Ascension Through Skills

This place was the domain of the immortals. The fragments of the immortals drifting in the air clearly held power beyond mortality. Taesan, still a mortal, had no means to counter it.

He could try to wield divinity to push it back, but the consumption of divinity would be extremely high. It wasn’t an ideal solution.

Therefore, he chose to utilize the Black.

The Black was the power of the High Gods, a force beyond the concepts of mortality and immortality. It had enough potential to overcome the spatial pressure.

However, it couldn’t be tested here. Since he hadn’t tried this method before, he needed practice.

With the duration of Nature’s Avatar almost over, Taesan returned to the labyrinth.

Balbabamba, who had been waiting, was surprised to see Taesan return after just a few hours.

[Already back? Did you give up?]

“No.”

[...Ah, I see. You completed the quest already. Much faster than I expected.]

Though Balbabamba knew Taesan was strong enough to clear it, other adventurers took at least a few years to complete it, so he didn’t expect Taesan to do it this quickly.

[The quest's conditions are met. If you wish, I can acknowledge your clear of the 74th floor.]

Balbabamba thought Taesan would end it this way.

However, Taesan shook his head.

“Not yet.”

[...You’re going to continue the 74th floor?]

“There are still four remnants of the immortals left, right?”

He wouldn’t return until he confirmed all of them.

Balbabamba spoke in a hesitant voice, recognizing the resolve in Taesan’s words.

[I admit it. You are strong. Throughout the labyrinth's history, no one has ever gained as much power as you at the entrance to the depths.]

Taesan was undoubtedly powerful. Even Balbabamba could tell that he was on the brink of transcending mortality.

But that place was the realm of the immortals.

It was a place where the remnants of beings beyond mortality remained. No matter how powerful Taesan was, proceeding further in the quest was impossible.

[I am a manager. I am not allowed to interfere with adventurers, but I can still give advice. Overconfidence will lead to your death. Sometimes, you must leave satisfied, even if you haven't gained everything.]

“It’s not overconfidence.”

It was enough. Having acquired numerous skills while descending the labyrinth, Taesan made that judgment.

Balbabamba said nothing further.

[I understand your resolve. But what will you use to breach the domain of the immortals? There are limits as you are now.]

Balbabamba spoke quietly.

Taesan answered with action.

[You activated the Black.]

A surge. Darkness poured out from Taesan’s body.

It wasn’t magic.

It was a power that ignored the laws and principles of the world, coming from beyond it.

[This is...]

Balbabamba let out a groan.

Darkness, as black as pitch, began to creep across the ground.

[It's unsettling, as always.]

He had seen Taesan wielding the Black before, so he was aware of it, but it was still disturbing. For a mortal to use the power of the High Gods… it was truly incomprehensible.

Balbabamba quietly gathered his power. In case the Black went out of control, he was prepared.

Taesan slowly adjusted the flow of the Black.

Compared to when he first obtained it, his strength and skill had improved significantly. The Black gradually began to cloak his body according to his will.

‘I can control it.’

But there was still a major issue.

The Black wrapping around his body tried to devour Taesan’s flesh.

It burdened both his mind and body. Despite having acquired a resistance skill against mental corruption, which was the mental strain of will, it was hard to endure.

Pushed to his limits, Taesan withdrew the Black.

He could control it.

The issue was resolving the corruption of body and mind.

Taesan slowly sought an answer.

With skills like Apostle Transformation and Nature’s Avatar, he could endure the corruption to some extent. But it wasn’t perfect. Even raising his power level with Apostle Transformation didn’t allow him to withstand the corruption of the Black.

Partial World Alteration might work, but its duration was too short, so that was impossible too.

“In the end, it’s divinity.”

A power that completely opposed the Black. He used divinity to block and withstand the corruption of the Black.

But that also posed several issues.

When the Black and divinity mixed, the Boundary Line was triggered. With his current skill, Taesan could somewhat control the Boundary Line, but it was still a one-time use.

He had to wield both Black and divinity in such a way that they didn’t mix and didn’t trigger the Boundary Line.

He had never tried it before and hadn’t even considered it possible. But now, Taesan was certain he could do it.

Taesan enveloped himself in the Black.

It wasn’t spread outward. He wrapped it very thinly, just enough to be like a sheet of cloth, maintaining a slight distance from his body.

What he sought was for divinity and Black to counterbalance each other and maintain equilibrium.

He had succeeded once before. When he defeated Zhenlong, who had become a slave of the High Gods, he maintained the balance between divinity and Black.

At that time, he forcibly suppressed the Black with divinity, which was infinitely replenished through people’s direct faith. It was possible because of that. Now, it wasn’t.

But Taesan didn’t intend to handle it with such overwhelming power. Just cloaking his body would suffice.

Moreover, he could now manipulate the Black and divinity much more freely than before.

