Ascension Through Skills

Taesan looked at Junggeun’s face.

A round, homely face.

So incredibly ordinary. It was the type of face you’d forget about five seconds after passing by on the street.

However, his pleasing smile somehow made him endearing.

Junggeun, who was being gazed at by Taesan, scratched his head with a flustered look.

“Um… Err…”

Junggeun was taken aback. He had never met the man in front of him.

But he was being stared at as if he were a familiar face that had been seen once before.

Junggeun coughed awkwardly. He composed himself and recalled why he was there.

“You’ve received the city hall quest, right?”

Taesan nodded.

“Do you want to follow me? Going to the city hall by yourself could be quite challenging.”

Taesan nodded again.

Junggeun smiled pleasantly.

“Great. Follow me then. Oh, you aren’t here with anyone else, right?”

The ghost was still beside Taesan. But Junggeun showed no sign of noticing him.

Taesan responded briefly.

“No.”

“Good. Stick with me.”

Junggeun lowered his posture and extended his hand.

[Geum Junggeun has activated Presence Reduction. The presence of Geum Junggeun and Kang Taesan has decreased.]

Presence Reduction. As the name suggested, it was a skill that reduced one’s presence. It was a skill obtained by hiding and avoiding the enemy’s sight for an hour. It was a skill that could be put to good use in certain scenarios.

The presence of Taesan and Junggeun was diminished momentarily. Junggeun grimaced for a moment.

“Taesan? …No way.”

He murmured quietly, coming to a conclusion on his own.

“Follow me slowly. Keep as quiet as possible.”

Taesan nodded slightly.

He watched Junggeun move forward with caution, scanning the surroundings. The ghost opened his mouth.

[It seems like only you can see me. Adventurers should be able to perceive me, though. Why is that?]

The ghost, with a perplexed look on his face, asked.

[Did you come to see that guy?]

Taesan nodded silently in response.

He had not forged many connections with others. Part of it was due to his nature of being averse to relationships, but also because there was no real purpose to it.

The person you know today could be dead and gone tomorrow. It was an extremely common occurrence.

Furthermore, he had been an Easy Mode player. He was a human at the easiest difficulty level. Everyone he became attached to or had a decent relationship with died.

From a certain point in time, he stopped getting attached to anyone who couldn’t survive till the end.

One of them was Junggeun.

A human who conversed with him at the last moment.

A human who never lost his sense of humor, even in despair.

The ghost mumbled in a puzzled tone.

[Hm. You don't seem like someone who would just come to say hi. It seems like you have something to do with him.]

Taesan didn’t respond. The ghost continued to speak alone.

[Well, he is somewhat useful. If he's really good, he might even make it to the deep levels.]

There was a grudging acceptance in his voice.

After following behind Junggeun for about thirty minutes, he could hear the bustling noise of life. The presence of many people could be felt inside a small building.

“Everyone, are you alright?”

“Ah.”

“Mr. Junggeun!”

Numerous individuals rushed towards them with delighted expressions.

There were close to a hundred people.

None of their faces were familiar to Taesan.

“This person here is Kang Taesan, whom I rescued this time. I believe he’s a Normal Mode player, so please get along well.”

“Uh, I don’t think I’ve seen him before……”

A person who seemed to be a Normal Mode player mumbled softly. At that remark, people around him retorted.

“There are so many people in Normal Mode; how could you know everyone?”

“Oh, that’s true.”

The man who was singled out scratched his head with a sheepish expression.

“Nice to meet you. Let’s get along.”

Taesan nodded silently in response.

“Now, let’s move on.”

Junggeun clapped his hands, enlivening the atmosphere.

“It seems like we’ve gathered all the people nearby. Now we’re heading to the city hall.”

The people’s faces hardened. Anxiety lurked in their expressions.

“It’s okay. Everyone.”

Junggeun reassured them with a confident smile.

“I will protect you all.”

They began to move towards the city hall a bit uneasily.

Approximately a hundred people were slowly moving, advancing from the rear as much as possible to avoid monsters.

[What are these?]

