Ascension Through Skills

His proficiency steadily increased.

The lofty realm, once seemingly unreachable, now shimmered before his eyes.

What kind of state would he reach if his Divine Power proficiency reached 100%?

He couldn't quite grasp it.

Taesan calmed the waves of divinity stirring within him and looked at the countless pillars that had appeared across the mainland.

This was a quest even he did not know.

In his previous life, the only place they had to defend was Las Vegas. His intervention had changed the course of things.

The quest's description warned that the more pillars destroyed, the greater the penalty in the next quest. The Old gods would do everything in their power to break them.

They might come flooding in from outside the U.S., or be summoned all across it.

Though he had wrapped the pillars in barriers, that alone wasn't enough. For each pillar where Beldenkia hadn't set up teleportation circles, Taesan laid down defensive magic formations using his skills.

Meanwhile, leaders of each nation began deploying their people.

There were far too many places to defend.

They struggled over how to distribute their forces.

Fortunately, they had Diana and Beldenkia.

Both were formidable—each capable of defending at least one pillar on their own. Leaders arranged players around Diana, Beldenkia, and other strong Solo Mode players.

They placed many at the outer edges, while assigning moderate defenses to inner pillars. If monsters appeared inside, they would respond instantly through the teleportation circles. That was the final decision.

Others spent their time sparring, preparing for the coming battle.

Among them were Solo Mode players.

"Hup!"

Amelia swung her sword fiercely. Dozens of afterimages surrounded her.

With them, she charged Diana.

Diana calmly extended her hand.

Her fingers caught Amelia's sword.

"Kh…!"

With a casual flick of her fingers, Diana sent Amelia flying, forcing her to barely land on her feet.

Diana spoke in her usual composed tone.

"You used afterimages to conceal your real strike. Not bad, but without a skill, that won't work on someone stronger than you."

"…As expected."

"You have talent. That's why the God of Fall chose you."

Amelia had been chosen by the God of Fall. It meant she had enough talent to catch a god's attention.

"But you're relying on talent, not on experience or judgment. Against those with similar gifts or greater strength, it won't work. You should fix that."

"I've thought about it, but it's not easy."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you learn it properly this time."

Diana smiled as she raised her sword. Amelia reluctantly lifted hers in response.

And it wasn't just her. Viktor, Hasan, and Kang Jun-hyuk—all prominent Solo Mode players—sparred with Diana or Beldenkia to prepare for the coming quest.

They were all among humanity's most talented, possessing remarkable skill.

But Solo Mode meant a solitary labyrinth.

They rarely had chances to train against others.

Guides of Sin from different tiers could spar nominally, but in truth they rarely did, wary of each other and reluctant to help rivals grow stronger.

So for them, this time on Earth was essentially the only opportunity to spar with others.

They fought as equals, sometimes going all out, sometimes one against many, constantly gaining experience.

And Taesan watched it all.

"What do you think?"

"Ah, Lord Taesan."

Diana smiled gently.

"Lee Taeyeon is already complete, so she doesn't need much help from me. Amelia, though, is impressive. She'll adapt quickly, even in the Deep Layers."

Amelia was exceptional.

In some ways, she could even surpass Lee Taeyeon. Like Taesan and Taeyeon, she had great potential to conquer the Deep and gain powers unique to herself.

"The others also have good talent. Perhaps thanks to you, many have acquired unusual powers."

During the quest on Earth, various divine blessings had been granted to players.

Those blessings greatly enhanced their strength and abilities.

"At this level… perhaps with hundreds of life-risking challenges, they might clear the labyrinth. Though I can't say for sure."

Noticing Taesan, they offered light greetings. Amelia, however, approached him with a serious expression.

"Taesan. Can I ask you something?"

"Right, you wanted to say something earlier. Go ahead."

"Would you spar with me? At full strength."

Taesan looked at her. Amelia met his gaze steadily.

If he went all out, she wouldn't be able to do anything. She must know that too.

Taesan nodded.

"Alright."

［Kang Taesan has issued a duel to Amelia Aerin.]

He drew his sword.

Amelia took a deep breath, then charged at him.

Taesan swung lightly. Amelia raised her sword to block—

Crack.

But she couldn't.

His blade shattered her defense and slammed her down.

With a thunderous crash, she was driven into the ground.

［Duel Ends.]

"…As I expected, I couldn't even block one strike."

"You knew. Then why ask for a duel?"

"No reason."

Amelia stood, brushing the dust from herself.

"I just wanted to clear my head. I feel better now."

Her words rang true. Her face looked brighter.

From then on, Amelia changed. She engaged others in conversation, joined discussions, even approached Diana on her own.

Taesan could see the change in her emotions.

She had been struggling with her role.

Overshadowed by Taesan and Lee Taeyeon, yet she too was more than capable of being a leading figure, guiding others.

In fact, in his previous life, she had played the role Taesan held now.

But not this time. Now, there were Taesan, Taeyeon, Diana, and Beldenkia—four stronger than her.

