Ascension Through Skills

Four remained: Fist Saint Altair, the twins of black and white, and the noble one, Helia.

“Haha.”

Fist Saint Altair, a muscular man, let out a hollow laugh.

“You possess a wide array of powers.”

Taesan wielded divine power, black magic, the power of the Spirit King, and the strength of destruction—using powers of all kinds.

And not a single one of these powers was inferior to their own.

“How is this even possible?”

Altair couldn’t accept it.

He had spent his entire life with his fists. Since birth, he had wielded his fists and had not rested a single day. He trained and trained, focusing on nothing else.

The other Guides here were not much different from him.

Only those with exceptional talent, who obsessively focused on their own strengths, could barely reach this depth. That was the nature of the Abyss.

No matter how talented, one could not reach this place if they neglected their own gifts or looked elsewhere.

But now, Taesan possessed multiple powers.

Ordinarily, compared to those who focused on one path, each of Taesan’s powers should be weaker; but he was different.

Each of his powers was either on par with or superior to the powers held by the Guides.

‘He’s…’

He was, quite simply, on another level.

Altair realized that such a being was truly worthy of conquering the Labyrinth.

“But even so, I can’t give up.”

Altair clenched his fist. Taesan watched him as he took a combat stance.

When Taesan did not initiate a forced duel, Altair frowned.

“What are you trying to do?”

“It’s getting tiresome.”

Taesan swung his sword.

“Come at me, all of you.”

“…No matter how strong you are, that’s too arrogant.”

Altair’s expression hardened. The aura from the black-and-white twins intensified, and Helia’s face twisted.

“You may be strong, but you’re not at a level to defeat all four of us.”

Taesan had only been victorious so far by forcing one-on-one duels. If even one more opponent joined the fray, victory was not assured.

Moreover, Taesan had already expended significant energy, while all four opponents remained in top condition.

Yet, Taesan did not initiate another forced duel.

Altair shook his head.

“If that’s what you want. I doubt you’re lying.”

“I told you. All of you, come at me.”

“In that case…”

The Fist Saint clenched his fist and shouted loudly.

“I am the Fist Saint! Abandoned with nothing, yet I conquered the world with my fists alone!”

[Altair has activated his First Declaration.]

The black-and-white twins raised their hands.

“The ladies walk by the hidden lakeside.”

It was an incantation—a preparatory process to use a special power.

“The echoing footsteps merge.”

“In the end, the two become one.”

[The Black Twin activated Two-as-One.] [The White Twin activated Two-as-One.]

Their bodies began to dissolve.

“That’s quite a skill.”

[It’s a special skill only twins can possess. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.]

The dissolved bodies merged into one.

The left side was black, and the right side was white.

Their layered voices rang out together.

“We’ll kill you.”

Helia raised her sword and, in a slashing motion, cut his own forearm.

“I’ll make you regret your arrogance.”

Slaash!

Instead of red, blue blood flowed out. Taesan muttered.

“You’re not human?”

“Correct. I am not an ordinary human like you. I am one who inherits the blood of a god.”

Blue blood began to spread throughout Helia’s body.

His muscles swelled, and his veins bulged.

[Helia has activated Physical Burden Transfer.]

[Helia has activated Mental Burden Transfer.]

[Helia has activated Forced Divine Blood.]

“In the name of the gods, I will kill you.”

“Your target is me, it seems.”

The Demon God desired Taesan’s victory.

The gods desired their death.

Thump.

The three Guides charged at once.

Taesan raised his sword.

Kwooong!

Power collided with power. The first to rush in was Fist Saint Altair.

Sword and fist clashed. A fierce wind grazed past Taesan’s head.

Living up to the title of Fist Saint, he was an opponent who put everything into his fists.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

Kagakakak!

Sword and fist met again. Altair was incredibly fast and strong. He could easily match Taesan’s speed.

[You have activated Flow.]

Altair’s fist, which collided with the sword, deflected. It wasn’t just once. Every punch he threw twisted off course. Taesan continuously deflected each attack with precise timing.

[You have activated Counter.]

Taesan’s sword moved to pierce Altair’s chest, ignoring his attack.

Slaaash!

A sharp slash surged forward. Taesan escaped using Limited Blink.

The twins, now one entity, charged forward with sharp claws like a feral cat.

Kagakakak!

