Ascension Through Skills

“Is that a bad thing or a good thing?”

[It's not bad. As a favored one of a transcendent, you can have numerous abilities. They give you something better than what you can receive as a reward. It's significantly helpful in clearing the labyrinth.]

Mark of Struggle, Ritual Knife. Something even better than these? If he received it, he might even continue running without stopping until the 10th floor.

“So what’s the downside?”

A contract with a god would not be purely beneficial. The ghost said.

[Your soul belongs to the transcendent. And the other gods don't like it much? There are several transcendent beings in the labyrinth. What they all want is different.]

Lakiratas is the god of struggle and death. Levynenoff is the beloved goddess.

It was unlikely that transcendents would play nicely together.

[Lakiratas is a god with particularly many enemies. Quite a few gods don't like his free-spirited actions as it lowers their dignity. You'll probably have some trouble as you descend. And there's one more thing. As much as they give you power, you have to follow the transcendent's decree. You cannot refuse, no matter how unreasonable it is.]

Above all, the lack of freedom to take action was a big deal. It meant that a god could drive him to the edge if they so desired.

It was even more dangerous, especially with a capricious god like Lakiratas.

[I had a few who called for me but didn't accept. You do get stronger, but a limit to growth also appears. It's not bad from the old man's point of view, but for us, it's not an attractive choice.]

“You really seem to hate it.”

Hate was evident in every mention that the ghost made of the dwarf. Taesan couldn’t understand why he hated him that much.

[Just a submissive slave who is overly prideful. How can someone like that? You should also disregard his words. He's an enemy to people like you and me.]

Hero, one who died while descending the floors for the conquest of the labyrinth.

He referred to the shopkeeper as an enemy.

“Well, that’s that.”

I was now even less inclined to accept the Apostle’s Contract. Unless it was a real emergency, I had no intention of accepting it.

That led me to one question.

[A long time ago, a great magician created this labyrinth, and it's rumored that those who conquer it are granted a wish.]

That’s what the system window said when I entered the labyrinth. At the time, I was too captivated to give it much thought, but upon reflection, it seemed strange.

Conquest probably meant clearing, and Lee Taeyeon had cleared the labyrinth. Yet I never heard that she had her wish granted.

‘Was Ouroboros’ Throne her wish?’

The stone that turned back time. It seemed plausible that it could be the prize of a wish, but Taesan denied his own thought.

If he knew Lee Taeyeon, she would not be satisfied with just turning back time. She would wish to eradicate the monsters or ask for a safe place.

‘Hmm…’

It was a mystery.

Taesan continued to descend the labyrinth. He kicked a running goblin down with his foot.

[You dealt 7 damage to the goblin with a staff.]

[You have won against the goblin with a staff.]

[Huh?]

The ghost paused.

[...You kicked it, and damage was dealt? What the. Did you learn that from Ainzhar?]

“You know him?”

[When I was descending the labyrinth, that old man was around. His daily cries for a god were very noisy.]

It seemed like the ghost of the hero had been in the labyrinth for quite a while.

And Ainzhar had been lingering longer than such a ghost.

The ghost’s disapproval of Ainzhar weighed heavily.

[That guy is really annoying. I passed the checkpoint too, but I told him I didn't really want to take care of him.]

“Weren’t you able to receive it?”

[...I didn't receive it.]

The ghost said with displeasure.

[Hmm. Even if you have good skills and know some information, conquest is another problem. Don't get complacent now that you've entered the 3rd floor.]

“I know. I have no intention of ignoring you.”

[Huh?]

The ghost was a player who had descended to the 80th floor. Unlike Lee Taeyeon, if he had gone by the book, he could be even stronger than she was when she cleared.

The Taesan of the past also likely had a high probability of losing to the hero. The hero, seemingly embarrassed to admit it, spoke with some energy.

[Hmm, huff. That's right. Activation skills are important, but I had swordsmanship!]

“Swordsmanship?”

[It's the swordsmanship of our empire! There were countless knights, but none of them could defeat me. I even received the title of the glorious Swordmaster!]

Swordsmanship.

In his previous world, he had thought it was an unnecessary skill. But his thinking changed when he faced Lakiratas’ Servant.

In this place, not only activation skills but also swordsmanship is important.

“Can you teach me?”

[Huh?]

The ghost, who seemed to be inexplicably happy, let out a groan.

[... I'm sorry, but I can't. Even if you ask as a stake in a bet, I can't do what I can't do. This is something I can only teach to those I acknowledge.]

“Labyrinth’s restrictions?”

[If you want to get technical, yes.]

The ghost had no restrictions on providing information but seemed to have limitations when it came to teaching skills.

In a way, it was only natural. If there were no such constraints, it would mean they could freely hand out the top-tier skills as they pleased.

[You're okay. You have decent abilities. I've been complaining because I'm too critical, but you are strong enough right now.]

The ghost spoke in a calm voice.

His attitude seemed a bit more relaxed. The sharp posture he had been maintaining seemed to fade a little.

[But, I don't acknowledge you yet. You have not yet proven your strength.]

The ghost had seen Taesan overwhelm his enemies with his dominant stats. However, he hadn’t seen him confront a strong opponent. Taesan then asked.

“If I prove it?”

[Then, I might be able to teach you.]

“Then, it’s settled.”

10th floor.

There was plenty of time. Taesan continued to break through the labyrinth.

He kept wandering around without any specific destination. It took him about an hour to grow weary of it. The 3rd floor was different from the 2nd floor, with no sight of a god’s altar or an orange door.

And finally, the time to return to the shop arrived.

[Your inventory is full.]

“It’s all filled up.”

The inventory had a total of 20 slots. Considering his arrows, roughly 15 other pieces of equipment could fit in. As a result of wandering around the labyrinth, he had been able to fill his entire inventory.

