Chapter 245: Fourth Return, Earth (12)
Taesan opened his mouth.
"Is it you, Lord Aphrodia this time?"
[Yes. I descended here of my own will.]
"That's unexpected."
Taesan had anticipated the descent of the Spirit God or the God of Choice. Aphrodia spoke.
[Normally, I wouldn't be interested. The Labyrinth and trivial matters outside it were beyond my concern, but the trials I imposed on you piqued my interest.]
Aphrodia turned his gaze.
His gaze rested on Lee Taeyeon. Lee Taeyeon flinched and trembled.
[To think that such a fragile and weak person has descended to the depths of the Labyrinth. Intriguing. Indeed, potential cannot be ignored.]
His voice was not loud enough to be heard by others.
Taesan realized.
Aphrodia had discerned the end of Earth and the existence of Lee Taeyeon while bestowing his trial on Taesan.
It seemed he had become interested and decided to descend here himself.
'After all.'
The first god to appear on Earth was Lakiratas, the god of strife and death.
When Lakiratas appeared, Taesan was fighting at a distance. Therefore, although people felt the presence of a colossal being, they did not see the god directly.
The next to descend was the demon god, and the same happened then.
Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok felt her power, but had never actually seen her.
Thus, Aphrodia was the first god to visibly appear before the people.
Aphrodia's external appearance was ordinary. He was a handsome man with black hair, but nothing extraordinary.
Yet, people could not bear to look at him.
As if merely gazing upon him was a sinful act, they averted their eyes on their own.
"Ah, uh."
The faces of Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok turned pale. The two were adventurers who had descended into Solo Mode. Although merely a fragment compared to others, they could sense Aphrodia's presence.
"Huh, ha!"
They gasped for air. Struggling to control their ragged breathing, they bowed their heads.
They were afraid.
Having challenged the trial of the gods several times, they were well aware of the extent of power the entity before them possessed.
If he wished, he could easily crush the Earth.
Aphrodia glanced at them briefly and raised his finger.
[Half-hearted power only binds its wielder. I shall show mercy. Humans.]
His finger twirled, and the people vanished.
Taesan momentarily expanded his senses. Then he knew. Everyone present had been moved inside the city hall.
There was no aura of power, no wave of force. It seemed akin to a divine ability.
Aphrodia looked down at Taesan.
[First, congratulations. Mortal. You have excellently overcome this trial.]
He commended Taesan.
[They changed their methods. You survived, but most others might have died. We anticipated that too.]
The grip that consumed Taesan was something he couldn't escape with his power.
And the monsters that were summoned were not something other players could have overcome.
Aphrodia had judged that only a few would survive, but the outcome was entirely different.
[You have triumphed, nearly perfectly. You may take pride in yourself.] ed
"O great Divinity."
Minerva bowed her body.
"May I dare to ask a question?"
[Is that Beatrice's child?]
Aphrodia gazed intently at Minerva.
[Normally, a mortal daring to speak would be punished, but then Beatrice would show her anger towards me. Be thankful to your mother. Permission granted, spirit.]
"What a wonderful mother."
Minerva said with a playful smile.
Having been granted permission to speak, she looked at Taesan.
"The power my master wielded. Could you tell us about it?"
The grey power that defeated the S-rank monster.
Taesan was curious too. He had skimmed over the description of the skill he obtained, but he couldn't understand what it meant.
Aphrodia smiled faintly at Minerva's question.
[The power he wielded. You mean the power tinged with grey.]
"Yes."
Minerva nodded.
Aphrodia looked at Taesan with an interested gaze.
[Many gods are interested in you. We have been watching the battles here.]
"Is that so?"
It was unexpected that the gods were watching his battles. Aphrodia continued.
[I knew about your exceptional nature. I knew which direction it would take... but... this was beyond expectation.]
A power even the gods hadn't anticipated.
[The power you possess is special. You plunder the power of whoever you defeat, even if it's a high god.]
A mix of emotions—interest, curiosity, slight agitation, and hostility—were directed at Taesan.
[It's the first time a being of this world uses the power of a high god without a pact. And it's also the first time such a being possesses divinity. Likewise, you are the first to mix two powers.]
Aphrodia raised his hand. A small light appeared there.
It was the divinity that Taesan had wielded.
However, the level and quality of that power were overwhelmingly high.
[Divinity is a power amassed in the process of becoming a god. It's an authority we create with our will.]
In contrast, the power of a high god was an immutable power one possessed from birth.
Aphrodia waved his hand to extinguish the divinity.
[That power is on the verge.]
"On the verge...?"
Minerva asked, puzzled, but Aphrodia did not answer.
[I suppose I must say so. Since there are no signs of you becoming corrupted by wielding that power, I will not interfere. However, I am unsure about others.]
Aphrodia murmured softly.
[With such power, they might approach things differently. It might bring about a change we haven't seen in a long time.]
He likely meant the high gods.
[I will observe. Where you arrive, what lies at the end, how your story will unfold.]
Aphrodia chuckled.
[Firstly... you did well.]
The God of Despair declared.
[You have triumphed over beings that invaded your world. You can be proud of that.]
The declaration of victory spoken by the god himself. Power surged from Aphrodia's entire form.
