Ascension Through Skills

The God of Magic silently gazed upon the land. Beside him, Taesan asked,

“Aren’t you going back to the labyrinth?”

[I will return. But not just yet. It's been a long time since I've been to my homeland, and I intend to enjoy it.]

Longing was evident in Zelbando’s eyes as he viewed the scenery.

[The annoying high gods kept me away for a long time. It was incredibly irritating, but thanks to you, I could return once again. Let me express my gratitude once more. This is sincere.]

“What about the high gods then?”

[Nothing.]

Zelbando shrugged his shoulders.

[The damage I've caused this time isn't significant enough to deeply affect them. If it were, we would have broken through the seals and shredded their bodies long ago. However… They won't be able to interfere with my world anymore.]

The sky, having regained its blue hue, looked very calm.

But Taesan knew that an invisible, massive barrier was spread out there.

[I don't plan to return immediately... but I can't hold you back.]

Zelbando waved his hand.

[Go and meet the king of the giants. Talk to him, receive your reward, and then return. After that, I'll send you back to the labyrinth.]

Taesan nodded and went off to find the giant king.

“You’ve come.”

The giant king was waiting for him on his throne.

“You seem to be in good condition.”

“Thanks to you.”

The giant king let out a small laugh.

The constraints that were felt towards him before had completely vanished.

The presence of an immortal who could subjugate and dominate everyone just by existing was emanating.

“I express my gratitude, human. Thanks to you, we were able to win.”

Finally, after thousands of years, a struggle that started before he even ascended the throne, had culminated in the defeat of the beings that coveted the world of the giants.

The gratitude he felt was so profound that even as the king of giants, it was difficult to express in words.

“Of course, the damage was not small.”

The giant king smiled bitterly. About half of the giants, who numbered in the hundreds, had perished.

Considering that each of them was not just any giant but the lord of their respective territories, the loss was indeed significant.

“But we won.”

They had succeeded in stomping down and driving away the monster.

And the damage was much less than what the giant king had initially anticipated.

He had expected the monsters to spread in all directions, devastating numerous territories.

The deaths of the lords were sad, but sacrificing their lives to protect the inhabitants of their territories was their duty.

The names of the lords who fell in the fight against the high gods will be remembered and passed down among the giants.

“All of this is thanks to you. You have fulfilled your role perfectly. It’s only right that I repay you.”

The giant king raised his hand.

Magical power converged there, creating a white stone.

[You have obtained the White Rune.]

“What’s this?”

Taesan received the rune.

The white stone piece was densely inscribed with patterns.

“It’s a magical material. It will be quite useful when used on your equipment.”

“Is this similar?”

Taesan shook a necklace.

[White Rune Necklace] [Defense +15] [Magic +8] [Intelligence +25] [Necklace made from the highest quality white rune. Every mage in all the towers would covet this.]

It was the necklace he possessed.

It was also described as a white rune, just like the one given by the giant king.

The giant king frowned.

“Do not compare our creation to the worthless imitations made by humans. It is incomparably superior and perfect. It’s better to see for yourself than to explain. Do you have any equipment you’d like to embed the rune into?”

“I have one.”

Taesan took out a staff.

[Twisted Staff of Calamity] [Magic +40] [Staff that brought about the world's destruction through personal greed.] [Every time an opponent is killed with magic using this staff, magic increases by 1. In exchange, attack power decreases by 1, and health by 10.]

It was equipment obtained through the trials of a hunchback who pursued twisted mysteries.

It was certainly good equipment, but the penalty was significant.

That’s why he still had it even after planning to leave it with the blacksmith.

The giant king’s eyes lit up at the sight of the staff.

“That. It belongs to an immortal.”

“You can tell?”

“I can feel the remnants of its power. It seems like equipment used during the mortal days. Judging by the energy I feel, it’s a heavily twisted being.”

The giant king laughed.

“Hand over the staff. I’ll make it usable.”

There was no reason to refuse the offer to fix it.

Taesan handed over the staff.

The staff floated gently into the giant king’s hand.

“And the rune.”

Taesan also handed over the white rune.

The giant king held the white rune in one hand and the staff in the other, chanting something.

Kaak!

A rough surge of power emanated from the staff.

A dark and dense energy that twisted the mind of whoever it touched and burrowed into their body.

The giant king smiled deeply at the power’s struggle, like a trapped beast flailing.

“Pitiful thing.”

Crack.

The surge of power was crushed.

The rune merged with the staff.

The ominous energy previously felt from the staff disappeared, and only a gentle white power emanated.

“Take it.”

Taesan readily accepted the staff handed to him.

[Purified Staff of Calamity] [Magic +70] [Staff that brought about the world's destruction through personal greed. Purified with the magic of giants.] [Every time you defeat an opponent using magic with this staff, magic increases by 1.]

Taesan’s eyes shone.

The item’s magic attribute had increased by 30.

Not only that, but the penalties of decreased health and attack power were also gone.

