*Crunch.*

Taesan's sword cut down the floor boss. A notification of floor clearance and rewards appeared.

---

**[You have obtained the Elixir of All-Stat Enhancement.]**

**[You have obtained ???.]**

**[Elixir of All-Stat Enhancement]**

**[Permanently increases all stats.]**

---

**[You have used the Elixir of All-Stat Enhancement.]**

**[Your health has permanently increased by 300, mana by 100, dark energy by 50, strength by 200, agility by 200, and intelligence by 200.]**

---

With that, the 67th floor was cleared. Taesan’s level had also increased by two. Both the hidden reward and the hidden room reward were black magic items. Offering them to the Demon Lord, Taesan was able to learn an intermediate-level black magic skill for the first time in a while.

---

**[Intermediate Black Magic: Savnak’s Black Thread]**

**[Mana Cost: 500]**

**[Basic Dark Energy Cost: 150]**

**[Proficiency: 1%]**

**[Summons the Black Thread imbued with the power of Savnak. Although it is a thread capable of slicing worlds, its power has decayed to a level where it can only slice through the ground.]**

---

Without hesitation, Taesan descended to the next floor. The Return to Earth quest only indicated that it would happen in a few days, but it didn’t specify when. He intended to descend as much as possible before it activated.

---

**[Quest for the 68th Floor Started]**

**[Clear the labyrinth and defeat the boss.]**

**[Reward: Bracelet of Crimson Blood]**

**[Hidden Reward: ???]**

---

The 68th floor was not significantly different from the 67th, so Taesan swiftly progressed through it. He cleared out the monsters and increased his skill proficiency as he moved toward the boss.

Eventually, regular floor monsters posed little challenge, allowing Taesan to focus more on improving his skill proficiency. By the time he reached the 68th floor, some of his skills had improved enough to produce new effects.

---

**[Advanced Skill: Airak Weaponry]**

**[Proficiency: 40%]**

**[A technique for wielding weapons and using the body. As proficiency has increased, there is no loss in power transfer, allowing for slight variations in offensive and defensive power.]**

---

One of the upgraded skills was the Airak Weaponry technique.

It was a skill whose proficiency had seemed almost impossible to increase. Taesan had acquired it right after entering the labyrinth, and it had only now reached 40%.

Given that his Insight skill had already reached 100% and Reconnaissance was above 60%, this rate of improvement was painfully slow. Yet, the benefits of proficiency were equally substantial.

As Airak Weaponry reached 40%, it unlocked an enhancement to offensive and defensive power.

Taesan tested this directly on the monsters. The changes to Airak Weaponry that came with increased proficiency naturally integrated into his combat style, posing no issues.

The 68th-floor monsters were dinosaur-like creatures resembling Tyrannosaurus. When one of these monsters charged at him, Taesan focused his energy and swung his sword.

---

*Crunch.*

**“Kraaah!”**

**[Dealt 5581 damage to the Guardian of the Deep Nest.]**

---

The monster screamed as it was knocked back. Observing the damage notification, Taesan could see the impact of his improved skill.

His base attack power was approximately 4900. For that particular attack, he hadn’t used any additional power-ups—only his raw attack power applied—yet the damage reached 5500.

“About a 10% boost?”

A 10% increase in offensive and defensive power. Taesan let out a faint laugh.

Despite only reaching 40% proficiency, Airak Weaponry had already increased his offensive and defensive power by 10%. The skill was, as expected, of a different caliber.

“With a skill like this, it’s no wonder I once dealt thirty-five thousand damage.”

And that was with a casual strike, not a full-force blow. Even with his progress to the entrance of the Deep Floors and his victories against the top enemies, Taesan knew he wasn’t yet a match for Ainzhar.

*Beloved goddess, Levinenov,* he thought.

Ainzhar had been descending the labyrinth to find that goddess.

In his previous life, he had not succeeded in locating her—or so Lee Taeyeon had believed.

But now, Taesan had provided him with the location: the 78th floor, within the Secret Library’s 24th hidden room.

As Ainzhar grew nearer to his goal, Taesan grew curious. Would he achieve his purpose, and what would he do once he met the goddess?

---

**[Special Skill: Breathless Strike]**

**[Mana Cost: 2]**

**[Proficiency: 81%]**

**[Allows you to ignore breath while attacking in combat. Lasts about 3 minutes and lets you fight at full power.]**

---

It was a minor improvement, but the proficiency of Breathless Strike had increased significantly.

His enhanced sense skill had also reached 100%.

---

**[Special Passive Skill: Enhanced Senses]**

**[Proficiency: 100%]**

**[Enhances your senses. You can detect bloodlust and blind spots. Able to better perceive the unseen. You can now observe a specific radius around yourself.]**

---

Although the description remained unchanged from when it had been at 80%, a new skill was unlocked as soon as Enhanced Senses reached 100%.

---

**[Special Passive Skill: Sensory Synchronization]**

**[Proficiency: 1%]**

**[Synchronizes your senses with a specific range around you. Currently, the range you can perceive is limited.]**

---

A specific range—about the size of a labyrinth room centered on Taesan. It felt as if everything in that area was within his physical grasp, as though he could feel, touch, and explore it directly.

Although he had previously acquired skills to survey his surroundings, Sensory Synchronization was far more direct. It expanded his perception as if he physically extended into the surrounding space.

With these sharpened senses, even top leaders would now struggle to approach him unnoticed.

*Maybe Lee Taeyeon could,* he thought.

She possessed numerous evasion skills, some of which rivaled Taesan’s main skills.

Even in his past life, despite frequent duels, he had never found her when she was determined to hide.

Lee Taeyeon was the ultimate evasion specialist.

