Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 421: 83rd Floor, Essence of the Falling God (3)

They didn’t respond to Taesan’s words, instead charging at him once again.

Kiiing!

Light enveloped them. Taesan had no trouble discerning what it was.

That was a labyrinth skill.

Each one of them activated their skills, pressing Taesan hard. Taesan responded in kind.

[You activated Ba’al’s Black Spatial Assault.]

Crash.

The space darkened.

The man who had charged forward froze in fear for a moment. The spreading darkness quickly engulfed them all.

Kwahgahgahng!

The space, now transformed into pure darkness, rushed in all directions.

It crushed everything in its path, shattering and breaking apart all obstacles. The attackers tried to activate their defensive skills, but it was futile.

They were buried in the very space itself.

Kugugung...

As the spreading black space faded away, only the man who had been called the leader remained.

“...Hah!”

The man exhaled heavily, collapsing to his knees. No significant wounds could be seen on his body. Taesan was slightly surprised.

“He blocked it perfectly.”

Ba’al’s Black Spatial Assault wasn’t as powerful as the Great Collapse, but it was a force that easily surpassed intermediate magic. It was a strength so immense that it was nearly impossible for mortal beings to defend against.

But the man in front of him, though exhausted, had successfully defended.

Looking around and realizing he was the only one left, the man let out a bitter laugh.

“A monster of a rookie has arrived.”

“You’re adventurers of the labyrinth, then.”

Taesan had suspected this when he saw their familiar gear, and after seeing their skill activation, he was certain. Though the activation window didn’t appear, it was undoubtedly a labyrinth skill.

The man nodded.

“Not all of us, but most of us, yes.”

“What are you doing here?”

“...I’d rather not speak of it.”

“Why?”

“It’s something shameful.”

With trembling arms, the man drew his sword.

“You’ll find out soon enough. A meddler will appear shortly.”

The man charged at Taesan.

Taesan raised his sword.

Kwajik.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

With a light defense, Taesan pierced the man’s chest.

The man was dying, but there was no fear or pain visible on his face.

“I didn’t expect to die at the hands of a rookie...”

The man spoke those words before vanishing.

Taesan saw his soul drifting toward some part of the model garden.

After watching for a moment, Taesan continued walking.

No matter how far he walked, the plain never seemed to end. The same landscape kept repeating itself as if it were a copy.

‘They said there’s no death here.’

In this place, death wasn’t the end.

It was probably a reference to resurrection. Since all of them were souls trapped by the Essence, it wasn’t strange.

But there was always purpose behind actions.

This was the model garden. A place where the souls captured by the Falling God were confined.

What was the Falling God’s purpose in creating this place? He couldn’t know yet.

“Perhaps this is related.”

Taesan lifted his gaze and looked above his head. There, a white spear hovered.

[Points: 5]

When he first arrived, it was at 0. After defeating five enemies, it had risen to 5 points.

It seemed that points were awarded each time one was defeated.

Points wouldn’t exist without reason. While he was contemplating, Taesan felt the approach of eight presences.

“Perfect.”

He would be able to get answers from them. Taesan stopped walking.

“Are you a rookie? Apologies, but this isn’t entirely bad news for you.”

The figures approaching him were not much different from the ones he had first encountered.

Wearing similar equipment to labyrinth adventurers, they showed no hostility or greed, only exhaustion on their faces.

“You’ll answer if it’s you.”

Just as Taesan was about to unsheath his sword, the voice of a giant echoed.

“Stop!!”

Ugh!

Ugh!

A massive voice resonated.

They clutched their heads as if the sound was directly stimulating their brains. The man who had spoken to Taesan earlier grimaced.

“Has it appeared already?”

“I’ve arrived!”

The owner of the voice rushed forward, landing gracefully between Taesan and his opponents.

Her golden hair swayed. Her radiant golden eyes gleamed like jewels.

“Huh. You must be tired.”

It seemed she had run from quite a distance, as she was slightly out of breath, but there was an undeniable grace to her.

She was inherently different, emanating a nobility that Taesan could feel.

