Ascension Through Skills

Crunch.

The Servants’ bodies were crushed. The immense physical force utterly destroyed their original forms.

Screech!

The Servants unleashed their powers. As Servants of the Malevolent God, they were the scourge of countless worlds. Their strength was absolute, rivaled only by beings at the level of transcendents.

The two Servants combined their might, summoning black auras and reshaping their bodies to resist the overwhelming physical force bearing down on them.

Crack.

But it was futile.

The raw physical force rolled over them like a steamroller, crushing their resistance. These entities, existing beyond conventional concepts, were torn apart by sheer physical power.

[4,561,159,434 damage dealt to #@!!!!.]

[4,561,159,434 damage dealt to #@!!!!.]

[4,112,111,688 damage dealt to !@%^&&&.]

[4,112,111,688 damage dealt to !@%^&&&.]

The Servants’ defenses were completely shattered, and the physical force threatened to spill outward into the world.

Rumble!

The collision of force and earth caused the crust to collapse.

The mantle began to show as the foundations of the planet were exposed.

At this rate, the very planet of Earth itself was in danger of disintegrating.

Taesan raised his hand.

[You have activated Inner World.]

A domain forged from pure power and force expanded outward. It contained the rampaging physical energy, preventing it from affecting the world outside.

Boom!

The concentrated energy exploded within the confines of the domain, causing a cacophony of sound. Taesan casually flicked his sword.

“Done.”

Before him, the two Servants lay sprawled out.

They weren’t dead. It was impossible to kill them with physical force alone.

But he had rendered them into a critical state.

The two Servants could no longer act. They were completely incapacitated.

[...This is terrifying.]

Though lacking a physical body, Bardray shuddered in awe.

Until now, Bardray had considered Replication a powerful skill.

Duplicating a skill without penalty was impressive, a game-changer that could turn the tide of battle.

However, he had always thought it was inferior to Addition or Enforced Duel, largely because of its long cooldown and its limited application to magic or dark magic—things that didn’t hold much value for Taesan in his current state.

But he had been mistaken.

Replication revealed its true power when combined with Multiplication.

In this synergy, its value far exceeded Addition or Enforced Duel.

“Excellent.”

Taesan hummed in satisfaction. The Malevolent Gods hadn’t foolishly sent just any Servants—they had chosen ones optimized to counter physical force.

However, against attacks amplified by Multiplication and Replication, their compatibility advantage became meaningless.

The Servants were by no means weak. Even if Taesan had fought them using the Boundary Line, the battle would have taken considerable time. Yet he had rendered these formidable opponents incapacitated with just two strikes.

Taesan activated the Boundary Line.

Crack.

He finished off the Servants. A massive burst of energy erupted as their essence was absorbed into him.

[Your Spiritual Surge has activated. Black Aura proficiency increased by 3%.]

[Your Spiritual Surge has activated. Black Aura proficiency increased by 4%.]

As for the one sent hurtling into space, it was likely handled by the transcendents. Taesan deactivated the Inner World.

And what greeted him was the sight of a sky entirely filled with monsters, so densely packed that there was no room for empty space.

“Quite a lot.”

The sheer number suggested the Malevolent Gods were determined to gain the upper hand. Among the monsters, several S-rank entities could be spotted.

Though the defenders were fighting desperately, the endless waves were slowly pushing them back.

Watching this, Taesan raised his hand.

“Perfect timing.”

Mana surged from his body.

[You have activated Radiant Multicolor Charge.]

The magic, forgotten by many but bestowed upon him by the labyrinth’s creator, materialized.

Seven streams of multicolored light burst into existence.

The beams streaked toward the monsters.

“Wha—?”

The defenders, locked in combat with the monsters, froze momentarily.

The rainbow lights began to blanket the world.

Rumble!

Hundreds, thousands of beams pierced through the monsters. Covering the entire sky, the light obliterated every monster descending upon Greenland in mere moments.

Crash!

[Aaaaargh!]

[Nooo!]

Even the S-rank monsters were caught in the onslaught. A handful of them tried to resist, but the hundreds of beams shattered their defenses and tore their bodies apart.

Taesan canceled the magic.

“Not bad.”

The once monster-filled sky was now entirely clear.

Although new monsters quickly began to fill the void, it had taken less than three seconds to wipe out every monster descending on Greenland.

The magic was exceptionally powerful, both in strength and range. The rainbow beams easily covered Greenland and more.

Its destructive power was equally remarkable. Even among the S-rank monsters, dozens had been annihilated without being able to put up meaningful resistance.

‘And the mana cost is surprisingly low.’

In the three seconds the skill was active, it consumed only 2000 mana. Considering its output, it could have cost three times as much without being unreasonable. Furthermore, the beams could be concentrated for greater power, making it a highly versatile skill.

“Not bad.”

If he could incorporate the Boundary Line or Black Aura into the magic, it would easily surpass the value of any other spell he possessed.

Satisfied, Taesan turned to the defenders.

“The rest is up to you.”

His calm voice echoed across Greenland. The defenders, hearing him, were filled with reverence and devotion toward Taesan.

“Ooooooh!”

They raised their weapons and shouted in unison.

“Lord Taesan!”

His name reverberated across the land, and a surge of faith exploded.

***

The monsters were strong and numerous. @@novelbin@@

But the defenders were no longer weak. Drawing strength from their faith in Taesan and their accumulated experience, they steadily pushed back, taking down the monsters one by one.

