Ascension Through Skills

The European players who had followed Taesan were all stunned.

With blank expressions, or with the look of those gazing at an absolute being, they stared at him.

Daniel barely regained his senses and spoke to Taesan in a trembling voice.

"I knew you were strong, but to this extent… With you, everyone can survive."

"No."

Taesan shook his head.

"The enemy won't allow that. They'll give us a quest that won't permit it."

All the players on Earth gathered in Las Vegas.

The quest conditions were fulfilled, and a new quest appeared.

［Choose your representative.］

［The designated player will become your representative, issuing commands and giving orders to you.］

［To become representative, a majority of players must agree.］

As people read the quest, their gazes naturally turned to Taesan.

"There's no one else but Taesan, is there?"

"No room for disagreement."

Taesan didn't refuse. Under such conditions, no one else could become the representative.

In terms of efficiency, Kim Hwiyeon or Oliver would make sense, but players from other continents would never accept them as their representative.

That had been the case in his previous life too.

Back then, people from every nation insisted that their own leader should represent humanity, and it had even led to bloody conflicts.

Since majority approval was required, Taesan had no choice but to become the representative.

He spoke to them.

"I won't directly lead people as I've done until now. Issuing orders will remain the responsibility of your national leaders. Coordinate among yourselves and present your decisions."

Everyone nodded. Each nation's leaders had done their utmost to guide their people until now. If they mediated, no one would refuse.

With the decision settled, another new quest appeared.

［Special Quest Begins］

［Monsters will swarm you.］

［Preparation Time: 20 days.］

［Defense Zone: The U.S. mainland, excluding Alaska and islands.］

［For one month, defeat the approaching enemies and protect the pillars generated across each region.］

［The number of destroyed pillars will bring disadvantages in the next quest.］

Rumble!

A great roar erupted as blue pillars rose from the ground and floated into the air.

"What the—?"

"Wait, what? The U.S. mainland?"

People were shocked as they read the quest. The conditions weren't particularly special—it was another defense quest, like those they had done before.

But the scale was the problem.

The U.S. mainland. That entire expanse was the quest zone.

Even excluding Alaska and the islands, it was impossibly vast. People began to murmur in unrest.

"How are we supposed to defend all this?"

"This quest is insane—"

Complaints and panic spread at the near-impossible task. Negative emotions rippled outward like spreading ink.

Just as Kim Hwiyeon and the other leaders tried to calm everyone—

"Silence."

Taesan spoke.

His quiet voice spread to all of humanity.

In an instant, the chaos subsided. Everyone closed their mouths and looked at him.

"We can win."

It was a statement with no basis or logic.

But with those words, the panic vanished. In their eyes, belief in victory began to take root.

From them, strong and deep faith flowed into Taesan.

Receiving that faith, Taesan said,

"They're calm now. Begin."

"Ah, yes."

Kim Hwiyeon hastily nodded.

—

The first task was to count the players. How many survivors there were, and the proportion of each mode.

With so many still alive, this alone took a full day.

The conclusion was reached.

"A total of 200 million. If we exclude the less than 100 worth considering in Solo Mode, we've got about 30 million in Hard Mode, 70 million in Normal Mode, and 100 million in Easy Mode."

"Two hundred million…"

Oliver muttered with a bitter smile. It wasn't a small number. But humanity's original population had far exceeded seven billion. Reduced to just one thirty-fifth, it was sobering.

But Taesan's expression wasn't dark.

Even fifty million survivors would not have been a bad outcome in his eyes.

In his previous life, Earth had been that precarious, that desperate. It had found stability after several returns, but before that, countless lives had been lost beyond measure.

This result exceeded his initial expectations.

They quickly collected themselves. With the number of survivors known, the next priority was handling food, shelter, and clothing.

Food wasn't an issue. In terms of rations, makeshift cultivation resolved it.

But housing was a problem.

"Two hundred million people… where can we even put them?"

Though superhuman players could endure uncomfortable sleeping conditions, human psychology was still critical. Not abandoning their humanity meant that the state of their shelters had a profound impact on their morale.

Las Vegas alone couldn't contain them all. They would need to scatter into multiple cities, but that would make management difficult.

Taesan solved their worries with ease, almost mocking their struggle.

"Rise, and take form."

［You have activated Declaration of Shaping.]

Rumble!

The ground twisted. People screamed and collapsed to the ground.

"Enemies?!"

Oliver hastily drew his weapon, ready for monsters to appear.

