Chapter 85
The thunderous roar of the Balrog reverberates through the chamber as it lunges forward, its massive hands reaching for Taesan.
Taesan inhales sharply, his sword poised for action.
With deft movements, he guides the tip of his blade, deflecting the Balrog’s arms and striking its exposed chest.
A resounding crack echoes as the Balrog crashes to the ground, only to rise swiftly, its gaze fixed on Taesan. Taesan whistles in admiration.
“Quite resilient, aren’t you?”
A surge of magic energy envelops the area.
[The Sealed Balrog has activated Magic Burst.]
Magic energy swirls around like a tempest, prompting Taesan to cautiously distance himself, contemplating.
“Resembling a demon?”
Though akin in concept, there was a distinction between the magic energy here and that wielded by Jagan. The former possessed a denser, darker aura.
[You have activated Evasion.]
As the surging magic energy approaches, Taesan’s movements distort, evading the onslaught.
[You have activated Slow.]
The Balrog’s movements sluggish, Taesan seizes the opportunity to charge forward with his sword.
Combatting the Balrog presented a valuable learning experience. As he confronts the creature, Taesan experiments with various tactics and skills, eschewing a swift victory for exploration and mastery.
Observing Taesan’s prowess, Haplan can’t help but marvel.
“Is such a feat even possible?”
Their stats were comparable, yet Taesan effortlessly outmatched the Balrog through skill, technique, and intuition.
“To dominate a Balrog in such fashion, even with its diminished intellect and abilities…”
[Did I not tell you? He is capable.]
“Yet, this is peculiar. How does he…”
In truth, defeating a Balrog at the 30th-floor level was no remarkable feat. Having languished in confinement for an extended period, the Balrog had lost much of its intelligence, skills, and potency.
For a typical adventurer at the 30th floor, dispatching such a creature posed little challenge. An adversary devoid of strategic acumen proved easily vanquished.
However, this scenario applied solely to adventurers at the 30th-floor level.
“Comparable stats? How is that possible? No matter his strength, he should not rival a creature from a higher floor.”
Haplan mused, his gaze heavy with inquiry.
While skills could be attained through exceptional talent or diligent effort, statistics operated under different principles.
They were typically accrued through leveling up and confronting adversaries, making it unheard of for an individual to possess statistics surpassing their floor level.
Occasionally, temporary boosts to statistics were attainable through rare skills, but their effects were often modest.
Yet, Taesan, situated on the 16th floor, boasted statistics akin to a 30th-floor Balrog.
[It is indeed a perplexing anomaly.]
With Taesan’s consent, one could scrutinize his system window. Given the ghost’s spectral state, Taesan felt little need for vigilance.
[Whence came such skills?]
Among Taesan’s impressive array of abilities, Spirit Ascension stood out as particularly remarkable.
A skill not only augmenting statistics but also bestowing additional skills—it defied conventional logic.
The ghost pondered.
“Is such a skill truly bestowed upon mortals?”
It seemed to transcend conventional limitations, possessing an otherworldly quality. At the very least, it was not a skill readily accessible through dungeon aid.
[Regardless, it remains an enigma. And mark my words, he is precisely the aid you require.]
“…”
As Taesan engaged the Balrog, his focus extended beyond mere victory, delving into the intricacies of tactics and techniques. Even Haplan, witnessing him for the first time, discerned Taesan’s exceptional observational acumen.
[He may yet fulfill the desire that binds you here.]
With a composed declaration, Haplan’s gaze turned introspective.
Amidst the clash with the Balrog, Taesan’s attention is diverted as Haplan approaches, his query preempted.
“What is required of me?”
Sheathing his sword, Taesan inquires of Haplan.
“Venture into my world—the one ravaged by destruction.”
“One can traverse a desolate realm?”
“My world met its demise in a singular manner. Within lies a gem facilitating entry.”
Haplan produces a black gem, its surface shimmering with latent energy.
Through the waves of energy, a world materializes.
“Use this to gain passage. There are remnants to be found within my shattered realm, including materials of value.”
Haplan gestures towards his modest workshop—a space adorned with an anvil, hammer, and forge.
“While serviceable, this workshop is limited in its potential. Only materials from my ravaged world can yield creations of greater potency.”
An eager gleam animates Haplan’s eyes, prompting Taesan’s curiosity.
“Will I be capable of handling such materials at my current level?”
“I shall not thrust you into perilous environs immediately. If you can contend with a Balrog, you will fare well in the locales I propose. Do you possess the Breathless skill?”
Taesan nods affirmatively.
“That shall suffice. Let us commence with a modest endeavor.”
Haplan speaks with assurance.
“Embark for my desolated realm. Within the Grey Forest, procure the roots of the Wildgrow.”
