[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Can I accept it?]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Lee Tae-yeon would refuse it even if I offered, but you're quite proactive. It should be possible. But I don't know for sure either. What I received was probably something different.]
[Shut up.]
The Ghost spoke sharply. But its voice lacked the power it once had. It seemed as if something was missing.
Noticing this, the Dwarf smirked.
"You are a being that has been stopped. Do not forget that."
"I told you to cut it out."
Taesan waved his hand with an annoyed expression.
"Why are you two on such bad terms?"
"Should we hold hands and play house here then? This is a place where only those pushed to their limits exist. It'll be hard to find anyone on good terms."
The Dwarf gestured with his chin, looking annoyed.
"If you have no more business, go on down. I'm tired of looking at that thing."
"Understood."
There was nothing to buy for now anyway. Taesan descended into the Labyrinth. The Ghost said nothing.
4th Floor.
He knew about this place from Lee Tae-yeon as well.
‘She said it was the floor of Orcs.’
Goblins after rats. Orcs after Goblins. It was a rather standard arrangement.
Orcs.
Players called them a race of warriors. Each one possessed a powerful body and strength, and they showed excellent movements in combat. That didn't mean their intelligence was low.
Their agility was also considerable. They were a rare all-rounder type of Monster in the Labyrinth, beings that appeared as Bosses only in the Middle Floors or higher in Easy Mode. Each one of them roamed scattered throughout the entire floor.
The way Lee Tae-yeon passed the 4th Floor was simple. She was a great fan of firebombs and oil. She used them against any opponent they worked on until she got quite deep.
Taesan arrived in a room. There was a single altar there.
[You have discovered the Altar of Balthazar.]
[First Discovery Bonus] [Intelligence has permanently increased by 1. Mana has permanently increased by 2.] 'Just as the story goes.'
Having heard about it from Lee Tae-yeon, he checked it without being surprised. A tall spire reaching the ceiling caught his eye. Taesan placed his hand on the altar.
[Altar of Balthazar] [An altar made by those who serve Balthazar. It is a passage connected to the god. Balthazar can exert influence through this place.]
The basic description was identical to the Altar of Rakiratas.
Balthazar.
If Lee Tae-yeon was right, his domain was victory.
[The God of Victory. It's Balthazar.]
"You know him?"
[He's not a bad god. Not that he's good either. Just an average god?]
Power gathered at the altar. Something could be felt beyond the space. It was looking down upon this place.
It wasn't murky and dark like Rakiratas. It was a violent collection of power that permitted nothing else.
[Sub Quest Begins] [Balthazar wishes to test you, who has come to his altar. If you accept, a Trial will come to you. Overcome it, and a Reward will follow.]
[Reward: Balthazar will decide based on your performance.]
Similarly, there was no information about the Trial. This was because Lee Tae-yeon had avoided every single altar. But there was no reason to refuse.
Taesan accepted the Quest.
[Sub Quest Begins] [Balthazar is pleased with your choice.]
[Balthazar reads your experiences.]
Taesan frowned at the System Window that followed.
"Reads them?"
[The opponent is the God of Victory. He's reading your memories and experiences to judge what kind of worth you have. If he judges you worthless, he won't give you a Quest or will just discard you. Well, you shouldn't have a problem.]
It was just as the Ghost said. A moment later, the power from beyond raged violently. The power, which had been shaking as if in delight, soon stabilized.
And another window appeared before Taesan.
[Balthazar's domain of interference is reduced.]
[Balthazar offers you an Enhanced Trial.]
Taesan paused.
The Ghost looked as if it had expected this.
[Ha. Giving a Trial while reducing his domain? Right. There's no way Balthazar would dislike you after seeing you.]
Taesan looked at the System Window and pondered. From his experience with Rakiratas, he had realized that gods were capricious. It was difficult to readily accept an Enhanced Trial.
The Ghost resolved his worries.
[Are you worried about the Enhanced Trial?]
"I already got burned once by Rakiratas."
[... So that thing even offered you that. You. And you survived.]
An unreadable emotion was contained in the Ghost's voice. Soon, he began to speak calmly.
[You can accept it. With your current self, you can clear it easily enough.]
"I almost died with Rakiratas."
[That's because it was Rakiratas. That god is a fickle one. Even if you had fought and died, he would have been satisfied, so it wouldn't have mattered to him at all.]
