Chapter 246: Fourth Return, Earth (13)

When people gathered in Seoul to elect a leader, the conference room was filled once again.

There was a gathering there again.

"Where is Sayeong?"

"He's dead."

"Ah...

Their numbers had dwindled since the beginning. They closed their eyes momentarily to pray for the souls of the departed.

"Then, Mr. Taesan."

After a moment of silence, Kim Hwiyeon addressed Taesan.

"Can we hear a rough story of what happened?"

"I came here specifically to explain."

Taesan began his account.

He detailed how the High Gods attempted to capture and kill him. In that ordeal, Taesan emerged victorious.

And with his victory, the conditions were met, and a god descended.

At the mention of a god, the people reacted with disbelief and shock.

"A god..."

"Is it the kind of god we're thinking of? Like, Jesus Christ?"

"No. It's different."

Taesan shook his head. In his experience, the concept of a monotheistic god was absent. Each was once mortal who had become transcendent, each possessed varying levels of power, and they all maintained reasonably good relations with one another.

They were not adversaries. Instead, it was more accurate to view them as allies united against a common foe, the high gods.

As Taesan succinctly explained, the people were enthralled.

"So, it's that kind of concept..."

"The labyrinth was also created by their power... This is really profound."

"It doesn't really matter."

Taesan spoke up.

"What's important is that we survive and prevail."

At those words, a spark of determination lit up in people's eyes.

"That's right."

"Yeah. Winning is what matters most."

From the moment they found themselves trapped in the labyrinth, they had anticipated interference from transcendental beings. As Taesan pointed out, their survival was the paramount concern.

"Did everyone receive their rewards?"

"Yes."

Kim Hwiyeon confirmed.

The Blessing of the God of Despair. It awakened the mind when one was plunged into despair.

Everyone present was at least a Hard Mode player. They understood the significant advantage this represented.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Taesan."

"That's fine. You all managed well too. Honestly, I thought more of you would die."

Half of them had survived.

It was a significant loss, but considering the circumstances, it was relatively small. Kim Hwiyeon bit her lip.

"Everyone tried their best. Literally risking their lives."

That sacrifice could not be in vain.

They had to survive. For themselves and for those who didn't make it.

They slowly checked for any changes.

"So the first change is..."

"Can we now obtain skills on Earth too?"

Seo Jangsan asked.

"Is it confirmed?"

"Yeah. Some people got skills while eliminating the rifts. All of them could now use the skills they acquired."

"Is that for real? Now we can learn skills here too..."

Seo Jangsan was captivated. Being able to learn skills on Earth was a huge advantage.

Survival on Earth was not easy. Even those who had been through hell in the labyrinth had to risk their lives.

And skills were more likely to be acquired in extreme situations.

That meant, on Earth, there were not a few cases where people learned skills while clearing quests.

Until now, they had to seal the skills until they returned to the labyrinth, but now they could use them immediately upon learning them. It might not seem like a big change right now, but it would definitely be a significant advantage in the long term.

"That's good. The next change has been confirmed too."

Kim Hwiyeon took out a red potion from her inventory and tossed it to Lee Taeyeon, who skillfully caught it.

Lee Taeyeon made a strange face as she fiddled with the potion.

"It really transferred."

The exchange of consumables. What was impossible until now had been unlocked.

Up until now, whenever they tried to pass potions, they would bounce off and return to the original owner.

But the potion, now handed to Lee Taeyeon, had changed ownership from Kim Hwiyeon to Lee Taeyeon. Lee Taeyeon then tossed the potion back to Kim Hwiyeon, who placed it in her inventory.

"Honestly, this is the best part."

A smile formed on Kim Hwiyeon's lips.

The exchange of consumables. Its value was incredibly significant.

"How many potions do you all have left?"

"One."

"I've used up all mine. It was a close call."

Overall, everyone had one or two, if not none, left. The battles had been that intense.

"Potions aren't cheap. We need to buy other equipment too, and a lot gets used when we descend into the labyrinth, so naturally, we can't bring much back to Earth. But now...

"We can have people from Easy or Normal Modes bring back potions."

"Right."

Kim Hwiyeon nodded vigorously.

"From what I've heard, those places can supply gold more steadily than Hard Mode. If they bring back consumables each time they return, we can fight much more stably."

While Hard Mode dropped more gold from monsters, the difficulty was much higher.

In modes like Easy or Normal, players could combine their strengths and defeat monsters without using potions, but in Hard Mode, even defeating one or two monsters required using a potion each time.

As soon as they acquired it, the gold was spent, making it difficult to accumulate in Hard Mode.

As long as the health system protected them, they wouldn't die as long as they had a moment to drink a potion.

But if there were no potions to use, the benefits of the system were not fully utilized.

One of the biggest reasons people died on this return was because they lacked means of recovery.

That issue had been resolved for the next return.

Then someone said,

"But is that okay? To be blunt, you're just asking those in Easy and Normal Modes to bring back potions because they're no help to you otherwise. Won't they resist?"

"I've thought about that too... But it can't be helped."

Kim Hwiyeon spoke coldly.

"There's no way to live together that satisfies everyone. There will be resistance, but they'll have to accept it."

"There won't be any major problems."

