Ascension Through Skills

“It seems like we could descend only by using magic.”

The lizardman warrior was an enemy you could encounter only after descending to at least the 70th floor in Easy Mode. It was now possible to defeat such a monster only with magic. The potential was plentiful.

[Magic is a fully realized power. Some actually made it to the depths. I know someone who managed to descend to the 70th floor; it's not impossible.]

He obtained a skill on par with swordsmanship. Considering the uniqueness of magic, he should be able to pass many hurdles he struggled with before.

And he had won against the boss, earning various rewards.

[You have achieved victory over your enemies using only magic. You've acquired the special Continuous Action skill: Magic Booster.]

It seemed like he could get a magic-related skill because he properly used it.

[Special Continuous Action Skill: Magic Booster] [Proficiency: 1%] [The speed of boosting magic decreases. The difference is still hardly noticeable.]

Magic had a very fine casting time. Probably, the casting time of higher-level magic would increasingly take longer. It was a good effect to have at least one speed-reduction skill.

[You have grasped a perfect victory. You've acquired the special Continuous Action skill: Perfect Victory.]

“Seems like I got this because I won without lifting a finger.”

Perfect Victory. Its effect was simple.

[Special Continuous Action Skill: Perfect Victory] [Proficiency: 1%] [A forced intimidation judgment is applied against enemies with an overwhelming gap to you.]

Intimidation slowed down the target’s actions and thoughts—a good judgment. And it forced that upon them. As proficiency increased, it was a good skill that could even be applied against enemies of the same level.

He received two skills.

And by defeating the boss, his level increased.

[Your level has increased.] [You are now in optimal condition.] [As a reward for leveling up, your HP increased by 40.] [As a reward for leveling up, your strength permanently increased by 4, and your agility permanently increased by 5.] [Your Soul Ascension has activated. Your strength permanently increases by 3. Your agility permanently increases by 3.]

The increase from Soul Ascension was not very high. The gap between the warrior and Taesan at the moment was too wide.

Naturally, there was no struggle in his victory. Hoping for more after defeating the boss so easily would be shameless.

“Still, it’s disappointing.”

Taesan confirmed the items dropped by the boss, licking his lips.

[Warrior's Necklace] [Strength +3] [Agility +1] [A necklace that the warrior wore for a long time.]

“Not bad.”

For a necklace, the stats were quite high. Under normal circumstances, he would have been happy to wear it. But the Goblin Lord’s necklace was just too good.

“I should offer this as a tribute.”

It was not a bad item; it should be a decent offering.

[You defeated the boss of the 6th floor. Basic Reward: Acquired an Engraved Spell Scroll.] [You deciphered the hidden element of the 6th floor. Reward: Acquired '???'.]

He would save the Engraved Spell Scroll for now.

The scroll could be applied to all equipment, but the effect was very small if not applied to the main gear. Using it on the necklace would only make a difference of 1 or 2 in stats.

Using it on the splendid sword was a waste, and Taesan’s current armor was not very good. He planned to use it later.

And the secret reward.

[You used ???] [You acquired the Staff of Calmness.]

“A staff?”

This was the second staff he acquired after defeating a boss.

[Staff of Calmness] [Magic +6] [Magic usage cost -1] [Calmness is the foundation of a magician. Only those who adhere to this foundation can use this staff.]

“Does it reduce mana consumption?”

If the mana consumption of a fireball, which was 3, became 2, it was reduced by 33% by a simple calculation.

Given that most of the skills he has learned so far consumed single-digit mana, even this small number was significant.

“That’s nice.”

He originally planned to offer the staff as a tribute, but now the story had changed.

“Status.”

[Kang Taesan] [Level: 18] [Shield: 39/39] [HP: 725/725] [Mana: 104/104] [Strength: 161] [Intelligence: 79] [Agility: 122] [Attack +24] [Defense +21] [The target is in optimal condition.]

His stats were so much better than his previous life that it almost seemed shameful.

More than anything else, the increase in mana was noticeable.

He had designated mana as the stat associated with Proof of Victory, so it increased every time he killed an enemy.

As he was learning magic, mana consumption was expected to increase, so it was a wise choice.

Taesan returned to the 6th floor.

First, he had to meet Lilis and talk about magic.

On his way back to the secret room, Lilis appeared first.

“Yahoo! Hello!”

“Is it okay for you to be out there?”

“I have invisibility. Besides, you’ve taken care of all the monsters, haven’t you? It’s safe for now.”

She led the way with a cheerful face.

“Follow me! I’ll show you the safe zone!”

