Ascension Through Skills

When Taesan showed interest in the bracers, the shopkeeper spoke.

"Good gear. Thinking about it?"

"I don't have the money."

The bracers cost two million gold. Taesan only had one and a half million. Even if he sold every spare piece of equipment he had, it wouldn't be enough.

'A shame.'

Equipment that could halve all incoming damage with no conditions—its value was immeasurable.

Combined with [Fortitude], he would only take 25% of the damage.

It was easily among the most valuable pieces of equipment Lee Taeyeon had worn.

But he lacked the gold. And with his return to Earth imminent, he couldn't afford to spend time gathering more.

The problem was that they were bracers. Taesan already had the World-Altering Bracers.

In terms of value, bracers that interfered with the laws of the world were hardly inferior to the Jet-Black Bracers.

Still, regret was regret. Taesan pushed the thought aside and looked over other gear.

After reviewing everything, he decided what to buy.

'Accessories.'

Specifically, a ring.

By combining the Twin Rings into one, he'd gained an extra slot for a ring. That empty space needed to be filled.

He focused on the rings and soon made his choice.

[Ring of Relived Vengeance]

[Strength +10%]

[Agility +10%]

[Intelligence +10%]

[Attack Power +500]

[A ring bestowed by the one who governs the Domain of Vengeance upon their favored.]

[Stores an amount of damage equal to what you've taken, which can be released at will. Resets after combat ends.]

[1,500,000G]

Its base stats were already superior, and it came with a special effect. It could store the damage he'd received and unleash it as a single blow.

He'd have to test it in battle to be sure, but with his current HP exceeding 300,000, releasing that much stored damage would rival the force of a lethal strike.

"I'll take this one."

"That one? Good choice."

Taesan paid the gold and bought the ring. As he was packing things away, the shopkeeper shook the Jet-Black Bracers.

"You seemed interested in these."

"No gold, and the slot's awkward. I'm fine."

"Well, mention it later. Depending on what you do for me, I might just give them to you."

The shopkeeper grinned slyly.

Taesan left him behind and opened the community.

Now there was truly little time left before the return. The community was abuzz with discussion.

The unification of all humanity.

People seemed almost excited by it.

Taesan joined the conversation.

While discussing Earth matters with group leaders and Solo Mode players, Oliver Khan posted something with a wry tone.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: I know this sounds old-fashioned, but humanity has become one.]

[Daniel Darmont [Hard]: …That's true.]

Among the surviving nations, there had been those who were once enemies.

But under the threat of the Old Gods, they were united.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: If we beat back every last one of these invaders, maybe we'll finally have peace.]

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: Nonsense. Do you have any idea how much killing and dying it took to get here? That'll never happen.]

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: We can at least have hope. Just the thought of more fighting after this is over… I'm sick of it.]

They kept talking—sorting through their feelings and discussing strategies.

It was a long exchange.

And then, the moment of return was truly close.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: Time to wrap up. See you all alive.]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: See you later, Taesan.]

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: See you on Earth. I've got a shocking story to tell you.]

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: Look forward to it, Kang Taesan. I'll show you how much I've changed!]

Taesan smirked.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: I'll look forward to it.]

At that moment, the world distorted.

The labyrinth receded, and his own world—Earth—came into view.

Taesan didn't resist the force pulling him in.

And he arrived on Earth.

[Special Quest Begins]

[You have been given two days. Establish order and prepare for the upcoming movement and battle.]

[The greater your influence, the more points you will receive upon returning to the labyrinth.]

"Two days, huh."

He looked around.

Ruined lands and countless people.

But they weren't panicking. They were resolute, moving quickly.

Some groups were already forming around certain individuals—probably discussed beforehand.

After seven returns, people were becoming experts.

And then, they spotted Taesan.

"Ooooooh!"

"Sir Taesan!"

They began to cry out to him. Some moved as if to pray, but hesitated.

"There's a lot of them."

"This is your world… such a dreadful energy everywhere."

Beldenkia clicked her tongue, and Diana looked up at the sky with a grave expression.

Their appearance, so clearly otherworldly, startled people.

—

Kim Hwiyeon quickly gathered people and compiled information, assembling those who could take command.

But they hesitated to speak.

Their eyes kept flicking toward Taesan's side—where Beldenkia and Diana stood.

"They're different."

Beldenkia muttered, observing them. Kim Hwiyeon cautiously asked,

"Um, Mr. Taesan, those people next to you…"

It was obvious they weren't ordinary.

Beldenkia looked roughly Western, but he was clearly from a completely different world—not someone who felt like the same humanity.

