Ascension Through Skills

“For you guys? I don’t expect much. If I have to specify, experience and stats?”

Taesan drew his sword. The adventurers retreated, releasing screams mixed with terror.

However, the young man who first revealed himself was watching Taesan with unflinching eyes.

Taesan smirked.

“Are you the easiest one to talk to? Are you the representative?”

“For now, yes.”

The young man calmly replied.

If Taesan wished, he could rip them all apart and kill them. It was no use running away. Their refuge, as those who were unable to go down below the 20th floor, was obvious. They would face death soon.

But instead of striking with his sword, Taesan called out to them. The young man thought that Taesan had something to ask of them.

And the young man’s assumption was correct.

“What’s your name?”

Taesan asked, stroking his chin.

“I am Gagarat.”

He gave his name. If Taesan planned to kill him immediately, he would not need to know his name. This meant he intended to keep him alive. The young man heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.

Taesan sheathed his sword.

“Originally, I planned to kill you all, but it didn’t seem particularly meaningful.”

His level had increased significantly, and now there was not much difference between him and them. Even if he defeated them all, his level and stats wouldn’t increase much.

“You guys. You don’t want to die, do you?”

Everyone nodded. They were all prepared for death, but none of them wanted to die in such a meaningless way.

Then Taesan spoke.

“Instead of killing you, I only command one thing. Do not send my information to the Guide of Sin.”

“That means…:”

“Just as I said. Keep those on the bottom ignorant of me.”

Those at the very bottom wouldn’t be interested in the affairs of the 2nd tier.

However, if more than twenty adventurers were to die, they wouldn’t stay indifferent. Even one of the adventurers of the 3rd tier had already died. Taesan’s information must have been conveyed to some extent. So they would realize that someone on the 30th floor had been killed by someone on the 13th floor.

Then, even the most arrogant of them wouldn’t stand still. They’d have interest or hostility, whatever it may be. They might even come down themselves.

That would be problematic. No matter how strong he was, he wasn’t at a level to deal with those down below.

So, he would confuse them with this information.

Gagarat organized his thoughts with a more composed gaze.

“You mean to convey false information.”

“Correct. They probably won’t care much whether the information you give is true or false. You can throw in a decent amount of lies, can’t you?”

“That’s… true.”

From the beginning, Gagarat hadn’t directly seen the brains behind the Guides of Sin. Communication was only through intermediaries, so it was possible to tell any number of lies.

“So, pass this on. I was killed by you guys. I was ambushed along with the adventurer from the 30th floor.”

Gagarat swallowed. It wasn’t an impossible task. It was quite possible.

However, this was equivalent to saying that they were helping Taesan descend.

He was of the Guides of Sin.

This was a behavior completely against the purpose of the group.

As if he had read Gagarat’s thoughts, Taesan smirked.

“You didn’t join because you wanted to, did you?”

Gagarat forced a bitter smile.

Taesan’s words were not wrong. They didn’t believe in the compulsive idea that they must protect the labyrinth. Even if they had one, it vanished the moment they were blocked on the 20th floor.

They only accepted the invitation to join because they would have been killed if they refused. Gagarat organized his thoughts neatly.

“I accept.”

“That’s good.”

Taesan chuckled delightfully.

The choking pressure was released, and they exhaled with a gasp.

“Just in case I’ll tell you this, if any of you send information to the bottom, I plan to kill you all. So it would be best not to make futile attempts.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Anyone who would do that is already dead by your hands, Taesan.”

“That’s good.”

After organizing things, Taesan spoke to the ghost.

“Is that okay?”

[It doesn't matter. The one who killed me is not these lowly things, but those below.]

The ghost looked at Taesan as if expecting something. Taesan took a step back.

“Do as you please.”

[Okay. Hey. Whisper.]

“… It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that nickname.”

Gagarat smiled bitterly. The surviving hero used to call him that. He didn’t expect him to still remember it.

[Yeah. You. Long time no see, right?]

“Do you resent me?”

[Why should I resent you? You did nothing. I don't even care.]

The ghost spoke grumpily and gritted his teeth.

