Chapter 543

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: What exactly happened?］

Lee Taeyeon stumbled through an explanation.

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: I gained control over Physical Force itself.］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Control? It allows that much?］

Taesan was surprised. He had bestowed Authority, but he never expected it would allow control over Physical Force itself. He hadn’t thought it would go that far.

But Lee Taeyeon denied what Taesan was imagining.

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: I think I said it wrong. I got control, but the limits are clear. It feels like it’s limited to my own body. And that limit is capped by how much Physical Force I can output.］

［Daniel Darmon［Hard］: Even so, the amount of Physical Force we can draw out has increased across the board. It’s obvious immediately.］

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: We only just got it, so I can’t fully figure it out yet, but I feel like there’s a lot more to it than just this?］

From what he heard, it seemed they could interfere with Physical Force at the level of a small concept. They couldn’t control the world’s Physical Force itself like Taesan, nor could they pour full power into each and every movement.

But even that alone was more than strong enough.

All players on Earth had now gained an Authority that let them interfere with the world’s concepts.

Lee Taeyeon muttered in an incredulous tone.

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: An Authority like this… we got it with no cost at all. Taesan. You bestowed this on every player on Earth?］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Yeah.］

［Ichijo Eika［Hard］: Oh……］

An exclamation slipped out.

It was unexpected for Taesan, too. That he could bestow it to this extent. Considering the level of Authority the Transcenders had bestowed until now, it felt strange.

After thinking for a moment, Taesan understood why.

The Transcenders settled in the Labyrinth hated the weak.

And what they wanted to see was a struggle fought with lives on the line—not people breezing through with their Authority.

So they bestowed Authority with extreme strictness. To mortals who pleased them—no, precisely because they pleased them, they tried to give power only within clear limits.

But Taesan wasn’t like them.

He had no interest in the players’ life-or-death struggles. His concern was their survival. There was no need to carefully regulate what he bestowed.

“So it was originally possible to this extent.”

Taesan let out a scoffing laugh. It was something he hadn’t known before ascending to a complete realm.

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Use it well. It should be pretty useful.］

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: This doesn’t feel like it’s just ‘pretty useful’……］

Lee Taeyeon was a player who possessed another Transcender’s Authority—Maria’s Authority.

That was why she understood better than anyone what level of Authority Taesan had just bestowed.

The Choice Exclusion she had. It was on that level.

As pure Authority, its performance was lower, but unlike Choice Exclusion, Physical Force Control was an Authority that could be used continuously.

Put simply, in Lee Taeyeon’s judgment, if someone fully utilized this one skill, even a Normal-mode player could trade blows with a Hard-mode player.

Of course, using Authority perfectly was impossible, but considering the gap between the two modes, that alone was a miracle.

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: Are you sure this is okay?］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: It doesn’t matter.］

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: Well then. Thanks. Thank you.］

［Daniel Darmon［Hard］: Thank you…….］

［Oliver Khan［Hard］: I don’t even know what to say.］

Words of gratitude began to appear one after another.

When he checked the community, Easy and Normal mode were in chaos.

Thinking about it, the skills they’d obtained so far were all unimpressive—skills that held no value or meaning to the current Taesan.

To them, Taesan’s Authority would be an absolute power they had never seen before.

They were cheering and shouting Taesan’s name.

It wasn’t a bad sight. Then, something occurred to Taesan, and he asked,

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: What happened with black magic?］

Because of the Demon God’s blessing, Earth’s players had been able to handle black magic.

But the demons had all been killed by Taesan, and that black magic had vanished.

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: Something changed. It’s like we can Magi a bit more freely now? It got cleaner than before.］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: So she stepped in.］

It seemed the Demon God had personally bestowed control over Magi. That was a good thing.

Taesan considered it.

What else could he bestow upon them?

The general talk was over.

But Taesan didn’t leave the community.

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Amelia. Kang Junhyuk. Come with me.］

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: Huh, huh?］

［Kang Junhyuk［Solo］: Me?］

The two were flustered. Taesan didn’t care and opened a separate chat window, calling them both in.

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: What is it?］

［Kang Junhyuk［Solo］: Hyung. What’s wrong? Is something wrong?］

They asked in anxious tones. But that wasn’t why Taesan had called them.

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: You’re my apostles.］

They were directly connected to Taesan—his direct subordinates, in every sense.

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Did the Authority’s effect change a bit for you?］

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: Ah. That’s what you were asking? You scared me for nothing.］

After grumbling for a moment, Amelia spoke.

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: I don’t have a comparison point, so it’s hard to be sure… but I can do more than what Taeyeon described.］

［Kang Junhyuk［Solo］: I can’t explain it well either, but… it’s different. Like the rank is a bit higher? And I think I can control the surroundings to some extent too.］

As apostles, it seemed they were permitted more Authority.

After reading their messages for a moment, Taesan made a decision.

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Wait a moment.］

Taesan pulled in Authority. This time, it wasn’t Physical Force.

It was Boundary.

The beast of the Boundary began to gather inside Taesan, creeping and coiling in.

And he tried to bestow it upon the apostles who served him.

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: ……Huh?］

［Kang Junhyuk［Solo］: W-wait.］

Sensing a strange discomfort, Amelia and Kang Junhyuk recoiled in alarm. Taesan commanded the beast. To dwell within them.

Grrr.

But the beast refused.

As if it didn’t want to leave Taesan’s side, as if Amelia and Kang Junhyuk couldn’t accept it, it whined and fussed.

‘Shut up.’

Taesan frowned.

Maybe before, but now the Boundary belonged to Taesan.

It followed his control as his Authority.

So he had no intention of listening to any refusal. Taesan forcibly pressed the Boundary down.

