Chapter 173: Return To The Labyrinth (1)

The Saint's Seat.

As one experienced in the battlefield of the gods knew, the Saint was a position that managed all believers who had faith in the god. It was less significant than an Apostle, but still an important role chosen directly by a god.

Such a position was being granted to a human, not a demon.

What did the Demon God expect from him?

He knew she had a liking for him. But it wasn't just liking that had granted him such a favor. There must be something she expected from him.

'I don't know.'

Taesan shook his head.

The sure thing was her favor toward him.

Then, it was something to be gratefully accepted for the time being.

Taesan called Kim Hwiyeon, Geum Junggeun, Kang Junhyeok, and Lee Taeyeon to check.

"Did you all get Magic Energy?"

"Yes."

"About 10? I saw it appeared right below Mana in the status window."

"Did you learn black magic?"

Having Magic Energy alone was useless. It could only be used with black magic given directly by the Demon God.

To Taesan's question, they shook their heads.

"No. We haven't learned anything like that."

"Hmm."

Taesan read the description of the title.

He could exercise great influence over humans with Magic Energy.

An idea suddenly struck Taesan's mind.

"Just stay still."

Taesan skillfully handled the Magic Energy and enveloped them with it. It was as if he had known how to do it all along.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, their pupils dilated.

"Taesan, what is this?"

"Is that so?"

Taesan clicked his tongue.

The influence written in the title was the ability to impart black magic to humans.

"What did you all learn?"

"I learned the basic black magic 'Seir's Black Wind' and the beginner-level black magic 'Decarabia's Twisted Vegetation'—two in total. Why are these names so long?"

"Huh? You learned two?"

"How many did sister learn?"

"I only learned 'Seir's Black Wind'."

"Same here."

Listening to their chatter, I discovered that Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok had learned one basic and one beginner-level black magic, while Kim Hwiyeon and Geum Junggeun had only learned one basic black magic.

"It seems there's a limit to what you can learn based on your strength."

The result was natural, as the Demon God wouldn't want those unworthy to wield her power.

"Teaching black magic to everyone seems impossible."

Taesan scattered the darkness.

The spreading darkness enveloped the survivors.

Some of the resting survivors exclaimed in surprise.

Realizing what Taesan had done, Kim Hwiyeon muttered in disbelief.

"This is unbelievable..."

The only being who could impart black magic to humans was a power that seemed beyond human.

"But could you have taken it back if you gave it?"

"Probably."

Taesan clenched his fist, and the power that had dwelled in Kim Hwiyeon was suddenly withdrawn.

"... It's real."

"It's a power given by you, brother, so it's natural."

Geum Junggeun nodded in agreement.

Taesan then re-granted the skill to Kim Hwiyeon.

"It might not be used often due to the lack of Magic Energy, but it will be quite useful."

Of course, unlike Taesan, those without the means to increase their Magic Energy wouldn't reap significant immediate benefits. However, given the uniqueness of black magic, it would be a formidable power in conquering the labyrinth.

Having experienced the effects of the black magic used by Taesan, all of them nodded in agreement.

"Thank you so much."

"Enough of that. Now, Lee Taeyeon, Kang Junhyeok, follow me."

Taesan picked up his sword.

The two nodded earnestly.

The fastest way to improve the proficiency of a sword skill was to spar directly with someone who possessed that skill.

Once they returned to the labyrinth, it would be extremely difficult for Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok to increase their proficiency on their own.

Therefore, for the two days until their return to the labyrinth, Taesan continuously pushed them in sparring.

As a result, the proficiency of Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok's Ability Sword increased by 2%.

With the effect of the title' Authority of the Saint', Taesan's proficiency also increased by 1%. Not a bad outcome.

"That's it."

Only one hour remained until their return. When Taesan stopped his sword, Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok finally sat down.

"Huff, huff."

They were too out of breath to speak properly, while Taesan's breathing remained unfazed.

"You're surprisingly obedient. I thought you'd ask for a break at least once."

During the dozens of sparring sessions they had, they always complained. But in the last two days, they followed without a word.

Lee Taeyeon, having caught her breath, spoke up.

"I realized how big the gap is."

"It's too late to whine now."

Both held a certain pride in themselves. They could easily defeat ordinary monsters, and, apart from Taesan, no one could compare to them.

It wasn't an overstatement. In reality, no monster had been able to stop them. The gap with the Hard Mode players had widened, reaching a level where they could win even in 3-to-1 battles.

However, that confidence shattered with the appearance of a three-digit monster.

A monster with the power to blow them away with just the aftermath of a collision.

They had a premonition that they would be killed helplessly. The gap between them and the monster was that significant.

But Taesan had defeated such a monster without a scratch.

"What floor are you on now?"

"The 36th floor."

"The 36th floor..."

Kang Junhyeok laughed bitterly. Already on the 36th floor. They would have to reach there someday, but it still seemed too far away.

Their inflated confidence deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle.

Taesan shook his head.

"Don't compare yourself to me. If you count by the strength of the floors, I'm an adventurer above the 50th floor."

