Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 423: 83rd Floor, Essence of the Falling God (5)

“Belden... Kia?”

Diana repeated the name.

Her voice sounded awkward, as if she couldn’t imagine uttering that name.

“He... me?”

“He made a contract with a magician to save you. He’s settled on the 61st floor and has been testing the adventurers who come his way.”

Taesan opened his inventory.

“He gave me a quest. To save his princess. And if I do, he promised to give me everything. I accepted the quest.”

A music box appeared from the inventory.

The magician's music box. The one made by Beldenkia for the captured princess.

The music box activated, and a song began to play.

A vigorous, morning-like melody.

Diana’s pupils widened.

“That’s...”

“This was the item Beldenkia gave me along with the quest. He said it could heal your soul.”

“...That’s true. I never imagined I’d hear the song of my homeland again after coming this far.”

Diana smiled softly.

“My world was destroyed. Only Beldenkia and I know that song. There’s no lie in what you’ve said. Haha... It’s so absurd. You told me to forget, to live my life. You said that... but you ended up making a contract with a magician...”

She said it reproachfully, but there was undeniable joy in her expression.

After a moment, as she reflected on her emotions, Diana spoke.

“Would you mind telling me about Beldenkia?”

“If you want.”

Taesan spoke about what he knew of Beldenkia. About the trials he had taken on, what he did, and why he gave Taesan the quest.

Diana listened with a delighted expression.

“He hasn’t changed at all. That puts my mind at ease.”

She smiled gently.

“Thank you, Gang Taesan. I never imagined I’d hear about him again, after thinking I’d never see or hear about him.”

Her tone had changed. Taesan shook his head.

“You can speak freely.”

“No. You’re the hero who came to save me. I must show you the respect you deserve. I truly thank you.”

She stood from the bed and assumed a polite posture, one befitting a princess.

After a brief pause, Diana asked calmly.

“So then... you weren’t deceived by the Falling God.”

“I entered this place on my own. I made a deal, though.”

“...I’m sorry to ask, but are you really okay? There are many strong people here. Some are even stronger than me. But no one has cleared the Colosseum.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Taesan spoke indifferently, in a tone that implied there was no problem.

Diana hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.

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“I can tell you’re hiding your power, so you’re undoubtedly strong. If possible, would you show me your strength?”

Now that she mentioned it, he was still under the authority seal. Taesan deactivated the skill.

“Haha.”

At that moment, Diana’s expression froze.

Her face turned pale, and she instinctively grabbed the sword beside the bed. After taking a deep breath, she finally composed herself.

“You’re strong.”

There was no hiding her admiration.

“You’re on a level that’s incomparable to that. If it’s you... maybe you can do it.”

The way to clear this place was to defeat the Apostle in the Colosseum.

The strength Taesan had just shown was greater than the Apostle's. If he fought head-on, he could surely win.

“No.”

But Taesan negated her words.

“It will probably be difficult. It’s designed that way from the start.”

“...Is that what you meant earlier?”

“You know it too. From the start, it’s designed to be unbeatable. The close battles were meant to give false hope. It’s no different for me.”

He didn’t know the exact principle behind it.

The one thing he was sure of was that the Apostle could never be defeated. That was the rule.

Of course, if Taesan were at his peak, he could overwhelm the Apostle.

But right now, he was in a state where his immortal level was sealed.

It was probably because the Falling God deliberately lowered his level to that of a mortal. This was the reason.

“I see.”

Diana lowered her head. She had suspected this. All the others who had reached the boundary, including her, had never expected to win.

The reason was simple. After hundreds or thousands of attempts, they had realized that it was impossible.

She had denied it at first, but in her heart, she had known.

“There is no other escape, is there?”

“Probably not. Everyone here has tried.”

In the end, to clear this place, they had to go through the Colosseum.

But winning in the Colosseum was impossible.

This was why the Falling God believed with no doubt that they would never return. The only escape had been blocked from the start.

“We should gather information first. Princess. Could you tell me about your battles with the Apostle?”

Diana spoke calmly.

“I’ve opened the Colosseum forty-seven times. At first, I lost hopelessly, but as I kept challenging it, I grew more familiar. From the thirtieth Colosseum onward, the battles were nearly equal. But from that point on, the Apostle continued to show new powers.”

