Ascension Through Skills

[Conquering and reaching are different issues? So, even if you reached it, you wouldn't have achieved your wish?]

“I don’t know either. I never reached the end of the labyrinth. But… I’m sure.”

Veldencia spoke in a calm tone.

“Even if I had cleared the labyrinth, I wouldn’t have achieved my wish. Because I didn’t conquer the labyrinth.”

Conquering and breaking through.

The ghost began to understand that concept belatedly.

[...So simply breaking through isn’t enough?]

“Right. Hero, you’re remarkable. You might even clear the labyrinth. But you would have been the same as me.”

[Hmm.]

The ghost crossed its arms, seemingly deep in thought. But there was no confusion or denial in its voice.

[So that’s how it is.]

“Were you expecting it?”

[To some extent. If it’s about achieving a wish, the gods would have to grant it directly. I thought they wouldn’t grant such an enormous reward just for breaking through.]

A wish wasn’t a simple matter, especially if it was granted directly by a god.

If a god granted a wish, it could impact the universe itself depending on the conditions.

The labyrinth was undoubtedly difficult and life-threatening, but the risk for such a wish was too light.

Nevertheless, the hero descended into the labyrinth with a faint hope and the belief that if he could clear it, he would gain the power to save the world.

[Then what is the standard for conquering?]

“That I don’t know. Whether you have to solve everything in the labyrinth or fulfill specific conditions… One thing is certain, it’s now impossible for me.”

[In that case...]

The ghost’s gaze turned to Taesan.

[What about you?]

Taesan had identified and solved everything in the labyrinth so far. He was closest to the meaning of the word ‘conquer.’

“Well.”

It might be possible given what he had accomplished, but he couldn’t say for sure because he didn’t know the exact conditions. Talking about wishes naturally made him think of Lee Taeyeon.

‘She succeeded in breaking through the labyrinth.’

She never said she achieved her wish.

In hindsight, it was strange. If a cowardly person like her could have achieved her wish, she would have asked for monsters not to invade Earth.

But she returned, left a legacy to Taesan, and died.

Either she didn’t achieve her wish, or she did it in a way Taesan didn’t know.

Taesan couldn’t tell. Lee Taeyeon never mentioned it.

‘Who knows.’

Taesan thought quietly.

Another day passed as he pondered various thoughts. Now it was time for the final trial.

“Summon the spirit.”

“Got it.”

[All abilities except for the spirit have been sealed.]

[You have summoned the highest-level spirit, Barkaza, with diverse colors.]

[You have summoned Minerva, the King of the Wind Spirits.]

“Woocha.”

Minerva landed on the ground. Veldencia chuckled at the sight of her.

“A Spirit King… Really, this is absurd.”

A contract with a king. Even Veldencia, who had seen numerous spiritists, had never witnessed such a sight.

Veldencia struck the magic circle. With a roar, a golem emerged.

[Uwooong!]

The golem charged. Taesan gave the order.

“Defeat it.”

[Engaging in battle as soon as I’m summoned. Not bad.]

“Ugh. What a hassle.”

Unlike the delighted Barkaza, Minerva grumbled about the sudden battle. Both charged at the golem.

Boom!

As the battle began, the golem was relentlessly pushed back. The stronger Taesan became, the stronger Minerva also became. It was sufficient without him stepping in, so Taesan simply observed the fight.

“Clearing the 10th stage with just a spirit, without the master’s assistance.”

Veldencia smiled with satisfaction. The more power Taesan displayed, the more he enjoyed it.

And soon, the golem collapsed.

[You have passed the fourth trial.]

[You have obtained the Water of Harmony with the Spirit.]

[Water of Harmony with the Spirit]

[Increases affinity with the spirit, significantly extends the summoning duration, and raises the maximum power the spirit can manifest in the world.]

“What is this? I feel a very familiar power.”

Minerva’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the water in the bottle.

Taesan drank the water.

Wooong.

