[Manifestation of Divine Power]
[Blessing descends.]
[You have received the Divine Blessing [Unwavering Choice].]
The blessing of the gods descends upon the people of the world. Taesan opens the skill window.
[Divine Blessing: Unwavering Choice]
[When you are confident in your decision, without the slightest doubt, all your action speeds increase and both attack and defense increase slightly. You also gain a broader field of view and sharper senses.]
This was a buff with certain prerequisites. However, meeting the conditions wasn’t difficult. Any player who had descended into the Labyrinth would be able to act without doubt in their choices.
This blessing boosted not only stats but also vision, senses, attack, and defense, making it a great aid in conquering the Labyrinth.
People burst into exclamations of awe and joy.
And then, Taesan received another ability.
[Special Passive Skill: Exclusion of Choice.]
[You can choose to erase one attack from your opponent. This skill can only be used once per battle and has a one-day cooldown. You cannot erase attacks that are stronger than you.]
Reading the description, Taesan let out a small exclamation.
A skill that erases an opponent’s attack. It seemed similar to the skill of Destruction’s Greed, which removed the result of an attack. It looked very useful.
‘It’s similar.’
This skill was almost identical to his attack negation skill. The difference was that Exclusion of Choice was an active skill, making it more valuable than Attack Negation, which didn’t allow for choice.
It didn’t feel like a simple reward. Maria answered the unspoken question in his mind.
[That’s part of my power of choice. Do you feel satisfied?]
"Enough. But is it alright for you to give me such power when I'm not even your apostle?"
[You took care of the troublesome apostle. This is the least I could do for you.]
Maria chuckled lightly. Taesan accepted the gift gratefully.
Maria’s reward had ended.
It was now time for Taesan to reassess the power he had gained.
Taesan quietly examined himself. What was his current state after reaching immortality?
He had definitely reached immortality.
But that immortality had been granted through the faith of the people of the Three Kingdoms, Russia, and India.
It was certain that he had achieved immortality, and even if the faith of the people faded, his level would not fall.
However, since he hadn’t surpassed his limits through his own power, his strength could still weaken depending on the faith of others.
Aside from attaining immortality, there were many other things he had gained. It was time to check them one by one.
[Special Passive Skill: Avenger]
[Skill Proficiency: 1%]
[When fighting an opponent who defeated you, all your action speeds increase and your attack power slightly increases. If the opponent is stronger than you, all your stats increase in proportion.]
This skill was gained from the re-battle with the apostle. Taesan hadn’t gained it during the trial of the God of Despair, likely because the apostle created from his memories had no clear identity.
“Probably won’t be useful anymore.”
The only being who had defeated Taesan in both his current and past lives was the apostle of Goshin. Even when he fought with Ainzhar, it wasn’t a life-or-death battle, so this skill wouldn’t trigger.
[Special Passive Skill: Enemy of Goshin]
[Skill Proficiency: 1%]
[You are recognized as the enemy of Goshin. When fighting any being related to Goshin, all your stats and action speeds increase. You also resist their corruption and can deal more direct damage to their essence.]
This skill was similar to Deity Theory, but more optimized against Goshin. The more passive skills you had, the better.
[Title: Savior.]
[You have saved the world from a being trying to bring about its destruction.]
[When you prevent the world’s destruction, most of the life forms will send their deep trust and faith towards you.]
[The faith and divinity you receive from them are amplified.]
The Savior title was quite effective. Not only in Earth, but as Taesan continued to descend in the Labyrinth, there would be many times he’d have to oppose Goshin. Most of these would likely involve saving a world from destruction.
This title would be immensely useful in such cases. It was definitely worth the effort.
Additionally, many of his skills had leveled up. Especially Seed of Life, which had increased by 13%, bringing it close to 40%.
The apostle of Goshin had the ability to devour and assimilate its opponent. It seemed that this was why the Seed of Life skill had improved significantly.
His Divinity skill had also reached 90%.
