“...What are you saying?”
Ainzhar couldn’t fully grasp Taesan’s words.
“There is no way to save her. I’ve read every book in this place and asked the labyrinth’s administrators.”
He hadn’t just waited idly by. Ainzhar had done everything in his power to restore the goddess. But nothing had worked.
Not even other transcendents could touch the power that had corrupted her.
But Taesan continued, unwavering.
“I might have a way.”
“...That’s... a cruel jest.”
Ainzhar’s face twisted with anger. He raised his sword reflexively, aiming it at Taesan’s neck.
“Hngh!”
Realizing it was Taesan he was attacking, Ainzhar forced himself to stop, though his hands still trembled.
“That power...?”
It was unmistakably the same twisted energy he’d sensed from the elder god that had consumed his goddess.
Taesan, however, contained that same dark power within himself. He combined it with his divine aura, a strange, greyish energy emerging as they mingled.
*Fwoooom!*
“Ah...”
Ainzhar’s voice wavered. Taesan’s power resembled the corrupted force tainting the goddess but was stable and fully under his control.
Taesan let the aura dissipate, then turned to Ainzhar.
“Now do you believe me?”
Ainzhar stared, speechless, at Taesan.
---
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Ainzhar, now composed, returned to Taesan with a grim expression.
He asked how Taesan had acquired such a power. And Taesan explained.
He told him about Earth.
About the elder god that had invaded his world.
About the faith that powered his abilities.
As the story unfolded, Ainzhar’s expressions shifted from shock to awe. Taesan finished his story with a straightforward statement.
“I possess the power of an elder god. And I also wield divine energy. By combining these forces, I’ve learned to control a hybrid power.”
“...Hah.”
Ainzhar let out a hollow laugh.
“You’ve... gone through more than I could ever have imagined.”
“Do you believe my power can save her?”
“...Yes.”
Ainzhar nodded. The power Taesan had displayed was indeed similar to that afflicting Levienoff. But unlike her twisted state, Taesan’s power was stable and fully within his control.
This meant that, theoretically, her condition might also be brought under control.
They didn’t yet know exactly how, but the possibility was there. Taesan then asked the question that had been on his mind.
“Then... why did the goddess end up in such a state?”
“....”
After a moment of silence, Ainzhar began to speak.
“Let me explain a bit more about myself.”
He drew his golden sword. Powerful energy radiated from him, filling the space around them.
“I am Ainzhar, a devoted follower and loyal servant of the great goddess, Levienoff.”
The force of Ainzhar’s presence confirmed what Taesan had sensed: Ainzhar was a monster, a being far stronger than Taesan could currently match.
Ainzhar’s gaze grew distant, as if looking back through time.
“Our world was once a land of peace, guided by Lady Levienoff’s love. Love flourished there. People didn’t hide their affections; they celebrated them openly. Those who loved were united, and those who were unloved found acceptance. All this was Lady Levienoff’s blessing. But... one day, that all began to warp.”
“An elder god,” Taesan murmured.
Ainzhar nodded, his face hardening.
“Yes. Much like in your world, our realm was invaded by an elder god.”
The goddess of their world fought off the elder god, and Ainzhar fought by her side, destroying the monstrous invaders.
At first, it hadn’t been too difficult. As a transcendent, the goddess held immense power, and Ainzhar was among the strongest of the immortals. Even when powerful enemies descended, they managed to fend them off.
But the attacks never stopped.
The world around them began to wither, its inhabitants succumbing to decay. They managed to repel the elder gods but at a terrible cost—their world was slowly rotting away.
“Other gods might have intervened to help, but this was during a time when elder gods launched an all-out assault on the realms. The gods were stretched too thin. And so, our world descended toward ruin.”
As the world decayed, even Levienoff’s divinity began to falter.
Levienoff was a god bound to her world. If it perished, so would she.
“We fought to the end, she and I. But I could see her strength waning. I wanted to sacrifice myself to save her... but instead, she tried to save me.”
Ainzhar’s expression was one of profound sadness.
“In a dying world, surrounded by ash, she told me, ‘A god without her world is meaningless. I should perish with it. But you... you must live on, forget everything, and move forward.’”
“But you didn’t,” Taesan said quietly.
“Would you expect a servant who lost his goddess to find meaning in life?”
Ainzhar shook his head slowly.
“After she forced me away, I searched every corner of existence for her. I found nothing. There was no trace of her anywhere. Many assumed she’d perished, but I could still feel her power within me. So, I held on, hoping she was still out there, somewhere, somehow.”
He took a deep breath.
“The rest you know. When I finally learned she was within the labyrinth, I ventured here. And, thanks to you, I was able to see her once again.”
With that, his tale came to an end. He turned to Taesan, his expression desperate as he grasped his hands.
“Please, I beg of you. If there’s any way, any means at all, save Lady Levienoff. I’ll give you anything... anything in my power. Just, please... save her.”
Taesan nodded solemnly.
---
“Can you tell me the exact method you’re planning to use?” Ainzhar asked, a note of hope creeping into his voice.
“I can’t be certain it will work, but I do have an idea.”
The power of the boundary he wielded was a mix of divine and dark energy, akin to the state the goddess was in now.
The difference was that Taesan could control it, while Levienoff could not.
If he used his boundary to absorb and stabilize the elder god’s taint, he might be able to bring her back.
After hearing the plan, Ainzhar’s eyes glimmered with a renewed sense of hope.
“If that’s possible... it might actually work.”
