[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Hey. Hyung. Is this really the right way?]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: High risk, high return. Don't you know? You can't get it if the gap is too big, so now's the best timing.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: No. That's not the problem. Ah. Really... I'm sorry, Hyung. I really can't do it.]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Do whatever you want. I'm not the one who loses out.]
[Lee Tae-jun [Alone]: Jun-hyeok. You're not the strange one. No one besides that guy has gotten it.]
There is such a thing as skill combination. When a specific skill meets a certain situation, a new skill is created. Standing up, Taesan took a deep breath.
[You have activated No Breath.]
Having activated the skill, Taesan began to swing the Rusted Sword. The part about being able to hold it twice as long was only when standing still. The story changes when you act.
His whole body demanded oxygen, and his face instantly turned red. But Taesan did not stop his sword. He unleashed dozens of strikes.
Finally, when the strikes reached a hundred.
[You have performed countless attacks in a single breath. You have acquired the Special Active Skill [No Breath Attack].]
[You have acquired over ten skills and reached a state where you can confidently say you have obtained skills.]
[You have obtained the Title [Skill Player].]
“Huuu!”
Taesan exhaled harshly. Attacks have a tempo. Just as he read the Big Rat's movements to catch it, humans too reveal their moves before they act.
No Breath Attack was a skill that allowed him to freely change that tempo. It removed the discomfort of not breathing for ten seconds while attacking, which was enough to create variables. It was a skill he enjoyed using until he escaped the Labyrinth.
“Title Window.”
[Title: Skill Player] [You have acquired 10 skills. A bonus is added to the Proficiency of all skills.]
A good, fundamental Title to obtain.
Not bad.
“Status Window.”
[Kang Taesan] [Level: 3] [Health: 120/120] [Mana: 12/12] [Strength: 10] [Intelligence: 12] [Agility: 21] [Attack Power + 1] [Defense Power + 7] [The target is in a fatigued state.]
It's certainly fast. Lee Tae-yeon said her Agility was around 13 when she cleared the First Floor. It was an overwhelming speed.
Looking at Agility alone, it was a Stat that even a Hard Mode Player would have to reach the 5th Floor to achieve. Taesan, who was happily looking at his Status Window, stroked his chin.
“Should I make one?”
He had acquired many skills now. Even a Hard Player who reached the 3rd floor would likely be weaker than him on the 1st floor. Considering one grows exponentially stronger with each floor descended, this was an incredibly fast pace.
But he lacked a main skill. A skill with value surpassing ten other skills. A skill that could overwhelm a gap in Stats.
People called such skills main skills. To give simple examples, there was Addition, which adds to the current Attack Power. Multiplication, which squares the current Attack Power.
Perfect Reconnaissance, which grasps all hidden elements and situations nearby. Attack Nullification, which erases the result of an attack itself. Forced Duel, which prevents anyone but the target from interfering.
And Simple Time Stop, which stopped time in the vicinity, a skill that left everyone speechless. All of them were main skills. Skills that, even with just one, allowed a Player to wield overwhelming power compared to others of the same level.
He had possessed dozens of main skills. Taesan was thinking of creating one of them. He drank from the fountain.
After relieving all his fatigue, he went outside. Most main skills, perhaps due to their power, have considerably difficult acquisition conditions. For a prime example, Perfect Reconnaissance can only be created after Insight evolves two or three times.
Considering that an ordinary Player can't even manage a single skill evolution, it was a skill that was virtually impossible to obtain. But there was one skill that could be created even on the 1st Floor. In fact, it was a skill that was difficult to obtain if not now.
Taesan stood still in the passage and waited. Before long, a squeaking sound echoed.
[A Big Rat has appeared.]
The Big Rat glared at Taesan. Taesan took a stance and raised his shield. The Big Rat instinctively rushed toward his exposed ankle.
[4 damage to you.]
“Squeak, squeak!”
The Big Rat quickly fled. Taesan remained silently unmoving. The Big Rat, after observing him for a moment, charged again.
Taesan directed his gaze blankly at it. He could see everything. Agility trains not only reflexes and speed but also overall cognitive ability.
With an Agility of 21, he could have crushed the Big Rat the moment it came in. But he doesn't move.
[3 damage to you.]
“Squeak.”
The Big Rat thought Taesan had failed to react and cried out cheerfully. Now, it didn't even flee, instead circling Taesan's feet, biting and tearing at them. The damage window scrolled up.
Like clothes getting soaked in a drizzle, his Health slowly decreased. But he doesn't move. Taesan opened the Status Window to check his Health.
[Health 23/120] ‘I'll have to take a few more hits.’
He doesn't move. The Big Rat continues to attack.
[4 damage to you.]
Remaining Health 19. [3 damage to you.] 16. [4 damage to you.] 12. [3 damage to you.]
[You are in a near-death state.]
9. [4 damage to you.]
[4 damage to you.]
[You are in a crisis of death.]
[Line of Death Proficiency has increased by 3%.]
[Composure Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
Only when his Health reached a point where one more hit would kill him did Taesan move. He slammed his shield down.
Kuuung!
“Squeak, squeak!”
The Big Rat, which had been gleefully biting him, hurriedly fled. Taesan stood his ground, unmoving like a formidable castle wall.
“Squeak!”
The Big Rat didn't like that the dying prey was resisting. It immediately charged, aiming for an opening. It tried to get under the shield and sink its teeth into Taesan's ankle.
Kuuung!
“Squeak!”
But the shield moved, blocking the Big Rat's attack. The Big Rat flinched back in fright.
[You are in a crisis of death.]