Rakiratas was in charge of conflict and death. Whether Taesan fought and died, both conditions would be met. The opposite was also true.
That would be one of the reasons Rakiratas could act so freely.
[The Trial probably got enhanced suddenly while you were in the middle of it, right?]
"How did you know?"
[Because that one is fickle. I expected it, but I didn't think he'd actually do it.]
The Ghost continued with a bitter tone.
[Gods fundamentally dislike breaking contracts. Even with a human-like an ant, no, precisely because of that, they hate to break them even more. It's because they feel their own stature diminishes the moment they utter a falsehood.]
So, there should be no problem, was the Ghost's judgment. After a moment of thought, Taesan nodded.
"I accept the Quest."
The rewards from gods were certain. Even Rakiratas, despite the difficulty, had given a sufficient reward. If he accepted, he could become significantly stronger.
If he followed the Ghost's words, gods tried not to speak falsehoods. In that case, there was no reason to refuse.
[Sub Quest Begins.]
[Balthazar is greatly pleased.]
[Balthazar's domain of interference is reduced.]
[Balthazar receives consent from the residents of the 4th and 5th Floors.]
[. . .]
[For: 20. Against: 1.] [The 4th Floor changes.]
As soon as the System Window appeared, a loud crashing sound rang out. The floor shook for a moment. Taesan quickly crouched to steady himself.
Thump! Thump!
Loud noises continued to echo. The vibrations felt through the floor and walls suggested something big was happening.
"What is it?"
A few seconds later, the vibrations stopped. A System Window appeared.
[Balthazar's Trial: Conquer the changed 4th and 5th Floors.]
"Changed?"
[Uh... this is a first for me too.]
The Ghost seemed flustered, as if it had never experienced this before. Taesan opened the door and moved to the next room. Only then could he realize what the vibration was.
[Wow.]
This place was a Labyrinth. Passageways connected to passageways, and rooms were linked in an organic fashion. The 4th Floor wouldn't have been much different.
But now, a change had occurred here. The passageway was visible at the very opposite end.
"Did it turn into a straight line?"
The 4th Floor had changed from a Labyrinth into a straight line of connected rooms. The Labyrinth itself had changed. And not just one room, but the entire floor.
"Is this even possible?"
Taesan knew how sturdy the walls of the Labyrinth were. He was aware through many experiences how solid the concept of a floor was here. But even he had never heard of changing the floor itself.
[The opponent is a god who participated in creating the Labyrinth. It's not impossible, but... it's surprising. It was possible to this extent?]
The Ghost was also quite flustered, as if seeing this for the first time. Taesan looked around the room. The room itself hadn't changed much.
"Good."
Then what he had to do hadn't changed either. The Ghost was surprised as Taesan headed towards the room.
[You're going right away?]
"It's not like there's anything to do just sitting cooped up here."
[... That's true.]
Taesan passed through the room and entered the next. An Orc stood there.
"It's big."
It was three times the size of an ordinary person. The seated Orc opened its eyes. It looked at Taesan and the corners of its mouth lifted.
"Kureuk."
The Orc raised its sword and presented it.
[A Sword-Wielding Orc has appeared.]
There was only one Orc in the room. It was as if it desired a fair and square fight.
'Consent.'
Twenty for, and one against. He thought he understood the meaning. Taesan took out Rakiratas's blade and shield.
Seeing that he was ready, the Orc kicked off the ground. It swung its sword down as if nothing more was needed.
Kaaang!
The swords clashed. Taesan pushed it back as it was. The Orc was pushed back but immediately regained its posture.
It was clearly stronger than a Goblin. In terms of strength, it didn't fall far behind compared to Taesan.
"Kureuk!"
The Orc swung its sword. Taesan blocked it with his shield.
[You have taken 4 Damage.]
With his Health over 400, it was not significant Damage. Taesan glanced at his Status Window to check.
[Shield 6/10] The Shield had been chipped away.
Confirming that the Shield was depleted before Health, Taesan moved his sword. The Orc moved in response, countering.
"Stronger than I thought."
There were no openings. He had fought Orcs in his previous world, so he knew. These ones were clearly stronger than back then.
[A god's Trial. It seems like you have to fight 1-on-1 and win all the way to the end. Naturally, the enemies will be strengthened accordingly.]