[Sub-quest initiated] [Haplan beseeches you to retrieve the roots of the Wildgrow from his shattered world’s Grey Forest. Success shall yield a reward.] [Reward: Equipment fashioned from Wildgrow roots.]
“The destination is marked upon your map. Upon reaching the forest, the method of acquisition shall become evident.”
Taesan accepts the quest without hesitation.
Upon acquiescence, Haplan channels energy into the gem, invoking a portal.
A vista of a greyed world unfolds.
“Step forth.”
Before entering the portal, Taesan inquires.
“You seem discerning in your choice of quest recipients.”
“Indeed. Aside from the hero and yourself, none have received such requests. While others have petitioned, I have rebuffed them all.”
Haplan asserts firmly.
“To dispatch one to my realm signifies a vested interest in my pursuit. Deep within my village lies an object I lament leaving behind upon my departure.”
Regret tinges Haplan’s expression.
“Should their abilities prove insufficient to reach it, I have no desire for them to desecrate my world.”
Implicit acknowledgment bestowed upon Taesan, Haplan withdraws.
“Thus elucidated. Yet, heed one final admonition.”
As Taesan steps into the gem-wrought portal, Haplan imparts.
“The world shall assail you.”
Abruptly, darkness envelops Taesan, his form traversing through the void.
“What manner of sorcery is this?”
[A transit through spatial realms. It consumes time due to interstellar distances. Exercise patience, and arrival shall soon follow.]
The desolated world looms closer.
A first foray, Taesan harbors genuine intrigue regarding this ravaged realm.
The hero had alluded to his own world’s ruin—a sentiment echoed by the shopkeeper.
Even Earth itself, in its own way, teeters on the brink of destruction. Might their fates be akin to that of Earth’s future?
Anticipation mounts as the greyed world draws nigh.
At last, Taesan materializes within this bleak expanse.
Initial impressions evoke discomfort and unease.
The air hangs heavy, stifling, as if rejecting any attempt at respiration.
[You have activated the Breathless skill.]
Instinctively, Taesan invokes the skill. He grimaces, noting the palpable sensation of foreign substances assailing his lungs.
[You take 2 damage.]
With adept mitigation, Taesan maintains a precarious balance of respiration.
Each breath inflicts harm—a sardonic reminder of his predicament.
“There is scant oxygen here.”
A mere whisper of oxygen amidst the miasma. Taesan breathes shallowly, cautiously navigating the treacherous atmosphere.
[You have taken 5 damage.]
Cyanotic lesions mar his flesh, a testament to the world’s hostility.
Taesan surveys the desolate landscape. The parched earth threatens to consume him, its voracious hunger relentless.
He maneuvers cautiously, consulting his map.
Though the Grey Forest lies within reach, a palpable tension taints the air.
[Minimize unnecessary movement. Excessive activity may draw unwanted attention. Though detection is inevitable, restraint may forestall immediate annihilation.]
“A dire warning indeed.”
Resolving to heed the ghost’s counsel, Taesan advances at a measured pace.
[Skill proficiency increased by 1%.]
With each step, proficiency burgeons, granting newfound abilities.
A wry smile graces Taesan’s lips.
As Haplan foretold, the ordeal proves manageable. Though health diminishes incrementally, the peril remains tolerable.
Onward he strides, the looming specter of the Grey Forest beckoning.
“Kuoooor!”
The Balrog lunges forward, attempting to grasp Taesan with its hefty hands.
Taesan takes a short breath and maneuvers his sword.
The tip of his smoothly moving sword twists the trajectory of the Balrog’s arms.
He strikes the exposed chest of the Balrog.
Crack.
“Kuooor!”
The Balrog crashes to the ground but immediately gets up and glares at Taesan. Taesan whistles.
“Pretty sturdy, aren’t you?”
Magic energy swells up.
[The Sealed Balrog has activated Magic Burst.]
Magic energy sweeps through the surroundings like a storm. Taesan distances himself, pondering.
“Similar to a demon?”
The concept of magic energy was the same, but there was a difference. Compared to the magic energy used by Jagan, it was denser and darker.
[You have activated Evasion.]
The erupting magic energy, upon touching Taesan, gets distorted and misses him.
[You have activated Slow.]
“Kuoooor!”
The Balrog’s movements slow down. Taesan charges forward with his sword.
Fighting the Balrog was a great opportunity for him. If he descends to the deep levels, he will encounter Balrogs, so this served as a practice round.
Instead of quickly defeating the Balrog, Taesan tested various methods and skills.
Observing this, Haplan couldn’t hide his astonishment.
“Is this even possible?”
Their stats were similar. Yet, Taesan was completely overpowering it with skill, technique, and sense.
