Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 451: The Seventh Return, Earth (3)

The American players were waiting in Las Vegas.

They were setting up defensive lines, holding back the approaching monsters, and preparing to welcome those coming toward them.

Crack!

Amelia’s sword pierced through the monster’s skull.

She quickly advanced forward. In the blink of an eye, dozens of monsters were chopped to pieces.

She swung her sword and flicked the slime off.

“How annoying.”

“It seems this area is cleared.”

A blonde man with blue eyes approached her. The leader of the maze, Oliver Khan.

“For now, it should be safe. Thanks.”

“Do your best. How long are you going to keep surviving by relying on me? You should do it with your own strength too.”

“I’ll try.”

Oliver didn’t react much to Amelia’s words. He knew from experience that she wasn’t speaking with ill intent.

She was genuinely concerned about them.

If they lacked strength, they could be wiped out by the monsters, so her message was one of encouragement to put in the effort.

It was just that her tone was aggressive.

It used to be worse, but after the duel with Taesan, she had softened a lot.

Oliver shifted his gaze and looked up at the sky.

“By the way, if players are coming from Europe and Asia to the U.S... I’m not sure how long it’ll take or how they’ll get here.”

“Isn’t it possible to come through Russia from Asia?”

“Well, I’ve heard that Kang Taesan can cut through the sea... if they cross from Russia to Alaska, it might be doable, but it’s a pretty long distance.”

Suddenly, Oliver let out a small laugh.

“Cut through the sea? Is that really possible?”

“It’s not impossible.”

Amelia said casually. Oliver shook his head. Even with his understanding of breaking through the maze, the strength involved was beyond comprehension.

“Well, it’s not a bad idea. Once things are settled here, we’ll need to send people that way.”

Oliver gripped his weapon.

While people from other regions were coming, they couldn’t just sit idle. They planned to clear out the monsters near Las Vegas and wait for those who would cross the sea.

As Amelia and Oliver were quickly clearing the areas, a man came running toward them with a pale face.

Oliver, seeing the man’s face, was taken aback.

“Anton? What are you doing here? You were supposed to be heading to San Francisco for reconnaissance.”

Anton was skilled at hiding, and Oliver had sent him to San Francisco, near the Pacific, for scouting purposes.

There was no way he should be back here so soon.

The man took a deep breath and stammered.

“P-please follow me. Something’s wrong.”

Anton managed to calm his shock and said it with difficulty.

After hearing the story, Oliver fell silent, and Amelia frowned.

“...That’s unexpected.”

“Let’s check it out.”

Oliver deployed enough defense forces in Las Vegas and headed for San Francisco.

Thanks to Amelia’s efforts, they quickly reached a location overlooking the North Pacific.

They couldn’t speak.

Everyone stared at the sea, their faces frozen in shock.

“No...”

“What is this?”

The entire horizon, as far as the eye could see, was frozen over.

No one, not even Amelia, could speak easily. Oliver, with a trembling voice, said,

“...Is this the work of the gods?”

He had heard from Amelia about the beings that were invading the world.

The sight in front of them was something impossible unless caused by some transcendent being.

“No.”

Amelia approached the frozen sea. She closed her eyes and extended her senses.

“Ha.”

Soon, she let out a hollow laugh.

Even with her sensory abilities, she couldn’t fully confirm the extent of the frozen sea.

And if the cold was enough to freeze the sea, it should have affected them as well, but there was no such effect.

It meant that the one who had caused the frozen sea was suppressing its effects.

Amelia knew whose power it was.

“Kang Taesan.”

“No matter how much I try to believe it, I still can’t. This... is truly...”

“A miracle of the gods.”

Amelia gave a wry smile.

“Unbelievable. Truly.”

***

The American players, having regained their composure, quickly cleared the monsters between the North Pacific and Los Angeles.

As they did so, more and more people began to see the frozen sea. They were all left speechless.

And within less than a month, a massive crowd appeared across the frozen sea.

"They've arrived."

Oliver Khan and Amelia moved into action. He headed towards the front of the crowd.

