Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 312: Fifth Return to Earth (8)
"A double-digit monster, huh."
Tae-san calmly stared at the giant.
People gritted their teeth.
While Korean players had seen such creatures before, it was the first time for Japanese and Chinese players. The strength emanating from the monster was beyond anything they could handle.
Just looking at it was enough to shatter their minds, their bodies trembling in fear. They instinctively knew that even if they all attacked together, victory was impossible.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
From the open passage, an innumerable number of triple-digit monsters began to emerge.
Each of these triple-digit monsters was a nightmare that dozens of players in hard mode could barely overcome.
And now, hundreds, thousands of such monsters were surrounding them.
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.
Yet, they did not despair.
They gripped their weapons with determined expressions, spurred on by the presence of an absolute force—a protector who would defend them and defeat the monsters.
Tae-san's very presence kept them from falling into the depths of fear.
They could win.
Their gazes, filled with belief, fell on Tae-san.
"Minerva. Varkaja. You know what to do, right?"
"Understood. I’ll be off to assist others."
"Don’t die, master."
"I won't die to mere enemies like these."
With that, Minerva and Varkaja vanished from sight, drawing gasps of amazement from those around.
But Jinryong looked at them with a face full of disgust.
"Vile creatures."
However, at the same time, it was an opportunity. If these wretched beings managed to defeat the monsters, he could reclaim their worship once more.
With his calculations in mind, Jinryong moved swiftly, charging at the monster.
Bang!
An A-rank monster at the forefront lunged at him. Baring his teeth, Jinryong summoned his strength.
BOOM!
Power erupted.
Jinryong clashed with the full force of an A-rank monster.
This was not one of the mediocre A-ranks they had encountered before. This was a true A-rank beast, one that had slaughtered countless players in hard mode on this decaying Earth.
Crrrk!
Yet Jinryong was not overpowered.
He was, in fact, overwhelming the monster.
"Haha!"
Jinryong, forgetting the situation around him, focused entirely on the battle.
Power surged from within him, engulfing the monster. Though the creature resisted and attempted to counter, it was slowly being pushed back.
"Die!"
Clenching his fist, Jinryong crushed the A-rank monster.
"Hoo."
Wiping away his sweat, Jinryong wore a triumphant smile. He had defeated the triple-digit monster without much difficulty.
"Behold!"
He spread his arms wide, like a ruler asserting his dominance.
"I am your master!"
With a sly grin, he turned to gauge the people's reactions.
And then he froze.
He had poured all his energy into fighting one A-rank monster. Thus, he hadn’t been aware of what was happening around him.
Dozens of fallen A-rank monsters filled his vision.
Hurriedly looking around, he saw that Tae-san was already dashing far ahead.
Boom!
Dozens of A-rank monsters charged at Tae-san, intent on killing him.
With a sword in each hand, Tae-san took a step forward.
[Tae-san activated Gale Rush.]
CRACK.
His sword moved, conjuring a storm that shredded everything in its path.
The dozens of A-rank monsters in his way were instantly sliced apart.
"Whoa!"
"As expected!"
The players who were fighting let out cries of awe at the sight.
In their eyes, Jinryong’s accomplishment of defeating one A-rank monster was meaningless.
"You, you..."
Jinryong stammered, unable to suppress his rising emotions. Meanwhile, Tae-san had already reached the front of the giant.
[----!]
The giant let out a roar, raising its arm. A club, filled with earth-shattering power, came crashing down.
Tae-san raised his sword.
CLANG!
“Ahhhh!”
A violent gust swept people off their feet. Even monsters weren’t immune. The mere clash of power sent everyone nearby tumbling to the ground.
Jinryong was no exception.
"Ah...."
Covered in dust, Jinryong watched the battle between the two, stunned.
---
"Ugh."
With a groan, Taeyeon swung her sword, skillfully deflecting the monster's attack with a flowing arc.
CRACK!
Seizing the opening, Kang Jun-hyuk struck the monster, which responded with violent thrashing, countering both their attacks.
Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk dug in their heels with grim expressions.
CRUNCH!
Steel met flesh as their combined assault finally brought down the A-rank monster after several minutes.
“This is insane.”
Panting, Taeyeon caught her breath. Besides Jinryong and Tae-san, she and Kang Jun-hyuk were among the strongest fighters present. They were confident they could win even if ten players in hard mode charged at them.
