As Taesan descended further into the labyrinth, he reflected on the progress and experiences of others.
Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junho began to speak up first.
**[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]]**: "We’ve made it down to the 40th floor."
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "Impressive speed."
**[Amelia Erin [Alone]]**: "...Already?"
Amelia was quietly shocked. While she was completing Earth’s quest, Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junho had managed to catch up at an astonishing pace.
**[Kang Junho [Alone]]**: "It really helped that you shared all those tips. There were a few dangerous encounters, but we managed to get through without too much trouble."
It seemed that they had reached a stable point, and as long as they stayed vigilant, they wouldn’t face any major obstacles for a while.
**[Kim Huiyeon [Hard]]**: "We’ve also made it down pretty far. The fastest players are in the mid-60s."
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "Not bad."
**[Kim Huiyeon [Hard]]**: "But we’re starting to get stuck. It looks like progress will slow down from here."
Just as the deeper levels of the "Alone" mode presented a sudden spike in difficulty, "Hard" mode was proving to be similar. It seemed they’d be struggling here for a while.
**[Amelia Erin [Alone]]**: "I need to hurry down, or I’ll be left behind."
**[Daniel Darmon [Hard]]**: "We just got back, so there’s not much we can do about it."
**[Kang Junho [Alone]]**: "But when’s the next return quest? We feel like it should come up soon."
**[Oliver Khan [Hard]]**: "We only just returned to the labyrinth. I doubt it’ll be so soon."
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**[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]]**: "Taesan, do you know anything?"
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "I have no idea."
Taesan didn’t know what would happen. Many things had changed from his previous life, so his memories were no longer as useful as they once were.
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "It could be soon, or it could be much later. Just be prepared."
**[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]]**: "Understood."
**[Kang Junho [Alone]]**: "Oh, by the way, how far have you made it down?"
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "77th floor."
**[Amelia Erin [Alone]]**: "...Seriously?"
The community chat became lively with surprise.
**[Oliver Khan [Hard]]**: "Whoa. That’s unimaginable. How powerful are you at that level?"
**[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]]**: "Are you going to clear it soon?"
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "Still a long way to go."
It was possible that the remaining floors could take as much time as he had already spent in the labyrinth.
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "But I’ll finish before you guys do."
**[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]]**: "So, will you return to Earth ahead of us, or wait at the 100th floor?"
**[Kang Taesan [Alone]]**: "Not sure."
Taesan himself wasn’t certain about that yet.
After a bit more conversation, Taesan closed the community chat.
In his current state, he could return faster than anyone else.
How he would handle the time difference was one question.
And then, how he would restore the broken Earth was another.
The polluted air, the decayed lands, the desolate ground, and the dried-up seas.
In his past life, he hadn’t given these things much thought. The primary goal was survival, protecting small pockets of land and staying alive against the monsters. Everything else had been secondary.
But now, things were different.
What Taesan wanted wasn’t just survival. He wanted to drive out the ancient gods from Earth and reclaim it.
To rebuild civilization, cultivate the land, and raise future generations.
That was the real reason he had turned back time.
Labyrinth players could withstand the polluted air with their enhanced bodies. Though farming was impossible on the dead land, limited food could still be produced. But newborn children would be unable to survive the poisonous air.
Basic survival methods wouldn’t suffice.
Without living animals, there was no meat. Simply staying alive wouldn’t allow Earth to thrive again.
He could use items from the labyrinth, but they were localized solutions. The damage to Earth’s very foundation was too severe for quick fixes.
“What should I do?”
There was much to consider. For now, he believed he would find the answers by continuing deeper into the labyrinth.
Taesan descended to the 77th floor.
**[77th Floor Quest Start]**
**[Stabilize a world pushed to the brink of destruction by an ancient god.]**
**[Reward: Bloody Hammer of the Ruthless One]**
**[Secret Reward: Varies based on your achievements]**
“Hmm?”
Taesan narrowed his eyes as he read the quest description.
A world on the brink of destruction.
After a brief thought, Taesan nodded. As soon as he accepted, his body warped through space.
With a soft *thud*, Taesan landed on solid ground.
He felt the presence of polluted air.
And the feel of the decayed earth beneath his feet.
And, above all, the look of utter despair on people’s faces.
Taesan understood immediately. This place was a mirror of Earth on the brink of its collapse.
The toxic air stung his lungs.
For someone as powerful as Taesan, it wasn’t a problem. Even an ordinary human would be able to withstand it for a while.
But over time, the pollution would build up, damaging both body and mind.
**[So this is the quest?]**
“Do you know about it?”