"Hello."

Kim Hwiyun greeted them calmly.

"Oliver Khan. And Amelia Aerin, right? Nice to meet you."

"You're Kim Hwiyun. Sorry about the Coliseum incident."

"That’s already in the past, right? I look forward to working with you from now on."

They shook hands.

After the greetings, Oliver turned his gaze awkwardly.

"...Kang Taesan."

"Why?"

Taesan responded. Oliver hesitated, then eventually changed the subject.

"I have many questions, but first, we should finish the quest. Follow me. I'll guide you."

They followed the players of the maze.

Amelia continued to glance at Taesan as they moved forward. Beside her, Beldengia let out an impressed exclamation.

"Who’s that woman? Pretty impressive, huh? Not as good as Lee Taeyeon, but still, quite skilled."

Amelia had already reached the mid-60th floor and had passed Beldengia's trial.

Beldengia tilted his head.

"But... I feel like there’s something familiar about her."

"Amelia was also an adventurer chosen by the God of the Fall, like you guys. She’s been freed now, though."

"What?"

"Talk to the princess and her later, the three of you."

Before that, Lee Taeyeon moved. She flashed a smile at Amelia.

"It’s been a while, Amelia."

"Ah, Lee Taeyeon?"

Amelia, who had been a bit hesitant, brightened up. Soon, Kang Junhyuk joined them, and they began talking happily.

Meanwhile, the American players continued to watch Taesan.

Their gazes held both reverence and fear.

And there was a faint sense of faith in their eyes. Taesan accepted their faith.

Thanks to the American players clearing the monsters ahead, there were no major issues.

Soon, they arrived in Las Vegas.

Kim Hwiyun was surprised upon seeing the city.

"It’s in better shape than I expected?"

Quite a number of buildings had managed to maintain their structure. Considering how hard it was to find intact buildings in Korea, this was a surprising sight.

"We had the luxury of time, unlike you. The people skilled in construction gathered and rebuilt. With so many superhumans around, it was quite easy."

Hard mode players were far stronger than heavy machinery. There were countless people like that, so building was no problem at all.

"With millions of people gathering, we had to prepare ahead of time. Still, it might not be enough."

Oliver looked at the Asian players with a tired expression.

There were just too many.

The number was beyond what Las Vegas could accommodate.

And the European players hadn’t even arrived yet. The city needed to expand.

Taesan spoke.

"That’s not a problem. I’ll handle it."

"...Is that even possible?"

Amelia muttered. Taesan nodded in response. She stared at him for a moment before speaking, determined.

But Taesan moved first.

"I’m going to be away for a while, so handle things yourselves."

"You’re leaving? Where are you going?"

"To help the European players."

"Ah."

They realized.

While Asia had been easy to get through thanks to Taesan, Europe wasn’t the same. Crossing the sea alone was a struggle for them.

Taesan needed to help. Everyone agreed with Taesan’s words.

"I’ll take care of things. I’ll be gone for a while."

"Got it."

Amelia also stepped back with a resigned expression. Taesan, after briefly looking at them, leaped away.

His destination was Europe.

From a distance, Taesan could already sense the presence of the European players, so he knew where they were.

They had gathered in France.

Taesan ran across the sea. Monsters appeared to block him, but Taesan wiped them all out.

The more monsters Taesan defeated, the more power flowed into Bardray and Akasha.

"Do you feel something stirring?"

Akasha grew stronger with each enemy she defeated, her powers increasing.

Memories could be part of this process.

[...I’m not sure yet.]

Akasha responded after a brief silence.

[Every time my master defeats an enemy, I sense something, but it’s still faint.]

[These monsters are too weak. No matter how many gather, they can’t challenge you. Naturally, neither I nor Akasha are gaining much power.]

"Looks like we need to face stronger enemies after all."

And in this return, such enemies would likely appear.

Taesan needed to prepare for that.

One of the preparations was to max out his proficiency in Divine Power.

If he were worshipped by all the beings on Earth, it was highly likely that his proficiency would naturally reach 100%, and he would become a god of Earth in the process.