With faith from all of Earth’s players, it would likely reach 100%, and then Earth would be his domain, possibly even allowing him to reach transcendence.
Though it was still in the realm of speculation, it was entirely possible.
Finally, he had gained the skill Destroyer, related to the Immortal apostle of Goshin, whom he had defeated.
[Soul Skill: Destroyer]
[Skill Proficiency: 1%]
[Destroyer of all things. What you crush and destroy becomes your power and authority. The user’s level and qualifications are currently insufficient to fully handle this power.]
It was a power similar to the King of Machines, but with a twist.
What was different now, however, was that the skill mentioned the user’s level and qualifications, meaning that even though Taesan could use it, he wasn’t yet able to wield its full potential.
He still had much to learn and understand.
With everything checked, Taesan moved on.
Now, it was time to figure out what he could do with all these powers.
The first thing to check was, of course, his Soul Skills.
[Soul Skill: King of Machines]
[Skill Proficiency: 1%]
[King of Machines. The power of the ruler of machines. The user’s qualifications and level are currently insufficient to fully handle this power.]
"It’s certain now."
Originally, the explanation had stated that the user's rank and power were far too lacking to handle this power.
Soul skills were powers of the Immortal. But now, Taesan had reached the rank of immortality.
That meant there was no reason why he couldn't handle it.
As Taesan moved toward his next task, he saw Kim Hwiyeon and the others struggling in front of a tractor.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh! Oh! Lord Taesan!"
When he landed in front of them, people gasped and immediately bowed their heads. Taesan asked them,
"What are you trying to do with the tractor?"
"We’ve been feeling the limits of our farming."
Kim Hwiyeon spoke up.
The number of people had grown significantly. They had to feed over a hundred million people.
Basic farming was enough to feed them all, but now the area of land needed for farming had greatly expanded.
Rather than having people dig everything by hand, using machines was far more efficient. They were now looking for a way to fix the broken tractor.
"But it seems tough. We can get oil, but the interior is broken... we can't afford to buy parts either."
Kim Hwiyeon shook his head as he spoke.
Taesan gazed at the tractor.
He reached out his hand.
[Taesan’s Power Manifestation. The King of Machines is activated.]
Creeeak!
The power manifests.
The tractor makes a noise as its broken parts begin to move. People recoil in shock, moving away.
[...Huh?]
The ghost murmurs in disbelief.
Taesan didn’t understand the structure of the tractor. He had no idea how it worked.
But it didn’t matter.
There was no need to understand or comprehend.
The answer just appeared in Taesan's mind.
Vroom.
The noise stops, and the tractor starts working with an engine sound. The people’s eyes widen in shock.
"We have oil, but it won’t last long. Go find more yourself."
"Ah, yes..."
The people nod in confusion. Kim Hwiyeon clicks his tongue.
"Is this really possible?"
"It became possible this time."
Taesan answered vaguely as he leapt away from the city.
He arrived at a large, broken-down power plant.
The power plant was once large enough to supply power to an entire city, but now it was in ruins and completely broken.
[Taesan’s Power Manifestation. The King of Machines is activated.]
The power manifests.
Although Taesan didn’t know how the power plant worked, it didn’t matter. He knew the answer.
Parts moved through the air, roaming between machines. The spaces were filled, and where it couldn’t fill, parts were taken and reassembled into other machines.
Taesan snapped his fingers.
The power plant starts working with a rumbling sound.
"Is this power?"
[This is truly ridiculous.]
The ghost murmured in disbelief. Taesan had known that he gained the power of an Immortal, but seeing it used directly was hard for the ghost to accept.
Powers were something a being accumulated over a lifetime.
Taesan was not only stealing that result, but was also handling it as though it were his own power.
[What the hell are you?]
"I don’t know either."
The Soul Skill: Soul Ascension was still a mystery to him.
After confirming a few things, Taesan learned how to use the King of Machines skill.
"I can’t create machines or create parts that don’t exist."
