Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 301: Side Story - The 100th Floor, Lee Taeyeon

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Excuse me.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Is anyone there?

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Heyyyyy. There was no response.

Lee Taeyeon, who kept shouting without receiving an echo, let out a deep sigh.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Excuse me. I know there's someone alive here. Can you answer me?

But still, no response. She turned off the community.

She heard a chuckle from behind her.

[Are you seeking understanding and comfort from others? You don't seem like an adventurer who has come this far.]

“Don’t remind me of what I already know. Can you just be quiet?”

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Sticking around with someone like me. It’s been over ten years, hasn’t it?”

She didn’t know who the owner of the voice was. It was just a presence that had stuck to her since long ago, talking about various things.

She guessed it was a divine being, but the voice never revealed its true identity.

At first, it was confusing, but now she had gotten used to it. Since it didn’t interfere beyond talking, there was nothing to worry about.

[For beings like me, time is abundant. Just like you.]

“Of course.”

She grumbled as she looked up at the labyrinth’s ceiling.

A gray labyrinth. A small space.

She had spent so much time here that she knew every little flaw in this corner.

[What do you plan to do, child?]

“I don’t know…”

Lee Taeyeon mumbled absentmindedly.

“What should I do?”

She kept mumbling words that had become second nature to her now.

She stared at the ceiling. An hour, two hours, and then a day.

And then a week.

After spending a week in a daze, she stood up.

[What do you plan to do?]

“I can’t just stay idle, so I should give it another try.”

She started walking. Beyond the passage, an endless maze appeared.

She stepped into the maze.

It was a maze of despair that even the most skilled explorers couldn’t fully map out after centuries.

Lee Taeyeon walked through the maze very skillfully.

As if she had repeated it thousands, tens of thousands of times, she walked toward the passage without hesitation.

It seemed more like a nuisance to her.

“Can we shorten this already? I’m tired of walking.”

A quiet laugh was heard at her grumbling.

After walking for a while, she reached the end of the maze. There was a dark-colored door.

And the gatekeeper was guarding it.

Lee Taeyeon smiled and raised her hand.

“Hello?”

[...Again?]

The gatekeeper’s voice was filled with irritation.

“Don’t be like that. Aren’t you fond of me by now?”

Lee Taeyeon grinned.

“Balbabamba. How about welcoming an adventurer for once?”

[If it were a new face, maybe. But I have no interest in you.]

Balbabamba moved its brick-like body in annoyance.

[You came here to clear it, right?]

Lee Taeyeon nodded. After a moment of silence, Balbabamba asked,

[Do you remember how many attempts this is?]

“I don’t know?”

Lee Taeyeon looked blankly at the air.

“How many times? Do you remember?”

[I don't. I don't plan to remember such a uselessly large number.]

“Then why did you ask?”

Lee Taeyeon tilted her head. Balbabamba spoke.

[It's about your sanity.]

“Ah, I see.”

Lee Taeyeon shook her head.

“It’s fine. A very bright future awaits me, so just open the floor.”

[I don't think so, but if you insist.]

Kugugung!

The door opened.

Lee Taeyeon took a deep breath and entered.

How many times has it been? Just like she said to Balbabamba, she doesn’t remember. She has been here for so long that it’s impossible to remember.

But every experience was terrifying.

Her breath trembled, and cold sweat flowed.

The possibility that everything up to now could disappear became a fear that overwhelmed her.

Death.

But she gritted her teeth.

She endured the fear and stepped inside.

Seeing her, the presence watching her was satisfied.

[Hang in there.]

With a small voice, the door closed.

[100th Floor Quest Start]

The lights turned on. The inside of the floor was revealed.

Countless weapons.

Spears, swords, shields, halberds, bows.

Thousands, tens of thousands of weapons were embedded in the ground.

“Alright. Let’s do this again.”

[You activated the Breath of the Hidden Rat.]

[You activated the Hidden Story that No One Knows.]

[You activated the Invisible Shadow.]

Her presence disappeared.

Breathing, small movements, the sound of her clothes brushing.

None of it could be heard.

In this place, Lee Taeyeon’s presence had literally disappeared.

[You activated Ten Thousand Possibilities.]

Lee Taeyeon began to move slowly.

[Quest Failed]

Kugugung…

The door opened. Lee Taeyeon appeared in a tattered state.

Balbabamba asked, as if accustomed to it by now.

[Failed again, huh.]

“Don’t ask if you already know…”

[But today took the longest. You lasted two whole days. Congratulations.]

“Shut up.”

Lee Taeyeon grumbled and left Balbabamba behind.

She returned to the gray room after passing through the maze. With a tired face, she collapsed onto her bed.

She opened the community.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Excuse me.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Can someone answer me?

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Please.

[Lee Changchun [Hard]]: ...What? Is there still a Solo Mode player alive?

A surprised response came back. She beamed with joy.

