Chapter 11
The fist moves.
Slowly.
But assuredly.
[Your Threshold of Death has activated.] The system window issues a warning. Even without it, he couldn’t have been unaware.
That fist possessed the power to kill him.
His body reacted faster than his mind. Taesan raised his shield, hunkering down to brace for the impact.
Boom.
The shield meets the fist. Taesan is astounded by the force transmitted through it.
‘This is…’
It wasn’t merely a strong force. It was heavy. It felt as though a mountain itself was pressing down on him.
Taesan grits his teeth, bulging his muscles to their limits. He forcibly twists the direction of the force.
Crack!
With a rugged sound, he maneuvers the shield. He deflects the punch, redirecting its force.
[You have received the power of the mountain. Your strength has permanently increased by 1.] [You have deflected it. You have acquired the special activation skill [Deflection].] “Ho?”
Amazement paints Ainshar’s face.
“Well then, how about this?”
The fist aims straight ahead. It shatters the shield’s attempt to deflect, barreling directly towards Taesan.
Taesan quickly concludes.
He can’t block it. Beyond technique or anything else, the difference in strength was too vast.
Then, he won’t block.
He contracts his body. As Taesan lowers his stance, the trajectory of the fist naturally dips. The inclined shield aligns with the fist.
Taesan releases the shield. He thrusts his feet backward with all his might.
Kwaang!
[You take 35,211 damage.] [Non-lethal attack activated. Damage is nullified.] “Cough!”
His body slams into the wall along with the shield. The sturdy walls of the labyrinth crumble, revealing what lies beyond.
Taesan chuckles through the tactile feedback on his back.
‘What kind of thing is this?’
Breaking the walls of the labyrinth in one hit was unheard of. No player or monster he had met could do such a thing. Yet, the old man before him had done it effortlessly.
And the damage.
Despite doing his best to reduce the damage, it was thirty thousand. This single strike alone was proof enough.
This old man was incomparably stronger than Taeyeon.
‘What exactly is this?’
Whether it was the gatekeeper or now, only monsters seemed to exist here. Even his past self would hesitate to claim a certain victory.
“Ho!”
But the old man looks at Taesan with an expression of admiration.
“I thought it would be a hundred thousand, but it’s only thirty thousand! Impressive!”
“I couldn’t just stand there and take it, could I?”
“That’s true.”
The old man laughs heartily and then asks Taesan.
“Who might you be?”
“Do I have any reason to tell you?”
Taesan responds with a sharp tone. The old man laughs again.
“That’s why I didn’t launch a lethal attack. I have no intention of killing someone at first meeting. Besides, even if I attacked seriously, you have Endurance. I judged there would be no problem.”
“…You saw?”
“Mm!”
The old man nods vigorously, clenching his fist.
“The sight of you stepping into death to survive! It was truly marvelous! And you do have exceptional skills! To deflect my attack with such feeble stats!”
The old man spits out with strong energy. Taesan frowns, listening to him.
‘He knows about skills?’
Self-aware NPCs only exist in Solo mode. But Taeyeon never mentioned that they knew about skills.
There were two possibilities. Either she didn’t say, or she didn’t know herself.
“Honestly, I was worried you might be weak, but such concerns were unfounded! You’re more than qualified!”
The old man looks at Taesan with endless satisfaction.
“Adventurer, what’s your name?”
“Kang Taesan.”
“Taesan! It’s a truly honorable meeting!”
The old man, Ainshar, smiles brightly.
“Blessings upon this miracle! I am a Seeker of the Divine, Ainshar!”
Ainshar seemed to have no further intentions with him. Taesan first tended to his body. Although there was no damage from the non-lethal attack, the tingling shock didn’t just disappear.
As he managed his internal state, he checked his skill.
[Special Activation Skill: Deflection] [Mana Cost: 5] [Proficiency: 24%] [Deflects the core of the attack, reducing damage. It seems it could deflect any weapon’s attack.] Seeing the proficiency, Taesan chuckles.
The proficiency is already at 24%. The value of blocking that strike was evident.
Plus, his strength increased by 1. It was rare for a stat increase to happen without any conditions. It was a result indicating the magnitude of Ainshar’s strike.
“Why do you look like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Ask anything you wish! I’ll answer!”
The old man shouts heartily. Taesan narrows his eyes.
‘It’s different.’
Taeyeon also met Ainshar at the 1st-floor spring of life. And like Taesan, she underwent the trial of a strike.
But she couldn’t react at all.
Just getting to the safety zone and feeling relieved when suddenly, an old man comes and launches a punch. And it was an attack powerful enough to kill her. It was understandable that she, who was just getting accustomed, couldn’t react.
Ainshar clicked his tongue towards Taeyeon, who just watched the punch blankly.
[A coward too weak.] With those words, Ainshar left. He left her behind with a look of contempt and never returned to the spring.
If Taeyeon’s words were true, then Ainshar’s attitude towards her and Taesan was vastly different. After all, Ainshar looked at Taesan with a pleased gaze.
“May I ask you something?”
“Anything!”
