Ascension Through Skills

The American players were waiting in Las Vegas.

They had formed defensive lines, blocking approaching monsters and preparing to welcome those who would arrive.

Crunch.

Amelia's sword pierced through a monster's skull.

She quickly advanced forward. In an instant, dozens of monsters were sliced to pieces.

She swung her blade, shaking off the slime.

"What a hassle."

"Looks like this area is cleared."

A blond man with blue eyes—the leader of the labyrinth, Oliver Khan—approached her.

"Do better. How long are you going to keep surviving by relying on me? You should handle it with your own strength too."

"I'll try."

Oliver didn't react much to Amelia's words. From experience, he knew she wasn't speaking out of malice.

She was genuinely worried about them.

Without her, they could easily be massacred by monsters. Her words were meant to push them to do better.

It was just that her tone sounded harsh.

Originally, it had been far harsher, but after her duel with Taesan, she had softened quite a bit.

Oliver turned his gaze skyward.

"Still, if Europe and Asia have to come to the U.S.… I don't know how long it'll take or how they'll get here."

"They can come through Russia from the Asian side, can't they?"

"Well, I heard Kang Taesan can split the sea… If they cross over from Russia to Alaska, I suppose it's possible, though it's quite a distance."

Oliver suddenly let out a wry laugh.

"Splitting the sea… is that even possible?"

"There's nothing he can't do."

Amelia spoke casually. Oliver shook his head. Even with his experience in the labyrinth, it was a power beyond comprehension.

"Still, not a bad thing. Once we're finished here, I'll send people that way."

Oliver gripped his weapon.

They couldn't stay idle while others were making their way here. They planned to clear the monsters around Las Vegas one by one while waiting for those crossing the ocean.

As Amelia and Oliver were swiftly clearing sectors, a pale-faced man appeared before them.

Seeing his face, Oliver was taken aback.

"Anton? Why are you here? Weren't you sent to San Francisco for reconnaissance?"

Anton excelled at hiding. Oliver had sent him to San Francisco near the Pacific for scouting.

He shouldn't have been able to return this quickly.

The man steadied his breathing, stammering.

"P-please… follow me. Something's strange."

Barely suppressing his shock, Anton spoke.

Oliver fell silent at his words, and Amelia frowned.

"…That's unexpected."

"Let's check it out."

Oliver deployed enough defenders in Las Vegas and then headed to San Francisco.

Thanks to Amelia's abilities, they soon reached a place where the North Pacific came into view.

And they were left speechless.

Everyone stared at the sea with faces frozen in shock.

"No way…"

"What is this?"

As far as their eyes could see, stretching all the way to the horizon—the sea was frozen solid.

Even Amelia couldn't easily speak. Oliver's voice trembled.

"…Is this the work of those Old gods?"

He had heard from Amelia about the beings invading the world.

Such a sight was impossible unless it was caused by something transcendent.

"No."

Amelia stepped toward the frozen sea, closing her eyes and expanding her senses.

"Hah."

Soon, she let out a bitter laugh.

Even her perception couldn't measure the full extent of the frozen sea.

And for a sea to be frozen to this degree, the cold should have affected them as well. Yet, there was no such impact.

It meant the one who froze the sea was suppressing the effect.

Amelia knew whose power this was.

"Kang Taesan."

"No matter what, this is… hard to believe. This is truly…"

"A miracle of a god."

Amelia gave a crooked smile.

"Distant, yet real."

—

Once they managed to steady themselves, the American players quickly cleared the monsters between the North Pacific and Los Angeles.

During this, more and more people witnessed the frozen sea. Each of them was struck silent.

And in less than a month, a massive crowd appeared from beyond the frozen ocean.

"They've arrived."

Oliver Khan and Amelia moved. He went to meet the one at the front.

"Hello."

Kim Hwiyeon greeted calmly.

"Oliver Khan. And Amelia Aerin, I presume. Nice to meet you."

"You're Kim Hwiyeon. I apologize for what happened at the Colosseum."

"That's all in the past. Let's work well together from here on."

They shook hands.

After the greeting, Oliver turned his eyes awkwardly.

"…Kang Taesan."

"What."

Taesan responded. Oliver seemed about to speak but eventually diverted.

"There's much I want to ask, but that can wait until after the quest. Follow me. I'll guide you."

They followed the labyrinth players.

As Amelia walked ahead, she kept glancing at Taesan. Beldenkia, watching from the side, let out an admiring whistle.

"Whoa. That woman's not bad. Not as good as Lee Taeyeon, but still impressive."

Amelia had reached the mid-60s floor, having already passed Beldenkia's trial.

Beldenkia tilted his head.

"But… I sense something familiar from her."

"Amelia was once chosen by the God of Fall. She's freed now, though."

"What?"

"Talk it over later with the princess. The three of you."

Before that, Lee Taeyeon moved. She smiled at Amelia.

"It's been a while, Amelia."

"Oh. Taeyeon?"

Amelia's hesitant face brightened. Soon, Kang Jun-hyuk joined them as well, and they happily chatted together.

Meanwhile, the American players kept staring at Taesan.

Their eyes held reverence and fear.

And faint faith. Taesan accepted their faith.

Thanks to the Americans having cleared monsters in advance, there were no major issues.

And soon, they arrived in Las Vegas.

Seeing the city, Kim Hwiyeon was surprised.

"It's in better shape than I thought?"

Quite a few buildings still stood. Compared to Korea, where intact buildings were rare, it was remarkable.

