“Is that good or bad?”
[It's not bad. You can gain numerous abilities, as much as you are favored by the Merciful Being. They give you things better than what you received as a reward. It's quite helpful for clearing the Labyrinth.]
Proof of Struggle. The Ceremonial Blade. Something better than those.
If I accept, I could probably run all the way to the 10th Floor without stopping.
“Then what are the downsides?”
A contract with a God. There couldn't be only advantages. The Ghost spoke.
[Your soul becomes bound to the Merciful Being. And the other Gods don't particularly like that, do they? There are several Merciful Beings in the Labyrinth. What they want is also completely different.]
Rakiratas is the God of Conflict and Death. Revinenof is the Goddess of Love. There was no way the Merciful Beings were playing house together amicably.
[Rakiratas is a God with particularly many enemies. There are quite a few Gods who dislike him, saying his free-spirited actions lower his dignity. You'll probably run into some annoying things as you descend. And one more thing. In return for the power, you must follow the Merciful Being's revelations. No matter how unreasonable they are, you cannot refuse.]
There are quite a few disadvantages. Above all, the loss of freedom in my actions was a big one. It meant that if the God wished it, he could be driven to his death.
It would be even more dangerous with a whimsical God like Rakiratas.
[There were a few who called for me too, but I didn't accept. You get stronger, but a limit to your growth is also created. From the old man's perspective, it might not be bad, but from ours, it's not a very attractive option.]
“You really hate him.”
Hate was evident in every mention the Ghost made of the Dwarf. Taesan couldn't understand why he hated him so much.
[A subjugated slave with nothing but his damn pride. How could I like him? You'd be better off not listening to him. He's an enemy to people like you and me.]
Hero.
One who died while descending to conquer the Labyrinth. He was calling the Shopkeeper an enemy.
“So that's how it is.”
The thought of accepting the Apostle's Contract faded even more. Unless it was a truly dire emergency, he had no intention of accepting it. This brought up a question.
[This is a Labyrinth created by a Great Magician long ago, and there is a rumor that one wish will be granted to the one who conquers it.]
The System Window said this upon entering the Labyrinth. He'd glossed over it at the time, but thinking back, it was strange. Conquest must mean clearing it.
Lee Tae-yeon had cleared the Labyrinth. But he had never heard that her wish had been granted. 'Was the stomach stone of a god from the Ouroboros the wish?'
A stone that turns back time. It seemed plausible as the price of a wish, but Taesan denied his own thought. The Lee Tae-yeon he knew wouldn't have been satisfied with just turning back time; she would have asked for the Monsters to be eliminated or for a safe place.
'Hmph.'
It was a mystery. Taesan continued to descend the Labyrinth. He kicked a rushing Goblin, knocking it down.
[7 Damage dealt to the Magic Staff-Wielding Goblin.]
[You have defeated the Magic Staff-Wielding Goblin.]
[Huh?]
The Ghost paused.
[... You kicked it and dealt damage? What. Did you learn from Ainzhar?]
“You know of him.”
[He was an old geezer who was here when I was descending the Labyrinth. He was very loud, crying out every day that he was searching for God.]
It seemed the Ghost of a Hero had been staying in the Labyrinth for quite a long time. And Ainzhar had been staying there even longer than such a Ghost. The Ghost muttered as if displeased.
[That guy is ridiculously picky. I passed his standard too, but he said he didn't feel like taking care of me.]
“You didn't get it?”
[... I did not.]
The Ghost said, sounding annoyed.
[Hmph. No matter how good your Skills are or how much information you know, clearing the floors is another matter. Don't get arrogant just because you've entered the 3rd Floor.]
“I know. I have no intention of ignoring you either.”
[Uh, huh?]
The Ghost was a Player who had descended to the 80th Floor. Unlike Lee Tae-yeon, if he had progressed conventionally, he might have been even stronger than Lee Tae-yeon was at the time of her clearing. Perhaps even his past self could have very well been defeated by the Hero.
When he calmly acknowledged this, the Hero spoke energetically, as if embarrassed.
