Ascension Through Skills

[Special Activation Skill: Addition] [Mana Consumption: 30] [Doubles the Damage.]

A very succinct description window.

There was no proficiency. There was no need for it with such a simple explanation that it doubles.

Taesan swung his sword towards the remaining spirits.

[You have activated Addition.] [501 damage to Dark Spirit 12.]

It exceeded 500. A damage value he had never seen before in this life.

Taesan swung his sword again.

[You have activated Strong Strike.] [You have activated Consecutive Attack.] [912 damage to Dark Spirit 25.] [498 damage to Dark Spirit 25.]

A total of fourteen hundred damage was inflicted. The doubling of damage is also applied to skills. It meant that the efficiency of Strong Strike was also doubled.

[This is really…]

The ghost couldn’t even moan. Only a sardonic laugh escaped. Taesan smiled satisfactorily.

“I acquired it faster than I thought.”

The conditions were too good. Dark spirits were just the right size to cut down with a sword, and their spherical form made variables less likely. The fact that every monster looked the same was also a significant advantage.

Facing hundreds of different monsters of various sizes, reflecting on how long it took to acquire Addition against them, two years would have easily passed when he did it the first time.

Two years spent doing nothing but investing time to acquire only Addition. He reduced that to six days. It was a remarkable time reduction.

[This is… how…]

The ghost murmured in a dumbfounded voice.

[And why does such a skill…]

“I also found it curious.”

Addition. Using the Persistence skill to double the damage. It was an unreasonable and almost impossible-to-learn skill. Even after learning it, Taesan wondered why such a thing existed.

But he was assured by Balbabamba’s words. Skills were automatically created by the labyrinth’s system. They were designed according to the situation.

In other words, most of what he conceptualized in his mind could be created.

“Very good.”

Taesan smiled joyfully. He wanted to rejoice more, but there was no time.

Now, less than two hours remain. Taesan swiftly broke through the labyrinth. After dealing with almost all of the 25th floor, his level increased.

[Your level has increased.] [You have reached your optimal state.]

All the health and mana expended to acquire Addition were fully restored.

Taesan immediately went back to the shopkeeper, buying health and mana recovery potions with the gold obtained from selling unnecessary equipment and materials.

“That was close.”

As he finished his preparations, space began to split in Taesan’s vicinity.

The split space expanded, engulfing Taesan.

When his view changed, Taesan was back on Earth.

The ash-grey sky. There, a crack had opened.

If it had been a long time, then it had been a long time.

“Ah, Aaaaah!”

“No!”

“I, I want to go back!”

Just like Taesan, the ones who returned screamed. Sneaking a glance around, they could see the city hall where they had arrived before.

[Special Quest Start] [Prepare for the next quest in the city hall within 24 hours.]

The quest window appeared.

Taesan moved.

“Hello?”

Firstly, Taesan calmly approached Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok, who were surveying their surroundings.

[You survived?]

“Ah.”

“Hyung! Long time no see!”

Kang Junhyeok brightened up. Taesan, who tapped his running forehead, asked,

“How far did you go?”

“Uh. Barely managed to get down to the 8th floor, but we couldn’t receive the Trial of Valor. Time was too tight. It seemed like we would be summoned in the middle of receiving it.”

“I had a similar experience.”

“Really?”

[You have activated Reconnaissance.] [Lee Taeyeon] [Level: 14] [Health: 412] [Equipped Weapon: Sword and Shield] [The Fear-Stricken.] [Kang Junhyeok] [Level: 14] [Health: 432] [Equipped Weapon: Sword and Shield] [Bearer of Courage and Versatility.]

Level 14. When Taesan entered the 8th floor, he was at level 20 with health in the 800s. Considering that, there was definitely a difference.

But they weren’t weak.

At their current level, they could easily defeat a Hard Mode player.

“Let’s talk about it later.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lee Taeyeon quickly began to move, taking people with her.

“Ah….”

“No. No….”

Among the players, there were some showing will. However, most were just immersed in fear and terror.

24 hours.

