Chapter 3
Tae-san looks at the monsters.
Monster7 resembles a house-sized jellyfish.
And Monster5, floating in the air like an octopus, waves its tentacles.
“I hope it’s not a defense type.”
There are various types of monsters: offensive, defensive, long-range, close-range, brainwashing, etc. The information about the monsters is hidden, making it necessary to learn through combat, during which many have died.
Of course, this was irrelevant to Tae-san.
[You have activated Complete Reconnaissance.] [Monster7] [Defensive] [Health: 148,551,233/148,551,233] Tae-san’s face contorts.
“140 million? They’re really messing around.”
What is this? The entire human race attacking at once wouldn’t be able to kill it.
Barely suppressing his anger, Tae-san checks the other monster.
[Monster5] [Long-range Offensive] [Health: 1,255,212/1,255,212] “This one’s somewhat manageable.”
Still, 1.25 million. Against a normal monster, it’s still a hopeless situation.
“Ugh.”
Tae-san lets out a deep sigh.
If Lee Tae-yeon were here, it would have been easier.
Having cleared Solo Mode, she possesses natural stats and legendary equipment.
For defense types, Lee Tae-yeon would first quickly deal with the long-range offensive type and either ignore the defense type or deal with it slowly.
The strategy of dealing with the offensive type first and the defense type later is quite standard. Other players would act similarly.
Unfortunately, Tae-san is an abnormal player.
His stats are on the level of an Easy player, and his equipment remained the same as when he exited the labyrinth since player exchanges are not possible.
His only reliance was on his skills.
“Sigh.”
Tae-san prepares himself.
Unstoppable Force grants immunity to all status ailments for five minutes. It was easier to handle within that time.
Thump.
Tae-san kicks the ground.
[You have activated Physical Time Acceleration.] Tae-san’s body speeds up. His physique itself accelerates, reaching speeds incomparable to normal.
Swish.
Monster5 moves its tentacles towards the sprinting Tae-san. The tentacles aim at Tae-san, and their tips glow green.
Zing!
A beam shoots out from the tentacle tips. Erasing everything in its path at the speed of light, it directly hits Tae-san.
[Your First Attack Nullification has activated.] [0 damage to you.] Tae-san thinks as he dismisses the system window.
‘The tentacles shoot in the direction they’re pointing. No delay. Impossible to dodge by sight. Prediction is the only option.’
He quickly assesses. The slower he understands his opponent, the lower his survival chances.
Tae-san makes a quick decision.
‘Then.’
Tae-san changes direction. Instead of running straight, he moves sideways to confuse the monster.
Swish.
The tentacles move, and their tips glow green again. Tae-san swiftly dodges.
Zing!
The light of destruction erases everything. Its power, reaching kilometers, would erase a Hard player in a single hit.
Tae-san avoids it.
‘If I’m determined to avoid, I can dodge.’
But this makes approaching difficult. What if he minimized evasion to approach? The answer quickly became clear.
‘Can’t dodge.’
The density of the light from the tentacles is high. Getting close means getting hit at least once.
There were a few options.
First, dodge determinedly. Using a few skills, he could avoid everything and slowly approach until he could reach it.
Standard, but impossible for Tae-san.
Skills are consumable. His poor mana pool is slowly but surely depleting. He needed to finish quickly.
“Tch.”
As always, Tae-san has to gamble. He hunches over, releasing the power he’s gathered.
[You have activated Hyper Acceleration.] The air bursts. Tae-san dashes.
Hyper Acceleration. A sprint skill that easily surpasses the speed of sound. Tae-san often used it to quickly close the distance to his opponent.
But its downside was clear. He couldn’t use evasion maneuvers while sprinting. Monster5’s tentacles aimed at him.
Zing!
The green beam fills Tae-san’s vision. He kicks the ground, accelerating further.
[Your Second Attack Nullification has activated.] [0 damage to you.] Swish.
Monster5 is flustered. It has no face, but Tae-san felt it.
‘Attack nullification is ending.’
Unfortunately, he couldn’t create more nullification skills. But it allowed him to get close. Tae-san grips his sword.
As he prepares to attack Monster5, Monster7 with its massive body appears.
Boom!
Monster7 takes a protective stance around Monster5. The defensive type protects the long-range offensive type when it’s in danger. It’s meant to be a combination.
But Tae-san smiles.
“Got you.”
[You have activated Forced Duel. For 1 minute, only Monster7 can deal damage to you.] A golden barrier surrounds Monster7 and Tae-san. Monster5’s beams can’t penetrate the barrier.
To Tae-san, there’s no significant difference between defensive and offensive types. Surviving is a story for Hard or Solo players, not for him with his weak stats and equipment. Even a defense type would kill him in one hit.
So, he decides to eliminate the annoyingly high-health defense type first.
Tae-san wields his sword.
[You have activated Addition. Your current attack power doubles.] [You have activated Multiplication. Your current attack power is squared.] [You have activated Absolute Judgment. The opponent’s defense skills are ignored.] Addition doubles the attack power.
Multiplication squares the attack power.
Truly overwhelming skills.
But it’s not enough.
His basic stats are so low that even with addition and multiplication, it only amounts to 9,604. It’s not enough to penetrate a monster with hundreds of millions of health.
So, one more time.
[You have activated Designated Skill Reset. This skill cannot be activated again for a month.] [You reset Multiplication.] [You activate Multiplication. Your current attack power is squared again.] The square of 9,604.
But it’s still not enough.
Still can’t reach hundreds of millions.
So, to the limit.
Tae-san clenches his teeth. Mana drains massively from his body.
[You have activated Copy. The next attack applies twice.] [Your attack.] [92,236,816 damage to Monster7.] [92,236,816 damage to Monster7.] [Monster7 is defeated.]
It vanishes without a trace. Tae-san barely holds up his trembling body. Monster5 targets him with its tentacles.
Zing.
The beam swallows Tae-san.
[You take 22,543 damage.] [Your Endurance activates. A lethal attack is nullified. All damage is reduced to 0 for 5 seconds.] Unlike attack nullification, there’s only one Endurance. Tae-san quickly rushes towards Monster5. The tentacles move, but at such close range, dodging is easier.
