Ascension Through Skills

Malakas collapsed. Simultaneously, a system window appeared.

[You have won two perfectly identical battles against the same enemy.]

[You have acquired the special activation skill [Copy].]

Copy. At last, he had obtained that skill. Taesan relaxed the tightly tensed muscles of his entire body.

Click-click.

Fragments of bone began to rise.

Malakas’ empty pupils glowed menacingly.

He could not tolerate the fact that he had become someone else’s experiment. Filled with rage, he grabbed his staff.

“I have no more business with you.”

Taesan kicked off the ground. He leaped and struck the gap where the Life Vessel was. With a scream, the Life Vessel exploded.

Thus, the 73rd floor came to an end.

[Your Soul Ascension has activated.]

[Mana has permanently increased by 434, and Intelligence by 112.]

[Your Soul Ascension has...]

[Magic proficiency has...]

[World proficiency has...]

[Soul Ascension has activated...]

[You have obtained the beginner magic [Mana Crystal Surge].]

Taesan sheathed his sword.

“It was easier to obtain than I thought.”

Malakas was the perfect opponent to acquire Copy.

He not only resurrected with exactly the same power but also possessed excellent skills, though he still fell short of Taesan.

Yet, with the pride unique to one who had stepped into the Deep Floors, he could not bring himself to engage in a suicidal act, like throwing himself at Taesan’s attacks.

Even though he knew that the outcome would be destruction if Taesan forced the right answer, he couldn’t help but move accordingly.

In short, he was an opponent whose variables Taesan could control.

Thus, Taesan’s task was exceedingly simple.

He just needed to identify the patterns of the eight types of magic Malakas used.

What magic did Malakas use when he judged himself to be at a disadvantage? What magic did he use when he judged himself to be at an advantage? What about when Taesan approached, and what when Taesan had already closed in? What about when Taesan wielded certain magic? ȑＡΝ𝘰฿ЁŠ

Taesan grasped and remembered all these conditions.

[This doesn’t seem easy.]

The ghost muttered quietly. Simply judging by the outcome, one might think that all they had to do was analyze and induce the correct answers that Malakas chose.

But even if Malakas had died, he was still an adventurer who had ventured into the Deep Floors.

Though his body was now a soulless shell, it still possessed remarkable judgment and talent.

He could calculate thousands of possibilities in an instant and choose the correct answer.

Forcing such a being to select only the correct answers meant that one had to be able to calculate far more possibilities than even a magician who had ventured into the Deep Floors.

At least, it was impossible for the ghost. It was only feasible for someone like Taesan, who could calculate and judge the many possible outcomes from countless skills.

Taesan opened his skill window.

[Beginner Magic: Mana Crystal Surge]

[Mana Consumption: 10]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[It creates patterns of crystallized mana and surges forward.]

He had thoroughly analyzed its usage, power, and range while fighting Malakas. It wasn’t useful against strong opponents, but in terms of dominating space, it had its merits.

And then there was the skill he had struggled for four days to obtain.

[Special Activation Skill: Copy]

[Mana Consumption: 2]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[It copies the results of a specific action. For now, it can only copy attacks. The skill has a cooldown of one hour.]

Three short sentences. Yet the meaning within them was immense.

The ghost chuckled.

[It’s practically four times your attack power.]

Right now, Taesan could unleash an attack power exceeding 100,000 with skills like Addition, Blade of Will, and Conversion.

On top of that, Copy was a skill that added an equivalent amount of attack power. In terms of sheer destructive force in a single blow, even adventurers who had reached the 100th floor could fall short compared to the current Taesan.

[An hour of cooldown is ridiculously short for its performance. Judging from the description, it seems like you’ll be able to copy things other than attacks later on. This is...]

Copy was yet another skill that defied understanding. The ghost shook its head.

[Just out of curiosity, how many useless skills, unlike Copy or Addition, have you acquired?] “I’d say several times as many.”

The ghost nodded at the calm answer.

[Yeah. That makes sense. Otherwise, it wouldn’t add up.]

The labyrinth’s system granted adventurers skills commensurate with the outcomes of their actions.

But the results of those actions weren’t always necessarily right. There was a high possibility that the skill acquired after months of effort might turn out to be entirely useless in actual combat.

Taesan had experienced this many times himself. After dedicating over a year to obtaining a single skill, it turned out to be a completely worthless skill that he couldn’t use in any situation.

Having overcome all that futility and emptiness, he had acquired skills like Attack Nullification and Copy after countless challenges.

Just as Taesan was about to descend further into the labyrinth, the contract inside him began to stir. The subject of the contract was calling for him.

Taesan stopped in his tracks.

[You have summoned Minerva, King of the Wind Spirits.]

As the wind swirled, a female figure materialized.

She lightly placed her foot on the ground.

“Hello, master! Judging by your appearance, you won without any problems?”

“Thanks to you. What’s going on?”

Minerva scratched her cheek.

“It’s a bit complicated… Could you possibly come to our world?”

Taesan pondered briefly and then asked.

“The Spirit Realm?”

