A grey desert. A colorless world of sand where nothing could be seen.
Taesan stepped into such a place.
As soon as his foot touched the desert, his skin dried up. Each step he took made the sandy ground sink like a swamp, and the small amount of oxygen left dwindled even more.
It would have been quite tough if he hadn’t acquired resistance skills. Taesan reduced his breathing more and more and covered his whole body with a robe.
‘How much further?’
He looked at the map. He was now halfway there.
Taesan slowly moved his steps.
He couldn’t run, only breathe and move forward. Nothing particularly strange had happened yet. Perhaps because of that, Taesan, who had become a little bored, asked a question he had been curious about.
“What’s the difference between adventurers and you guys?”
[Are you referring to contractors when you say 'you guys'?]
“Probably that.”
NPCs that existed within the labyrinth. They called themselves contractors.
Contractors and adventurers.
They were similar but different.
[Can't you guess it? It's the difference between those who are bound and those who are not.]
The ghost spoke.
[Adventurers, like you, can go outside. They have freedom. But contractors can't. Because they made a deal with the magician and are bound within the labyrinth.]
Contractors lived in the labyrinth and provided quests and assistance to adventurers.
[It's a kind of contract. I get a chance to fulfill my desire, but I'm tied to the labyrinth in exchange.]
“A wish?”
[I was killed by a backstabbing Ogre Sage. I made a contract for revenge. Lilis contracted to pursue the path of magic. The old man seeking a god made a contract to find his god.]
Everyone had something they passionately desired.
[The Dwarf in charge of the shop must also have something he wishes for. Hafran is no different. He undertook the role of a blacksmith because of his desire for something.]
That wish must lay here, where Taesan was.
“So, it’s about quests.”
[Since they can't leave the labyrinth themselves. They ask adventurers like you to do it for them.]
If he had managed to overcome the pressure of the Guides to Sin, he would certainly be stronger than Taesan was now. However, instead of returning to his ruined world himself, he made a request to Taesan through a quest. If he was bound by a contract, that would answer that question.
‘I kind of get it.’
The labyrinth was deep and difficult. As you descended each floor, various monsters tried to kill you, and the gods were extremely cruel and cold.
There was also a high chance that the adventurers you met occasionally would be hostile.
In a situation where there were no places to rest or allies, it would be hard for even someone with an iron will to endure.
So, it would be good to have a presence that did not oppose but showed goodwill. It would be even better if they were connected by mutual interest and could never betray you.
If there was a being that gave rewards after passing an appropriate trial, it would be a great strength.
The magician must have created the contractors for that reason.
[Whether it's mercy or something else, I don't know, but it wasn't a bad deal for me, so I accepted it. It's better than just dying.]
The ghost muttered as if it were an uncomfortable topic.
Taesan asked.
“What happens to the contractors?”
[It varies. In my case, the magician came to me directly. If you accept, you become a contractor. If not, you don't.]
“Who’s the magician?”
The one who created the labyrinth. He had the help of the gods, but such a vast space was… He might have been stronger than the transcendents.
After a moment of silence, the ghost spoke.
[I cannot answer.]
“Is it a secret?”
[Something like that. You'll naturally find out as you go down.]
It wasn’t an urgent matter, so he didn’t press further.
Around the middle of the desert, a wind suddenly arose before Taesan.
The wind, gathering the sands, gradually increased in size, eventually forming a massive sandstorm.
‘Is this a serious attempt to kill me?’
Creak!
Though he tried to avoid it, it was too big. The mountain-sized sandstorm swallowed Taesan at a fast pace.
The fierce wind tried to blow him away, and the sand struck Taesan’s body.
[You have activated 'Flow'.] [You have activated 'Sturdy'.]
He used skills, but they were meaningless. Most activated skills exerted great power against single attacks. They had little significance against countless attacks that came with a sandstorm.
“It’s not passing.”
He held out for quite a while, but the sandstorm was still swallowing Taesan.
[It's trying to kill only you, so there's no need for it to go elsewhere.]