"Unlike you, we had some breathing room. Those skilled in construction rebuilt things. With many superhumans, it was easy."

Hard Mode players far outclassed heavy machinery. With countless such individuals, rebuilding posed no problem.

"With over a hundred million people gathering, we had to prepare in advance. Though it still won't be enough."

Oliver glanced at the Asian players with a weary face.

There were far too many.

The city of Las Vegas could barely contain them.

And the Europeans hadn't even arrived yet. The city would have to expand.

Taesan spoke.

"That's no problem. I'll handle it."

"…You can even do that?"

Amelia murmured. Taesan answered with a nod. Watching him for a moment, she spoke with a resolved expression.

But Taesan moved first.

"I'll be leaving for a while. Handle things among yourselves."

"You'll be leaving? Where to?"

"To help the European players."

"Ah."

They realized.

Asia had crossed thanks to Taesan. But Europe was different. For them, even crossing the sea was a struggle.

Taesan needed to help. Everyone agreed.

"Sort things out here. I'll be gone briefly."

"Understood."

Amelia reluctantly backed off. After looking at them for a while, Taesan took off.

His destination—Europe.

Sensing countless presences from afar, he already knew where the European players were gathered.

They were in France.

Taesan ran across the sea. Monsters continuously appeared to block him, but he wiped them all out.

And as Taesan defeated them, some power flowed into Bardray and Akasha.

"Do you feel anything?"

Akasha grew stronger with each enemy slain, sometimes even regaining memories.

[…I do not know yet.]

After a moment of silence, Akasha answered.

[Every time Master slays an enemy, I feel something. But it is too faint.]

[These creatures are too weak. No matter how many gather, they can't face you. Naturally, neither I nor Akasha can gain much strength.]

"So we'll need stronger foes, huh."

And in this return, such enemies would appear.

Taesan needed to prepare.

One of those preparations was reaching 100% proficiency in Divine Power.

If he were worshiped by everyone on Earth, he would naturally become the god of Earth, and his proficiency would likely reach 100%.

But how to gain such worship?

Taesan was considering one method.

He soared forward.

—

The European players were in a difficult position.

They had to cross to America.

But how to cross the Atlantic was the issue.

"Through England! If we go via Iceland and Greenland, it's much simpler!"

"No, that's too much sea to cross. It's safer to go through Africa and then via Brazil."

"That's way too long a detour! The risk is too great!"

Each side stubbornly insisted they were right. They remained in France, unable to move.

Europe's leader, Daniel Darmont, stroked his chin with a troubled expression.

Neither option was a clear answer, so he couldn't decide.

But time was running out.

Just as Daniel was about to speak—

"Huh?"

"What's that?"

Murmurs spread. Following their gazes, they saw a small dot in the distance.

"…A bird? No, too big."

The dot rapidly grew larger.

Daniel's pupils widened.

It was a person.

The figure landed before him at tremendous speed.

Before anyone could react to the sudden event, the newcomer spoke.

"Daniel Darmont?"

"…Ah."

Daniel recognized him immediately.

He'd seen that face once before at the Colosseum.

"Kang Taesan?"

Kang Taesan.

At the sound of the name, the crowd stirred.

Only the French players had seen him before. The rest had not.

But everyone knew the name.

The strongest in the world, unmatched by any.

"How are you here?"

"I came across the sea to help you."

"Crossed the sea… Well, if it's you, it makes sense."

Daniel, regaining composure, looked at Taesan with hope.

"With you here, things will be much easier."

"What are you debating?"

"We're deciding whether to go through Brazil or through England and Greenland. What do you think, Taesan?"

"Neither."

"…What?"

"We'll cross the sea."

"…What?"

"Follow me."

Taesan moved forward. Daniel hurried after him in disbelief.

"Cross the sea…?"

"We'll take the shortest path—straight across the Atlantic."

"Is that even possible?"

Daniel's face showed shock.

He knew Taesan had parted the sea before.

But that was just between Japan and Korea—a relatively short distance.

Now it was the Atlantic, one of the world's great oceans.

It was hard to believe even Taesan could do it.

"It's possible. Just follow me."

"…If you say so, Taesan, then I'll follow."

Daniel answered steadily.

He announced it to the others.

The strongest player, Kang Taesan, had come to help.

They would cross the Atlantic.

Of course, disbelief and doubt erupted. They admitted his strength, but crossing the Atlantic? That was impossible.

Only gods could do that, they argued.

Daniel desperately persuaded them.

"The Atlantic isn't far from here. Let's at least go and see."

"…Alright."

They reluctantly agreed. But suspicion remained in their eyes as they looked at Taesan.

Naturally so. People couldn't believe what they hadn't seen—especially something that seemed like a miracle.

But Taesan didn't care.

What he wanted was everyone's faith.

They had to believe in and follow him.

And to make that happen…

He had a simple answer.

He would show them what he could do.

Shatter their doubts and reveal power beyond their imagination.

And now, he had that power.

They reached the sea.

People looked at Taesan with a mix of emotions.

Expectation, doubt, suspicion, curiosity.

Taesan spoke.

"Freeze."

［You have activated Declaration of Freezing.]

Crackkkk!

The sea instantly froze solid.

Everything within sight turned to ice.

"…Huh?"

No one could speak. Every emotion turned into one—sheer shock.

"Let's go."

Taesan stepped onto the ice.

And one month later.

Taesan arrived in Las Vegas, without losing a single European player.

(T/N: Bro is too OP at this point lol.)