To do that, Leveling Up was the priority. It couldn't be obtained with a Shield of 12. Taesan entered the next room.
“Kureuk.”
[A Spear-Wielding Orc has appeared.]
The Orc, as if it had been waiting, raised its spear and immediately charged at Taesan.
Clang!
The sword and spear clashed. The fierce pressure told him the opponent's Stats were considerably high. Through Balthazar’s Trial, the Orcs had also been enhanced.
As he passed through each room, they grew stronger, and the Orc before him now had the strength to easily handle about two ordinary Orcs. Of course, it wasn't difficult. Taesan's Stats were at a level an Easy Mode Player could barely reach only after entering The Depths.
For an enemy to be difficult for him now was the same as saying other Players couldn't defeat it at all. No matter how Enhanced the Trial was, it was unlikely for a mere sixth Monster, not even a Boss, to be that strong. However, he couldn't overcome it easily.
The spear spun around. It tried to catch the tip of Taesan's sword and fling it away. The pinnacle of skill.
There was no hope of winning by matching him in technique.
[You have activated Counter. You will counter the opponent’s next attack.]
His body moved naturally. The sword pushed aside the spear and slashed the Orc.
“Kureureuk…”
The Orc collapsed.
Counter.
A forced counterattack skill. If the body could counter a technique it didn't know how to deal with, it would. The problem was that the process didn't remain in the body.
No matter how many times he used it, he couldn't replicate it without the Skill's activation.
“This is difficult.”
The reason he couldn't overwhelm the Orcs, despite having superior Stats, was all due to their Spearmanship and Swordsmanship. He didn't know where they learned it, but all the Orcs possessed considerable skill. With a Swordsmanship learned through training and practice, not real combat, they easily deflected Taesan's sword.
He was starting to realize the importance of systematic techniques. Weapon skills combined with real combat weren't bad, but they had clear limits. Here, it was probably even more pronounced as it was expressed as a Skill.
So far, he had been responding with Skills, but he couldn't keep this up forever.
“I want to learn it.”
But he couldn't. He tried mimicking the Orc's movements, but since it didn't manifest as a Skill, it seemed a Skill would only appear if he learned from someone's teaching.
[...]
The Ghost said nothing. Taesan headed to the next room. This time, an Orc with an axe was waiting for him.
“Kureuk.”
Taesan raised his sword. ♦ As he passed through the rooms, the Orcs grew stronger and their techniques more refined, but they couldn't stop Taesan. His Stats were still superior, and no matter how skilled the opponent was, he could still handle them for now. Taesan reached the front of the Boss Room without much trouble.
“That was quick.”
The God of Victory had turned the Labyrinth into a straight line, so all he had to do was run. This made him wonder about one thing.
“How am I supposed to find the Secret Rooms in this thing?”
There was at least one Secret Room on every floor. But with the Labyrinth changed like this, he had no idea what happened to the Secret Rooms. The Ghost also seemed to have no clue.
[Well? This is the first time I've seen this, so I can't say.]
“Maybe it’s attached to the Boss Room.”
He decided to look for it after clearing the 4th Floor. With only ten rooms, if he kept repeating the process, he would eventually find it.
Ding.
[Kang Jun-hyeok has invited Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Taesan.]
A message arrived just as Taesan was about to enter the Boss Room.
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : What is it?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : Oh. You answered right away. What were you doing?]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : I was about to go fight the Boss.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : Then are you already going to the 5th Floor… You’re really fast.]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : So what’s up?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : It’s nothing much, just that Tae-yeon nuna and I cleared the First Floor. I wanted to let you know.]
Clearing the First Floor. It meant they had finally defeated the Giant Rat. Just in time, Lee Tae-yeon also appeared.
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : Ah, I thought I was a goner.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : Nuna, you’re here too. How’s the 2nd Floor?]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : Why are so many Monsters popping out? Is this really the 2nd Floor?]
Lee Tae-yeon grumbled for a moment, then noticed Taesan and greeted him.
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : Hello, Taesan-ssi.]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : How did you do it?]
Taesan asked about the method they used to defeat the Giant Rat.
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : I just threw oil and firebombs. Looking closely, it seemed the Boss couldn't leave the room. After holding out for a few minutes, it died on its own.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : I don’t like it either, but there wasn't any other way. So we had to do a bit of a Grind.]
Lee Tae-yeon had replicated the method she used in the past. Throw fire, run away, and wait. It was a safe method that guaranteed a kill with no risk to her life.
Most crises could be solved that way. But Taesan didn't do that.
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : But maybe because it was a loophole, there was no Difficult Foe Reward like you mentioned, Taesan-ssi. The Level Up rewards were also smaller than I expected.]
The Difficult Foe victory Reward is obtained when one fights a Difficult Foe head-on. The Level Up Reward also looks at what was done in the process of leveling up, so just throwing fire and running away doesn't raise Stats much. It was a safe act, but one that chipped away at the future.
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : But there was no other way, so we had no choice. It's a relief we managed to beat it at all.]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : What Skills did you get?]
Taesan had posted about the Skills on the community forums. It was time to see if that had paid off.
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : Hmm… I got No Breath and No Breath Attack. And Pain Reduction.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : Me too. But how on earth do you get Unbreakable Will and Fortitude? I tried to fight, but it hurt so much I couldn't focus.]
Taesan was surprised after reading Lee Tae-yeon's message.
‘She learned No Breath?’
Taesan had written about No Breath in his previous life. But Lee Tae-yeon hadn't learned it. Having already advanced deep into the Labyrinth, she had refused, saying she didn't want to take the risk.
‘A difference in circumstances?’
