Ascension Through Skills

People’s gazes were drawn to Taesan and Amelia. Their eyes held various emotions: admiration, curiosity, and doubt.

“This spot should do.”

Taesan, who had reached the outskirts, unleashed his power.

[You have activated the inner world.]

Taesan’s power and aura expanded into a domain. The people who had been watching from afar with curious eyes were startled by the sudden appearance of the ashen domain.

“This is…”

“This is my domain. Although it’s my first time using it, no one outside can see or hear us.”

Taesan leaned his back against the ashen wall.

“You must have guessed by now. The presence of the god that supported you is gone.”

Just as Taesan said, she could no longer feel the presence of the immense being that always descended upon her.

It meant that the God of Descent had left her.

“I…”

She barely opened her mouth.

Amelia had always considered herself the strongest. And the God of Descent had been supporting such a self-assured person.

But she was not the strongest.

And so, the god who had always watched over her also disappeared.

Everything she believed in had been shattered by Taesan.

Amelia had now been abandoned by the god.

“I…”

“What will you do?”

Taesan asked her.

“You have become weak.”

The God of Descent had turned away.

Of course, the Guides of Sin would not touch her. They were cowards who wouldn’t dare harm Amelia, not knowing when the god might show interest in her again.

But the god’s protection was gone.

The skills bestowed by the God of Descent also vanished, and she could no longer receive assistance while descending into the labyrinth.

Descending the labyrinth as she had before was now impossible.

“I… I…”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Taesan felt a bit troubled. The Amelia he knew was always confident, calling herself the strongest and full of self-assurance.

He knew that confidence pushed her to her limits, but he didn’t know what lay beyond that.

Without her confidence, she was like a lost child. This shaken state was something Taesan had never seen before.

Breaking her confidence was necessary. Only then would the God of Descent lose interest, allowing Amelia to properly descend the labyrinth.

But how to lift her up from this state?

As Taesan pondered, a ghost approached him.

[How about trying this?]

The ghost whispered to Taesan. He frowned slightly.

“Will that work?”

[You've got nothing to lose. Give it a try.]

“Hmph.”

Amelia, mentally disturbed, didn’t hear Taesan and the ghost’s conversation. Eventually, Taesan made a decision.

“Amelia.”

“Yes?”

She looked at Taesan with teary eyes, and he drew his sword.

“Huh!”

Reflexively, Amelia moved as Taesan charged at her.

Clang!

She swung her sword, deflecting his strike and pushing his shoulder away.

Despite being mentally cornered, Amelia responded to Taesan’s movements. She twisted her body, deflecting the impact and counterattacking Taesan with her sword.

Clang!

Their swords clashed and bounced off each other.

Amelia, having gained some distance, looked at Taesan with cold eyes.

“…What are you doing all of a sudden?”

“You blocked my attack.”

Taesan sheathed his sword.

“Even when mentally cornered, you easily blocked an attack that Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok would struggle with.”

It wasn’t his full power, but it wasn’t a casual strike either. Though it was an attack Amelia could block, he intended to pierce through if she responded carelessly.

“You have talent.”

“Hmph.”

Amelia’s eyes wavered.

“You’re not as strong as I am, but you’re the second strongest. Even without the God of Descent’s help, you have the power to clear the labyrinth.”

Taesan spoke with certainty.

“I guarantee it. You are strong.”

“Really?”

She asked back. Taesan nodded.

“I don’t lie.”

Her eyes, once dark and lifeless, began to shine. Confidence returned to her face, as if they were meeting for the first time.

“I know, even if you don’t say it.”

She said confidently, just as she had in the beginning.

“I am strong. I will definitely catch up to you someday.”

“Do your best.”

Taesan deactivated the inner world. She leaped away.

“…Thank you.”

She said softly and started to leave.

She almost left.

“Where are you going?”

“Ugh!”

Taesan grabbed her by the back of her neck. Amelia, looking at him in confusion, listened as he spoke.

“I still have something to teach you. You haven’t properly learned swordsmanship, have you?”

“No, I haven’t…”

“Then this is perfect. Draw your sword.”

Taesan let go of her and drew his sword.

Amelia’s face turned pale.

After clashing swords for a while, she learned the Ability Sword.

Only then did Taesan release her. She trudged away through the crowd.

The Ability Sword, a swordsmanship technique that could reach the highest levels.

With that, Amelia, who had lost the God of Descent’s interest, would have her power greatly supplemented. She might even become stronger than before.

Taesan knew Amelia well. Confident and believing herself to be the strongest, she was fundamentally a good person. She always acted to save people’s lives.

That’s why he taught her many skills and showed her the Ability Sword.

“By the way, it was true.”

The ghost’s words to Taesan were simple.

Attack Amelia moderately and acknowledge her talent.