A-grade monsters were comparable to players who had cleared Hard Mode. Such monsters could not be easily defeated, even in Solo Mode. A typical adventurer on the 36th floor would have been defeated without a chance to fight properly.

"There's no need to rush,"

Taesan spoke calmly.

"You're already doing well."

Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok had descended to the 13th floor faster than Taesan had anticipated.

"Build up your skills slowly but steadily. Then, someday, you'll reach where I am."

The eyes of Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok settled down.

Finally, the remaining time ended.

The return to the labyrinth began.

[Monster Hunting Bonus +351] [First Wave Bonus +54] [Second Wave Bonus +55] [Third Wave Bonus +52] [Fourth Wave Bonus +61] [Fifth Wave Bonus +65] [Special Victory Bonus +641] [Domination Bonus +84] [Victory Bonus +115] [Totaling Completed] [1,478 points will be awarded.]

One thousand four hundred seventy-eight points. Simple calculations showed that this could increase skill proficiency by close to 150%.

Of course, due to the skill proficiency limit, achieving that much effect was difficult, but it was still a considerable reward.

However, Taesan did not use the points immediately.

During this return, he had acquired several skills. He needed to check them first.

"I didn't expect to learn this already."

[Special Activation Skill: Essence Detection] [Proficiency: 1%] [Identifies the essence of the target.]

It was a very simple skill with no elaborate description.

In his previous life, he had acquired this skill after surpassing the 70th floor, but he had not fully understood its effects then. In Easy Mode, there weren't enough challenging enemies to necessitate understanding their essence.

However, the true value of this skill lay in its ability to combine with other skills, like the Vital Point Attack skill, which targeted the opponent's weak points.

Once the proficiency of this skill reached 100%, it transformed into the Vital Point Designation skill. This excellent skill allowed targeting and attacking the opponent's weak points.

When the proficiency of Vital Point Designation reached 100% while possessing Essence Detection, one could acquire a new skill called Essence Strike.

This skill hits the essence of the target, ignoring any form of defense.

It was the skill that had allowed Taesan to defeat the Apostle.

In his previous life, he had realized the value of Essence Detection too late and never achieved 100% proficiency.

But now, he knew well the value of Essence Detection.

He wondered what changes would occur if he achieved 100% proficiency in Essence Detection, which he hadn't in his previous life.

He was very curious.

Taesan immediately worked on increasing the proficiency of Essence Detection. Considering the enemies he would face were related to gods or higher beings, it was a worthwhile investment.

[Special Activation Skill: Essence Detection] [Proficiency: 50%] [Identifies the essence of the target. It can determine where the power originates and its weaknesses.]

Like with Mana, the consumption of points significantly increased after reaching 50%. It seemed there were restrictions on skills of a certain level.

Taesan immediately turned his attention to the ghost.

[You have activated Essence Detection.] [Ghost] [The Ruined Prince of Calvert.] [One at a crossroads of choice.]

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? What's coming out?"

"It's nothing."

It was similar to Reconnaissance but allowed him to see more in-depth information related to the target. He was curious about the effects it would have on monsters.

Taesan continued to examine other skills.

[Special Constant Activation Skill: Twisted Soul Ascension Tuning] [Proficiency: 1%] [Twisted beings can manipulate their Soul Ascensions in a twisted manner. They can control the Soul Ascension residing within them by taking on a great burden.]

Tuning—if the skill description was to be believed—seemed to offer the possibility of tuning a soul that had ascended to an Apostle level. Monsters employed it to shield their vulnerabilities, yet it held the potential for offensive use as well.

The extent of the burden it would impose remained a mystery. Still, given its potential impact on battle, it was adequately valuable.

Remaining points: 988.

No deep contemplation was necessary. Given the worth of Essence Strike, the choice of skill to enhance was obvious. Taesan promptly increased the proficiency of Vital Point Attack.

[The proficiency of Vital Point Attack has reached 100%. The special activation skill [Vital Point Attack] has evolved into the special activation skill [Vital Point Designation].] [Special Activation Skill: Vital Point Designation] [Proficiency: 1%] [Designates a part of the target as a vital point and inflicts double damage when attacking it. Once a vital point is designated, it cannot be changed on the same target until a day has passed. Only very small parts can be designated as vital points.]

This was a skill that allowed for the designation of vital points. If an opponent's weapon was a fist, simply targeting the fist as a vital point could thwart the attack.

Although the area that could be designated as a vital point was limited, making it seem less useful than one might expect, the skill's value increased significantly with proficiency.

Taesan invested all the remaining points into black magic. Consequently, the proficiency of black magic rose by roughly 30%.

[Black Magic] [Proficiency: 36%] [Allows control over the magic of the Demon God. Uses Magic Energy to cast Black Magic. The power and range vary based on the Magic Energy expended. Basic power is accessible.]

Black magic, much like other forms of magic, proved even more challenging to master.

With the acquisition of new black magic spells, enhancing its value, investing in it was justified.

Taesan checked the effects of the newly acquired black magic.

"It might take a bit longer, but they'll understand."

The God of Magic had instructed Taesan to return to him after his return. However, uncertain of the trial he might face, Taesan planned to meet him only after verifying everything he had acquired. He made his way to the 37th floor.