“Why did you suddenly attack? Was it to torment the weak?”
It’s only the 1st floor. No one here could stand against someone like Ainshar. This was practically a bug NPC.
“That’s not it. I am a holy knight, after all. Why would I oppress the weak!”
The golden knight speaks proudly.
“I’m here to assess those who visit this place.”
“Assess?”
“To see if they’re worthy of surviving here. If they’re worthy of my recognition. There’s nothing more troublesome than those who don’t understand themselves.”
Ainshar smiles slyly.
“In that sense, you’re more than qualified. Very impressive!”
“Ah, thank you.”
Taesan responds awkwardly to Ainshar, who’s giving him a thumbs up. The image he had heard was too different, making him somewhat flustered.
But, as a result, he managed to sort things out somewhat.
The recognition of worth.
That was Ainshar’s criterion for assessment. Taeyeon didn’t pass, but Taesan did. That’s why their treatments were different.
Meaning, there wouldn’t be any hostility towards him. If anything, he’d be treated with favor. Having confirmed this, Taesan asked.
“You said you were Ainshar?”
Taeyeon hadn’t even spoken to Ainshar. Taesan also didn’t know what kind of person Ainshar was, what his purpose was. He needed to gather information directly.
“Yes! The name bestowed by my glorious father!”
“You said you were seeking a god.”
There are various gods in the labyrinth. But most players didn’t pay much attention to them.
The reason was simple.
They existed only in Solo mode.
Taeyeon had said that these gods tested players and gave rewards. She also frequently complained about how terrible and filthy those gods were.
Since most of those complaints were directed at Taesan, he knew about many gods.
Including their information.
“May I ask which god it is?”
“Of course! The more who know of our god, the better!”
Ainshar speaks cheerfully.
“The god I serve is the beloved goddess, Levinenof!”
Hearing the name, Taesan flinches.
“Levinenof, is that correct?”
“Yes! I couldn’t possibly mistake Her name! We all worshipped Lady Levinenof!”
Ainshar looks dreamily up at the ceiling.
“We chanted Her name at the beginning and end of each day. A wonderful goddess who united lovers. In my world, no goddess was as beloved as She. Unfortunately, my world has perished, and I’m the only one who remembers Her.”
“…Did you enter this place to find Her?”
“That’s right. But I haven’t even caught a glimpse of Her…”
Ainshar lowers his head, looking dejected. Watching him, Taesan thinks.
‘Levinenof.’
Taesan knew her. Taeyeon had told him about this goddess. She also knew which floor she was on.
But there was one problem.
‘She was said to be dead.’
The beautiful goddess was found horribly mutilated. Taeyeon had posted about it so frequently on the community that even Taesan remembered.
Considering Taeyeon, who had overcome countless hardships, said it was disgusting, it must have been a truly horrific sight.
As Taesan contemplates the truth, Ainshar’s eyes light up.
“Taesan. May I ask you a question?”
“What is it?”
“Do you have any urgent need to descend the labyrinth right away?”
“No, that’s not the case.”
His goal isn’t to clear the labyrinth but to understand and strategize. He has no intention of leaving without securing all rewards.
Ainshar claps his hands.
“That’s very fortunate. Taesan. Would you be interested in learning Levinenof’s techniques from me?”
“Yes.”
Taesan answers immediately, without a moment’s hesitation. Ainshar stumbles a bit at the lack of hesitation.
“…You didn’t hesitate. I thought you would ponder a bit.”
“There’s no reason to refuse.”
Ainshar is strong. It’s unclear why an NPC within the labyrinth holds such power. If he had been outside, Taesan might not have died.
The offer of a skill from such a being, there was no reason to decline.
“What’s the cost?”
“Of course, there isn’t one. This is the apology I owe.”
“Apology?”
“For attacking suddenly.”
Ainshar looks genuinely remorseful.
“Even if it was for an assessment, attacking someone I just met with violence… I deeply regret it as a holy knight.”
Taesan chuckles at his sincerely apologetic expression.
“Then you shouldn’t have attacked in the first place.”
“That’s a different matter.”
Ainshar shamelessly explains.
“My apology is because you are a person worthy of such. If not, I would have just spat and left.”
Ainshar did exactly that to Taeyeon. He left her behind with a look of contempt and never returned to the spring.
‘He really is crazy.’
But in his case, it was a beneficial kind of madness.
“Merely verbal apologies hold no value. Thinking you as an adventurer would desire valuable skills, I decided this. Is that acceptable?”
“Of course, it is.”
A single non-lethal attack for a skill. Compared to risking one’s life for a skill, this was much easier. Taesan would do it hundreds of times over. Ainshar seems relieved, stroking his chest.
“That’s a great relief. If I had acted otherwise, it could have been a disgrace to the god. I was truly worried.”
He looks genuinely relieved. Taesan might have been able to extract more by complaining, but he was satisfied here.
Unlike Taeyeon, he was likely to meet Ainshar again. Preferring to maintain a balance in their relationship rather than potentially spoiling it with greed, he decided it was better to be content. Ainshar looks at him with a sense of ease.