Then Taesan’s body began to change. A mysterious power spread throughout his body.

“Oh…”

Taesan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration.

He could feel the vitality of the weeds scattered on the labyrinth floor. He could smell the breeze softly flowing from Minerva.

The world became closer.

Minerva also widened her eyes, sensing the change.

“Oh?”

“What do you feel?”

“I feel a strong aura of nature from the master. And the power required to maintain the summoning has decreased?”

Minerva swung her arm. The wind gathered into a small hurricane and swirled.

“The power consumption has decreased by more than half.”

“That’s good.”

Minerva was undoubtedly powerful, but there was a restriction on her summoning duration.

Because of this restriction, she couldn’t achieve significant results despite having power comparable to Taesan’s.

Since that restriction was reduced, it was a very useful reward that would greatly help in the future.

However, Minerva couldn’t accept it as calmly as Taesan.

“Master. This isn’t something that can be simply resolved like this?”

She was a Spirit King. The power consumed when she was summoned was something that even hundreds of excellent spiritists couldn’t handle.

Originally, she couldn’t descend due to the power consumption, but the spirit god directly lifted the restriction, allowing her to barely descend.

Such a restriction was reduced by half just by drinking a bottle of water.

“This is the 61st floor. It’s a fairly deep layer even within the labyrinth. And what he accomplished was an impossible feat.”

Veldencia spoke as if it were obvious.

“It’s only natural to give such a reward. And this isn’t the end.”

Veldencia raised his staff.

“Originally, I would give you the final reward here. A reward that sums up everything you’ve done so far. This is where my role ends.”

Mana spread from the staff. A massive amount of mana began to swirl in the room like gentle waves.

“But… the merciful magician has granted one exception.”

Veldencia smiled faintly.

[Veldencia has challenged Taesan to a duel. In this duel, both parties can use everything.]

At the sudden duel challenge, Taesan glanced at the system window.

“I believe in you. With the power you’ve shown so far, I believe you can achieve my wish.”

Risking his life would undoubtedly be dangerous, but there was a chance. That one possibility was enough.

“But this is me putting everything on the line in my own way.”

What would happen to Veldencia if Taesan failed?

There were very few merciful gods who would let a mortal opposing them go unpunished, and of course, the God of Descent wasn’t among them.

Of course, Veldencia might be untouchable due to being bound by a contract, but that didn’t apply to the princess.

“I want to see your true strength without any restrictions. Use everything you have and fight me.”

Wooong.

Mana waves surged.

[Hidden Quest. The fifth trial begins.]

A trial only available to those who receive Veldencia’s quest, something others couldn’t obtain.

“What should I do by fighting you?”

Winning was impossible. Even the top brass of the Guides would lose one hundred out of one hundred times if they fought Taesan now, let alone the stronger Veldencia.

Veldencia shook his head.

“I’m not telling you to win. Just reach a satisfactory level in my eyes.”

“In that case.”

Taesan drew his sword.

In a fight against an overwhelmingly strong opponent, there was always something to gain.

“Come. Adventurer. Prove your strength.”

[Veldencia activated the Frozen World.]

A frigid cold surged.

It was intermediate magic handled by Taesan. But that cold couldn’t compare. The air froze, and coldness surged in all directions.

[You activated Apostle Transformation [Darkness and Chaos].]

[You activated the Vessel of the King.]

[You activated the Ember of Calamity.]

Flames that could destroy the world burst forth. Flames flickered in the world frozen by the extreme cold.

“Damn.”

Taesan clicked his tongue.

Even so, the cold did not disappear. The walls of the labyrinth were entirely frozen.

[Veldencia activated Starlight Arrows.]

[Veldencia activated Magic Separation.]

Starlight arrows formed. Then the arrows split into dozens, hundreds, and fired all at once.

“Damn.”

Taesan clicked his tongue. Judging that he couldn’t dodge, Taesan instead rushed toward Veldencia.

