Ascension Through Skills

[You have passed the fourth trial. Your Agility increases by 2 as a reward.]

Each time a trial was passed, the shadow transformed into an adventurer from the next floor.

The shadow took on a human form as the fifth trial began.

An adventurer from the 5th floor. Suitably, it had a rather fast speed as its sword strike plunged down towards Taesan.

Kang.

It was strong. With a brute force clearly beyond human limits, it held a power capable of easily flinging a car.

Taesan applied force to his arm, and the sword held by the shadow screamed and split in two.

[You have passed the fifth trial. Your Strength increases by 2 as a reward.]

And then the sixth trial began.

The adventurer from the 6th floor was faster and stronger. It also started using skills.

[The shadow activates a Vicious Thrust.]

“So from here, they start using activated skills?”

The 6th floor. It was not strange to start using one or two skills.

It was not a good skill. Vicious Thrust was a skill that only applied about 10% extra damage upon successful thrust. Taesan knew how to acquire it but didn’t because he didn’t need it.

The acquisition method was thrusting into the air 100 times in the same posture.

Instead of swinging his sword, Taesan made some distance and waved his hand.

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

Zheong!

A massive piece of ice flew toward the shadow. The shadow blocked it, but it shattered just like its sword.

[You have activated Blazing Orb.]

Poeong!

Two spells.

And then the shadow disappeared.

[You have passed the sixth trial. Your Mana increases by 2 as a reward.]

It was still at a level that could be handled with magic alone. Taesan checked his mana.

All the expended mana was fully recovered.

Every time he passed a trial, all of his resources were restored. Judging from how he felt, it seemed like even mental fatigue had disappeared.

‘I can try various things.’

Kkulrong.

A shadow appeared.

An adventurer from the 7th floor.

Taat.

It was definitely fast. It was moving at a speed that would be hard to follow with the eyes of an ordinary person.

Although it could easily avoid something like an arrow, Taesan calmly used magic.

[You have activated Blazing Orb.]

Poeong!

Another ability acquired while learning magic.

He had gained the ability to control the speed of magic.

The ball of fire, which would originally only move at a speed similar to an arrow, moved so swiftly that one would think it had disappeared.

The shadow desperately twisted its body to avoid it. However, it was inevitable that the tip of its arm was grazed and started to burn.

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

[You have activated Confusion.]

Zheojeong!

With the activation of mental magic, it could no longer dodge. The shadow’s body was skewered and disappeared.

[You have passed the seventh trial. Your Strength increases by 3 as a reward.]

“This is quite significant too.”

Although minor, the frequent occurrence of the reward made it a considerable gain.

The Trials of Oman had you sequentially facing adventurers starting from the 1st floor. This method could have been shared in the Community. One could try as far as they could and then quit.

But that was a story once he cleared all of them.

Taesan activated magic as he faced the newly-appeared shadow.

[You have activated Blazing Orb.]

The shadow charged and narrowly avoided the Blazing Orb.

The 8th floor. If we went by the floor, it would be on the same level as him. It seemed capable of avoiding at least one spell.

As the shadow approached Taesan, it swung its sword and activated a skill.

[The Shadow has activated Deflect. The next attack will be diverted.]

“Hmm?”

From here on, it seemed to be able to use decent skills as well. Taesan swung his sword. The moment it came into contact with the shadow, his body was forcibly twisted.

Matching that, he bent his body and swung his arm backward. The chaotic attack tore the shadow apart.

[You have passed the eighth trial. Your Mana increases by 4 as a reward.]

Deflect was a skill that forced an attack to miss. The direction of the force was diverted the moment it would make contact.

However, that direction was somewhat fixed. If used frequently, you could predict and minimize the loss of control, allowing for an attack to land.

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Proficiency in Deflection increases by 2%.]

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Your Strength permanently increases by 1. Your Agility permanently increases by 2.]

From here on, it seemed Soul Ascension would be activated as well. It was an unexpected increase in stats.

Taesan was excitedly expecting the next shadow, but nothing appeared.

“What the?”