[Line of Death Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
[Composure Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
[You have perfectly blocked the opponent's attack. You have acquired the Special Passive Skill [Block].]
Block.
A good skill that completely nullifies damage below a certain threshold. But it wasn't the skill he wanted right now. Taesan dismissed the window and glared at the Big Rat again.
“Squeak!”
The Big Rat hesitated, then charged. It aimed for a gap in the shield's defense.
Kuuung!
But the shield moved to block the Big Rat. The Big Rat had no choice but to retreat again.
[You are in a crisis of death.]
[Line of Death Proficiency has increased by 1%.]
[Composure Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
There is a skill called Fortitude. A skill that nullifies a death-inducing blow just once, and then negates all damage for a set period. Nullification was a considerably powerful effect.
You could ignore an irresistible blow from an opponent and land a counter, or break straight through traps that were impossible to pass even by risking your life. It was a skill that Taesan had benefited greatly from, one worthy of being called a main skill. Ku- [You are in a crisis of death.]
[Line of Death Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
[Composure Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
But no one besides Taesan had ever obtained it. Those who were curious about him asked Taesan after clearing the Labyrinth how he had learned Fortitude. Taesan had replied that it wasn't difficult.
[You are in a crisis of death.]
[Line of Death Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
[Composure Proficiency has increased by 1%.]
Skills have set methods of acquisition. The easiest way is to receive one from someone else. Very basic skills like herbal identification were like that.
But the skills that could be handed over were only Basic Skills. Useful skills for clearing the Labyrinth could not be acquired this way. And the second method is through Achievements.
If you accomplish something others haven't, you are given a skill befitting the achievement.
[You are in a crisis of death.]
[Line of Death Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
[Composure Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
And lastly, by realizing a semblance of the skill's effect. In a broader sense, Swordsmanship and Shieldsmanship were the same concept. He obtained Swordsmanship because he swung a sword, and he obtained Shieldsmanship because he handled a shield.
He obtained No Breath because he held his breath, and he obtained No Breath Attack because he swung his sword multiple times after inhaling and before exhaling. In that case, what must one do to obtain Fortitude, which nullifies a death-inducing attack.
It's simple.
[You are in a crisis of death.]
[Line of Death Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
[Composure Proficiency has increased by 2%.]
You just had to block death-inducing attacks consecutively.
[You have blocked attacks that could kill you multiple times. You have acquired the Special Passive Skill [Fortitude].]
He acquired the skill. Taesan immediately charged at the Big Rat. The Big Rat, terrified, tried to flee, but the shield crushed its small body.
“Squeak!”
[You have defeated the Big Rat.]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. Agility permanently increases by 1.] [You have obtained a small amount of Experience.]
[...]
He dismissed the scrolling windows and opened the Skill Window.
[Special Passive Skill: Fortitude] [Proficiency: 1%] [Nullifies a death-inducing attack. Afterward, ignores all damage for 1 second.]
Taesan smiled.
When Lee Tae-yeon heard how to obtain Fortitude, she called him a madman. Jung-geun had also looked at him with a bitter expression. But Taesan was the opposite.
He couldn't understand them, who refused to get a life-saving skill just because they were afraid. It's true that you die if you make a mistake, but isn't it a very light gamble compared to the reward? The Labyrinth was a place where you could gain nothing without risking your life.
Taesan was simply following that rule. Returning to the fountain to recover his Health, Taesan began the process of checking.
[Special Passive Skill: Block] [Proficiency: 1%] [Blocks damage below a certain value. Currently, it can only block damage below 1.] Block was also a good skill that, depending on its Proficiency, could block things like damage over time without issue.
The only problem was that raising its Proficiency was too difficult. As it required a lot of time and patience, no one treated it as a main skill. Taesan also had no intention of raising its Proficiency right away.
He put it off for later for now. The Proficiency gains for Line of Death and Composure were also quite rewarding.
[Special Passive Skill: Composure] [Proficiency: 31%] [An unshakable spirit. You will not be flustered unless a being beyond your comprehension appears. You gain a moderate bonus to Judgments.]
[Special Passive Skill: Line of Death] [Proficiency: 68%] [Allows you to sense when you are close to death. Activates in most crises. Also activates when taking heavy damage.]
The text for both had changed. Line of Death was particularly appealing. It meant he could detect most traps in advance.
“Are there any more skills to get?”
It seemed there were a few, but he couldn't remember. It was difficult to recall all two hundred skills at once. Taesan searched his memory.
“So there was a guest ahead of me!”
A loud voice echoed at that moment. Taesan reflexively took out his shield.
“A fine reaction!”
An old man in gold was looking at him with a smile. Monsters cannot enter the Fountain of Life. That thing is an NPC.
[You have encountered one who seeks God.]
“Greetings.”
He greeted him without letting down his guard. Lee Tae-yeon had said that most NPCs in Alone Mode were crazy. He spoke while trying to recall if she had ever mentioned an old knight in golden armor.
The knight stroked his white beard and asked, “Are you an adventurer?”
“Adventurer?”
“It is a term for those who strive to conquer the Labyrinth. Is that correct?”
“That is correct.”
He searched his memory as they spoke.
[When I was resting at the Fountain of Life on the 1st Floor, some old geezer of a knight showed up. I think he was a holy knight who serves a god?]
And what else did she say?
He remembered.
Taesan hurriedly raised his shield. The holy knight strode forward. Even though there was quite a distance between him and Taesan, he arrived right in front of him in a single step.
The holy knight grinned and raised his fist.
“Try and block this.”
[Ainzhar has initiated a non-lethal attack.]
[Ainzhar's Attack.]
The fist descended upon Taesan.