Now, it’s not difficult. Avoid and attack, a simple cycle of combat.
But Tae-san’s expression is grim.
[Mana 21/820] His poor mana pool is depleted. Multiplication can’t be used.
He must whittle down 1.25 million purely with attacks.
Tae-san swings his sword.
[48 damage to Monster5.] Simplistically, he needs to strike 25,000 times.
“This is insane.”
The lengthy fight begins with just the minimal penetration skill used.
[54 damage to Monster5.] Days and nights cycle repeatedly. At some point, Tae-san loses track of time.
“Damn.”
Suddenly coming to his senses, Tae-san checks the opponent’s health.
[Health: 655,212/1,255,212] “Half.”
Some say to think of it as only half left, but to Tae-san, that’s nonsense. It’s already torturous enough. The thought of repeating this makes him nauseous.
“Sigh.”
But Tae-san moves again.
Dodging beams, he swings his sword.
[50 damage to Monster5.] Time passes.
The cycle of day and night repeats. Players are strong against desires, but even Tae-san starts feeling hungry. Lack of sleep makes his sword hand tremble.
Yet, his mind remains unchanged.
Time flows on and on. At some point, it’s no longer the mind moving the body, but the body moving the mind.
And it ends.
[You have entered a state of No-Mind Immersion. Your body and mind become one.] [A miracle-like power is engraved in your soul. You gain the soul skill [Spiritual Strike].] [Since you have exited the labyrinth, you cannot acquire the skill. [Spiritual Strike] is sealed.] “Shut up.”
Tae-san dismisses the inexplicable system window.
He barely holds up his trembling legs. Looking around, the scene is catastrophic. Everything is destroyed or collapsed; the city’s appearance is gone, replaced by a valley.
Tae-san spits.
“Die.”
[48 damage to Monster5.] [Monster5 is defeated.] [Your feat astonishes gods across all dimensions.] The cost of whittling down 1.25 million health purely over time was high. Standing up is difficult.
Tae-san barely moves his lips.
“…Status window.”
[Kang Tae-san] [Level: 57] [Health: 1/1021] [Mana: 2/820] [Strength: 105] [Intelligence: 100] [Agility: 98] [Attack Power + 49] [Defense + 58] [The target is in a dying state.] A dire status window.
It felt like fighting for more than a month.
“Damn lack of stats.”
Even being a Normal player would have made this easier.
But he won.
He defeated two S-class monsters, something even Lee Tae-yeon couldn’t guarantee.
He moves his trembling legs. Without mana to use Great Leap, he has to walk back.
Fortunately, his mana and health partially recover while walking. As his mana approaches 20, the city begins to come into view.
No monsters in sight.
But Tae-san’s face contorts.
[You have activated Complete Reconnaissance.] The map layout shows all nearby information. Blue dots are humans. Red dots are monsters.
No blue dots are visible.
Only a giant red dot inside the city.
“Damn it.”
Tae-san curses as he heads towards the city. Approaching, he sees bodies.
Familiar faces. Those who had spent time with him in trivial conversations until recently.
All of them dead.
“The few Hard players boasting about themselves, why am I, an Easy difficulty player, the only one alive? Why is everyone dead when I return victorious?”
He complains with a truly annoyed face as he enters the city.
More bodies inside. Among them, Jung-geun’s body. His face was peaceful.
“Guess he went as he said.”
Next to him was Lee Chang-chun’s body.
His expression wasn’t dark, suggesting he accepted his fate at the end.
Tae-san passes by the bodies. At the end of the path of bodies, one body lies.
“Lee Tae-yeon.”
The only person in the world to clear Solo difficulty. Considered the strongest human.
She lay dead in a dreadful state.
And the monster that killed her was here.
Growl.
A horrifying something crawls. An indescribable monster looks at Tae-san next to Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
Something beyond S-class. People named this monster an Apostle.
[The gaze of !#$!#.] [You die instantly.] An absolute gaze without judgment. An instant death declaration that even Hard players couldn’t resist. Until now, only Lee Tae-yeon was known to have survived it.
Tae-san casually flicks his hand.
“Be gone.”
[Resistance successful.] Growl.
Tae-san wields his sword. Irritated, he strikes at the monster.
The strongest monster, which even Lee Tae-yeon couldn’t defeat.
[You have activated Essential Strike.] [$#!!!# damage.] Growl!
The monster writhes in pain. Tae-san flippantly gestures.
“Bring it on, kid.”
Chapter 4: Easy Mode Player (4)
Tae-san did his best against the Apostle.
With the little mana he had recovered, he used every skill and item at his disposal to buy time, searching for even a sliver of possibility.
But he lost.
“Damn it.”
Tae-san cursed with a distorted face.
“So this is how it ends.”
His appearance was dire. Half of his lower body had melted away, and it felt like his internal organs had oxidized; he couldn’t feel anything inside.
If it weren’t for his pain-blocking skill, he would have been screaming in agony.
“I lost.”
Even in the best conditions, he couldn’t have guaranteed victory against such an opponent. In his near-death state, there was no chance for him to overcome.
[Your health has reached 0. Indomitable activates. You are forced to survive for 1 minute.] The system window obstructed his view. Tae-san dismissed it with an annoyed face.
“Let’s go quietly, shall you?”
Indomitable was not a recovery but a delay of death. Without a means to heal, he would die in a minute.
The Apostle, knowing this, calmly observed from beside Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
Tae-san looked up at the sky. Monstrous creatures were continuously emerging from a giant rift.
“Useless fools.”
What was the point of being a Hard or Solo mode player, or the only one of your kind?
They were all weaker than Tae-san, an Easy mode player. If there were just two Tae-sans, humanity could have lasted much longer.
“Focused on clearing without gaining real strength.”
However, Tae-san’s limits were clear. The growth limit set by each difficulty level existed, and as an Easy mode player, he had reached his given limit but ultimately couldn’t overcome the limitations of his stats.
“This sucks. Really.”
He felt wronged.
If only he hadn’t chosen Easy mode.