[Lee Changchun [Hard]]: Lee Taeyeon. Haven't you cleared it yet? Didn't you keep going down unlike me?

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: So someone is still alive! What about the others?

[Lee Changchun [Hard]]: There are a few others besides me. But they're all half out of their minds.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Really?

[Lee Changchun [Hard]]: Anyway, the community is still active. No, to be precise, you're the only one using it, right? Well, there's no reason to use the community now, is there? The remaining people probably only talk among themselves.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: So I'm bored. Can't you talk to me?

[Lee Changchun [Hard]]: I don't have time for that. Damn it. At this rate, it might take longer than Solo Mode.

Lee Changchun roughly typed.

[Lee Changchun [Hard]]: I'm going down quickly. I'm going back to Earth. I'm not using the community anymore.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Don't do that, talk to me...

But there was no response.

She sighed deeply and turned off the community.

“…How long have I been here?”

[Far longer than the lifespan of you humans.]

An immeasurable, incredibly long time.

The reason there was no response in the community was simple.

Most players had returned to Earth a long time ago.

The remaining ones had managed to survive each return to Earth by luck, but due to the limits of their talent or the fear of death, they had given up on clearing and sat down.

Some of them had given up on breaking through the labyrinth altogether, sat down, and became corpses over the long flow of time.

And the rest were breaking through the labyrinth without caring about anything else after confirming the victory on Earth.

Those who were obsessed with returning had no reason to use the community. They would focus solely on breaking through the labyrinth as safely as possible.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

The next day, she woke up with a grunt. As she headed towards the maze, someone asked her.

[Where are you going?]

“Just doing some grinding. I still have a few pieces of equipment to upgrade.”

She grunted as she moved forward.

In the maze, if you found the correct path, you could proceed without encountering a single monster, but if you took even a slightly wrong turn, monsters would pop out. Lee Taeyeon deliberately took a different path to summon monsters.

“Kaah…”

She casually swung at the monster that charged at her with a cry.

It was a monster she had defeated tens of thousands of times. She could now handle it with her eyes closed.

Crack.

She dealt with the monster and collected the rewards. She dealt with the monster again and collected the rewards again.

Lee Taeyeon fought monsters continuously for a week.

Without taking a single hour’s break.

“Still not enough?”

But it wasn’t enough to buy new equipment. Far from it. She continued to swing her sword at the monsters.

“What if our positions were reversed?”

[Are you talking about that kid you always mention?]

“Yes. Taesan. If it were him, he would do well here too. The gods would have liked him a lot.”

Kang Taesan.

He had taught Lee Taeyeon many skills. Although she couldn’t obtain most of them, she got Addition and Sure Hit. Without those two skills, she might have given up on clearing as well.

Even though everything had ended, and he could have returned to Earth with everyone else, he stayed in the labyrinth and created many skills.

The gods of the labyrinth must want someone like Taesan.

[...Probably.]

It chuckled.

[If what you said is true, the gods here would like him very much. They would favor him and try to make him their apostle. They might even bestow something beyond that.]

“Unlike me.”

Lee Taeyeon grumbled. The gods despised her. They groaned and sighed every time she passed by.

She could understand. She wasn’t what they wanted.

But she couldn’t help but be annoyed.

“Do you think I wanted to come in here?”

She gritted her teeth and stabbed her sword down.

Crunch.

The monster was crushed and smashed.

She still sometimes thought.

What if she had been in Easy Mode?

And what if Taesan had been in Solo Mode?

If that had been the case, it would have been perfect. She could have left the responsibility to Taesan by being in Easy Mode and just tried to survive normally.

She had thought about it hundreds of thousands of times since entering the labyrinth.

But it was a meaningless story. They had already made their choices.

‘Survive and return.’

Years ago, maybe decades ago.

It was what Taesan said to her as he left the labyrinth.

She gritted her teeth.

She had fought monsters for a year.

With the gold she gathered, she barely managed to get new equipment. She collapsed onto her bed to relieve the accumulated fatigue.

She was extremely tired.

How great it would be if she could open her eyes and be back on Earth.

She mumbled.

“…Is Earth happy now?”

They had closed the crack in the sky during the last return.

All that was left was to restore civilization.

Many people had died, but those who survived gained superhuman strength. Among them were quite a few technicians.

If people around the world worked together, they could restore civilization quickly. Maybe they had already returned to the previous state of Earth.

“They haven’t all died, have they?”

They didn’t know the lifespan of those who entered the labyrinth. Because the moment they entered, they surpassed the human lifespan.

But it didn’t seem like their lifespan had ended. They must be alive on Earth.

When she cleared the 100th floor, everyone would welcome her back. They might scold her for taking so long or tell her to hurry up.

But in the end, everyone would greet her with smiles.

Under a developed civilization, they could live a peaceful life again.

‘It must be.’

It had to be.

The hope that was barely keeping her shattered mind together was all she had.