The arrows struck Taesan, and Attack Nullification activated.

[Your First Attack Nullification activated.]

“What!”

Veldencia, who was staring blankly at Taesan, was shocked. Not only did his attack disappear, but the magic he had materialized vanished as well.

But he was a mage who had traversed the depths.

His hands moved faster than his surprise.

[Veldencia activated Resonating Mana Wave.]

An invisible mana wave surged, pushing Taesan away.

Even though it was simply the manifestation of mana, it contained power Taesan couldn’t withstand.

“Minerva.”

“Oh no. This is tough even for me.”

Minerva broke out in a cold sweat and gathered all her strength to unleash a burst of wind.

Boom!

It was her full power. She used all the extended summoning time granted by the spring water, leaving no energy to maintain the summoning.

Even so, she couldn’t block all the resonating waves.

Minerva was astonished.

‘What kind of power is this?’

Even if she fought with the full power of the Spirit King herself, she had no chance of winning. It was hard to believe this was the power of a mortal.

“Grr!”

Barkaza also provided support, but eventually, the wind was pushed back. However, it reduced the mana wave to some extent.

At this level, it could be blocked with Absolute Protection.

Taesan strengthened his stance.

[You activated Acceleration.]

He charged. The surging mana wave was blocked by Absolute Protection. Veldencia swung his staff with admiration.

“What exactly do you possess?”

[Veldencia activated the Guardian of the Blue World.]

A bluish barrier surrounded Veldencia.

It was intermediate magic. The power contained in it was nearly absolute, something even the leader of the Guides couldn’t easily penetrate.

‘How will he break through this?’

Veldencia watched with expectation. He believed Taesan could break through this level of protection.

And Taesan met his expectation in an entirely different way.

[You activated Absolute Judgement.]

The moment his sword touched it, the barrier vanished.

Veldencia’s eyes widened to their limit. Taesan seized the opportunity and stormed in like a hurricane.

[You activated Naberios’s Golden Sword.]

He swung his sword fiercely.

The moment the sword was about to strike Veldencia, his body disappeared.

[Veldencia activated Blink.]

“Hah.”

Veldencia panted heavily from a distance.

‘I almost got hit by a single strike?’

Even the Guides wouldn’t be able to get close to him, but an adventurer who hadn’t even reached the depths yet almost landed a hit.

“Damn.”

Taesan clicked his tongue and activated black magic.

[You activated Mephisto’s Black Lightning.]

[Veldencia activated Pillars of the Earth.]

Pillars rose. The black lightning struck the pillars and dispersed into the ground.

“Black Lightning is unavoidable, but it’s not without countermeasures.”

Veldencia’s face was full of delight as he spoke.

‘At this level.’

He could truly fulfill his wish. He released his power with anticipation.

“Let’s continue.”

The battle went on.

After more than an hour of fighting, it finally ended. Of course, Taesan lost.

But Taesan’s face was calm. It was a battle where he gained a lot. He learned much about how to respond to a high-level mage.

‘This is good.’

When he first entered Solo Mode, Taesan couldn’t even block a light attack from Ainzhar.

But now, he fought a mage who seemed on par with Ainzhar and held his own.

“Haha. Good. Very good, Kang Taesan.”

Veldencia was also satisfied.

Of course, if he had tried to kill him for real, Taesan wouldn’t have survived. A barrage of dozens of intermediate spells would have ended it.

But he didn’t go easy. Even while responding to the opponent’s attacks, he tried to seize victory, and Taesan endured.

“If it’s you now, the Guides? Even those fools wouldn’t let their guard down. Yes. With such power, it’s possible.”

Veldencia waved his hand.

“I’m fully satisfied.”

[You have obtained the Potion of Superior Attack Increase.]

[You have obtained the Potion of Superior Defense Increase.]

“And this is an additional reward from me.”

[You have obtained the Singing Jewel and the Echoing Steel Ring.]

[You have obtained the Magician’s Music Box.]

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