A clear window should have popped up if it was over, but that wasn’t the case either. Taesan looked at the altar. The power he felt within was subtly fluctuating.

“Why is it not coming out?”

[This is amusing.]

The ghost seemed to have an inkling and chuckled.

[Oman only has permission to create shadows from the same floor. To progress further, a price must be paid. Didn't I mention this before? Gods value their area of influence greatly.]

“There was no such impression until now.”

Both Lakiratas and Balthasar willingly reduced their areas of influence.

[That's because you're an anomaly. And because they were powerful enough to afford that level of loss.]

“Oman doesn’t fit that description?”

[There is a clear disparity among Transcendents. It's probably giving him a headache right now. He must have mixed feelings about wanting to see more of your potential but not wanting to sacrifice his domain.]

Taesan folded his arms and waited. The power of the altar was still fluctuating, seemingly undecided.

“Should I just leave?”

If he remained still, it seemed like it would stay that way all day. It was the moment Taesan showed signs of leaving.

[Oman's area of influence has reduced.]

[Oman proposes an enhanced trial to you.]

[This is really amusing.]

The ghost burst out laughing.

It felt as if the god was hurriedly telling him not to leave. It was the moment his impression of the gods that he had held until now was shattered. Taesan nervously accepted the trial.

[Oman feels complex emotions.]

[Oman's Trial: Prove your strength.]

The shadow congeals again. It pointed its sword toward Taesan.

An adventurer from the 9th floor. A player who reached a place he had not yet reached.

The shadow charged towards Taesan.

Clang!

He could feel the weight of the sword. He could fend off the strike, but it was impossible to cut through with his own sword in one swift motion.

However, his opponent wasn’t stronger.

Taesan fended off the sword and pressed forward. The shadow tried to block it, but it couldn’t even properly resist the storm-like onslaught of sword attacks and collapsed.

[Ninth Trial passed. As a reward, your strength increases by 4.]

[Your skill, Soul Ascension, has been activated. Your proficiency in 'Flow' increases by 3%.]

[Your skill, Soul Ascension, has been activated. Your strength permanently increases by 3. Your agility permanently increases by 2.]

Once again, a shadow appeared. Seeing it take form piqued Taesan’s curiosity.

“What are these?”

They weren’t just toys created by the god. Each shadow had its own movements and habits. It implied they were remnants of someone.

[They are from diverse sources. Those who challenged the trial and lost. Those who made a pact. Those who passed away and dedicated their souls. They are their shadows.]

“So you’re saying they gather on each floor?”

[The history of the labyrinth is long. There are gods who have hundreds of slaves. Lakiratas is one of them.]

The shadow took form.

This time it was the 10th floor.

Taesan activated a spell.

[You activated the Blazing Orb.]

The shadow avoided the magic and rushed toward Taesan at an incredibly fast speed.

“If it’s Solo Mode’s 10th floor, it’s about the same level as Easy Mode’s clear, right?”

Clang.

Taesan fended off the sword.

[You activated Madness.]

[You activated the Blazing Orb.]

[You activated the Blazing Orb.]

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

The magic materialized in thin air.

Filling the space, it incinerated the shadow.

[Tenth Trial passed. As a reward, your strength increases by 5.]

Again, Soul Ascension was activated. Although it seemed no experience was given, the increase in stats felt undeniably satisfying.

And now, the 11th floor.

A power that managed to break through the 10th floor.

The shadow that had been staring at him blankly stepped onto the ground.

Koo-woong!

It was fast.

Definitely stronger. Taesan blocked the sword, and a sense of heaviness traveled up through his hand.

The labyrinth changed its theme every 10 floors. If the 1st to 10th floors were about living things, then the 11th to 20th floors were about the dead. The 21st to 30th floors were about strange things. And so on.

As such, you would become significantly stronger when you broke through the last floor of a theme.

Taesan deflected the sword.

[The shadow has activated the Flow skill. The next attack will be manipulated.]

[You have activated the Strong Strike. The next attack will deal major damage.]

Strong Strike ignored the Flow skill and forced an attack.