The man muttered gruffly.

“Here to meddle again? The Golden Princess.”

Taesan silently admired her.

‘She’s strong.’

She was the strongest adventurer Taesan had encountered in the model garden. Even now, with his full strength, she wouldn’t fall easily.

With just one step, she would reach the level of immortality.

The woman, called the Golden Princess, nodded proudly.

“He’s a rookie, right? I’ll take responsibility for his training for now.”

“Still meddling too much. You’ll learn it all soon enough just by going through it.”

“But if someone tells you, you’ll know without having to suffer.”

The Golden Princess spoke gently.

“Annoying woman.”

The man clicked his tongue.

“Where’s the old man who used to follow you around?”

“I’m here.”

An old man slowly walked up. In his hand was a long spear.

“Our princess is always about action before words. I can barely keep up.”

“Sorry about that.”

“How many times have I heard that? I’ve given up, so I don’t care anymore.”

The elderly man, who appeared to be an ally of the Golden Princess, wasn’t on guard, but he was undoubtedly stronger than the others.

“An old man too. No chance of winning.”

The enemy spoke calmly, but they didn’t retreat. All eight of them drew their weapons.

“Just to confirm, how much longer do we have?”

“Probably once I defeat you all.”

“Good.”

The man grinned and laughed.

The battle began.

“I’m sorry.”

“Again with that phrase? I’ve already given up, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

The old man, who appeared to be an ally of the Golden Princess, wasn’t on guard, but he was undoubtedly stronger than the others.

“An old man too. No chance of winning.”

The enemy spoke calmly, but they didn’t retreat. All eight of them drew their weapons.

“Just to confirm, how much longer do we have?”

“Probably once I defeat you all.”

“Good.”

The man grinned and laughed.

The battle began.

“Hello?”

The Golden Princess smiled at Taesan.

“What’s your name?”

“Gang Taesan.”

“Gang Taesan! That’s a unique name. I’m Diana!”

“I’m Reynaldo.”

The old man, who had been standing behind, spoke.

The battle ended in an instant.

The Golden Princess remained poised, whereas her opponents, having failed to guard, were now defeated. The difference in their basic strength was immense.

However, despite being knocked down, the faces of those who had fallen weren’t dark.

In fact, they seemed to be smiling contentedly.

Diana handed Taesan a piece of dried meat.

“Would you like some? It’s a rare food, though there isn’t any hunger here. But putting something in your mouth has its own meaning.”

“No, thank you.”

“Oh, I see.”

Diana placed the dried meat in her mouth. It was a somewhat careless motion, but there was still grace in every movement she made.

“Now, just to confirm. Are you an adventurer going deeper into the labyrinth?”

Taesan nodded.

Diana’s eyes sparkled.

“Then... perhaps...”

She seemed about to ask Taesan something, but her words didn’t continue. After some thought, she closed her mouth with a wry smile.

“Never mind. There’s no need to confirm it so soon. I’ll save it for later enjoyment.”

She concluded to herself.

After watching her for a moment, Taesan spoke.

“Why did you save me?”

“To tell you about this place. I don’t care, but the princess couldn’t just leave someone like you alone.”

“It’s her nature. You can think of it as a form of self-satisfaction.”

Diana spoke softly.

“We all got tricked by him, the Falling God. So I sympathize with you.”

Although Taesan was closer to having entered this place on his own, he quietly listened to Diana’s words.

“As you might have guessed, this place is where those like you—tricked by the Falling God—are gathered. It’s a model garden made for his amusement.”

Diana raised her finger.

“First of all, in this place, the concept of death doesn’t exist. If someone dies and is erased, after a day’s time, they are resurrected in a specific place.”

“So, there’s no way to truly die?”

“Yes. We’ve had someone try turning their whole body to dust, but they still resurrected, though in excruciating pain.”

You couldn’t die. They would live on forever in this place.

Diana pointed toward the horizon.

“As you can see, there’s nothing here in this model garden. The technicians tried to invent something, but everything turned to ashes and disappeared.”

