[Kang Taesan [Alone] : Don’t accept it.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone] : Hmm… but it’s tempting… Is there no way?]
[Kang Taesan [Alone] : Lee Tae-yeon’s problem is that she’s too timid, and your problem is that you’re not timid enough. I’ll give you a simple example. You didn’t get Fortitude because you were scared, right?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone] : Yes. How on earth do you get that?]
[Kang Taesan [Alone] : You could probably get it if you accept?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone] : What does that… ah.]
[Kang Taesan [Alone] : Either you get it, or you die. It’s one or the other. If you’re confident, go ahead and take the Quest.]
First, he checked the shortsword. The shortsword's information window appeared.
[Less Rusted Shortsword] [Attack Power + 1] [It seems usable, more or less.]
The Attack Power was the same as the Rusted Sword. Since a shortsword has a faster attack speed, them being the same meant it was superior in performance. But he wouldn't switch.
It might be different for other monsters, but Goblins use weapons. When fighting with the same type of weapon, the advantage of reach held greater value than attack speed. Still, it wasn't a bad weapon.
It would be useful when fighting in close quarters. Taesan put the shortsword into his Inventory and checked the small shield.
[Wooden Shield] [Defense Power + 3] [It's not big. It can block most attacks, but it seems likely to break against a very strong one.]
Its performance was inferior to the Tower Shield. Its Defense Power was 2 lower, and it had no Attack Power. But Taesan thought about it.
‘From here on, the Tower Shield isn't very useful.’
Unlike the Big Rat, Goblins were numerous and fast. They would coordinate to pressure him. The Tower Shield had its strengths in one-on-one fights but was not suitable for fighting many.
On top of that, it couldn't be held with one hand, so he couldn't equip another weapon. Besides, it was too big. It was large enough to cover Taesan's entire body, which meant it also restricted his vision.
Since it blocked more area than necessary, he had to focus on blocking rather than dodging, which also caused problems for his movements. Taesan made a decision. He put away the Tower Shield and took out the Rusted Sword.
A shield in his right hand. And a sword in his left. Usually, it would be the other way around, but he was left-handed, so this was more comfortable.
His Defense Power was now 2 lower. But this was the optimal setup for facing Goblins. Sword and shield.
It was a combination he had used for quite a long time. He acquired 200 Gold. 50 Gold per head.
Not bad.
Having finished his preparations, Taesan headed for the passage. The Goblins he found in the next room were one with a bow, one with a spear, one with a shortsword, and one with a longsword. There was a slight change from before, but there was no great change in what Taesan would do.
Taesan rushed at the Goblins.
“Kaak!”
“Kieek!”
He blocked their attacks with his shield and stabbed with his sword. It was much more stable than when he used the Tower Shield. He was taking small amounts of Damage, but it was manageable.
It was at a level where killing just one would restore it all.
[8 Damage to the Shortsword-Wielding Goblin.]
[You are victorious against the Shortsword-Wielding Goblin.]
“Kaaa…”
The Goblin collapsed. The Bow-Wielding Goblin's eyes widened like a rabbit's at the death of its comrade. The Longsword-Wielding Goblin flinched when its companion suddenly died.
Taesan didn't miss the opening. He closed in on the Goblin.
“Kiek!”
Thwack!
He struck the Goblin’s arm with his shield. The hand holding the weapon flew up, leaving its body open. He stabbed it with his sword.
[You are victorious against the Longsword-Wielding Goblin.]
“Kieee…”
“Kaaak!”
A spear stabbed at Taesan. Taesan parried it with his sword, deflecting it. He blocked an incoming arrow with his shield.
The Spear-Wielding Goblin let out a monstrous scream and swung its weapon at Taesan. For a moment, he saw it. The way that Goblin was holding its spear was extremely clumsy.
That it had lost its reason to rage. Taesan moved as his senses dictated. He deflected the spear with his shield and swung his sword upwards.
The spear flew into the air.
“Ka, kaak.”
He cut down the Goblin that had lost its weapon.
[You are victorious against the Goblin that lost its spear.]
The System Window was quick to respond. Only the Bow-Wielding Goblin was left. It desperately shot arrows at him, but he casually knocked them away with his sword.
A bow without support. It wasn't scary.
“Ka, kaak.”
He walked toward the trembling Goblin. The sword came down.
[You are victorious against the Bow-Wielding Goblin.]
[Your Level has risen.]
[You are now in Optimal Condition.]
[As a reward for your Level Up, Health has increased by 10.] [As a reward for your Level Up, Strength has permanently increased by 1. Agility has permanently increased by 2. Intelligence has permanently increased by 1.] He had many small increases.
