There were four remaining: Kwon Seong, Altiar, the Twin of Black and White, and the Noble Helia.

“Hah.”

A muscular man, Kwon Seong Altiar, let out a hollow laugh.

“You possess a great variety of powers.”

Taesan wielded divine magic, dark magic, spirit king powers, and the force of destruction. He used various powers without being outclassed by any of them.

“How is this even possible?”

Altiar couldn't accept it.

He had spent his whole life with his fists. From the moment he was born, he wielded his fists without taking a single day off. Through relentless training and an obsessive focus on nothing else, he had become Kwon Seong.

All the other guides here were not much different from him.

It was a place only a person of outstanding talent could reach after obsessively honing what they had. That was the depth.

No matter how much talent one possessed, neglecting it or looking elsewhere would prevent them from reaching this place.

Yet now, Taesan had countless powers.

While they would be weaker individually compared to their own singular focus, Taesan was different.

Each power he wielded was either superior to or equal to the powers the guides possessed.

‘The level…’

The difference in levels was clear.

Altiar realized that a being like him was indeed a worthy adventurer capable of conquering the labyrinth.

“But even so, I cannot give up.”

Altiar clenched his fists. Taesan observed him taking a battle stance with a detached gaze.

When Taesan didn’t activate a forced duel, Altiar frowned.

“What are you trying to do?”

“It’s getting annoying.”

Taesan swung his sword.

“Come at me all at once.”

“...That’s rather arrogant.”

Altiar's expression hardened. The momentum flowing from the Twin of Black and White intensified, and Helia's face contorted.

“You're strong, but you’re not at the level to defeat all four of us.”

Taesan's victories so far were solely because of the forced duel. If even one more opponent was added, victory would not be guaranteed.

Moreover, while Taesan had expended considerable energy, they were all in perfect condition.

But Taesan did not activate the forced duel.

Altiar shook his head.

“If you wish for that, you won't speak lies, will you?”

“I told you. Come at me all at once.”

“Very well.”

Kwon Seong clenched his fists and shouted loudly.

“I am Kwon Seong! Abandoned with nothing, yet I conquered the world with just my fists!”

[Altiar activated the first declaration.]

The Twin of Black and White raised their hands.

“Women walk along the hidden lakeside.”

That was the incantation. A preparatory process for using a special power.

“The sound of footsteps echoes and combines.”

“Soon, the two shall become one.”

[The Black Twin activated the Two Become One.]

[The White Twin activated the Two Become One.]

Their bodies began to collapse.

“Such skills exist too.”

[Special skill only the twins can possess. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.]

The collapsing bodies merged into one.

The left was black, and the right was white.

Their voices overlapped and echoed simultaneously.

“I will kill you.”

Helia drew her sword, slashing across her forearm.

“I will make you regret your arrogance.”

Swish!

Not red, but blue blood began to flow. Taesan muttered.

“Not human, then.”

“Yes. I am not an ordinary human like you. I am one who carries the blood of a god.”

The blue blood started to spread across Helia's body. Muscles bulged, and veins protruded.

[Helia activated Physical Burden Exchange.]

[Helia activated Mental Burden Exchange.]

[Helia activated Forced Divine Blood Activation.]

“In the name of the gods, I will kill you.”

“That target is you, of course.”

What the Dark God desired was Taesan's victory.

The gods wanted their deaths.

Blame.

The three guides rushed in unison.

Taesan raised his sword.

Boom!

Power clashed with power. The first to charge in was Kwon Seong Altiar.

The sword and fist collided. A vicious wind brushed past Taesan's head.

An opponent who bet everything on a single punch, fitting of the name Kwon Seong.

[You activated Acceleration.]

Clash!

The sword and fist met. Altiar was exceptionally fast and strong. He easily kept up with Taesan’s speed.

[You activated Slip.]

Altiar's fist grazed Taesan’s blade. This wasn’t a single instance. The trajectory of every swing was distorted. Taesan continuously let attacks slip at the right timing.

[You activated Counter.]

It was the moment Taesan's sword was about to pierce Altiar's chest, ignoring his attacks.

Swish!

A sharp strike surged. Taesan used Limited Blink to escape.

The twins who had become one charged in, swinging their sharp claws like cats.

Clash!

