Chapter 140
After taking a rest to recover stamina and mana, the conversation resumed.
“What is this Battlefield of the Gods?”
“It’s not a complicated story. You know that there are numerous gods in the labyrinth, right?”
Taesan nodded. He had already encountered more than five gods. As he went deeper, there would likely be dozens more.
“The gods who agreed with the wizard’s intentions entered the labyrinth. But conversely, the gods who did not agree with the wizard are still in the outside world.”
The God of Light born from the earth, Harmon, was like that, existing outside. That was already known.
Vargan wrinkled his nose.
“Foolishly and weakly, the gods who couldn’t enter the labyrinth are trying to assert their pride. They created their own battlefield, sending their slaves to fight there, wanting to claim that what you made, they can easily create too.”
Vargan scoffed.
“Don’t you think it’s foolish? Ignorant of the labyrinth’s greatness, just flaunting their pride.”
The only god he had seen outside was Harmon, the God of Light born from the earth.
But the disparity in power seemed clear. Harmon’s struggle was crushed under the light touch of the Demon God.
The gods in the labyrinth were of the highest caliber compared to the outside world as well.
As they talked about Harmon, Vargan vehemently agreed.
“Yet, the gods outside are acting out of line. Provoking the gods of the labyrinth, they’re saying, ‘If what you’re doing has any real meaning, prove it to us.’ Ignorant fools.”
“Why not just squash them?”
“I wish it were that simple.”
Vargan shook his head regretfully.
“Several gods from the outside combined their powers and turned their battlefield into their domain. Even for the gods of the labyrinth, there’s significant power loss. They probably don’t think it’s worth the risk.”
“I see.”
The Demon God came to mind.
As Vargan said, even gods had to endure power loss to destroy another god’s domain.
But the Demon God utterly destroyed Harmon’s world, where he massacred the demons.
That meant she thought enduring the power loss to crush Harmon was worth enduring, but the battlefield wasn’t worth it.
“I can’t stand it. The gods outside daring to mock the labyrinth.”
His words were filled with undeniable anger and pride for the labyrinth. Taesan nodded, thinking to himself.
‘A kind of pride battle.’
A battle of pride between the gods of the labyrinth and those outside. That was exactly what it was.
“If you’ve heard this much, you might guess.”
“That I should become the labyrinth’s representative?”
“Exactly.”
Vargan nodded emphatically. Taesan understood the flow of the conversation, but there was something he didn’t grasp.
“Then why don’t you go?”
Vargan was stronger than Taesan. But Vargan shook his head.
“I can’t.”
“I wouldn’t be able to go there anyway...”
Vargan explained calmly.
“Beings that are too powerful are blocked by the gods there. But we can’t send someone too weak, either. Someone strong enough to enter their world and powerful enough to defeat their slaves. You are just right for it.”
Vargan’s eyes were filled with intensity as he looked at Taesan.
“You can crush the arrogance of those insolent ones outside.”
Become the representative of the labyrinth and defeat those who follow the gods outside.
That was Vargan’s proposal.
Taesan stood still for a moment, lost in thought. Observing him, Vargan suddenly clapped his hands as if remembering something.
“Ah, I haven’t given you your reward yet. Here, take this.”
Vargan handed over a golden ring.
“It might be a bit much for an adventurer on this floor, but you have proven your strength sufficiently. You deserve this level of reward.”
[Golden Ring]
[Health + 200]
[Mana + 50]
[Strength + 20]
[Agility + 20]
[Intelligence + 20]
[Attack Power + 20]
[Defense + 20]
[The Golden Ring. Its value is indescribable.]
[What is this?]
The ghost let out a sound unintentionally. Taesan, having seen the effects, also paused.
“Is it okay to give away a ring like this?”
[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Oh?]
[Kang Junhyeok[Solo]: Brother. You were here. I thought you went somewhere like last time.]
Unlike before, there was a calm tone. It seemed they no longer thought Taesan was dead.