One reason Levienoff’s condition was untouchable was that it stemmed from an elder god’s essence—something beyond even the reach of gods.
But Taesan had managed to harness a power not unlike it himself. It wasn’t impossible.
“However, it won’t be easy,” Taesan cautioned.
Although Levienoff’s corrupted state was similar to his boundary power, her divine essence was still damaged, which meant multiple layers of care would be needed.
If he tried to forcibly purge the corruption, it might end her completely.
“She’s been resisting the corruption, hasn’t she?”
“Yes,” Ainzhar confirmed with a somber expression. “Likely because I am here, still alive, offering my faith to her. It’s my belief that keeps her tethered... and yet, it must also be causing her great pain.”
Ainzhar, being an immortal, possessed faith of great potency. His devotion was likely both her anchor and her torment.
If that was the case...
After a brief moment of thought, Taesan asked, “Is there a way to help her regain even a bit of her mind and stability?”
The difficulty in purging the corruption lay partly in her condition.
If she could regain some semblance of self, there might be a chance he could interact with and stabilize her essence.
“...Would that be possible?”
“I can’t say for sure. It’s only a theory.”
But it was worth trying.
“Let me think for a moment.”
Ainzhar fell silent, contemplating. Then he spoke, his tone uncertain.
“There is... the 84th floor... there’s a hidden path there that might take you to her world.”
“Her world?”
“Yes, what remains of Lady Levienoff’s world. But... it’s incredibly dangerous.”
Ainzhar bit his lip.
“You’d need a certain level of strength to survive there. I can’t leave the labyrinth, though. I must stay by her side to tend to her and ease her suffering.”
The task fell to Taesan. Ainzhar gave him a measured look before nodding, as if arriving at a decision.
“Taesan, will you undertake this?”
Ainzhar raised his sword, steeling himself.
“I’d be eternally grateful if you could, but I won’t send you to your death. I know you’re strong, but I can’t be sure of your true strength without testing it myself.”
“Of course,” Taesan agreed without hesitation.
Ainzhar grinned, calling out, “Jorge!”
Jorge appeared moments later, his face as tired and irritated as ever.
“What do you want now?”
“I’m going to duel him. Could you set up a barrier for us?”
“Ugh, always asking for trouble,” Jorge muttered as he waved a hand. Bookshelves moved aside, creating a large, clear space for them.
Ainzhar unsheathed his sword with a dangerous smile.
“Fight with all your strength. I won’t hold back either
.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Taesan activated every buff he had, his stats and strength rising to their peak.
Ainzhar’s grin widened as he planted his foot on the ground.
A tremendous explosion followed as Ainzhar lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air toward Taesan’s neck.
Taesan raised his own sword, bracing himself. The clash sent him sliding backward, but he held his ground.
“Hah! Impressive that you could block that!” Ainzhar laughed, launching himself into another attack.
The golden blade swung in seemingly random arcs, yet each slash was a mortal threat.
Taesan gritted his teeth, feeling the immense force behind every blow.
This was the strength of an immortal—a being at the pinnacle of their kind.
*Boom!*
Their blades collided, producing shockwaves that reverberated through the space.
Taesan staggered, but he held firm.
Ainzhar couldn’t hide his admiration.
To withstand even a fraction of his strength... no other adventurer had come this far, not even those who’d reached the higher floors.
“Try stopping this!”
Ainzhar gathered radiant energy, forming a massive, golden blade of light.
As the blade came down, Taesan’s instincts screamed a warning. This was the immortal’s full power—a strike no mortal could survive.
There was only one way to counter it.
**[You have activated the Eternal Faith.]**
A pathway opened, connecting Taesan’s faith with divine energy.
An overwhelming power surged through him. With one swift movement, he deflected the golden blade, sending Ainzhar back.
He had just countered an immortal’s true strength.
Ainzhar’s eyes widened.
“...A full world’s worth of faith?”
He recognized the nature of Taesan’s power immediately.
Ainzhar took a step back, momentarily stunned, then grinned.
“Perhaps... you really can do this.”
He advanced again, his resolve renewed.
Outside the barrier, Jorge grumbled to himself, reinforcing the shield. The force of their clash was enough to shatter it if he relaxed even a moment.
“...Monsters, the both of them.”
It wasn’t clear which of them he meant.
---
In the end, Taesan proved his strength in battle, and Ainzhar was thoroughly convinced.
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“If anyone can survive that place... it’s you.”
With that, Ainzhar presented him with a new quest.
**[Subquest Initiated]**
**[Ainzhar, desperate to save his goddess Levienoff, entrusts you with a mission. He sees a glimmer of hope in your power.]**
**[Travel to the remnants of her world, now corrupted by the elder god, and retrieve her sacred relics to restore her essence.]**
**[Conditions: Fully restore the goddess’s state.]**
**[Reward: Ainzhar’s most valued treasures and the goddess’s blessing.]**
“Take your time,” Ainzhar said. “Lady Levienoff’s condition is stable for now, as long as I remain by her side. There’s no need to rush.”
Following his advice, Taesan didn’t hurry to leave.
He spent time on the 78th floor, training with Ainzhar in numerous sparring matches.
As an upper-level immortal, Ainzhar’s guidance sharpened Taesan’s skills, enhancing his proficiency with techniques like the Ailak swordsmanship.
He also continued to explore the Library of All Things, delving deeper into its vast knowledge and discovering additional hidden rooms.
After a month of absorbing what he’d gained and honing his abilities, a new notification appeared before him.
**[Special Quest Initiated]**
**[Return to Earth.]**