Ascension Through Skills

[Special Quest Begins]

[This quest targets all of humanity.]

[All survivors must gather at a designated location. Overcome any hardships encountered along the way and reach the designated destination.]

[There is no time limit for this quest.]

[The more influence you have over player encounters, the more points you will receive when returning to the labyrinth.]

The quest began.

Leaders and elites from every nation gathered in a conference room with grim expressions.

"Has the location been confirmed?"

"America."

"It was the dominant power before the world fell apart, so it's fitting for the final stage. Still… I don't like it."

He grumbled. Before the world's collapse, his homeland, Russia, had been in opposition to the United States. The fact that America was the final gathering point didn't sit well with him.

"In times like these, clinging to such outdated sentiments is for fools."

"We have to get to Las Vegas. At least there's no time limit like in the last quest."

"Las Vegas… huh."

Kang Junhyuk wore a troubled expression.

"How exactly are we supposed to get there?"

Silence fell.

Past quests had also required long-distance travel—crossing continents and oceans.

But this time was different.

Now they had to cross not just a continent, but the world.

"How far is it from here?"

"Estimated… 6,500 miles. Ten thousand kilometers in a straight line, across the North Pacific. If we go by land routes, it could be double that. That's about half the Earth's circumference."

"…I can't even guess how long that would take."

Kim Hwiyeon gave a wry laugh.

It could literally take years—

If not for Taesan.

"But with Taesan here, it shouldn't take too long."

All eyes turned to him. With his overwhelming strength, he could cut down any monsters in the way and keep them moving.

Even if walking wasn't realistic for normal humans, even Easy Mode players now far surpassed ordinary limits. Endurance wouldn't be a problem.

"So how do we cross the ocean?"

"There's Russian territory close to Canada. We could use that route."

"I've confirmed it too. In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, there's a port town called Uelen. It's close to Alaska—about an hour by plane. I'm sure he could handle that."

"Yes. That should be easy for him."

Kim Hwiyeon nodded.

Taesan had already parted seas between Japan and Korea before. An hour's flight distance was nothing to him.

"It's going to be a long journey. We should prepare thoroughly."

The decision was made. Preparations began for moving hundreds of millions of people.

And then Taesan, who had been quietly listening, spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

"We were discussing routes. Why?"

"No need to go through Russia. We'll go straight."

"…What?"

They froze for a moment.

Kamal Hassan, understanding his meaning, looked stunned.

"By straight, you mean… directly across the Pacific?"

"Yeah. We'll cross the Pacific on the shortest route to America."

"Well, that's definitely the fastest, but…"

Kim Hwiyeon hesitated.

"The Pacific is… about ten thousand kilometers across, with depths over ten thousand meters. Even for you… is that possible?"

It was on an entirely different scale from parting the seas between Japan and Korea.

This was like parting the world itself.

"I won't be parting it this time… but there's no reason I can't. It's not hard."

"…I'm not doubting you, but… it's hard to believe."

Aside from Lee Taeyeon, Beldenkia, and Diana, everyone else was in shock.

"But if that's true, we could save a huge amount of time."

"Call me when you're ready."

Taesan left the conference room.

In the confusion, they organized their thoughts and informed the people—

They would be crossing the Pacific.

Surprise turned into trust in Taesan. Aside from a few small doubts, there was no real opposition.

Things moved quickly after that. They began advancing in a straight line toward America.

[Uooooh!]

Monsters emerged to block them.

Being the seventh return, the monsters were formidable. Countless B-ranks appeared, and even A-ranks that would challenge Hard Mode players.

Everyone fought for their lives.

"Beldenkia, Lady Diana, and Bardray. Keep the monsters under control."

"How much restraint are we talking?"

"Just don't kill them all. They need life-or-death battles too."

"Understood."

They moved swiftly. Thousands of monsters charged, including several A-ranks.

Just as Hard Mode players braced themselves, Beldenkia waved her hand.

Multiple magic circles appeared, unleashing fire, ice, wind, and earth in a simultaneous explosion.

Kwooooom!

Thousands of monsters were sent flying at once.

Eyes widened in shock.

Diana moved lightly—but the result was far from light. Dozens of monsters were sliced apart. Bardray, in sword form, tore through them relentlessly.

