demon God tried to observe Taesan. Taesan didn’t stop her.

Even so, she couldn’t grasp what he had reached.

Last time, she hadn’t been able to read him precisely either, but she could at least confirm his level. This was stranger still.

[I wonder if I’ll be able to confirm it this time. I don’t know.]

“The fact that you came means it’s okay to move now, right?”

[That’s right. Follow me.]

The Demon God spoke calmly.

[The gods are waiting for you.]

Taesan’s eyes sank.

The Demon God led, and Taesan followed.

Enmity and murderous intent, curiosity—everything was aimed at him.

Taesan didn’t care.

How far had they gone? Beyond the black world, a massive temple came into view.

Powerful energies churned within.

A level so elevated that Ehilliye—who had confronted Taesan earlier—wouldn’t be strange to call insignificant.

Beings who could wield the universe itself.

They were gathered there.

[It’s there.]

Following the Demon God’s guidance, Taesan entered. At the Magician’s gesture, the massive doors began to open slowly.

And Taesan saw.

More than ten gods, watching him.

[You have encountered Maria, the God of Choice.]

[You have encountered Rakiratas, the God of Struggle and Death.]

[You have encountered the Magician who created the Labyrinth.]

[You have encountered Zervand, the God of Magic.]

[You have encountered Essential, the God of Essence.]

[You have encountered Baal, the Great Demon.]

[You have encountered Dersha, the God of Death.]

—

‘There are many.’

Any one of them could shake the universe by themselves.

Nearly twenty waited for Taesan here. A woman with golden hair flowing to her waist greeted him with a gentle smile.

[It’s been a while, child.]

“It’s been a while.”

Maria, the God of Choice, spoke with a joyful face.

[No. I misspoke. You’ve grown too big to be called a child now.]

She stared at Taesan, trying to read his essence, then let out an exclamation.

[I really can’t read you. What have you reached?]

“That’s just how it turned out.”

Taesan shifted his gaze.

Baal sat at the end.

“You’re here too?”

[There must be a reward for betraying the other side. Thanks to that, I entered the Pantheon as a special case. I can even participate in gatherings like this.]

[Quiet.]

Someone muttered, annoyed. A beautiful voice echoed.

A woman with black hair cut to her chin. Her sharp face was filled with irritation and murderous intent.

[This isn’t a place to build friendships. Be quiet, Baal.]

The one who showed the most hostility toward Taesan.

Taesan could tell who she was from the energy alone.

Baal replied with a smile.

[Dersha. Aren’t you being too sensitive? It’s your first time facing him in his true form. Show some composure, as a Transcender who’s existed since creation.]

Dersha, the God of Death.

The Transcender who had once tried to kill Taesan directly. She clicked her tongue, disgusted.

[I…!]

[Calm down, Dersha.]

Zervand, the God of Magic, spoke with a beaming smile.

[We’re here to talk.]

[…….]

Dersha sank back into her chair, expression sour.

Taesan looked across the gods.

They sat around a round table, gazing down at him.

Eighteen in total.

“Is this all?”

“There are many Transcenders who declared neutrality and stayed out of it. You could say everyone here is both qualified to speak about you and has some kind of emotion toward you.”

Taesan lifted his head.

[Then let’s begin.]

Rakiratas’s heavy voice echoed.

[The topic is Kang Taesan. You.]

“I want to hear it plainly.”

“I told them about you.”

Essential, the God of Essence, spoke. Apology flickered across his face.

“I asked for your understanding since it involved your origins, but I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

It wasn’t something that could stay secret anyway.

[What’s already happened isn’t important. What matters is what happens next. Several Transcenders are concerned about what to do with you.]

Rakiratas’s languid voice continued, his eyes fixed on Taesan.

[Are you truly useful to us? Or… useful to those things? There are quite a few cowards worried about that.]

[Shut up, Rakiratas.]

Dersha snapped, eyes brimming with murderous intent.

[I have no intention of playing such meaningless games.]

She raised her arm. A slender finger pointed at Taesan.

[That thing must die.]

The God of Death declared death.

That declaration itself was Divine Power. An intangible force swallowed Taesan. The concept of death, following its master’s will, tried to drag him into death.

Taesan drew out the Boundary Line.

In sync with Immutable Self, he shattered Dersha’s Divine Power. Dersha’s face twisted.

[How dare you….]

[You didn’t come to kill him, did you? Calm down, Dersha.]

[There’s no need for conversation. That thing is an existence that breaks the balance of the universe.]

Dersha dismissed Zervand and rose roughly.

The reason she had tried to kill Taesan before was the same: Taesan’s existence disrupted balance and concepts.

Her stance hadn’t changed. With a distorted face, she spoke.

[The fact that the current balance is broken is ultimately because of that thing.]

[That’s not true, Dersha.]

Maria replied with a smile.

[The Old Gods’ descent isn’t the real issue. The issue is that there was a traitor. Strictly speaking, that’s your side’s problem.]

[More than anything, we learned something from it.]

[The Usurper.]

The Demon God murmured softly. Essential chuckled.

[I didn’t expect all of you to have forgotten that existence.]

“Have you all remembered now?”

[He has imprinted himself on the world. We can’t forget him even if we want to.]

[It’s a harvest just to remember the forgotten Ancient God. There’s nothing wrong with him, so there’s no problem.]

[…….]

[That isn’t the important point.]

Rakiratas, the God of Struggle and Death, muttered quietly.

His gaze never left Taesan.

Within it, strange longing and desire stirred.

[It’s not important.]

Chapter 536

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