A balanced increase was the best. The Soul Rank Ascension was unchanged. Four windows for a 1-point increase in Intelligence appeared.
“Status Window.”
[Kang Taesan] [Level : 4] [Health : 165/165] [Mana : 15/15] [Strength : 18] [Intelligence : 24] [Agility : 32] [Attack Power + 3] [Defense Power + 5] [Target is in Optimal Condition.]
His Stats were still laughable. Before he returned to the past, his Stats were like this.
[Kang Taesan] [Level : 57] [Health : 1021/1021] [Mana : 820/820] [Strength : 105] [Intelligence : 100] [Agility : 98] [Attack Power + 49] [Defense Power + 58] His Level was now 5. Yet his Agility had already reached one-third of the value he had achieved in the past.
And this was while he was just clearing the 2nd Floor, not the 10th or 20th Floor. The more he thought about it, the more the difference in growth made him laugh. Lee Tae-yeon's Stats, which he had once thought were overwhelming, didn't seem so great now.
Since she had rushed through and missed a lot, her Stats were probably below average for Alone Mode. It was just that no one else had survived, so she never knew. Taesan, who was happily checking his Status Window, quickly checked the equipment.
“Longsword. Come on, longsword.”
There had been one Goblin holding a longsword. Since the dagger was +1 Attack Power, there was a high chance the longsword was +2. Two arrows.
One bow.
And a longsword.
“Yes!”
Taesan quickly checked it.
[Less Rusted Sword] [Attack Power + 2] [It seems usable, more or less.]
“Nice.”
An increase of 1 Attack Power. It might seem paltry, but it was of immense value. In the Labyrinth, all additional Attack Power was calculated through addition.
If Attack Power went up by 1, Damage that would have been 8 would become 9. When the base Damage was this low, the difference of 1 or 2 Attack Power decided whether you needed to land one more hit or not. For now, Attack Power was far more important than other Stats. The sword alone was satisfying enough.
But there were more rewards. Taesan’s pupils dilated as he checked the bow.
[Bow] [Attack Power +1] [Accuracy + 40%] [It seems usable, more or less.]
“This is good too.”
The bow he was using now had no Attack Power, so he had to rely solely on the arrow's Attack Power. Thanks to Airak Martial Arts, it dealt decent Damage, but without it, it would have been very weak. The accuracy was also very low at 20%, so he had to concentrate quite a bit when shooting an arrow.
Two problems were solved at once. Taesan happily put the bow away.
“You’re banished now.”
He put the Rusted Sword into his Inventory and held the Less Rusted Sword. He had become stronger once more. He had already dealt with four Goblins without using a single skill after switching to sword and shield.
Now, he could probably handle them without even using arrows. Having finished organizing, Taesan headed for the passage again. As before, he opened the door slightly to check inside.
“Huh?”
Taesan entered the room. There were no Goblins inside. But it wasn't just an empty room.
In the room was an altar for a god.
[You have discovered the altar of Rakiratas.]
[First Discovery Bonus] [Intelligence has permanently increased by 1. Mana has permanently increased by 2.] Intelligence and Mana.
They were never bad Stats. Taesan looked at the altar. A circular altar was placed in the middle of the room.
It was hideously stained with blood, and its sharp decorations hinted at the nature of the altar's master. The gods of the Labyrinth had various personalities. There were gods who were favorable to Players, and those who were hostile.
There were those who treated them as objects of ridicule, and gods who showed compassion. But most of them were gods who saw them as playthings, or so Lee Tae-yeon had said.
Rakiratas.
That was the name of the god that appeared in the System Window. Taesan searched his memory to recall what kind of god it was.
‘God of Conflict and Death.’
He didn't know anything more. Lee Tae-yeon had been a target of ridicule and mockery by the gods, so she didn't particularly try to learn about them. Taesan placed his hand on the altar.
[Altar of Rakiratas] [An altar made by those who serve Rakiratas. It is a passage connected to the god. Rakiratas can exert influence through this place.]
An altar of those who serve a god. Lee Tae-yeon had said she received a Quest every time she reached one. No sooner had he finished that thought than a bloody mist spread throughout the room.
A massive presence could be felt from beyond the altar. It was a power denser and heavier than that of the monsters he had seen. If this was what he felt from beyond the passage, most people would go mad if they witnessed it directly.
‘Is this a god?’
Things that only exist in Alone Mode. Rakiratas was one of them. A Quest window appeared.
[Sub Quest Starting] [Rakiratas wishes to test you, who have come to his altar. If you accept, a trial will come to you. Overcome it, and a reward will follow.]
[Reward : Rakiratas will decide based on your performance.]
Upon reaching an altar, one could challenge a trial given by a god. Lee Tae-yeon had also discovered the altar of Rakiratas on the 2nd Floor and had been offered a Quest just like him. But she had not accepted.
