Chapter 89
Taesan carefully examined the helmet bestowed upon him by Baloran.
The inscription on it read:
“[Baloran’s Helmet] [Defense: +22] [Action Speed: +3%]
The helmet once belonged to a renowned knight. Despite his soul being tainted, the will embedded within this piece of equipment remains undiminished.”
Typically, bonuses to action speed or movement speed were associated with footwear. So, having such bonuses on a helmet marked it as exceptional gear.
The rewards for abstaining from using any skills were undoubtedly worthwhile.
In addition to that, there were numerous titles earned, reminiscent of those bestowed upon clearing the 10th floor, but this time, they were significantly enhanced. Unique titles were also granted for overcoming the challenges of the 20th floor.
Here are some of the titles earned:
[Title: The Advancer] [Description: You have successfully navigated through a significant portion of the dungeon, showcasing your unwavering determination to delve deeper.] [Boosts: Strength: +15, Intelligence: +15, Agility: +15]
[Title: Touched by Perfection] [Description: You have mastered every aspect of the dungeon, demonstrating a commendable level of skill.] [Boosts: Strength: +18, Intelligence: +18, Agility: +18] [Additionally, grants enhanced rewards for fully understanding specific floors.]
[Title: At the Threshold] [Description: You have embarked on the journey to prove your worth.] [Boosts: Strength: +12, Intelligence: +12, Agility: +12, Movement Speed: +4%]
[Title: Successful Challenger] [Description: You have emerged victorious in a meaningful challenge, earning recognition from NPCs and gods alike.] [Boosts: Strength: +12, Intelligence: +12, Agility: +12]
Moreover, there was a special ability obtained called the “Accumulated Achievements,” which accelerates skill proficiency, aligning perfectly with Taesan’s reliance on skills.
The secret reward turned out to be a pair of shoes:
“[Scarred Footwear] [Attack: +4] [Defense: +14] [Agility: +10] [Movement Speed: +12%] [Action Speed: +6%]
These shoes, adorned with a distorted pattern, promised to deliver a significant boost to both defense and agility compared to his current footwear. With the added movement and action speed, along with increased attack power, it was a no-brainer to make the switch.
Additionally, the secret reward included a rune of strength, enhancing Taesan’s strength by 20.
Taesan checked his status:
[Kang Taesan] [Level: 43] [Shield: 192/192] [Health: 2250/2250] [Mana: 514/514] [Strength: 765] [Intelligence: 533] [Agility: 688] [Attack Power: +83] [Defense: +115]
He was in prime condition once again, feeling significantly stronger. Taesan couldn’t help but laugh with delight, realizing that at this rate, he might even catch up to Itaeyeon’s stats before reaching the deeper layers of the dungeon.
Returning to the upper levels of the dungeon, Taesan encountered Lirlys, who was busy rearranging her belongings.
“You’ve gone down again?”
“I’ve made it to the 20th floor now.”
Lirlys looked at her belongings with a hint of despair.
“Why don’t you just stay there? It would be easier for me to come up to you.”
“No, I couldn’t impose on you while receiving something.”
Despite a moment of hesitation, Lirlys shook her head, a gesture that seemed to convey her gratitude.
Her eyes sparkled as she finished organizing her things.
“So, have you come to offer a tribute?”
Taesan nodded and presented the equipment he had obtained from defeating the liches. Lirlys gasped in amazement as he displayed each item.
“Wow!”
“This should be enough for me to learn something, right?”
“More than enough!”
She beamed, arranging the equipment meticulously. Just like before, she offered a prayer and presented the items to the gods as a tribute.
“I’ll teach you right away!”
[You have learned Aerial Leap] [Beginner Magic: Aerial Leap] [Mana Cost: 10] [Proficiency: 1%]
“Would you like an explanation?”
“No, I’ll give it a try first.”
Having learned the skill, Taesan wasted no time in testing it out. With a swift motion, he soared into the air, nearly reaching the ceiling before activating the skill mid-descent.
Landing back on the ground, he realized, “It’s like a double jump.”
Taesan immediately grasped the utility of the skill, understanding its potential benefits in combat and movement.
“Can it be combined with the big leap?”
He wondered if the Aerial Leap skill could be combined with the skill that allowed him to leap great distances, Big Leap.
His mind naturally drifted in that direction, contemplating the possibilities.
“See you next time.”
“Take care!”
After bidding farewell to Lirlys, Taesan returned to the 20th floor. There, he deliberately left one room unexplored.
Inside was a single Death Knight. Taesan observed the Death Knight as he removed all his equipment.
The ghost realized his intention.
“Planning to learn that nullification skill?”
“You know me well.”
“[…] Is there more to learn?”
“Let’s find out.”
From the 20th floor onwards, the levels were close enough to learn skills. Hence, he intentionally left one room unvisited.
Taesan used the fairy dust he had received as a reward.
Then, he waited patiently for the attack.
The Death Knight thrust its sword.
[Your first attack nullification activated.]
[Your second attack nullification activated.]
After nullifying two attacks, Taesan tensed every muscle in his body as the Death Knight thrust its sword again.
He twisted his body to minimize the damage.
[You took 62 damage.]
Taesan calculated that he could endure up to four attacks, given his shield’s durability.
Once more, he braced himself.
[You took 61 damage.]
And again.
