And in that moment, the people could feel it.
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Something had changed within Taesan.
Though they couldn’t explain it precisely, they sensed a shift. Taesan no longer seemed like a being of the same life form as them.
The people who had been praying stared at him in a daze. Maria smiled quietly.
[You’ve reached it.]
[Ah...]
The ghost groaned.
He stared blankly at Taesan.
[That...]
Taesan looked at his own hands. He could easily tell that everything about him, from his fundamental concepts, had changed.
**Crunch.**
The apostle’s damaged body regenerated. Four arms moved as power surged once again.
**Rumble!**
The power of destruction rushed toward Taesan. Even with all his strength, it was an attack from an immortal being—one that could not be blocked.
Taesan tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.
He stepped forward, twisted his waist, and swung his arm. His sword collided with the destructive force.
**Whooosh!**
A deafening sound erupted as the force of destruction shattered like glass and dispersed.
He hadn’t used the power of destruction, nor activated Beyond the Boundaries, nor used Partial World Alteration.
He had simply swung his sword with all his might to block the destructive force.
"So this is it."
This was a truly elevated level of power.
Taesan was now standing at the same level as the apostle. He bared his teeth.
"Let’s try this again."
Taesan stomped his foot. The apostle’s four arms moved violently.
The battle resumed.
The destructive force came crashing down on Taesan. He stomped his foot and kicked off into the air, evading the attack.
Until now, he had never been able to avoid the destructive force. It always seemed predetermined that it would land.
But not anymore. The force of destruction could not touch him.
The apostle raised its four arms high.
The power of destruction poured down as if to crush the entire world. It was a wide-ranging attack with no room for evasion.
Taesan gathered his mana.
[You have activated Magic Overlap.]
Cold, light, and flame were condensed and burst forth.
[You have activated Magic Liberation.]
[You have activated Forced Amplification.]
The combined force spread outward. The power within was not so different from before. However, the scale was different. The magic clashed with the destructive force, opposing each other.
Now, Taesan was certain. He could break through with sheer strength.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
He exerted force into his legs and leapt. His body reached the apostle’s proximity in an instant.
The apostle began to respond. Unlike before, it moved its body more actively, trying to evade Taesan.
**Crunch.**
Taesan swung his sword, shattering the force of destruction, while using magic and dark magic to create a path. He pursued the apostle as it distanced itself, pouring its strength into the attack.
As everything around them crumbled, Taesan slowly got closer to the apostle.
In desperation, the apostle moved its four arms. It condensed the force of destruction and slammed it down like a pillar.
This force was so absolute that nothing within its reach would be spared.
But Taesan didn’t retreat. He and the apostle were now on equal terms. There was no reason to avoid it.
[You have activated the Blade of Determination.]
Taesan swung his sword, infused with strength. The pillar and his sword clashed, and space itself shattered.
**Screech!**
Space itself collapsed as Taesan’s body was affected.
[You have taken !@#!@@ damage.]
[You have taken !@#### damage.]
[You have taken ^$%%$@ damage.]
The distortion of space, which even divine protection couldn’t prevent, had affected him.
But he didn’t fall.
Even though he was taking damage, he didn’t approach death. He could endure.
Taesan protected himself with divine power, infusing his sword with even greater force. He exerted all his strength and swung his sword.
With a loud sound, the pillar of destruction shattered.
The distorted space returned to its original form.
"You try blocking this."
Taesan drew upon his dark magic. He opened a portal to the demon world, bringing out the true power of dark magic. The process was faster than anything before.
[You have activated Gaph’s Sturdy Boulder.]
A massive boulder fell from the sky toward the apostle.
The apostle attempted to counter the force of destruction, but the boulder didn’t break easily.
In the end, the apostle swung its four arms forcefully at the boulder. It finally shattered, scattering like a meteor shower.
And in that moment, Taesan had already thrust his sword into the apostle’s chest.
[!#$!# to !!@@ damage.]
He swung his sword down, splitting the apostle’s upper body.
The apostle swung its arms in retaliation, but Taesan didn’t allow it. He grabbed its arms and twisted them. The apostle staggered and collapsed. Taesan kicked it and drove his sword down.
In an instant, the apostle’s entire body was cleaved in two.
And that attack was incredibly significant. The apostle’s body was unnervingly contorted.
**Snap.**
Taesan jammed his sword into the apostle’s neck and swung it fiercely. He was about to press forward even more.
But the apostle’s form began to collapse.
It twisted and began to take on an amorphous form. At the same time, dark colors began to envelop everything around it.
It was dangerous. Instinctively, Taesan was warned. He escaped from the collective darkness using Limited Blink.
**Crunch.**
Having distanced himself, Taesan observed the apostle’s transformation.
The apostle had become an amorphous, human-like form.
Black power surrounded the apostle, consuming the space around it.
Taesan realized. This was the end.
Having judged that the power of an immortal being could no longer stop him, the apostle had abandoned everything and returned to its original form.
The black energy coalesced. The power within it was capable of destroying the entire world if it spread.
Taesan raised his sword. Divine power began to gather in the blade.
**Screech!**
It was incredibly bright.
If the divine power he had handled before was akin to a firefly, this was the light of the sun. Having earned the qualification and right, he could now handle divine power directly.
People shielded their eyes and bowed their heads. The ghost watched in stunned silence.
