Chapter 81
It was strange. A flame that burns flames. With such intensity, someone like Taesan should have melted from the residual heat alone.
But he only suffered burns. And when touched, it felt like a material, not just heat.
So, it was indeed a material.
Taesan wielded his sword, and Jazan looked at him, disturbed.
Having realized through those two spells, Taesan had perfectly figured out how to counter magic.
“It’s impossible!”
The magic of demons is, by definition, their own. It’s the culmination of power accumulated over eons.
“And you, of all people!”
[Jazan activated Dekarabia’s Distorted Vegetation.]
Darkness burst forth aggressively. The manifestation of this magic was exactly the same as before.
Jazan, having descended to the 30th floor, wasn’t foolish, but his pride and disdain meant altering the manifestation of his magic would be akin to admitting a flaw, so he didn’t force a change.
This was very fortunate for Taesan.
[Taesan activated Mental Acceleration.]
Time slowed down slightly. A tiny difference, but enough time to think.
Black magic. Unseen and complicated in his previous life.
“It only appears from the darkness.”
Magic only manifested from the swirling darkness around Jazan.
Distorted Vegetation was countless tree roots attacking. Staring into the darkness, the precursor became visible. The tips of the roots peeked out.
Seeing them, one could predict their trajectory.
Taesan moved. Three steps to the left. Two steps forward.
As the magic manifested, roots swept through the room.
But Taesan remained unharmed, as if the attack deliberately avoided him.
Jazan opened his mouth wide, and Taesan raised a finger.
Scorching Orb.
The roots burned away, clearing the room. Taesan activated acceleration, rushing through the flames to plant his sword in the stunned Jazan’s chest.
Crack.
“Th-this!”
Jazan hastily tried to distance himself, but Taesan clung to him. It was crucial not to let a magician create distance. He grabbed Jazan’s arm, swinging his sword again.
‘As expected.’
The observing ghost couldn’t help but admire.
Insight. Understanding the essence of objects or phenomena, deducing the most rational approach and solution, then deriving the outcome.
A crucial ability for anyone descending the labyrinth, and Taesan’s was unmatched.
In the midst of battle, even against unfamiliar black magic, to immediately find its activation method and countermeasures. No one had even attempted this, let alone succeeded. They were too busy trying to evade.
Yes, even the ghost hadn’t managed.
‘Indeed, his greatest strength was this.’
Realizing that stationary and trajectory states of magic were separate, he learned basic spells like Scorching Orb and Frost Arrow, which should have been unknowable.
He understood the compatibility of skills like Impact, Slide, Counter, etc.
And his swordsmanship. He considered the movements of Stormscar’s swordsmanship to be rough and attempted a different approach. Thus, he acquired the second sword, Dance of the Dancer.
He would deduce and attempt movement for anything he saw for the first time. While everyone has this ability, Taesan was exceptional.
‘Not just talent, then.’
Not merely the brilliance of violent talent.
Countless efforts, to the point of obsession and madness.
It stemmed from that.
As the ghost inwardly marveled, the fight continued, overwhelmingly in Taesan’s favor.
Taesan had been pushed back only because he knew nothing of black magic. But now, having somewhat grasped its activation method and countermeasures, it became simple. Block the magic and attack.
“E-eek!”
Jazan tried to manifest magic in vain. Blocked by magic, skills, or sword strikes, he quickly sustained over a thousand damage.
“Hmph!”
Eventually, Jazan conceded. He declared, with a rough expression,
“I admit it. But from here on, it won’t be the same!”
Jazan gathered demonic energy. The energy surged, attempting to envelop him.
[Jazan activated Ascension.]
A unique skill of demons, converting demonic energy and mana into stats. If activated, it would provide stats overwhelming enough to overpower Taesan.
Of course, Taesan wouldn’t just watch.
He stepped on Jazan’s foot and struck his chin. The loss of concentration canceled the Ascension.
“How, how could you?”
“What’s with the obvious activation?”
Taesan looked at him disdainfully.
Black magic could be canceled at any stage of manifestation by external stimuli. Having blocked many of Jazan’s spells, it was unlikely Taesan would just stand by.
Realizing this too late, Jazan desperately tried to create distance. But the difference in physical capabilities was clear.
Though there wasn’t a significant difference in stats, between a magician like Jazan and a swordsman like Taesan, the advantage was obvious.
Crack.
“Kuhuk.”
Finally, the sword pierced Jazan, bringing him to a near-death state. Taesan pointed a dagger at him.
“Act up, and you’re dead. Stay put.”
“I, to such a mere human…”
Jazan looked up in despair. The ghost let out the admiration it had been holding back.
[Impressive. I never thought you’d win so easily against such a clumsy one.]
“It’s simple if it’s just about ten spells without any transformation skills.”
For instance, magic acceleration, magic explosion.
Had there been skills altering the activation and manifestation of magic, Taesan would have struggled. However, due to lack of proficiency, only raw magic was activated.
[Really?]
The ghost smirked.
Typically, magicians on the 30th or 40th floor only use about ten spells and cannot alter most of them.
It’s not that they are weak. Magic is a battle of numbers. Up to the 30th floor, ten moves are sufficient.
But to Taesan, they all seemed immature. Essentially, unless one goes deeper, no magician on par or nearly on par with Taesan could win against him.
