Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 69: Twelfth Level - Maria's Choice (1)

The dwarf had been brought here directly by the wizard right after this place was designed.

Having been here since the beginning, he’d seen countless visitors.

Among them were those whose names were known even before they arrived, those who were strong from the start, and even those with surprising talents that caught his eye.

‘It was awe-inspiring.’

The dwarf reminisced about the past. He gained skills with each stroke of the sword, and with every floor he descended, his proficiency increased by double digits.

It was truly an incredible talent.

From his perspective, Taesan was outstanding.

There was no doubt that he had talent. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have survived up to this point.

But it wasn’t the greatest talent he’d ever seen.

While exceptional, he had seen several others with the same level of talent as Taesan. The world was vast, and there were many more worlds beyond that. Everyone who entered the labyrinth had talent.

‘Wasn’t there also a mechanical race?’

There were those who came from worlds so advanced that he couldn’t comprehend it.

With their perfect computational and judgment abilities, they sprinted through the labyrinth. Although their advantage waned as they moved into the middle stages, they were faster than any other race in the early stages.

However, none of them had shown the figures that Taesan was demonstrating now.

The strongest one reached around 250 for their highest stat. Taesan’s stat figure was nearly twice as high. It wasn’t just simple talent.

He must have some other ability.

Being unaware of Soul Ascension, the dwarf couldn’t help but think this way.

‘I wish I knew the skill.’ The dwarf licked his lips.

If there were any variables here, it was most likely due to skills.

He would have loved to dissect and examine him if he could, but since that wasn’t allowed, he had no choice but to ask plainly.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes, it is.”

It was indeed his first time in Solo mode.

The dwarf exclaimed at his calm response,

“Good heavens…”

‘He’s not the type to go down easily.’

In his view, Taesan’s ability was not just talent but the ability to stick to a line.

The one who had a stat of 250 died on the 74th floor. He tried to gain everything by stripping all his gear and only holding a weapon against a god’s trial, but he died just like that.

The man with the greatest talent died on the 30th floor. He let down his guard against the boss, showed a gap, and died from a sudden attack.

‘But this guy won’t do that.’

Taesan had offered five stats.

At first, he thought it was wasteful, but then he realized that even that was restrained after seeing his stats. In his view, he could’ve touched his attack power and agility.

‘He didn’t only pursue safety.’

His current stats would have been completely impossible if that were the case.

In terms of weighing the value, Taesan was perfect.

The dwarf’s eyes gleamed.

‘Could it be?’

At first, it was just fascinating. A kind of interest in believing that he would last long and that he wouldn’t die easily. He didn’t even expect him to clear it.

But if things continued like this if Taesan didn’t make a big mistake and continued to go down the labyrinth…

‘Could it be possible?’

For a moment, his heart pounded.

A hope he had given up long ago began to flare up.

Unaware of his feelings, Taesan looked at the dwarf blankly. From his perspective, the dwarf was thinking to himself, and then suddenly, his eyes were gleaming.

Regaining his senses belatedly, the dwarf coughed awkwardly.

“Since you are already paying upfront, I’ll give you a 50% discount.”

Taesan grinned. He thought there could be some resistance as he used some underhanded means, but his worries completely disappeared.

“How should I use it?”

“Choose an item. I will cut its price by 50%.”

He was given a choice. What he was going to buy was already decided.

[Purple Ring: Hongyeong] [All Stats +3%] [A ring that has endured the energy of the sun until the falling water molds the rock.] [100,000G]

“Do you choose that one?”

“Yes.”

He had never considered other equipment.

Of course, all of them were good items. If he equipped them, he could probably use them for quite a while.

But if asked whether they were worth spending all his money on at this point, the answer would be no.

He wouldn’t have a problem up to the 20th floor in his current state.

His stats and level were continuously rising, and he would acquire skills, so by the time he reached the 20th floor, he would likely be able to handle up to the 25th floor, maybe even the 30th.

And by that time, the other equipment would have lost its value. This place accelerated growth, so they would largely become meaningless.

However, a percentage increase was useful at any stage.

Moreover, the value increased significantly since a ring was an equipment slot that could hold the most items.

“Do as you please.”

The dwarf said grumpily, but he was quite satisfied inside. In his view, that was the correct action. He was starting to view Taesan more favorably.

“But when will I buy it?”

“It’ll take some time. I’m keeping an eye on it for now.”

He currently had around 20,000 gold. Despite being careful and saving, it was far from enough for 50,000 gold.

Taesan realized something.

‘I’m not actually supposed to buy this with money.’

If he hadn’t received a penalty, he’d barely be able to afford one by reaching the 30th floor.

He clicked his tongue.

‘How much grinding did they do?’

Lee Taeyeon had almost full equipment like that. She didn’t play with penalties like Taesan, so she would’ve bought everything at full price.

It quite literally meant she had cut back on sleep and repetitively ground for gold.

While Taesan was admiring her persistence, the dwarf was stroking his chin.

“I need to adjust this. The penalty will stop here. I’m a merchant, you see. I don’t want to give things out for free.”

He calmly accepted it since it was an expected part.

The dwarf didn’t like giving rewards undeservedly, even ones like these.

Still, he reduced it by 50,000 gold. In any case, it was a huge gain.

“Just think about it some more.”

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Go on, kid.”

The dwarf was grumbling, but a satisfied smile was on his face.

Taesan turned his back to the dwarf and headed towards the labyrinth.

He breezed through the 12th floor just like the 11th. This time, it was a ghoul.

“Is a ghoul stronger than a skeleton?”

“Who do you think is stronger, one with flesh or one with just bones?”

“Is that so?”

