Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 340

A massive force encroached upon the space. The swirling mana materialized, beginning to affect the world.

The power contained within was something even Taesan could not confidently claim victory against.

Taesan inspected the magical circles drawn on the walls and ceiling.

Those magic circles were summoning immense power.

Crack! Crack!

The materialized mana took form and swept through the world. As the sustained damage enveloped Taesan, the invisible energy surrounding him rose up to protect its master.

It was the power of the Continuous Action Skill — Absolute Protection. Seeing Taesan unaffected by the damage, Shayan grimaced.

“…I confirmed it during your fight with the Spirit King, but you really are immune to sustained damage. How can such a skill exist?”

Shayan clicked his tongue and shook his head. The staff in his hand began to pulse with power.

[Shayan activates the Frozen World.]

[You activate the Frozen World.]

Crack! Crackle!

Cold surged from both sides. The shards of ice smashed and shattered everything in their path.

However, the Frozen World that Taesan deployed was being pushed back.

Even though its power had greatly increased with his rising mastery, it was being forced out like a campfire struggling in a freezing blizzard.

Taesan stomped his foot. Luckily, the 73rd floor was fairly spacious. He could move enough to evade.

The bitter cold consumed the spot where Taesan had stood.

Shayan swung his staff. Mana gathered, and its power manifested.

[Shayan activates The Raging Flame Cascade.]

The space opened, and sparks of fire appeared.

Sparks fell everywhere, beginning to encroach on the space.

Taesan calculated their trajectory, direction, and speed, evading all of them.

He turned his gaze to Shayan.

Shayan hadn’t moved an inch from his initial position.

The demon had said that from now on, in order to ensure a fair fight, the Guides of Sin would also observe Taesan’s battles.

Shayan would already know the skills and abilities Taesan had used in his fight with the Spirit King.

Though Taesan had tried to withhold as much information as possible, the Spirit King had been a formidable opponent. Taesan had been forced to reveal most of his trump cards during the battle.

Up until now, Taesan had been the one analyzing and targeting the leaders, but now it was his turn to be targeted.

How far had Shayan prepared to counter his strength?

[You activate Apostle Transformation [Darkness and Chaos].]

Many buff skills were activated, including The Vessel of the King, The Avatar of Nature, and The Depthwalker’s Foe, a skill exclusive to deep-dungeon adventurers. Taesan gripped his sword tighter.

[You activate Flow.]

The trajectory of the flying sparks twists.

Moving both swords simultaneously, Taesan carved a path toward Shayan.

He planted his feet and lunged forward.

[You activate Acceleration.]

[You activate Skill Acceleration.]

Sssssssh!

Taesan quickly closed the distance to Shayan. His stats were already high, and with Skill Acceleration activated, even the upper echelon found it difficult to react to such speed.

Shayan, too, was briefly impressed.

“Impressive. But… that’s all.”

Shayan lightly tapped the ground with his staff.

[Shayan activates Distortion.]

Suddenly, the space twisted.

Taesan, who had been charging toward Shayan, suddenly found himself running in the opposite direction due to the warped space.

Clicking his tongue, Taesan swiftly adjusted his stance. He rushed toward Shayan again, but Shayan once more activated Distortion.

“Tsk.”

Taesan, who had been heading straight, was now veering off to the left.

The space around Shayan warped within a certain range.

“No matter how fast you are, it’s still just a physical movement. If the space itself is twisted, you can’t approach.”

Shayan murmured as he raised his staff.

“You are undoubtedly exceptional. The power you possess is rare, even throughout the history of the Labyrinth. But I am a mage.”

Whirrrrr.

The magical circles surrounding the floor emitted a bright light.

“I am the eternal master of the Great Tower. I have prepared countless spells solely to kill you, designing and constructing this very place.”

This was Shayan’s workshop and the domain of a mage.

“Surrender beneath the overwhelming force of magic.”

[Shayan activates Magic Stacking.]

[Shayan activates Frozen World.]

[Shayan activates Starlight Arrows.]

[Shayan activates Rippling and Echoing Waves.]

Three different spells activated simultaneously.

However, they didn’t surge forward.

The magical power was instead concentrated, condensed atop Shayan’s staff.

[Shayan activates Magic Release.]

And then the power was unleashed all at once. The three intermediate-level spells overlapped and intermingled as they rushed toward Taesan.

The cold light engulfed the entire space.

There was no avoiding it. Taesan quickly made a decision.

[You activate Greed of Destruction.]

The power within his bracelet rose and clashed with the combined spells.

Though Greed of Destruction was pushed back, it greedily tried to devour the magic.

While it couldn’t absorb all the power and eventually dissipated, it reduced the spell’s force to a level Taesan could handle. Taesan swung his sword, slashing through the magic as he charged at Shayan.

He opened his inventory and pulled out a flute.

[You activate Flute of Silence. For 10 minutes, all magic within the area is sealed.]

[The magical circles of the Free Mana prevent the flow of mana. The Flute of Silence activation is forcibly canceled.]

Taesan quickly put the flute away and gripped his sword again. He had tried using it to create an opening, but it wasn’t surprising that equipment obtained from the lower levels wouldn’t work against a Guide.

[You activate Marbas’ Pitch-Black Wave.]

A wave of darkness enveloped the surroundings, obscuring Taesan from Shayan’s view.

[You activate Invisibility.]

For a brief moment, Taesan vanished from all detection. He moved to exploit Shayan’s vulnerability, but Shayan was already prepared.

