Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 469: Floor 89: The Old God’s Outpost (2)
“The atmosphere here is better than I expected. I thought everyone would be suspicious and ready to kill each other.”
“That’s what everyone thinks when they first get here. But we’re all castoffs from this cursed world, aren’t we? We’ve got to stick together.”
“I see.”
These people weren’t castoffs.
They were the ones who had abandoned their own worlds.
To declare themselves abandoned while actively betraying their worlds—Taesan found it laughable. He hid his smirk as he raised his glass to his lips.
“Cheers! Let’s enjoy ourselves!”
They chatted merrily, celebrating with a small feast. Taesan quietly drank, carefully observing the lackeys.
“They’re at immortal-level strength.”
Though barely, each of them had reached the threshold of immortality.
They weren’t weak. Any one of them could destroy an ordinary world as easily as taking a stroll.
But to Taesan, in his current state, they posed no real threat.
After a brief observation, he spoke again.
“I must say, this surprises me. I thought I was the only one, but it seems there are many in my situation.”
“Well, it’s not like the Old Gods explain much when they bring someone in. They’re busy beings, after all.”
“I see. I ended up contracting with one of them by chance, so I don’t know much about how things work here. Could you tell me more?”
“Of course! Ask away. What do you want to know?”
The man responded with surprising friendliness. Taesan asked.
“Just... the overall situation. About the Old Gods, and about all of you.”
“Starting from there, huh? Alright, I’ll explain.”
The man began to talk.
He explained various things—the nature of the Old Gods, how they formed contracts, and more. Most of it was information Taesan already knew.
But since the man spoke from the perspective of the Old Gods, his account was twisted, differing greatly from what Taesan understood.
“This world originally belonged to the Old Gods! It was the transcendents—those unworthy usurpers—who drove them out and stole their thrones!”
The Old Gods had existed even before the concept of the universe. Transcendents came after them. At a glance, the man’s words seemed true.
However, Baal, the great demon, had once told Taesan otherwise.
Before creation, the Old Gods and demons bore original sin.
They were beings who defied the natural order.
No one with rightful authority could have said what the man did.
“I see.”
Taesan nodded calmly. The man, excited, continued with more fervor.
“I reached a level of greatness! I made a world of my own through my efforts! That was the rightful result of my hard work!”
The man slammed his glass down, his expression twisted with anger.
“But a damned transcendent interfered in my world! They claimed it was against the rules and tried to kill me! I barely escaped, but I lost everything because of them!”
“Same here!”
Others began shouting their own grievances.
The man spread his arms wide, his voice echoing.
“Transcendents are the ones who are wrong! They are the ones who should die, the ones who should disappear from this world!”
“That’s right!”
Their fanatical shouts didn’t cease.
Taesan listened quietly, feigning agreement while letting the conversation flow.
After some time, their fervor subsided. That’s when they finally began sharing the information Taesan sought.
“In the end, I became a servant of the Filthy Corruption.”
For the first time, Taesan heard the name of an Old God. His eyes gleamed.
“The Filthy Corruption?”
“Yeah, one of the more active ones. Their authority is less burdensome compared to others, so more than half of us here are their servants.”
“I see.”
“Another frequent interloper is the Endless Darkness.”
“True. Those two are definitely the most visible.”
Two names Taesan hadn’t heard before. He committed the details to memory.
“The nature of their authorities...”
The less burdensome their interference, the closer their power must be to universal laws.
The easier it was to manipulate the laws, the more they could influence the world.
After a moment of thought, Taesan spoke again.
“Does the World Breaker rarely interfere?”
“Exactly! That’s why you’re so surprising. I’ve never heard of them creating an apostle before.”
The man regarded Taesan with curiosity.
“They’re so vast, they can hardly step into this world. If you really contracted with them... Did you see their true form? How big are they?”
The only part of the World Breaker Taesan had encountered was the Seventh Drop of Blood—a mere fragment of their essence. He couldn’t speak the truth and fabricated a plausible lie.
“I couldn’t tell. At least, not with my perception.”
“That’s expected...”
The others nodded, unfazed by Taesan’s lie.
Even though he hid his strength, they likely sensed he was at the immortal level.
Even for an immortal, understanding the true form of an Old God was beyond comprehension.
Taesan spoke again.
“Does the Empty Abomination interfere often?”
“Huh? How do you know about them?”
“I had an opportunity to learn.”
“Not often. Maybe once every few centuries, if that.”
“Now that I think about it...”
An older man who had been listening from the back spoke up.
“There was an avatar of theirs—a pawn who always caused trouble wherever they went.”
“Ah, the one who stubbornly insisted on using only their own authority, not the Old God’s?”
“Yeah. Haven’t heard anything about them lately. What are they up to?”
“No idea. Probably off messing around somewhere.”
They speculated amongst themselves.
Taesan knew who they were talking about.
It was the avatar he had defeated on Ravineno’s world.
“So they aren’t directly connected, capable of instant communication or anything like that.”
Becoming a servant of the Old Gods didn’t fundamentally change them.
“They’re probably surviving just fine. There are plenty of other Old Gods, after all.”
The conversation shifted, more information about the Old Gods flowing naturally.
The Worthless One.
The King Beyond.
The One Who Lifts and Wields Universes.
The All Within One.