[I must also give you a fitting reward.]
The power began to spread across the world.
It enveloped the entire land of Korea, dwelling within the people who resided there.
[Receive it. This is the first reward.] [Manifestation of divine power.] [Part of the high god's domain enveloping the Earth is removed.] [With the domain's removal, restrictions are lifted.] [Acquiring skills on Earth is now possible.] [Exchanging items obtained in the Labyrinth is now possible. However, equipment cannot be exchanged, only consumables.]
Taesan's pupils dilated.
From the distant city hall, cheers and voices could be heard all the way here. Aphrodia asked,
[Are you satisfied?]
Taesan nodded.
There were various restrictions on Earth.
Among them, the most significant were the inability to acquire skills and to exchange items.
The former was the most significant restriction.
No matter how desperately one tried on Earth to obtain new skills, they were all sealed and unusable.
In his previous life, he had attempted to teach at least the basic skills to those who had returned, but it was futile due to this restriction.
Now, it has been lifted.
And even the exchange of consumables had been enabled.
In his previous life, he was an Easy Mode player. Naturally, he often ran out of mana and health.
Anticipating the need, he had filled his inventory with potions before venturing out, but even those ran out within a few years.
That's why he struggled with mana shortages as he fought monsters.
But now, with the restriction on consumables lifted, everyone could trade items like potions and arrows.
Although he did not feel a significant shortage of mana now, the situation would be different after clearing the Labyrinth.
Unable to return to the Labyrinth, he had to manage limited consumables. Being able to distribute these items among people was directly linked to survival.
"So this was possible too."
[You would have known. In other worlds, it's possible to obtain Labyrinth skills, but it was not here. Those things interfered. But now, only in this area where you have triumphed, can it be fully lifted.]
"Thank you."
The reward was more than he had anticipated. Taesan was thoroughly satisfied.
But Aphrodia was not yet done.
[Then, I will give you the second reward.]
Aphrodia's power descended again upon the people at the city hall.
[Manifestation of divine power.] [Blessings are bestowed.] [You have received the divine blessing [Will of Despair].] [Let's check.]
"Thank you."
Taesan opened the skill window.
[Divine Blessing: Will of Despair] [It's a grace. When the mind is pushed to the brink and falls into despair, the blessing activates. It awakens the mind and fills it with the will to win.]
A blessing for the mind. It was a good blessing.
The Labyrinth was cruel. Even in the easiest Easy Mode, many were broken mentally, becoming invalids or dying.
It was a blessing that eased the mental strain. It seemed likely to significantly reduce the number of people mentally overwhelmed to the point of death.
"Thank you for this grace."
[It is a blessing that every mortal desires. But it will be meaningless for you.]
Taesan silently agreed.
He no longer despaired now. He just moved forward for strength and victory.
Therefore, Aphrodia's grace held no value for him. Aphrodia's hand shook.
[Then, I will give you something else.]
His power began to descend upon Taesan.
[It seems you haven't yet utilized the power I've given you.]
A skill obtained by overcoming a trial from Aphrodia, the Seed of Despair.
It could grow whenever he sensed the despair of his enemies.
It seemed he had accumulated quite a bit while dealing with the spirit world and the 51st floor, but the skill was still not usable.
[It seems to have accumulated quite a bit, so I will fill the rest.] [The condition for the special activation skill [Seed of Despair] has been lifted. It has transformed into [Branch of Despair].]
"Thank you."
The god himself had lifted the restriction. Its value was undoubtedly immense.
Aphrodia stood up, perhaps signaling that all rewards had now been distributed.
[Then, I must conclude it.]
Conclude it?
Taesan could guess what that meant.
Everyone in Korea had gathered in Seoul and completed the quest.
Now, it was time to move on.
Aphrodia clenched his fist.
Crack!
The world began to distort. People in the city hall screamed and collapsed.
Taesan looked intently towards the horizon.
The semi-transparent barrier that had been spread across the edge of the land.
It was a barrier that had made it impossible to move until the quest was completed. Because of it, Taesan hadn't been able to help people from other regions during his second return.
It was now distorting and breaking apart.
[Open.]
As the god spoke, the barrier shattered.
The distorted world returned to its original form.
Simultaneously, a system window appeared.
[Congratulations. You have completed the last regional quest.] [The barriers enveloping each country are removed. You can now move to other countries. There are no specific restrictions on movement, but you may face disadvantages in subsequent quests.] [The next return will involve national-level quests. Be vigilant and prepare.] [The community is expanding. From now on, players not only from your country but from other countries can communicate.]
'Finally.'
The first restriction was lifted.
Aphrodia's form began to disperse. He soared high into the sky.
[Prove your worth, mortals. And survive.]
His mighty voice spread across the entire world. Just before disappearing, Aphrodia looked at Taesan.
[I look forward to the next time.]
Taesan nodded.
Aphrodia completely vanished, and Minerva breathed out heavily.
"Talking directly with a God is always nerve-wracking. How can you be so calm?"
"I'm used to it?"
Taesan responded as he turned around.
The city hall was in chaos. People were probably struggling to understand what the system window that had just appeared meant.
Taesan intended to explain it to them.
He walked towards the city hall.