But even with their combined efforts, defeating a triple-digit monster had been no easy feat.
“This doesn’t look good.”
“Not at all.”
Taeyeon muttered, glancing around.
"Ahhh!"
"Kill it!"
People and monsters clashed.
But only the players were falling.
Hundreds of players in easy mode charged at a single A-rank monster, only to be thrown aside by its violent swings, never to rise again.
BOOM!
The hulking A-rank monster barreled through the battlefield, and hard mode players who tried to block it were knocked away like dominoes.
The situation was dire.
Easy mode players couldn’t hold their own in this battle, and even hard mode players had to sacrifice hundreds just to bring down a single monster.
The exchange rate was unsustainable.
Minerva and Varkaja were fighting monsters elsewhere, but the sheer number of enemies was overwhelming.
"Hoo."
Taeyeon steadied her breathing.
Her entire body trembled. She wanted to run and hide right then and there.
But she gripped her sword tightly and stepped forward.
CLANG!
Her blade met the monster’s blow. She was pushed back but quickly regained her footing, countering its attack. Kang Jun-hyuk followed closely behind her.
CRASH!
"Kill it!"
"Crush it!"
People shouted in defiance.
Even as countless players fell, their spirit did not wane.
It only grew stronger.
RUMBLE...
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, and the clash of powers tore open the sky.
"Is that the power of the Deep Realm... It's beyond us."
“We'll reach it too. It’ll just take time.”
“Right, though it’s hard to imagine.”
Taeyeon shook her head, gripping her sword tightly.
The battleground where Tae-san fought the giant was far away, yet they could feel the impact of his power even from here.
With each pulse, the players’ spirits surged.
Tae-san was battling a giant that felt like death incarnate, a being they believed humanity could never defeat, even with their combined strength.
They could win.
Chanting Tae-san’s name, they charged.
Even those who hadn’t revered him were caught up in the fervor and began chanting Tae-san’s name in this extreme situation.
A faith of millions began to form.
---
Tae-san continued clashing with the giant, their blades ringing out.
BOOM!
The power wave traveled through the earth. Sensing the force through his blade, Tae-san created distance.
S-rank monsters were numbered from 1 to 99. The creature before him was undoubtedly an S-rank.
But within the S-rank, there was a vast difference between single-digit and double-digit monsters.
Those from 1 to 9, and those from 10 to 99 were separated by an unbridgeable chasm of power.
Thus, as a double-digit S-rank, this giant was not an insurmountable challenge for Tae-san.
Even Goshin was likely aware of this.
So why would they send such a creature?
Tae-san glanced behind him.
On the battlefield, countless players were being slain by the monsters.
And the giant continued to quietly focus on Tae-san.
It responded only to Tae-san’s attacks, not making any move to initiate.
“Same as before, huh?”
By keeping Tae-san occupied, the enemy could freely eliminate the weaker players.
A straightforward yet highly effective strategy.
Which meant Tae-san had only one option.
He had to take down the giant as fast as possible, without holding back.
Tae-san accelerated, charging at the giant. The giant swung its club.
BOOM!
Though the swing only skimmed the earth, the ground collapsed. Despite being an S-rank, Tae-san could not match its sheer strength head-on.
However, he had the overwhelming advantage in speed. The giant wielded its club without any other special abilities.
The strategy was simple.
Tae-san dug in his heels, and the giant swung its club down as he dashed in.
The ground crumbled under the impact of the club.
The flat plain fractured into a cliff.
This was a battle that reshaped the map.
Tae-san ran across the collapsing ground. His balancing skills allowed him to maneuver on unstable terrain with ease.
Seeing Tae-san charging, the giant spun its club, creating a vortex of wind that formed a massive storm.
CRUNCH!
Tae-san swung his sword at the storm, cloaking himself in a wind generated by his Gale Rush.
He pierced through the whirlwind.
With his ability to control the ground, he accelerated its collapse. Tae-san spoke, his voice resonating through the battlefield.
"Fall."
The ground gave way beneath them, and their bodies began
to plummet.
The giant moved its arms, but without a solid footing, its strength was diminished. Tae-san spread his wings.
[Tae-san activated Perfect Fairy Wings.]
[Tae-san activated Landing.]
[Tae-san activated Acceleration.]
BOOM!
He accelerated, striking the giant's club, causing the giant to fall even faster.
Tae-san moved close to the giant, striking again.
[Tae-san activated Partial World Change.]