Diana was even more striking. Her long blonde hair, beauty, and noble demeanor made her look every inch a princess.

Above all, there was the sheer presence they carried.

They were suppressing their power as much as they could, but it was obvious they were far from normal.

"Assistants," Taesan said.

"Assistants…?"

"In Solo Mode, there are beings called NPCs. I made contracts with them, asking for their help when we returned to Earth."

"So… aliens, from our perspective?"

"From ours, yes."

A murmur ran through the crowd.

NPCs only existed in Solo Mode. People had heard of them from Kang Taesan or Lee Taeyeon, but seeing them in person was another matter.

"I knew we weren't Solo in the universe, but meeting them like this is strange."

"No need to be alarmed. We're here to help you," Diana said with a gentle smile.

People were momentarily captivated by her expression.

Lee Taeyeon, however, watched the two with a faintly troubled look.

Kim Hwiyeon quickly composed herself and greeted them politely.

"I look forward to working with you."

"Let's overcome this together," Diana replied, and Kim Hwiyeon nodded.

"Then let's get organized. Fortunately, not too many died while descending the labyrinth."

Even in the previous life, after reaching a certain depth, casualties became rare. The labyrinth's difficulty rose, but their numbers made it manageable.

"What floors are you on now?"

"Hard Mode players are at the 77th floor," Kim Hwiyeon said.

"I'm on the 58th," Kang Junhyuk added.

"I'm at the 72nd," Lee Taeyeon said. All eyes briefly turned to her.

"You're… really fast."

"There are people faster than me. What about you, Taesan? What floor?"

"Eighty-seventh."

A quiet ripple of shock spread.

"…Not far now."

"As I've said before, you never know. Things might change from the 90th floor."

With the basics confirmed, Taesan left the rest of the command matters to them and moved toward the outskirts with Beldenkia and Diana.

"I'd heard from you, but seeing it myself… it's different."

Beldenkia clicked his tongue.

"They reached the 77th floor? That's nowhere near your level. The labyrinth's been split apart? Worse than the God of Fall. Just how far can the Old Gods go?"

Taesan explained Easy, Normal, and Hard Modes to them.

But he didn't mention that Solo Mode had also been copied—along with its NPCs. That might be hard for them to accept, so he'd leave it to the magician who'd found the method.

That was why there'd been some mismatch in conversations with Lee Taeyeon.

"Wow… seeing it in person is strange," Lee Taeyeon said, looking at Beldenkia with a complicated expression.

She had met Beldenkia in both her past and present lives.

But in her past life, she hadn't been able to fulfill Beldenkia's wish. Now, Beldenkia stood here, having achieved it. It was a strange feeling.

Beldenkia seemed curious as well.

"You're pretty good. No—quite strong."

"Of course. I'm actually clearing the labyrinth."

"Funny. I don't remember meeting you."

"There's… a reason for that."

Lee Taeyeon awkwardly changed the subject, then turned to Taesan.

"You said you're on the 87th floor? Any floors I'd know?"

"No. Almost all of them have changed."

"I figured. Well, for someone like you, the floors I've cleared would be easy anyway."

"At the 72nd, you must've run into the Guides of Sin."

"I did. Fought them. Won."

She said it proudly, and Taesan was a bit surprised.

By his judgment, she wasn't yet at the level to beat a Guide.

"Who did you face?"

"The Spirit King of Fire—Vishnu."

"You could handle the King's World?"

"I have Lady Maria's authority. I erased it."

"…Choice Exclusion, huh."

Without the King's World, Vishnu wasn't that formidable. Taesan had struggled only after it was used—before that, he could maintain the upper hand without much trouble.

Still, winning was impressive. Lee Taeyeon had grown stronger.

"Try sparring with Beldenkia. He'd be a good match."

"I don't think I can beat him… but I'll try."

Lee Taeyeon reluctantly agreed, then challenged Beldenkia. Beldenkia accepted readily.

The fight began. Lee Taeyeon fought desperately but was defeated.

Still, she kept challenging him.

"He's strong," Kim Hwiyeon said, watching. "And Diana? Is she similar?"

"Much stronger. Even if Lee Taeyeon and Beldenkia teamed up, they wouldn't win."

"Really? That's incredible."

Kim Hwiyeon clenched her fist.

"With those two here, survival won't be a problem."

Taesan said nothing.

Much had changed from the past life—including Earth's quests.

The Old Gods would now actively target him and kill people.

But they would win. They always had.

Two days passed.

And a new quest began.