The Death Knight struck once more. Aligning his body with the attack, Taesan felt an uncomfortable sensation as his flesh tore.
[You took 65 damage.]
[Upon the third attack, you did not lose any health. You have acquired the special continuous activation skill [Third Attack Absolute Nullification].]
Taesan narrowly achieved the third nullification. He drew his sword and dispatched the Death Knight.
“So, there was a third nullification after all.”
“[This is something.]”
“[Seems like it’s designed to be combined with the shield, doesn’t it?]”
“Seems so.”
The skill, Shield, obtainable only through clearing Rakiratas’s enhanced trial, made it easier to acquire attack nullifications. It likely was intended as a connected skill, a kind of additional reward for breaking through the enhanced trial.
“[So, it was designed with that skill integration from the start.]”
However, since no one besides Rakiratas had completed or even received his enhanced trial, this remained unknown.
“[Hmm, that does make sense. Normally, it wouldn’t be a skill one could acquire.]”
“Is that so?”
It’s unclear to him. Taesan achieved it through effort alone.
But objectively, it made sense. Apart from him, no one had managed to acquire nullification.
Regardless, he had obtained the desired skill.
There was still plenty of time left. Hapran had said it would take two days, and not even one day had passed.
“So then.”
Taesan sat down. The ghost interpreted this as him taking a break.
“[About time for a break. You’ve been pushing hard.]”
Since contracting with the ghost, Taesan hadn’t taken a single day off. He had been relentlessly descending the dungeon, sleeping as little as possible.
Any normal person would have experienced burnout long ago. If not, their mental strength would have crumbled quickly.
Even someone as exceptional as Taesan was likely reaching his limit. It was necessary to rest without thinking about anything.
Taesan appeared puzzled.
“Teach me swordsmanship.”
“What?”
“Since I have two days, teach me swordsmanship during this time. I want to learn the theory now.”
He had been practicing in real situations up to now. He wanted to properly understand the areas he had a rough grasp on.
The ghost was at a loss for words. Looking silently at him, Taesan asked again.
“Aren’t you going to teach me?”
“No, it’s not that.” The ghost laughed awkwardly.
“[Really, what an odd one.]”
The ghost readily taught him swordsmanship. Moving together, he relearned the principles and theories he had roughly understood, this time with explanations.
Over two days, he continuously adjusted his physique, greatly improving his proficiency as a result.
[Advanced Skill: Sword of the Storm Scar] [Proficiency: 29%]
In just two days, he had managed to increase his proficiency by 5%. The tangible improvement was satisfying.
“[Since you were organizing what you’ve accumulated, it was easier to increase proficiency. From here on, it’ll get much harder.]”
“That’s enough for me.”
As an advanced skill, he hadn’t expected it to be easy to improve. This progress was more than satisfactory.
Now it was time to receive his reward.
Taesan went to find Hapran. The blacksmith, busy hammering away, looked up and said, “You’re just in time. Just finished.”
Hapran showed him a colorless, spherical orb that vibrated with energy inside.
“I processed it into the simplest form. It’s easier to use this way rather than for something too unique. When combined, the enhancement will amplify its strengths. Hand over your weapon.”
Taesan obediently handed over his sword. Hapran tapped the orb against the sword. The orb shattered, and the energy within started to flow into the sword.
“Take it.”
“That’s it?”
“What, you expected me to hammer it or something?”
With an annoyed face, Hapran handed it over. Taesan took it and inspected.
[Relic of Carvert: Sword Imbued with Ancestor’s Blood] [A relic from a world that has since perished, taking countless royal lives.] [Attack Power: +30] [Increases attack power by +15 against all enemies.]
Taesan paused, and the ghost, watching intently, gasped in amazement.
“[It could go to this extent?]”
“Since it enhances strengths. Was there anything particularly difficult about it, given its uniqueness? Are you satisfied?”
Taesan nodded. The enhancement surpassed his expectations.
Simply put, the attack power increased by 10. Furthermore, the 10 attack power bonus against noble bloodlines increased to 15 and now applied against all enemies.
Considering there were practically no “noble bloodline” enemies, it was effectively a 25 attack power increase.
Taesan hadn’t expected such a transformation. With such a weapon, he could dive deep into the dungeon and still use it. He expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you.”
“It’s a trade. No need for thanks.”
Hapran waved it off.
“Next visit, make sure you’re strong enough. The world will be watching you, so it’ll be much harder next time.”
He was aware of that. The malice directed at him before his return was chilling.
“If it’s not too much trouble, bring any materials you have. I’ll make something out of the small things.”
“Always have to come up to the 15th floor?”
If Hapran continued to stay here, he might have to ascend to the 15th floor even after descending deeper.
“Normally, yes, but you’re different, so I suppose I’ll have to make the effort.”
Hapran shook his hammer.
“I’ll descend every five floors. Any more than that and the luggage becomes a hassle.”
“That’s good enough.”
To lessen the inconvenience.
Finally, it was over. After bidding farewell to Hapran, Taesan descended to the 19th floor again.
He touched the altar of the Demon God, Lucifer.
Demonic energy poured out.
A dense, dark mist filled the room.
Within it, a gaze full of curiosity, irritation, and various other emotions was felt. Taesan waited patiently. Soon, a system message appeared.
[Lucifer invites you to his domain.]