“Are you satisfied?”

“More than enough.”

Taesan happily secured the staff, but the giant king, seeming a bit regretful, stroked his chin and asked,

“Your weapon is a sword, isn’t it? It seems you won’t use a staff.”

“That’s correct. That’s why I was thinking of visiting a blacksmith to have it reshaped.”

Even if it were not a weapon but armor, it would be fine.

Even if the effects were to degrade in the process, it would still hold significant value.

Hearing Taesan’s words, the giant king nodded.

“Give me the equipment you wish to combine with the staff. I’ll take care of it all at once this time.”

“Really?”

“Considering what you’ve done for us, it’s the least I can do. And no matter how skilled a blacksmith may be, with an item of that caliber, degradation is inevitable. I wouldn’t like that.”

There was no reason to refuse the offer.

After a moment’s thought, Taesan took off his cloak.

“Then, please do it with this.”

[Ancient King's Robe] [Defense +40] [A robe worn by a great king from an era only remaining in records. Only remnants of magical treatment meant to protect the king are left.]

The giant king fiddled with the robe.

“A decent robe. With this, we can minimize the loss.”

He chanted something while holding the staff.

White energy began to inhabit the two pieces of equipment, starting their combination.

And when the light subsided, only a pure white robe remained.

“Not bad. This should be enough for you now.”

The giant king tossed the robe.

[Ancient King's Robe Enchanted with Magic] [Magic +40] [Defense +50] [A robe worn by a great king from an era only remaining in records. Magical treatment meant to protect the king has awakened with great power.] [If the robe blocks an attack, the damage received is reduced by 20%.]

“I awakened the power contained within it. Whether it was the better choice, I’m not sure, but this way had the least loss.”

“This is enough.”

The magic stat increased by 40. Defense also saw a slight increase, and most importantly, the robe now had the effect of significantly reducing damage when blocking attacks.

Knowing that the equipment would have degraded and not perform to its full potential, this outcome was more than satisfactory.

Moreover, since it was equipment he had originally used, not having to carry the staff separately was the most satisfying aspect.

The giant king muttered as he saw Taesan pleased with the reward.

“That’s good then. Are you leaving now?”

Taesan nodded.

His goal was to conquer the labyrinth.

“Come back anytime. I’ll welcome you personally then.”

“Got it.”

Taesan turned and left him.

While heading towards the God of Magic, he spotted Umberak.

Seeing Taesan, he approached with a bright expression.

“Oh, human. Have you met our king?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re leaving now?”

“I must return to where I belong.”

“I see.”

Umberak gave a wry smile.

“Magic… We had forgotten about it.”

Umberak was confused.

His mind was now filled with a vast knowledge of magic.

It was disconcerting to hear that the power they had been unaware of existing was originally theirs.

“But still, it’s our power. And it’s thanks to you. Come visit anytime. I’ll be waiting.”

“Got it.”

Taesan left Umberak behind.

Umberak waved his hand in farewell.

“I hope you achieve your goal, human.”

Thus, Taesan reached the God of Magic.

[Going back?]

“Yes.”

The God of Magic smiled gently.

[You've done very, very well.]

Magic flowed from his hand and enveloped Taesan.

[So, this is a bonus.] [Your magic proficiency has increased by 4%.] [You have learned the basic magic [Tracking].]

“Thank you.”

Taesan expressed his gratitude for the unexpected reward.

The God of Magic waved his hand.

[A fitting reward for a fitting effort. Good work. See you later.]

Space engulfed Taesan.

When his vision returned to normal, Lilis was waiting for him.

“You’re back?”

She quietly exclaimed upon seeing him.

“You’ve become stronger.”

“Can you tell just by looking?”

“I might not know about other things, but in terms of magic… That’s clearly intermediate magic.”

Her eyes flickered intensely.

Taesan put some distance between them, sensing her intense gaze as if she wanted to devour him.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“Yeah. That might be best. It’s hard to restrain myself.”

Taesan left her and descended the floors.

[38th Floor Quest Start.] [Defeat the boss of the 38th floor and pass through.] [Reward: Necklace of Spells] [Secret Reward: ???]

It was the 38th floor.

Finally, the end of the 30th series of floors seemed to be in sight.

Before attempting to break through the floor, Taesan opened his skill window.

[Magic] [Proficiency: 56%] [You can properly handle magic. You seem to be able to control fire, adjust coldness, and manipulate wind.]

The magic proficiency, which had not risen much before, was finally nearing 60%.

It was all thanks to the help of the God of Magic.

Magic was a skill that brought significant changes, though it was hard to increase proficiency.

He was very much looking forward to the change that would occur once it surpassed 60%.

The proficiency of the concept skill also increased as he defeated monsters, reaching 40%.

As a result, the description changed once more.

[Concept Skill: ???] [Proficiency: 42%] [The power of will ??? descends. It allows you to see and feel the will of all things and tune your own will. And ???. You have gained ???.]