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[They haven’t trampled on worlds for long. But they’re acting very passionately. 12 years. The time it took for 258 stars to fall.]
This meant that even as he was born and grew up on Earth, the worlds were disappearing one by one. Taesan scrunched his face.
āWhy is that?ā
[I don’t know either. Those who have been defeated are pathetically struggling. What reason would I have to guess why?]
Lucifer scoffed. Her face showed disdain for the beings called High Gods. They clearly despised each other.
[But there are parts that I can guess.]
āā¦What is it?ā
[The fact that they hate us.]
Taesan didnāt understand for a moment.
It was hard to think that hating the gods was a reason to trample a world. Moreover, Earth was a world where no particular god was visible.
Lucifer answered his question.
[They hate us. And we settled in the labyrinth. And the adventurers come into the labyrinth from each world.]
āā¦So, they want to trample the worlds that have the potential to enter the labyrinth?ā
[Don’t you think it’s a plausible story?]
Lucifer shrugged her shoulders.
[I’m just speculating too. Unless you ask directly, you can’t know if it’s really like that.]
āBut the possibility is high, right?ā
Taesan remained silent. The fact that his world, the Earth, was collapsing because of a power struggle among the gods.
In the silence, Lucifer opened her mouth.
[Do you resent us?]
āThe scale is too large to resent.ā
Rather, there were no emotions.
Gods were beings that crushed even stars in their hands. It was similar to the feeling that a meteorite falling to Earth was dropped from the stars, colliding with each other. If there was a difference, itās that there was intelligence in the meteorite.
Even if emotions were held in a meteorite, there was no thought of resenting the collided stars.
Lucifer spoke quietly.
[That’s fortunate.]
āBut I have more questions.ā
Not all the questions were answered yet. But Lucifer raised her hand to stop Taesanās question.
[That’s all. I can’t tell you anymore.]
āWhy?ā
[Because you’re not yet qualified. It’s enough service to tell you this much. I can talk about the rest after you’ve gone down further.]
There seemed to be a limit to what could be discussed depending on the floor. Taesan was still on the 20th floor. It was close to the starting floors if you were to put it into perspective.
āWell, thank you.ā
[Are you leaving?]
āBecause I have to go down.ā
The business with Lucifer was over. Taesan looked at Lucifer. His gaze conveyed a request to return him to the labyrinth, but Lucifer looked at Taesan blankly.
āLucifer?ā
[You are strong.]
Lucifer began to speak out of the blue.
[But that’s also a story from the lower floors. The more you go down, the stronger the enemies you encounter, and the trials of the gods are the same. Gods who don’t care if you die will give you harsh trials.]
āWell, thatāsā¦ā
Even Lee Taeyeon almost died on nearly every floor after passing the 50th. Even without undergoing the divine trials, it was that dangerous, so it was likely to be hazardous for Taesan as well.
āStill, Iāll try. Youāve seen me, havenāt you?ā
[Hmm.]
Lucifer tapped her cheek. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. After a dull moment,
Lucifer finally spoke.
[There is a way to make it easier.]
āPardon?ā
[A surefire way to become stronger.]
She stopped there and looked at Taesan with a grim expression.
At her strange gaze, Taesan realized.
āAre you suggesting the Apostleās contract by any chance?ā
[……]
Lucifer didnāt speak.
Taesan was flustered. That was because Lucifer told him that she wouldnāt give him the Apostleās contract. She had said she had no intention of giving the Apostleās position to someone who was not hers.
āI appreciate your suggestion, but Iā¦ā
[Who said it’s an Apostle’s contract!]
As Taesan tried to express his refusal, Lucifer yelled.
āThen what is it?ā
[……]
Lucifer shut her mouth. She waved her hand nervously.
The space split and the path leading to the labyrinth opened.
[Go! If you say anything more, I’ll burst your head!]
āAh, yes.ā
Taesan headed towards the opened space. Lucifer, who had been chirping, looked at the back of Taesanās head and opened her mouth.