Kagak.
Taesan's arm was pressed down. The Orc applied immense force. Taesan pulled his arm back for a moment, then pushed it away.
Twang!
"Kureuk!"
The Orc was sent flying. Taesan immediately closed the distance.
[You have activated Consecutive Attack. You will use the next attack twice.]
[You have activated Power Strike. The next attack will deal great Damage.]
[34 Damage dealt to the Sword-Wielding Orc.]
[22 Damage dealt to the Sword-Wielding Orc.]
Consecutive Attack only applied an extra basic attack. Thanks to that, he could clearly see the difference in Damage with Power Strike. Taesan used 6 Mana, and the Damage was 34. '2 per 1 Mana consumed?'
It wasn't a bad number. As his Proficiency increased, the ratio would surely rise.
"Kureuk!"
The Orc pushed Taesan away and swung its sword. He lightly dodged it and stabbed its neck. After a few more swings of his sword, the Orc fell.
"Kureureuk..."
A look of satisfaction was on its face.
[You have won against the Sword-Wielding Orc.]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. Strength has permanently increased by 1.] Orc, so Strength.
It was a fitting increase.
"It's not that difficult."
[It wouldn't make sense if it was difficult with your current stats. It seems to be in steps, so it'll get harder as you go.]
It was a kind of stage. The first Orc was the weakest enemy. As he passed through the rooms, stronger Orcs would appear.
Considering the number of 'for' votes, there would likely be ten rooms on this floor. Taesan went inside. Swords rained down.
Unlike its heavy body, its speed was enough to create afterimages. It rushed towards Taesan. With a calm face, Taesan swung his sword.
He parried the Orc's sword and stabbed its chest.
"Kureuk!"
[You have won against the Sword-Wielding Orc.]
[Your Level has increased.]
[As a reward for Level Up, Health has increased by 20.] [As a reward for Level Up, Strength has permanently increased by 3. Agility has permanently increased by 4. Mana has permanently increased by 1.] Five Orcs.
After clearing a total of five rooms, his Level went up. It seemed that as the Orcs were strengthened by the god's Trial, the Experience gained had also increased.
"For all the fuss, it wasn't much. I was worried for nothing."
Even though they were enhanced, they weren't enough to stop him. As the Labyrinth had turned into a straight line, unnecessary movements were eliminated, allowing for a faster clear. The Ghost spoke as if dumbfounded.
[To talk about a god's power like that. Good grief.]
"It's true, isn't it?"
[... I guess so.]
So far, not much had changed for Taesan. If anything, just the path had changed. Even if it was a miracle, he wasn't particularly impressed.
He had done something similar before. The Ghost grunted. Taesan checked the Equipment he had obtained.
[Thick Ankle Guards] [Defense Power +3] [Seems like it can block many attacks. Seems like it cannot block weapons.]
Defense Power 3. It was a pretty high number. The ankle guards he was wearing now had 1, so it was an increase of 2. And a weapon.
[Crude Spear] [Attack Power +4] [It is a spear. It seems like it would hurt quite a bit if you get stabbed.]
The description was literal. It was the first spear he obtained, and its Attack Power was high too. Weapon diversity was also a great strength here.
There would definitely be a time to use the spear. Taesan put the spear in his Inventory and checked his Status Window.
[Kang Taesan] [Level: 13] [Shield: 12/12] [Health: 450/450] [Mana: 78/78] [Strength: 72] [Intelligence: 72] [Agility: 62] [Attack Power +18] [Defense Power +14] [The target is in Optimal Condition.]
His Shield became 12. It was an increase of 2. "The ratio is 1/10th?
Nice."
If his Health was a hundred thousand, his Shield would be ten thousand. As the Proficiency increased, the ratio would gradually rise, so it was a very good Skill. But the value of the Shield wasn't just in the overall Health.
Taesan had confirmed it in the first battle. The Shield depletes before Health. The two judgments were different.
If so, there was something he could gain. A Main Skill that could only be obtained by not having one's Health depleted while taking a hit that would normally deplete it. He had to solve a paradox, but the Skill was well worth it.
"This is really possible now."
If he raised his Shield just a little more, it would be possible without much trouble. He thought it would only be possible after going down quite a bit, given the lack of various potions, equipment, and skills, but it was a pleasant miscalculation.