Ascension Through Skills

"...You! You! You!"

The hard mode player, who had belatedly regained his senses, pointed his finger at Taesan.

"You crazy bastard! Attacking us! Are you out of your mind?"

As the commotion spread, people started to slowly reveal themselves. Hard mode players, as well as those from the lower castes like the Chandalas and Sudras of India, had somehow gathered around, watching them.

"I told you. They’re trying to become my people. You tried to kill mine. I’m just retaliating."

Taesan responded in an indifferent voice, as if asking what the problem was.

"...This is war!"

The hard mode player grit his teeth and shouted.

"This is war now! How dare you touch us! We won’t let this slide!"

The hard mode players glared at Taesan with murderous intent.

They pulled out their weapons, sending killing intent toward Taesan.

Taesan spoke quietly.

"Really?"

"Of course! You’re going to die here..."

The words were never finished.

The once aggressive faces of the hard mode players froze.

"Huh, huh?"

In the forced silence, all that could be heard was desperate breaths.

"If you really want to fight me, I won’t stop you, but it’s better if you don’t."

"Ugh... Ah..."

The hard mode players began to drool. Their bodies lost control over their minds. Some couldn’t bear it and collapsed to the ground, even starting to cry.

"You are nothing."

Taesan spoke leisurely.

He wasn’t demonstrating direct strength or showing his will to crush them.

He merely exuded a very small, fragmentary aura.

That alone was enough to make the hard mode players bow their heads, powerless to resist.

"Ah..."

The aura focused only on the hard mode players, so the others didn’t feel it as strongly, but they could still tell. They could sense that Taesan’s aura was suppressing them.

"I don’t plan on messing with you. You have the freedom to resist me and bear the consequences."

The aura pressing down on them grew stronger. It became so intense that they couldn’t even breathe properly, their faces turning pale. Some couldn’t hold on and fainted.

Taesan then sealed the aura.

"Hah!"

People exhaled in relief as they collapsed. Around them, people started retching and crying.

"Choose whatever you like. As you wish."

Taesan said leisurely.

No one answered.

After the Clash with Taesan:

After the clash with Taesan, the hard mode players of India fell silent. They had realized that resisting Taesan was useless.

Many Indian players had watched the scene unfold.

Rumors quickly spread. In less than a day, every player in India knew the truth.

The hard mode players of India could no longer protect themselves.

Taesan had crushed them all and had the power to protect himself.

People in India began to leave in droves.

Literally uncountable numbers of people flocked to the Korean formation. The Korean players welcomed them without discrimination.

"Come here! We have food!"

"Oh, oh..."

"We have corn! Corn!"

"Fruit too?"

"We have infinite food! Eat as much as you want!"

They had been discriminated against and couldn’t get proper rations, but Korea had its own growing system. With fresh vegetables and fruits, they were very happy.

Hearing this, more people began to escape even faster.

One hard mode player, unable to hold back, drew his weapon.

"I’ll kill them all!"

He couldn’t accept that someone with absolute power had been humiliated by Taesan. He couldn’t stand that he was unable to do anything against Taesan. Even if it meant dying, he wanted to make Taesan suffer.

So, he decided to kill those trying to escape with Taesan. He thought that Taesan would try to stop him, but he aimed to kill as many people as he could before that happened.

The moment he was about to strike down those who were screaming in fear...

A black lightning struck from the clear sky. The lightning pierced through him without affecting anyone else around.

He burned black and collapsed.

"Ooohhh..."

Anyone who opposed him would suffer divine punishment.

It was like a miracle from the gods.

After that, no one dared to touch those who were escaping. @@novelbin@@

Soon, more than half of the people from India had joined Taesan’s side.

It had been a group built purely on strength. There was no loyalty.

However, even so, a fair number of people still hadn’t left. These were the ones who either doubted Taesan’s power or believed he would discriminate against them further.

The next wave began.

[Uhhhhh!]

Monsters rampaged. The Indian hard mode players resisted, but they were broken and sent flying like twigs.

Unable to block the monsters, they fled in a panic. Naturally, the Easy and Normal mode players behind them were exposed to the monsters.

[Ooohhh!]

"Ahhh!"

"Save me!"

At that moment, the monsters tried to pounce on the people.

[Gang Taesan activated the Frozen World.]

[Gang Taesan activated Magic Concentration.]

The cold descended upon the world. The monsters that were about to trample the people froze instantly.

"Uh...?"

Taesan landed on the ground. The people stared at him, stunned.

Everything in front had frozen. Not a single monster was left unfrozen.

The monsters they had to face with their lives on the line, ones they might not have been able to defeat, were taken care of in a single blow.

As the wave ended, the remaining people began to escape.

Now, only the hard mode players of India remained.

Hassan had also long since joined Taesan’s side.

"...What should we do?"