Change was not allowed here.

“The only form of entertainment we have is fighting each other. But, according to the rules of the Falling God, once a battle starts, we must fight to the death using our full strength. And the pain when we are resurrected isn’t small.”

“What a perverse god he is.”

Reynaldo clicked his tongue.

Taesan asked them, “How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know. It’s been so long since I lost count.”

“I don’t know either. It feels like several hundred years, but beyond that, I can’t say.”

They spoke emotionlessly.

A world of silence where nothing was allowed.

You couldn’t die. Change wasn’t allowed. You couldn’t even choose when to fight.

This place was a vast prison.

“That’s why you had no ill will toward me.”

“Not everyone wants to fight. We’re in the same situation, so there’s no point in venting our resentment or anger. It doesn’t mean anything.”

They were all victims.

The only enemy was the Falling God.

But hearing this made Taesan curious about something.

“Then why did they try to kill me?”

According to Diana, there was no real meaning behind the battles here. There was no reason to want to kill the newly arrived Taesan.

“And you’re not as desperate as I expected.”

This place was a horrible one. Nothing changed, and nothing was allowed. You couldn’t escape through death.

Yet, the people Taesan met in this place seemed to have their sanity intact.

They looked tired, weary, but their actions were clear-headed. They didn’t seem like the tortured souls of people who’d been there for centuries.

“The reason is simple. Whether it’s a whim, or perhaps it’s more enjoyable to keep our sanity, we’ve created a few conveniences for ourselves.”

Diana smiled wryly.

“You know I said we resurrect in a specific place after dying? That place is a huge village. The place made by the Falling God. There, people can eat meager food and sleep on hard beds. There’s even simple entertainment.”

At least there were minimal living conditions.

“Most of all, there’s a point system. You must have noticed the system window showing points above our heads. You get 1 point each time you kill someone. And there are several ways to use those points.”

The use of points was easily predictable.

“Temporary upgrades to the conveniences.”

“Correct.”

Diana nodded.

“If you use 1 point for a meal, the tasteless soup turns into a delicious steak. If you use it for a room, you can stay in a room with a cotton bed and shower facilities instead of a straw mattress. The more points you use at once, the better the facilities.”

“So that’s why they tried to kill me.”

They killed to gain points, to enjoy basic comforts like food and sleep.

“It’s an obvious tactic, but it works. Most people rely on that, and somehow manage to maintain their sanity.”

“A twisted hobby.”

“Really.”

The highly talented, transcendental beings who could surpass the depths and clear the labyrinth would kill each other over food and sleep. And it was these basic comforts that helped them cling to their sanity.

This was the system that the Falling God had created, and it revealed his purpose for this place.

“But that’s not all.”

It was a system that allowed them to maintain their sanity, but that was all it could do. There was no hope.

Yet, in the people Taesan had met in this place, there was hope.

The hope that they could escape.

Diana smiled.

“You’re lucky. You’ll be able to return to the world soon after entering this place.”

“Return?”

“It’s better if you see it for yourself. Let’s go, Reynaldo.”

“Now? Isn’t it okay if we don’t practice?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve practiced for this day thousands of times.”

Diana grabbed her sword with burning eyes.

“Follow me. I will lead you to salvation.”

Taesan followed her.

They walked across the plains. In the meantime, others appeared and blocked Diana’s path.

Diana said only one thing to them.

“I’ve gathered everything.”

“...Oh?”

With that single statement, the ones who had blocked her path lowered their weapons.

Then they began following Diana.

The crowd gathered and grew, eventually forming a group of several hundred.

Diana, leading them, walked proudly.

“You know I said there are several uses for points? This is one of them.”

And she arrived at the center of the plain.

There, a single pillar stood. Diana shouted toward it.

“Falling God! Princess of the destroyed world! I, who have been deceived by you, have come here!”

Kugugung!

The pillar began to function.

The gaze of the Falling God was revealed.

With shining eyes, Diana spoke.

“I have met your conditions! Now, I request! The Colosseum for liberation!”