As he followed her to the floor’s periphery, there was a small door.

“This is the safe zone! Monsters can’t enter!”

The size of the interior was enough for one person to live in. Taesan looked around the empty room, which contained nothing.

“So, there was a place like this.”

“It’s not a well-known place, is it?”

It appeared on a small edge of the floor only after clearing it. Moreover, there was nothing inside. It was so insignificant that those who found it simply passed it by, thinking it was a room they hadn’t found before.

However, Lilis seemed to enjoy these little things, and she cheerfully clapped her hands on the bare walls.

“Now, you came here because you have something to offer, right? Show me!”

Taesan took out his inventory under Lilis’ expectant gaze.

Clatter.

Countless pieces of equipment he had gathered so far fell out. They were decent but not something Taesan could use. Lilis’ mouth fell open at the sight of the wave of over ten pieces of equipment.

“With this much, you should be able to learn something.”

“Mmm……”

With a gloomy face, Lilis turned each piece of equipment into an offering. After about ten minutes, once the last piece of equipment had been offered, Taesan chose his magic.

“Ice Arrow.”

[You have gained Ice Arrow.] [Basic Magic: Ice Arrow] [Mana Consumption: 3] [Proficiency: 1%] [Fires an arrow of frost. Targets without immunity suffer significant damage. Attempts to inflict the status abnormality [Freezing] on the target.]

The basic explanation was similar to Fireball. The difference was that Ice Arrow had definite physical force. It could be useful when he was unable to use a bow.

“I wonder if this would work?”

“Huh? What?”

Lilis tilted her head, catching Taesan’s murmur. The ghost chuckled when it grasped what he was implying.

[I guess your thoughts went right there. In terms of judgment, it should be possible.]

“Huh? Judgment? What do you mean?”

To Lilis’ continued inquiries, the ghost replied teasingly.

[How much beginner's magic have you learned?]

“You know what I’ve learned. Aside from invisibility, nothing else.”

Lilis groaned with disappointment. Shield of Concealment. Basic Detection. Fireball. Ice Arrow. They were all basic magic.

“You know, the difference in magic ranks is massive. As long as I can’t leave the 10th floor, I can’t learn any beginner’s magic. It was truly a miracle that I even learned invisibility.”

“Is the difference that great?”

“Of course! Basic magic is just imitating magic. It can be easily contained in a staff. But beginner’s magic is magic itself, something that can’t be contained in anything.”

She passionately explained.

“It may be lacking compared to intermediate or advanced, but it’s still sufficiently magic. I came in here for that, but all I’m doing is struggling. If I couldn’t learn invisibility, I really would have gone crazy.”

She groaned like a weary old woman.

The ghost held back laughter and spoke.

[You know Blazing Orb, right?]

“The upgraded version of Fireball? Of course, I know. It’s a fire attribute but also has physical power, making it hard to counter, right?”

[That. Can this guy learn it?]

“Huh?”

Lilis’ eyes widened in surprise. She soon chuckled and waved her hand.

“Hey, don’t joke about it.”

[Do I look like the type to joke about this?]

“You have to make sense. I admit he’s strong. But he’s from a world without magic. How could he learn it without someone teaching him?”

[Why don't you check for yourself then? Is it okay?]

“It doesn’t bother me.”

“……Really?”

Lilis looked at him skeptically. Taesan opened his system window.

[Beginner's Magic: Blazing Orb] [Mana Consumption: 6] [Proficiency: 1%] [Fires a flame orb of appropriate size. The more vulnerable the enemy, the greater the damage. Attempts to inflict [Burn] status abnormality on the target. It has a small physical force.]

Lilis’s pupils dilated.

“…What is this?”

[How is it? Real, right?]

The ghost spoke proudly as if boasting about how impressive his own child was.

And Lilis didn’t have the mind to pay attention to that.

“What is this? This. Blazing Orb. How. How did you…”

Like someone who has witnessed an impossible event, she stammered.

“How did you…”

She then gathered herself and said.

“Teach me?”

“Huh?”

She paused for a moment. After dozens of considerations in a short moment, she opened her mouth. Her face was a mix of desire as a magician and her own conscience.

“If you could teach me…… that would be…… great, but… What can I do in return……”

“It’s not a big deal. I’ll just teach you.”

There was a high chance of having a long-term relationship with Lilis. There was no harm in gaining favor. Awe spread across Lilis’s face.

“Are you an angel? Or a messenger of God? You’re going to teach me this? You should become my master!”

“But even knowing this won’t be much help.”

“Not helpful! It’s a method!”