But back then, her skills rarely saw full use. With Taesan and Lee Taeyeon the only ones able to handle S-rank threats, hiding was often not an option for her, as it would have led to many casualties. Most of her evasion abilities remained sealed.

“A pity,” Taesan muttered to himself.

Many other skills had seen their proficiency increase. Approaching the Deep Floors, more and more of his skills reached 100%.

Having cleared the 68th floor, Taesan advanced to the boss. The monster resembled a red Tyrannosaurus. As it charged at him, Taesan summoned his dark energy.

---

**[You have activated Savnak’s Black Thread.]**

---

*Buzz.*

A dark thread coiled around Taesan’s hand, unraveling to fill the area with tremendous energy. Taesan quickly summoned his shield.

---

**[You have activated the Shield of Aegis.]**

---

*Crackle!*

The thread ripped through the surrounding space. Although it buffeted him, Aegis's shield protected Taesan from harm.

*Boom!*

The Tyrannosaurus monster, shredded into countless pieces, collapsed.

Savnak’s Black Thread cut everything around it to pieces—including the user, Taesan.

The first time he used it, he hadn’t realized this and lost 20% of his health.

But the skill’s power was undeniable. Savnak’s Black Thread surpassed any other skill in his arsenal in terms of strength.

However, it lacked stability; misused, it could easily backfire.

Fortunately, there was a brief delay before the coiled thread expanded, giving Taesan time to dodge and avoid damage.

After confirming its effectiveness and understanding its use, Taesan reviewed the rewards for the 68th floor.

---

**[Bracelet of Crimson Blood]**

**[Strength +400]**

**[Agility +200]**

**[Attack +200]**

**[Defense +200]**

**[This bracelet, stained with the blood of a saint, belonged to the one who killed her. The killer carried it for life.]**

---

It was another reliable piece of equipment. Approaching the Deep Floors, the quality of the items continued to improve.

The hidden room and hidden rewards included two rings:

---

**[Black Witch’s Obsidian Ring]**

**[Black Magic +50]**

**[Dark Energy +50]**

**[Intelligence +100]**

**[This ring once belonged to a witch who worshipped the Demon Lord of the blackened lands. After her death, it flowed into the labyrinth.]**

---

**[Ring of the Brutal Tyrant]**

**[Strength +200]**

**[Attack +100]**

**[Defense +100]**

**[This ring belonged to a tyrant who once ruled the world. He slaughtered anyone who opposed him, erasing their families and killing even their pets. The world was plunged into darkness until he died.]**

---

After equipping the new gear, Taesan descended once more, reaching the 69th floor.

---

*Crunch.*

Amid a lush forest, Taesan drove his sword into a charging beast, cutting it in

 two.

The 69th-floor quest involved finding a single flower within a dense forest. Monsters ambushed from hidden spots, and the forest’s sheer size and density made finding the flower difficult.

For Taesan, however, it posed no issue.

With his enhanced senses, he could block monster attacks without looking. Using Insight and Appraisal to locate the treasure, he headed directly toward it.

When he found a golden flower and reached to pick it, the space split open, revealing a dark figure.

---

**[Hello?]**

---

“It's been a while,” Taesan greeted, bowing.

The figure, with jet-black hair and a young face, was the Demon Lord.

---

**[I believe you understand why I’m here?]**

---

Taesan nodded. The Demon Lord’s appearance signaled the imminent battle against the next leader of the Sins.

---

**[The next battle awaits on the 70th floor, the last place before the Deep Floors. They’ll be waiting there.]**

---

“Understood.”

---

**[I've also changed the rules slightly. Your power is nearly on par with theirs.]**

---

He quickly understood her meaning.

Up until now, the Demon Lord had ensured Taesan’s information didn’t reach the leaders of the Sins. Knowing his skills’ specifics made a significant difference, but that protection would now be gone.

---

**[I will no longer shield your skills from them. From now on, the leaders you encounter will know your abilities.]**

---

“I understand.”

Seeing him accept so readily, the Demon Lord smiled.

---

**[I thought you’d protest a little—it’s a significant disadvantage.]**

---

“The Demon Lord has decided this, meaning it's essential for a fair fight.”

And so, he would simply comply.

The Demon Lord smiled approvingly.

---

**[You’re returning to your home soon, aren’t you?]**

“Yes.”

---

**[As always, return victorious. I await your victory.]**

---

With that, the Demon Lord disappeared.

The next leader of the Sins awaited. Taesan had an idea who it might be.

He picked the golden flower.

The 69th floor was cleared, and at that moment, a system notification appeared, signaling his return to Earth.

---

---

**[You will return to Earth in one hour. Please complete any preparations.]**

“Quite considerate.”

With only an hour remaining, there wasn’t enough time to descend further. It seemed he would return to Earth before reaching the 70th floor.

Fortunately, he had something to attend to within that hour.

Ascending the labyrinth, Taesan reached the 65th floor, where Hafran, the blacksmith, hammered away at his forge.

“You’re here.”

Hafran looked weary.

“Is it ready?” Taesan asked.

He had commissioned Hafran to craft an item using the materials acquired from Hafran’s ruined world.

Given the quality of the materials, Hafran had clearly struggled with the task. Nonetheless, he nodded.

“I finished it just a moment ago. Good timing.”

“Faster than I expected.”

“Most of the materials were from my world. But it was a nightmare. That blasted item kept rejecting my touch.”

Hafran grumbled, and Taesan’s eyes gleamed.

For an item to reject Hafran’s touch—it had to be something extraordinary, perhaps even usable beyond the Deep Floors. Hafran handed Taesan a bracelet.

---

**[You have obtained the Bracelet of Despair, imbued with a fragment of a world.]**