[And a final favor. You can use my name when you encounter a small fry in the labyrinth.]
āā¦ā¦Thank you.ā
Taesan entered the space. The world started to turn around.
[I suppose it’ll be okay once he gets the hang of it. He knows what a favor is, so he wouldn’t dare to refuse.]
With an incomprehensible murmur, Taesan arrived in the labyrinth.
āWhat are you talking about?ā
She was a god whose words were incomprehensible until the end.
Taesan looked around. It was the familiar sight of the labyrinth, which he had missed.
āPhew.ā
Taesan sat down on the ground.
He was in the labyrinth after a long time. It felt as comfortable as returning home.
Having been with Annetsha, he had built up a bit of fatigue, so he took a rest for about two hours.
It was then that the ghost managed to recover from the shock since it murmured with a trembling voice.
[Are the gods… so strong?]
āDidnāt you know?ā
[I knew they were strong. But I never imagined they could squish stars.]
The ghost gave a bitter laugh.
[Well, my past self feels shameful.]
āI also felt a little suffocated.ā
Taesan had set the goal to become as strong as the gods. However, their real power was at the level of crushing stars. They didnāt even exert much power, so it was hard to estimate.
To catch up with that. At least for now, it was an infinitely remote goal.
āBut thatās a story for later.ā
Just as Lucifer had said, he was still a player of the lower layers. There was no reason to give up already.
He had received numerous rewards for clearing Luciferās quest. Taesan slowly began to verify them.
ļ¼»Special always-on skill: Anti-Theologyļ¼½ ļ¼»Proficiency: 2%ļ¼½ ļ¼»The will to resist towards the gods. When facing entities directly related to gods, all stats increase. Willpower is not easily broken.]
A skill gained from dealing with Harmonās angel. It was fittingly a stat increase when facing entities related to gods.
He didnāt know to what extent, but a stat increase was always welcome. The skill would be useful as the number of god-related entities would not decrease in the future.
The skill he gained from defeating the angel was not just Anti-Theology.
ļ¼»Divine Powerļ¼½ ļ¼»Proficiency: 0%ļ¼½ ļ¼»The power of God. It is the grace bestowed when someone believes and follows. It doesn’t seem to mean anything yet.]
āWhat could this be?ā
ļ¼»Who knows.ļ¼½
The ghost also showed an ambiguous expression.
ļ¼»Divine power is the power bestowed by God. In the end, it’s a power that someone has to give, so what would it do by possessing it?ļ¼½
āI donāt know.ā
He would keep it for now. A day would come when he could make use of it.
And the purpose of accepting Luciferās quest. Black magic.
[Black Magicļ¼½ ļ¼»Proficiency: 1%ļ¼½ ļ¼»You can use the magic of Demons. Use magic power to utilize Black Magic. The power and range vary depending on the magic power consumed. It seems that only basic power can be drawn for now.]
The description was a bit different from magic. The most different point was that the power and range varied according to the consumed magic power.
Taesan checked the black magic he had acquired by defeating Jagan.
ļ¼»Elementary Black Magic: Marabas’s False Flameļ¼½ ļ¼»Mana Consumption: 13ļ¼½ ļ¼»Basic Magic Power Consumption: 5ļ¼½ ļ¼»Proficiency: 1%ļ¼½ ļ¼»Marabas the Demon. It summons an entity in the form of the flames that Marabas uses. The temperature, which can melt the sun, is quite furious, likely cooling ice and the like.]
Unlike normal magic, it was written as basic magic power consumption. It meant that if he wanted, he could consume more magic power.
āIs it more free to utilize?ā
While magic could be changed by magic explosion and magic acceleration, no influence could be given to the magic itself. Frost Arrow was Frost Arrow, no matter what he did.
Black Magic seemed a little different. Taesan continued to check the acquired skills.
ļ¼»Special Always-on Skill: Pillage of Darknessļ¼½ ļ¼»Proficiency: 1%ļ¼½ ļ¼»The energy of darkness is engraved in you. Every time you kill an enemy, you steal the darkness they possess.]
