The guides resisted the oncoming cold. The Twin of Black and White canceled their union and clasped each other's hands.

[The Black Twin activated Unchanging Bond.]

[The White Twin activated Unchanging Bond.]

A powerful wave surged from the twins. It was an intense emotion that could only be used by those who were united, capable of crushing and trampling everything in its path.

“Ugh!”

Altiar took a proper stance and threw a straight punch.

[Altiar activated the Origin of Nothingness.]

Though it was a very ordinary punch, it contained a strength that could not be underestimated.

Altiar had infused all the skills he had learned in the martial arts before and after becoming Kwon Seong into this single fist.

Helia hardened the blue blood enveloping her body even more.

The skill they activated now was everything they had built up in the labyrinth. It was a power that symbolized who they were.

Crack.

But the moment it collided with the ice, it shattered completely.

“Gyaaaah!”

The frigid cold consumed their emotions. Altiar's punch, filled with everything he had thrown, was shattered and overwhelmed.

Crack!

And Helia’s blue blood was being destroyed.

“This can’t be! It can’t be!”

He cried out in denial, but the cold calmly engulfed him.

Crack.

All the cold surged, and silence hung in the air. Taesan exhaled.

The amplification and partial world alteration simultaneously ended. The immense power and pressure that had engulfed him dissipated, leaving a sense of fatigue.

The cold that blanketed the world began to prick at Taesan’s entire body.

[What power…….]

The spirit groaned. He had invested all the power of his domain into the Frozen World. He had called forth the power beyond mortality with the Beyond the Boundary skill, and with magic stacking and forced amplification, that power had been further enhanced.

As a result, the guides of sin, engulfed by the Frozen World, were brought to the brink of death.

Crack.

The ice shattered, revealing the Twin of Black and White. They lay on the ground, their faces pale. They seemed incapable of continuing the fight.

“Hah, hah…”

Altiar, with his lower body entirely frozen, let out a hollow laugh.

He was not much different from the Twin of Black and White. He was also incapable of fighting anymore. In fact, he was slowly dying.

“You are a monster. Truly a monster.”

He had single-handedly triumphed over eight guides of sin.

Even though he created a 1:1 situation through the forced duel, what enabled him to achieve this was Taesan’s strength.

“To lose so perfectly leaves me with no words. You are the victor. Adventurer.”

Altiar calmly accepted his fate and closed his eyes.

Taesan pierced his chest.

[You have defeated Altiar.]

The Twin of Black and White also did not resist. They accepted defeat and quietly met their end at Taesan’s hands.

“Now only one remains.”

The most noble one. Helia.

He was in a more pitiful state than Altiar or the Twin of Black and White. The blue blood that enveloped his body seemed to run rampant, and his limbs were in ruins.

“I cannot accept this.”

He stared blankly into the air as he spoke.

“I will not accept it! I am! I am!”

He shouted in denial.

“I carry the blood of the gods!”

He was fundamentally different from mere mortals.

He spewed forth the pride he held deep within.

“You, of all people! You, of all beings, cannot defeat me!”

Taesan raised his sword.

“You have lost. So die willingly.”

“No! I have not lost! I am!”

Even as he was dying, Helia denied it until the very end.

Taesan’s sword pierced his chest.

“I have not lost…”

And thus, he died.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone refuse to accept defeat until the end.”

[He was arrogant. More so than any of the guides. Even more than me.]

The last guide fell.

Taesan emerged victorious.

A satisfied laughter seemed to echo from beyond the space.

[You have reached your optimal state.]

The restrictions on recovery vanished. The fatigue and sense of loss that had enveloped him disappeared in an instant.

Taesan leaned against the wall.

---

* * *

Leveling up resolves all physical and mental fatigue.

However, even so, he felt oddly fatigued. Taesan closed his eyes and took a moment to rest.

[Are you organized?]

“Moderately.”

Taesan opened his eyes. The spirit smiled softly.

[As far as I remember, there were about twenty guides. You defeated eleven of them.]

More than half had met their end at Taesan’s hands.

[It seems the group of the guides of sin has essentially come to an end.]

After countless time establishing themselves in the labyrinth, controlling and managing the adventurers who entered, the absolute group was now shattered by Taesan.

The remaining ones would either flee from the battle against Taesan or find their own methods.

[I hope she doesn’t just give up and run away.]

The spirit muttered.

Taesan had triumphed over the guides. Not just one, but eight.

The rewards for this were certainly not insignificant.

---

[Level: 155]

[Shield: 15,800/15,800]

[Health: 173,277/173,277]

[Mana: 18,641/18,641]

[Magic: 1,528/1,528]

[Strength: 33,245]

[Dexterity: 34,685]

[Intelligence: 30,141]

[Attack Power + 8,695]

[Defense Power + 6,052]

[The target is in optimal condition.]

---

“Hah.”

Taesan couldn’t help but smile.