Martial arts, special movements, or even entirely different techniques.

Every time I thought I had figured him out, something new emerged.

“The spectators, seeing this, thought the opponent had hidden power, that they would win next time... but I, having fought firsthand, saw it differently.”

Diana bit her lip.

“The new strength the opponent showed was always so fitting for the situation.”

“Fitting?”

“When my stamina was sufficient but my techniques ran out, he brought out an ability I couldn’t counter. In the opposite situation, when my stamina was low, it suddenly recovered. It wasn’t anything overwhelmingly powerful, but it was enough to change the flow of the battle. Every one of the ten or so battles followed a similar pattern.”

Something felt off.

It wasn’t just that he was hiding his strength. It was too perfectly tailored to the situation.

“I couldn’t fully understand it since I wasn’t the one fighting. But gradually, I realized something was strange. After hearing your story, I now understand. It was designed that way from the start.”

Diana spoke bitterly. Taesan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

There was something that came to mind after hearing Diana’s story.

But since he had only witnessed one battle firsthand, he couldn’t be certain. After a brief hesitation, Taesan made his decision.

“Anyone who collects 100 points can open the Colosseum?”

“Yes. Although very few have the strength to gather 100 points. That’s why we cooperate.”

“I see.”

‘Guess I’ll have to try it myself.’

Taesan left the room.

Taesan left the village and ran across the plains.

Before long, he saw five people traveling together.

They seemed to be the ones Diana had spoken of—those who cooperated with others to gather points.

Taesan drew his sword. As he got closer, they noticed him, but it was already too late.

Crack!

“Gaaah!”

The scream and the noise erupted. It was a single strike. The five of them collapsed in an instant.

Taesan stepped firmly.

Soon after, he encountered another group. This time, there were four.

As before, he charged in and attacked.

The simple action left the opponents unable to respond. The four of them collapsed without even blocking a single blow.

[As expected, you’re a monster.]

The ghost clicked its tongue.

The ones Taesan had defeated weren’t weak by any means. The fact that they had been chosen by the Falling God meant that they were strong enough to reach the 83rd floor.

Yet, they fell with a single strike. Taesan, as he moved on, spoke.

“The basic stat difference is too great.”

At this point, Taesan’s stats were on the verge of reaching arrogance.

They were far higher than those of the people he had just defeated. Moreover, he had equipment, and there was a fundamental gap in their levels.

Though his immortal level had been sealed, once you reached a certain tier, your power was different from that of mere mortals.

These people hadn’t even reached the boundary. There was no reason to struggle.

Taesan quickly cleaned up the situation.

In no time, he had accumulated over 40 points in a single day.

As expected, word began to spread. The resurrected ones said they hadn’t even been able to respond before they were defeated. News about the newcomer, Taesan, quickly spread.

A monster had arrived.

The rumor spread quickly, and soon everyone knew.

As a result, those who had remained quiet began to move.

“This makes 60 points.”

Taesan checked his points. It seemed like he’d be able to open the Colosseum by tomorrow. Just as he was about to move again, he stopped.

Five presences were approaching him.

Their power was greater than anyone Taesan had defeated so far.

They were at the level of someone similar to the princess.

Those who had reached the boundary.

They surrounded Taesan and spoke in low voices.

“...You’re strong.”

Taesan was currently without the authority seal. His power was now freely spreading throughout the world.

“Why have you come?”

“To confirm something.”

They revealed their respective powers.

A variety of forces pressed in on Taesan.

“You’re planning to clear the Colosseum. Before that, we’ll check your strength.”

“A test from the losers?”

“I won’t deny it. We’ve given up, after all.”

A calm voice echoed.

Taesan scanned each of them.

One held a sword.

One gripped a spear, while the other two radiated magical and dark magical power.

The last one seemed to be wielding elemental power.

All five had different powers.

Taesan quickly processed the situation.

“The conditions have been met. This works out well.”

“...Works out well?”

“I’ve got something to test too.”

Right now, Taesan wasn’t in his immortal form.

If he had to define his level, he was at the boundary.

So, in this reduced state, could he still obtain skills?

“Let’s see.”