They gathered to discuss.

There was no solution here. Their power only mattered if there were people beneath them to support them. A noble with no one to support them was no longer a noble.

A few of the Indian hard mode players threw away everything and joined Taesan’s side.

But most couldn’t even decide to join Taesan.

They were nobles. They were absolute beings. Anything they wished for was granted.

If they joined Taesan, they would have to give up everything they had. They could never accept that.

They had decided. They would show their power in the next wave.

They would show enough strength that Taesan could not ignore them, intending to shift the people’s gaze and maintain their power.

Once the decision was made, no more clashes occurred.

The situation calmed down.

Those who had joined Taesan blended in without difficulty. As they lived together, listened to Taesan’s story, they began to trust him more and more.

But they didn’t worship him.

It was only natural. Worship wasn’t something that happened easily.

They had believed in Hinduism and gods that didn’t even exist.

They had a strong aversion to humans worshipping other humans. They trusted Taesan but didn’t reach the point of worship.

For them to start worshipping Taesan, what needed to be done?

It wasn’t hard to figure out. They believed in gods from myths that didn’t exist.

So, all Taesan needed to do was show them the kind of power that would only appear in myths.

[Special Quest Started]

[The final wave begins.]

[Preparation begins: one week.]

[Defeat the attacking monsters.]

[Rewards will be given based on performance when returning to the labyrinth.]

The final wave.

People sighed in relief, thinking it was the end.

But Taesan’s thoughts were different.

"They’re too weak."

So far, only a few A-rank monsters had appeared. He had expected at least a couple of S-rank monsters, but none had shown up.

Goshin had put everything into this last wave.

Taesan had prepared quietly for the moment he would appear.

And when the day of the wave came, people stood in tense formation, waiting.

[Crack! The space splits open.]

A huge opening appeared.

[Uhhhhh!]

Monsters appeared, countless in number.

They filled the horizon.

[Monster 44 appeared.]

[Monster 92 appeared.]

[Monster 421 appeared.]

Among them, there were even double-digit monsters. The people gritted their teeth and prepared for battle.

Crack.

"...Huh?"

A voice full of confusion was heard.

The monsters didn’t rush at the people.

Instead, they began to rush toward a tiny black orb among them.

Crack.

The monsters that reached the orb were crushed and sucked into it. But the monsters didn’t stop. Hundreds of monsters, even two-digit ones, were all absorbed into the orb.

Soon, the monsters that had filled the horizon were vastly reduced in number.

And in proportion to that, the orb grew larger. What had been a speck of dust was now the size of a person.

Despite the monsters disappearing on their own, no one was celebrating.

An instinctive sense of dread spread throughout them.

Crack.

The last monster was swallowed, and the orb trembled.

The orb distorted and shook, turning into a formless monster.

Thud.

It landed on the ground. Taesan grimaced.

"This is troublesome."

[!#$!# appeared.]

"...Huh?"

The Indian hard mode players froze in their tracks.

They had planned to charge at the monsters, showing off their strength. But now, they realized something was wrong.

The monster that had swallowed the others showed no strength.

Yet, instinctively, they realized the danger. They understood, on a subconscious level, that this monster had reached a dimension they couldn’t comprehend.

"Run..."

As they turned to escape, the monster's gaze fell upon them.

"Uh."

The moment their eyes met, their faces froze.

Their faces turned pale, their legs giving out beneath them. Blood flowed from their eyes and noses.

"Ugh..."

"Save... us..."

The Indian hard mode players collapsed.

They would never rise again.

"...Huh?"

Only then did people realize something was wrong. Lee Taeyeon trembled.

"What... what is that?"

An instinctive rejection overwhelmed her. Something deep inside her screamed.

It was a fear and terror she had never felt before.

"Ugh..."

Taesan glanced at Lee Taeyeon. It wasn’t an incomprehensible reaction.

‘Even if time goes backward, does something remain?’

The formless monster.

Taesan had seen that before in his previous life.

That monster was the very one that had killed both Taesan and Lee Taeyeon — Goshin’s Apostle.

"Did you send that thing yourself?" Taesan revealed his teeth. A smile of joy spread across his face, as if he couldn’t contain himself.

The monster turned its gaze toward them.

[!#$!#’s Gaze.]

[You will die instantly.]

Its gaze washed over them.

The people’s breath stopped. Their souls tried to leave their bodies.

It was a death gaze. An absolute will, which no one but Taesan could resist.

The moment Taesan tried to use his divine power to block it...

A massive presence enveloped the people. The gaze of death faded away.

"Hah, hah!"

"This..."

"Mm?"

Lee Taeyeon’s eyes widened.

Taesan spoke.

"Are you already descending?"

[It’s the right time for it.]

The god appeared, accompanied by a relaxed voice.

[The God of Choice. Maria descends upon Earth.]