“Even if it has lost its intelligence and degraded, to dominate a Balrog like this…”
[Didn’t I tell you? He can do it.]
“But still, this is strange. How is this…”
To be frank, this wasn’t a big deal at the level of the 30th floor. The Balrog, having been sealed for a long time, lost its intelligence and skills, and practically everything had degraded.
A regular adventurer from the 30th floor could easily defeat the current Balrog. An enemy that blindly attacks without intelligence is quite an easy opponent for them.
However, that was the story for adventurers from the 30th floor.
“Similar stats? How? No matter how strong he is, he shouldn’t be able to match the stats of a creature from a different floor.”
Haplan muttered, his eyes filled with questions.
Skills could be acquired through exceptional talent or effort, and proficiency was the same.
But stats were a different story.
They could only be obtained by leveling up and facing enemies. No matter how strong someone was, it was unheard of to achieve stats beyond their floor level.
There were indeed skills that could temporarily boost stats, but they were very rare, and the amount wasn’t significant.
Yet, Taesan, being on the 16th floor, possessed stats comparable to a 30th-floor level Balrog.
[It’s indeed curious to me too.]
With the subject’s consent, one could view their system window. Since the ghost was already dead, Taesan didn’t feel the need to be wary.
[Where did he get such skills?]
Taesan’s skills were all exceptional, but Spirit Ascension stood out even among them.
A skill that increases stats. Moreover, it even grants new skills. It was literally an impossible skill.
The ghost thought to himself.
‘Is such a skill really granted to a mortal?’
It seemed more high-dimensional.
Something alien. At least, it wasn’t a skill that could be obtained as a dungeon’s assistance.
[Anyway, it’s a being I’ve never seen before. And you’ll see. He’s exactly the kind of help you need.]
“…”
As Taesan dealt with the Balrog, not just to win but to dismantle various tactics and skills, even Haplan, seeing him for the first time, could tell. Taesan’s observational skills were exceptionally sharp.
[He might be able to fulfill the wish that has kept you here.]
With a calm statement, Haplan’s eyes grew heavy.
While this was happening, the Balrog was exhausting its strength and falling.
[You have defeated the Sealed Balrog.]
“Alright. I’ll grant your wish.”
Immediately after defeating the Balrog and as Haplan approached, he said.
“What do I need to do?”
Taesan sheathed his sword and asked.
“Go to my world. The one that was destroyed.”
“You can go to a destroyed place?”
“My world was destroyed in a unique way. There’s a gem that allows entry to it.”
Haplan opens a portal and pulls out a black gem.
Beyond the energy waves, a world was visible.
“Use this to send you there. You can bring back materials from there. It’s a destroyed world, but there are still things left.”
Haplan looks towards his workshop. A simple workshop with an anvil, hammer, and forge.
“The workshop here isn’t bad, but I can only make so much. Everything I can make is ordinary.”
He knew about this. A blacksmith’s advantage was being able to make equipment for specific parts, not creating extraordinary items.
Taeyun also used the blacksmith until the mid-journey but didn’t seek him much after entering the deep floors.
“But with materials only I can handle from my destroyed world, I can make something stronger.”
Haplan’s eyes gleamed with passion. Taesan tilted his head.
“Can I handle it at my level?”
“I’m not going to send you somewhere difficult right away. If you can handle a Balrog, you’ll be fine in the places I’m sending you. Do you have the Breathless skill?”
Taesan nods.
“That’ll do. Let’s start with something light.”
Haplan speaks calmly.
“Go to my destroyed world. In the Grey Forest, retrieve the roots of the Wildgrow.”
[Sub-quest started] [Haplan has a request for you. Enter his destroyed world, and from the Grey Forest, bring back the roots of the Wildgrow. If successful, a reward awaits.] [Reward: Equipment made from the roots of the Wildgrow.]
“The location will be on the map. As soon as you reach the forest, you’ll know how to obtain it.”
Taesan nodded, having no intention of refusing the quest.
Upon accepting the quest, Haplan held the gem and muttered something.
The space opens.
A grey world is revealed.
“Enter.”
Before stepping in, Taesan asked.
“You seem to be very selective about whom you give quests to.”
“That’s right. Except for the hero and you, I haven’t given it to anyone else. There were those who wished for it, but I refused them all.”
Haplan spoke firmly.
“Sending someone to my world means there’s something I want from there. Something deep inside, in my village, the thing I regretted the most not bringing when I left the world.”
Regret was evident in Haplan’s eyes.
“If they are too weak to reach there, I don’t want to let them trample on my world.”
Taesan was implicitly acknowledged. Haplan stepped back.
“Then everything’s explained. Just remember one thing.”
As Taesan steps into the portal created by the gem, Haplan says,
“The world will try to kill you.”