At the moment, all he could do was repair machines. That was the only thing possible with the skill.
The description of the skill said that it wasn’t possible to fully handle this power yet because his rank and qualifications were still lacking. Taesan had just recently become an Immortal. It was clear that he couldn’t fully wield the power of another Immortal just yet.
"Still, it’s useful."
When it came to rebuilding Earth’s civilization, one of the biggest problems was machines. In a developed society, even skilled technicians would find it impossible to start from scratch. It would take a considerable amount of time and effort to bring in electricity and recreate all machines from scratch.
This problem could be perfectly solved by the King of Machines.
"I wonder if I can use the Law of Order as well. It’s worth testing."
[I don’t know.]
The ghost sighed in frustration. There was no point in thinking about it, so the ghost decided not to dwell on it.
After finishing the confirmation of his Soul Skills, Taesan began to fiddle with the materials he had.
[Crystallized Divine Blood]
[Essence of the World]
These materials had been acquired earlier, but he had kept them because he didn’t have the qualifications or strength to handle them.
Now, he felt he could handle them to some extent.
[What do you plan to do with them?]
"I’m thinking it over."
He wasn’t a blacksmith. He couldn’t perform forging.
He had thought about devouring them and turning them into his own power, but that would take quite a bit of preparation. He didn’t have a clear method of use for them at the moment.
[Do whatever is convenient for you. They are yours now.]
"That’s the plan... but aren’t you leaving?"
Taesan turned his gaze.
Maria was quietly smiling in that place.
[You’re quite persistent. Trying to push me out like this.]
"Others left right after their tasks were completed. I was just curious."
Lakiratas, the Demon God, and Beatrice had all left Earth immediately after granting their blessings. However, Maria remained here.
[I still have things to see.]
"Things to see?"
[You’ll understand soon enough.]
With those words, Maria disappeared.
Taesan didn’t understand Maria’s intentions.
Time passed, and before long, only two days were left before his return to the Labyrinth.
The people waited calmly for their return.
Taesan had also finished confirming everything and was resting quietly in the heavens.
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"Hoo."
Lee Taeyeon climbed up, drenched in sweat.
"Oh, Taesan! You’re here?"
"I had nothing else to do. Did you spar with Junhyuk?"
"Yes. After we return, we don’t know when we’ll be back, so I decided to enjoy the last scenery."
Lee Taeyeon nodded.
Her proactive attitude was something Taesan had never seen in her in her previous life. She had truly grown stronger.
"By the way, Maria is still here..."
"Why? Is it uncomfortable?"
"It’s not that... it’s just that, I can’t explain it, but something feels off."
For a moment, Taesan looked at her and then checked the link between them.
What was it?
Even after reaching immortality, Taesan still couldn’t understand it. Then, his thoughts turned to the flower ornament Maria had given him.
Taesan took the flower ornament. Perhaps because he had reached immortality, he could now more clearly sense the power within it than before.
"What is that? It’s pretty."
Lee Taeyeon looked at the flower ornament with a curious expression. Taesan carefully examined it.
[You activated Essence Perception.]
[You activated Scout.]
The information on the flower ornament was revealed.
It wasn’t for Taesan, but for someone else.
And who was that someone?
As Taesan grasped this, he froze for a moment.
"What?"
Taesan furrowed his brows. At his sudden reaction, Lee Taeyeon flinched.
"What’s wrong?"
"..."
Without answering, Taesan stared at Lee Taeyeon.
He handed her the flower ornament.
"Are you giving it to me?"
Lee Taeyeon hesitated but accepted the ornament.
At that moment, the flower ornament began to glow.
[Maria’s Gift is activated.]
"Huh?"
Lee Taeyeon’s pupils widened. The flower ornament seeped into her body.
And Taesan could see it.
The link that had been inside her was amplifying.
"Huh? Huhhh?"
Lee Taeyeon was in complete shock. The light enveloped her gently, as though unaffected by her confusion.