The ghost spat out in a trembling tone.

[Why are there only weak ones? Are these the ones who entered the labyrinth?]

Except for Junggeun, everyone else seemed frail. At a glance, they were not even close to exceeding human limits; they were no different from ordinary humans.

[I roughly understand. That Junggeun guy is leading you to your destination. You're one of them too.]

“That’s right.”

Taesan responded softly.

Grade F monsters were weak. However, they had the strength to easily rip an ordinary human apart. At this point, neither Easy nor Normal players could face them.

Only Hard players and above could win at this point. And among them, only the top players would really have a chance.

Junggeun was leading these weak individuals toward the city hall.

‘Just as I thought.’

Junggeun had led them to the city hall even in the previous world. Taesan remembered exactly what had happened then.

While they were moving leisurely, a girl who had been casting curious glances at him approached.

“You’re from the Normal Mode, right?”

She was a freckled girl with notable brown hair, just on the cusp of adulthood.

She chattered away while walking at Taesan’s side.

“My name is An Jeonghui. And you??”

Oppa. Hearing this term of address for the first time in decades, he replied with an amused feeling.

“Kang Taesan.”

An Jeonghui tilted her head.

“I was a bit of an information broker, but I’ve never heard the name Taesan before……

“How many people are in Normal Mode that you would know all of them?”

In Korea alone, the number of players in Normal Mode was close to ten million.

Just like a game server, the dimensions were divided to prevent overcrowding. Thus, it was impossible to know everyone.

If the dimensions had not been divided, it would have been impossible for Easy Mode players to enter the labyrinth.

“I know everyone who is somewhat strong. For example, that man.”

She pointed to a muscular man at the end of her finger.

“He’s a high-ranking member of the Athena Guild and pretty strong. He has a bad temper, but he’s been behaving since Junggeun Oppa is here.”

Guilds were created by players. There were guilds in Easy, Normal, and Hard Modes.

The Athena Guild was not the only one that existed. Whenever people gathered, societies formed, and groups were frequently made.

Sometimes they would appear as guilds, other times as revolutionary parties.

Of course, Taesan didn’t belong anywhere. Understanding the labyrinth was more important than engaging in such childish pranks.

The girl seemed to need someone to talk to and continued to speak. Then she started talking about how Junggeun ended up leading them.

“We were at a concert.”

It was a small-scale amateur performance. It was a fairly popular band, so a lot of people gathered. Naturally, a lot of people showed up when it was time to return.

“Everyone was panicking, not knowing what to do, and that’s when Junggeun Oppa stepped in.”

He calmed the confused people down and suggested they head to the city hall together. Some people resisted, asking who he was to give orders, but they fell silent when he announced that he was a Hard Mode player and demonstrated his grip strength by bending a piece of steel with his bare hand.

That was how this group formed. It was not very different from what Taesan had heard from Junggeun in the past.

Junggeun, who was leading the way, raised his hand, and An Jeonghui fell silent.

[Monster No. 56994258 has appeared.]

Growl.

A black monster with massive arms and legs appeared. People’s faces turned pale in terror. Junggeun held his sword with a stern face.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

Junggeun slowly approached the monster. The creature lumbered around, not yet aware of his presence.

Junggeun stabbed its back.

[Monster No. 56994258 took 6 damage.]

Grrr!

The monster arched its back. It moved its massive arm to attack Junggeun.

Clang!

“Kuh!”

Junggeun gritted his teeth under the force of the blow. The future him was a player who could defeat even an A-class, but he was still adapting. He had to deal with a tough fight, even against a monster of this level.

He dodged the wildly swinging arm and stabbed again.

After a ferocious battle, Junggeun emerged victorious.

He caught his breath and said to the people.

“I’ve taken it down. Come this way.”

“Oh…”

“Mr. Junggeun!”

People cried out in awe. They rushed to Junggeun and praised his strength.

Junggeun managed a smile and waved his hand.

“Let’s keep moving for now.”

People proceeded with extreme caution. They held their breaths and crouched low. But with more than a hundred people moving, they were bound to catch the monsters’ attention.