For Amelia, who had always been at the center, it caused confusion.

But through her duel with Taesan, she reached her own conclusion—to be a supporting role, backing Taesan and Taeyeon.

She was growing in both body and spirit, far beyond her past self.

* * *

Time passed.

Only a single day remained before the quest began. Everyone moved to their assigned regions to prepare for tomorrow.

Taesan had no assignment.

He would move freely, confronting monsters wherever they appeared.

He spent his time quietly in Las Vegas.

"What are you doing?"

Lee Taeyeon landed lightly at his side.

"Nothing. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at your assigned post?"

"I was bored. Besides, we can move around before the quest starts anyway."

She sat down, staring absently at the cracks in the sky.

"I've always wanted this."

"What are you talking about?"

"This. People joining forces, believing they can survive, trying to move forward together."

Taesan understood.

In his past life, countless had died.

And not only to monsters.

They had excluded one another, killed others for personal gain.

When all the world's players had once gathered, they clashed endlessly over who should lead humanity. Many died in the process.

But now, under Taesan's overwhelming presence, they had united.

Among those awaiting battle, there was no despair.

They believed they could survive by fighting together. They had hope.

"We… can make it."

"Yeah. We can."

Taesan answered.

The next day arrived. The quest began.

—

[Ooooooh!]

From beyond the perimeter came roars. People screamed.

"There's too many!"

They seemed endless.

Monsters tore through forests, surged across seas, charging forward.

［Monster 213 has appeared.]

［Monster 144 has appeared.]

［Monster 146 has appeared.]

Countless B- and C-class monsters.

And among them, hundreds of A-class beasts.

Some were monsters they had already slain before.

"They're reviving, as expected."

Lee Taeyeon wasn't surprised. Numbered monsters were essentially mass-produced by the Old gods. No matter how many they killed, they would keep appearing.

[Oooooooh!]

And among them were monsters of overwhelming power.

［Monster 4 has appeared.]

［Monster 12 has appeared.]

［Monster 5 has appeared.]

S-class monsters.

They scattered in all directions, charging into the U.S.

The apocalyptic sight made Oliver cry out grimly.

"Then I'll leave it to you!"

"Alright."

Lee Taeyeon launched herself forward, rushing an oncoming S-class monster head-on.

It gathered its corrupted body and unleashed a violet beam.

Its target was a pillar.

People screamed at the destructive light.

Lee Taeyeon did not retreat. Sword and beam clashed, scattering light that vaporized hundreds of monsters in its wake.

Clang!

She swung fiercely, deflecting the beam.

"Ooooooh!"

Cheers erupted. She smiled at the monster.

"You. You're the one, aren't you?"

［Monster 9 has appeared.]

It was the S-class monster that had once forced Lee Taeyeon to face death in her past life.

"Good. Let's fight fair."

She charged, as the monster countered with another violet beam.

Beldenkia too fulfilled his role. With a wave of his hand, dozens of magic circles filled the sky.

Rumble!

Magic erupted, erasing thousands of monsters in an instant.

The sheer extremity of his power made people look at him in awe.

Amelia couldn't yet handle S-classes, but she fought without yielding against hundreds of A-class monsters, holding the line.

Minerva was summoned, wielding wind and flame, mowing down countless enemies.

People roared as they held back the tide.

And Diana faced an S-class herself.

"Just one of these could destroy a weak world with ease. Terrifying."

She murmured as she dodged beams of light and parried vicious blades.

Her sword swept smoothly.

One S-class monster's upper body was sliced clean off.

But gurgling, its body regenerated in an instant. Diana clicked her tongue and pressed harder.

[Ooooooh!]

Three more S-class monsters charged from afar.

She needed to finish this one quickly.

Just as she pressed forward—

Crack.

The monster's head was crushed.

Diana's pupils widened.

Taesan had stomped on it.

"Lord Taesan?"

He drove his sword straight into the monster's body.

［You dealt 56,334 damage to Monster 5.]

He followed up with a barrage of spells and black magic.

Other monsters rushed to block, but Taesan swept them away with divine power.

In moments, the S-class monster was annihilated without resistance.

"That's handled. I'll leave the rest to you."

Diana spoke, stunned at having her opponent stolen.

"…Weren't you planning not to interfere?"

Taesan had intended to observe, only moving when powerful or dangerous monsters appeared.

"That was the plan. But this one is special."

Monster 5.

In his past life, it had been the foe he fought with his life on the line.

Now it was nothing to him—but he wanted to end it personally.

"And we have a little time. The real one's coming down now."

"Ah."

Diana's face trembled.

Her instincts screamed.

Something dangerous was arriving. Staying here might cost her life.

Squelch.

From a rift in the sky, a massive darkness fell.

It was a slithering mass of slime.

Shapeless, it descended upon the earth.

Taesan calmly raised his sword.

"So it's a apostle, right from the start."

［An Apostle has appeared.]