Grrr.

The Boundary let out a small, protesting growl.

But there was no further resistance.

A minuscule portion of the beast—so small it wasn’t even a speck of dust—settled into Amelia and Kang Junhyuk.

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: Wait. Taesan. This is……］

［Kang Junhyuk［Solo］: Uh…….］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: You got it?］

［Kang Junhyuk［Solo］: I got it, but… what is this?］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Good.］

The residents of this world couldn’t accept [Gray]. He couldn’t bestow Taesan’s Boundary upon them.

(T/N: Sorry to cut but I think I need to put an explanation here. So Boundary is the type of power while Gray could possibly Taesan’s name for the beast of Boundary)

Amelia and Kang Junhyuk were Taesan’s apostles.

They were direct lives connected to his soul.

Then they should be able to accept [Gray].

He had bestowed it with that possibility in mind, and it succeeded. Amelia and Kang Junhyuk gained the Boundary, even if only a little.

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: ……What kind of Authority is this? I don’t know.］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Figure it out yourself.］

Taesan didn’t know exactly what concept it was, either. It was something the two of them had to grasp by handling the Authority themselves.

‘How will it turn out?’

Taesan was curious too. How someone other than Taesan would be able to handle [Gray].

It could mean nothing—or it could mean a great deal. If anything happened, he could retrieve it, so there was no problem.

That left only one Authority. Spiritual Rank Usurpation.

But Taesan had already given up on that. There was no way he could bestow a power he couldn’t even fully control himself.

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: Keep going down.］

［Amelia Airin［Solo］: Seriously. I don’t even know what to say. Thanks.］

［Kang Junhyuk［Solo］: Thank you. Really.］

Amelia and Kang Junhyuk expressed their gratitude.

It was the moment Taesan was about to leave the community for real.

Just then, a message came from Lee Taeyeon.

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: Ah. Right. Taesan. I heard the general story from Maria-nim.］

［Kang Taesan［Solo］: It got to you that fast?］

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: You worked hard. Seriously. You really got insanely strong.］

Lee Taeyeon was purely amazed.

To fight Rakiratas without being pushed back, and to prove himself.

She had seen the end of the Labyrinth, so she knew how absurd that sounded.

［Lee Taeyeon［Solo］: I want to help too, but… I’m too weak. Still, I’ll do my best.］

Lee Taeyeon typed with energy.

Taesan watched for a moment, then ended the community without saying anything else.

Even after the conversation ended, the Magician didn’t appear.

He didn’t know what was on the 96th floor, or whether he could descend the Labyrinth as he was now. Since he didn’t know, he had to wait until the Magician appeared.

Time was empty again, and Lee Taeyeon—who he’d just been talking to—naturally came to mind.

How strong could she become?

She had talent. Different in direction, but talent that would surprise even the Transcenders.

If she used that talent perfectly—if she devoted her entire life to it—could she someday reach a solitary, complete realm on her own?

An answer formed in Taesan’s mind.

It was possible.

If it was Lee Taeyeon, she could reach it. In the first place, she had that kind of potential—that was why Maria had made her with her own finger. Now that Taesan had reached this realm, he could tell.

But having potential and actually reaching it were entirely different matters.

Lee Taeyeon had drawn her line. Unless she herself intended to go beyond it, she would never reach a solitary, complete realm.

In the first place, since she had become an apostle, the possibility itself was already blocked.

Taesan didn’t think that was a problem. He believed choosing where to stop and be satisfied was an individual’s choice.

But if it wasn’t that.

If she wanted higher, yet couldn’t reach it.

Taesan stared into empty space.

“You can come out.”

With those words, space split open.

—

Long green hair that reached down to her ankles came into view. The Green Witch, revealing herself, bowed respectfully before Taesan.

“I greet the Great One.”

Her posture was even more respectful and deferential than the last time he’d seen her.

It was enough to make Taesan uncomfortable.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“No.”

The Green Witch showed no intention of lifting her head.

Seeing that, Taesan realized one fact.

Because of the contract, the Green Witch could share Taesan’s view.

In other words, there was a high chance she had watched Taesan’s battle with Rakiratas in its entirety.

“You saw?”

“Yes.”

The Green Witch answered politely.

“I witnessed the miracles of the Great Ones. Thank you for showing such an overwhelming sight to someone as lowly as me. And I thank you for something else as well.”

“Something else?”

“For not yet canceling the contract with someone as lowly as me.”

Taesan understood what she meant.

Taesan had formed a contract with the Green Witch.

It was a contract of sight that allowed the Green Witch to observe everything Taesan did, moment by moment.

Back then, it hadn’t been a problem. The Green Witch was an Immortal, and Taesan was a mortal. The Green Witch was the stronger one, and she was the one bestowing, so aligning their sight wasn’t a major issue.

But now it was different.

Taesan had reached a solitary realm, while she was still an Immortal.

And for an Immortal to share sight with an existence at Taesan’s level was, in itself, an insult.

If it were a foul-tempered Transcender, they would have killed the witch—or at the very least, forcibly canceled the contract.

Even if it was a contract made by mutual consent in his mortal days, that wouldn’t matter. That was what reaching rank meant.

But Taesan had no intention of doing that.

“It’s a contract I agreed to. Unless you want it canceled, I won’t cancel it.”

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The witch spoke while still bowed. Then she slowly lifted her head.

“Then… it is presumptuous of me, but may I ask one request?”

There was desperation in the Green Witch’s eyes.

It was an emotion so dense and intense that even a mortal—not just Taesan—could have recognized it.

There was only one reason she had formed a contract with Taesan in the first place.

“If it is you, the Great One… could you give me an answer as to whether I can reach a lofty seat?”