“Sigh.”

With the level up, all his health was restored. Mental fatigue vanished completely, and his body returned to its optimal state.

“Are they all dead?”

[How could they possibly withstand that?]

Taesan surveyed his surroundings. Not a trace of life could be felt. Whether it was the aftermath of the battle, being torn apart by wolves, or not being able to withstand the flames emitted, they all perished.

“What a waste.”

If they had managed to take him down, they could have gained much. However, caring for them too would likely have led to defeat due to overreaching.

But that didn’t mean he gained nothing.

He leveled up quite a bit from those he took down before the wolves appeared.

“Status window.”

［Kang Taesan］ ［Level: 113］ ［Shield: 3469/3469］ ［Health: 36520/36520］ ［Mana: 3458/3458］ ［Magic: 582/582］ ［Strength: 6851］ ［Intelligence: 5984］ ［Agility: 6344］ ［Attack Power +1457］ ［Defense +1177］ [The target is in the best condition.]

He had reached level 113. And with that, his stats have shown a considerable increase.

“With this…”

It won’t be long before he catches up to Lee Taeyeon’s stats.

Especially in terms of health, he was nearly there. Without any special incidents, reaching around level 130 should put him at a level comparable to hers.

Part of it might be because she gave up many things, but more than that, Soul Ascension was the biggest reason.

Soul Ascension plundered what the enemies possessed when killing enemies of a certain level or above.

It’s practically like continuously receiving the effects of leveling up.

As the level increased, the amount of stats gained increased as well, making a simple comparison difficult. However, his stats were still significantly higher than those of adventurers of the same level.

Of course, even if his stats come close to Lee Taeyeon’s, reaching her strength was another story.

Taesan remembered the last piece of equipment she used.

The dark-colored arm guard, which reduces all incoming damage by 50%, was possessed by Lee Taeyeon.

She had nearly ten of those.

Moreover, she obtained skills while descending the floors.

Taesan also acquired a considerable number of skills, even more so, but there were skills that only those who ventured deeper could obtain.

And then there’s the simple numerical difference between attack power and defense, etc. It was a distant comparison in terms of sheer force, not just stats.

But still.

He possessed Soul Ascension, a skill only he could obtain, and the skills gained through trials.

The day he caught up to Lee Taeyeon won’t be too far off.

The ghost couldn’t hide its admiration either.

[Ha... I anticipated you would win, but you truly did. Against the wolf, a mere fragment that destroyed the world, a being of the same caliber as the Demon King, whom I also could not defeat and fled from...]

“The Demon King is that strong? Considering the difference between the labyrinth and the outside world, I wouldn’t have thought so.”

[Yes, he is. Because when facing beings like the Demon King or that wolf, not only humans but beings of higher realms also join the battle.]

Entities as overwhelmingly powerful as dragons. Taesan still doubted he could defeat the dragon he encountered in Vekveta.

[And during the time of destruction, we receive the blessings of the gods. We become three times stronger than before. Yet, we were defeated.]

A blessing directly from the gods was certainly no small power. Even dragons, along with those blessed, combined their strength and still faced defeat.

‘The Demon King.’

The name of that being, which I hadn’t paid much attention to before, suddenly felt irksome.

[You don't need to worry. It's a being you'll likely never encounter.]

“That’s not certain. The gods could intervene.”

[Ah...]

The ghost fell silent.

The trial of the gods.

It didn’t deny the possibility that they might meet because of it.

But, as the ghost had said, it wasn’t something that would happen immediately. Taesan tucked it away in a corner of his mind.

Rumble.

At that moment, the floor collapsed.

A being made of bricks emerged from the rubble. It was the labyrinth’s manager, Balbabamba.

Balbabamba blinked his eyes.

[You again. I thought we wouldn't see each other for a while.]

“Sorry about that.”

[No need to apologize. It's a matter between the adventurers of the labyrinth. But what a mess.]

Balbabamba clicked his tongue.

[A village created for fools has been ruined.]

“So it has.”

51st floor.

A place made for those who couldn’t surpass a certain passage point, the city for those whose spirits had been broken.

[I don't think it was a good idea, but the magician decided it, so I just followed.]

Power waves emanated from Balbabamba. The collapsed buildings were reconstructed, and the shattered roads smoothly reformed themselves.

In just a few minutes, the village returned to its original state.

The only difference was that it was now empty.

“No one’s here.”

[It doesn't matter. The history of the labyrinth is infinite.]

Balbabamba spoke indifferently.

[Someday, adventurers will arrive here again. Among them, those whose spirits are broken will settle here. Thus, the village will form again.]

The number of adventurers making it down to the 51st floor would be extremely low. At most, once every few decades.

Every few decades, one by one, thus the village would be formed again.

It was a statement that gave an idea of how long the labyrinth had existed.

[I guess I should set up a temporary guide.]

Rumble.

The ground collapsed, and a pillar appeared at the entrance of the village.

[Then, I hope to see you later, much later.]

With those words, Balbabamba disappeared.

Taesan wandered around the organized village and sat down on a chair in a tavern.

He began to check the skills he had acquired one by one.

[Special Continuous Activation Skill: Opposing the Giant Will] [Proficiency: 1%] [You have defeated a being that calls upon destruction, opposing the will of those who have escaped death. When facing a being filled with immense will, all your stats and rank increase.]

“Oh?”

It resembled the status bonus skills gained from formidable opponents so far, yet there was a distinct difference.

It was the aspect of ascending in rank.

“That’s good.”