The Usurper.
“Most of them don’t appear anymore. Of those, the Usurper is just a name to us.”
“I see.”
“Long ago, during the war against the transcendents, they supposedly fought fiercely... But it’s all ancient history. We don’t even know their authority.”
At that moment, Akasha, who had been quiet, trembled faintly.
It was so subtle that even she likely didn’t notice.
“The Usurper... Is she reacting to that name?”
Taesan stored the information carefully in his mind.
The man continued.
“And then there’s the Monster Who Walks Through Time. They’re the one the administrator of this place serves.”
“The administrator?”
“There’s an avatar of the Old Gods here. That being manages this place—and it’s absurdly powerful.”
“Are they away for now?”
Taesan couldn’t sense any presence of such a powerful entity on this planet.
“Yes. They’ve left temporarily to destroy another world. Quite a busy one, you see.”
“I envy that... I wish I could become one of their avatars...”
Someone muttered enviously, their tone filled with longing. Taesan’s eyes glinted briefly.
“I see.”
“Is that enough?”
“Plenty. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
The man smiled and patted Taesan on the shoulder.
“We’re comrades now, bound together unless death takes us. Let me know if you need anything—I’ll help however I can.”
“Understood.”
Taesan replied calmly.
The conversation shifted to casual chatter. Most of it was mundane stories about which worlds they had destroyed and the resistance they encountered. However, useful pieces of information occasionally slipped through.
As Taesan listened quietly, someone suddenly spoke up as if recalling something.
“Speaking of which, whatever happened to that guy?”
“Which guy?”
“You know, the one the Old Gods have taken an interest in. Someone from this world.”
“Oh, that guy from the labyrinth? Strange one, isn’t he? I mean, he’s not even contracted, but how is he using their powers?”
The conversation took a turn, and Taesan found himself becoming the topic.
“Shouldn’t we go after him?”
“No idea. Our masters seemed interested at first, but recently, they’ve been silent. Still, I’d love to crush that fool who dares to defy them with my own hands.”
Someone grumbled. Taesan observed them silently.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think you could win against someone who wields their power?”
“Why not? Maybe not alone, but if we all work together, it might be possible.”
A moment of silence hung in the air.
“You’re suggesting we act together?”
“What else are we doing right now? The Old Gods see him as a nuisance. Let’s eliminate their problem for them.”
“Hmm...”
The suggestion stirred unease among the group, but it also began to spark intrigue.
“No matter how strong he is, if we all join forces, we can win. Don’t tell me you’re scared?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He may use their powers, but he’s nothing more than a rat stealing what isn’t his. Why would I be afraid of that?”
“Then what’s the problem? Let’s find him and tear him apart. We’ll offer him as a sacrifice to our masters. They’ll surely reward us with their favor.”
The instigator’s words began to sway the hesitant.
“Hmm...”
“It’s not a bad idea...”
The air shifted.
They were leaning toward hunting Taesan themselves.
“But how will we find him? We don’t even know what he looks like.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got the details.”
The instigator spoke confidently.
“I’ve got connections and information. Here’s what we know: black hair, black eyes—definitely not white-skinned, but an Asian descent.”
“Hmm, hmm.”
“He uses the Old Gods’ powers, which everyone knows. As for his face...”
The instigator began listing Taesan’s features.
Taesan listened, his expression unchanged, though inwardly he was impressed by their accuracy.
He had traveled across many worlds. It wasn’t surprising that spies of the Old Gods had noticed him.
As the conversation progressed, one of the men suddenly spoke up.
“Sounds a lot like our new recruit.”
All eyes turned to Taesan.
The instigator, mid-description, paused and commented.
“...You’re right.”
“Nah, it’s just a coincidence. How would he even get here? Not even transcendents can interfere in this place.”
“But he uses their powers, doesn’t he?”
The room fell silent.
The tension thickened.
Taesan’s expression didn’t change. He stared at them impassively.
“...It must be a coincidence.”
One man, forcing a laugh, clapped Taesan on the shoulder.
“No way our new recruit is that troublesome guy. Why would he even come here? This is the domain of the Old Gods. It’d be suicide, right?”
Taesan didn’t respond.
He simply kept staring.
The man’s face slowly stiffened. He withdrew his hand from Taesan’s shoulder and stepped back.
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.
At that moment, Taesan spoke.
“I have a question.”
“Uh, w-what?”
“Are there ranks among the Old Gods?”
“...I’ve heard there are, but we don’t really know much about it.”
“I see. If the World Breaker is so massive they can’t interfere easily, they must be among the higher ranks. That’s a relief.”
Even the Seventh Fragment of the World Breaker’s power had been formidable. If they were lower-tier among the Old Gods, dealing with the higher ones would be a monumental challenge.
[Ready to take care of them?]
“I’ve learned all I need to.”
Taesan rose from his seat.
In his hand, Bardray had already materialized.
The room grew taut with tension, like a stretched rubber band about to snap.
Taesan addressed the frozen figures.
“You said you wanted to kill me? Let’s see how you plan to do that.”
“KILL HIM!”
The room erupted into chaos.
A dozen servants of the Old Gods charged at Taesan with deafening roars.
Taesan gripped his sword and swung.
The explosion of gray energy obliterated the small building, leaving no trace behind.