But how could he receive such worship?

Taesan was already thinking of one way.

He leaped forward.

***

The European players were in quite a dilemma.

They had to cross to America.

But the problem was, how were they going to cross the Atlantic?

"We need to go through the UK, right? It’s much simpler if we go via Iceland and Greenland!"

"No, that way, we’ll cross too much sea. It’s safer if we go through Africa and stop by Brazil."

"But that’s a much longer detour. The risk is too high!"

Each side strongly argued that their approach was correct. They were still gathered in France, unable to move.

"Hmm..."

The leader of Europe, Daniel Darmont, stroked his chin with a troubled expression.

There was no clear answer. So, he couldn’t make a quick decision.

But it was getting to the point where they needed to decide.

Just as Daniel was about to speak after much contemplation—

"Hey?"

"What’s that?"

A murmur spread through the crowd. Following the gazes of the people, a small dot appeared in the distance.

"...A bird? But that’s too big."

The dot was rapidly growing larger.

Daniel’s pupils widened.

That wasn’t a bird.

The person approaching at high speed landed right in front of Daniel. At the suddenness of the arrival, everyone was too stunned to react, but the person spoke.

"Daniel Darmont?"

"...Ah."

Daniel realized who it was.

It was a face he had seen once before in the Coliseum.

"Kang Taesan?"

Kang Taesan.

At the mention of that name, the surroundings buzzed. Only the French players had seen Taesan in person. The rest had never met him.

But everyone had heard his name.

The strongest person in the world. An invincible superhuman that no one could rival.

"How did you get here?"

"I came across the sea to help you."

"The sea... cross... No, if it’s Taesan, then it should be fine."

Daniel, regaining his composure, looked at Taesan with a hopeful expression.

"If Taesan’s here, it’ll be much easier."

"What are you still worrying about?"

"We’re debating whether to go through Brazil or the UK, and then take a detour through Greenland. What do you think is the best option, Taesan?"

"Both are unnecessary."

"Pardon?"

"We’ll cross the sea."

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"...What?"

"Follow me."

Taesan moved forward. Daniel, still stunned, hurriedly followed behind him.

"If we’re crossing the sea..."

"We’ll take the shortest route across the Atlantic."

"Is that possible?"

Daniel’s face showed confusion.

He knew Taesan could cut through the sea.

But that was for the relatively short distance between Japan and Korea.

The Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and America, was one of the five major oceans of the world. Even Taesan would find it hard to believe that crossing it was possible.

"It’s possible, so follow me."

"...If it’s Taesan’s word, I’ll follow you."

Daniel answered calmly.

He told the others.

The strongest player, Kang Taesan, had come to help them.

They would cross the Atlantic.

Naturally, disbelief and doubts arose. They knew how strong Taesan was, but crossing the Atlantic directly was an impossible task, they argued.

That was something only gods could do, they said.

Daniel desperately tried to convince them.

"Anyway, it’s not far from here to the Atlantic. Let’s head that way first."

"...Understood."

Reluctantly, they accepted. But their eyes, as they looked at Taesan, still held disbelief.

This was understandable. People could never truly believe in something they hadn’t seen with their own eyes. Especially when it was something that seemed close to a miracle.

Of course, Taesan wasn’t bothered by this.

What he sought was the faith of all people.

They had to believe in Taesan and follow him.

But what did he need to do to make that happen?

Taesan had come to a simple conclusion.

He simply needed to show them what he could do.

By shattering their disbelief and showing them powers beyond their imagination, it would be enough.

He had that kind of power now.

They arrived at the sea.

The people gazed at Taesan with many different emotions.

Expectations, disbelief, doubt, curiosity.

Taesan spoke.

"Freeze."

[You activated the Declaration of Freezing.]

Crack!

The sea instantly froze.

The entire area within their sight turned to ice.

"..."

"Huh?"

No one could speak. All the emotions shifted to one — astonishment.

"Now, let’s go."

Taesan stepped onto the ice.

And one month later.

Taesan arrived in Las Vegas, without losing a single European player.