Ascension Through Skills

“…What do you mean by that?”

Ainzhar couldn’t understand what Taesan meant.

“There is no such method. I’ve read every book here and even asked the Labyrinth’s administrator.”

He hadn’t just stood idly by. He had done everything possible to restore the goddess.

But nothing worked.

Not even beings of transcendence could fix the goddess’s current state.

However, Taesan continued to speak.

“There’s a method only I can execute.”

“…You’re joking too much.”

Ainzhar’s face twisted in frustration. As he was about to speak angrily, power surged from Taesan’s body.

It was black.

Ainzhar reflexively drew his sword and swung it toward Taesan’s neck.

“Ugh!”

Realizing at the last second that his opponent was Taesan, he barely stopped himself. His eyes trembled violently.

“That power…”

The power of the High Gods that had devoured the goddess.

It was flowing out of Taesan.

Taesan infused divinity into it. Black and divine forces mixed, creating an ashen power.

Whiiiing!

“A…”

Ainzhar uttered a sound.

The power Taesan was now displaying was similar to the goddess’s current state.

Taesan lowered the boundary line of his power.

“Now, do you believe me?”

Ainzhar stared blankly at Taesan without responding.

---

Taesan gave him some time.

After a few minutes, Ainzhar approached him with a composed face.

He asked Taesan how he had acquired such power. Taesan answered his questions.

About Earth.

About the High Gods that had invaded Earth.

And about the faith he had received.

As the story progressed, exclamations and shock continuously emerged. Taesan concluded his story.

“I possess the power of the High Gods. And I also have divinity. By combining these two powers, I can wield yet another force.”

“…Ha.”

Ainzhar let out a hollow laugh.

“You have… experienced far more than I imagined.”

“Do you now believe that my power might offer a solution?”

“Yes.”

Ainzhar nodded. The power Taesan displayed was similar to the goddess’s current state. However, it was far more stable and entirely under Taesan’s control.

In other words, it suggested the possibility that the goddess’s state could also be controlled.

The method was still unclear, but there was sufficient potential. Taesan spoke.

“Then let me ask you. Why has the goddess ended up in such a state?”

After a moment of silence, Ainzhar opened his mouth.

“First, I must explain who I am.”

Ainzhar grasped his golden sword. A powerful energy radiated from him, filling the space.

“I am Ainzhar, a devout follower and confidant of the great and beloved goddess Levynenoff.”

Feeling the overwhelming energy filling the space, Taesan was certain.

Ainzhar was one of the strongest beings, a monster beyond even Taesan’s current strength.

Ainzhar gazed at the ceiling with a dreamy look.

“Our world was a peaceful one, safeguarded by Levynenoff. It was filled with love, and no one hid it. Lovers were united, and those without love received it from someone. It was all due to Levynenoff’s grace. But… at some point, everything twisted.”

“The High Gods.”

Ainzhar nodded.

“It was a situation similar to your world. The High Gods invaded our world.”

The goddess, the ruler of the planet, pushed back the High Gods.

Ainzhar, too, aided the goddess, crushing one monster after another.

At first, it wasn’t too difficult. The goddess was also a transcendent being, and Ainzhar was one of the strongest immortals. Even monsters of apostolic level could be defeated.

But time became the problem.

The High Gods’ invasion didn’t stop.

The world grew increasingly desolate, and life decayed and rotted. Driving out the High Gods without damage was impossible. Their world was slowly being consumed and dying.

“If other gods had been able to help, things might have been different. But at the time, the High Gods were launching a massive invasion across the cosmos. The gods were too preoccupied. As a result, our world moved closer to destruction.”

Levynenoff’s divinity wavered.

Levynenoff was a planetary deity. If the planet perished, the goddess would collapse as well.

“I pushed back the High Gods alongside Levynenoff. But it was nearing our limits. I intended to sacrifice myself to save Levynenoff, but… instead, she sought to save me.”

Ainzhar spoke with a sorrowful face.

“In a world of ash, she told me. For a god who has lost the world they must protect, nothing has meaning. She said it was natural to fall with the world. But she urged me to forget everything and live.”

“But you didn’t follow her words.”

“Do you think there’s meaning in life for a follower who has lost the god they serve?”

Ainzhar shook his head.

“After Levynenoff forcibly banished me, I searched everywhere for her. But I couldn’t find a trace of her anywhere. While I could consider her to have perished, I still felt her power within me. This meant she still existed in this world. So I desperately searched for traces and clues.”

Ainzhar exhaled deeply.

“And then, as you know, I discovered that the goddess resided within the Labyrinth. That’s why I came here. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to see her again.”

The story concluded. Ainzhar grabbed Taesan’s hand with a desperate look.

“So please, I beg you. I’ll give you everything. Please, please… save Levynenoff.”

Taesan nodded.

“Can I ask exactly what method you plan to use to save her?”

“Well, I can’t say for certain yet. But I do have one idea.”

His boundary line combined divinity and the black power, mirroring the goddess’s current state.

The difference was that he could control it, while the goddess could not.

If so, he could use the boundary line to turn the corruption that engulfed the goddess into his own.

After hearing the explanation, Ainzhar’s eyes lit up.

“If that’s the case… it might just work.”

The reason Ainzhar and the gods couldn’t help Levynenoff was that her corruption was a type of power they couldn’t interfere with.

But Taesan was already handling the boundary line power himself. For him, it wasn’t impossible.

“Not immediately.”

While the goddess’s state was similar to the boundary line, it couldn’t be interfered with yet. Due to the damage to her very essence, several conditions needed to be met.

Forcing the corruption to be removed might cause the goddess to collapse and vanish entirely.

