Ascension Through Skills

“I’m at 20%. If we categorize it into stages, it’s the first stage.”

She proudly declared this while swinging her hand. With a whoosh, flames erupted from it.

“As I said earlier, even at this level, the class of magic changes. But still, in overall terms, it’s just 20%. And while you can use all magic once you learn it, you can only use basic magic effectively.”

“A limit?”

“Labyrinth magic is divided into basic, beginner, intermediate, advanced, and highest. There’s more than that, but the known ones are these five stages.”

Lilis inflated her cheeks.

“Within the labyrinth, you can use all magic as much as allowed… but the level you can use effectively changes with proficiency. At 20%, you can fully harness the power of basic magic, but for beginner magic, you can only use it at about half effectiveness. Anything above intermediate is virtually unusable.”

It seemed it wasn’t merely about learning. If your proficiency wasn’t up to par, it was quite difficult to use stronger magic.

But there was something he didn’t quite understand.

“I’m at 2%, but I used beginner magic.”

“You can use beginner magic to some extent. The criteria get stricter from intermediate onwards.”

Lilis continued.

“When you hit 40%, you can perfectly control beginner magic. But the intermediate level will be relatively undeveloped. Advanced is virtually impossible. When you hit 60%, you can perfectly control intermediate magic; when you hit 80%, you can perfectly control advanced magic. 100% is the highest level.”

Her words outlined the stages. There were no restrictions in learning magic, but there was a constraint called proficiency in mastering it.

“So, am I at about the 2nd stage?”

“Yeah. And isn’t that strange! Do you think it makes sense for a novice to suddenly reach the 2nd stage?”

She cornered him with her face turning red.

“This is an insult to those who tread the path of magic!”

Considering she dedicated her life to the labyrinth and was still at 20%, it would be hard for her to accept.

“She’s throwing a fit. Mr. Hero, say something. Is this really possible?”

[Well...]

The ghost responded to Lilis, who was whining.

[If you pay the equivalent price, it's not impossible.]

“Ah, where would you find such a crazy person? An ordinary person would fall short even if they dedicated a hundred of their lives.”

[Normally, yes. Normally.]

“Chet.”

Lilis turned her head away grumpily at the ghost’s lukewarm response.

The conversation was over, and Lilis waved her hand.

“Well, go! Oh, Mr. Hero, is this the end for you?”

[Yes.]

The ghost’s quest only went up to the 10th floor.

“Let’s meet again if we can.”

[Sure.]

The ghost responded nonchalantly.

Taesan arrived again in front of the boss room on the 10th floor.

Taesan made a decision.

“I’ll use it for magic.”

It was more valuable to use it for magic than for other skills. After hearing Lilis’s words, he was sure of it.

He didn’t plan to use all 48%. Just 38%. He intended to use enough to exactly reach 40%.

[Using 380p. The proficiency of the magic skill has increased by 38%.]

Along with an extremely simple explanation, something engulfed Taesan. A different, alien sensation sprung out from within his physical body.

[You have obtained Magic Acceleration.] [You have obtained Magic Explosion.]

Taesan opened the skill window.

[Magic] [Proficiency: 40%] [You can properly handle magic. It seems you can control flames, adjust the cold, and manipulate the wind.]

There was a significant change from the sentence that stated he could only handle a spark.

He could only see how it changed by experiencing it. Taesan then spread out his hand.

[You have activated a Blazing Orb.]

Fire was kindled in the air.

Its size was twice as large as when he had used it before.

“Oh-ho.”

Taesan let out a small exclamation of admiration.

Not only had the power of magic increased, but the activation time of the magic had also changed.

Previously, there was a slight delay.

The manifestation of magic felt as if it was burning through his mind and emerging from his physical body.

It wasn’t a slow speed, but in a heated battle where lives were at stake, there was a clear difference due to this subtle delay.

But now, it was activated as smoothly as water flowing. The magic was realized as soon as he thought about it.

“So this is 40%.”

Honestly, this alone was worth it. It meant there were no constraints when using magic, just like with his physical body.

Of course, this was not the end.

The Blazing Orb was now twice as large. Its power seemed to have grown correspondingly. On top of that, the mana consumption had almost disappeared.

The mana consumption of the Blazing Orb was 6. Taesan’s current mana was 235. This was not an insignificant amount of consumption.

However, the mana consumed just now was only 2.

Although mana consumption decreased with an increase in his intelligence stat, it had never reduced this dramatically.

Considering the mana that was recovered during a fight, it could be said that there was essentially no constraint on mana usage.

He had also acquired new skills.

[Magic Acceleration] [Proficiency: 1%] [You can accelerate magic.] [Magic Explosion] [Proficiency: 1%] [You can make magic explode.]

He could guess what kind of skills they were from the descriptions.

Taesan launched a Blazing Orb into the air. Watching it fly toward the wall, he activated a skill.

[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]

The Blazing Orb accelerated.

It collided with the wall at a speed comparable to that of a running horse.

Kwaang!

A rumble echoed through the air as the room vibrated. Taesan was impressed.

“Both speed and power are increased, huh.”

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

This time, it was an explosion. Taesan launched his magic. After it flew a reasonable distance, he activated his skill.

[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

Zheooong!

The flying Frost Arrow exploded. Ice shards flew around like beads of rain.

In an instant, the room was filled with cold air.

“This is pretty good.”