[You’re inviting him to the Spirit Realm?]

Minerva nodded.

“Do you remember the mad spirit? I need your help regarding that.”

Taesan took a step forward.

Welcoming him was the overwhelming power of nature.

The air was so thick with energy that it felt suffocating. Even the most skilled spirit summoners could be overwhelmed by this force and collapse from its intensity.

Taesan turned his gaze.

It was vividly colorful.

The rainbow hues spread in every direction, and he could sense the presence of spirits wandering around.

“This is the Spirit Realm. What do you think?”

Minerva smiled brightly, raising her arms. The power she exuded now was stronger and more elevated than when he had summoned her.

Before long, Barkaza also appeared.

[You’ve arrived, master.]

[Spirits inviting an outsider into the Spirit Realm... Isn't this a place even the King’s contractor can’t enter?]

The ghost’s voice was laced with surprise, as if this were a rare occurrence. Minerva opened her mouth.

“This time, the master is involved. Even throughout the history of spirits, this is something extremely rare, so it seems the other kings decided after much deliberation.”

She turned her body toward the giant green tree in the distance.

“Come this way first.”

Taesan followed her deeper into the Spirit Realm.

Numerous eyes were fixed on him. Most of those gazes were filled with hostility and suspicion.

“This doesn’t feel great.”

“Well, to be honest, master, you’ve defeated quite a few spirits. Even if they understand the circumstances, it’s hard for them not to be hostile.”

Minerva waved her hand. As the wind swirled, the spirits were startled and fled in a panic.

The spirits showing hostility were at most intermediate to advanced level. For the current Taesan, they could be defeated with a single blow, so he wasn’t particularly concerned.

Taesan’s attention was elsewhere.

He touched a flower that emitted a transparent light.

Within it was a power that could be used as a material for partial world alteration.

“Can’t I take this with me?”

“These things? It’s tough. The objects from the Spirit Realm are forbidden from leaving. If it were possible, I would’ve brought some for you myself.”

He had used up all his materials for partial world alteration. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t replenish them.

Looking around, Taesan entered the massive tree at the center of the Spirit Realm.

[You have arrived.]

[You’re here.]

[Are you the human?]

There were five Spirit Kings gathered there.

Earth, water, darkness, and more. Each possessed various attributes, and they looked at Taesan with curiosity and wariness at the same time.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Simultaneously, they exuded a faint aura, as if they were testing Taesan.

Taesan didn’t look directly at them. He also effortlessly brushed off the pressure they emitted.

They were strong, but not even close to the level of Vishnu, who had stepped into the Deep Floors.

They were not Taesan’s enemies.

The Spirit Kings who had been observing Taesan quietly spoke.

[...A human with such power?]

[Vishnu. That bastard had it coming. What in the world is this?]

Their words were filled with shock and awe. Taesan’s gaze shifted to the bird emitting a bright light from behind them.

From that Spirit King, he could feel a power on a different level from the others.

At least an immortal level. Taesan couldn’t defeat this opponent with his current strength.

[Welcome, Contractor of the Spirit King. I am Ariel, the Spirit King of Light, who has existed since the birth of the Spirit Realm.]

Ariel gestured to the other Spirit Kings.

[Let me speak with him first. Please be silent for a moment.]

[If Ariel says so... Minerva, come over here too.]

“Yes, yes.”

Even among the Spirit Kings, Ariel seemed to hold the most authority, and the others obediently followed her words.

Taesan opened his mouth.

“What have you summoned me for?”

Minerva had mentioned that the Spirit Kings called for him because of an issue involving the mad spirit. Whether to accept or not was up to him.

There was no reason to refuse, so Taesan had accepted.

Ariel slowly flapped her wings.

[I have a proposal related to you.]

The space opened up, revealing a pure white aura.

Taesan instantly knew what it was.

The mad spirit. A broken being that had slain the Fire Spirit King and achieved its own desires.

Its will and soul were contained within.

[A pitiful being.]

Ariel’s voice was filled with sympathy.

[The Fire Spirit King, Vishnu, who betrayed our mother and left the Spirit Realm. She wished to transcend the limits of her lifespan. The mad spirit was a tool she created to maintain her consciousness.]

Ariel continued speaking quietly.

[I could not stop Vishnu from leaving. I intend to help the mad spirit live a complete life somehow, as compensation for my failure. But unfortunately, I am incapable.]

Ariel was the strongest among the Spirit Kings.

But in the end, she was still a spirit.

[As a spirit, I cannot touch another spirit without our mother’s permission. That’s why I need your help.]

The space split open, revealing a fiery orb.

It was the core of the Fire Spirit King, which Taesan had obtained after defeating Vishnu.

[I can grant the power of an unowned spirit to the mad spirit. But the owner of this core is none other than you.]

The ownership belonged to Taesan. That was why he had been summoned to the Spirit Realm.

[What will you do? You can choose whatever you wish. This core ultimately belongs to you. However, if you accept my proposal, I can reward you generously.]

After quietly listening to Ariel’s proposal, Taesan finally spoke.