Revebas’s eyes wavered. After a moment of thought, he squeezed his eyes shut.
“Promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Kill me.”
Revebas said, as if exhausted.
“Don’t do anything else, just purely kill me. Then I’ll answer you properly.”
“Fine.”
Taesan nodded.
There was no reason to do anything more. Revebas gave a bitter smile and opened his mouth.
“They probably will. To them, we are less than dust, but still, we are members of the Guides of Sin. They won't let someone who broke their rules go unpunished.”
“I figured as much.”
Taesan was simply an exception; someone who had cleared the 10th Floor could never defeat someone who had cleared the 20th Floor. Even with greater numbers, it wouldn't make much of a difference. There was no reason for the High Council to care about some Adventurer from the 20th Floor.
However, they wouldn't just leave alone someone who disrupted their order.
“They… despise us.”
Revebas muttered in an emotional voice.
“They judge and rank us based on the floor they stay on as an absolute standard. Up to the 20th Floor is the second rank. Up to the 30th Floor is the third rank. Something like that. They see each rank as an absolute rule, so they rarely come up. They think it lowers their dignity to do so. The deeper the Adventurer, the more severe it is.”
“What a joke.”
Taesan sneered.
Lowering their dignity. He had never imagined such words would be used here.
[It was like that before, too. It all revolved around a few strong ones. They’re a creaky group, but no one betrays them. Because if you do, they kill you.]
“Does Ainzhar know about this too?”
“You mean the one who seeks God?”
“Who else could it be?”
Revebas opened his mouth.
“They don’t get involved with those bound within the Labyrinth. Because they are irregular beings.”
“That’s a roundabout way of saying you’re not strong enough.”
Revebas gave a bitter smile.
“I’ve learned what I wanted to know.”
If he killed these people, the ones below would come up to get him.
‘I should prepare a response.’
It wasn't that he had no way of dealing with them.
“Even if it’s not them, there are many Adventurers of the second rank. No matter how strong you are…”
“I don’t care about them.”
A lazy remark. It showed strong confidence. He also possessed the power to back it up.
Revebas looked up at Taesan, feeling empty. He had been like that once. When he first set foot in the Labyrinth, right after clearing the 5th Floor, he thought he was the strongest and that no one could stop him.
He had no doubt he would clear the Labyrinth. But he had been broken. He faced despair and crumbled.
And now, he was about to meet his end in a way he could never have imagined back then.
‘If only I had refused the offer back then… If I had fought to the end, if I had died when I still believed in myself, wouldn’t that have been better?’
“Well then, farewell.”
A sharp sensation pierced his chest. Revebas smiled bitterly. It was all in the past.
Regret was meaningless. Only at the very end did Revebas accept his death.
“Hm?”
Taesan’s eyes twitched. Something from Revebas’s dying body flowed into him. Something, whether it was a soul or accumulated power, was absorbed by Taesan.
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. Strength has permanently increased by 23. Agility has permanently increased by 20. Intelligence has permanently increased by 18. Health has permanently increased by 70. Mana has permanently increased by 40.] [Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. Proficiency for Power Strike has increased by 8%.]
Soul Rank Ascension. It was the same as before, but the amount of the increase was incomparable.
[Your Level has increased.]
[Your Level has increased.]
[You have acquired the Gloves of Strength.]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: How far have you two gone?]
[Lee Tae-yeon [Alone]: We’ve cleared the 3rd Floor. We just entered the 4th Floor and are looking around a bit. Junhyeok is, too.]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Are you okay?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Yes. Thanks to the Points, there haven’t been any major problems.]
Not just Taesan, but other Players had also received Points, large and small, after the Return to Earth. Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyeok had been quite active, so they must have received a decent amount of Points. After the return, Taesan told them to use the Points on Stats, and they followed his advice.
Thanks to that, their Stats had nearly doubled. The fact that the 3rd Floor was unremarkable also helped. There was a hidden Boss Room, but Taesan had told them not to enter even if they found it, so they were able to clear it without any major issues.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: How are the other modes?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Easy Mode is, well, quiet. From the stories I hear occasionally, it seems like everyone is having a hard time.]
Easy Mode had been suppressed under various restrictions by Choi Jung-hyuk. With his disappearance, a considerable amount of freedom had emerged. But at the same time, Easy Mode was where the most people had died.
In Easy Mode, as long as you were careful, you wouldn't die easily, so they were not accustomed to death. Since the number of people had noticeably decreased after the Return to Earth, the atmosphere would likely remain subdued for a while. But it couldn't be helped.
They too had to get used to death.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: What about Normal Mode?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Not much has changed there. If I had to say, maybe they’ve become more cautious?]
Normal Mode was the most ambiguous place. Not weak, but not strong either. So they had a strong tendency to be swept along.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: And Hard Mode?]
[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: I can tell you about that.]
Jung-geun chimed in.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: You’re alive?]
[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: Can’t die, so I live. How about you, hyung?]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Same as always.]
After a brief chat, Jung-geun began his explanation.
[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: Not many of us died. If there were any, it was people who were just holding out on the 1st and 2nd Floors without descending the Labyrinth. Most of the people who were determined to progress survived.]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: I guess so.]