Even Normal mode would have been better.
He wouldn’t have died like this.
He could have won against the Apostle.
A single choice twisted everything. He didn’t express it, but inside, he was twisted with rage and frustration.
Why were you so weak even after choosing Normal or Hard mode?
Why did you advance through the labyrinth so poorly and gain such feeble power?
If they had followed even half of Tae-san’s path, humanity could have won.
“…Is it over?”
Tae-san smirked bitterly.
After all, it was the past, and his choice. Blaming others was pointless. He composed himself.
Humanity was at its end.
Players would continue to appear, but without a city, they couldn’t do anything significant. Essentially, humanity was as good as extinct.
As he resignedly accepted his death, something caught his eye.
“What’s that?”
Lee Tae-yeon’s right hand was clutching something. The tightly clenched fist indicated it wasn’t ordinary.
And the Apostle was right beside Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
As if it was guarding something.
“Ugh.”
Tae-san crawled towards it. As he approached, the Apostle attempted to kill him.
“Stay still.”
[You have activated Last Chance. You can use one skill without any conditions. This skill cannot be activated again for a year.] [You have activated Temporary Time Stop. Time stops for 2 minutes within a 100m radius centered on you.] Tae-san reached Lee Tae-yeon’s body. Opening her right hand revealed a dark stone.
“…Check.”
[The Gallstone of Ouroboros] [The gallstone of a god governing the cycle of everything.] [Can revert the time of one person once.] [Unused.] “What?”
Reverting time. That sentence stopped Tae-san in his tracks.
“Could it be…?”
Why Lee Tae-yeon had this and didn’t use it until her death remained a mystery, but the question quickly faded.
“…”
Tae-san stared at the stone intently.
[The sky cracks open, and monsters emerge.]
The power emanating from the monster enveloping the sky was beyond the Apostle.
Even at his best, Tae-san would have struggled to win.
With a smirk, he clenched his fist.
“See you next time, kid.”
[Item used.] [Time interference.] The world flipped.
The collapsing world vanished.
In its place was a worn-out studio apartment.
Tae-san’s pupils dilated.
“…This place.”
An old computer. A stained blanket. Mosquito blood smeared on the walls.
This place was in his memory.
Before everything crumbled, when the world was as we knew it. When status windows were a joke.
It was his studio apartment.
“Status window.”
He muttered the usual term, but nothing appeared.
He looked at his body. It was lean but filled with muscles. To survive the dreadful labyrinth, he had no choice but to train.
But now, his body was frail and weak, typical of an ordinary man.
“Huh.”
Tae-san chuckled.
It was clear.
He had returned to the previous world.
“Delivery!”
The delivery person shouted at the door of the studio apartment. Moments later, a man appeared.
“Thank you.”
“Uh, yes…”
The delivery person shivered momentarily.
The man’s eyes were calm, resembling a monk who had practiced for years.
The man calmly asked the stunned delivery person.
“Hasn’t it been paid for already?”
“Oh, right. Yes. Enjoy your meal.”
The delivery person snapped out of it and hastily left. The man brought in the pizza box.
Opening the box, a smile formed on the man’s lips.
“How long has it been since I had pizza?”
He couldn’t remember. Carefully taking a slice, he savored the taste of cheese and toppings.
The taste of civilization. It was moving. In a world on the brink of destruction, there was no time to make pizza. The only things he had eaten were monster carcasses and potatoes, making this moment precious.
The man, Tae-san, chewed each slice thoroughly. After about four slices, he felt full.
“Phew.”
His stomach was satisfied. While waiting for the pizza, he had assessed the situation.
‘There was an item to reverse time.’
The labyrinth contained all sorts of things, but this was unexpected.
Since he knew everything about the Easy difficulty, it must have been an item unique to Solo difficulty. Considering the equipment Lee Tae-yeon had used, it wasn’t unbelievable.
Tae-san was puzzled.
“Why didn’t she use it until the end?”
Having such a means, she must have said something to him at the end.
But why she saved it and died to the Apostle was a mystery. Knowing her, she would have escaped long ago.
“Thanks to that, I got it.”
Consumable items become unbound upon death. Thanks to that, Tae-san could acquire her item after she died.
“Who knows.”
But now it was his.
Tae-san quietly looked at the clock.
‘January 1, 2020.’
Precisely at the start of the New Year, the sky split open, and monsters appeared.
Now it was December 31, 2019. 11:30 PM.
In 30 minutes, the world would change.
Tae-san recalled that moment.
In a world where monsters appeared, the system window said,
The world will be destroyed.
Monsters will appear.
But you have a chance.
Gain strength in the labyrinth and save your world.
Amidst confusion and fear, choices of Easy, Normal, Hard, and Solo difficulties appeared.
Everyone chose in a panic. It was the only way to escape the collapsing world.
Choosing the difficult path was rare. Tae-san had chosen Easy mode.
It was his weakness.
‘You’re useless.’
A phrase he heard from his parents since childhood.
Parents are supposed to believe and nurture their children, but Tae-san was different. To his parents, he was just a stress reliever.
He was a victim of violence from a young age. Eating once a day was common, and verbal abuse was routine. If not for the pity of some merchants, he might have died.
Why were you born, they said. You’re useless, they repeated.
In such an environment, Tae-san became inhibited. He believed he was worthless and useless, just as they said.
‘I didn’t know my talent.’
In the labyrinth, a place where life was at stake, Tae-san awakened his talent.
He was stronger than anyone.
Despite being an Easy mode player, he surpassed Hard mode players, breaking the basic concept that one’s skill is limited by difficulty level.
Tae-san checked the clock.
58 minutes.
2 minutes left.
He stepped outside. The night sky, adorned only by the moon, was beautiful. He had lost memory of such skies.
1 minute.
At this moment, everyone was counting down. Hoping for a good year.
30 seconds.
Unfortunately, with the New Year, the world collapses.
15 seconds.
A precursor appears.
A crack forms in the black sky. It’s so subtle that only those with keen eyesight might notice.
5 seconds.
Boom!
A loud sound echoes. The crack widens enough for everyone to notice.