Within that time, they had to be comforted and prepared.

Kim Hwiyeon clasped her forehead. Her head felt like it was going to explode.

“The labyrinth seems easier compared to this.”

While others might be resting or collecting their thoughts during the 24 hours, she didn’t have the luxury. Kim Hwiyeon looked at her desk with a face of despair.

“When will I sort all this out….”

In front of her were countless documents.

Surviving Easy Mode players, Normal Mode players, and Hard Mode players. Their number and approximate stats. And equipment, as well as the will to fight.

All of them needed to be sorted and placed according to their roles. This had to be done within 12 hours, as creating the documents took 12 hours.

Geum Junggeun helped with the organization of the documents with a laugh.

“What can we do? You were the one who delegated this to me, weren’t you?”

“There are others who could do this better than me.”

“There aren’t.”

“Ahh!”

Kim Hwiyeon jumped out of her seat, startled by the voice coming from behind. After seeing the owner of the voice, she barely managed to collect herself.

“… Why did you enter through the window?”

“It’s more convenient. I hate walking through the annoying corridors.”

“Oh, I see.”

She sat down again, grumbling, but she was inwardly shocked.

The floor she was assigned to was the highest floor in the city hall. Even her, who became stronger as she went down the labyrinth, couldn’t reach such height without holding on to the wall.

It meant he climbed up such a height with a single jump.

“Really, you’re not human.”

“You’re realizing that now?”

“Hyung. You’re here.”

“Yes.”

Taesan greeted and skimmed through the documents.

“A lot?”

“Yes. An annoying amount.”

Kim Hwiyeon grumbled as she organized the documents. A slight strength entered her hands, holding the papers.

“But… It’s less than last time.”

At a glance, it was less than thirty thousand. It meant many had died while descending the labyrinth after the first return.

Kim Hwiyeon bit her lip. As an administrator, she couldn’t simply be sad. She had to calculate the reduced number and readjust.

“Can’t someone else do it besides me? I studied liberal arts.”

“If you studied liberal arts, you must be good at persuasion. That’s perfect, isn’t it?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Hwiyeon bit her lip with a pained expression.

Taesan ignored Kim Hwiyeon’s grumbling.

“There’s no one but you.”

Kim Hwiyeon was the right person. This had already been concluded in his previous life.

“As I said before, I can’t be the person to manage and command people. Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok are the same.”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it. But it was a matter of efficiency and effectiveness. In his case, moving directly was more efficient than controlling people, and Lee Taeyeon was too passive.

In the case of Kang Junhyeok, he was too young to be a center point. Taesan looked at Junggeun.

“He is more of an assistant than a manager.”

“That is my true calling.”

Geum Junggeun proudly shrugged his shoulders. Kim Hwiyeon spoke painfully.

“Still, there should be…”

“There might be.”

Over twenty thousand people were here. Surely, among them, there were those who managed better than Kim Hwiyeon.

“But a weak person can’t be the center point. You know that, right?”

“That’s… true.”

Politicians and members of civilian organizations.

They were weak. They didn’t descend the labyrinth and didn’t know the power that belonged to the strong. That’s why they were making noises about punishing Taesan.

Even if they were not like that, Hard Mode players wouldn’t simply follow a weak person. It was natural for the voice of the powerful to become louder. Someone with enough capability to suppress that had to be the center point.

“At least a Hard Mode player is needed. You are the answer.”

During the third return.

Due to the incident caused by Choi Junghyuk, only about 5,000 people remained.

And a quest was given. They were told to break through the monsters and go to Seoul.

With a number that was no more than 5,000, they had to head towards Seoul.

This was at a time when even E-rank and D-rank monsters appeared, crushing and killing them. This was when Taesan was only at a strong level for Easy Mode, and Lee Taeyeon was hardly different from Hard Mode players. When most of the few Hard Mode players had died, and everyone had given up on life.

Kim Hwiyeon had managed to get over half of the players alive to Seoul.