Taesan was convinced by the reasonably persuasive comment.

Soon, he found a divine altar.

[You have discovered the Altar of Maria.] [First Discovery Bonus] [Intelligence has permanently increased by 3. Mana has permanently increased by 5.]

There was a statue of a goddess holding a scale.

It was so large that it nearly filled half of the room. Any ordinary person would have been overwhelmed by the size of the statue itself.

“It’s quite plain.”

At the altar, you could find the characteristics of the corresponding god. Just like the Altar of Lakiratas, which was adorned with violence and blood as if it loved the struggle.

On the contrary, Maria’s altar had no other decorations. Only the statue of the goddess holding the scale stood plainly in the room.

If there had been no explanation, it would have been hard to recognize that it was a divine altar.

“What kind of god is she?”

It wasn’t as if Lee Taeyeon knew all the gods. Maria was not among the gods she had mentioned.

The ghost trailed off in its speech. It seemed reluctant.

[She's a god of choice... Hmm ...]

“What’s wrong?”

[No, it's nothing.]

The ghost dodged the question.

[Our conditions are different, so I can't say much. But if I only talk about the god and not about the trials, she's a strong god. Very much so.]

“How strong?”

[On par with Lakiratas.]

“I don’t understand when you say that.”

He had never really seen the extent of a god’s power yet. The ghost chuckled.

[You'll find out as you go down. Anyway, just know this. Powerful gods are usually capricious.]

“Hmm.”

Even if that was the case, nothing would change. The trials of the gods gave a lot. He had no intention of running away in fear.

As Taesan approached the altar, power poured out from the statue of the goddess.

A serene yet deep and profound power began to take shape.

[Sub Quest Begins] [Maria wishes to test you, who have come to her altar. If you accept, the trial will come to you. If you overcome it, rewards will follow.] [Maria's influence zone decreases.] [Maria proposes an enhanced trial to you.]

“An enhanced trial right away?”

There was not even a sign of the god scrutinizing something like before. The ghost answered Taesan, who was frowning as if it was obvious.

[Your story must have spread among the gods. They don't need to check because they already know everything. Unlike Lakiratas, she won't pull tricks in the middle, so don't worry.]

Anyway, he’s decided to accept it.

[Sub Quest Starts.] [Maria chuckles.] [Maria's domain shrinks.] [A choice is given to you.] [What do you prefer more?] [Many enemies vs. Few enemies.]

Taesan stopped at the unexpected system message.

“What’s this?”

[As the name suggests, she's a god of choice. Choose as you wish.]

It felt unsettling.

There was no correct answer to what result this choice would bring. Even if he asked the ghost, the atmosphere suggested it wouldn’t answer.

After a moment of contemplation, Taesan made his choice.

“A few enemies.”

If there was no right answer, answer honestly. That was Taesan’s philosophy.

Besides, the gods had shown behavior several times as if they were reading his memories. There was no reason to unnecessarily get on the wrong side of the gods.

The choice appeared again.

[A variety of enemies VS A few types of enemies.]

“A few types.”

It was easier to deal with those who only used the sword cleanly than those who complicatedly used magic, enchantments, swords, and arrows.

[Combat with movement. VS Combat without movement.]

“Combat with movement.”

He liked to dodge and fight from all angles. He used the surrounding environment to the maximum extent.

Choices were continuously given. Whether it was about quantity or a bit at a time, enemies using spears or magic. Everything was about combat.

Taesan’s face grew more and more uncomfortable.

But he couldn’t change his choices now. He answered honestly as he had done so far. After dealing with about ten more questions like this, finally,

The choices stopped.

[Maria is satisfied.]

Clang!

The statue of the goddess disappeared, and the room expanded momentarily. Taesan was left alone in a room that had doubled in size.

A rumble.

Monsters showed their shapes.

Seeing their number, Taesan scowled.

There was a lot.

The monsters filled the expanded room without leaving a single empty space.

And each one of them had a distinct personality. A big one, a small one like a child, one with long arms. One that floated in the air, and so on. There were incredibly many.

Kyiing.

A red, circular curtain was drawn around Taesan. It’s a distance he could move about twice with large strides.

[If you move beyond this space, you lose.]

“Damn it.”

He didn’t finish his words.

The monsters all rushed in at once.

Taesan, with an annoyed expression, stood ready. He drew his twin swords and enhanced his senses.

[You have activated your Breathless Attack.]

First, he removed the constraint of breath and identified the attacks. One goblin in front. An ogre to the left. A lizardman to the right. Behind him, a monster wielding a spear, whose name he didn’t know.

He planned his movements and moves.

He twisted the head of the goblin and slapped the face of the ogre. He ducked to avoid the spear of the lizardman and the unnamed monster and kicked out.

“Caww!”

“Ki ack!”

The monsters were sent flying, but Taesan frowned. They were clearly stronger than the monsters he usually encountered. It meant they were strengthened for the trial.

As they flew away, new monsters began their attacks. Taesan tries to retreat and create distance, but the red barrier blocks his movement.

“Darn.”

It was clear. The trial had begun in the form opposite to all the methods he chose and preferred.

‘So this is why they call her the God of Choice.’

There were many monsters among them that he didn’t know. No matter how he looked, there were creatures that didn’t seem to appear on the lower floors.

The skeleton flying above Taesan started to mutter something, and magic began to form.

Taesan pulled out a temporary dagger he had and threw it. The dagger struck through the skeleton’s head, disrupting the magic. He immediately lowered his stance and dug in his feet.

His body flew into the sky.

The skeleton, trying to pull out the stuck dagger, paused.

“Die.”

Crack.

The skeleton shattered.

[Your Mark of Struggle has been activated.]