The deficiency in rank had always posed a problem in previous fights. Unable to adequately block the opponent’s attacks or ensure their own attacks landed effectively, he was forced to desperately search for openings and weaknesses.

In such scenarios, an increase in rank would prove immensely beneficial. It was far superior to any ordinary attack power increase skill.

[Special Activation Skill: Spark of Catastrophe] [Mana Consumption: 50] [Proficiency: 1%] [Summons the spark of catastrophe that incinerates everything in the world. If the user's rank is too low or they lack the necessary qualifications, control is impossible.]

An activation skill acquired through Soul Ascension.

It appeared to be a skill that summoned the flames that the wolf itself had harbored.

Merely reading the description indicated its potential danger. If mishandled, it could potentially incinerate Taesan’s entire body.

“I guess I’ll die.”

[You have activated the Spark of Catastrophe.]

Whoosh.

A spark materialized at the tips of Taesan’s fingers.

Then, it erupted explosively. In an instant, it expanded, threatening to engulf the entire village.

Taesan hastily clenched his fist. The spark extinguished and vanished.

[Can't control it?]

“It’s difficult.”

The flames burst forth momentarily. It seemed feasible to control the direction, but regulating the intensity was challenging.

[But its power is undeniable. Those residing just above the deep layers would opt to evade rather than defend, right?]

It was a potent yet unstable skill. That seemed like an accurate evaluation.

Considering I’ve been focusing on ice and frost arrows, it was about time to learn some flame attack techniques as well. I checked the other skills too.

[Concept Skill: ??? Rank] [Proficiency: 45%] [The will's power of ??? descends. You can see and feel the will of all things in harmony and tune your own will along with it. And in the world, you have gained ???. ???]

The proficiency of the concept skill increased as he defeated the wolf. Looking closely at what changed, content was added to the latter part of the sentence.

“The phrase ‘in the world’ has been added.”

[Still don't know what it is.]

Certainly, the concept skill was changing. So far, it’s known that it allowed seeing the will of the opponent and tuning one’s own will along with the soul strike.

However, what lay at the end, Taesan didn’t know either.

[Special Continuous Activation Skill: Fire Resistance] [Proficiency: 23%] [Resistance to burns. It seems you won't get burned by not very high fire.]

Even though it was the first time obtaining this skill, the proficiency was over 20%. This was indicative of the kind of flames the wolf had.

[Special Activation Skill: Wolf's Kin] [Mana Consumption: 10] [Proficiency: 1%] [Consumes mana and soul to summon the kin of the wolf that brings destruction to the world. If the user's rank is too low, they cannot summon.]

“A skill that consumes the soul again.”

For an activation skill, this was the first time seeing such a consumption value.

[You have activated the Wolf's Kin.]

Suddenly, a sense of powerlessness overwhelmed his entire body, similar to the feeling of using apostasy and infusing soul strike into skills.

However, it wasn’t severe. It was at the level of mild dizziness, which he could withstand if he tried.

The soul that flowed out soon created a semi-transparent wolf.

[Whimper.]

The wolf whined softly and rubbed its head against Taesan’s arm. As Taesan stroked its head, it panted happily as if pleased.

“A pet, huh?”

[Looks like a pet.]

It couldn’t be summoned for long. Right after the summoning, its existence started to drain away continuously.

It seemed that using apostle transformation would be necessary for proper use. Considering the power emanating from the wolf, it appeared to be a useful skill.

“I did manage to obtain the werewolf too…”

A heritage skill gained by defeating the Guides: Werewolf.

Because he had consumed the wolf’s true blood, the skill was usable.

He read the description, but it didn’t seem to have significant merit, so he planned to check it slowly.

That was the end of the skills. If there was any significant change, it was that the proficiency of Ability Sword had reached 39%. It was about time for it to change as it approached 40%.

And what remained was the ashen aura flickering above Taesan’s hand.

[Will of Destruction] [A great will containing the destruction of the world.]

That was all. There was no mention of how to use it or what power it held.

Having it meant it would eventually be used.

“Sigh.”

That was everything. The tasks on the 51st floor were finished.

It was time to go deeper, to the 52nd floor.

Taesan moved into the forest.

The forest was quiet. The fairies no longer moved or hindered him. Therefore, Taesan could find his way without any disturbance.

[By the way, what happened to that guy?]

“Gremlin?”

[Yeah. He seemed quite in danger the last time I saw him.]

Taesan stopped in his tracks.

Lee Taeyeon had heard much later, after descending several floors, that Gremlin had made a wrong choice.

But unlike her, Taesan had handed over a large amount of materials at once. Enough for Gremlin to achieve his goals.

“I should check.”

There was no need to move immediately under normal circumstances. However, Taesan’s quest-clearing method was entirely different from Lee Taeyeon’s. Gremlin’s choice might have been expedited.

Taesan sped up, arriving at Gremlin’s house much faster than before.

There was no sign of life there.

Taesan burst through the door.

Inside, everything was in chaos.

It had always been messy, but there used to be some semblance of order. Now, that was no longer the case.

It was as if he no longer cared about what happened to him, engulfed in complete disarray.

“Tsck.”

Taesan clicked his tongue and exited.

He propelled himself off the ground and unfurled his wings.

Swiftly flying around, he searched for Gremlin’s whereabouts.

Boom!

The air exploded, pushing back the trees. Bushes were flattened, and branches snapped.

The ghost was perplexed.

[Why search like this? Couldn't you just come back later?]

“That won’t do.”

Taesan was aware of what Gremlin sought, thanks to what Lee Taeyeon had shared with him.

And he also knew the decision Gremlin had ultimately made.