[H-Hmph. Right. Active skills are important, but I had Swordsmanship!]
“Swordsmanship?”
[It's the Swordsmanship of my empire! There were countless Knights, but none of them could defeat me. I even received the glorious title of Sword Master!]
Swordsmanship.
A skill he had thought unnecessary in his previous world. But his thoughts had changed after facing the Servant of Rakiratas. Here, not just active skills, but Swordsmanship was also important.
“Can you teach me?”
[Huh?]
The Ghost, who had been inexplicably pleased, let out a groan.
[... I'm sorry, but I can't. Even if you ask as the price for the bet, what's not possible is not possible. I can only teach this to those I've acknowledged.]
“A Labyrinth restriction?”
[You could say that.]
It seemed the Ghost had no restrictions on information, but there was a restriction on teaching Skills. In a way, it was natural. If there were no such restriction, it would mean he could freely give out the highest-grade Skills as he pleased.
[You're fine. Your skill isn't bad. I complained because I was too sharp-tongued, but you're strong enough as you are now.]
The Ghost said in a calm voice. His demeanor was much more composed. The edgy attitude he'd shown until now had somewhat disappeared.
[But it's not enough to be acknowledged yet. You haven't proven your strength.]
The Ghost had seen Taesan crush enemies with overwhelming Stats. But he had not seen him face a strong foe.
Taesan asked.
“And if I prove it?”
[Then I suppose I could teach you.]
“Then that's fine.”
10th Floor.
There was plenty of time. Taesan continued to break through the Labyrinth. He kept wandering without any particular stimulation.
Unlike the 2nd Floor, the 3rd Floor had no Altar of a God or an Orange Door, making the time feel tedious. And finally, the time to return to the Shop arrived.
[Your Inventory is full.]
“It's full.”
The Inventory has a total of 20 slots. With the arrows, it could hold about 15 pieces of Equipment. As a result of wandering all over the Labyrinth, he was able to fill the entire Inventory.
[Are you going back now?]
“Of course.”
Taesan returned to the Shop. The Dwarf scowled upon seeing him.
“••••••Again?”
“Show me all the Equipment.”
At his calm words, the Dwarf let out a sigh.
“Sigh. This isn't good.”
[Why is he the one deciding what's good or not?]
At the Ghost's sneer, the Dwarf's eyebrow twitched. But instead of fighting, he opened a space.
“Open. Golden Gate.”
Countless pieces of Equipment rained down.
“Here. Look around and decide for yourself.”
Taesan began to check them one by one. Since he had entered the 3rd Floor, better Equipment than before could be seen here and there.
[Necklace of the Strong] [Attack Power + 2] [A necklace worn by a strong person. Their power might linger within it.]
[1,000G] The price was higher, but it was worth it.
Taesan opened his Inventory.
“How much will you give me for these?”
“……Heh.”
The Dwarf let out a dry laugh at the mountain of poured-out Equipment. Soon, as if giving up, he began to check them one by one.
“This... should be about 2,000 Gold in total.”
“I'll sell them.”
He had obtained a fair number of magic staffs, but they were all Staffs of Confusion. Confusion was the lowest-tier Judgment among the Mental Judgments. As long as he had the Random Staff of the Mind, there was no need to use them.
Including the 2,500 Gold he had, it was a total of 5,500 Gold. It was more than enough, overflowing even. It was enough money to buy every Accessory for his whole body.
Taesan started choosing his Equipment. Thirty minutes later, his selection was complete.
[Metal Ring] [Attack Power +1] [It looks like your hand will hurt more.]
[600G] He purchased two Metal Rings.
Rings could be worn on every finger. There was no harm in buying many.
[Thorn Ring] [Attack Power + 2] [There are thorns on the ring. The reason for its creation is unknown.]
[1,000G] He wanted to buy more rings, but Attack Power Accessories were very uncommon.
He had looked through everything but could only find three.
[Necklace of the Strong] [Attack Power + 2] [A necklace worn by a strong person. Their power might linger within it.]
[1,000G] He bought four Accessories like this.