Ultimately, he had to escape himself or erase the sandstorm. Taesan activated his Frost Arrow and sent it toward the center of the sandstorm, but nothing appeared.
He swung his sword around, but only sand struck it, with no other phenomena.
“Can’t I kill it?”
Although it was a natural phenomenon, he thought it could be alive in this special case, but it wasn’t.
Then, he had no choice but to escape. Taesan activated his magic.
[You have activated 'Slow'.]
The speed of the sandstorm slowed down a bit.
‘Skills targeting the object work.’
Crack.
Taesan planted his foot.
[You have activated 'Accelerate'.]
He charged against the wind. ‘Accelerate’ could only be activated with a target. This time, the target was the sandstorm itself.
Due to ‘Slow’, the slightly decelerated storm, combined with ‘Accelerate’, which increased his speed, his body raced forward.
He touched the ground again.
[You have activated 'Accelerate'.]
His body quickly escaped out of the sandstorm. The sandstorm tried to chase Taesan belatedly, but Taesan was already out.
“Phew.”
Taesan, who had escaped to a safe distance, brushed off the sand that stuck to his body. The sandstorm was swirling around as if not knowing what to do.
The distance was too far for it to chase and capture Taesan. It was able to swallow him up because it appeared right in front of him like a surprise attack, but the difference in speed was clear. The momentarily wavering sandstorm made a decision.
“Is it disappearing?”
[It must think that there's no value if it can't fulfill its purpose.]
The power of the sandstorm was gradually subsiding.
Eventually, only the scattered sands remained, and it disappeared.
And something from within it came to Taesan.
[Huh?] [Your 'Soul Ascension' has been activated. You have acquired the Concept Skill [???].]
Taesan murmured in surprise at the suddenly appearing system window.
“What?”
“Why was this activated?”
‘Soul Ascension.’ It seized the power of the opponent when he killed them. It was written like this, and it was also activated that way. Thus, Taesan thought ‘Soul Ascension’ was a skill that only activated against living opponents.
However, an activation occurred that negated his thoughts until now.
[Oh.]
The ghost looked stunned.
[...The sandstorm was sent to kill you. And it failed to kill you. So I can understand that it ended as if you won... but why 'Soul Ascension'?]
“Don’t you think I’m surprised too?”
Taesan was just as flustered.
“But what kind of skill is this?”
[Concept Skill: ???] [Proficiency: 3%] [???]
Only ‘???’ was written, and there was nothing else. The only information he could understand was that it was a ‘Concept Skill’.
“What is a ‘Concept Skill’?”
[I've never seen it before, either.]
It was a skill that even the ghost didn’t know about. If the ghost who had delved deep into the depths didn’t know, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that most adventurers in the labyrinth wouldn’t know either.
The ghost, who was deep in thought, let out a moan.
[Could it be...?]
“Do you have some kind of idea?”
[I do, but...]
The ghost shook its head.
[I'm not sure yet. I'll tell you when I've figured it out a bit more.]
It seemed like the ghost wasn’t certain yet. Although it was surprising because it was unexpected, looking at it coolly, it was a situation where a new skill was easily obtained. It was not a bad thing for Taesan.
Taesan went further. He managed to get out of the desert without any particular problems, passed the plains, and, as a result, he could see a huge cliff.
With a loud crash, the cliff collapsed. The falling fragments defied gravity and began to fly toward Taesan like a cannonball.
‘I’m having all sorts of experiences.’
Being attacked by a crumbling cliff was something to talk about for a long time.
[You have activated 'Mental Acceleration'.]
Taesan swung his sword with a serious look in his eyes, batting away the incoming rocks.
He effectively mixed the ‘Dance of the Sword’ and ‘Wolf’s Fang’, batting each one away. While the entire cliff had crumbled and the rocks poured like rain, he batted them away with calmness, mental acceleration, and swordsmanship.
Although he was batting them away without much difficulty, there were simply too many. His fingertips began to tingle. Taesan swung his hand with a grimace.
Crash.
A rock the size of a house broke into fragments. A slight scrape appeared on the back of his hand.
They weren’t just simple rocks. Whether it’s because of the will of the world, they were penetrating Taesan’s defense.