People murmur from all sides.
“Did you hear that noise?”
“Is someone selling fireworks?”
And 1 second.
The world collapses.
As the world crumbles, Tae-san alone looks up at the sky.
Crack.
The crack widens. Now, no one can ignore the anomaly. Everyone screams and looks up.
“Aaaaah!”
Growl…
Monsters emerge from beyond the crack.
A black monster with reptilian hands peers down at the earth from the crack.
At that time, it was just panic, but now he knows. It’s a B-class monster. A level a Hard player can handle without much trouble.
Unaware of this, people panic and flee. But there’s no safe place on the ground, and there won’t be any safe places to go.
‘About time.’
Tae-san’s prediction comes true as the system window obscures his view.
[Hello.] “What?”
“What’s this?”
Even those fleeing stop at the sudden appearance of the window. Unperturbed, the system window continues to appear.
[Your world will be destroyed by invaders. The weapons you’ve worked hard to build are useless against them.] Guns and nuclear bombs were ineffective against the monsters. They were creatures from another dimension. To attack them, we needed to gain power from another dimension.
[But don’t worry.] [A benevolent being, feeling pity for you, offers you a chance.] Tae-san scoffed.
‘Benevolent my foot.’
He still didn’t know the exact nature, but he had a rough idea.
It wasn’t a benevolent being. Just a being amused by our plight.
[We offer you a choice. Choose where you wish to go! Enter the labyrinth. Clear it to gain power.] [And come back to save your world.] Choices appear before Tae-san.
Chapter 3: Easy Mode Player (3)
Tae-san looks at the monsters.
Chapter 4: Easy Mode Player (4)
Tae-san did his best against the Apostle.
With the little mana he had recovered, he used every skill and item at his disposal to buy time, searching for even a sliver of possibility.
But he lost.
“Damn it.”
Tae-san cursed with a distorted face.
“So this is how it ends.”
His appearance was dire. Half of his lower body had melted away, and it felt like his internal organs had oxidized; he couldn’t feel anything inside.
If it weren’t for his pain-blocking skill, he would have been screaming in agony.
“I lost.”
Even in the best conditions, he couldn’t have guaranteed victory against such an opponent. In his near-death state, there was no chance for him to overcome.
[Your health has reached 0. Indomitable activates. You are forced to survive for 1 minute.] The system window obstructed his view. Tae-san dismissed it with an annoyed face.
“Let’s go quietly, shall you?”
Indomitable was not a recovery but a delay of death. Without a means to heal, he would die in a minute.
The Apostle, knowing this, calmly observed from beside Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
Tae-san looked up at the sky. Monstrous creatures were continuously emerging from a giant rift.
“Useless fools.”
What was the point of being a Hard or Solo mode player, or the only one of your kind?
They were all weaker than Tae-san, an Easy mode player. If there were just two Tae-sans, humanity could have lasted much longer.
“Focused on clearing without gaining real strength.”
However, Tae-san’s limits were clear. The growth limit set by each difficulty level existed, and as an Easy mode player, he had reached his given limit but ultimately couldn’t overcome the limitations of his stats.
“This sucks. Really.”
He felt wronged.
If only he hadn’t chosen Easy mode.
Even Normal mode would have been better.
He wouldn’t have died like this.
He could have won against the Apostle.
A single choice twisted everything. He didn’t express it, but inside, he was twisted with rage and frustration.
Why were you so weak even after choosing Normal or Hard mode?
Why did you advance through the labyrinth so poorly and gain such feeble power?
If they had followed even half of Tae-san’s path, humanity could have won.
“…Is it over?”
Tae-san smirked bitterly.
After all, it was the past, and his choice. Blaming others was pointless. He composed himself.
Humanity was at its end.
Players would continue to appear, but without a city, they couldn’t do anything significant. Essentially, humanity was as good as extinct.
As he resignedly accepted his death, something caught his eye.
“What’s that?”
Lee Tae-yeon’s right hand was clutching something. The tightly clenched fist indicated it wasn’t ordinary.
And the Apostle was right beside Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
As if it was guarding something.
“Ugh.”
Tae-san crawled towards it. As he approached, the Apostle attempted to kill him.
“Stay still.”
[You have activated Last Chance. You can use one skill without any conditions. This skill cannot be activated again for a year.] [You have activated Temporary Time Stop. Time stops for 2 minutes within a 100m radius centered on you.] Tae-san reached Lee Tae-yeon’s body. Opening her right hand revealed a dark stone.
“…Check.”
[The Gallstone of Ouroboros] [The gallstone of a god governing the cycle of everything.] [Can revert the time of one person once.] [Unused.] “What?”
Reverting time. That sentence stopped Tae-san in his tracks.
“Could it be…?”
Why Lee Tae-yeon had this and didn’t use it until her death remained a mystery, but the question quickly faded.
“…”
Tae-san stared at the stone intently.
[The sky cracks open, and monsters emerge.]
The power emanating from the monster enveloping the sky was beyond the Apostle.
Even at his best, Tae-san would have struggled to win.
With a smirk, he clenched his fist.
“See you next time, kid.”
[Item used.] [Time interference.] The world flipped.
The collapsing world vanished.
In its place was a worn-out studio apartment.
Tae-san’s pupils dilated.
“…This place.”
An old computer. A stained blanket. Mosquito blood smeared on the walls.
This place was in his memory.
Before everything crumbled, when the world was as we knew it. When status windows were a joke.
It was his studio apartment.
“Status window.”
He muttered the usual term, but nothing appeared.
He looked at his body. It was lean but filled with muscles. To survive the dreadful labyrinth, he had no choice but to train.
But now, his body was frail and weak, typical of an ordinary man.
“Huh.”
Tae-san chuckled.
It was clear.
He had returned to the previous world.
“Delivery!”
The delivery person shouted at the door of the studio apartment. Moments later, a man appeared.
“Thank you.”
“Uh, yes…”
The delivery person shivered momentarily.
The man’s eyes were calm, resembling a monk who had practiced for years.
The man calmly asked the stunned delivery person.
“Hasn’t it been paid for already?”
