Ascension Through Skills

Bradley glared at Taesan.

With hostility and suspicion, he grabbed the ornate sword at his waist.

“Remarkable. An assassin who sneaks into my chamber without causing the slightest disturbance! Who hired someone as skilled as you?”

Taesan didn’t answer.

He briefly glanced to his side.

[Oh...]

As always, the ghost was there. He groaned softly as he looked at the prince, who bore his appearance.

Bradley, with the body of a human.

And Bradley, dead, with the form of a ghost.

“I killed all of my brothers with my own hands… A servant of the gods? It doesn’t matter.”

Bradley drew his sword.

“I’ll cut off your limbs and interrogate you later!”

He charged, the storm-like strike of his sword rushing toward Taesan.

“What do you think?”

Taesan asked as he dodged. The ghost muttered.

[...That’s me. Exactly me from the past.]

“So, I was right.”

The quest he had received was to defeat the Demon King and save the destroyed world from his memory.

In other words, this place was already a destroyed world from the past. And the subject of those memories was none other than the ghost.

Clang!

The sword swung wildly, aiming for Taesan’s throat and chest like a wolf.

It was similar to the storm-scarred swordsmanship the ghost had shown him, but far more clumsy and full of openings. The ghost clicked his tongue.

[What a mess. He should’ve aimed for the legs, not the chest. And he stopped after just two strikes? He should’ve attacked three times in a row.]

“You know that’s your past self, right?”

[Yeah, but it’s still frustrating. Seeing it like this is kind of embarrassing.]

Clang!

Taesan bent his waist to dodge the swinging sword. Bradley’s expression hardened. He planted his feet and poured more strength into his sword.

“Still, not bad.”

For a human who hadn’t descended into the labyrinth, his skill was quite high.

Taesan reached out his hand. The swinging sword was caught in his grip.

“What?!”

[Don’t break it, okay?]

“Does it matter? This is just a memory.”

[It does matter. If you break it, you and that guy will become perfect enemies.]

Looking closely, the sword Bradley swung was the same as Taesan’s Calvert Relic. Following the ghost’s advice, Taesan pulled on the sword.

“Ugh!”

Bradley didn’t let go. It was a feat only a trained warrior could manage.

But the cost of his persistence was his body being flung into the air.

Bradley gasped in shock at Taesan’s overwhelming strength.

Taesan twisted his hand, seizing the sword. He pointed it at Bradley’s neck as he lay on the ground.

“…You’re strong.”

Bradley glared at Taesan. His entire body was drenched in sweat, but Taesan’s breathing didn’t waver.

“To think that someone like you is merely an assassin. What a sad fate. If you were a subject of the Empire, you would’ve been honored.”

Bradley closed his eyes with a sigh of lament.

“Congratulations. You’ve achieved your goal. Kill me.”

Bradley calmly accepted his death, and Taesan stared at him in silence.

Naturally, Taesan had no intention of killing Bradley.

The quest was to defeat the Demon King, and Bradley was likely an ally.

But things had gone wrong from the start.

Rigrit had summoned Taesan to Bradley’s chamber, and Bradley had naturally assumed that Taesan was an assassin.

The misunderstanding had to be cleared up, but there was no clear way to do so. Bradley opened his eyes when he didn’t feel the sensation of the sword pressing against his throat.

“…What are you doing? Do you plan to take me hostage?”

“No.”

“Then kill me. If I am to die by the hand of a strong warrior like you, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

Bradley closed his eyes again. As Taesan was thinking of a way, the ghost spoke up.

[Do as I say.]

The ghost had told Taesan how to convince Bradley. After listening quietly, Taesan spoke.

“I have no intention of killing you.”

Taesan withdrew the sword.

“I am not your enemy.”

“It’s hard to believe the words of someone who has invaded my private chamber.”

“I know. That’s why I intend to earn your trust.”

Recalling the ghost’s advice, Taesan spoke smoothly.

“I’ve come to find you to defeat the Demon King, Prince of the Calvert Empire.”

Bradley opened his eyes at Taesan’s words.

“You must know. The Demon King will soon be born and will invade the world.”

“…How do you know that?”

Bradley’s eyes filled with shock and doubt. What Taesan had just said was information that hadn’t spread to the world, known only to the royal family.

Taesan continued speaking.

“You must also know of the hero, Kariat.”

“…Yes.”

Hero Kariat. A hero who had appeared long ago in this world. He defeated the Demon King who had invaded the world and became its ruler.

But Kariat had fallen into madness during his battle with the Demon King. He killed countless people and sought power for himself.

All of humanity had come together to barely defeat Kariat and killed all those who bore his bloodline. Even now, speaking of him was forbidden.

“I am a descendant of Kariat.”

Bradley’s pupils widened at Taesan’s words.

“As a prince of the Empire, you must know. The lineage of Kariat has not been entirely extinguished.”

“…Yes, I know.”

During the purge of Kariat’s bloodline, there were those who managed to escape. It was a fact known to only a select few in the Empire.