Lee Tae-yeon had instinctively felt that the trial was not something she could handle. She had fled the room as if escaping. That was why there was no information at all about what the trial was or what kind it was.
Taesan intended to accept.
‘Price and reward.’
He risked his life to clear the Secret Rooms and obtained the Staff of Flame. He blocked Ainzhar’s strike and obtained Airak Martial Arts. The moment he achieved an accomplishment that seemed impossible, he was given a reward that exceeded it.
Easy Mode had been like that too, but this place was even more so. He had no intention of running away like a coward. Taesan accepted the Sub Quest.
[Sub Quest Starting] [Rakiratas is pleased with your choice.]
The bloody mist that filled the room gathered in front of the altar. The mist clumped together to form legs. It climbed up the legs to form knees, and thighs were made.
A chest, a stomach, and even a head were sculpted, and a single human form appeared. It didn't end there. The mist swallowed the formed shape once more.
Soon, the mist disappeared, and a bloody suit of armor was visible.
Clank.
The bloody armor extended a hand. The remaining mist gathered and was held in the form of a sword.
[You have encountered the Servant of Rakiratas [Fake].]
[Trial of Rakiratas : Achieve victory against the Servant of Rakiratas [Fake].]
Taesan increased the distance and examined the Servant of Rakiratas. It was armor that a medieval knight might wear. Every part of its limbs was tightly encased, and its head was also perfectly protected by a helmet.
No matter how he looked, it was hard to find a gap.
Clank.
The bloody knight raised its sword and pointed it at Taesan. Without even fighting, he could tell just by its stance. That thing was infinitely stronger than the Goblins.
Taesan raised his shield and sword. After looking at Taesan for a moment, the knight stomped its foot.
Kwoong!
It ran at Taesan with a speed that didn't seem possible for someone wearing armor. But he wasn't flustered. He had seen countless beings that felt incongruous with their appearance.
He swung his shield toward the descending sword.
Kaaang!
It was Taesan who was pushed back. Taesan frowned at the tingling sensation in his arm.
[25 Damage to you.]
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped him at the absurd amount of Damage. If he took this much Damage even when blocking, the shield was meaningless. Taesan took a step back to create distance.
He put away his shield and took out his Rusted Sword.
“It's been a while since I used dual swords.”
Kwoong!
The knight stomped its foot again. The heavy sound that made the whole room ring was felt through vibrations. The knight swung its sword in a rough horizontal slash.
Taesan swung his sword to meet it. The sound of steel clashing rang out. This time too, it was Taesan who was pushed back.
From the two clashes, Taesan figured it out. The Servant of Rakiratas was superior in Strength. It wasn't a huge difference, but it was enough that he would surely lose in a head-on contest.
Then what about Agility? Taesan turned and started to run. The knight chased after him.
Clank! Clank!
Watching the knight chase him with rough clanking sounds, Taesan realized. He was superior in Agility. The distance between him and the knight was slowly widening.
It wasn't a big difference, but it wasn't a small one either. The opponent was superior in Strength, and he was superior in Agility. Taesan, who had been running, suddenly turned.
He rushed toward the knight and immediately brought his sword down. The chasing knight hurriedly raised its sword.
Kaang!
Their swords clashed. Both of their hands were locked. But Taesan had dual swords.
With his free left hand, he stabbed the knight's side.
Kakak!
[6 Damage to the Servant of Rakiratas [Fake].]
The armor was scraped away. He couldn't deal much Damage because it was wearing armor, but this was enough. Taesan started to press his advantage.
He stabbed at its waist with his left hand. This time, 5 Damage appeared. The knight didn't just take it.
It put force into its sword and batted his away. It drew a diagonal line toward Taesan. Instead of blocking, Taesan rushed into its embrace.
He got right under the opponent's hand to dodge the attack. This way, Taesan wouldn't have space to swing his sword either, but he had Airak Martial Arts. He quickly put away his sword and threw a punch.
[4 Damage to the Servant of Rakiratas [Fake].]
Buying the Fighter's Gauntlets was a good choice. If he had punched the armor with his bare hands, the Damage to Taesan would have been greater. The knight tried to create distance to have room to swing its sword, but Taesan stuck to it tightly.
As a last resort, it tried to swing its sword somehow, but he reached out and grabbed its wrist. Then he kicked its leg, hit its neck, and pushed with his shoulder. 4, 3, 4. A total of 11 Damage went in.
‘This is doable.’
Taesan had cleared all 100 floors of the Labyrinth. Although it was in Easy Mode, experience didn't just disappear. How to fight an enemy with superior Strength.