Fast and powerful. Though the twins used only the skill of Two Become One, their speed was comparable to Taesan’s. Moreover, their movements were those of beasts rather than humans, making them difficult to respond to.

Then, with an explosion, Helia’s body leapt forward.

Taesan blocked the descending sword.

Clang!

“Hmm.”

Taesan let out a small groan.

While the combat sustain skill allows for extended battles, it didn’t come without stamina consumption. Fighting against strong opponents drained considerable stamina.

Having fought against four guides, Taesan's movements had become somewhat slower compared to his optimal state.

However, with his high base stats, he was not in a state where he could be overpowered by the guides of sin.

Yet now, Helia’s power slightly surpassed Taesan’s.

‘The buff levels are exceedingly high.’

And with a buff of this level, there would likely be a time limit.

It probably wouldn’t last long, but he couldn't guarantee that he could withstand it during that time.

[You activated Magic Stacking.]

[You activated Frozen World.]

[You activated Starlight Arrow.]

[You activated Frozen World.]

Mana was condensed and then burst forth.

[You activated Magic Release.]

[You activated Forced Amplification.]

The burst magic consumed the space. Light and frost merged to destroy everything.

Kwon Seong clicked his tongue and retreated, while the twins quickly created distance.

But only Helia did not back down and swung her sword roughly.

Clash!

With a deafening roar, the light-infused frost was consumed.

But it didn’t all block. The aftermath overwhelmed Helia.

Screech!

The blue blood enveloping Helia's body deepened in color.

As the light and frost shattered, Helia charged toward Taesan once again.

[You activated the Arrow of the Storm of the Unfortunate.]

The arrow pierced through as it drew a line towards Helia.

Helia hurriedly brought her sword down.

Crack.

“Grrrah!”

The arrow and Helia’s sword clashed in a tense standoff. Taesan’s brow twitched.

‘Will it be blocked?’

The Arrow of the Storm of the Unfortunate was among the highest tier of intermediate dark magic Taesan had acquired.

Having opened up the path to use it, it contained enough power that it should be impossible to block.

Yet Helia was managing to deflect the arrow.

The blue blood wrapping around him grew even darker.

Clang!

With a tearing sound, the arrow was flung away. Helia exploded in rage.

“You’re weak! Weak! So weak!”

His eyes were bloodshot. Half-crazed, he charged at Taesan.

[You activated the Shield of the White Rune.]

Boom!

The shield shattered upon impact with the sword.

“Hah, hahaha!”

The explosion of rage erupted. Taesan leaped with Blink and swung his hand.

Countless spells and dark magic manifested.

Though it was an attack activated with magic stacking, Helia did not falter.

Instead, he charged at Taesan, piercing through the intermediate magic with his body.

Kwon Seong and the twins also quickly rushed in to pressure Taesan.

[Your first attack absolute nullification has been activated.]

Using the attack nullification, Taesan quickly gathered mana to distance himself.

[You activated Focused Detection.]

Screech!

The power of scouting overwhelmed the guides of sin. But as soon as it reached them, it was repelled.

It didn’t penetrate. Helia scoffed.

“Such a detection power can easily be blocked with some preparation.”

It seemed Taesan had prepared countermeasures against detection while observing the fight with the other guides.

Still, it didn’t matter much. If detection didn’t work, he could verify with his body.

Clash!

The battle continued.

Dodging and blocking, Taesan gleaned rough information about the guides and the types of powers they possessed.

‘Is it divine blood?’

The blue blood surrounding Helia. It not only made him stronger but also allowed him to bounce back and resist most of the power inflicted upon him.

However, it appeared to come with burdens. The more the blue blood deepened, the more Helia’s body turned red, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

There were two ways to respond.

To endure until self-destruction. Helia’s skill granted powers beyond what his body could handle. Surely the user's mind and body wouldn’t hold out long before collapsing.

But the opponent would likely know that too. Therefore, they would aim to defeat Taesan before self-destruction.

And they had enough strength to do so.

The three guides charged in unison.

Taesan stomped his feet.

Taesan withstood the attacks from the guides while defending himself.

He chanted spells to create openings and attempted counterattacks.

However, he couldn’t overcome the numerical disadvantage. His attack nullification was nearly depleted. Wounds began to appear on Taesan’s body, and his stamina dwindled.

