Ascension Through Skills

Vishnu's gaze toward Lee Taeyeon was filled with deep disgust and rage.

"How dare you…"

Lee Taeyeon had once belonged to the Guide's faction.

Recognizing her talent after encountering her, the leadership granted her permission to ascend to the Deep Layers of the labyrinth.

They judged that her presence would aid their floor clears.

And indeed, Lee Taeyeon descended through the labyrinth without hindrance, meeting their expectations.

But at some point, she suddenly changed.

She became proactive, almost like a different person, and cleared the labyrinth at an astounding pace—far faster than the leadership themselves.

Alarmed by this abrupt change, they investigated her but found nothing unusual.

As a result, the leadership concluded that there were no issues with Lee Taeyeon.

They rejoiced, thinking she had simply awakened her talent and would be a great asset in clearing the floors.

However, around the time she reached the 70th floor—

When they attempted to formally request her cooperation, she refused.

She insisted on acting alone.

Vishnu spoke coldly.

"You're acting wild just because you've got a god behind you."

Naturally, they attempted to punish her as a traitor.

But when the entire leadership tried to handle her, they were forced to stop.

The God of Choice—Maria—descended quietly and said one thing:

[This child is mine.]

After that, they were unable to do anything.

Recalling that moment, Vishnu ground her teeth.

"You were nothing but a cunning rat. A filthy traitor."

"I told you—it's not betrayal. Why do you keep misunderstanding?"

Lee Taeyeon grumbled. Even as she stood before Vishnu, she showed no sign of fear. She was utterly composed.

Vishnu frowned.

She remembered the first time she met Lee Taeyeon. Back then, she had trembled and shrunk back at even the smallest word from them. The same happened in their subsequent encounters.

But now she stood tall and confident.

They thought her change came from Maria's protection.

But facing her directly, Vishnu thought differently.

Lee Taeyeon's behavior—and even her personality—had completely changed.

It was not a change that could be explained by divine backing alone.

"Not that it matters."

Fwoosh.

Muttering quietly, flames flickered on Vishnu's arm. The air of the labyrinth began to heat up.

Vishnu smiled seductively.

"In the end, your god didn't protect you. You will die."

Maria had made a proposal when she descended.

[Still, letting her go just like that wouldn't align with the labyrinth's purpose.]

One purpose of the labyrinth was to witness mortals fighting with their lives.

[So I propose this: I will allow one of you to fight my child.]

And Vishnu was the one chosen.

Flames began to dominate the labyrinth.

Vishnu's face was filled with confidence.

She may not have cleared the 74th floor yet, but she had spent a long time in the Deep Layers, gaining tremendous power. In contrast, Lee Taeyeon had only just arrived—a complete novice.

Confident in her victory, Vishnu said,

"Then die, traitor."

"I told you, I'm not a traitor."

Muttering under her breath, Lee Taeyeon raised her sword with a serious face.

[Vishnu has activated Avatar of Nature.]

Vishnu moved first.

Flames erupted.

A tidal wave of fire engulfed Lee Taeyeon.

There was no way to block it completely. Lee Taeyeon quickly made a decision and dodged.

Vishnu controlled the flames swiftly. As if alive, they chased Lee Taeyeon and blocked her path.

The rising heat slowly drained her stamina and made breathing difficult.

The world began to be dyed in fire.

'She's strong, alright.'

Lee Taeyeon clicked her tongue, her face pale.

In her previous life, she never fought the leadership. She pretended to be one of them while secretly clearing floors and escaping. So she never got to gauge their strength properly.

Only in this life did she come to understand—

The leadership were monsters.

But now, so was she.

Her eyes dimmed.

[You have activated One Who Gained a Steadfast Heart.]

[You have activated Will Born from Frailty.]

Facing the approaching flames, she raised her sword.

[You have activated Deflection.]

Fwoosh!

The flames twisted along her blade. Vishnu's pupils widened.

"…You?"

"Let's do this properly."

[Lee Taeyeon has activated Foras's Transparent Darkness.]

Her entire body became shrouded in a translucent hue.

"Black magic!"

Vishnu was shocked. A human using black magic?

Thanks to Taesan's Earth quest clear, Earthlings could now wield [Magi]. But Vishnu didn't know that, and her surprise was natural.

'Still!'

A couple of low-tier black magic spells wouldn't change the tide. Even if Lee Taeyeon concealed herself, it was just an illusion. Her position could still be sensed at any time.

Lee Taeyeon knew that, too.

So she aimed for Vishnu's openings.

RUMBLE—

Flames exploded and surged. The distorted force disoriented sight and senses.

'Now.'

[You have activated Hidden Shadow.]

[You have activated Breath of the Hidden Rat.]

Vishnu's eyes shook.

She completely lost track of Lee Taeyeon's location.

As if she had truly vanished.

Thwack!

"Guh!"

And that's how she allowed a sword to pierce her chest.

Vishnu exploded with flames to push Lee Taeyeon away. Lee Taeyeon retreated calmly.

Vishnu flared up again.

The battle resumed. While fending off Vishnu's attacks, Lee Taeyeon opened her inventory.

[Lee Taeyeon has activated Rainbow Sight Distortion Powder.]

A consumable item sold by the shopkeeper.

Scattered rainbow powder distorted their vision. Vishnu fired flames to blow it away with a grimace.

And Lee Taeyeon struck again.

[You have activated Hidden Shadow.]

[You have activated Breath of the Hidden Rat.]

Vishnu fired flames in all directions. Lee Taeyeon evaded them and pierced her abdomen again.

"Dammit!"