Taesan released divinity.

Divinity touched the Black.

Grind.

With a distorted sound, gray began to emerge. Balbabamba clicked his tongue as he gathered his power.

[Will it be stopped?]

Balbabamba knew the power contained within.

A force that could distort order. As a manager, he had near-absolute authority within the labyrinth, but he couldn’t guarantee he could stop it. He prepared for the impact.

A powerful force, a power straddling the boundary, began to manifest in the world.

Taesan focused his mind.

He didn’t want a collision between divinity and Black.

He desired them to balance each other while still repelling one another.

If so…

Taesan instinctively found the answer.

Whirr.

A pure white ring glowed. With the ring’s assistance, he manipulated divinity.

Divinity and Black began to rotate in opposite directions.

The two forces, which had been on the verge of mixing, each spun and began to find balance.

Clink, clink.

As time passed, the divinity and Black, initially repelling each other, stabilized and separated.

Balbabamba, who had been gathering his power, hesitated.

[That’s...]

“It worked.”

Taesan steadied his breathing.

Divinity thinly cloaked Taesan’s body. And above that, the Black flowed.

The Black, blocked by divinity, couldn’t cling to Taesan, thus preventing mental and physical corruption.

He had succeeded.

Simultaneously, a system window appeared.

[You have acquired [Boundary Repulsion].]

[Your proficiency in Boundary Line has increased by @#.]

Taesan opened the skill window after suppressing the Black and divinity.

[Boundary Repulsion]

[Proficiency: ?]

[A force that exists between laws and beyond them. It draws out by repelling divinity and Black.]

Though the description was similar to that of Boundary Line, it was different. Boundary Line involved manipulating divinity and Black to draw out power, while Boundary Repulsion drew it out by repelling them.

Taesan activated the Black and divinity once again.

It was easier to utilize now, possibly because he had gained a new skill.

Clink, clink.

The divinity and Black rotated in opposite directions, not mixing.

It was a success.

Taesan smiled as he suppressed the Boundary Repulsion. The ghost muttered, as if it was no longer surprised.

[What will you gain next? Why not try handling the Black alone?]

“That’s still impossible.”

But as time passed and he grew stronger, it might become possible.

Balbabamba, who had been silent, finally spoke.

[This is absurd.]

His voice was filled with complexity.

[It’s truly absurd.]

Divinity was the power of the gods.

The Black was the power of the High Gods.

To wield the opposing powers of these two beings and produce a stable result was beyond common sense. Even Balbabamba, who had encountered countless gods and adventurers as the labyrinth’s manager, found it hard to accept.

[Are you going back there again?]

“Yes.”

[This time, I'll accompany you.]

Balbabamba intended to verify the power that Taesan had acquired.

Balbabamba gathered his strength. As space twisted, Taesan was transported to Valhaluni.

This time, Balbabamba was right next to Taesan.

Taesan activated Boundary Repulsion.

As soon as he stepped out of the blue veil, the fragments of the immortals scattered throughout the world began to press down on him.

But it was different from before.

The world’s pressure was erased the moment it touched the Black, unable to reach Taesan.

Without using Apostle Transformation, Nature’s Avatar, or the King’s Vessel, he managed to withstand the world’s pressure without any significant burden.

[...What is this?]

Balbabamba muttered in shock.

The gap between mortality and immortality was insurmountable. No matter how much one tried to find a way, it was impossible—a kind of law.

But the High Gods existed beyond those laws.

It was not strange for them to break the boundary between mortality and immortality.

The odd thing was that a mortal like Taesan was handling it.

[…….]

It was dangerous.

The power Taesan possessed was incredibly alien.

What would happen if someone who could endure the power of immortals with a mortal’s frame gained an even higher level of power?

He could disrupt the laws of the labyrinth.

The manager’s instincts warned of that future.

But Balbabamba did nothing.

Already, both the sorcerer and the gods had met Taesan and understood his otherness. Yet they had not acted.

Therefore, there was no need for him to do anything either. He would leave the rest to them.

[Then, I'll be on my way. Take care.]

“Sure.”

Balbabamba’s presence faded away.

Taesan continued forward, erasing the overpowering forces with the Black.

This was the realm of immortals. Forces that trampled mortal bodies and shattered minds were spread all around.

But they did not reach Taesan.

[This is amusing.]

Though his perspective differed from Balbabamba’s, the ghost also found it difficult to accept.

[So, even against transcendental beings, it means that as long as you have that shroud, mental pressure is impossible, right?]

It wasn’t unreasonable to think so. But Taesan shook his head.

“It’s not that capable.”

Taesan, who was using it directly, knew.

It wasn’t a force that could be used in such a versatile manner.

“I’ve somehow regained stability, but it’s still precarious.”

He enveloped his body with a thin layer of Black and divinity, rotating them in opposite directions to maintain balance. Theoretically, it was perfect.