[Shayan activates All-Syncing Sight.]

The mana permeating the space became Shayan’s eyes. With Taesan exposed, the effect of Invisibility was forcibly nullified.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“A skill that hides your presence by obscuring vision, huh? The countermeasure is simple.”

[Shayan activates Magic Stacking.]

The accumulated magic erupted once more.

The power’s waves reverberated throughout the entire space.

The range of power was too extensive to block. Trying to push through it was costly, as Taesan faced three overlapping intermediate-level spells.

Enduring the damage and breaking through seemed like the answer, but that would trigger his First Attack Nullification.

Taesan realized that Shayan was trying to force him to expend his Attack Nullification.

[You summon the Spirit King of the Wind, Minerva.]

[You summon the Shield of Many Colors, Barkaza.]

Minerva and Barkaza, the summoned entities, immediately manifested their power. The rainbow-colored winds erupted, dispersing the approaching magic.

“The master is so busy!”

Minerva shouted as Shayan calmly tapped his staff on the ground. One of the previously silent magic circles began to rotate.

[Shayan activates Unpermitted Banishment of Nature.]

Rumble! Rumble!

“Ugh!”

Minerva let out a sudden groan. The natural energy surrounding her began to tremble uneasily.

“The Spirit King is annoying, but if you understand its attributes and prepare in advance, it’s not too difficult.”

Shayan unleashed magic once more.

Minerva raised her power to resist, but she was noticeably weaker than usual.

She was slowly being overwhelmed.

Taesan made a decision. Even if he had to expend resources, he would search for an opening.

“Minerva, clear the way.”

“Got it!”

Minerva whipped up a gust of wind, and the storm erupted, scattering the mana that had encroached on the space.

[You activate Acceleration.]

[You activate Skill Acceleration.]

Once again, Taesan rushed forward, and Shayan activated Distortion. The space around Shayan twisted.

Taesan planted his foot firmly.

[You activate Limited Blink.]

Taesan teleported directly in front of Shayan.

Limited Blink was a skill obtained after his battle with the Fire Spirit King. Shayan was unaware of it. For a moment, surprise flickered across his face.

But the surprise quickly subsided.

[Shayan activates Limited Blink.]

As Taesan’s sword swung down, Shayan’s body teleported away.

Limited Blink was an intermediate-level spell. There was no way that Shayan, who had reached the depths of the labyrinth, hadn’t acquired it.

And Taesan was well aware of this.

[You activate Perfect Fairy Wings.]

[You activate Acceleration.]

[You activate Skill Acceleration.]

[You activate Forced Descent.]

Taesan’s body accelerated, while Shayan’s movements slowed.

Approaching with Limited Blink to induce surprise, and then immediately using another skill to take advantage of the opening — it worked perfectly.

Shayan was unable to activate Distortion until Taesan was right in front of him. As Taesan was about to pierce Shayan’s body with his sword—

Shayan’s staff glowed.

[Shayan activates Frozen World.]

Frost began to form around Shayan.

Taesan planned to ignore Shayan’s attack and push through. Even if his Attack Nullification triggered, as long as his attack landed, the odds were still in his favor.

[Shayan activates Forced Magic Regulation.]

However, instead of attacking Taesan, Frozen World began to circle around Shayan.

The Frozen World didn’t explode but condensed, protecting Shayan.

[You activate Absolute Judgement.]

Crack!

Absolute Judgement attempted to break through, but Frozen World was an offensive spell that Shayan had forcibly regulated to act as protection. It was no longer a valid target for Absolute Judgement.

Cracks formed in the ice, but it didn’t break.

Because Taesan’s attempt to penetrate the defense took longer, he couldn’t respond in time. Although he twisted his body to avoid the attack, he couldn’t block Shayan’s follow-up magic.

[Your First Attack Nullification has been activated.]

[Shayan activates Distortion.]

The space warped, and the distance between Taesan and Shayan forcibly widened.

In the end, Taesan couldn’t land any damage on Shayan.

Instead, he had merely expended his Attack Nullification.

Shayan looked at Taesan with arrogance.

“This is my domain. You cannot reach me.”

The magic circles began to glow. Taesan moved his body to avoid the surging magic.

There was no way to approach Shayan. Every time he drew near, Distortion would activate. Even if he managed to break through, the continuous barrage of magic would cause him more harm.

Taesan had no choice but to distance himself and defend against the surging magic.

‘Perfect.’

Taesan admired it.

Shayan had prepared countless methods to deal with him, and they were all working flawlessly.

By blocking the activation of Invisibility and using magic to force the use of Attack Nullification, he was systematically dismantling Taesan’s strategies.

He countered Skill Acceleration with Distortion of Space and turned offensive magic into a defensive tool to counter Absolute Judgement.

He even used prepared magic circles to disrupt and suppress the natural flow of the Spirit King’s power.

Shayan had blocked every option available to Taesan.

This level of magic usage was impossible for Taesan.

Only mages who had devoted their entire lives to magic, and reached the pinnacle of their craft, could employ such methods.

He had likely even prepared countermeasures against Partial World Manipulation.

Seeing the power of the magic circles flowing toward Shayan, it seemed that depleting his mana wasn’t an option either.

Even after using dozens of intermediate-level spells, Shayan wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue.

It was a perfect preparation to defeat him.

‘However…’

Even so, Taesan would not lose.

What Shayan knew was Taesan at the 70th floor after defeating the Spirit King.

But now, Taesan was on the 73rd floor.