A total of 3,200 Gold. The increase in Attack Power was 5. [Attack Power + 16] His current Attack Power stat. Now, Goblins would go down in two hits.
It was not a stat one could reach on the 3rd Floor. The Ghost, who was watching, muttered in disbelief.
[Seriously, what kind of Skill is that?]
A Skill that was close to a cheat even in the eyes of the Ghost who had descended to The Depths. That was Airak Martial Arts. He had 2,300 Gold remaining.
Taesan looked for more Accessories, but nothing stood out. There were only expensive ones with a small increase in Attack Power. Taesan changed his plan.
He picked up a shield made of bronze.
[Bronze Shield] [Attack Power + 1] [Defense Power + 5] [It seems it can block many attacks. It can even block one overly strong attack.]
[1,500G] It was a one-handed shield, yet its stats were identical to a Tower Shield.
The price was about three times higher, but it was well worth buying. Attack Power 17. Defense Power 9. It was a satisfying growth. He had 800 Gold left.
He looked around the Shop more, but there was nothing else to buy. Taesan backed away without buying anything else.
“Well then, I'll see you next time.”
“Alright. Farewell.”
The Dwarf sent a cold gaze toward the Ghost. The Ghost returned it with a sneer. Taesan ignored them and left the Shop.
The sword swung. A Shield-Wielding Goblin gritted its teeth and tried to block, but it was sliced apart along with its shield.
“Kieek!”
[20 Damage dealt to the Shield-Wielding Goblin.]
[You have defeated the Shield-Wielding Goblin.]
[Your Level has increased.]
Taesan sheathed his sword.
“Is this the end?”
[Probably? I see the Boss Room up ahead.]
“There's nothing special here.”
Unlike the First Floor and the 2nd Floor, there were no special objects to be seen. Thanks to that, he could pass through quickly, but it was a bit boring.
[Beings like me or the Gods are not few, but there aren't enough to fill every floor. Sometimes there are empty floors like this.]
He knew because he had heard it from Lee Tae-yeon. She had said she was very grateful for floors with nothing on them. But for Taesan, it was the opposite; it was very boring.
Still, it wasn't without results. He was able to raise his Attack Power significantly by selling the Equipment he obtained at the Shop. And his Level had also risen.
[Kang Taesan] [Level : 9] [Health : 245/245] [Mana : 44/44] [Strength : 34] [Intelligence : 55] [Agility : 50] [Attack Power + 17] [Defense Power + 9] [Subject is in Optimal Condition.]
Even though Experience didn't accumulate easily, the Magic Staff-Wielding Goblins used magic, so they gave a decent amount of Experience. His Level went from 7 to 9. “I should start looking for it.” Taesan wandered the Labyrinth.
At his seemingly meaningless steps, the Ghost realized.
[Secret Rooms? This is going to eat up time again.]
“It's more than worth it.”
Staff of Flame. A ring that increases Mana by 5. Everything obtained from Secret Rooms were Items that couldn't be acquired on that floor. It was more than worth investing an hour or two.
However, boring was boring. Since it was a truly meaningless, repetitive act, he had no choice but to empty his mind and do it. Taesan continued to wander the Labyrinth.
But unlike before, he couldn't see any empty rooms.
“This has become a pain.”
Taesan frowned.
Secret Rooms were usually hidden in empty rooms with only one passage, but there were always exceptions. There were quite a few cases where they were hidden in ordinary rooms. This time was probably one of those cases.
If it came to this, he had no choice but to search the entire floor, so it was safe to say he wouldn't be able to find it. It was when Taesan was smacking his lips in disappointment.
[You had a strong premonition.]
“Huh?”
A single brick caught Taesan's eye. A brick that looked no different from the others on the surface. A brick that even Taesan wouldn't have paid attention to.
But he could tell. That was the passage to the Secret Room. Taesan pushed the brick as his premonition guided him.
Drrrk.
The brick slid open, revealing a passage.
[Proficiency for Insight has increased by 5%.]
The Ghost muttered unenthusiastically.
[……This is such a cheat. Why does your premonition go off every time you're looking for a Secret Room?]