The crystallized power materialized in front of Taesan as a blue gemstone.
The gem slowly descended onto Taesan's hand. A cold sensation filled his palm as the stone settled in his grasp.
"[You have obtained crystallized divine blood.]"
"Divine blood, huh."
"[This is a part of my power. How you choose to use it is entirely up to you,]" Maria said leisurely.
"[You could integrate it into your own body or use it as a material to forge a weapon. But for now, it might be beyond your reach.]"
Taesan looked at the crystallized divine blood.
The divine blood, resembling a blue gem, seemed stable, yet it held an overwhelming strength that was terrifying to behold.
The power it contained was so immense that even Taesan in his current state couldn't hope to control it.
"[This crystallized divine blood is unlike anything else in the world. It’s a one-of-a-kind reward, given only to you.]"
"Thank you."
It was as Maria had said. Divine blood was a power that no one could possess unless they were born with it. The Emperor had tried to obtain divine blood through a sacrificial ritual, but there was no guarantee it would have succeeded.
Taesan had acquired a power that could not be obtained through ordinary means. That alone made it immensely valuable.
"[It’s both a reward and an expectation. Grow strong enough to wield it. Then you’ll understand its true worth.]"
Maria chuckled softly.
"[This is my reward for your success in the trials. You must have questions. Ask them.]"
"Then, if you’ll permit me."
Taesan opened his inventory.
He held a small ornament shaped like a flower, with seven colorful petals shimmering like a rainbow.
---
**[Maria’s Gift]**
*[A gift bestowed by a god to a favored human. Currently holds no effect.]*
---
"What exactly is this for?"
This was a reward Maria had given him when they first met.
That was a long time ago. Back then, he had only reached the 12th floor and was weaker than either Taeyeon Lee or Kang Junho in their current state.
Yet, despite receiving this gift from Maria, he hadn’t been able to use it. Every time he recalled it, he tried using appraisal skills, but nothing ever came up.
"[So that’s what you’re asking. Alright, I’ll answer,]" Maria said, her voice slow and measured.
"[This gift can’t be used alone. You can use it when you encounter someone connected to you.]"
"...Someone connected to me?"
Everyone connected to him had died. After all, he had rewound time.
And Maria knew that as well.
When they first met, she had told him he had come back in time, having been tangled with ancient gods and making a mistake—a mistake he had corrected by going back in time with the help of the regurgitated serpent.
Yet here she was, talking about someone connected to him.
Taesan’s gaze darkened.
Maria smiled quietly.
"[Let’s leave that as something to look forward to.]"
With those words, Maria’s presence began to recede.
"[I’ll be waiting for you in a deeper place. Come down soon.]"
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With that soft whisper, Taesan returned to the labyrinth.
"Someone connected to me, huh."
His mind grew tangled. He absently played with the flower ornament.
---
There were still some questions lingering, but one thing was clear: he had cleared the 76th floor.
---
**[Crystallized Divine Blood]**
*[Stabilized divine blood in crystallized form. Will go berserk if handled by the unworthy.]*
---
The warning was clear, and Taesan could sense it as well. Though it was a reward, he couldn’t use it just yet.
For now, all he could do was hold onto it, but the value of this divine blood made it a reward beyond measure. As Maria said, it was something to consider once he grew stronger.
And then there were the rewards for clearing the 76th floor.
---
**[Armor Forged in Deep Darkness]**
*Strength +900*
*Defense +900*
*Dark Magic +30*
*Dark Magic Resistance +10*
*[Forged for fun by a dark magic user within their domain. Though it was made as a joke, it contains immense power.]*
---
The armor had clearly been crafted by a demon, who had also created dark magic. As expected, it had attributes related to dark magic and resistance to it.
---
**[Rough Gemstone Anklet]**
*Strength +500*
*Attack Power +400*
*Defense +500*
*[One day, an unidentified gemstone fell onto a planet. Numerous blacksmiths tried to refine it, but those who attempted to handle it perished after a few strikes, unable to withstand its mysterious force. After countless lives were lost, it was finally shaped into an anklet.]*
---
As always, the basic clear rewards did not disappoint.
On top of that, his soul level had risen after defeating the Emperor.
"[Your spiritual ascendancy has activated. Your proficiency in divine power has increased by 3%.]"
Three percent in divine power. At first glance, it might not seem significant, but for Taesan, who understood its value, it was a tremendous increase.
Divine power had stopped progressing once it reached 81%. Despite the likely worship of him by numerous players back on Earth, it didn’t budge.
Once it reached 100%, he could attain his own divinity, which explained why progress was so slow.
And now, it had risen by 3%. This was more valuable than obtaining most skills.
Then there was a new skill:
---
**[Special Activation Skill: Law of Order]**
*Consumption ???: ???*
*Proficiency: 1%*
*[Summons the Domain of Order, enforcing its laws. However, the user’s current level and qualifications are insufficient to wield this power.]*
---
A soul skill. Its description was similar to that of the "King of Machinery." This alone was enough to understand its nature.
This was an authority granted only to the Apostle of the God of Order.