Lucifer had said that it was similar to the Proof of Victory from Balthasar. The fact that magic power naturally increased without him paying attention to it was a good thing.
ļ¼»Title: The One Who Receives the Demon God’s Favorļ¼½ ļ¼»A kind of proof given only to those they cherish. You can use and learn black magic. It is the first time a human who is not a demon has received this.] ļ¼»Magic Power + 5ļ¼½
The title was ordinary. It seemed to be a kind of proof that allowed him to learn black magic from now on.
And lastly, the two black magics that Lucifer gave as a service.
ļ¼»Elementary Black Magic: Decarabia’s Distorted Lifeļ¼½ ļ¼»Mana Consumption: 12ļ¼½ ļ¼»Basic Magic Power Consumption: 6ļ¼½ ļ¼»Proficiency: 1%ļ¼½ ļ¼»A demon, Decarabia, summons a distorted life. It seems that only pieces of roots that swallowed stars can be summoned.ļ¼½
This was the black magic that Jagan had used. In the darkness, countless tree roots sprang out, restricting movement.
ļ¼»Basic Black Magic: Raum’s Emotional Manipulationļ¼½ ļ¼»Mana Consumption: 7ļ¼½ ļ¼»Basic Magic Power Consumption: 3ļ¼½ ļ¼»Proficiency: 1%ļ¼½ ļ¼»A demon, Raum’s emotional interference is used. It shows a dreadful illusion to the person who has been used. It seems to only show illusions within the range of human imagination for now.ļ¼½
āIs this the end?ā
This was all he had obtained for now. Taesan, who was organizing, realized something belatedly.
āI had this too.ā
The golden dragon Balbenares had given him his own claw. Its color was also gold.
ļ¼»Golden Dragon’s Clawļ¼½ ļ¼»It is a part of the one who guards the world. It seems that only an exceptional person can handle it.]
There was one blacksmith he knew.
Taesan went up the labyrinth. The shop owner looked surprised when he saw Taesan.
āDid youā¦ meet with the Demon God?ā
āDo you know?ā
āI can feel the power. Itās rare for the Demon God to acknowledge someone other than a demonā¦ā
The surprised shop ownerās gaze went to the back of Taesanās hand. There, the Demon Godās emblem was drawn.
The shop owner nodded as if he understood.
āThey did a branding. I didnāt expect even the Demon God to do that?ā
āHuh?ā
āItās not bad news for you.ā
The shop owner waved his hand.
Apprehensively, Taesan went down and met the blacksmith.
āWhat is it?ā
āI was wondering if this could be refined.ā
Taesan held out the golden dragonās claw. Hafranās pupils, which had been calmly gazing at him, grew larger.
āā¦ā¦where did you get this?ā
āNot from the labyrinth, but from elsewhere. I got it while clearing a quest. Is it possible to refine?ā
Hafran groaned. He fumbled with the claw with a face full of admiration.
āThere is something like thisā¦ā¦ itās interesting. If youāre asking if itās possible, itās possible.ā
āIs there a condition attached?ā
Hafran nodded his head.
āThe law is that if the core ingredient is a dragonās claw, then similar levels are required for other things. You might be able to barely get one if you go down about 10 more floors.ā
It couldnāt be used right away. He accepted it calmly because he had expected this.
Lee Taeyeon also used several pieces of equipment related to dragons, most of which were part of her equipment when she came out of the labyrinth. It meant that it was equipment that could be obtained when clearing the Solo Mode.
āThen keep it. Iāll bring it when I find the ingredients.ā
āI should be the one thanking you.ā
Hafran looked at the claw with joyful eyes. With a blank look in his eyes, Taesan did not interfere any further and came down.
Finally, it was the 21st floor. According to Lee Taeyeonās words, different monsters appeared on the 21st floor.
āSpirits.ā
Those were the monsters from the 21st to the 30th floor.