And the golden light slowly turned to a dark, ashen hue.
It was ash-gray.
The apostle swung the condensed black energy. Taesan, enveloped in the ash-gray power, charged forward.
The black power belonged to Goshin.
It twisted the laws and destroyed reality. The beings within that reality could not block it.
But it didn’t matter to Taesan.
**Clang!**
The ashen and black powers collided, trying to consume each other.
And the ash-gray energy won.
Taesan devoured the black power attempting to consume the world, advancing forward. The apostle desperately raised its strength, but it was futile.
**Snap.**
And the path was cleared.
Taesan spoke softly as he raised his sword.
"Goodbye."
The apostle attempted to resist, moving its body. But Taesan’s sword was faster. He activated every transformation, addition, and skill available. The ash-gray energy cleaved the apostle in half.
[!#@!!!!]
An incomprehensible scream echoed as the apostle’s body disintegrated.
The power contained within it flowed into Taesan.
It was foreign, almost as if it resisted being consumed by him. But even that released enough power to fell tens of thousands of mortals.
But in the end, it was quietly absorbed into Taesan’s being.
[You have defeated !#$!#. ]
[Your Soul Power has increased.]
[The skill of Twisted Soul Adjustment has increased by 5%.]
[Mastery of Black Energy has increased by %$#$%.]
[Mastery of Boundary has increased by 1#%.]
[Mastery of Summoning has increased by 3%.]
[???'s skill mastery increased by 4%.]
[Mastery of Seed of Life has increased by 13%.]
[Skill "Apostle Slayer" has increased by 7%.]
[You have gained the Soul Skill [Destroyer].]
[You have defeated a servant of Goshin. You have gained the Special Passive Skill [Enemy of Goshin].]
[You have slain the force of destruction and saved the world. You have earned the title [Savior].]
Taesan sheathed his sword. The ashen energy dissipated, revealing everything.
Now the people could see it.
Taesan standing alone.
A triumphant roar echoed throughout the land. The deep and overwhelming faith flowed into Taesan.
***
[One week later. Returning to the Labyrinth.]
The system message appeared, indicating that everything was over.
Taesan was far away from the people, distanced from their loud cries. He had stepped away from the chaos.
He had won. And this victory had earned him much more than just the defeat of an enemy—it had significantly raised his fundamental level. There was a lot to confirm, so much more to explore.
[Immortality]
[The one who has transcended mortality. Freed from the cycle of life and death, standing alone. Closer to the laws of the world.]
This was the skill he had gained through the faith of the people—Immortality.
[Do you feel something different?]
The ghost quietly asked. Taesan responded.
"Some things have changed."
The concept of himself had changed.
Until now, he had barely clung to the category of a human being, but now, it felt as though he had transcended that category entirely.
"And... something about my vision has changed."
[What do you see?]
"I can't quite put it into words, but I can see things at a more fundamental level. Other than that, not much has changed."
The ghost seemed to be in a somewhat confused tone.
[I've never seen a mortal become immortal before. I don't know what to say.]
The ghost was knowledgeable, but he had no experience with the difference that happens when a mortal becomes an immortal.
"Over time, I'll naturally understand it. But one thing is for sure—I'm still me."
He was Taesan.
His concept had changed, and his vision had been altered, but he was still himself. That hadn't changed.
Becoming an immortal hadn't drastically altered him. His power and level had risen, but he was still the same at his core.
The ghost sighed in awe.
[You're... truly incredible.]
To reach the level of immortality—especially in such a short time—was extraordinary. Compared to the amount of time that the guides of sin had invested in the Labyrinth, it had happened almost in the blink of an eye.
"Anyway, it was always going to be a place I reached eventually."
But Taesan calmly reflected.
This was always a level he would eventually attain. Considering his goals, he couldn’t be satisfied with just immortality.
Goshin, after all, were beings who even transcendent beings struggled with—beings beyond the limits of mortal comprehension.
If anything, Taesan had only reached the starting line.
What mattered now was what he could do with immortality.
There was a lot to confirm. Soul skills, divinity, the crystallized divine blood, and the essence of the world. The flower ornament Maria had given him.
As Taesan prepared to go through everything, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
[You look quite busy.]
Maria quietly descended next to him. She smiled and asked:
[How do you feel?]
"It’s not bad. It’s closer to good."
Taesan responded calmly while looking at Maria.
[...This is unbelievable.]
After reaching immortality, Taesan could perceive Maria's power more fundamentally than before.
There was no end to her power.
If Taesan was strong, Maria was the vast sea itself. There was that vast a difference between them.
In fact, he hadn't fully grasped her power. Taesan was still far too lacking in both level and strength to truly comprehend Maria.
She was a transcendent.
Her power was on the same level as beings like Lakiratas, who possessed two domains.
[You have reached immortality, but... this is just the beginning.]
Maria spoke softly.
[I’ve been in this place for eons.]
Maria continued with a quiet smile.
[Normally, I would stay here forever, but that’s not relevant to you. Anyway, congratulations. You have reached the solitary, pure position.]
"Thank you."
[Then, I must give you a gift to celebrate.]
Maria's power began to spread, enveloping the entire world.
[You have thwarted Goshin’s plans. And you’ve perfectly handled their apostle, something that has been a thorn in our side for a long time. This is my reward to you.]
And from that reward, the strongest and most intense essence flowed into Taesan.