“…The goddess has been resisting the High Gods’ corruption, hasn’t she?”

She wasn’t entirely corrupted. Ainzhar nodded with a sorrowful expression.

“It’s probably because I’m alive. My faith is both protecting and tormenting her at the same time.”

Ainzhar had transcended mortality. The faith of such a being carried immense weight by itself. Because of that, the goddess, who had lost her world, was still holding on, unable to completely fall.

If so…

Taesan, after a brief thought, spoke.

“Is there any way to restore some of the goddess’s stability and consciousness?”

The issue lay heavily in the goddess’s inability to deal with the corruption.

In other words, if her state could be stabilized even slightly, it might be possible to intervene somehow.

“Is that possible?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s just a hypothesis.”

But there was a possibility.

“Wait a moment.”

Ainzhar fell into silent thought. After some time, he murmured slowly.

“The 84th floor… If you take the hidden path there, you might reach it.”

“Where exactly?”

“The goddess’s world, one devoured by the High Gods. But as you know, it’s an extremely dangerous place.”

Ainzhar bit his lip.

“Without the right qualifications and strength, survival is impossible. I can’t leave. Levynenoff suffers periodically. If I’m not by her side to watch over her, problems might arise.”

Taesan would have to handle it. After a moment of contemplation, Ainzhar made his decision.

“Taesan. Can you handle it?”

Ainzhar raised his sword.

“I would truly appreciate your help, but I can’t allow it to kill you. I know you’re strong. But I can’t be sure of your true strength until we clash blades directly. So I propose a duel, to gauge your abilities and decide.”

“Understood.”

Taesan had no reason to refuse.

Ainzhar smirked and shouted.

“Jorge!”

Soon, Jorge appeared with a bored expression.

“What is it?”

“I need a barrier for a duel. Could you set one up?”

“Such nuisances.”

Clicking his tongue, Jorge waved his hand, expanding the space by pushing the bookshelves away.

Ainzhar drew his sword.

“Take this seriously, and use all your strength. I’ll also fight with the intent to defeat you.”

“I will.”

Taesan activated all his buff skills, instantly elevating his stats and level to their peak.

Ainzhar grinned and stomped his foot.

At that moment, an explosion burst forth.

His sword targeted Taesan’s neck.

It carried monstrous power.

The strength in Ainzhar’s attack far surpassed the punch he had thrown at Taesan during their first meeting.

Instinctively, Taesan raised his sword. With a thunderous sound, his body slid backward.

“Ho! You blocked it effortlessly! Impressive!”

Ainzhar let out an exclamation as he leapt forward.

The golden sword swung.

It was a crude, unrefined slash, but even that was enough to threaten Taesan’s life.

Taesan gritted his teeth.

This was the power of an immortal. And one at the top of their rank.

Boom!

The clash of swords resounded. The deafening impact didn’t feel like mere blades meeting.

Taesan slid backward, but he held his ground.

Ainzhar couldn’t hide his admiration.

Even though he wasn’t fighting at full strength, Taesan was blocking his attacks so skillfully. It was something adventurers in the late 80th floors couldn’t manage.

“Try blocking this.”

Light burst from Ainzhar’s entire body. It gathered into his sword, forming an enormous golden blade.

Ainzhar swung.

Taesan instinctively realized he couldn’t block this attack with his physical strength alone. It was an immortal’s true strike—a blow no mortal could withstand.

Taesan could only counter it with his boundary line.

But this wasn’t enough.

[You have activated Eternal Faith.]

The space opened, connecting him to his faith.

A sense of omnipotence surged through Taesan. He deflected the attack. With the collision, Ainzhar was pushed slightly backward.

He had blocked an immortal’s attack with a mortal body.

Ainzhar’s eyes widened.

“…A pure, complete faith?”

Even he could recognize the power Taesan now wielded.

Ainzhar was momentarily stunned, but then he smiled.

“With you… it might actually be possible.”

He stomped his foot again.

From outside, Jorge clicked his tongue and reinforced the barrier. The clash of powers threatened to shatter it at any moment.

“A monster.”

The remark, addressed to no one in particular, dispersed into the air.

Taesan proved his strength through the duel. Ainzhar was greatly satisfied.

“With your strength, you’ll survive even there.”

Ainzhar handed a quest to Taesan.

---

[Sub-Quest Begins.]

[Ainzhar desires to save his broken goddess, Levynenoff. Falling into deep despair and slowly giving up, he found a glimmer of hope in your power.]

[Travel to the goddess’s world, destroyed by the High Gods, and retrieve the sacred relic that holds her power.]

[Condition: Restore the goddess’s state completely.]

[Reward: Ainzhar’s gifts and the goddess’s blessing.]

---

“There’s no rush. The goddess’s condition is gradually deteriorating, but… as long as I’m by her side, she can endure. I cannot demand haste.”

Following Ainzhar’s words, Taesan didn’t leave immediately.

He stayed on the 78th floor, frequently dueling Ainzhar.

Facing an upper-tier immortal, he significantly improved his combat skills, mastering the Airak Martial Technique and other battle skills.

He hadn’t yet uncovered all the secret rooms. Relying on vague memories, he scoured the vast expanse of the Library of All Things, which took considerable time.

Taesan continuously collected knowledge, discovering secret rooms one by one, and meticulously organized everything he obtained, making it his own. Given the sheer volume of rewards, the process took quite some time.

He offered the rewards as tributes, acquiring magic and black magic.

He didn’t neglect his duels with Ainzhar, using every opportunity to gain combat experience.

And then, a month later.

A new quest window appeared before him.

[Special Quest Begins.]

[Return to Earth.]