Taesan continued experimenting, his eyes gleaming. After casting about ten more spells, he had a rough understanding of it.

He was impressed.

“Pretty decent, huh?”

Magic Acceleration. As the name suggested, it allowed the acceleration of the speed of his magic spells.

Magic Explosion allowed magic to explode during its use. The mana cost was zero.

At first glance, they may not seem significant, but both were essential abilities in using magic.

Until now, the magic used by Taesan could not be stopped.

Once launched, the magic would not stop until it collided with something, and its speed remained constant.

This was why Taesan didn’t use magic other than surprise attacks against enemies above a certain level.

It was too obvious.

The speed did not change; once implemented, it would simply fly.

Before it collided with something, its power was not released.

Taesan was confident that he could fight as if the enemy’s magic did not exist if it was in that state.

However, he was now able to solve all these disadvantages.

The skills dramatically changed how magic was handled, depending on its application.

“Satisfying.”

This was enough. He had to check whether acceleration and explosion applied to mental magic, but he assumed it would. It was worth using his points to increase his proficiency by 38%.

The only question was where to use the remaining 10%, but he had already decided.

[100p used. The proficiency of the Insight skill has increased by 10%.]

Finally, the proficiency of Insight exceeded 60%.

[Special Always Active Skill: Insight] [Proficiency: 62%] [You can discern a lot. You appear to be able to identify the weaknesses of living creatures and non-living entities. You may even be able to find hidden rooms. Occasionally, it informs you of critical information. You can get a rough idea of the opponent's information.]

“I need to level this up quickly.”

Though it was one of the most basic skills to learn, its importance was quite high. Taesan thought that increasing Insight was more important than upgrading the Airak Martial Arts.

As the division of his points had ended, Taesan entered the boss room. A giant ogre bellowed at him.

“Kuoooo!”

[Ogre Warrior has appeared.]

Taesan calmly thrust his sword.

[You have activated Blazing Orb.] [You have activated Magic Acceleration.]

The slowly flying magic accelerated. The Ogre Warrior flinched and tried to avoid it, but it was too late.

[112 damage to the Ogre Warrior.]

“Whoa.”

Taesan whistled. The damage was incredible.

“Kuoooo!”

[You have activated Confusion.]

“Ku, kuo.”

The Ogre Warrior flinched momentarily, but confusion was the most basic magic. An Ogre Warrior could quickly shake it off.

Taesan added acceleration to it.

[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]

“Ku, kuoak.”

The ogre, attempting to shake it off, flinched again. The more potent magic harshly assaulted the ogre’s head. It couldn’t easily shake it off this time and clutched its head.

“So, mental magic works too. What about this, then?”

[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

The ogre’s body shivered slightly. Drool trickled from its wide-open mouth.

“It works.”

It seemed to shake the brain itself and did not need mental judgment. This was better for Taesan.

[You have activated Confusion.]

“Kuooo!!!”

[Judgment success!]

Perhaps due to its weakened state, the judgment was immediately successful this time. The ogre’s eyes became clouded.

As expected, it was convenient. Taesan continued to form magic with a smile.

[You have activated Blazing Orb.] [You have activated Frost Arrow.]

Numerous fire orbs and ice arrows formed in the air. When their number reached the tens, Taesan launched them all at once.

“Ku, kuo.”

The ogre, its head wobbling, tried to avoid them with great effort. As the magic got close to his target, Taesan clenched his fist.

[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

Red explosions and ice bombs went off like fireworks. The ogre’s body was repeatedly frozen and burned.

“Kuoooooo!”

[86 damage to the Ogre Warrior.] [90 damage to the Ogre Warrior.] [78 damage to the Ogre Warrior.] [110 damage to the Ogre Warrior.] [You have triumphed over the Ogre Warrior.] [You have defeated the 10th-floor boss. You obtained the base reward [Ogre Ring].]

“Nice.”

Taesan muttered while receiving the reward. It was as convenient as he thought. The ogre, despite being able to avoid the magic he used, couldn’t do anything.

There was no need to even move his body at this rate. At least up to the 20th floor; he could get there just by using magic.

The ghost spoke impassively.

[Magic is the axis here. It's the natural result since you reached 40%. You should know that it's absurd to raise proficiency like this.]

“Is everything settled now?”

“More or less.”

The ghost’s voice carried a sense of confusion ever since he saw the rift back on Earth. The ghost let out a deep sigh.

[But... I don't know, either. Why did such things appear?]

“So what is it?”

The ghost knew about the beings that invaded the Earth.

“Who trampled upon our world?”

In response to the calm yet emotionally charged question, the ghost fell silent for a moment before speaking.

[I've only heard about it in stories, so I don't know the details. It might not be true. Let's consider it as one possibility and move on.]

A voice filled with complex emotions resounded through the air.

[I said that for the Transcendents to have meaningful interference, they, too, must sacrifice something, right?]

“So that’s why the influence area of the gods in this place has diminished.”

“Yes. Even the Transcendents residing in the Labyrinth must sacrifice something to interfere within the Labyrinth. It’s even more severe to interfere with other worlds. That’s why they usually don’t do it. At most, they reduce the interference of the Divine Order. It’s what you might call madness.”

But Earth was experiencing such madness in real-time. Incomprehensible monsters trampled them and brought humanity to ruin.

“There are beings capable of such things. Beings that can interfere with the mortal world without expending any power. Beings from the forgotten past who have now lost their names.”