[I wonder about the proficiency of Insight.]
Specifically, Taesan had learned the ultimate evolution of Insight, Complete Reconnaissance, while the ghost hadn’t. The difference was significant.
“If this guy hadn’t been so foolish, it wouldn’t have been so easy.”
Jazan, a pure magician, should have constantly manifested numerous spells to prevent approach but didn’t due to complacency. Once the distance was allowed, the outcome was essentially decided.
“So then.”
Taesan pointed his sword at Jazan’s neck. Blood flowed freely.
“How can I learn black magic?”
Black magic. A form of magic completely different from regular magic.
Jazan’s black magic was extremely tricky and simultaneously attractive. Though Taesan didn’t know much about magic, to achieve such range and diversity, a substantial amount of magic had to be learned.
It would be a useful asset if learned.
Jazan responded to Taesan’s question with curses. Daring to covet demon magic as a human. He wished all sorts of curses on him.
Taesan’s response was straightforward. If Jazan didn’t answer, he could just offer his soul as a tribute to the gods.
This was very effective, causing Jazan to quiet down. Fearfully, he began to answer Taesan’s questions.
Though he tried to mix lies in between, the ghost preemptively cut him off. Having descended to the depths himself, the ghost had a general knowledge of black magic, making the conversation smooth.
Finally, the story was clear.
“So, I can learn it in the end?”
“Yes.”
Jazan nodded wearily.
“Black magic operates with demonic energy and mana. You have enough mana, so you just need demonic energy.”
“Demonic energy is exclusive to your race, right?”
It was a kind of energy naturally obtained by demons at birth. Other races couldn’t acquire it, no matter how hard they tried, as per the ghost’s explanation.
“Typically, yes. But this place is a labyrinth. A place where all sorts of anomalies and laws are twisted into skills. If the conditions are met… it’s not impossible to obtain demonic energy.”
Indeed, he had seen a few who had managed to acquire it. Jazan added that.
“That’s how you find our god.”
“…Like the god of magic, our god also resides here. Abandoning us all.”
Jazan spat out with a twisted face. His expression was a mix of respect and betrayal.
“Our lord loves those with ability. If you catch his eye and pass his trials… you might be granted a privilege only allowed to us. An infinitely impossible task, but still.”
Jazan twisted his lips. The demon god had never granted demonic energy to humans. Jazan thought Taesan would be no different.
“That’s not for you to decide.”
The demon god must be sought. That was the goal. Taesan asked the ghost.
“Do you know where?”
“I have a vague memory… but it shouldn’t be far. Just a bit further down.”
It seemed he could learn it sooner than expected. With this development, Taesan had one more question.
“How are the god of magic and the demon god related?”
He was learning magic from the god of magic. That was possible because the god of magic favored him.
If the two gods were on bad terms, he might have to give up one. The ghost hesitated.
“Uh… I’m not sure. Transcendents sometimes don’t get along. You might have to check for yourself.”
Considering there was no definite answer that they were on bad terms, Taesan thought it fortunate and organized his thoughts.
With that, he had obtained all the information from Jazan. Taesan immediately plunged his sword in. Jazan’s vitality faded along with his gloomy expression.
His accumulated power transferred to Taesan.
[Your Heroic Ascension has been activated. Strength permanently increases by 26, Agility by 27, Intelligence by 34, Vitality by 50, Mana by 70.] [Your Heroic Ascension has been activated. You have acquired the beginner black magic [Marcosias’s Fake Flame].] [Your level has increased.] [Your level has increased.]
Despite the level increase preventing Heroic Ascension from activating properly, being a 30th-floor adventurer meant significant gains.
He didn’t obtain any equipment, but that was expected. Hoping for 30th-floor gear was a bit much.
[Beginner Black Magic: Marcosias’s Fake Flame] [Mana Consumption: 13] [Basic Demonic Energy Consumption: 5] [Proficiency: 1%] [Summon a substance in the shape of flames managed by the demon Marcosias. Though significantly reduced in intensity to the point it seems it could be extinguished by ice, it’s still a formidable material.]
“Indeed, it was a material.”
The inclusion of demonic energy consumption meant he couldn’t use it until he acquired demonic energy.
So then.
Taesan spoke up.
“Stop hiding and come out.”
Yet, there was no movement. Taesan casually dusted off his hands.
“Should I drag each of you out and kill you? Run if you can.”
“…We’re sorry.”
Quiet voices followed by figures appearing. One, two, three. Ten in total.
They were second-tier adventurers.
The young man gritted his teeth and bowed his head. The others also trembled and knelt.
“It really feels like I’m bullying them.”
[It does seem similar.]
“What’s similar? I took the first hit.”
Taesan grumbled.
“I could kill all of you, and you wouldn’t have a say.”
At that, they trembled even more. The young man bit his lip.
‘It can’t be…’
It can’t be. The adventurer from the 13th floor in front of them was a monster. An unbeatable entity.
A 30th-floor adventurer had died. Though Jazan focused on tormenting them and neglected his power for a long time, still, he was from the 30th floor. A being of power that even a group of over ten from the 20th floor couldn’t touch.
And such a being was killed by someone from the 13th floor.
Without much effort, almost overwhelmingly.
They couldn’t rebel. The young man barely collected his thoughts and asked.
“What do you want from us?”