Just like in Alone Mode, to survive in Hard Mode, you needed more than just talent. You had to know your limits and properly draw the line on what was dangerous. The Monsters on Earth were strong, but the Hard Mode Players were cautious, so most of them survived.
[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: Because of you, hyung-nim, and Tae-yeon-ssi and Junhyeok, we’ve also become quite serious.]
The Hard Mode Players thought they were the strongest. Easy and Normal Mode were out of the question from the start, and they believed Alone Mode was half a lie. Even if it were true, they thought players couldn't have gotten far because of the difficulty.
But Taesan was a monster. Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyeok were also on par with, or even slightly stronger than, Kim Hwi-yeon and Geum Jung-geun, who were among their strongest. As a result, the confidence they had quietly held onto had crumbled.
[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: I’ve been telling the other Hard Mode Players a few things. They’ll probably be much stronger the next time we meet.]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: That’s good.]
Taesan couldn't save everyone. Just as access between the four directions had been blocked this time, situations that individuals had to overcome on their own would continue to arise.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Don’t die. Let’s meet again next time.]
[Geum Jung-geun [Hard]: Yep.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Ah, hyung. There’s something I need to tell you.]
As the conversation wound down, Kang Jun-hyeok, who had been quiet, spoke up.
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: When I entered the 4th Floor, there was an Altar of a God.]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: The God of Victory?]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: It says Balthazar. Is that the God of Victory?]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: That’s right. The 4th Floor had that, didn’t it?]
The moment they entered the 4th Floor, an altar greeted them. The Altar of Balthazar, the God of Victory.
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Can I accept it?]
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Have you thought about it seriously?]
Taesan asked.
Kang Jun-hyeok was very confident. He wanted to try everything and believed he would survive. That was why Taesan had briefly schooled him when they met on Earth.
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Yes. I thought about it seriously. I considered how I am now, and that’s how I decided. I think I can do it.]
At his serious words, Taesan stroked his chin.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Lee Tae-yeon would refuse it even if you offered, but you’re proactive.]
[Lee Tae-yeon [Alone]: I’m going to try accepting it too.]
Taesan was truly surprised by Lee Tae-yeon’s words.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: You’re going to do it too?]
[Lee Tae-yeon [Alone]: Just as you said, Taesan-ssi, I can’t keep being a coward.]
Like Kang Jun-hyeok, her words were serious. Taesan’s expression also became serious.
‘Is it because of me?’
He didn't know about Kang Jun-hyeok, but Lee Tae-yeon had fled from every Trial. The only reason for her sudden acceptance would be what Taesan had said on Earth.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: You can probably do it. But I don’t know for sure either. The one I received was different from yours.]
His was an Enhanced Trial, directly strengthened by a god. If he assumed the difficulty was similar to the Trial before Rakiratas enhanced it, then it wouldn't be impossible for Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyeok, since they had raised their Stats with Points.
[Kang Taesan [Alone]: I can’t stop you from making a decision you’ve seriously considered yourselves. Go for it. Just don’t die.]
[Lee Tae-yeon [Alone]: Yes. I’ll need to prepare a bit.]
[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: See you alive.]
Taesan closed the community window and asked.
“You’ve received a Trial from the God of Victory before, right?”
[I did, didn’t I? A very long time ago.]
“How was it compared to Rakiratas’s?”
[Uh… It was easier than that one. It was pretty manageable, I think?]
Easier than Rakiratas’s. That meant there was a high chance someone at Lee Tae-yeon’s and Kang Jun-hyeok’s level could clear it. The two of them had that much talent.
“I hope they don’t die.”
In a way, it was fair to say he had pushed them. He might not care about others, but those two held a significant meaning for Taesan. But if they didn't take on challenges like this, things would only get harder later, so it had to be done now.
The die was cast; all that was left was to wait.
“Well then.”
The sudden contact had interrupted him. Taesan checked the equipment he had obtained.
[Gloves of Strength.]
[Attack Power +18] [A Gauntlet worn by the strong] [The next attack deals five times the Base Attack Power as Damage. This skill can only be used once a month.]
It was good equipment. The thrill was dampened because Taesan had been obtaining equipment far above his level, but a normal Adventurer would be trembling with excitement. It was equipment you would normally only get on the 20th Floor, so of course its value was great here on the 13th.
Taesan opened his Status Window.
[Kang Taesan] [Level: 30] [Shield: 97/97] [Health: 1300/1300] [Mana: 332/332] [Strength: 462] [Intelligence: 287] [Agility: 395] [Attack Power +65] [Defense Power +54] [Target is in Optimal Condition.]
He was getting close to 500. It was possible because his level had risen by 2 from killing Revebas, and his Soul Rank Ascension had also increased his stats significantly. The moment he killed Revebas, an Adventurer, something was absorbed. It was probably Soul Rank Ascension stealing his power.
It was a sensation he had never felt before.
‘Does it activate properly when facing another Adventurer?’
Soul Rank Ascension was a skill with many aspects he didn't understand. He could only make rough guesses.
[You killed Revebas. He may have been the lowest rank, but he was still a member of the Guides of Sin.]
The ghost spoke calmly.
[Before long, there will be movement. Even if the arrogant ones don’t move, the ones nearby will.]
Adventurers like Revebas. Taesan said indifferently.
“Let them come.”
Leveling up through battle