Vishnu screamed and unleashed more flames. But Lee Taeyeon was already far away.

[Breath of the Hidden Rat]—one of her main skills.

In her previous life, it was hard to obtain. But in this life, she had barely secured it by risking her life on the 71st floor.

Though she didn't yet have all the skills from before, and her proficiency wasn't as high, it was still more than enough.

"…You really are a rat."

Vishnu snarled, clutching her wound.

"Hiding your form, striking from shadows—do you think you can clear the Deep Layers that way?!"

"Yes."

Lee Taeyeon replied.

Her gaze held an unshakable certainty, as if she had seen the future.

Even Vishnu unconsciously flinched at that look.

"…Don't be ridiculous!"

Vishnu ground her teeth.

Yes, Lee Taeyeon had disappeared from her senses a few times.

But that didn't mean she'd lose. Vishnu still had many cards she hadn't used yet.

Flames converged around her. The concentrated fire turned white.

"Behold! This is the world granted to a Spirit King!"

The white light exploded, consuming the space.

[Vishnu has activated King's World.]

The space was overwritten. The laws of the world twisted, and the air transformed.

Lee Taeyeon realized—

The 72nd floor of the labyrinth had become Vishnu's world.

"Hide all you want! Skulk like a rat! I'll burn the entire world!"

"Wow…"

Lee Taeyeon clicked her tongue.

"So Taesan beat this head-on, huh? How did he manage that?"

This was Vishnu's full power.

With [King's World] activated, Lee Taeyeon couldn't possibly win.

It was a skill that created an overwhelming gap—one that guaranteed defeat a hundred times over.

She genuinely admired it.

"Amazing."

"Die, rat!"

Just as Vishnu tried to engulf the world in flame—

[Lee Taeyeon has activated Choice Exclusion.]

The fire that consumed the world was extinguished.

Vishnu's [King's World] was canceled.

"Well, I could just not fight."

".W-What?"

[King's World] was powerful.

But in the end, it was still a mortal skill.

If one had divine authority, it could be erased without resistance.

"This should do it."

[You have activated Hundred Possibilities.]

A hundred potential outcomes were assessed.

The result: 100 losses.

"Even sealing your King's World results in total defeat? The gap's still that wide, huh."

[You have activated Hundred Exclusions.]

[You have activated Hundred Possibilities.]

[You have activated Hundred Exclusions.]

The skills activated repeatedly.

Over ten times in a row, without pause.

"…What is that skill?"

Finally recovering from the shock, Vishnu stammered.

A skill called [Hundred Possibilities]—she'd never heard of it, nor could she guess its effect.

Lee Taeyeon answered.

"A skill that not even Taesan has—mine alone."

"Taesan?"

Vishnu didn't know who Taesan was. Lee Taeyeon shrugged.

"He's a monster. I can't use this much because it drains too much mana and mental energy."

That's why she used it only after drawing out Vishnu's trump cards.

She activated [Hundred Possibilities] twenty-four times.

A total of 2,324 potential outcomes.

1,242 losses.

1,081 draws.

1 win.

She found the path.

Lee Taeyeon opened her inventory. In her hand was a pouch of ash-gray powder.

"Well then, shall we go again, Spirit King?"

She charged at Vishnu.

—

[You have activated Magic Stacking.]

[You have activated Great Collapse.]

[You have activated Great Collapse.]

[You have activated Great Collapse.]

[You have activated Magic Liberation.]

Stacked magic was unleashed.

The condensed spheres swept through the battlefield, instantly wiping out thousands of monsters.

[Your level has increased.]

But new monsters filled the void just as quickly.

Taesan, exhausted, drew in [Magi].

[You have activated Baal's Surge of the Sevenfold Black Space.]

The blackened space surged, erasing the monsters once again.

He had conquered the 87th floor non-stop for ten days.

As a result, he had cleared most of the monsters here.

But still, it wasn't over.

Even Taesan was growing weary.

'There's no meaningful skill to gain here.'

It was just a large battlefield. The monsters were nothing special—mostly brute-force types.

He had already acquired nearly all the skills such a setting could offer.

Still, the sheer number of monsters allowed him to sync better with Bardray and sharpen their coordination. Most importantly, Bardray's attack power continued to grow.

[Prince of a Ruined World: Bardray]

[Prince of the fallen empire of Cabert. Bardray. Reborn with a sword as his body.]

[Attack Power +2596]

Perhaps due to the strength of his opponents, the growth was modest—just under +100 attack despite slaying so many.

But it was still a satisfying increase.

And just then, a messenger bird arrived.

"This…"

It was from Haphran.

The message was simple—his request was complete and he should come.

The ring he had commissioned was ready.

There was no reason to delay.

Taesan quickly cleared the 87th floor.

[87th Floor Cleared.]

[You have obtained Statue of a Snake Nestled in Darkness.]

[You have obtained ???]

[Statue of a Snake Nestled in Darkness]

[A sculpture of a serpent coiled in the abyss. No one knows who made it or what it was carved from. But despite being just a statue, it contains a terrifying power that is dreadful to even gaze upon.]

[You have used ???]

[You have obtained Ring of the Deeply Slumbering Gold.]

[Ring of the Deeply Slumbering Gold]

[HP +3000]

[MP +500]

[Strength +50]

[Agility +500]

[Attack Power +300]

[Defense +300]

[Once a ring that shone like the sun, it has been consumed by darkness. The power within is now deeply muddled and corrupted.]

After confirming the rewards, Taesan ascended.

His steps were faster than usual.

He arrived at Haphran's forge.

There, a tired but bright-eyed Haphran was waiting.

"You're here. It's ready. Let's begin."