[Another secret room within the secret room. Fascinating.]

Taesan entered. Passing through a passage shrouded in thick dust, he discovered a small room.

Inside, there lay a decayed skeleton and a small staff.

Taesan picked up the staff.

[Staff of the Ice Path] [Mana Consumption: 20] [Creates a path of ice in front of the user.]

It was a staff imbued with magic he hadn’t encountered in some time. Its effect—creating a path of ice—wasn’t particularly impressive.

[You have activated Magic Extraction.] [You have learned the basic magic: [Ice Path].]

Lee Taeyeon had only managed to retrieve a single staff upon entering this place.

Taesan reached out towards the skeleton beyond the staff.

Keeing.

However, his touch was thwarted by a barrier. Engraved with numerous magical symbols, the barrier steadfastly protected the skeleton.

“It’s just as the story described.”

Lee Taeyeon had discovered another secret room within the secret room.

And she had acquired the Staff of the Ice Path. There was a skeleton, but it was shielded by something, preventing her approach.

Taesan applied more force against the barrier. It vibrated violently, showing increased resistance.

“It might be difficult to break through with brute force.”

It wasn’t unbreakable. However, given its resilience, the potential consequences of breaking it were uncertain.

Taesan opened his inventory.

[The Dagger of Magic Dispel] [A dagger imbued with dispelling magic. It can undo magical seals. Seals of a higher grade than the dagger's dispel level cannot be undone.]

The Dagger of Magic Dispel, previously obtained, was now in his grasp.

[You have activated Magic Extraction.] [You have obtained the novice magic: [Magic Dispel].] [Novice Magic: Magic Dispel.] [Mana Consumption: 100] [Proficiency: 1%] [It can undo magical seals. Increasing mana consumption can enhance the variety of magic that can be dispelled. Currently, it is limited in the types of magic it can dispel.]

The magic imbued in the dagger vanished, turning it into a mere dagger with no effects.

Taesan put the dagger away and placed his hand on the barrier again.

[You have activated Magic Dispel.]

Keening.

Waves emanated from the magic circle. Mana, containing the power of dispel, spread across the barrier, breaking through.

The barrier fluctuated roughly, as if resisting.

Taesan’s mana drained away, as if leaking out. Slowly, cracks started to form on the barrier.

Crash!

And the barrier, unable to withstand any longer, shattered.

Taesan brushed off the remnants of the magic and picked up the skeleton.

A faint magical power was felt from the skeleton. Taesan blew mana into the skeleton through the hand that held it.

Brrr.

The skeleton trembled.

A blue light settled in its empty eye sockets. The scattered bone fragments on the ground began to rise and fit together automatically.

[Oh, oh.]

The skeleton’s jaw moved, and a voice sounded.

[I didn't really expect this to work. Should have tried and seen, huh?]

The jaw clicked. The skeleton looked at its body as if amazed. Disappointed by its skeletal physique, it shook its head in dejection.

[All rotted away. Not even a lich, what a state to be in.]

“Hello?”

Taesan spoke up. Only then did the skeleton seem to notice Taesan’s presence, clacking its jaw.

[Ah. Sorry. I forgot about the benefactor who revived me. Thank you, really, truly.]

There was a deep desperation in the skeleton’s voice.

[To be honest, I thought I'd be stuck here until the labyrinth disappeared. Thought it was all for naught.]

The skeleton wrapped itself in a robe that was decaying into dust. It also held a staff, now unrecognizable due to corrosion, in its skeletal hand.

[I was almost a great wizard. Akishaya. Pleased to meet you.] [You have encountered a betrayed wizard.] [Do you know how much time has passed since I died?]

“I don’t know.”

[As expected…]

Akishaya clicked its jaw, a motion akin to tsking. The ghost, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

[Were you an adventurer too?] [I was. Look at me now. Seems like you're in the same boat.] [Similar. Haven't heard of someone like you, though.]

The ghost had ventured deep into the labyrinth. If he was unaware, then it narrowed down to two possibilities.

A being from before the ghost’s time, or after.

However, pinpointing the exact time was impossible, as the labyrinth offered no clues about time.

Akishaya groaned and inquired.

[Do you know Manteyak?] [...Why him?] [A companion who entered the labyrinth with me. Also, the one who betrayed me.] [You entered with him?]

The ghost chuckled, seemingly grasping the situation.

[I see. You're an adventurer from before my time, then.] [Oh? You know of him?] [Of course.]

A spark of interest lit up Akishaya’s face.

[What's he doing now?] [He's affiliated with something known as the Guides of Sin in the depths.] [The Guides of Sin? What's that?] [It exists. He lives there under the guise of a great wizard.]

Akishaya froze at the ghost’s response.

[He assumed the title of a great wizard?] [Yes.] [...Ha.]

A cold laugh resonated.

[Yes. If he killed me and took everything, he ought to at least achieve that. Yes. That's right. That makes the idea of killing him all the more satisfying.]

Akishaya’s laugh was eerie. Taesan quickly grasped the situation.

“Betrayal?”

[It's not uncommon. In the labyrinth, adventurers often gain a lot by fighting each other. The stronger they are, the more this is true. It's surprisingly common to betray a comrade for one's own gain.] [Right. I was betrayed just like that.]

Akishaya’s voice was heavy with bitterness.

[I was an exceptional wizard in the Tower of Magic, superior to all others. Even the master of the tower believed I could attain his position within ten years. In fifty years, I could have reached a realm beyond anyone here.]

Akishaya’s words were laced with suppressed rage.

[But I wasn't satisfied with that. No matter how outstanding or unreachable the realm I could reach was, it still felt far too insignificant compared to the many transcendents and immortals. I yearned to become something greater. And to achieve that, the outside world had its limits.]

“That place being the labyrinth?”

[Yes. This place allows the strong to ascend to even higher realms. I searched hard and entered here. But what I didn't know was that someone else had followed me.]

“That being the great wizard.”

[Right.]

Akishaya nodded.

[He definitely had talent. Praised by everyone as a once-in-a-century talent, until I appeared.]