Something appeared to Taesan, who was blocking with gritted teeth.
“What’s that?”
Inside the crumbled cliff was ash-colored energy in the form of a circle.
[Huh? What's what?]
“Over there on the cliff.”
[I... can't see anything?]
It seemed to be visible only to Taesan.
‘Is it because of the skill?’
It could be visible because of the ??? skill he obtained after the sandstorm disappeared.
After briefly thinking, Taesan put strength into his feet.
[You have activated 'Acceleration'.]
He charged towards the rocks that were falling like meteorites. He swung his sword to bat them away and kicked up with his feet. He avoided what he couldn’t block and took with his body what he couldn’t avoid, quickly approaching the cliff.
The rocks fell fiercely as if commanding not to come any closer, but it was already too late.
Taesan stabbed the ash-colored energy with his sword.
The rocks, which had been falling with a will of their own, started to fall down under the influence of gravity. At the same time, the energy was absorbed by Taesan.
[Oh?] [Your 'Soul Ascension' has been activated. ??? 's proficiency has increased by 2%.]
It was clear. The ash-colored energy was attacking Taesan.
Perhaps it was something related to this place. Given that it wasn’t visible to the ghost, there was a high probability that the inhabitants of this place were also unaware of it.
“What kind of skill is this?”
[Conceptual Skill: ???] [Proficiency: 3%] [Will's???]
A word was added, but it still remained unknowable. Taesan grimly closed the skill window, and the ghost groaned inwardly.
[Is it... will?]
The ghost could not see the ash-colored energy, but he vaguely guessed at it. The destruction of Hafran’s world was because the star itself tried to kill the world.
The sandstorm that appeared this time to kill Taesan, the collapse of the cliff, was also part of that plot.
It was the will of the star that did not allow life to exist.
Against such a will, Taesan won. In a way, it could be said he achieved a victory.
So, he drained power from a defeated enemy. If thought of in this way, it wasn’t an impossible story.
[But……]
The ghost was perplexed.
[Is this a power that is allowed for humans?]
It was shocking when he found out about the ‘Soul Ascension’ skill. Every time Taesan defeated an enemy, his stats increased. Furthermore, if he won against an adventurer, he could even steal their skills.
This was not a minor thing. One could only obtain skills with a great deal of effort and talent. ‘Soul Ascension’ meant one could arbitrarily seize such skills.
Simply put, if Taesan defeated someone who had learned ‘Airak Martial Arts’, he could also acquire ‘Airak Martial Arts’.
However, there was a limit that the enemy had to be defeated.
Therefore, the ghost thought ‘Soul Ascension’ was a skill that required the enemies to be killed, physical or spiritual, to possess something and take what was inside them. Seen this way, it was a clearly defined skill.
[But... It's more sophisticated than that.]
The sandstorm and the collapse of the cliff could be seen as the will of the star, or rather, the world itself.
Taesan won against the will of the world.
So, ‘Soul Ascension’ had been stealing the power of the world.
It was not just a skill that robbed from the physical, but also from the conceptual.
And, the skill could not steal anything if it was of a lower level.
In other words, ‘Soul Ascension’ held a level higher than the will of the star itself.
[This is not so much a power permitted to a mortal…]
But to something higher.
Permitted only to transcendents…
“Is that the place?”
[Eh?]
“Is that our destination? It looks just like that.”
Taesan looked at the map. A colorless small forest was in sight.
The ghost, who had regained his senses, answered.
[Yes. I also took roots from a place like that.]
The ghost erased his thoughts. He still wouldn’t be trapped in a mortal body if he had truly reached that level.
[But could it be at the level just below that? I'm becoming more curious about the past.]
While the ghost was thinking on his own, Taesan went into the forest. The colorless trees were rustling, making threatening sounds, but Taesan paid no mind.
“Is that it?”
There was a huge tree in the middle of his path. It was so big that it was hard to think of it as a tree.
Interestingly, the roots of the tree were exposed outside, and their shape was irregularly distorted.
It was obvious at a glance.
That was the root of chaos.
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