[The piss ant might not know, but you do. Who's the one who ordered to kill me?]

The one who contributed most to the death of the hero.

[Don't say you don't know. As a manager of the hierarchy, there's no way you wouldn't have received that much information.]

After a moment of silence, Gagarat opened his mouth.

“We disliked you. You must have known that.”

[How could I not? You weak things who showed such envy.]

The ghost snickered. He had descended to the depths in a very short time. He had been the subject of envy, jealousy, and hatred for them, who had been stuck on a certain floor for a long time.

“However, there were not many who wanted to harm you. You were strong and could have been helpful to us. Then, one person made a suggestion.”

Gagarat looked at the ghost.

“To kill you. There was some backlash, but your death was soon decided.”

[Who is that bastard?]

“It might be better for you not to know.”

[I will decide that.]

Annoyed by the response, Gagarat spoke slowly.

“The woman who inherited the bloodline of the cursed kingdom. The Lady of Ash. Societ Gardentia.”

The ghost’s body shuddered greatly.

[...She wanted to kill me?]

“At least, that’s what I heard.”

[Why?]

Only a question was contained in the ghost’s voice.

Gagarat shook his head.

“I don’t know. So, I was surprised when I heard it. She was the unique brain trust member who had a good relationship with you.”

[....]

The ghost closed his mouth as if he was shocked.

“If you follow after her, you’ll see her. I hope you can solve your curiosity.”

Speaking softly, Gagarat turned around.

The others also began to slowly retreat, their faces relaxed. Taesan caught them.

“Where are you going?”

“Huh?”

“There’s still something you have to give me.”

Gagarat swallowed. At their frightened expressions, Taesan waved his hand.

“Information up to the 20th floor.”

“Ah…”

Gagarat came to a realization.

They knew everything about it since they had permission up to the 20th floor. It was natural for Taesan, who was going down, to want that information.

They spilled all the information they knew. From the secret room to the altar of the god. And even the existing NPCs.

“When you reach the 16th floor, there will be an empty room. The blacksmith will be there.”

Taesan’s eyes shone.

It was finally time to meet why he had been collecting materials so far.

“Okay. You can go now.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

They left. Soon, the news of Taesan’s death would be delivered to the brain trust.

Only Taesan and the ghost who had fallen silent remained.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Congratulations.] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Yes, yes......] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: We won! We did! We won!]

On the Community, a dispirited Lee Taeyeon replied while an excited Kang Junhyuk left a message.

The reason for their reaction was simple.

They had passed the trial of the God of Victory, Balthasar.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: How do you feel?] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Uh… I'm stunned. Honestly, it doesn't quite feel real that I woke up.] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: It's great! We cleared that crazy thing! And we got the rewards, too! I'm so happy!]

At their completely different reactions, Taesan chuckled. Lee Taeyeon showed relief, perhaps having calmed down from hearing Junhyuk’s noisy rant.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Somehow, we survived.] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: What was it like?]

The trial of the unenhanced Balthasar. Taesan was curious, too. Lee Taeyeon responded.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: You have to face what you fear the most. For me, a huge spider came out and attacked me. Ugh, it was horrifying.] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: It was an elephant for me.] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: You're scared of elephants? They're cute.] [Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: That's easy for you to say. You didn't see it. Do you know how terrifying it is to see that huge thing charging at you?]

Watching their playful conversation, Taesan thought to himself.

‘Conquer your greatest fear. A fitting trial for the God of Victory.’

He could see the meaning was to face an enemy that would make him flinch, make his breathing quicken, and sweat break out, to gather his courage and achieve victory. He roughly understood it now.

‘I wonder what would have appeared for me?’

It could have been the Apostle he had seen last. Or the colossal monster he had seen in the sky.

With a small question in mind, Taesan posted a message.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Was the reward satisfactory?] [Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: More than enough.]

The God of Victory. Balthasar’s basic reward was the Belt of Valor. It had stats of +3 attack and defense and also replenished health and mana upon victory.