Taesan said. The people in Easy and Normal Modes trusted Kim Hwiyeon, who didn't abandon them. If she said something, they'd accept it.

"Then..."

"The last thing..."

Their faces became ambiguous.

It was the most crucial information, yet it remained uncertain how it would change things. Kim Hwiyeon was captivated.

"Now quests will be carried out by each country..."

The last system window that appeared.

［Congratulations. You have cleared the last quest in your region.］ ［The barriers surrounding each country will be removed. From now on, you can move to other countries. There are no restrictions on movement, but you may face disadvantages in future quests.］ ［The next return will involve quests at the national level. Prepare and be ready.］ ［The community will expand. From now on, players can communicate not just with players from their own country, but also with players from other countries.］

"What do you think will happen?"

Kim Hwiyeon asked Taesan. All eyes were on him.

Taesan knew the flow of events to come, what they needed to prepare for, and what to anticipate.

But that was a story from a previous life.

Taesan shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Well. Even Mr. Taesan can't know everything."

"If you knew, you'd be a god. That's it."

"Now that the community is open, think about it when we return to the labyrinth."

"That would be best."

It was now possible to communicate with people from other countries through the community.

Not just Korea, but Japan, China, the United States, and Europe. People from all around the world.

They could find out how they were living and what they were doing.

Anticipation and anxiety were mixed on people's faces.

"Hopefully, none of them have been annihilated?"

"Ah, come on."

"It's a possibility. Because there..."

Taesan wasn't there.

People's gazes followed these last words.

Leaning against the wall, Taesan moved.

"I'm going back tomorrow, so sort out the rest among yourselves."

"What about you, Mr. Taesan?"

"I've got something to see."

He stepped outside. Outside, people were celebrating survival, mourning death, and sharing their hopes and fears for the future.

Then they spotted Taesan. They sprang up and ran toward him.

"Ooooh;"

"Mr. Taesan! Mr. Taesan!"

They shouted at the top of their lungs.

They saw Taesan meeting with Aphrodia. They didn't know his identity, but they could guess he was a being who had bestowed blessings upon them.

Naturally, they came to believe they had received these blessings thanks to Taesan.

Their faith in him grew even stronger.

As Taesan passed by, he noticed a familiar face.

"Mr. Taesan!"

A young man shouted passionately at Taesan.

Lee Changchun.

A Hard Mode player who had been beaten up by Taesan during the last return of his previous life.

'He's still alive.'

Taesan smirked and walked out to the city hall.

He looked up at the sky.

The cracks in the sky were calm, as if waiting for their next turn.

"What could it mean?"

[With this kind of power, they could approach you in different ways.]

Aphrodia had said that.

Its meaning was still unclear.

"So, are we going back to the labyrinth now?"

At Minerva's words, Taesan nodded. She chuckled.

"There's been quite a lot going on. I didn't expect to meet a Transcendent directly, to fight with the High Gods... It was fun. I never thought I'd experience so much so soon after being born."

Minerva continued with a satisfied expression.

"I don't fully understand the power my master possesses, but it's a power that my master directly controls. That's enough for me."

Minerva's form flickered like TV noise.

The power required for her summoning was almost depleted, indicating she was about to be unsummoned.

"Will you be gone for a while then?"

"You're only going to continue descending into the labyrinth, aren't you? Not right away though, right? You have things to do, too?"

Minerva was the guardian of Arulia. She had to protect that world.

"Right. I'll be away for a while."

Minerva looked at Barkaza.

"Barkaza. Take good care of things even in my absence."

[I am not only the king's servant but also yours. I must protect you.]

"I trust you. And you too, ghost."

[What can a bodiless one protect?]

"Is that so?"

Minerva laughed. Her body began to fade along with some noise.

"Then, see you next time, master."

[Minerva has been unsummoned.]

She disappeared.

Taesan spoke towards the void.

"See you."

And then the time came.

[Monster Defeat Bonus +743] [Rift Removal Bonus +587] [Special Monster Kill Bonus +1245] [Merit Bonus +255] [Settlement Complete] [2,830 points will be awarded.]

Taesan returned to the labyrinth.

The settled points were 2,800. It was not a small amount. There were considerable advantages to be gained with these points.

But Taesan opened the community instead.

[Kim Hwiyeon[Hard]: Oh, wow...] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Excuse me. Can you calm down for a moment?] [Adam Smith[Solo]: What. More alive than I thought? Thought everyone had died.] [Rachel Uchitel[Hard]: Um, please, slow down a bit. It's too fast to have a conversation...] [Miyuki Kazuya[Normal]: Wow. People! So many!]

Messages in the community were being posted at a rapid pace. It was impossible to have a conversation.

Taesan was slightly surprised.

'Much faster than before.'

It wasn't slow in his past life, but now it was several times faster.

'Did more survive in other countries than in my previous life?'

It seemed that the power of the High Gods was more concentrated on Taesan this time, giving the world more leeway than before.

Trying to read a conversation was futile due to the speed, so Taesan turned off the community.

He planned to talk once things calmed down a bit.

This time too, Taesan did not start using the points. There was something else he needed to check first.

[Boundary] [Proficiency: ?] [Between the divine and beyond divine. Something that draws forth the divine and the black.] [??????] [System error. Please consult the labyrinth administrator for details.]