“You were arrogant. Overestimating yourself has led you to your doom. Such is the limit of a mere mortal.”

Helia scoffed.

He was now confident of victory. While Taesan was being pushed back, he had not revealed any significant measures. This implied he had no trump cards left.

Now, even if he activated a forced duel, he would be at a level where he could win.

On the other hand, Altiar wore a troubled expression.

To him, Taesan was not the type to underestimate himself and make mistakes.

“Let’s end this quickly.”

Altiar spoke to Helia and the Twin of Black and White. In response, Taesan said:

“Is that so?”

Screech!

With a small voice, the wrist guards unleashed their power.

“Ugh!”

A tremendous wave of energy enveloped them. Altiar hastily threw a punch to break the wave.

“That’s…”

“To be honest, if we fought separately, it could have been dangerous.”

Taesan had taken down four guides by now.

They did not fall easily. They desperately sought Taesan’s openings and bought time.

As a result, when he finally defeated them all, the duration of his amplification was nearly over.

Since the amplification skill raised his overall power, if the duration ended, victory could not be guaranteed. The ring that resets cooldowns still had a month-long cooldown and was not usable.

Thus, Taesan made his decision.

Before the amplification’s duration ended, he would analyze them all at once.

The wrist guards, infused with materials, began to expand with a rumbling sound. The twins, realizing something was off too late, leapt into action.

Boom!

But they couldn’t reach him. The force emanating from the wrist guards bounced them back.

“Analysis is complete.”

[You activated Partial World Alteration.]

Altiar’s pupils widened.

“This is!”

The power to alter the very world itself, used when facing the Spirit King of Fire.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be unusable!”

Taesan had not activated Partial World Alteration until now.

Even while being pushed, he hadn’t activated it, leading Altiar to think it was restricted by cooldowns or other limitations due to its immense power.

“It requires considerable preparation to use.”

Partial World Alteration changes the laws of the world.

To achieve maximum effect, it was necessary to understand the types and levels of the opponent's powers.

While battling three guides, Taesan had recorded all of their powers in his bracelet.

He had deliberately avoided activating the forced duel for that reason.

The world began to shift.

The laws governing the powers of the guides weakened, and Taesan’s domain established itself.

“What does that matter! I am one who bears the blood of gods! A mere mortal’s domain cannot be my match!”

Helia charged at Taesan with a roar.

Taesan lightly brushed his hand.

[You activated Starlight Arrow.]

It was the same Starlight Arrow he had used repeatedly. Until now, Helia had deflected all of them with his sword.

Believing this time would be no different, Helia swung his sword.

Boom!

“Grrrah!”

Helia was sent flying with a scream of pain.

As he stumbled to his feet, he strained to speak.

“W-What… how…”

The blue blood enveloping him cracked.

The force he received had exceeded what the divine blood could withstand, causing it to shatter. This was something no guide of sin had ever accomplished.

Altiar and the twins hastily moved as well.

The power embedded in their attacks was not something Taesan could take lightly; they were formidable opponents.

But they couldn’t reach him.

Taesan swung his sword. Altiar’s fist was torn apart. Without pausing, he kicked the twins away.

“Grrr!”

“Ahhh!”

It was entirely different from before.

Taesan was completely overwhelming them.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve recorded too many laws, so I can’t last much longer. So, let’s end this quickly.”

[You activated Beyond the Boundary.]

Mortal. The power beyond that infused into Taesan.

[You activated Magic Stacking.]

Frost piled up.

The twins shuddered and quickly retreated. Their fingertips trembled in the encroaching chill.

An adventurer stepping onto the deeper floors was shivering in the cold.

It was impossible to merely be cold.

They had to block it.

But how?

The twins quickly launched themselves at Taesan, trying to drive their claws into him.

Crack!

But their bodies began to freeze from their fingertips.

“Gah!”

The twins pulled back in terror.

A collection of frost that even a powerful being reaching the limit of mortality couldn’t approach.

The world was literally freezing.

Taesan instinctively realized this was magic directly created by the god of magic. The true power of the Frozen World.

“Try to block it.”

[You activated Magic Release.]

[You activated Forced Amplification.]

Taesan snapped his fingers. The guides swallowed hard and leaped. The condensed Frozen World engulfed everything.