How to fight an enemy with superior Agility. He knew all the ways to fight multiple opponents. The knight's Strength was superior to his, but he was superior in Agility.
Then he just had to stick close and create a situation where it couldn't use its strength properly. Since the Strength Stat was an increase in muscular power, if you got so close that it didn't have space to exert that power, its value was greatly diminished. He was now using a tactic he had enjoyed in the past.
He stuck to the staggering, pushed-back knight once again. The knight gave up on swinging its sword and tried to kick with its knee. Taesan pressed down on it with his foot to block.
Although its Strength was superior, it wasn't a huge difference. He could suppress it if he pressed down before it gained proper acceleration.
‘This is easier than I thought?’
Taesan thought as he threw a punch. But it was only natural. This was the 2nd Floor.
No matter if it was Alone Mode, it wouldn't give an enemy that was impossible to clear. The Servant of Rakiratas had Stats that were unthinkable for an enemy on the 2nd Floor, but it didn't have the corresponding intelligence and sense. A certain level of balance was maintained.
A Player, overwhelmed by superior stats, would squeeze out all sorts of methods to barely achieve victory. That must be the picture Rakiratas wanted. But Taesan's Stats weren't low.
Thanks to Soul Rank Ascension and having figured out everything on the 1st Floor to receive additional rewards, he wasn't outmatched even when compared to the Servant of Rakiratas. Even for a Player at the beginning of the Labyrinth, a fair fight would be possible with Taesan's current Stats, but Taesan was a Player who had already cleared the Labyrinth.
Since he perfectly understood how to counter it, he could take it down without difficulty. And there was a being who was not pleased with that.
[Rakiratas feels a small amount of bewilderment.]
Even though his servant was a difficult opponent for a 2nd Floor Player, Taesan was fighting perfectly, without taking any Damage except for the first hit. It was an admirable feat, even in the eyes of a god. But Rakiratas was the God of Conflict and Death.
He wanted to see a fierce battle where a less skilled person squeezed out stratagems, skills, and wisdom to achieve victory, not a one-sided fight. That was the domain of overwhelming and deceit. After much thought, Rakiratas made a decision.
He decided to return what he had taken. To let the once-strong knight regain what it had.
[Rakiratas's authority is manifested. As a price, Rakiratas's domain of interference is reduced.]
[The Servant of Rakiratas [Fake] regains its intelligence. The Servant of Rakiratas [Fake] regains its techniques.]
[The reward for the trial is greatly enhanced.]
“What?”
Taesan frowned at the window that suddenly blocked his view. A red light suddenly ignited in the dead eyes within the bloody helmet.
[You have encountered the Servant of Rakiratas.]
The [Fake] designation that had been attached to the end was gone.
Clank.
The knight gripped its sword with both hands. Taesan tried to block, but he was in a lowered stance. In contrast, the knight was fully upright.
The knight was also taller, so his hand couldn't reach. The knight brought down the sword from the position it was held. The end of the hilt, the pommel, was aimed at Taesan's head.
“Tsk.”
At this rate, he could no longer stick to it.
Taesan retreated.
The knight raised its sword again and swung. A formal strike. All its power was contained within it, making it difficult to block.
He dodged it by a hair's breadth. Using the force of the downward strike, the knight advanced and thrust. It wasn't a wild swing like before, but a thrust with perfectly controlled power.
With no room to dodge, Taesan pushed his sword forward. He tried to clash with the knight's sword to twist its trajectory.
“Ugh.”
The knight twisted its wrist. The knight's sword twisted and began to dig under Taesan's sword. He tried to push it in somehow, but it was completely blocked.
The knight raised its sword.
Thwump!
He was already outmatched in strength, and on top of that, the sword moved in a direction where he couldn't properly exert force. Unable to handle it, Taesan's hand was flung high. The knight moved its foot.
Taesan wrapped his arm around his body. Taesan was kicked.
“Kuh!”
[12 Damage to you.]
Since it was a foot and not a weapon, the Damage wasn't great. But being kicked had broken his posture. The knight did not miss the opening.
It quickly ran up and thrust its sword. Taesan rolled on the floor.
Kagagak!
The sword was stuck in the floor. It was stuck quite deep, so it took some time to pull it out. Thanks to that, Taesan was able to create distance and readjust his stance.
“Damn it. What is this?”
Taesan ground his teeth. The situation had suddenly changed. With the addition of intelligence to its already high Stats, it had become ridiculously strong.
Above all, the quality of its technique was extremely high. It was at a level where his sword would be helplessly repelled if they clashed. In terms of technique alone, it was superior to anyone he had ever seen.
The Servant of Rakiratas, having regained its intelligence, sought to carry out its master's command. It rushed toward Taesan.