"Oooooh!"

People couldn't hide their awe at such overwhelming strength.

When there was downtime, Taesan had them spar against Solo Mode players.

Other than Lee Taeyeon, most couldn't put up real resistance—but fighting overwhelming opponents still benefited them. Beldenkia herself was impressed by their progress.

"They're not bad. Even without Maria's chosen, Lee Taeyeon, the other three could potentially clear Solo Mode. It'd take dozens of life-and-death attempts, but it's not impossible."

This time was different. Lee Taeyeon wasn't the only one with the talent and strength to clear Solo Mode—there were nearly ten like her.

They would be a great help in reclaiming Earth.

Taesan's vision was steadily becoming reality.

They reached the East Sea. Their immediate destination was Japan; to get to America, they'd pass through it first.

"I can see it."

Viktor narrowed his eyes. With their enhanced vision, they could see Japan across the water.

"Can we really cross this?"

"Yes."

Eika nodded firmly.

"Freeze."

[You have activated Declaration of Freezing.]

Cr-cr-crack!

Like fractures spreading through glass, the sea's surface froze over.

The chill spread outward, enveloping them.

Gasps echoed as the horizon turned to ice.

Only players from Japan and Jeju had seen Taesan part the sea before—and even they had never seen an entire sea frozen. The godlike feat drew awe and reverence.

"I never thought we'd walk across the ocean."

Viktor muttered as they crossed swiftly into Japan.

Japanese survivors wept as they touched their homeland's soil.

Traveling across Japan, they gathered supplies. Monsters appeared, but Diana and Beldenkia handled anything too strong, keeping things smooth.

In just a few days, they reached Japan's far edge.

"The Pacific."

Lee Taeyeon murmured.

Before them stretched an endless ocean.

"Nothing in sight."

"The Earth is round. You won't see anything beyond the horizon."

There was nothing but water.

Taesan stepped forward, exerting his will over nature.

"Freeze."

[You have activated Declaration of Freezing.]

Cr-cr-crack!

The ocean froze solid.

"As expected of Taesan."

"Woooah…"

Easy, Normal, and Hard Mode players were amazed, though not shocked—they'd seen him freeze the East Sea earlier.

But the strongest, including Solo Mode players, reacted differently.

They were silent, eyes wide with disbelief.

Those like Hassan and Viktor, with sharp senses, could faintly grasp the scope of his power.

"…How far did you freeze?" Lee Taeyeon asked.

"The entire North Pacific. With this many people and such a distance, it's safer that way."

She gave a half-laugh.

The North Pacific was vast—comparable to all of Asia.

Taesan had frozen it effortlessly.

It meant he could affect an entire continent at will.

"It's just unresisting nature. Not hard to influence," he said casually.

"You know that only applies to you, right? I knew you were a monster, but…"

Even Beldenkia couldn't hide his awe.

He'd once reached the brink of mortality, and even he would need over a year of preparation with countless magic circles and tools to attempt this—and it would still be unstable.

But Taesan had done it with a single word, perfectly stable, ice deep enough for hundreds of millions to cross without issue.

"This is the power of an immortal?"

In stunned silence, Taesan moved forward.

"Let's go."

—

"A whale."

Kim Hwiyeon pointed. A whale's head jutted above the frozen surface.

It wasn't alone.

Countless fish of the Pacific were visible beneath the ice.

From Japan to America, the entire North Pacific was frozen solid.

"This is insane."

Lee Taeyeon shook her head. Crossing the East Sea was one thing—freezing the entire Pacific was beyond imagination.

"There must be monsters under there. Is it safe?"

"No problem."

He could feel them striking at the ice, but unless they were apostle-level, they couldn't break it.

They advanced across the frozen ocean.

Late-coming monsters tried to attack.

[Uooooh!]

[You have activated Frozen World.]

Cr-cr-crack!

The frozen ocean surged up as a tidal wave of ice. Charging monsters froze solid on the spot.

"…Taesan…"

Their faith in him only grew stronger—faith that became tangible, settling within him.

[Divinity Mastery has increased by 1%.]

It had been a long time since his mastery had risen. He was now close to 100%.

And his primary goal for this return was to reach full divinity mastery.

(T/N: This is what you literally call Aura farming lol. )