CRACK.
The roots of his wrist guard expanded violently.
Everything around him shattered. The remnants of the ground turned to dust, the giant’s club carved away.
SLASH!
The giant’s body was exposed. Tae-san raised his sword.
[Tae-san activated Weak Point Designation.]
[Tae-san activated Acceleration.]
[Tae-san activated Conversion.]
[Tae-san activated Addition.]
[Tae-san activated Blade of Resolve.]
[Inflicted 105,480 damage on Monster14.]
With a painful scream, the giant’s body plunged even deeper into the ground.
BOOM!
How far did they fall? With a thunderous crash, the giant hit the ground.
The giant stood once more, swinging its club.
Tae-san dodged easily, holding a jet-black spike.
[Tae-san activated Amon’s Jet-Black Spike.]
BOOM!
The giant slammed into the ground again.
As it writhed in agony, Tae-san raised his sword.
CRACK.
[Inflicted 26,840 damage on Monster14.]
[----!]
The giant let out a roar as Tae-san's sword pierced deep into its chest.
Its muscles swelled, and it regained strength, launching a reckless attack.
But Tae-san was already gone.
“Berserk pattern?”
The giant’s berserk phase—a surge of power and speed triggered when its health fell below a certain threshold.
This meant the giant’s health was significantly reduced. It had taken considerable damage during the fall.
[Tae-san activated Sabnak’s Black Thread.]
[Tae-san activated Random Blink.]
BOOM!
The black thread exploded, tearing through the giant’s body. Tae-san teleported into the air with Random Blink, then used Landing and Acceleration to stomp the giant down.
[Tae-san activated Weak Point Designation.]
He drove his sword into the giant’s chest. The giant swung an arm at him, but it was pointless.
[Tae-san’s First Strike Nullification activated.]
The giant, relying solely on physical power, was an ideal opponent to use perfect nullification against.
During the three activations of Nullification, Tae-san struck repeatedly at the designated weak point, each strike dealing massive damage.
Frost lashed out, roots spanning the world rose, halting the giant's movements, and flames engulfed it.
Mana and magical energy quickly drained.
But it didn’t matter. Tae-san called forth his divine power.
Mana and magic were replenished.
He unleashed spell after spell.
When his mana and magic neared depletion once more, the giant finally collapsed.
[Tae-san defeated Giant14.]
[Spiritual Ascension activated. Mastery in Distorted Spirit Calibration increased by 4%.]
“I knew it had a lot of health.”
All of his mana and magic were depleted. Defeating it had been manageable, but its health was far beyond anything found in the dungeon.
Still, apart from its high health, the giant wasn’t particularly special, allowing him to secure victory relatively quickly.
With the rise in Spirit Ascension, his Distorted Spirit Calibration mastery had now surpassed 60%.
Tae-san looked down at the fallen giant's corpse.
The giant was undoubtedly strong. In terms of holding him back, it had done its job well.
But something was lacking.
The gods showed an insatiable interest in Tae-san.
They were targeting him personally.
With such greed and power, it was hard to believe they’d simply stand back, content with slaughtering his comrades.
Leaving the ruins of the underground, Tae-san headed back to the battlefield.
There, people were still risking their lives against A-rank monsters.
Tae-san dashed forward, smashing a monster's head. The people who saw him broke into smiles.
“Master Tae-san!”
“You’ve won!”
Tae-san responded with action, not words.
With Tae-san joining, the monsters quickly fell. Inspired, people began chanting his name as they faced the monsters.
After some time had passed,
[Special Quest Cleared.]
The quest completion window appeared.
They had won.
The people cheered in joy.
“We did it!”
“Hurray!”
Their eyes, filled with gratitude, focused on Tae-san.
“Master Tae-san! Thank you!”
“Oh, great one!”
Everyone was praising Tae-san. Even the Chinese players were shouting his name.
The power of the double-digit monster had been palpable for everyone on the battlefield.
In that moment, they had felt death’s grip, yet Tae-san had returned victorious, unscathed.
No one doubted his strength anymore. Without him, they would all have perished. Thousands began to chant his name, worshipping him.
[Your Divine Power mastery has increased by 1%.]
[Your Divine Power mastery has increased by 1%.]
[Your Divine Power mastery has increased by 1%.]
His Divine Power soared.
Tae-san looked at the people.
Every gaze was fixed solely on him.
Watching this, Jinryong’s face twisted in agony.