“Oh, right. Yes. Enjoy your meal.”
The delivery person snapped out of it and hastily left. The man brought in the pizza box.
Opening the box, a smile formed on the man’s lips.
“How long has it been since I had pizza?”
He couldn’t remember. Carefully taking a slice, he savored the taste of cheese and toppings.
The taste of civilization. It was moving. In a world on the brink of destruction, there was no time to make pizza. The only things he had eaten were monster carcasses and potatoes, making this moment precious.
The man, Tae-san, chewed each slice thoroughly. After about four slices, he felt full.
“Phew.”
His stomach was satisfied. While waiting for the pizza, he had assessed the situation.
‘There was an item to reverse time.’
The labyrinth contained all sorts of things, but this was unexpected.
Since he knew everything about the Easy difficulty, it must have been an item unique to Solo difficulty. Considering the equipment Lee Tae-yeon had used, it wasn’t unbelievable.
Tae-san was puzzled.
“Why didn’t she use it until the end?”
Having such a means, she must have said something to him at the end.
But why she saved it and died to the Apostle was a mystery. Knowing her, she would have escaped long ago.
“Thanks to that, I got it.”
Consumable items become unbound upon death. Thanks to that, Tae-san could acquire her item after she died.
“Who knows.”
But now it was his.
Tae-san quietly looked at the clock.
‘January 1, 2020.’
Precisely at the start of the New Year, the sky split open, and monsters appeared.
Now it was December 31, 2019. 11:30 PM.
In 30 minutes, the world would change.
Tae-san recalled that moment.
In a world where monsters appeared, the system window said,
The world will be destroyed.
Monsters will appear.
But you have a chance.
Gain strength in the labyrinth and save your world.
Amidst confusion and fear, choices of Easy, Normal, Hard, and Solo difficulties appeared.
Everyone chose in a panic. It was the only way to escape the collapsing world.
Choosing the difficult path was rare. Tae-san had chosen Easy mode.
It was his weakness.
‘You’re useless.’
A phrase he heard from his parents since childhood.
Parents are supposed to believe and nurture their children, but Tae-san was different. To his parents, he was just a stress reliever.
He was a victim of violence from a young age. Eating once a day was common, and verbal abuse was routine. If not for the pity of some merchants, he might have died.
Why were you born, they said. You’re useless, they repeated.
In such an environment, Tae-san became inhibited. He believed he was worthless and useless, just as they said.
‘I didn’t know my talent.’
In the labyrinth, a place where life was at stake, Tae-san awakened his talent.
He was stronger than anyone.
Despite being an Easy mode player, he surpassed Hard mode players, breaking the basic concept that one’s skill is limited by difficulty level.
Tae-san checked the clock.
58 minutes.
2 minutes left.
He stepped outside. The night sky, adorned only by the moon, was beautiful. He had lost memory of such skies.
1 minute.
At this moment, everyone was counting down. Hoping for a good year.
30 seconds.
Unfortunately, with the New Year, the world collapses.
15 seconds.
A precursor appears.
A crack forms in the black sky. It’s so subtle that only those with keen eyesight might notice.
5 seconds.
Boom!
A loud sound echoes. The crack widens enough for everyone to notice.
People murmur from all sides.
“Did you hear that noise?”
“Is someone selling fireworks?”
And 1 second.
The world collapses.
As the world crumbles, Tae-san alone looks up at the sky.
Crack.
The crack widens. Now, no one can ignore the anomaly. Everyone screams and looks up.
“Aaaaah!”
Growl…
Monsters emerge from beyond the crack.
A black monster with reptilian hands peers down at the earth from the crack.
At that time, it was just panic, but now he knows. It’s a B-class monster. A level a Hard player can handle without much trouble.
Unaware of this, people panic and flee. But there’s no safe place on the ground, and there won’t be any safe places to go.
‘About time.’
Tae-san’s prediction comes true as the system window obscures his view.
[Hello.] “What?”
“What’s this?”
Even those fleeing stop at the sudden appearance of the window. Unperturbed, the system window continues to appear.
[Your world will be destroyed by invaders. The weapons you’ve worked hard to build are useless against them.] Guns and nuclear bombs were ineffective against the monsters. They were creatures from another dimension. To attack them, we needed to gain power from another dimension.
[But don’t worry.] [A benevolent being, feeling pity for you, offers you a chance.] Tae-san scoffed.
‘Benevolent my foot.’
He still didn’t know the exact nature, but he had a rough idea.
It wasn’t a benevolent being. Just a being amused by our plight.
[We offer you a choice. Choose where you wish to go! Enter the labyrinth. Clear it to gain power.] [And come back to save your world.] Choices appear before Tae-san.
Monster7 resembles a house-sized jellyfish.
And Monster5, floating in the air like an octopus, waves its tentacles.
“I hope it’s not a defense type.”
There are various types of monsters: offensive, defensive, long-range, close-range, brainwashing, etc. The information about the monsters is hidden, making it necessary to learn through combat, during which many have died.
Of course, this was irrelevant to Tae-san.
[You have activated Complete Reconnaissance.] [Monster7] [Defensive] [Health: 148,551,233/148,551,233] Tae-san’s face contorts.
“140 million? They’re really messing around.”
What is this? The entire human race attacking at once wouldn’t be able to kill it.
Barely suppressing his anger, Tae-san checks the other monster.
[Monster5] [Long-range Offensive] [Health: 1,255,212/1,255,212] “This one’s somewhat manageable.”
Still, 1.25 million. Against a normal monster, it’s still a hopeless situation.
“Ugh.”
Tae-san lets out a deep sigh.
If Lee Tae-yeon were here, it would have been easier.
Having cleared Solo Mode, she possesses natural stats and legendary equipment.
For defense types, Lee Tae-yeon would first quickly deal with the long-range offensive type and either ignore the defense type or deal with it slowly.
The strategy of dealing with the offensive type first and the defense type later is quite standard. Other players would act similarly.
Unfortunately, Tae-san is an abnormal player.
His stats are on the level of an Easy player, and his equipment remained the same as when he exited the labyrinth since player exchanges are not possible.
