Ascension Through Skills C.234: Fourth Return, Earth (1)

Taesan fiddled with the dark gloves.

The undulating black aura flowed over the entire glove.

As Taesan received the ring, he handed over two materials to Hafran: the ore from the world of giants and the Will of Destruction obtained after defeating the Flame Dog on the 51st floor.

Both were used to make one set of gloves.

[Gloves imbued with the Will of Destruction]

[The ore, unique to the world of giants, Bahuliya, combined with the Will of Destruction. The gloves themselves emanate a faint aura of destruction.]

[Attack Power +300]

This equipment was purely focused on increasing attack power, and given the materials, it provided a significant boost.

Hafran looked visibly older, as if it had been quite a struggle.

After Taesan said would be away from the labyrinth for a while, Hafran seemed to understand and wished him a good journey.

Taesan replied that he would.

Only minutes remained until his return to Earth. Posts on the community began to diminish one by one.

Everyone was anxiously awaiting the return. Taesan was no different, but he was more excited than anxious.

Woong.

The space opened.

It was time to return to Earth.

The landscape of Earth that appeared beyond swallowed Taesan.

And what he saw was a broken world.

Half-demolished buildings. And a huge hole in the sky.

He had come back to this place.

“I’ve come back after all.”

“But this time will be different. We’ve become stronger and more than anything… we have you, Taesan.”

People were gathering their resolve. Kim Hwiyeon quickly took center stage and clapped her hands.

“Everyone, please come this way! We need to get a rough estimate of how strong everyone has become and how many have died descending into the labyrinth.”

People quietly gathered around at Kim Hwiyeon’s call. Taesan approached and patted her on the shoulder.

“Ah, Mr. Taesan.”

Her face, happy to see Taesan, suddenly stiffened.

“…I’m sorry, but what’s that golem next to you?”

[Hmm. It's usable but... weak. Strange. Is this all the strength it has for descending the labyrinth?]

“It… speaks?”

“It’s my spirit.”

Taesan simply answered, causing Kim Hwiyeon’s eyes to waver even more.

“A spirit?”

“I’ll be stepping away for a moment, finish up here.”

“Ah, yes.”

Kim Hwiyeon blankly nodded. Taesan left her behind and headed for the outskirts of the city hall.

“Uh, uh?”

“Monster!”

People screamed at the sight of Barkaza, showing hostility. Then, realizing Taesan was beside it, they looked bewildered.

[There are many.]

Barkaza muttered as he looked around at the people.

[But they're weak. There are a few useful ones, but they're not satisfying. Strange. They wouldn't survive in the labyrinth I know with that kind of strength.]

“They are under different conditions from me.”

He shrugged.

Taesan had reached the outskirts.

The hole beyond the sky quietly greeted him.

[I'm curious. Can you give a proper explanation?]

Taesan shared some basic information with Barkaza. His world had been swallowed by a high god, and during that process, people had entered the labyrinth.

However, he didn’t delve into the details. He figured it would be better to discuss it after seeing it firsthand.

[You are the contractor of the king of wind spirits. You summoned Minerva.]

The wind blew. The materialized wind formed into the shape of a woman. Barkaza bowed.

[I greet the king.]

“Uh, what?”

Minerva looked around, confused.

“This doesn’t seem like the labyrinth, does it?”

“That’s right.”

Taesan began to explain slowly.

They were beings living in one world. Then monsters attacked their world.

And they were given a choice.

Minerva and Barkaza had made a pact with him. According to the terms of the pact, as long as Taesan didn’t die, they would be together forever.

With that judgment, Taesan decided it was okay to tell them. He explained the overall situation.

Minerva frowned after hearing the story.

“Damn high gods. It’s their fault in the end.”

“Right?”

Upon deeper reflection, they truly were the root of all evil. They assaulted Arulia, targeted the world of the giants, and then obliterated the Earth.

Minerva gazed up at the sky.

“…Thick and strong.”

The black hole in the sky was where monsters emerged from.

“And it’s directly connected to this world. Closing it would be difficult. But for something directly connected, it seems weak. Perhaps the transcenders intervened?”

[Master. I have a question.]

“What is it?”

[You mentioned the labyrinth was divided.]

“That’s correct.”

Easy, Normal, Hard, and Solo Mode.

Barkaza inquired.

[This division was caused by the high gods, correct?]

Taesan nodded.

The labyrinths of Easy, Normal, and Hard weren’t crafted by the Wizard. They were replicas spawned from the intervention of the high gods.

Barkaza chuckled.

[That's quite fascinating.]

“I roughly understand the situation. So, what do we need to do here?”

“We just have to wait.”

Taesan turned his gaze towards the city hall. Kim Hwiyeon was checking on the people gathered there.

Not long after returning to Earth, a quest would manifest.

And Taesan was aware of what this quest entailed.

“Of the sixty-five thousand who survived the last return, fifty thousand…”

Kim Hwiyeon frowned as she surveyed the crowd before her. It meant that fifteen thousand had perished descending into the labyrinth. This was no small number.

“Still, it’s fortunate that those who survived have grown stronger.”