Suddenly, everything goes dark. Taesan’s body begins to move through the black space.
“What’s this?”
[A movement through space. It takes some time since it’s across stellar distances. Just wait a bit, and you’ll arrive.]
The grey world grows closer.
The destroyed world. It’s his first visit, and he was honestly curious.
The hero also mentioned his world was destroyed. Probably the shopkeeper’s world, too.
Even Earth is, in a way, a world on the verge of destruction. Their destruction could be Earth’s future.
He wondered how their end differed from Earth’s.
The grey world drew nearer.
Finally, Taesan’s body arrives in the world.
His first impression was discomfort and stickiness.
The first sensation was the inability to breathe. Attempting to inhale brought a toxin-like foreign substance trying to invade his body.
[You have activated the Breathless skill.]
He reflexively activates the skill. Taesan grimaces and waves his hand in the air.
Nothing was felt. If there was air, there should have been some wind in response to his hand movement, but absolutely nothing happened.
Taesan looks down at the ground. The withered earth tries to swallow Taesan as it crumbles.
He rolls away, but the new ground is no different.
The earth seeks to consume Taesan.
He looks up at the sky. There are no clouds. Beyond the open sky, only a grey color is heavily painted.
From that grey, even a child could sense a deep hostility.
Taesan realizes.
The star itself is trying to kill any living being.
He exhales. The slight air inside him escapes.
And he inhales again. A toxin-like substance tries to enter his lungs.
“There’s a bit of oxygen.”
A trace amount of oxygen is mixed with the foreign substance. He breathes shallowly, taking in and out small breaths.
[You take 2 damage.]
He manages to minimize the damage and continue breathing. Without the Breathless skill, it would have been impossible.
Just breathing inflicts damage. A cynical laugh escapes him.
“Can anything even be obtained from such a place?”
He had thought it was just a desolate level, but it was not. The world itself harbored hostility and sought to kill.
[It’s precisely because it’s such a place that there are things to be obtained.]
Taesan exhales and inhales. The ground, even as it does so, crumbles and tries to consume him.
Taesan unfolds the map. The location of the Grey Forest and his current position are marked.
It’s not too far, but not close either.
Taesan starts moving.
[It’s best not to show too much movement. If you show more movement than necessary, this place will notice you. Although it will eventually detect movement… at least it won’t crush you into the mountains.]
“That’s a grim thing to say.”
Following the ghost’s advice, he proceeds at a normal walking pace. Continuously breathing, he manages to acquire a skill.
[You have continuously endured in a dreadful environment. You have obtained the special passive skill [Poison Resistance].] [Breathless proficiency has increased by 1%.] [Disease Resistance proficiency has increased by 1%.]
And moving further, another system window appears.
[Block proficiency has increased by 1%.]
Just walking increases proficiency and grants new skills.
A cynical laugh escapes him.
But as Haplan said, it wasn’t unbearable. Health is slowly chipped away, but it’s very minimal. It’s like scratching a shield before arriving.
Taesan continues to move forward.
As time passes, the poison becomes denser. The damage from each breath gradually increases.
Crack.
Rough marks appear on the skin. The skin touched by the air slowly distorts.
Skin peels away, revealing the flesh beneath.
[You take 4 damage.]
Taesan grimaces and presses on his skin.
[The foreign substances are getting stronger in their attempt to exclude you.]
“Hmm.”
It’s still bearable, but as time goes on, it will become increasingly difficult.
Haplan mentioned he could return anytime. It would be considered a quest failure, but at least there’s no risk of death.
Making a decision, Taesan waves his hand.
Pfft.
[You take 5 damage.]
Fingernails rip through the skin. Taesan continues to move his hand, creating wounds on various parts of his body.
[…I kind of get it, but why are you doing that?]
“Resistance and immunity are better acquired through injury.”
Stopping to wait, Taesan watches as the ghost chuckles.
[I know, but it’s rare to actually see someone do it. I’m not even surprised anymore.]
Crack.
The wounds Taesan created widen. Blood flows out, and an unpleasant pain engulfs him.
Taesan quietly maintains his silence and waits.
Eventually, he acquires new skills.
[You have obtained the special passive skill [Decay Resistance].] [You have obtained the special passive skill [Laceration Resistance].]
“Two, huh?”
[Special Passive Skill: Decay Resistance] [Proficiency: 1%] [Resistance to decay. It doesn’t seem very meaningful yet.] [Special Passive Skill: Laceration Resistance] [Proficiency: 1%] [Resistance to tearing wounds. It doesn’t seem very meaningful yet.]
Though the description says it doesn’t seem meaningful, a skill is still a skill. Acquiring them reduced the pressure from before.
Continuing forward, he discovers a vast desert.