During the fight with another monster of the same level that appeared, yet another monster showed up.

Grrr.

“Hyeeeek!”

“Mr., Mr. Junggeun!”

Junggeun was too occupied to answer. When it became apparent that he couldn’t help them, the nearly hundred-strong group started screaming and scattering.

This level of monster wasn’t that strong. If they all banded together, they could easily defeat it, but they were too frantic to do anything but run away.

[......]

The ghost watched, looking very displeased. Taesan picked up a stone from the ground.

“Hyeeeek!”

An Jeonghui screamed and ran away. The monster was about to crush her head.

Thwack.

The monster, its head hit by a small rock, flew far away. It tumbled and disappeared with a loud noise. The people who were frantically running away were startled by the sudden disappearance of the monster.

“Huh, what?”

“What happened?”

The people were bewildered. Junggeun, who barely managed to defeat an F-class monster, ran up to them while panting.

“Where did one of the monsters go?”

“We don’t know either. It suddenly disappeared.”

“What?”

A look of confusion crosses Junggeun’s face. He looked around, but he really couldn’t see the monster anywhere.

“Who took it down?”

“There wasn’t any damage window. There’s no one here who could have…”

This was a monster that even Junggeun in Hard Mode struggled to defeat. The people here were weak even in Easy and Normal Mode.

Junggeun sneakily glanced at Taesan.

Taesan stood there expressionless. He looked indifferent, almost bored, as if the current chaos and fear were nothing to him.

‘Could it be?’

Junggeun lowered his head with an apprehensive thought.

Taesan had said he had encountered a monster, but Junggeun thought he had just hidden himself and managed to escape unscathed. Even at the top ranks in Hard Mode, Junggeun was confident of a 1:1 victory. And Junggeun wouldn’t have been unaware of such a strong person.

“Um…… let’s keep moving for now.”

Ultimately unable to solve the mystery, Junggeun headed towards City Hall.

The journey was repetitive. Whenever a monster appeared, Junggeun would confront it. The rest just watched from afar. Occasionally, Taesan would throw a stone to drive away the more fearsome creatures.

After several repetitions, the ghost finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

[These useless things!]

His roar resonates. The deep, grumbling voice echoes, but only Taesan can hear it.

[How can they be so useless! They don't even try to do anything, let alone risk their lives to fight! They're just like trash, relying on others!]

The voice seethed with anger.

This was the first time Taesan heard such a surge of emotion from the ghost. If the others could hear the ghost’s voice, they’d be frozen stiff.

[These fools entered the labyrinth? Don't make me laugh.]

His voice, beast-like, resounded through the air.

[This is an insult to us. I won't tolerate such worthless beings challenging the labyrinth.]

To the ghost, who had risked its life to break through the labyrinth, those who had given up the battle itself must have seemed utterly repugnant. Taesan quietly waited until the ghost calmed down.

[...I can't understand.]

The now calm ghost muttered irritably.

[Strength isn't the issue. There's no one who's strong from the start. Everyone gets stronger by risking their lives and fighting.]

The ghost’s words were true. Taesan wasn’t strong from the beginning. He had risked his life against Big Rat, challenged Hage-Har, and only then reached where he was now.

[But these guys have no will. They don't even try to do anything, nor do they try to gain knowledge or information. They're just focused on running away. Have such weak creatures survived till now?]

“Don’t be so harsh. After all, I’m the strange one here.”

They were from the normal world. Risking one’s life in a fight was a figment of fiction. Those who quickly grasped the situation and advanced were extremely rare.

Moreover, with the existence of Junggeun protecting them, it was natural for them to put more effort into escaping rather than fighting.

‘But it’s not a world merciful enough to let such people live.’

Taesan looked at Junggeun. He was comforting the struggling people.

“Yes, yes. It’s okay. Just a little more courage.”

Geum Junggeun.

One of the few players Taesan had a bond with.

He was comforting the people.

Junggeun was the one who led around a hundred people to City Hall on his first return to Earth in the previous timeline.

And the only one who made it then was Junggeun.