Among the Hard Mode players, some had become about twice as strong as they were during the last return. She, along with Geum Junggeun and Seo Jangsan, were among this group.

“By the way, where did Mr. Taesan go?”

“Did you call?”

“Eek!”

Kim Hwiyeon screamed and stepped back, calming her startled heart.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just now.”

“Brother, hello…”

Geum Junggeun greeted him somewhat reluctantly, glancing to either side of Taesan.

[Not bad, but too weak. Is this the limit of a divided labyrinth?]

“There are a lot of people. No, if I think about everyone in this area being here, is that few?”

A golem-like being and a beautiful woman with blue hair muttered as they looked around.

Geum Junggeun asked cautiously,

“Um, brother, the two beside you…”

“I am the king of wind spirits, Minerva. Nice to meet you.”

Minerva grinned.

Geum Junggeun nodded his head with a dumbfounded expression.

“Uh, yes…”

“Is the check complete?”

Prompted by Taesan’s question, Kim Hwiyeon snapped back to attention.

“Yes. Not a few died while descending the labyrinth, but everyone has become stronger than before.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Taesan gathered his strength. A dark aura spread among the people.

Those who were watching Taesan in confusion exclaimed in astonishment.

“Wow…”

“It seems like we’ve gained about half.”

“I just remembered I have this.”

Geum Junggeun opened the skill window. A black magic skill that hadn’t been acquired before was now in the skill window.

As a reward from the Demon God, Taesan could bestow black magic on the people of Earth. He had given them the powers they hadn’t been able to obtain due to a lack of strength.

As people burst out in admiration, Taesan spoke up.

“What about Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok?”

“They went down for a quick spar. They’ll be back soon. But still, brother…”

Geum Junggeun kept glancing at Minerva and Barkaza.

Taesan, noticing the curiosity apparent on his face, spoke up.

“Don’t worry. They’re on our side.”

“I trust you, brother. But it seems like others are a bit uneasy.”

While Minerva had the appearance of a beautiful woman, Barkaza looked like a golem. Perhaps because his appearance resembled that of monsters or beasts from the labyrinth, people sent uneasy glances his way.

Taesan responded,

“You don’t have to worry; you’ll know soon enough.”

The check was complete amid the people’s concerns. And then the quest appeared.

[The next quest will start in two days.]

A two-day grace period was given. People planned to rest and wait until the next quest appeared.

But Taesan knew. Since the fourth return, true rest did not exist.

Kurrreung!

A loud noise echoed from outside the city hall. The guards rushed over, screaming.

“Monsters! There are over a hundred of them!”

“What?”

Kim Hwiyeon gasped as she got up.

She checked outside, and her face contorted.

“This is a total wave!”

During the previous return, there were occasions when monsters approached during the preparation period, but their numbers were so small they posed no threat.

This time, she had been relaxed, thinking it would be the same, but suddenly a hundred monsters had appeared.

“Moreover…”

The power of the monsters, felt from a distance, could not be underestimated.

Occasionally, she saw monsters whose strength she could not guarantee.

Kim Hwiyeon urgently shouted.

“Everyone gather!”

“There’s no need.”

Taesan stepped forward.

“Barkaza. Minerva.”

[Good. We trample the monsters of the high gods. There’s little more enjoyable than this.]

“I feel the same. I welcome any chance to disrupt those damned plans.”

Both were happy as they stepped forward. The people who had gathered watched them blankly.

The strength of the monsters was mostly D-class. These were creatures that hard mode players could barely defeat if they risked their lives.

Barkaza clapped his hands toward the approaching monsters. A giant barrier materialized around the city hall.

Ka-kaaang!

The monsters banged against the barrier.

And the barrier did not shake.

Like a wall that had defended against enemies for hundreds of years, it blocked all attacks solidly.

“Huh?”

“Uh-uh-uh.”

People groaned, and Barkaza clapped his hands again.

Light rose.

The materialized light advanced. In an instant, it pierced through the monsters’ bodies, reducing their numbers.

[They’re weak.]

Barkaza now possessed power beyond the 50th floors.

D-class monsters were no match for him.

Minerva waved her hand.

A light breeze arose.

And soon, the wind became a storm.

Ka-ga-ga-ga!

“Wow!”

People screamed and ducked as the wind surged forward. The hurricane advanced towards the monsters.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

And when the hurricane had passed, there were no monsters left.

“How much power was used?”

“Almost none. If we only use this much, we could stay for years.”

“That’s good.”

Taesan’s expectations were far exceeded. With this level of power, they had become a formidable force on Earth.

“…Huh?”

Kim Hwiyeon stared blankly.

The monsters that they had to risk their lives to defeat were all cleaned up with just two attacks.

The power Taesan had shown during the previous return seemed monstrous. Just punching released a powerful force, and just jumping damaged the earth.

But still, it was understandable. Because they were similar. As their stats increased, they surpassed human limits.

But this.

“Oh, wow…”

People bent their knees in admiration as they sent glowing looks towards Taesan.

[Proficiency in divine power has increased by 1%.]