His only reliance was on his skills.
“Sigh.”
Tae-san prepares himself.
Unstoppable Force grants immunity to all status ailments for five minutes. It was easier to handle within that time.
Thump.
Tae-san kicks the ground.
[You have activated Physical Time Acceleration.] Tae-san’s body speeds up. His physique itself accelerates, reaching speeds incomparable to normal.
Swish.
Monster5 moves its tentacles towards the sprinting Tae-san. The tentacles aim at Tae-san, and their tips glow green.
Zing!
A beam shoots out from the tentacle tips. Erasing everything in its path at the speed of light, it directly hits Tae-san.
[Your First Attack Nullification has activated.] [0 damage to you.] Tae-san thinks as he dismisses the system window.
‘The tentacles shoot in the direction they’re pointing. No delay. Impossible to dodge by sight. Prediction is the only option.’
He quickly assesses. The slower he understands his opponent, the lower his survival chances.
Tae-san makes a quick decision.
‘Then.’
Tae-san changes direction. Instead of running straight, he moves sideways to confuse the monster.
Swish.
The tentacles move, and their tips glow green again. Tae-san swiftly dodges.
Zing!
The light of destruction erases everything. Its power, reaching kilometers, would erase a Hard player in a single hit.
Tae-san avoids it.
‘If I’m determined to avoid, I can dodge.’
But this makes approaching difficult. What if he minimized evasion to approach? The answer quickly became clear.
‘Can’t dodge.’
The density of the light from the tentacles is high. Getting close means getting hit at least once.
There were a few options.
First, dodge determinedly. Using a few skills, he could avoid everything and slowly approach until he could reach it.
Standard, but impossible for Tae-san.
Skills are consumable. His poor mana pool is slowly but surely depleting. He needed to finish quickly.
“Tch.”
As always, Tae-san has to gamble. He hunches over, releasing the power he’s gathered.
[You have activated Hyper Acceleration.] The air bursts. Tae-san dashes.
Hyper Acceleration. A sprint skill that easily surpasses the speed of sound. Tae-san often used it to quickly close the distance to his opponent.
But its downside was clear. He couldn’t use evasion maneuvers while sprinting. Monster5’s tentacles aimed at him.
Zing!
The green beam fills Tae-san’s vision. He kicks the ground, accelerating further.
[Your Second Attack Nullification has activated.] [0 damage to you.] Swish.
Monster5 is flustered. It has no face, but Tae-san felt it.
‘Attack nullification is ending.’
Unfortunately, he couldn’t create more nullification skills. But it allowed him to get close. Tae-san grips his sword.
As he prepares to attack Monster5, Monster7 with its massive body appears.
Boom!
Monster7 takes a protective stance around Monster5. The defensive type protects the long-range offensive type when it’s in danger. It’s meant to be a combination.
But Tae-san smiles.
“Got you.”
[You have activated Forced Duel. For 1 minute, only Monster7 can deal damage to you.] A golden barrier surrounds Monster7 and Tae-san. Monster5’s beams can’t penetrate the barrier.
To Tae-san, there’s no significant difference between defensive and offensive types. Surviving is a story for Hard or Solo players, not for him with his weak stats and equipment. Even a defense type would kill him in one hit.
So, he decides to eliminate the annoyingly high-health defense type first.
Tae-san wields his sword.
[You have activated Addition. Your current attack power doubles.] [You have activated Multiplication. Your current attack power is squared.] [You have activated Absolute Judgment. The opponent’s defense skills are ignored.] Addition doubles the attack power.
Multiplication squares the attack power.
Truly overwhelming skills.
But it’s not enough.
His basic stats are so low that even with addition and multiplication, it only amounts to 9,604. It’s not enough to penetrate a monster with hundreds of millions of health.
So, one more time.
[You have activated Designated Skill Reset. This skill cannot be activated again for a month.] [You reset Multiplication.] [You activate Multiplication. Your current attack power is squared again.] The square of 9,604.
But it’s still not enough.
Still can’t reach hundreds of millions.
So, to the limit.
Tae-san clenches his teeth. Mana drains massively from his body.
[You have activated Copy. The next attack applies twice.] [Your attack.] [92,236,816 damage to Monster7.] [92,236,816 damage to Monster7.] [Monster7 is defeated.]
It vanishes without a trace. Tae-san barely holds up his trembling body. Monster5 targets him with its tentacles.
Zing.
The beam swallows Tae-san.
[You take 22,543 damage.] [Your Endurance activates. A lethal attack is nullified. All damage is reduced to 0 for 5 seconds.] Unlike attack nullification, there’s only one Endurance. Tae-san quickly rushes towards Monster5. The tentacles move, but at such close range, dodging is easier.
Now, it’s not difficult. Avoid and attack, a simple cycle of combat.
But Tae-san’s expression is grim.
[Mana 21/820] His poor mana pool is depleted. Multiplication can’t be used.
He must whittle down 1.25 million purely with attacks.
Tae-san swings his sword.
[48 damage to Monster5.] Simplistically, he needs to strike 25,000 times.
“This is insane.”
The lengthy fight begins with just the minimal penetration skill used.
[54 damage to Monster5.] Days and nights cycle repeatedly. At some point, Tae-san loses track of time.
“Damn.”
Suddenly coming to his senses, Tae-san checks the opponent’s health.
[Health: 655,212/1,255,212] “Half.”
Some say to think of it as only half left, but to Tae-san, that’s nonsense. It’s already torturous enough. The thought of repeating this makes him nauseous.
“Sigh.”
But Tae-san moves again.
Dodging beams, he swings his sword.
[50 damage to Monster5.] Time passes.
The cycle of day and night repeats. Players are strong against desires, but even Tae-san starts feeling hungry. Lack of sleep makes his sword hand tremble.
Yet, his mind remains unchanged.
Time flows on and on. At some point, it’s no longer the mind moving the body, but the body moving the mind.
And it ends.
[You have entered a state of No-Mind Immersion. Your body and mind become one.] [A miracle-like power is engraved in your soul. You gain the soul skill [Spiritual Strike].] [Since you have exited the labyrinth, you cannot acquire the skill. [Spiritual Strike] is sealed.] “Shut up.”
