Taesan looked at the system window and laughed. He had truly achieved it—the skill he’d abandoned in his past life.

He eagerly opened his skill window.

---

**[Special Activation Skill: Skill Acceleration]**

**[Proficiency: 1%]**

**[Mana Consumption: 100]**

**[Accelerates the action speed of the next skill activated.]**

---

A simple description, making it easy to understand.

“A skill that affects the speed of my actions.”

It meant that it would apply to skills involving physical movement, like Acceleration or Leap.

Now, it was time to test the effect of this new skill. Taesan delivered the finishing blow to the battered shadow and searched for a new monster. Facing the shadow that raised its sword, Taesan stepped forward.

---

**[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]**

**[You have activated Acceleration.]**

---

In an instant, his body left an afterimage.

The speed was almost beyond Taesan’s own ability to track, rendering it nearly impossible to counter.

The shadow, designed to mimic his strength, couldn’t react properly and crashed into the wall.

*Boom!*

The shadow twitched against the wall, and Taesan clicked his tongue.

“What is this?”

**[...The speed literally doubled.]**

The base speed combined with the additional speed boost created a final speed that doubled his original. It worked like Addition.

He decided to test other skills. Taesan delivered a kick to the shadow as it staggered to its feet.

---

**[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]**

**[You have activated Leap.]**

---

*Wham!*

His leap was incredibly fast.

It almost looked like he’d teleported into the air. Hovering above the shadow’s head, Taesan positioned his foot downward.

---

**[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]**

**[You have activated Landing.]**

---

*Crash!*

The speed of his descent increased drastically. The shadow was crushed beneath him as if a boulder had dropped on it.

“Hmm.”

Taesan’s eyes sparkled.

He realized he could apply Skill Acceleration to all movement-based skills like Leap and Landing.

“This could even work with Ability Sword.”

Using Ability Sword with Leap and Landing turned his moves into powerful strikes, raising and then slamming down on the opponent. Taesan decided to test it out and leapt again, aiming his sword at the shadow, who tried to raise its weapon in defense.

---

**[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]**

**[You have activated Landing.]**

---

*Crunch.*

The shadow’s defense shattered.

With a resounding crash, it was driven into the ground, and Taesan sheathed his sword with a smile.

Skill Acceleration worked seamlessly with Ability Sword.

“Perfect.”

He finished off the shadow, which could no longer continue the fight, and looked for another monster.

---

**[You have activated Frost Arrow.]**

---

When he tried using Skill Acceleration with Frost Arrow, there was no noticeable change.

Skill Acceleration only worked on skills related to physical movements. For magic, he’d need something like Spell Acceleration.

*Could it work for skills like Powerful Strike?*

He had acquired Gale Slash, so he figured it might be possible. Testing his theory, he found that Skill Acceleration could indeed be applied to skills like Powerful Strike or Counter.

Taesan continued experimenting.

After testing all his skills, he determined that Skill Acceleration could be applied to almost any skill that involved bodily movement.

This meant he could momentarily double his speed and even combine it with Ability Sword.

**[Heh. What a skill.]**

The ghost let out a faint laugh.

Doubling his speed was akin to doubling his agility stat, making him nearly impossible for adventurers of his level to counter.

Skill Acceleration was invaluable, comparable to high-tier skills like Addition or Absolute Judgment.

“But it’s not without its drawbacks.”

---

**[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]**

**[You have activated Gale Slash.]**

---

His body moved as Gale Slash accelerated, fiercely striking the shadow.

*Clash-clash-clash!*

The shadow was overwhelmed, unable to mount any real resistance.

The situation was one of pure domination, but Taesan’s expression was not entirely pleased.

“I can’t control it properly.”

Stats were assets that adventurers accumulated as they descended through the labyrinth. The speed and strength he gained from increased agility and strength stats felt natural, as if they were his own from the beginning.

But Skill Acceleration was different. This skill instantly doubled his speed.

It disregarded the user’s control.

When Taesan activated Gale Slash with Skill Acceleration, he could hardly control its movement.

Gale Slash already had limited controllability, but with the speed doubled, only a fraction of it remained manageable.

This was true for other skills as well. The sudden speed boost made it hard for his opponents to react, but it was equally difficult for Taesan to adjust his movements organically in response.

For most other skills, he could train his proficiency to improve control, but Skill Acceleration's sheer doubling effect made this challenging.

Additionally, the mana cost was substantial at 100, meaning he couldn’t use it for every attack, unlike skills like Addition or Absolute Judgment.

*But…*

Despite its drawbacks, its benefits were phenomenal.

In his past life, this skill wouldn’t have been very useful. The mana consumption would’ve been too high, and his stats too low for significant change.

But now it was different.

This skill was a perfect fit for Taesan in Solo Mode.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

He couldn’t wait to face a true opponent and use the skill to its fullest.

That wasn’t all. His 17 days of repetition had also raised his skill proficiencies.

---

**[Special Activation Skill: Gale Slash]**

**[Proficiency: 20%]**

**[Mana Consumption: 100]**

**[Wield your sword while dashing like a storm. You can control the movement to some extent.]**

---

While there was no new functionality, one part had been removed—the restriction of having to charge directly forward.

Upon testing it, Taesan found he could now change directions without interrupting Gale Slash, making it a more versatile skill in battle.