**[You know how the ancient gods want to destroy worlds, right? Many planets with life have been shattered because of them.]**
Taesan nodded. After clearing Bequesta’s quest, a demon had told him that 258 worlds had already fallen to the ancient gods.
By now, that number had likely increased.
**[The gods don’t just sit by and let it happen. They protect vulnerable worlds and try to drive the ancient gods away. You’ve done a similar quest, haven’t you?]**
The quest from Zervand, the God of Magic, to save the world of the Proud Giants.
That world was under attack by an ancient god.
**[So, each god protects their respective worlds. Sometimes they succeed, other times they don’t, and the world falls. And sometimes, even when they manage to protect it, the world is left scarred and desolate.]**
“Is that what this place is?”
The people’s faces were devoid of hope. The spirit confirmed it.
**[This quest isn’t focused on combat. The goal is to restore this broken world and stabilize it.]**
Taesan gathered his magic and activated Leraje’s domain detection. Information about the planet flooded into his mind.
The land people lived on was about the size of a single city. A considerable number of people were living here.
His domain detection extended beyond the city.
He sensed no creatures of the ancient god nearby. Given the range of his detection, it seemed safe to assume there weren’t any in the vicinity.
The goal was to stabilize this place.
But how?
As Taesan considered this, someone called out to him.
“You there, young man.”
An old man gestured at him from within a ragged tent.
Taesan approached the old man.
“Who are you? I don’t recognize you. Are you from another city?”
“Another city?”
“...You don’t know?”
The old man’s eyes widened.
“Are you someone who came from the outside?”
He was likely asking if Taesan had managed to survive and reach this place from the outside. Taesan nodded.
The old man chuckled and stroked his beard.
“Ho. I thought all survivors outside the city were dead, but here you are. Meeting you must be fate. Come along, and I’ll tell you about this place.”
The old man led Taesan to a dilapidated hut.
“Would you like some?”
The old man offered him a rusted bowl filled with some kind of murky, lumpy soup.
Taesan declined with a shake of his head. The old man chuckled and sat on a broken chair.
“It’s been ages since I’ve met a survivor. But it’s your bad luck to end up in this broken city after all you’ve endured.”
“Are there multiple cities?”
“Yes.”
The old man took a sip of his soup.
“This is one of the last human cities, called Verazian—a gathering place for those who’ve been abandoned. We barely cling to life here.”
The old man’s tone was bitter. His words gave Taesan insight.
“The other cities must be better off than this one.”
“There are five cities in total.”
The old man slowly began to explain.
“Each city is controlled by a different faction, and they’re all at odds with one another. The four other cities have almost equal power—except for us.”
Just then, a young boy came into the shabby tent, looking worn.
“Grandpa! I’m back!”
The boy
’s eyes widened when he saw Taesan.
“...Who’s he?”
“He’s an outsider who came from beyond the city.”
The boy’s eyes widened in surprise.
“An outsider? There are survivors outside?”
“I was just as surprised.”
“Why would he come to our city of all places? He should have gone somewhere else. What bad luck.”
The boy opened a bag and took out a piece of moldy bread.
“Look, Grandpa. I was lucky enough to find some bread today. I dug it up from deep underground.”
The boy handed the bread to the old man as though it were a rare treasure. The bread was so covered in mold that finding a clean part was nearly impossible.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t share this with you.”
The boy glared at Taesan defensively, as if losing this bread would mean the end of his world.
Taesan spoke.
“You’re a group that’s been cast out by the other factions, aren’t you?”
“They have no use for the elderly and children. So we were left to fend for ourselves. Anyone who resisted them was sent here as well.”
The old man rubbed his back.
“We don’t have any power. But even if life is hard, we can’t let it go to waste. We’re doing everything we can to survive here.”
Taesan quietly listened to the old man’s words.
After bidding farewell to the old man, Taesan wandered around the city.
The conditions inside were far worse than he had imagined.
The people struggled to survive each day with hardly any food, clothing, or shelter.
Finding fertile ground was nearly impossible. They couldn’t produce fresh food, so they barely scraped by on what remained from before.
“What should I do?”
Taesan thought quietly.
The quest required him to restore stability to this place.
Stability here meant more than just surviving day-to-day.
It meant creating sustainable food supplies, raising children, and giving people the hope to build a future.
For that to happen, Taesan needed to take charge of the city’s management.
He’d have to find ways to expand their territory, purify the air, and create livable land.
Taesan realized something.
This quest was not only about helping this world—it was also a test of how he would restore Earth after everything was over.