Crash!

Finally, the defenders managed to clear out the majority of the monsters.

“We won!”

“Yes!”

Cheers erupted as people celebrated their victory. Of course, the battle wasn’t entirely over—monsters were still descending intermittently from the rift in the sky.

However, the current pace was manageable, and rotating shifts were enough to handle the situation.

They had secured yet another victory, and the exhausted defenders began to relax and recover from the intense combat.

But Lee Taeyeon, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, approached Taesan.

“Taesan. What was that?”

Of everyone present, Lee Taeyeon understood Taesan the best. After pondering the events carefully, she had arrived at a single conclusion.

“...You acquired Multiplication, didn’t you?”

“Well spotted. But Multiplication itself doesn’t inherently generate physical force like that.”

“Then it’s something else, right? Because there’s no way just a skill could create such overwhelming power.”

Lee Taeyeon could sense it. The sheer physical force capable of destroying a planet—something that no skill or item alone could produce.

There was only one possibility.

Multiplication.

And some unknown skill that allowed physical force to manifest through it. There could be no other explanation. Taesan nodded.

“You’re correct. You have a sharp intuition.”

To have deduced the truth without any prior explanation... It was no wonder Lee Taeyeon had been able to clear Alone Mode.

“Well, damn.”

Realizing her theory was accurate, Lee Taeyeon let out a dry laugh.

“How on earth did you get it? Of all things, I thought Multiplication was unattainable.”

She was aware of the conditions required for obtaining Multiplication. Taesan had never hidden this information, so most players were familiar with the criteria.

And as someone who had cleared Alone Mode, Lee Taeyeon understood better than anyone.

It was impossible to acquire Multiplication in Alone Mode.

“Is there even a floor in Alone Mode that satisfies the conditions? Or, wait—are we talking about some absurd minimum stat threshold that allows exponential damage?”

“Not in Alone Mode.”

So, Taesan had turned back time.

He pulled out a shard of Ouroboros. Lee Taeyeon’s eyes widened as she watched.

“That’s...”

“I obtained it as a material during the floor-clearing process.”

“Ha.”

Lee Taeyeon immediately understood what he had done and where he had obtained it.

She let out a laugh, equal parts incredulous and impressed.

“You rewound time just to get Multiplication. That’s absurd.”

It was an utterly reckless solution. But given that there was no other way to acquire Multiplication, it was also the correct one—even if it bordered on the impossible.

Her face reflected pure admiration and awe.

“You’re truly incredible. So, can you turn back time whenever you want?”

“No.”

Rewinding time required an enormous amount of energy. While it was possible that the energy could recharge over time, it was far from a certainty at the moment.

“That’s a shame. Then how did you convert the damage into physical force?”

“I got a skill from Balbabamba.”

“A skill granted by an administrator. Makes sense, considering it’s something no one else could obtain.”

Reaching a conclusion, Lee Taeyeon gave Taesan a new look of respect.

“So now your damage can reach tens or even hundreds of billions?”

“Exactly.”

“Hah.”

She let out a laugh. But her expression soon shifted to one of acceptance.

“...Yeah. That makes sense.”

Multiplication.

A skill that exponentially multiplied damage, an ability that surpassed the boundaries of what was considered possible.

Yet Taesan hadn’t been able to fully utilize its potential before. With his underdeveloped stats, no matter how much effort he put in, it was nearly impossible to achieve damage in the billions.

The true value of Multiplication was far greater than what had been displayed before.

Trapped in the constraints of an Easy Mode body, the skill had been reduced to a fraction of its potential. Lee Taeyeon had always found this deeply regrettable.

Now, at last, the extraordinary skill was demonstrating its full power under the rightful stats and conditions.

“Everything’s finally falling into place.”

Lee Taeyeon muttered softly.

Time passed.

Monsters continued to emerge, and the defenders continued to fight.

But no major crises arose. The monsters that appeared were ones the defenders could handle even without Taesan’s direct involvement.

Thus, time flowed relatively uneventfully. The pillar of light sealing the rift grew larger and stronger.

“...What?”

Taesan frowned.

Since sending the three Servants, the Malevolent Gods had shown no further movement. At this rate, the rift would be sealed entirely, yet their silence was deafening.

[Maybe they’ve given up? Honestly, now that you have Multiplication, there’s not much they can do.]

Bardray’s voice echoed in his mind.

The Malevolent Gods had attempted to deplete Taesan’s Boundary Line for an unknown purpose, likely to destroy the divine disc.

But thanks to the physical force enabled by Multiplication, Taesan had been able to defeat the Servants without relying on the Boundary Line.

The Malevolent Gods’ plan had fallen apart. Their strategy to tie Taesan’s hands had backfired, and now he had effectively gained wings to soar freely.

They couldn’t have anticipated Multiplication, and from their perspective, it was a perfect betrayal of their expectations. Bardray wasn’t wrong.

Yet something felt off.

“That doesn’t mean they should be doing nothing.”

Gatekeepers might not descend, but something at the level of fragments or shards should have been sent by now.

Even as the pillar of light expanded, covering more of the rift and making it harder for the Malevolent Gods to interfere, they made no moves beyond the three Servants.

“....”

Something was happening.

This couldn’t be the end. The unease Taesan had felt ever since hearing Akrasian’s explanation only grew stronger.

“Let’s find out.”

Taesan stomped his foot. His body launched into the air.

In the blink of an eye, Taesan disappeared from Earth.