---

**[Special Passive Skill: Madness of Struggle]**

**[Proficiency: 45%]**

**[The longer you continue struggling, the faster you move, and the stronger you become. Your stamina and mana recovery rates increase. When the struggle ends, the effects vanish.]**

---

Madness of Struggle had also surpassed 40%. The addition was an increase in stamina and mana recovery rate. For Taesan, who already had forced health recovery, more recovery skills only amplified his sustainability in combat.

---

**[Special Passive Skill: Persistence]**

**[Proficiency: 20%]**

**[Efficiency increases with repeated tasks.]**

---

Persistence had changed, though the advantage was minor. This skill wasn't generally usable in normal combat, as it triggered only with prolonged repetition.

The biggest change was in Combat Sustained.

---

**[Special Passive Skill: Combat Sustained]**

**[Proficiency: 100%]**

**[Fatigue barely accumulates. The time until you reach your physical limit becomes infinitely longer. No matter how exhausted you become, you can keep moving.]**

---

Combat Sustained.

Reaching 100% proficiency granted an almost boundless combat capacity.

Even when facing physical limits, he could keep going. In theory, he could fight for years without rest if he wished.

Of course, this didn’t mean he was literally invincible. His muscles would still tire, and fatigue would set in, so his movements wouldn’t be unaffected in a critical state.

Even with that in mind, it was an incredible skill. He would never be rendered incapacitated.

With a sense of satisfaction, Taesan cleared the remaining shadows.

He checked for any hidden rooms and cleared the floor, gathering rewards.

---

**[Elixir of Supreme Attack Power]**

**[Permanently increases attack power by 200.]**

---

The elixir of attack power boost that Veldencia had once awarded on the 61st floor. Taesan obtained it here on the 66th floor.

The hidden room’s reward was a unique bow, similar to a ballista. It required significant strength to use but was powerful. With its superior range, Taesan decided to keep it.

Finally, the secret reward:

---

**[Sharp Frost Whetstone]**

**[A whetstone capable of making a blade razor-sharp. However, an extremely sharp blade is prone to breaking easily. Without a skilled blacksmith and swordsman, it’s nothing more than a toy.]**

---

It was a consumable item that enhanced a sword’s attack power. He remembered that he had requested equipment from Hafran. He planned to go check on it before reaching the deep floors.

Floor 67. The latter part of the 60s floors began.

---

**[67th Floor Quest Start]**

**[Break through the labyrinth of the 67th floor and defeat the boss.]**

**[Reward: Elixir that increases all stats.]**

**[Secret Reward: ???]**

---

The 67th floor was an unremarkable floor. The monsters were knights with shields, and the labyrinth’s structure was straightforward.

Floors like this would disappear as he moved deeper.

Feeling a sense of nostalgia, Taesan cleared the floor at a steady pace.

Midway through the floor, Taesan felt a strange sensation.

It was as if something was calling to him.

He had felt this sensation a few times before.

Following the sensation, Taesan pressed a brick that seemed ordinary. The brick clicked, slowly retracting.

*Boom!*

A passageway unfolded, leading to a long corridor.

---

**[You have discovered the Domain of the Forgotten Goddess.]

**

---

* * *

The Forgotten Goddess. On the 70th floor, Taesan had used Lee Taeyeon’s information to receive her blessing.

At that time, he had also received a special quest.

---

**[Special Quest: Forgotten Goddess]**

**[You found the statue of a goddess forgotten by the creator of the labyrinth, by gods, and even by her followers. Awakened by your prayer, she hopes you will save her.]**

**[As one blessed by the goddess, you can sense the presence of her statues hidden in the labyrinth.]**

**[Find her statues and offer your prayers.]**

---

He had forgotten about it, as it hadn’t appeared for a while, but it seemed there was another statue before he reached the deep floors.

“What will it be this time?”

On the 70th floor, he had encountered no obstacles, but he’d faced traps and apostles in the secret realm where he had sought crafting materials.

---

**[You have activated Reconnaissance.]**

**[You have activated Essence Perception.]**

---

A flood of information about the corridor filled Taesan’s mind.

**[This is a place filled with numerous traps.]**

He confirmed that the corridor was filled with traps.

Traps no longer posed a threat to Taesan. However, they were designed to guard the goddess’s statue, so they would likely prove hazardous to any average adventurer.

Taesan stepped into the passage, triggering a loud noise as the walls shifted.

*Crank-crank-crash!*

The ceiling opened, and the floor dropped away.

From the openings in the walls emerged a flood of bombs, arrows, and fire.

Taesan spoke a single word.

“Disappear.”

---

**[You have activated Declaration of Denial.]**

---

*Boom-boom-boom!*

The bombs detonated before reaching Taesan. The arrows veered off course, and the flames receded.

With a single command, dozens of traps vanished.

Taesan nodded.

“Truly useful.”

Declaration of Denial, a skill he’d learned by increasing his Energy, projected his will into the world. It worked exceptionally well against non-sentient mechanisms like traps.

The traps that had been set off were no trivial threats. The bombs had the power to shake mountains, the arrows could cut through waves, and the flames had the strength to dry up a riverbed.

These traps were at a level that would require serious effort to counter.

But there was no conscious being behind their force.

This made them easy to neutralize with Declaration of Denial.