[Are you going back now?]

“Of course.”

Taesan returned to the shop, and the dwarf looked at him and frowned.

“…Again?”

“Show me all the equipment.”

At Taesan’s placid words, the dwarf sighed deeply.

“Ai, this isn’t good.”

[Why are you the one judging what's good or bad?]

At the ghost’s nagging, the dwarf’s eyebrows twitched. However, instead of arguing, he opened the space.

“Open. The Golden Gate.”

Countless pieces of equipment fell down in a heap.

“Go ahead. Look around and decide.”

Taesan began to check each one. As he had reached the 3rd floor, better equipment was available.

[Necklace of the Strong]

[Attack Power + 2]

[A necklace was worn by the strong. Their strength might linger.]

[1,000G]

The price was higher, but it was worth it. Taesan opened his inventory.

“How much will you give me for these?”

“……Heh.”

The dwarf let out a hollow laugh at the pile of equipment that was poured out. Soon, as if giving up, he began to check each one.

“For all of these… it would be about 2,000 gold.”

“I’ll sell.”

He’d obtained quite a few staves, but they were all Staffs of Confusion. Confusion was the lowest-tier mental judgment. There’s no need to use them as long as he had the random mental staff.

Including the 2,500 gold he had, his assets amounted to a total of 5,500 gold. It was more than plentiful and was enough money to buy equipment for his entire body.

Taesan began choosing his equipment. Thirty minutes later, he had made his choices.

[Metal Ring]

[Attack Power + 1]

[Your hand may hurt more.]

[600G]

He bought two metal rings. Rings could be worn on all fingers, so it was never harmful to buy more.

[Thorn Ring]

[Attack Power + 2]

[The ring has thorns. The reason for its creation is unknown.]

[1,000G]

He wanted to buy more rings, but attack power accessories were very non-mainstream. He searched everywhere, but he could only find three.

[Necklace of the Strong]

[Attack Power + 2]

[A necklace was worn by the strong. Their strength might linger.]

[1,000G]

He bought these accessories for a total of 3,200 gold. The increase in attack power was 5.

[Attack Power + 16]

That was his current attack power. Now, a goblin would be killed in two hits. It was not a value that one could normally reach on the 3rd floor. The observing ghost muttered, seemingly amazed.

[Really, what kind of skills are there?]

Even the ghost who had descended to the depths and saw skills that were close to being miracles was amazed by the Airak Weapon Technique.

His remaining gold was 2,300 gold.

Taesan looked for more accessories, but there was nothing noteworthy. There was only expensive stuff with a small increase in attack power.

Taesan changed his plan and picked up a bronze shield.

[Bronze Shield]

[Attack Power + 2]

[Defense + 5]

[It seems capable of blocking many attacks. It could also block a very strong attack once.]

[1,500G]

For a one-handed shield, its stats were the same as the Tower Shield. The price was about three times more, but it was worth buying.

[Attack power 17. Defense 9.]

It was a satisfying growth. His remaining gold was 800. He looked around the shop more, but there was nothing else to buy, so he did not buy anything else and stepped back.

“Then, I’ll see you next time.”

“Sure, go well.”

The dwarf sent a cold gaze toward the ghost. The ghost responded with a smirk.

Ignoring this, Taesan left the shop.

The sword swung, and the goblin holding the shield tried to block while grinding its teeth, but its shield was cut along with it.

“Kieack!”

[20 damage to the Shielded Goblin.]

[You have defeated the Shielded Goblin.]

[Your level has increased.]

Taesan sheathed his sword.

“Is it over?”

[Probably? I can see the boss room ahead.]

“There’s nothing special here.”

Unlike the 1st and 2nd floors, no particular objects were visible. This made it faster to pass through, but it was somewhat boring.

[Entities like me and gods are not scarce, but not enough to fill every floor. Sometimes there are empty floors like this.]

He knew this from Taeyeon. She had said she was very grateful for floors with nothing. But for Taesan, it was extremely boring.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t without results. By selling the obtained equipment at the shop, he was able to increase his attack power considerably.

And his level also increased.

[Kang Taesan]

[Level: 9]

[Health: 245/245]

[Mana: 44/44]

[Strength: 34]

[Intelligence: 55]

[Agility: 50]

[Attack Power + 17]

[Defense Power + 9]

[The subject is in the best condition.]

Even though his experience points were not increasing much, the goblin wielding the staff and using magic yielded a decent amount of experience. His level increased from 7 to 9.

“I should start looking.”

Taesan wandered through the labyrinth. The ghost realized what his seemingly aimless steps meant.

[Secret room? This will take more time.]

“It’s worth it.”

The Staff of Fire. A ring that increased mana by 5.

Everything obtained from the secret rooms was items that could not be obtained on that floor. It was well worth investing an hour or two.

However, it was still boring. It was a truly meaningless repetition, so he had no choice but to empty his mind and do it.

Taesan kept wandering through the labyrinth. But unlike before, he could not see any empty rooms.

“This is getting annoying.”

Taesan frowned.

Secret rooms were usually hidden in empty rooms with only one passage, but there were always exceptions. There were quite a few cases where it was hidden in a regular room.

This time it was likely one of those cases.

In this case, he would have to look over the entire floor, so it was essentially the same as not finding it.

Just as Taesan was feeling disappointed.

[You have a strong premonition.]

“Huh?”

A brick caught Taesan’s eye. It looked no different from any other brick on the outside. A brick Taesan would not have paid attention to.

But he knew.

That was the passage to the secret room.

Taesan pushed the brick as his hunch directed him.

Druruuk.

The brick moved, revealing a passage.

[Your Insight skill proficiency has increased by 5%.]

The ghost muttered in awe.

[...This is cheating. Why does your intuition burst every time you find a secret room?]