Tae-san dismisses the inexplicable system window.
He barely holds up his trembling legs. Looking around, the scene is catastrophic. Everything is destroyed or collapsed; the city’s appearance is gone, replaced by a valley.
Tae-san spits.
“Die.”
[48 damage to Monster5.] [Monster5 is defeated.] [Your feat astonishes gods across all dimensions.] The cost of whittling down 1.25 million health purely over time was high. Standing up is difficult.
Tae-san barely moves his lips.
“…Status window.”
[Kang Tae-san] [Level: 57] [Health: 1/1021] [Mana: 2/820] [Strength: 105] [Intelligence: 100] [Agility: 98] [Attack Power + 49] [Defense + 58] [The target is in a dying state.] A dire status window.
It felt like fighting for more than a month.
“Damn lack of stats.”
Even being a Normal player would have made this easier.
But he won.
He defeated two S-class monsters, something even Lee Tae-yeon couldn’t guarantee.
He moves his trembling legs. Without mana to use Great Leap, he has to walk back.
Fortunately, his mana and health partially recover while walking. As his mana approaches 20, the city begins to come into view.
No monsters in sight.
But Tae-san’s face contorts.
[You have activated Complete Reconnaissance.] The map layout shows all nearby information. Blue dots are humans. Red dots are monsters.
No blue dots are visible.
Only a giant red dot inside the city.
“Damn it.”
Tae-san curses as he heads towards the city. Approaching, he sees bodies.
Familiar faces. Those who had spent time with him in trivial conversations until recently.
All of them dead.
“The few Hard players boasting about themselves, why am I, an Easy difficulty player, the only one alive? Why is everyone dead when I return victorious?”
He complains with a truly annoyed face as he enters the city.
More bodies inside. Among them, Jung-geun’s body. His face was peaceful.
“Guess he went as he said.”
Next to him was Lee Chang-chun’s body.
His expression wasn’t dark, suggesting he accepted his fate at the end.
Tae-san passes by the bodies. At the end of the path of bodies, one body lies.
“Lee Tae-yeon.”
The only person in the world to clear Solo difficulty. Considered the strongest human.
She lay dead in a dreadful state.
And the monster that killed her was here.
Growl.
A horrifying something crawls. An indescribable monster looks at Tae-san next to Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
Something beyond S-class. People named this monster an Apostle.
[The gaze of !#$!#.] [You die instantly.] An absolute gaze without judgment. An instant death declaration that even Hard players couldn’t resist. Until now, only Lee Tae-yeon was known to have survived it.
Tae-san casually flicks his hand.
“Be gone.”
[Resistance successful.] Growl.
Tae-san wields his sword. Irritated, he strikes at the monster.
The strongest monster, which even Lee Tae-yeon couldn’t defeat.
[You have activated Essential Strike.] [$#!!!# damage.] Growl!
The monster writhes in pain. Tae-san flippantly gestures.
“Bring it on, kid.”
Chapter 4: Easy Mode Player (4)
Tae-san did his best against the Apostle.
With the little mana he had recovered, he used every skill and item at his disposal to buy time, searching for even a sliver of possibility.
But he lost.
“Damn it.”
Tae-san cursed with a distorted face.
“So this is how it ends.”
His appearance was dire. Half of his lower body had melted away, and it felt like his internal organs had oxidized; he couldn’t feel anything inside.
If it weren’t for his pain-blocking skill, he would have been screaming in agony.
“I lost.”
Even in the best conditions, he couldn’t have guaranteed victory against such an opponent. In his near-death state, there was no chance for him to overcome.
[Your health has reached 0. Indomitable activates. You are forced to survive for 1 minute.] The system window obstructed his view. Tae-san dismissed it with an annoyed face.
“Let’s go quietly, shall you?”
Indomitable was not a recovery but a delay of death. Without a means to heal, he would die in a minute.
The Apostle, knowing this, calmly observed from beside Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
Tae-san looked up at the sky. Monstrous creatures were continuously emerging from a giant rift.
“Useless fools.”
What was the point of being a Hard or Solo mode player, or the only one of your kind?
They were all weaker than Tae-san, an Easy mode player. If there were just two Tae-sans, humanity could have lasted much longer.
“Focused on clearing without gaining real strength.”
However, Tae-san’s limits were clear. The growth limit set by each difficulty level existed, and as an Easy mode player, he had reached his given limit but ultimately couldn’t overcome the limitations of his stats.
“This sucks. Really.”
He felt wronged.
If only he hadn’t chosen Easy mode.
Even Normal mode would have been better.
He wouldn’t have died like this.
He could have won against the Apostle.
A single choice twisted everything. He didn’t express it, but inside, he was twisted with rage and frustration.
Why were you so weak even after choosing Normal or Hard mode?
Why did you advance through the labyrinth so poorly and gain such feeble power?
If they had followed even half of Tae-san’s path, humanity could have won.
“…Is it over?”
Tae-san smirked bitterly.
After all, it was the past, and his choice. Blaming others was pointless. He composed himself.
Humanity was at its end.
Players would continue to appear, but without a city, they couldn’t do anything significant. Essentially, humanity was as good as extinct.
As he resignedly accepted his death, something caught his eye.
“What’s that?”
Lee Tae-yeon’s right hand was clutching something. The tightly clenched fist indicated it wasn’t ordinary.
And the Apostle was right beside Lee Tae-yeon’s body.
As if it was guarding something.
“Ugh.”
Tae-san crawled towards it. As he approached, the Apostle attempted to kill him.
“Stay still.”
[You have activated Last Chance. You can use one skill without any conditions. This skill cannot be activated again for a year.] [You have activated Temporary Time Stop. Time stops for 2 minutes within a 100m radius centered on you.] Tae-san reached Lee Tae-yeon’s body. Opening her right hand revealed a dark stone.
“…Check.”
[The Gallstone of Ouroboros] [The gallstone of a god governing the cycle of everything.] [Can revert the time of one person once.] [Unused.] “What?”
Reverting time. That sentence stopped Tae-san in his tracks.
