Ascension Through Skills

“Is a transcendent different from them?”

I compared them to the spirits and the exalted beings who had taken their places here. The ghost denied it in response to my question.

[A transcendent, yes. But the type is different. Why do you think they expend energy when they do something meaningful? It's because they have transcended from being mortal.]

“From being mortal?”

[Yes.]

The ghost whispered softly.

[Aren't there a few beings in your world who were once human but became gods?]

“There are indeed.”

The likes of Hercules, who became a god, Buddha, and so on, definitely existed, even if they were stories from mythology.

[Those are the transcendent beings gathered here. Lakiratas. Balthasar. Oman. Levynenoff. They were all once mortal.]

“All the transcendent beings here?”

[Yeah. All of them, without exception. They seem to like this place because they've been through trials and ascended. They were once human, or beasts, beings with lifespans. The areas they're in charge of are related to their lives, but that's a long story, so I'll skip it.]

“So, they expend energy?”

[Whether it's soul, power, or faith, you become transcendent when something reaches a certain degree. And the moment you become transcendent, the increase in power stops. It becomes a power that disappears when used, fixed as it was when they ascended, becoming an exalted and supreme being.]

Taesan stroked his chin. The ghost continued lightly.

[Simply put, it's a disadvantage that beings that acquired transcendence have. They possess enormous power and escape the shackles of mortality but cannot recover easily. Can you guess what I'm leading up to?]

“There must be innate transcendent beings too.”

Beings that were strong from birth were simply born that way.

The ghost affirmed.

[Beings that had no lifespan, to begin with. They are simply strong from birth. Therefore, when they interfere in the world of the mortals, they use power, but there is no permanent consumption. Unlike the acquired ones, it's just the power they had from birth.]

Those who had become transcendent from a mortal state would consume finite power.

Those who were transcendent from birth had no such limitation.

And all the transcendent beings in the labyrinth were beings that became transcendent.

It seemed to be that kind of story.

“So, those who attacked my world are the innately transcendent ones?”

[...The likelihood is high. Those acquired types could never expend that level of power.]

The ghost grumbled with a grim expression in his voice.

[But why are they trampling on your world?]

“Did you say they are gods who have lost their names?”

The ghost referred to them as beings from the past. The ghost affirmed this.

[Honestly, I have never seen them directly. I only know about them through legends and information about this place. I could not even guess before I saw them directly. They are beings that disappeared a long time ago, a kind of ancient gods.]

“They disappeared?”

[I don't know why either. There might have been a war between the transcendent beings, or they just disappeared as per natural law. Either way, they were beings that did not leave a trace for thousands of years.]

Despite the explanation, he still couldn’t understand.

“Why is such a being attacking Earth?”

[I don't know either.]

The ghost shrugged his shoulders.

[Why would the mentally ill do such things? Still, they can't send out too strong a one, right? There's no power consumption, but there are limits, so they can only send down to that level.]

The ghost explained lightly, but Taesan could not easily understand.

‘Some pretty strong ones have appeared.’

After Lee Taeyeon, who cleared the Solo Mode, fell to the apostle monster, monsters still emerged from the rift until the end.

‘So that’s the extent, even with the limit?’

Being unfamiliar with the true power of a transcendent being, he couldn’t say it easily. The power he had seen was really the cream of the crop.

“That’ll do for now.”

He stored the information in his mind.

He had received various rewards for clearing the 10th-floor boss. Titles, achievements, and clear rewards.

Though there were many, he didn’t check them immediately.

Taesan headed towards the second room. A small door was beyond the stairs leading to the 11th floor.

[Finally, you're here.]

With the indifferent voice of the ghost, Taesan entered the room.

‘I remember this.’

Lee Taeyeon had also discovered this place. Unlike Hage-Ha’s room, it was conspicuous, so there was no way she couldn’t have found it.

However, she didn’t enter. She had received the clear rewards and initially avoided it because she thought such places were undoubtedly dangerous.

Taesan pushed aside the curtain hung in front of the door.

There was one Ogre in the narrow room.

It was an Ogre smaller in size than others, no different from a large human.

But in its two eyes, intelligence was overflowing.

The Ogre who was looking at him opened its mouth.

“Have you arrived, hero?”

[You have encountered the Ogre Sage.]

An Ogre, which didn’t seem to have any intelligence, and a sage, a title for the enlightened.

The ghost said he died to the second boss of the 10th floor.

That being was right before his eyes.

The Ogre with an unfitting name spoke fluently.

“I knew a day like this would come, but it seems to have arrived sooner than I thought.”

The Ogre looked up at Taesan and asked,

“Is he your puppet?”

[No.]

The ghost responded indifferently. His voice was devoid of any strong emotion.

“I see.”

The Ogre casually responded, remaining seated.

The Ogre in front of him didn’t seem stronger than other Ogres, but it was an entity that felt unsettling to touch.

“Shall we have a conversation then?”

[A conversation?]

The ghost scoffed.

[With you?]

“The adventurer in front of me doesn’t seem like someone I can defeat.”

The Ogre’s assessment was accurate. Unless he possessed strength exceeding the 20th floor, there was no gap that would result in Taesan’s defeat even after a hundred battles. The Ogre spoke softly.

“The outcome is already decided. So, shouldn’t we at least satisfy our curiosities?”

His voice was like gently scolding a child. The ghost momentarily showed a displeased expression but quickly hid his emotions.

[Do as you wish.]

“Oh?”

The Ogre seemed intrigued by the ghost’s response.