But the surging earth created things beyond his imagination.

Thud!

The land rose and reshaped. Hundreds, thousands of massive buildings appeared across the vast plains.

In an instant, centered around Las Vegas, gigantic structures materialized.

At first, people hesitated at the strange sight, but soon they realized it was Taesan's doing and entered the buildings.

They couldn't hold back their awe.

Though made of earth, the interiors were perfect. Rooms were divided, and countless structures resembling beds were inside.

Even though the beds were made of earth, they were remarkably soft. Those who gained a place to sleep cheered with joy.

Taesan didn't stop there. The buildings were huge and tall, making them look vulnerable to monster attacks.

［You have activated Sanctuary Creation.]

A golden domain spread out. On Earth, where he received direct faith, there was no shortage of divinity. He poured all his divine power into the sanctuary, expanding it to its maximum limit.

As a result, the sanctuary enveloped not only Las Vegas but also all the buildings Taesan had created.

"Ooooh…"

People groaned in awe at the golden realm, as if from myth itself.

Even Diana and Beldenkia were impressed.

"A sanctuary… How is he creating this without being a transcendent?"

Taesan then expanded his senses, extending the range of his declarations.

"Rise."

［You have activated Declaration of Barriers.]

Rumble!

Massive barriers formed around the pillars that had appeared across the U.S.

At the pillar in central Las Vegas, a colossal barrier encircled it, making people stumble back in shock.

"This should buy us time."

It was a declaration infused with iron will. Even S-class monsters would struggle to destroy it.

People were overwhelmed.

Buildings rising, barriers forming around pillars, a golden domain enveloping them with gentle radiance.

It was like the power of creation itself.

"Taesan… our lord."

Even players from America and Europe, beyond Asia, began to stammer praise toward Taesan.

Those who had survived until now had abandoned belief in gods.

The reason was simple.

No such miracles had ever existed.

Their families and friends had died helplessly. People perished with ease. The god they so desperately wished for never saved them.

Those who had fled into faith in a nonexistent god had not survived.

But now Taesan displayed miraculous power and bestowed it upon them.

Those who had lost faith began to regain it.

And its object was Taesan.

［Divine Power proficiency has increased by 1%.］

"Ah…"

A strong faith took root in Taesan. Thick, fervent devotion filled his mind.

Quietly gathering their faith, Taesan moved toward Beldenkia.

"How's it going?"

"No real issues."

Beldenkia was drawing a magic circle.

Taesan had asked him to prepare teleportation magic. With so many survivors, the quest's scale was enormous, and his judgment had been right.

There were 108 pillars across the U.S. Each one needed defending, demanding enormous attention, and they required instant mobility.

With Beldenkia's magic, it was possible.

"Since the coordinates are fixed, it's easy to set up. Try it."

Having finished the magic circle, Beldenkia stepped back.

The circle was massive—large enough to transport thousands at once.

Taesan stepped onto it.

Light engulfed him, and when it faded, he was elsewhere.

"New York, huh."

Identifying the location, he returned to Las Vegas through the circle.

"How was it?"

"Good. Can you set these up in every city with a pillar?"

"That's impossible. I have to draw the circle myself, and there's not enough time. At best, I can manage half."

"Then spread them as widely as possible, to cover the most ground."

"Got it."

The means of transport was secured. They could now move instantly to any city under attack.

But they also needed a way to signal emergencies.

For that, countless scientists and technicians gathered to discuss communications.

In this ruined world, how could they reestablish communication?

If base stations worked, they could communicate across the U.S., but most were destroyed. Repair was possible, but they only had twenty days—nowhere near enough time.

Taesan resolved their problem.

Combining his authority and declarations, he spoke.

"Restore structure."

［You have activated Soul Skill: King of Machinery.]

［You have activated Declaration of the King.]

Whiiiir!

Though Taesan knew nothing about machines, his authority was different.

Countless devices returned to their original form. The ruined base stations began operating again.

"This should be enough, right?"

"Y-yes…"

People nodded blankly.

The communication issue was solved.

Wherever Taesan moved, impossibilities were resolved one by one.

People's faith in him grew stronger and stronger. And that faith directly became Taesan's power.

Each increase in Divine Power proficiency made him realize that the level and quality of his divinity had surpassed what it once was.

And he saw what lay beyond it.

A realm he had never reached before—a lofty, exalted stage.

［Divine Power proficiency has increased by 1%.］