[Kang Taesan[Solo]: How are you doing?]
[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: It's tough but manageable. Almost cleared the 10th floor.]
Taesan was slightly surprised at her response. She was progressing faster than he thought.
[Kang Junhyeok[Solo]: The Divine Blessing? Because of that, it's gotten easier. I heard from others in different modes that they're descending faster than before.]
[Kang Taesan[Solo]: That's good.]
The Divine Blessing given by Lakiratas enhanced the talents for struggle. He, too, had grown stronger thanks to it, and others without a foundation would undoubtedly benefit even more.
It seemed that other Solo Mode players and even those in Hard Mode were making faster progress.
It was good news. This meant more people would survive to the end.
[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: The Trial of Self-Proof was just as you said, Taesan. It's a bit tougher than my current floor. Got stuck there.]
[Kang Junhyeok[Solo]: I finished similarly. Thanks to that, I got stronger and managed to push through.]
[Kang Taesan[Solo]: That's great. You'll gain various things once you clear the 10th floor, making it easier.]
Each theme that was cleared granted them various titles. Taesan himself had grown significantly stronger after clearing the 10th floor, so for them, with lower base stats, the improvement would be more noticeable.
[Kang Taesan[Solo]: Let me know if you need anything. I'll at least give you the basic information.]
Information like secret rooms or bosses was fine to share.
Towards the end of the conversation, Lee Taeyeon seemed to remember something and wrote a message.
[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Oh. Taesan, did you check the community? The Easy and Normal Modes, I mean.]
[Kang Taesan[Solo]: Haven't looked. I haven't even had time to check yours.]
[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Right. Um...]
[Kang Taesan[Solo]: What's up?]
[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: It's nothing major. Not bad news. It's a bit lengthy, so you can check it out later.]
It seemed like a complex issue to explain.
Taesan, not particularly interested in the Easy or Normal Modes, exchanged a few more words and then exited the community.
Taesan resumed his journey through the labyrinth.
And when he had cleared about half of the 31st floor, Ambracia appeared with an awkward expression.
“Hello?”
Taesan tensed his grip on the sword without a word. Ambracia hurriedly waved her hands.
“Don’t attack, I’m not here to fight.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Did I want to come? Those damned ones kept whining about not wanting to go. Sending a fourth-tier wouldn’t work either as it might start a fight.”
Ambracia sighed deeply. Thinking about it, he seemed more mild-mannered than other Guides of Sin and often got pushed around.
“So, what is it?”
“I came to explain the rules between you and us.”
Ambracia began to explain.
“After reviewing the Demon King’s rules, we decided to act when you reach the brink of the fourth tier.”
“That’s later than I expected.”
“Only then can we pour everything into it.”
Taesan would have to approach the 40th floor before the fourth-tier adventurers could mobilize against him. They planned to complete their preparations by then, thinking this approach would have the highest chance of success.
“Well... I don’t quite agree.”
As they prepared, Taesan would also grow incomparably stronger by the time he reached the 40th floor. Ambracia shrugged.
“Regardless, that’s our plan.”
Taesan nodded. Ambracia’s words implied that the Guides of Sin wouldn’t interfere until he reached the 40th floor.
Although he had finished relaying his message, Ambracia didn’t leave immediately but kept staring at Taesan.
“What?”
“Just, it’s fleeting.”
Ambracia gave a bitter smile.
“Looking at you brings various thoughts. See you later.”
Leaving a cryptic comment, Ambracia departed.
The ghost commented.
[They must have mixed feelings about you.]
“Why?”
[Because you remind them of their past selves. They tried to conquer the labyrinth but ultimately failed and gave up. But you keep going, gaining the gods' recognition. Successful versus failed. They must be thinking about this every time they see you.]
“I see.”
It was a matter of little interest to Taesan.
He would not be deterred. Having witnessed destruction and returned from death, he had no intention of backing down.
He simply moved forward to conquer, to win.
Taesan gripped his sword firmly.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.