The attack power wasn’t meaningful if it was for Taesan, but the recovery was of great value. It was even more significant, especially for Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyuk, who didn’t have any special healing skills.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: I see why you recommended taking it, Taesan. The rewards for defeating tough enemies are significantly higher.] [Kang Taesan [Solo]: Even so, don't be too greedy. Gods are capricious. They can change at any time. It's better to accept things moderately.]

After giving some sound advice and revealing some information about the secret room, he exited the Community.

Taesan began to speak.

“Are you ready to talk now?”

[Do I have to talk?]

“You have to.”

With a sharp voice, Taesan calmly replied.

“I don’t like it when a quest I’ve worked hard on fails due to the subject’s whims.”

It was written that the ghost’s quest was determined according to the ghost’s mind right from the description.

Taesan had no intention of leaving any variables.

The ghost trembled slightly. From within its wavering remnants, a voice echoed.

[It's not a great story. I came here from a destroyed world. All that was there were monsters, and the only ones I could converse with were madmen or idiots, so I didn't even want to talk.]

Although he did not speak properly, he must have been quite tormented. Humans are social creatures, and mental problems could arise without interaction with others.

[She was a woman I could communicate with. We had a certain sense of kinship because of our similar circumstances.]

“Did you like her?”

[...There were feelings, but not to that extent.]

The ghost spoke indifferently. The emotion in his voice had lessened compared to before.

[But if she contributed significantly to my death, I must do what I need to do. I'm just curious. I want to know why she did it.]

“That’s enough then.”

He would be able to meet her when he went down.

Taesan went downstairs and met the Dwarf. The Dwarf looked taken aback upon seeing Taesan.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“You said you would give a new quest from here. I came to get it.”

The Dwarf had promised to give another quest instead of a penalty play. However, the Dwarf was hesitant before finally opening his mouth.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give it to you.”

“What?”

“No, it’s not that I didn’t want to give it.”

The Dwarf spoke as if making an excuse.

“I told you, I’m a being that is bound here, so there are restrictions. It was fine before, but when you were going down the floor? Suddenly, it stopped me from doing so. So, I’m quite taken aback right now.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes.”

Taesan tapped his cheek. He had a rough idea of the reason.

‘Is it because of the level?’

Taesan’s current level was 41. It was not a level you could reach on the 14th floor. It was because he won against the adventurers as he went down the floors.

Even if it was understandable for his stats, the level might also cause imbalance, resulting in restrictions. Taesan nodded as he could understand that part.

“Then there’s no other way.”

“Hmm… But still, I made a promise. It’s a bit odd to call it a substitute, but how much do you have now?”

“I have about 30,000 gold.”

“Then let’s deduct 20,000 gold. Take this.”

The Dwarf threw a ring. Taesan reflexively caught it.

[Purple Ring: Hongyeong] [All stats + 3%] [A ring that has endured the energy of the sun until the dripping water shapes the rock.]

“……Really?”

“I couldn’t keep the promise. I need to compensate for that.”

The Dwarf spoke calmly.

Taesan accepted the ring with a bewildered feeling. Even though the penalty play reduced it by 50%, it was still 50,000 gold, which he thought he could only buy after going down to about the 20th floor. He could never have imagined getting it like this.

“Thank you.”

It was still a good thing, so he accepted it politely. It was a profit of 20,000 gold. He didn’t know what kind of quest it would be, but it would be hard to be better than this.

“So, are you going down now?”

“I don’t have anything else to do.”

The Dwarf, who had been observing Taesan for a while, let out a sincere laugh.

“I see why the restriction was applied. You won’t even take an hour.”

“See you next time.”

The 15th floor. As he deleted the entry quest, Taesan thought.

‘There’s nothing to gain.’

A skill could be obtained if the opponent was somewhat similar in level. So far, his level hadn’t been too high, so it was possible to acquire, but now his level had gotten too high. Acquiring a skill was impossible.

So he quickly descended. Until he could acquire skills until he reached the floor where Soul Ascension would activate again.

There was nothing to hinder him as he had information from the adventurers of the 2nd tier. He knew the location of all the secret rooms up to the 20th floor.

Taesan, who was descending leisurely, quickly passed through the rooms.