All his stats exceeded 30,000.

He raised his sword and swung it. The blade sliced through the air, making a sharp sound, and it was undoubtedly faster than before.

Finding an opponent who could surpass him in speed and power would be challenging.

With physical capabilities like this, he would not fall short against anyone. His stats were that impressive.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was the strongest.

Simple stats could easily be overturned by the variables of battle. If there was a significant difference in levels, even high stats would not matter much.

The level difference would become increasingly significant, so it was hard to say he had purely become stronger proportional to his raised stats.

But even so, those stats were undeniably important. As fundamental physical capabilities, the higher they were, the easier it was to gain an advantage in combat.

And the most important thing was not the stats. It was the skills gained from the elevation of his rank.

He had defeated eight opponents.

The elevation of his rank granted him a total of eight skills.

---

[Special Activated Skill: Mark Designation]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Mana Cost: 500]

[Designates a mark at a specified location. Currently, only up to three marks can be designated. Once a mark is designated, it cannot be reset until a day has passed, and there are limitations on the distance moved.]

---

As a standalone skill, it seemed utterly useless, but when linked with other skills, its value would increase exponentially.

---

[Special Activated Skill: Designated Mark Acceleration]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Mana Cost: 50]

[Accelerates movement to the designated mark using the Mark Designation skill. Can move to a chosen mark. Has a cooldown of one minute after activation.]

---

He had acquired the Designated Mark Acceleration that Floria used.

Taesan tested it directly. He designated marks in three locations and activated the skill.

[You activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]

His body accelerated.

Taesan instantly moved to the designated mark.

“Quite fast.”

Despite the proficiency being only at 1%, it was a speed that even the usual Taesan could not catch up to. If it were a low-level enemy, they might even mistake him for teleporting.

Moreover, with a cooldown of just one minute, it was quite useful.

Of course, there was a downside. Unlike random or limited blink that leaps through space, this was strictly a movement skill, so if the space was blocked, movement would be restricted. But even accounting for that, it was a solid skill.

---

[Special Passive Skill: Deeper Faith than Anyone Else]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[A collection of faith bordering on madness. Continuously recovers one's divine power.]

---

The warrior of the great saint. A skill obtained after defeating Gloria.

Its effect was the recovery of divine power. What Taesan possessed was his own divinity, making it ambiguous to call it divine power. He was uncertain whether the skill would activate, but upon confirmation, it was indeed recovering normally.

“The speed is quite rapid.”

Even with a substantial amount of divine power, it was recovering at a remarkable rate.

At this rate, even without direct faith, he could handle divine powers more frequently.

Divine power was a necessary strength for upcoming battles. Once expended, it took a long time to recover. A skill that assisted with this was undoubtedly essential for Taesan right now.

---

[Special Passive Skill: Spawn of Destruction]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[A fragment of destruction obtained by swallowing the remnants of destruction. It allows one to handle the power of destruction more freely.]

---

The skills Taesan possessed related to destruction were the Spark of Disaster and the Call of Destruction. Both had remarkable power, but because Taesan could not handle them properly, their effects had not been maximized.

This skill would help

 him use those abilities more freely and powerfully. That was how it seemed.

Next was the skill obtained from defeating Estevan.

---

[Special Activated Skill: Forced Recall of All Summons]

[Mana Cost: 1,000]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Forces all summons within a certain range to return. It does not distinguish friend from foe, and if the summon is sufficiently strong, it can resist.]

---

This was the skill Estevan used to reverse summon Minerva at the end.

Now, while the proficiency was at 1%, it wouldn’t have a significant effect, but considering he had reversed summoned even a spirit king, it was certainly worth investing in.

---

[Special Activated Skill: Mental Burden Exchange]

[Mana Cost: 300]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[For thirty minutes, it exchanges a portion of the mental burden for physical burden.]

---

This was an easy-to-understand description. Considering that black and divine powers exert a burden on the body but the mental burden is greater, it seemed it would be beneficial to activate at crucial moments.

The skill used by the leaders of the guides in battle likely had considerable figures as well.

‘As expected.’

The skills of the adventurers in the depths were all quite useful.

Taesan nodded in satisfaction as he examined the remaining skills.

---

[Special Activated Skill: Two Become One]

[Mana Cost: 1,000]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Fuses two equal objects to create one.]

---

A brief description.

From that alone, Taesan understood he could not use this skill.

The twins had fused together using this skill.

As a result, without using any other skills, they had increased their strength and speed enough to keep pace with Taesan.

There was no cooldown, no risk, and no duration. It was a nearly perfect skill in terms of pure enhancement.

While it was indeed an excellent skill, the conditions were too stringent. To create two equal objects was nearly impossible unless they were born that way, like the twins.

However, Taesan quietly scrutinized the skill.

Two equal objects.

That was the only condition.

If that were the case, it wasn’t entirely impossible.