Ascension Through Skills

The Lion King exhaled deeply.

His entire body felt crushed and mangled.

The energy he was expending with all his might barely shielded him, but the unstable fluctuations made it seem like it could shatter at any moment.

The Lion King lifted his gaze.

In the endlessly stretched gray space, black spheres floated like stars.

The Lion King gritted his teeth and moved forward.

Kuguguk.

A fierce pressure engulfed him. The space itself distorted, twisting his entire being.

“Ugh!”

The Lion King unleashed his power. It was the strength of one standing at the edge of mortality.

But it was meaningless.

Like a single drop of water falling into the ocean, only a faint ripple spread before disappearing. The gray space remained eerily silent.

The Lion King pressed on with a hardened expression.

He had spent all his gold on defense-prioritized equipment to protect his body, but one by one, they were destroyed. Struggling to protect his crumbling form, he finally reached a massive black sphere.

“…Oh, great one!”

The Lion King dropped to his knees and cried out.

“You who yearn for the collapse of all things, who despises all laws! This lowly one calls upon you in your domain!”

With his cry, the Lion King pulled numerous jewels from his bosom and cast them forward.

The jewels were swallowed by the massive sphere and vanished.

The Lion King bowed his head to the ground. What would happen from here was unknown. Swallowing dryly, he waited in silence.

Koo-goong.

The sphere trembled.

A violent force pressed down on the Lion King’s entire body.

The turbulence threatened to dissolve his mind, but he barely held on.

Slowly, the turbulence subsided.

And then, it descended upon the place.

[Lowly creature.]

A voice filled with irritation echoed. The vibration in the voice alone caused the space to tremble.

[You’ve made the effort to crawl into my domain; I’ll grant you that. But how dare someone like you summon me?]

The Lion King’s body began to crumble. His resistance and power were utterly meaningless. The difference between them was insurmountable.

Yet, the Lion King remained unmoving, his head bowed.

Gradually, the crushing force subsided.

[Answer. For what purpose have you crawled into my domain?]

The first step was passed.

Suppressing his pounding heart, the Lion King spoke.

“Oh, great Transcendent. I have an offer for you.”

The moment his words ended, a force beyond comparison to before overwhelmed the Lion King.

His consciousness flickered for a moment.

[How dare someone like you propose an offer to me?]

The emotion in the voice was singular: rage.

The Lion King opened his trembling mouth.

“Do you not wish to disrupt the plans of the other gods?”

At those words, the force crushing the Lion King vanished instantly.

Without even a moment to catch his breath, the Lion King immediately continued.

“A certain adventurer is descending the labyrinth. He possesses extraordinary power. Many gods favor him, intending to claim him as their servant upon his death.”

This was his chance. The Lion King didn’t stop speaking.

“If there’s no major obstacle, he will clear the labyrinth. The other gods will delight in witnessing this, satisfied that their efforts to create the labyrinth were worthwhile.”

The Lion King’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

“Do you not wish to shatter their expectations? To render their hopes and faith meaningless, to crush their assured actions?”

The voice was quiet. The Lion King waited.

After a moment, the voice spoke again.

[That would indeed be an amusing endeavor.]

It worked.

The Lion King clenched his fists.

“I will assist your will. I will be your instrument, carrying out your intentions.”

[Why should I bother with someone like you?]

“Because you cannot directly interfere with the adventurer.”

One of the laws binding the gods of the labyrinth was that they could not directly meddle with its adventurers. This was why many gods disliked the Guides of Sin but refrained from acting against them.

However, this limitation isn’t exclusive to the Guides of Sin.

Many gods existed within the labyrinth.

And to gods, concepts like good and evil held no meaning. They acted based on the principles of their domain.

There were undoubtedly gods who disliked Taesan.

[So?]

The sharp voice softens slightly.

[You’re asking me to accept someone like you because I cannot intervene directly?]

“No. This is merely a plea for mercy.”

The Lion King bows quietly.

He feels its gaze on him.

The Lion King closes his eyes. The outcome was beyond his control now. He simply repeated a prayer to whoever might hear it.

[Very well.]

The Lion King looked up.

[For the sake of your meager efforts, I will permit it. But it will not be in the manner you desire. Do not regret this, mortal.]

A force enveloped the Lion King.

---

Balbabamba appeared, silently staring at Taesan before speaking bluntly.

[You give me a headache.]

Balbabamba spoke wearily.

[You really make my head ache.]

“What went wrong?”

[Nothing is wrong. The clear itself has no issues. Among all adventurers who cleared the 77th floor, yours was the most perfect.]

The 77th floor. A quest to stabilize a world destroyed by the ancient god.

Most adventurers solved it through violence and brute force. As long as the surviving inhabitants of the planet could barely live, they fulfilled the bare minimum and cleared the quest.

In contrast, Taesan completed the quest flawlessly. Even Balbabamba hadn’t anticipated it could be resolved to this extent.

His headache, however, comes from something else.

[You’ve reached a level of immortality, even if only partially. And you haven’t even stepped onto the 80th floor.]

“You knew about this?”

[As the overseer, I know most of what happens here.]

Balbabamba spoke in a troubled tone.