“Could it be…?”
Why Lee Tae-yeon had this and didn’t use it until her death remained a mystery, but the question quickly faded.
“…”
Tae-san stared at the stone intently.
[The sky cracks open, and monsters emerge.]
The power emanating from the monster enveloping the sky was beyond the Apostle.
Even at his best, Tae-san would have struggled to win.
With a smirk, he clenched his fist.
“See you next time, kid.”
[Item used.] [Time interference.] The world flipped.
The collapsing world vanished.
In its place was a worn-out studio apartment.
Tae-san’s pupils dilated.
“…This place.”
An old computer. A stained blanket. Mosquito blood smeared on the walls.
This place was in his memory.
Before everything crumbled, when the world was as we knew it. When status windows were a joke.
It was his studio apartment.
“Status window.”
He muttered the usual term, but nothing appeared.
He looked at his body. It was lean but filled with muscles. To survive the dreadful labyrinth, he had no choice but to train.
But now, his body was frail and weak, typical of an ordinary man.
“Huh.”
Tae-san chuckled.
It was clear.
He had returned to the previous world.
“Delivery!”
The delivery person shouted at the door of the studio apartment. Moments later, a man appeared.
“Thank you.”
“Uh, yes…”
The delivery person shivered momentarily.
The man’s eyes were calm, resembling a monk who had practiced for years.
The man calmly asked the stunned delivery person.
“Hasn’t it been paid for already?”
“Oh, right. Yes. Enjoy your meal.”
The delivery person snapped out of it and hastily left. The man brought in the pizza box.
Opening the box, a smile formed on the man’s lips.
“How long has it been since I had pizza?”
He couldn’t remember. Carefully taking a slice, he savored the taste of cheese and toppings.
The taste of civilization. It was moving. In a world on the brink of destruction, there was no time to make pizza. The only things he had eaten were monster carcasses and potatoes, making this moment precious.
The man, Tae-san, chewed each slice thoroughly. After about four slices, he felt full.
“Phew.”
His stomach was satisfied. While waiting for the pizza, he had assessed the situation.
‘There was an item to reverse time.’
The labyrinth contained all sorts of things, but this was unexpected.
Since he knew everything about the Easy difficulty, it must have been an item unique to Solo difficulty. Considering the equipment Lee Tae-yeon had used, it wasn’t unbelievable.
Tae-san was puzzled.
“Why didn’t she use it until the end?”
Having such a means, she must have said something to him at the end.
But why she saved it and died to the Apostle was a mystery. Knowing her, she would have escaped long ago.
“Thanks to that, I got it.”
Consumable items become unbound upon death. Thanks to that, Tae-san could acquire her item after she died.
“Who knows.”
But now it was his.
Tae-san quietly looked at the clock.
‘January 1, 2020.’
Precisely at the start of the New Year, the sky split open, and monsters appeared.
Now it was December 31, 2019. 11:30 PM.
In 30 minutes, the world would change.
Tae-san recalled that moment.
In a world where monsters appeared, the system window said,
The world will be destroyed.
Monsters will appear.
But you have a chance.
Gain strength in the labyrinth and save your world.
Amidst confusion and fear, choices of Easy, Normal, Hard, and Solo difficulties appeared.
Everyone chose in a panic. It was the only way to escape the collapsing world.
Choosing the difficult path was rare. Tae-san had chosen Easy mode.
It was his weakness.
‘You’re useless.’
A phrase he heard from his parents since childhood.
Parents are supposed to believe and nurture their children, but Tae-san was different. To his parents, he was just a stress reliever.
He was a victim of violence from a young age. Eating once a day was common, and verbal abuse was routine. If not for the pity of some merchants, he might have died.
Why were you born, they said. You’re useless, they repeated.
In such an environment, Tae-san became inhibited. He believed he was worthless and useless, just as they said.
‘I didn’t know my talent.’
In the labyrinth, a place where life was at stake, Tae-san awakened his talent.
He was stronger than anyone.
Despite being an Easy mode player, he surpassed Hard mode players, breaking the basic concept that one’s skill is limited by difficulty level.
Tae-san checked the clock.
58 minutes.
2 minutes left.
He stepped outside. The night sky, adorned only by the moon, was beautiful. He had lost memory of such skies.
1 minute.
At this moment, everyone was counting down. Hoping for a good year.
30 seconds.
Unfortunately, with the New Year, the world collapses.
15 seconds.
A precursor appears.
A crack forms in the black sky. It’s so subtle that only those with keen eyesight might notice.
5 seconds.
Boom!
A loud sound echoes. The crack widens enough for everyone to notice.
People murmur from all sides.
“Did you hear that noise?”
“Is someone selling fireworks?”
And 1 second.
The world collapses.
As the world crumbles, Tae-san alone looks up at the sky.
Crack.
The crack widens. Now, no one can ignore the anomaly. Everyone screams and looks up.
“Aaaaah!”
Growl…
Monsters emerge from beyond the crack.
A black monster with reptilian hands peers down at the earth from the crack.
At that time, it was just panic, but now he knows. It’s a B-class monster. A level a Hard player can handle without much trouble.
Unaware of this, people panic and flee. But there’s no safe place on the ground, and there won’t be any safe places to go.
‘About time.’
Tae-san’s prediction comes true as the system window obscures his view.
[Hello.] “What?”
“What’s this?”
Even those fleeing stop at the sudden appearance of the window. Unperturbed, the system window continues to appear.
[Your world will be destroyed by invaders. The weapons you’ve worked hard to build are useless against them.] Guns and nuclear bombs were ineffective against the monsters. They were creatures from another dimension. To attack them, we needed to gain power from another dimension.
[But don’t worry.] [A benevolent being, feeling pity for you, offers you a chance.] Tae-san scoffed.
‘Benevolent my foot.’
He still didn’t know the exact nature, but he had a rough idea.
It wasn’t a benevolent being. Just a being amused by our plight.
[We offer you a choice. Choose where you wish to go! Enter the labyrinth. Clear it to gain power.] [And come back to save your world.] Choices appear before Tae-san.