There were many who took the position of a leader until humanity perished, but to Taesan, Kim Hwiyeon was the most outstanding. She made a difference enough to hold on a bit longer if she was there.

Taesan muttered softly.

“Well, you’ll find out in a few days.”

“Pardon?”

“The story of this side. What about the other Hard Mode players? Those who are not here, players from other areas.”

“…Now that I think about it, there were those too.”

Kim Hwiyeon realized what Taesan was talking about.

During the first return, they all gathered at Anyang City Hall. Everyone gathered here were residents of Anyang.

Even in Southern Gyeonggi alone, there were numerous cities like Seongnam, Gwacheon, Gunpo, Uiwang, Suwon, Hwaseong, Yongin, etc.

Considering the whole of Korea, it was hard to count the number.

Hard Mode players who were summoned in areas other than Anyang.

He was asking what conversation they had with them in the labyrinth.

“But is there a need to meet?”

They had to leave Anyang and move to other areas to meet, and there was neither reason nor leisure for that. They were busy enough trying to live here.

The reason Kim Hwiyeon didn’t care much was also due to that. They thought they could only meet in the labyrinth anyway.

Taesan clicked his tongue.

“Just tell me what you know.”

“Everyone was preparing something. But I didn’t ask for details. I was busy preparing myself.”

“That’s enough then.”

Taesan spoke calmly.

“Work hard. There isn’t much time left, right?”

“Can you help……”

“I have my own things to do.”

Taesan left through the window like the wind. Kim Hwiyeon sulked at the piles of documents.

This quest was a preparation quest for 24 hours. There were no specific restrictions on movement.

Taesan left the city hall. He sprinted through the ruined city and moved as close as possible to the sky’s fissure.

A crack.

A crack was spreading to the sky from the fissure.

This fissure was gradually growing,

Eventually reaching a size that would allow even giant monsters to come out.

“It has definitely gotten bigger.”

The size of the fissure was bigger than during the second return in his previous life.

“And the energy is fluctuating.”

Perhaps because he had met the gods directly and felt their power, he could feel the energy beyond the fissure more distinctly.

The energy inside the fissure was slowly expanding. It seemed as if something powerful was about to descend soon.

It wasn’t at the level of D-rank.

It was at least C-rank or maybe B-rank.

“Despicable beings.”

Taesan chuckled. He examined the fissure for a moment and returned again.

The ghost that had been silent until now spoke.

[Why go through all this cumbersome process?]

“The high gods, you mean?”

[Yes. They are powerful. I thought this was the limit, but after seeing the power of the Demon God, I realized I was wrong.]

The Demon God crushed a star by herself. And that was even with another god resisting. Such was the power of the gods.

[If they wish, they could crush this small world in an instant, so why bother creating such fissures, initiating returns, and giving quests?]

“I don’t know.”

He, too, wondered about this.

Gods were powerful and ferocious beings. If it was revenge against those who expelled them, crushing the world, such tedious deeds would not be needed.

They could have just crushed it thoroughly and moved on.

But the high gods seemed to be showing mercy, waiting. In accordance with their power, they sent down monsters and gave them time.

“Over 12 years. It was said they destroyed 258 worlds.”

Considering their power, it was quite a slow pace. The groaning ghost spoke with an ambiguous tone.

[Is it interference by the gods of the labyrinth?]

“That seems the most likely.”

To hinder the revengeful high gods.

Numerous gods of the labyrinth were restraining them. It was the most logical and likely scenario.

But something was off. They didn’t seem to be entities who showed such favors.

The pondering ghost gave up after a while.

[I don't know. We might find out while going down the labyrinth.]

“Or we might find out soon.”

The fissure was shaking. It seemed like it could spew out what it held at any moment.

This return seemed to be certainly different from the last.

When Taesan returned to the city hall, everything was already sorted out. Then, once 24 hours had passed.

[Special Quest Initiated.] [This quest is delivered to all players in Southern Gyeonggi.] [Gather at Yongin City Hall.] [Time Limit: One Week] [Reward: Differential distribution depending on the success when returning to the labyrinth.]