Lee Taeyeon curled up like a child.

And the unnamed presence quietly watched over her.

The next day, she challenged the 100th floor again.

As always, she failed.

[Congratulations. You lasted three days this time. At this rate, you might clear it in a few decades.]

“Shut up.”

Lee Taeyeon grumbled as she returned to her bed.

Her expression wasn’t bad. Perhaps because she had changed one piece of equipment, she lasted longer than before.

At this rate, she would surely clear it one day.

She heard laughter.

[The gods and wizards dislike you very much. What they want is not a clear like yours.]

What the gods and wizards wanted was a challenge from a great person, a fight for life and steps towards becoming stronger.

But Lee Taeyeon was not like that.

She only sought safe methods.

[They want to use the labyrinth's system to gain power beyond their calculations. But... you are different.]

The laughter grew thicker.

[You find loopholes in quest conditions through countless attempts and discover errors in the floors. Child, you are a parasite in the labyrinth's system.]

A parasite in the system.

If there was one word to describe Lee Taeyeon, that would be it. Lee Taeyeon showed no signs of denial.

“I don’t deny it. But it’s frustrating for me too, you know? They should have made it so people couldn’t exploit the system.”

[That’s not wrong either.]

With a voice mixed with laughter, it said.

[The gods judge you as a parasite and dislike you very much... but I am different. I like you. Rather, I judge them to be foolish.]

Lee Taeyeon lay in bed, listening calmly.

[You are incredible.]

The voice was filled with undisguised admiration.

[This place was created by gods, wizards, and transcendent beings. No adventurer who found this place ever found loopholes and reached the 100th floor by parasitizing the system.]

There were some who cleared the labyrinth.

But Lee Taeyeon was the only one who reached the 100th floor in such a way.

[You are the only one with the potential to clear it with an abnormal method. From my perspective, you are much more valuable than a clumsy adventurer.]

“What does it matter? No one recognizes me.”

She grumbled. The voice laughed.

She kept repeating.

Challenging the 100th floor, changing equipment she thought was insufficient.

Hundreds of attempts turned into thousands. Her equipment became perfect with no room for improvement.

So she began to purchase countless consumable items.

She bought potions and items in such large quantities that even the shop owner couldn’t keep track.

After repeating and moving forward countless times.

Boom!

[100th Floor Clear.]

[A reward is given.]

She reached the end.

[...This is absurd.]

Balbabamba chuckled.

[To think someone like you, not another adventurer, really cleared the 100th floor. It's almost respectable.]

“Shut up.”

Lee Taeyeon panted heavily and collapsed to the floor.

Her whole body was in tatters, and she was so exhausted she could barely speak.

But she had won.

She had cleared the labyrinth.

She grinned.

“I met the conditions. You know what that means, right?”

[Ha. The fact that I can't deny that is sad. Congratulations, mortal adventurer.]

Balbabamba declared.

[You have cleared the labyrinth and earned the right to meet the wizard. Wait here. I will bring him.]

With those words, Balbabamba left.

Lying down to recover her strength, she grinned.

“I did it.”

She did it.

She cleared this hellish labyrinth.

Now she could return to Earth.

Now she could live a happy life with everyone, including Taesan and Junggeun.

Lee Taeyeon grinned and opened the community.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: I’m going first.

Too much time had passed. She didn’t know if anyone was still left.

She hadn’t used the community since the 100th floor clear was in sight.

But if anyone was still there, knowing that she cleared it might boost their morale.

[Congratulations, child.]

“Thank you.”

Lee Taeyeon was so happy. Her gratitude even extended to the voice.

“Thank you for everything.”

The voice had spoken to her. Without it, she might have truly gone mad.

[What. I had a pleasant experience too. Now, you will return to Earth.]

“Yes.”

She said energetically.

A happy life awaited her.

She was full of hope, and the voice asked her.

[But I am curious, child. Do you desire death?]

“Of course not.”

Lee Taeyeon shook her head.

She didn’t want to die. That’s why she endured countless years, the desire to give up hundreds of times, and arrived here.

[Then, child. Do you want to clear the labyrinth again from the beginning?]

“Why would you ask such a question?”

Lee Taeyeon replied with a tired face.

“Of course not.”

Even now, she risked her life. She had exploited loopholes in the system but still faced death multiple times.

She barely cleared it by a stroke of luck and coincidence. She wouldn’t be able to do it again.

To clear such a place again?

She had no intention of doing that.

The voice chuckled.

[Then what will you choose?]

“What are you talking about?”

[It’s a question for the future. Whatever it is, I will respect your choice.]

She tilted her head. She couldn’t understand the voice’s words.

The voice often said cryptic things.

She thought this time was no different.

She laughed joyfully.

Soon, the wizard would appear. And he would ask her wish.

What would she say? She continued to dream happily.

Return to Earth.

And live with everyone.

She was full of hope.

She realized the meaning behind the voice’s words not long after.