“Well, who knows.”

It would really be of no use to her. Taesan started explaining.

As his explanation progressed, Lilis’s face twisted grotesquely.

After the explanation, she chuckled hollowly.

“What was that?”

[Yes. That reaction is normal.]

“Can’t it be learned?”

“Do you think a mage would train physical strength? If you’re fast enough to follow a fireball, why use a fireball? Just use other magic.”

Lilis grunted in frustration.

“…Still, it’s not entirely a bust. There’s a difference in that kind of judgment. I didn’t know. I can try various things. Thanks.”

She looked at Taesan with admiring eyes.

“How did you find such differences? Is it because you’re a favored adventurer by the gods?”

“I tried various things. And I have a question. What exactly is the difference in numbers when it comes to magic?”

“Why are you asking all of a sudden? What did you get?”

Taesan showed her the Staff of Serenity. Upon confirming its stats, Lilis expressed admiration.

“Magic +6 and Mana consumption reduction. This is equipment you can’t even get on the 10th floor.”

“What’s the difference in magic ‘amount’?”

“It’s simple. Consider Magic + as a percentage.”

“So, if it’s 6, it means 6%?”

“Right. Here, the percentage applies to everything about magic. Duration, judgment bonuses, power, etc… excluding Mana consumption. Everything gets stronger.”

“Then it’s okay.”

“It’s not just okay; it’s good.”

If it was a bonus for everything, not just power, then it was not simply a 6% increase. Depending on the situation, it could have been used as a substitute for a weapon.

He received all the information he wanted.

Taesan turned around, and Lilis waved her hand energetically.

“See you on the 7th floor!”

Taesan headed towards the staircase heading down.

Finally, the 7th floor. He was not far from the 10th floor.

[7th Floor Quest Start.] [Defeat the boss of the 7th floor and pass.] [Reward: Earring of the Forsaken One.] [Secret Reward: ???]

Upon arrival at the entrance, as always, the dwarf was waiting.

“Did you arrive?”

“Do you have any Dust of Blessing?”

“Don’t you have any more?”

If Taesan had two or three more, then he could get something, but it appeared that he couldn’t buy any right now. It seemed like it wouldn’t be easy to get.

“Then, I’ll sell this.”

Taesan pulled out things like the skin and teeth of the Lizardman and Big Rat. If he thought about the blacksmith, he needed the skins, but he didn’t need so many.

“That’s a lot… this should be about two thousand gold. What do you want to buy?”

“No, thank you.”

“Are you just leaving again this time? How much money are you trying to save?”

“An ample amount.”

He had collected almost five thousand gold. But it was still not enough.

He would be able to use it properly after passing the 10th floor.

“See you next time.”

“That’s boring.”

Leaving behind a dwarf filled with boredom, Taesan walked on.

[You've reached the 7th floor.]

As soon as he left the shop, the ghost spoke. Taesan chuckled at the clearly visible change in attitude.

“Do you dislike him that much?”

[I told you. He only moves for his own benefit. But... you don't have to worry. The reason I dislike that old man is because of my personal experience. It has nothing to do with you.]

Unlike when he spoke about the dwarf before, his emotion was more restrained this time. The ghost dismissed his lingering gloom.

[Anyway, this is the 7th floor. You remember our promise?]

“You said you would teach me swordsmanship when we reach here.”

At first, the ghost refused to teach him, but after Taesan got a hold of the path, it said it would teach him when they reached the 7th floor. That was if there were no problems with his stats.

Now, that time has come.

[What I'm going to teach you is the swordsmanship of our empire.]

The ghost said it was the prince of an empire, that he had come here to save a dying world.

[The Calvert Empire was a country that worshiped strength. The weak had no value, and if you had strength, most things were allowed. It was very common for the strong to oppress the weak, and it was even considered right. Even as royalty, it was no different. I had six brothers.]

Those who had the bloodline of the royal family fought each other for succession rights.

In the case of the Calvert Empire, it wasn’t a political struggle.

[I won against my brothers. I thrust a knife into their throats and seized the right of succession.]

“That’s a cruel world.”

[Everyone says that. Little Lilis said so too. How could one live in such a place, she asked. It's a barbaric world, she said. But it's my one and only world.]

The ghost spoke in a melancholic tone.

[I want to go back, but I can't. I even failed the chance to save it. At the very least, leaving evidence of my world is my minimum atonement.]

After briefly recomposing himself, the ghost spoke calmly.

[As it's the swordsmanship of such a world, its characteristics are also intense. First, there is no defense.]