The shadow, who was pushing with his body, was cut down just like that. It floundered in resistance, but Taesan swung his sword, breaking through its defense and knocking it away.

With a minor commotion, the shadow falls.

[Eleventh Trial passed. As a reward, your strength increases by 4. Your agility increases by 2.]

[Your skill, Soul Ascension, has been activated. Your proficiency in 'Flow' increases by 3%.]

[Your skill, Soul Ascension, has been activated. Your strength permanently increases by 3. Your agility permanently increases by 4.]

It was gradually becoming less of a one-sided push; the shadow this time didn’t give him time to observe and rushed straight in. Taesan faced it head-on.

Their swords collided.

This time, he faced his opponent with swordsmanship alone, not magic.

The shadow didn’t remain passively taking the attack either.

It moved its body but couldn’t respond easily to higher-level swordsmanship. Five minutes later, the shadow disappeared.

And now, the 13th floor.

This time, he started using one skill after another, excluding Flow.

Taesan used magic along with it.

It took him ten minutes.

The 14th floor was easier than that.

He used various skills, but his movements were clumsy, perhaps because he was an adventurer who relied on them.

For Taesan, who knew how to respond, it was rather simple.

He was able to win after 20 minutes.

And now, the 15th floor.

Ka-ahng!

It was heavy and didn’t get pushed back easily.

“Is it starting from here?”

The 15th floor should be of the same level in terms of stats. It meant that Lee Taeyeon or Kang Junhyuk had to reach the 15th floor to barely keep up with him.

But Taesan had skills and magic.

[You have activated the Blazing Orb.]

Magic at zero distance. It couldn’t be avoided as the orb exploded.

[You have activated the Strong Strike.]

The attack crushed the shadow. The shadow tried to block it, but Taesan added more strength to the Strong Strike. The sword was pushed down, and its knee touched the ground.

The shadow barely blocked and countered, but Taesan didn’t block it.

[Your First Attack Absolute Nullification has been activated.]

The result of the attack was erased.

Taesan moved his sword.

[You have passed the fifteenth trial. As a reward, your strength increases by 6. Your agility increases by 5. Your mana increases by 4.]

In combination with the Soul Ascension, his stats had increased by almost 20. The increase in proficiency was a bonus.

“This is crazy.”

It was not just satisfactory.

The increase was insane.

With every shadow he killed, his stats noticeably increased. He had done this fifteen times already. His stats had increased by more than 60 from when he first started the trials.

Originally, it wouldn’t have been like this. It would’ve still been a decent level, as the trials would only progress up to the floor he was on.

But Taesan had Soul Ascension.

Moreover, a god’s pride enhanced the trials in the end.

It was too good.

It was a considerable reward compared to Lakiratas or Balthasar, but this was even more. It was a crazy growth in conjunction with his skills.

A new shadow appeared with a whistle.

Clang.

The adventurer of the 16th floor.

The shadow pressed on, and its stats were higher than Taesan’s.

Using Flow, Breathless Attack, and Unyielding Will, the shadow pressured Taesan.

Taesan, too, moved his sword with a serious expression.

Ka-ga-gak!

He swung his sword and struck. Using the Storm Scar sword technique, he restricted the opponent’s movement and secured advantageous positions.

He also intermittently cast magic, obscuring the opponent’s vision and hindering their movement.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

[You have activated Strong Strike.]

Ka-ga-gak!

With his accelerated body and enhanced strength, Taesan struck down roughly. The shadow smoothly moved the sword, blocked it, and counterattacked.

[Your First Attack Absolute Nullification has been activated.]

The attack was erased.

He poured all of his attacks on the shadow, which showed a bewildered expression.

He used magic, swordsmanship, and all of his skills.

The shadow fell.

[You have passed the sixteenth trial. As a reward, your strength increases by 6. Your agility increases by 5. Your intelligence increases by 3. Your mana increases by 5.]

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. The proficiency of Unyielding Will increases by 4%.]

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Your strength permanently increases by 5. Your agility permanently increases by 5.]