But because it required delicate adjustments, he could only extract a minuscule amount of power.

“The reason I can hold on now is because the force permeating this place lacks will.”

The power wasn’t specifically targeting Taesan. The remnants of the immortals lingered in the air, crushing everything that existed.

The force acted without will. Therefore, it could be erased using Boundary Repulsion.

“And it also consumes a lot of concentration.”

If the balance of power were to waver even slightly, it would immediately become a Boundary Line that could overwhelm Taesan.

Maintaining it required meticulous control throughout.

Even so, he could move freely within the realm of the immortals without much burden.

As his proficiency increased and Taesan’s power grew, the utility would also increase.

Moreover, if he could use it this way, there might be other applications for wielding divinity and Black.

‘It’s worth experimenting with various things.’

He could gain a different kind of power, distinct from what he had acquired so far. Taesan moved toward where he sensed a strong force.

Clad in Boundary Repulsion, Taesan did not stop.

At the end of his path, he found the remains of an immortal.

The remains emitted a terrifyingly powerful force, but the Black enveloping Taesan erased it all.

Taesan planted a flag.

Whirr.

A massive veil surrounded the remains of the immortal.

“Now, three left.”

Taesan continued moving.

He had managed to reduce the consumption, allowing him to use divinity and Black for quite a long time.

As a result, Taesan quickly found two more remnants of the immortals.

Only one remained. At his current pace, he could clear the 74th floor in less than a day.

[Those guys must be dumbfounded if they see this.]

The Guides had been stuck here for a very long time.

But Taesan was progressing toward clearing it with surprising ease.

It indicated the gap between Taesan and the Guides.

[Their heads must be hurting by now.]

The ghost had some connection with the Guides, so he understood.

The sorcerer Shayan had prepared everything and fought against Taesan but was defeated. That meant none of the Guides could defeat Taesan one-on-one. That’s what it meant to be a stationary and stagnant being.

Perhaps they were crumbling even now.

From the beginning, they hadn’t been united by any specific ideology or mutual affection. They had gathered to clear the floor, and once their objective was achieved, their foundation was bound to crumble, leading to many defectors.

‘They’ll find a way somehow.’

But from the ghost’s perspective, it was impossible for them.

They were getting closer to the ghost’s wish.

Before, that had been delightful, but not anymore.

The Grey Woman. Societ Garudentia.

She was a woman the ghost had cared for and helped a lot, but she was also the Guide who betrayed him.

The ghost’s mind was in turmoil.

He agonized, while Taesan continued the quest on the 74th floor. Before long, he discovered the distant remains of the last immortal.

“A machine?”

The last remnant of the immortal was mechanical. It resembled a humanoid robot.

[Not all life forms in the universe are organic. There were probably a few mechanical beings that descended into the labyrinth.]

He had thought it was possible, but seeing it in person was a first. Taesan opened a portal.

“This is the last one.”

The clearing of the 74th floor was within reach. Taesan drove a flag into the ground.

Whirr.

A blue veil formed.

[Quest complete.]

All the remains of the immortals in Valhaluni were found.

Simultaneously, an immense power engulfed the world.

Though it didn’t affect Taesan, it was the power of a transcendent being that enveloped the entire world.

“Is it all over?”

Since the powers of the immortals overlapped, even transcendents could not intervene here. Allowing that would give the High Gods a chance to interfere.

But now, the locations of all the remains of the immortals were known.

The quest was complete, and the discovery was over, so now the transcendents were intervening.

“They seem to be in a rush.”

[Looks like they're trying to tidy up quickly because the High Gods are aiming for it. …But isn’t it too rushed? You haven’t even returned to the labyrinth yet.]

Taesan observed the power of the transcendents as they retrieved the remains of the immortals.

That power had no emotions whatsoever.

The world was being purified. The fragments of the immortals scattered across the world were being erased, and one by one, the remains began to vanish. The power within the mechanical remnant in front of Taesan also started to fade.

At that moment, the sky cracked.

A black power, from beyond the laws, descended like a pillar.

The power of the transcendents, which enveloped the world, surged. It suppressed the black pillar, crushing it.

But a tiny, thread-like sliver of that power reached the remains of the immortals.

Whirr.

[…Huh?]

The entire body of the immortal began to glow. The eyes flickered red as if issuing a warning.

At the same time, a violent force surged.

The Boundary Repulsion enveloping Taesan momentarily distorted. Taesan quickly gathered his strength and backed away.

Rumble…

A loud noise echoed.

The remains of the immortal were rising.

“It was certainly dead.”

There was no sense of life.

The soul of the immortal was not here.

Yet the body of the immortal stood up.

Recognizing Taesan, it identified him as a threat.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Whirr!

Mechanical parts made a noise as they started to move. An intent to kill, devoid of will, immediately targeted Taesan.