They were fast and powerful. Even though the twins used only their Two-as-One skill, they matched Taesan’s speed. Moreover, their movement was beastly rather than human, making them difficult to counter.

With an explosion, Helia’s body leapt forward.

Taesan blocked her descending sword.

Kaaaang!

“Urgh.”

Taesan let out a small groan.

While his continuous combat skill allowed for prolonged battles, it didn’t mean he was immune to fatigue. Fighting strong opponents still took a heavy toll on his stamina.

Having battled four Guides, Taesan’s movements were somewhat slower compared to his peak condition.

However, his base stats were high enough that he wasn’t at a disadvantage against the Guides of Sin.

Yet, Helia’s power was now slightly surpassing his own.

‘The buff is extremely high.’

With a buff at this level, there was bound to be a time limit.

The duration might be very short, but he couldn’t be certain he would endure until it wore off.

[You have activated Magic Overlay.]

[You have activated Frozen World.]

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]

[You have activated Frozen World.]

He condensed his mana and detonated it.

[You have activated Magic Release.]

[You have activated Forced Amplification.]

The unleashed magic engulfed the space. Light and frost combined, destroying everything.

Fist Saint clicked his tongue and retreated, while the twins also swiftly created distance.

Yet, only Helia did not back down, swinging his sword fiercely.

Kagakakak!

Amidst the thunderous sounds, the frost infused with light was being consumed.

However, he couldn’t block them all. The aftereffects washed over Helia.

Kiiiiing!

The blue blood covering Helia’s entire body grew even thicker.

As light and frost shattered, Helia charged at Taesan once more.

[You have activated the Arrow of the Storm of Misfortune.]

The arrow traced a line, piercing through Helia.

Helia hurriedly swung his sword downward.

Crunch.

“Grrr!”

The arrow and Helia’s sword clashed in a tense standoff. Taesan’s brow furrowed.

‘She blocked it?’

The Arrow of the Storm of Misfortune was among the highest-tier intermediate black magic Taesan possessed.

He had even opened a pathway to use it, making it nearly impossible to block.

But Helia was stopping the arrow.

The blue blood enveloping her entire body grew even darker.

Kaaanng!

With a tearing sound, the arrow bounced away. Helia let out a wild laugh.

“Weak! Weak! So weak!”

His eyes were bloodshot as he charged toward Taesan in a half-mad state.

[You have activated the Shield of the White Rune’s Guardian.]

Kwoooom!

The shield clashed with his sword and shattered in a single blow.

“Haha, hahaha!”

A burst of laughter escaped him. Taesan blinked away and swung his hand.

Numerous spells and black magic manifested.

Even with Magic Overlay, Helia was not brought down.

Instead, he charged toward Taesan, piercing through the intermediate spells with his body.

The Fist Saint and the twins quickly joined in, pressuring Taesan.

[Your First Attack Nullification has been activated.]

Using Attack Nullification to create distance, Taesan quickly gathered mana.

[You have activated Precision Detection.]

Kiiiiing!

The power of detection spread over the Guides of Sin.

But the moment it touched them, it bounced away.

It wasn’t effective. Helia sneered.

“Detection can be countered easily if you have prepared measures.”

It seemed he had prepared a countermeasure for detection by observing Taesan’s earlier battles with other Guides.

It didn’t matter much. If detection didn’t work, he would confirm it with his body.

Kaakak!

The battle continued.

He dodged and blocked, gathering rough information about the Guides and identifying their types of powers.

‘Divine blood, huh.’

The blue blood enveloping Helia didn’t just make him stronger; it repelled most of the force exerted on him, giving him resistance.

But it seemed to place a heavy burden on him. The thicker the blue blood grew, the more his body reddened, and his eyes turned crimson.

There were two methods to respond.

Endure until he self-destructed. Helia’s skill gave him power beyond what his body could withstand. His mind and body would inevitably collapse if sustained too long.

But the enemy would know this as well. Therefore, he would likely aim to bring down Taesan before he self-destructed.

And he had sufficient power to do so.

The three Guides charged at once.

Taesan planted his feet.

Half a meter.

Taesan blocked and endured their attacks.

He chanted spells to create openings, even attempting counters.

But the sheer number advantage was overwhelming. His Attack Nullification was fully expended. One by one, wounds appeared on Taesan’s body, and his health waned.