[Well, it’s not unprecedented. Occasionally, immortality is achieved through contracts with gods. But… this is the first time someone has reached it entirely through their own power…]

Balbabamba, deep in thought, shook his head.

[The wizard will handle it. I won’t concern myself further.]

This was beyond his scope of authority.

Balbabamba gave up. He decided to leave all future matters concerning Taesan to the wizard, confident it was the choice that would give him the least headache.

[Now, for the reward.]

This, too, posed a problem.

Taesan had cleared the quest perfectly—far beyond Balbabamba’s expectations.

Thus, the reward needed to match his accomplishment.

However, Taesan had already reached a level of immortality, even if only partially. Ordinary rewards wouldn’t satisfy him.

After some deliberation, Balbabamba made his decision.

[At times like this, simplicity is best.]

Power flowed into Taesan.

[You have obtained the title “Savior of the World.”]

[You have obtained the Ring of the Savior.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Check the rewards yourself.]

Balbabamba’s form began to dissipate. Just before disappearing completely, he spoke.

[You are unstable right now. If you ever achieve full immortality, the wizard will come to find you.]

“Got it.”

With those words, Balbabamba vanished.

Taesan checked his rewards.

[Title: Savior of the World]

[Given to those who perfectly saved a world.]

[+2000 Health]

[+500 Mana]

[+200 Magic Power]

[+200 Attack Power]

[+200 Defense]

Taesan realized what Balbabamba meant by simplicity.

It was a title that significantly boosted stats—just raw power.

“Not bad.”

Titles, unlike equipment, activated their effects simply by being owned. With performance like this, it rivaled deep-layer equipment.

[Ring of the Savior]

[A reward given to those who restored a world on the brink of destruction.]

[+500 Mana]

[+100 Magic Power]

[+300 Attack Power]

All the attached stats were highly beneficial to Taesan. It was a remarkable item.

As for the default clear reward, the Bloodstained Hammer, Taesan didn’t use it as a weapon and planned to sell it in the shop.

And then, there were the skills.

[Special Divine Skill: Sanctum Creation]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Consumption of Divinity: ???]

[Creates a sanctum by materializing your divinity into a domain. The size and traits of the sanctum depend on the amount of divinity consumed and the method of manifestation.]

It was the first divine skill he had acquired.

This skill was more suited for Earth than for the labyrinth. It was ideal for use on a ravaged Earth.

It could also be maintained indefinitely as long as it was sustained by people’s faith. Lesser monsters wouldn’t even be able to approach the sanctum.

And then there was the transcendent skill in black text.

[Transcendent Skill: Eternal and Immutable Faith]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Cost: Faith and Dignity]

[You receive faith from all living beings in one world. They will send you unwavering, eternal faith. By consuming their faith and your own dignity, you can obtain complete divinity.]

“Hm.”

Taesan had a general understanding of the skill’s effects.

[You have activated Eternal and Immutable Faith.]

In an instant, Taesan’s inner self expanded.

Faith from people who worshipped him transcended space to flow into him. A powerful strain accompanied the surge as his body and mind reached a higher realm.

The omnipotence he had felt in the world on the brink of destruction dominated his entire being.

[Oh.]

The ghost let out an unintentional exclamation.

Taesan had now surpassed mortality.

[Is this for real…?]

“No.”

Taesan deactivated the skill. The sense of omnipotence vanished, replaced by exhaustion.

“I’m not quite there yet.”

It was true that he could temporarily transcend mortality.

The duration and stability were the main issues. Given the strain, it was challenging to maintain even for a few minutes.

Moreover, faith was being consumed at an abnormal rate. The number of people who worshipped him didn’t exceed a hundred thousand. Forcing the skill’s usage risked collapsing sanctums sustained by faith.

“…So it’s limited to that world.”

In a way, it was natural.

In the world on the brink of destruction, he had become a god by receiving everyone’s faith. It was a realm he had reached through unconventional means.

This meant his divine power was usable only in that world.

Attempting to use such power elsewhere came with significant strain.

[Still, it's unbelievable. You've definitively surpassed mortality, even if only temporarily. Do you know what that means?]

The ghost spoke in a slightly excited tone.

[It means no one who hasn't also transcended mortality can defeat you.]

This was unlike anything before.

Even those who had approached the boundary of transcendence could never defeat Taesan. That was an unchanging fact.

“It’s still an unstable power. But…”

The upcoming Earth Return Quest.

Already, players from China, Japan, and Korea worshipped Taesan.

What would happen if people from other countries began to worship him?

As Taesan’s stories spread widely through the community, his name was starting to be mentioned in other countries as well.

Although many people had died while fighting monsters or descending the labyrinth, the number of surviving players still far exceeded that of the world on the brink of destruction.

If he could receive faith from them—if he could gain the qualifications by receiving widespread faith on Earth as well…

He could potentially maintain the effects of the skill stably. There was even a good chance of achieving 100% proficiency in divine power.

The return to Earth was something to look forward to.

Taesan started making his way to the 78th floor. A quest window popped up in his view.

[Quest for the 78th Floor Begins.]

[Successfully complete the librarian’s request in the Library of All Things.]

[Reward: The Book of Knowledge.]

[Secret Reward: ???]