At first, he wondered if that would be enough, but Amelia noticeably changed.

[I know a type like that. Someone with talent but unsure of themselves. They always try to prove their worth through the reactions of those around them.]

The ghost continued.

[The God of Descent must have filled her with confidence. An overwhelming entity like a god acknowledged her. When you shattered that and the god's interest disappeared, she broke down. In other words, for someone like her, the one who shatters their confidence holds a significant place.]

“So she gets elated or depressed by my words?”

[Something like that. To that woman, you must be close to an absolute being. You acknowledged her. It's no wonder her shattered confidence was restored.]

“You know well.”

[I told you, I know someone like that.]

The ghost spoke gloomily.

[She was pushed into the labyrinth by others. She seemed very fragile and insecure. Because we shared noble blood, I felt a kinship and helped her a lot, boosting her confidence.]

Who was the ghost talking about?

It wasn’t hard to guess.

“Societ.”

A woman who inherited the cursed kingdom’s bloodline. The Ashen Lady, Societ Garudentia.

She had a special relationship with the ghost, a Guide of Sin in the labyrinth, and then eventually betrayed him.

[I believed I had a good relationship with her... but I guess it wasn't the case. I want to hear why she betrayed me. And it's almost time.]

The ghost’s voice was filled with lingering emotions.

[Oh, but you don't have to worry about that woman. Although their dispositions are similar, I think they're different in fundamental ways. She will grow and become a great help to you.]

“Indeed.”

Taesan had told her there was not much difference between her, Lee Taeyeon, and Kang Jun-hyeok to break her confidence, but that wasn’t true.

Her skills were certainly above Kang Jun-hyeok and Lee Taeyeon.

She truly had the talent to become the second strongest after Taesan.

He had given her the stepping stone for growth. The rest was up to her.

Taesan moved.

Taesan had his own tasks. The Demon God had given him the qualification to learn black magic. He had tried to teach black magic to players from other countries, but it was impossible.

Every time he tried to impart dark energy, a massive force blocked it. Taesan could easily guess the reason.

This place was a space created by the God of Descent. It was his domain. Probably because the Demon God had interfered, there were such hindrances.

“How petty.”

It wasn’t a crucial matter, so it didn’t bother him much. He could teach them directly when they met later.

Taesan approached the leaders of various countries who had gathered.

“Oh, Taesan.”

Kim Hwiyeon greeted Taesan. Taesan asked,

“Have you chosen a representative?”

Each country trusted their leader and followed their commands. But when united, a representative to oversee everything was necessary.

Kim Hwiyeon nodded.

“Yes, I’ve decided to do it.”

Taesan was slightly surprised by her answer.

“You?”

“Yes. Is there something strange about that?”

“Not really.”

In his previous life, Oliver had been the representative. Taesan had thought it would be Oliver again this time.

‘On second thought, it makes sense.’

In the previous God of Descent’s trial, Amelia had dominated alone. Oliver had played the role of a stopper, preventing her from going wild.

With Oliver being worn out from managing Amelia, the leaders of other countries had willingly handed over the representative position to him.

But not this time. Amelia was in the background, and with special rules added, Oliver had proactively united the American players.

There was strong resentment against America overall. If Oliver became the representative, many would have objected.

Thus, it was logical for Kim Hwiyeon, the leader of Korea, where the strongest Taesan was, to become the representative.

“Oliver, you know, right? Next time we return, America will have to do a lot.”

“Ugh… it’s our fault, so there’s nothing to say. We’ll try our best.”

Many things had changed from the previous life.

There would be even greater changes ahead. Taesan intended to make that happen.

One day left.

During that time, Taesan trained Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok. He also dragged Amelia, who was watching from afar, forcing her into combat.

The three grew stronger by fighting against an overwhelming force.

And then the time came.

[Trial over.]

[Final winner: Kang Taesan]

[Country with the most players left in the final battlefield: USA]

[Reward for the final winner: Obtained the 'Necklace of Abominable Baseness'. Special activation skill 'Forced Descent']

[Reward for the country with the most players left in the final battlefield: 100 points]

[Obtained 2,410 points.]

[Obtained the 'Necklace of Abominable Baseness'.]

[Obtained special activation skill 'Forced Descent'.]

[Returning to the labyrinth.]

“Oh, you’re back?”

Veldencia welcomed Taesan.

“This is fascinating. You disappeared from the labyrinth entirely. Where did you go?”

“I cleared a god’s trial.”

“A god’s trial?”

Veldencia looked at Taesan with curious eyes.

“You didn’t encounter an altar or a domain, yet you cleared a god’s trial here? Which god’s trial?”

“The God of Descent. It was Essence’s Trial.”

Veldencia’s face stiffened at Taesan’s answer.

Taesan spoke to him.

“In the process of clearing his trial, I found what seemed to be the princess’s soul.”