“You were arrogant. You overestimated yourself and now face death. Such is the limit of a commoner.”

Helia sneered.

He was certain of victory. Even as Taesan was pushed back, he hadn’t revealed any other tricks. It meant he had no more aces up his sleeve.

Even if he activated Forced Duel now, he was at a point where victory was no longer assured.

Altair, however, wore an uneasy expression.

From his perspective, Taesan was not someone who would make the mistake of overestimating himself.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

Altair urged Helia and the black-and-white twins. Taesan replied instead.

“Shall we?”

Kiiiiiing!

With a faint voice, his wrist guard activated.

“Ugh!”

A massive wave washed over them. Altair hastily threw a punch to dissipate the wave.

“That’s…”

“Honestly, fighting separately could’ve been dangerous.”

So far, Taesan had defeated four Guides.

They had not fallen easily. They exploited every opening in Taesan’s defense, buying time.

As a result, by the time all four were defeated, there was little time left for the Apostle Transformation.

Since Apostle Transformation boosted spiritual power, he couldn’t guarantee victory once its duration ended. The ring that reset cooldowns had yet to finish its one-month cooldown and was thus unusable.

So, Taesan had made a decision.

To finish his analysis before Apostle Transformation’s duration ended.

The wrist guard, which had absorbed materials, groaned as it expanded. The twins, realizing the abnormality too late, lunged forward.

Clang!

But they couldn’t reach him. The energy emanating from the wrist guard repelled them.

“I’ve analyzed everything.”

[You have activated Partial World Transformation.]

Altair’s pupils widened.

“This is…”

The power Taesan had used against the Fire Spirit King, transforming the world itself into his domain.

“So you could still use it!”

Until now, Taesan had refrained from activating Partial World Transformation.

Though he was being pushed back, he hadn’t used it, leading them to believe it was restricted by a cooldown.

“It requires quite a bit of preparation.”

Partial World Transformation alters the laws of the world.

For maximum effect, one must analyze the opponent’s power and rank.

In battling the three Guides, Taesan had analyzed all their powers and recorded them in his wrist guard.

That was why he hadn’t initiated Forced Duel.

The world transformed.

The laws governing the Guides’ powers weakened, while Taesan’s domain solidified.

“What does that matter! I inherit divine blood! A lowly commoner’s domain is no match for me!”

With a battle cry, Helia charged at Taesan.

Taesan flicked his hand.

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]

It was the Starlight Arrow he had repeatedly used. Until now, Helia had blocked every one of them with his sword.

Confident it would be no different this time, Helia swung his sword.

Claaaang!

“Gah!”

With a scream of agony, Helia was sent flying, crashing down.

Staggering to his feet, he gasped.

“H-How…”

Cracks appeared in the blue blood covering him.

He had been struck with more force than his divine blood could withstand. No other Guide of Sin had achieved this.

Altair and the twins hurriedly moved.

The power in their attacks could not be disregarded, even by Taesan—it was their all-out strength.

But they couldn’t touch him.

Taesan swung his sword. Altair’s fist split open. He immediately kicked the twins away.

“Grr!”

“Kyaa!”

It was completely different from before.

Taesan was overwhelming them completely.

“Sorry, but I’ve recorded too many laws, so I can’t hold on for long. So, let’s wrap this up quickly.”

[You have activated Beyond the Boundary.]

An otherworldly power enveloped Taesan.

[You have activated Magic Overlay.]

The frost layered.

The twins shuddered and backed away.

Their fingertips trembled in the biting cold.

An adventurer who had braved the Abyss now shivered in the cold.

This wasn’t simply due to a drop in temperature.

They had to stop him.

But how?

The twins swiftly lunged at Taesan, thrusting their claws into the frigid barrier.

Crunch!

But from the tips of their claws, their entire bodies began to freeze.

“Kyaa!”

The twins screamed and retreated.

It was a convergence of frost so intense that even those who touched the threshold of mortality could not approach.

The world was literally freezing over.

Taesan instinctively realized it. This was a spell created directly by the god of magic—the true power of the Frozen World.

“Try to block this.”

[You have activated Magic Release.]

[You have activated Forced Amplification.]

Taesan flicked his fingertips. The Guides of Sin gasped and lunged away. The condensed Frozen World enveloped everything.