“A different answer than I expected. I thought you’d just order him to kill.”

[What do you know to speak so presumptuously?]

“Arrogant, rude, and careless hero. That’s you, isn’t it?”

The Ogre gave a slight smile.

The ghost fell silent.

It didn’t feel like a conversation between a killer and the one who was killed.

Taesan looked intently at the sage and asked,

“Did you kill this ghost?”

“If you’re asking if I did, yes, I did. By my own hands.”

The Ogre took out a small dagger.

Seeing the dagger embedded with a red gem, the ghost’s temper flared up.

[That damned thing…]

“It’s your fault, hero.”

The Ogre spoke with sunken eyes.

“You didn’t kill me when you first saw me because I was the only one with whom you could converse. The seeker of god rejected you, and the lost king also despised you. You, the one from the destroyed world, were utterly weak. So, you cherished me, who listened to your story and didn’t kill me.”

Hearing the ghost’s past for the first time, Taesan whistled. The ghost stiffened.

“I’m a monster. You’re an adventurer. I just did what I had to do as a monster. I suppose you won’t hold a grudge.”

[Enough.]

The ghost spoke harshly.

[It's enough now. Just kill him.]

“No.”

[...What?]

The ghost was taken aback by Taesan’s refusal. The Ogre looked surprised.

“That’s different from what I thought.”

“What did you think?”

“I thought you were a puppet who moved according to the hero’s will and reached this place.”

It was a reasonably logical assumption.

The ghost was someone who had ventured deep into this place. If he were to stick to a beginner, the beginner naturally would have no choice but to follow the ghost’s words.

The ghost must have clung to him, hoping for this, but he changed his mind after observing Taesan’s actions.

“That must be a fixed attack weapon.”

“You know well.”

“Who gave it to you?”

[...Ah.]

The ghost realized it belatedly.

A fixed attack weapon was very precious. It was equipment that couldn’t be obtained on the 10th floor, considering it bypassed defense and skills.

The Ogre grinned.

“You’ve switched positions with the hero.”

“Give an answer.”

“Couldn’t you guess, hero? There were many here who disliked you, who were arrogant and looked down on others. Not just the gods, but the adventurers too.”

[No way.]

The Ogre responded to the trembling voice of the ghost.

“The Guides of Sin. They gave me the fixed attack weapon. They said they’d kill me if I didn’t harm you, so I had no choice but to accept.”

[Those bastards!]

A harsh voice resonated.

The Guides of Sin.

That group was also known to Lee Taeyeon.

They were the ones who wanted to kill her more passionately than anyone else, even when compared to monsters.

The Ogre sneered, looking at the ghost, expressing his anger.

“They must have been too afraid to do it themselves as you were too strong. So, they had no choice but to rely on the hands of a worthless monster like me. What do you think?”

[......]

The ghost took a heavy breath without replying.

Towards that surging torrent of emotions, the Ogre softly spoke.

“Do as you wish. I’ve said everything I wanted to say.”

The Ogre averted his gaze from the ghost. He, who was briefly observing Taesan, couldn’t help but admire him.

“….Indeed, I made a mistake. You’re not an adventurer who’d be swayed this way and that by a hero.”

Taesan drew his sword.

Though it seemed there was a conversation between the Ogre sage and the ghost, at least Taesan wasn’t particularly interested in it.

The Ogre, without trying to block or counter-attack, spoke calmly.

“I’ve survived for a long time in this place. Those weaker than me didn’t even come here, to begin with, and those stronger than me, I befriended through flattery. It wasn’t that hard as there were many lonely ones. All of them didn’t want to die.”

Thud

[50 damage to the Ogre sage.]

He pierced the Ogre’s chest without resistance.

“But there is an end to everything.”

The Ogre continued without a change in expression.

“What do you think is the lesson of this story?”

“Don’t trust others?”

“That’s part of it, but the core is one.”

The Ogre said.

“In this place, power is the answer. Have a power that no one dares to touch, power that no one would even dare to challenge.”

The Ogre looked at the ghost with bitter eyes.

“The hero couldn’t do that. He was strong but not strong enough that they couldn’t harbor any other thoughts. That’s why they sought a gap. This is the advice I can give you.”

“I see.”

“I’m glad. I’ll be waiting for you to conquer this place and save us.”

With a smile, the Ogre sage bowed his head.

Something that seemed like a soul flowed from his body and burnt out.

[You have won against the Ogre sage.] [Your level has increased.] [Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Your strength permanently increases by 2, agility by 3, and intelligence by 10.] [As a reward for leveling up, your HP increases by 45.] [As a reward for leveling up, your strength permanently increases by 1, agility by 3, and intelligence by 10.] [You have grasped the hidden element of the 10th floor. You received the reward [???].] [You have completely cleared the 10th floor. You obtained the title [Adapted One].] [You have completely understood and cleared all the floors up to the 10th. You obtained the title [Perfectionist].] [You have ventured far enough into the labyrinth. You obtained the title [Walker].] [You have proven your strength enough in this place. You obtained the title [Successful Prover].] [You are entering a new territory. You obtained the title [Adaptive Challenger].] [The entities of this place start to take an interest in you. They show you both goodwill and hostility.] [You obtained the Cusp of Calamity.] [Sub Quest successful.] [The hero will provide you with a reward.] [Sub Quest start.] [The hero, who realizes the truth, wants more revenge from you.] [Conditions: Kill those who were involved in killing him.] [Reward: The hero decides based on his mood.]