The details Taesan spoke of were things only the true heir could know. Bradley’s gaze gradually softened.

“All descendants of Kariat have black hair and black eyes, right?”

Taesan ran his hand through his hair.

“Because of those undeniable traits, we were always persecuted. I came to you to restore the honor that our ancestors tarnished. That is why I sought you out, Prince of the Empire. I have heard that you do not discriminate against our bloodline.”

“I apologize for sneaking into your chamber. It was the only way I could meet you.”

“It’s fine.”

The prince muttered as he stood.

“If you truly are a descendant of Kariat, there would have been no other way to enter here. I will forgive you.”

Bradley smiled faintly.

“You’re bold. It’s true that I’ve spoken often about your bloodline, but to come all the way here on that alone? And that strength… quite impressive.”

There was no longer any doubt in his eyes.

Only favor and trust remained toward Taesan.

‘It worked.’

Every word Taesan had spoken was from the ghost’s advice. Although he had spoken with uncertainty, Bradley had truly begun to trust him.

[That guy is me, after all.]

The ghost spoke indifferently.

[I know exactly what he’s thinking, what he wants to hear, and what he desires. Gaining his trust was never hard.]

The most important issue had been resolved.

From here, things wouldn’t be too difficult. Bradley clicked his tongue as he glanced around.

“But this is troublesome.”

His chamber was completely ruined.

The decorations on the walls and the carpets were cut and shattered from the battle. It looked more like a ruin than a chamber.

With this much noise, it wouldn’t be strange if someone came to check. Indeed, there was soon a knock at the door.

“Your Highness, is everything alright?”

“There was a bit of commotion. Come in.”

“Pardon me.”

A maid entered as the door opened. She glanced around the ruined chamber once, then looked at Taesan twice in shock.

“…Your Highness? What on earth…”

“I said there was a bit of commotion. There’s no problem.”

“But that man…”

She looked confused as she glanced at Taesan’s black hair and eyes. Bradley straightened his clothes and spoke.

“Do not cause a fuss. He is my guest.”

“W-What?”

The maid’s eyes widened.

She stammered as she stared at Taesan.

“Your Highness, who exactly is this…”

“Since when have you been allowed to question my words?”

Bradley quietly smiled as he spoke. The maid flinched and trembled before bowing her head.

“My apologies.”

“Leave. And guide him to a guest room.”

“W-What? Yes…”

The maid, flustered, stood straight but quickly bowed again at Bradley’s cold gaze.

Bradley looked around his chamber and said,

“My apologies. I need to clean up first. We will continue our conversation afterward.”

“Understood.”

“Then, lead him. He is my guest, so if you treat him poorly, I will not forgive you.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

The maid followed Bradley’s instructions and led Taesan out into the hallway.

As she walked ahead, she constantly glanced at Taesan. Fear was evident in her expression.

Taesan asked her, “What year is it?”

“It is the Imperial Year 876…”

“I see.”

Taesan nodded. The maid, trembling, guided Taesan to a room.

“If you need anything, just ring the bell at any time.”

With those words, she quickly left. Taesan sat on the bed and spoke.

“What do you think?”

[The great empire. It’s been 876 years since Calvert established itself here. If my memory is correct, the Demon King shows up in the year 877. From what I saw of the scenery outside while passing through the hallways... there’s about three months left.]

Three months until the Demon King’s invasion.

The ghost muttered bitterly.

[How distasteful. Really.]

The ghost’s world had been destroyed by the Demon King. He couldn’t prevent the invasion that happened three months later, and he ended up in the labyrinth.

Now, he was here, meeting his past self and watching the Demon King’s invasion unfold again.

[The God of Regret... certainly lives up to his name. I still don't like him.]

After taking a moment to compose himself, the ghost began to speak.

[The quest is to defeat the Demon King. It probably means you’re supposed to help my past self achieve that.]

“The Demon King.”

Taesan had his own questions about it.

“There was a Demon King in the demon realm as well.”

And that power wasn’t particularly great.

Of course, it was strong and formidable, but it couldn’t touch Taesan.

If it was at that level, Taesan could take care of it on his own. But the ghost denied Taesan’s assumption.

[The Demon King of the demon realm and the Demon King here are different beings that just share the same title. Think of it as a kind of system device.]

“A system?”

[Remember when you fought the fragment of the world-destroying wolf on the 51st floor? How was it?]

“It was quite strong.”

Even though it was merely a fragment, it possessed enough power to make Taesan struggle.

[It’s a similar entity. It exists to destroy worlds. It’s hard to compare exactly, but... even with your current strength, you’d have a hard time winning.]

“And I’m supposed to defeat that?”

Even Taesan, who was descending the deeper layers, would have trouble winning. It meant it was practically impossible to face such an opponent in the outside world. It was hard for Taesan to comprehend such an enemy appearing.

The ghost spoke again.

[I told you, it’s a system device. There’s a prophecy about the Demon King. Only by fulfilling that prophecy can you claim victory.]

The ghost began to recite the prophecy.