Was it the time when she had already adapted to the Labyrinth, versus now, when she was just starting to adapt? That difference seemed to have made Lee Tae-yeon make her decision.
[Kang Taesan[Alone]: What about the others?]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : ……None yet. I’m sorry.]
She sounded apologetic, but Taesan, who had already expected this, had a disinterested expression. To die or not to die. Until they stood at that crossroads, they wouldn't show it through their actions.
Kang Jun-hyeok left a passionate rant, as if he couldn't understand.
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : I told them how good it was, but they just won't learn it.]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : No Breath Attack is really good. I never imagined having freedom in my breathing would be this great.]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : Why do you think I told you to learn it? Unbreakable Will and Fortitude are good too, but if you can't master them, then it can't be helped.]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : I felt like I was really going to die trying that one… I just couldn’t do it.]
He had finished confirming the general skills and their clear. Taesan started talking about the 2nd Floor, which they had just reached.
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : You said you saw the 2nd Floor Monster, what was it like?]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : ……Is this even meant to be cleared?]
Lee Tae-yeon spoke as if she was dumbfounded. It was a natural reaction for anyone who had seen the 2nd Floor. The Big Rat is difficult, but its Damage is low and it usually moves alone.
If one was determined to deal with it, it wasn't impossible. But on the 2nd Floor, there are four Goblins in one room. Each one had strength similar to Lee Tae-yeon's, making it incredibly hard to win.
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : Figure out the method yourself. You should be able to come up with something.]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : ……Don’t you think you trust me too much? I barely passed the First Floor using a loophole.]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : It's a simple fact. You are more than capable.]
Lee Tae-yeon had cleared Alone Mode. Even if it was with a loophole, that achievement doesn't just disappear. Lee Tae-yeon was silent for a moment before replying.
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone]: Thank you.]
After that, he roughly explained about the Goblins. He couldn't give them the answer, but he could at least tell them about their characteristics. During the conversation, the topic of the Altar came up.
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : While wandering the 2nd Floor, you'll find the Altar of Rakiratas. It will probably give you a Quest. Don't accept it.]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : ……It must be dangerous. Okay.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : What does it give? If it's good, I want to accept it.]
You could tell just from talking to them. Kang Jun-hyeok and Lee Tae-yeon had completely opposite personalities. Lee Tae-yeon avoided any place that seemed dangerous.
She missed out on a lot, but thanks to that, she was able to survive. In contrast, Kang Jun-hyeok wanted to try everything at least once. Perhaps because he was young, he was fearless.
One couldn't say which was better. Kang Jun-hyeok's method could also yield great rewards if he survived, so in a way, it was closer to the right answer. But the Altar of Rakiratas was not part of the right answer.
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : Don't do it. Any other god might be fine, but not Rakiratas. If you accept it, you'll die, one hundred percent, so skip it.]
It is impossible to defeat even a Servant of Rakiratas[Fake]. Moreover, that opponent is fickle. He judged that there were more losses than gains.
But Kang Jun-hyeok remained disappointed until the end.
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : Hmm… It's so tempting… Is there no way at all?]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : Lee Tae-yeon's problem is that she's too scared, and your problem is that you're not scared enough. Let me give you a simple example. You couldn't get Fortitude because you were scared, right?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : Yes. How on earth do you even get that?]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : You could probably get it if you accept.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : What does that mean… Ah.]
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : Either get it or die. It’s one or the other. If you're confident, accept the Quest.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone]: ……Yes, sir.]
Only then did he seem to back down.
Taesan frowned.
‘If I don’t beat this into him properly, he’s going to cause trouble.’
It’s good to have a spirit of challenge. But one must know how to recognize their limits. If he continued like this, Kang Jun-hyeok would die with a high probability.
‘He needs some education.’
[Kang Taesan[Alone] : Well, good luck then. I'm off to clear the rest.]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : Where are you now?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok[Alone] : He was just before the 5th Floor.]
[Lee Tae-yeon[Alone] : ……Wow.]
Taesan closed the community forums window. The Ghost, who had been waiting boredly, got up.
[Are you done now?]
“Yeah.”
Taesan stepped through the door. Inside, an Orc was waiting for him.
[An Orc Fighter has appeared.]
Fighter.
A position that only the chosen among Orcs could attain, its strength incomparable to that of a common Orc.
‘The Boss is the same.’
Lee Tae-yeon had also met a Fighter on the 4th Floor. But this one, enhanced by Balthazar's Trial, would be much stronger than that. As Taesan took his stance, something caught his eye.
“Eueh…”
A woman huddled in a corner of the wall was trembling.
A person.
Taesan's eyes wavered. She was a Westerner with long blue hair, clutching her head and curled up like a squirrel. The golden robe she wore was striking.
[Oh, my. What's she doing here?]
“You know her?”
[I know her, but… how is she still alive? I thought she’d be dead in an instant.]
A human the Hero knew. Then there was a high probability she was an NPC. The problem was, why was she huddled and trembling in a Boss Room?
“Eu… Huh?”
The trembling woman looked around anxiously until her eyes met Taesan's. “……An Adventurer?”
[Hello?]
“……Hero-nim?”
She shot up and ran over. In one hand, she held a wooden magic staff.
“Please save me!”
She hastily hid behind Taesan's back. The Ghost chuckled.
[What are you doing here?]
“I, I don’t know. The Labyrinth suddenly changed and I was kicked out. When I came to my senses, an Orc was right next to me. Ah, damn it. What is all this.”
The woman muttered tearfully.
Taesan realized.
‘Is the Secret Room this time an NPC?’
Forcibly kicked out as the Labyrinth changed. That seemed to be the woman's identity.
[You have encountered a lowly one who yearns for Magic.]