Taesan had acquired it through his spiritual ascendancy.
"[It works even on Transcendentals... truly hard to comprehend.]"
Spiritual ascendancy did not differentiate, whether one was a god, an ancient deity, or an Apostle; it could take their power.
It was a skill that defied understanding.
This reward was immense. Though he couldn’t use it yet, it implied that, with the necessary qualifications, he would be able to wield some of a god’s authority. The value was beyond compare.
Since he had defeated an Apostle, the effects of his "Apostleization" had also strengthened slightly.
With all rewards accounted for, Taesan decided it was time to check on something. He ascended to the next floor, where Hafran awaited him.
"You’re here. I was wondering when you’d show up."
"Is it finished?"
"Yes."
Taesan had entrusted Hafran with a pure light crystal he obtained in the spirit world. The creation was complete.
Hafran handed Taesan a shimmering piece of light.
"I considered various forms, but in the end, I settled on something simple but powerful."
---
**[Powder of Pure White Blessing]**
*[A powder imbued with blessings. Can be applied to a weapon to transfer its power to the weapon.]*
*Attack Power +200*
*Can activate [Light of the World] once per hour.*
---
**[Light of the World]**
*[Summons the primordial light of creation, repelling darkness and purging unclean beings.]*
---
"It will work well with the artifact you possess from Kabart."
"That’s good."
The pure attack boost was significant. Though he wasn’t sure of the extent of Light of the World’s effect, it seemed likely to be useful.
The powder would more than make up for the stats he lost after freeing the insane spirit. Taesan sprinkled the powder on his sword.
"Is that all?"
"No, I have another question."
Taesan showed him the black and white rings on his fingers.
"How exactly were these rings made?"
To use them as a set, he needed to understand their origins. Hafran raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
"What exactly are you curious about?"
"The crafting process for the rings. Did you intend for them to be a pair from the start?"
"Not exactly."
Hafran shook his head.
"At first, I tried to make a single item. But the materials, being extremely powerful, repelled each other so violently that I almost lost my life."
The materials used for the rings were too potent for even Hafran to handle easily.
After much thought, he found a solution.
"I crafted two rings through identical processes. Though the materials differed, they were crafted with perfect symmetry. Using this resonance, the rings amplify and stabilize each other. That’s how these rings were made."
"They’re crafted identically?"
"Not a single deviation. They’re twins in the truest sense."
"Got it."
Two rings crafted to be identical.
That meant his plan was feasible. It was beyond him now, but the potential was there.
"That’s all I needed. Thanks."
"Considering that you provided the materials and asked for these, I’m happy to answer. Is that everything?"
"One last thing."
Taesan took out the crystallized divine blood to show Hafran.
"Can you refine this?"
"......"
Hafran stared at the divine blood, then scowled.
"You’re bringing me something that couldn’t even be found on the 90th floor. Do you really think that’s possible?"
"As expected."
Since he hadn’t held high expectations, Taesan put the divine blood back in his inventory.
"I
’m skilled, but I’m still mortal. Keep that in mind," Hafran muttered. With that, Taesan bid him farewell and descended the floors again.
As he was about to head to the 77th floor, a flurry of system messages suddenly appeared, filling his vision.
They were all related to the community. Taesan opened the community chat.
---
**[Amelia Erin [Alone]]**: “...Why are you guys back already?”
**[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]]**: “Well, we finished earlier than expected.”
**[Amelia Erin [Alone]]**: “Really? Then what about the Chinese players? I sensed something big happened there.”
**[Kang Junho [Alone]]**: “Oh, that? It’s a long story, but...”
**[Oliver Khan [Hard]]**: “Go ahead. We’ll have some downtime anyway.”
---
Many people were chatting in the community.
Taesan realized the truth. Players from other countries had also returned to the labyrinth after completing their trials.
---
"Faster than I expected."
He had assumed it would take at least half a year. But judging from the conversations, it seemed all countries had completed their quests.
Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junho were explaining the events in China to players from other countries.
---
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: “All done?”
**[Amelia Erin [Alone]]**: “Ah.”
**[Ichijo Eika [Hard]]**: “Oh, it’s been a while. We were wondering what you’ve been up to since we hadn’t heard anything from you.”
**[Kang Junho [Alone]]**: “That’s just how he is. We don’t know what he’s doing either.”
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: “No need for you to know.”
Taesan began to explain the situation with the True Dragon. Amelia fell silent after hearing the full account.
[Amelia Erin [Alone]]: “...It’s similar to my situation.”
[Kang Taesan [Alone]]: “It’s different. You descended the labyrinth by your own power.”
Even though the God of Descent aided her, Amelia ultimately broke through the labyrinth on her own strength. The True Dragon, on the other hand, had relied entirely on an immortal being.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]]: “It’s a good time for this.”
It had been quite a while since they’d all spoken in the community. Kang Junho and Lee Taeyeon had likely descended far into the labyrinth by now. The same would be true for players in Hard Mode.
Taesan thought it would be a good time to regroup and get an update from everyone.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]]: “Let’s hear it. What progress have you all made?”