Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 409: The Will of the Destroyed World of Hafran (1)

"The reward was satisfying, but there’s one thing I’m curious about."

Taesan spoke while looking at Zerband.

"This quest... How long did you plan to keep me in the Magic Tower?"

Wirad was strong.

Even with his authority alone, victory was difficult, not to mention the dimensional separation he dealt with. If Taesan hadn’t obtained the forbidden magic, it might have taken years to overcome.

Zerband probably knew this fact as well. He casually opened his mouth.

[That place is the Magic Tower. Only mages I acknowledge can enter, and they explore magic there. In other words, it’s the perfect place for learning magic.]

"You wanted me to learn magic, did you?"

[That was the original plan.]

Taesan would spend years refining his magic, increasing his mastery, and learning many spells. That was Zerband’s goal.

[You were supposed to grasp the more fundamental aspects of magic, gaining new spells along the way. In the end, perhaps you’d fall so deeply into magic that you would become my apostle... But it didn’t go as planned.]

Zerband muttered with a tone of regret. Taesan shook his head at his reaction.

Indeed, the gods were unpredictable.

Although they favored Taesan, that didn’t necessarily mean it benefited him. He was reminded of that fact again.

[Still, don’t hate me too much. If it weren’t for this trial, you wouldn’t have gained the advanced magic.]

Taesan didn’t deny it.

The advanced magic *Great Collapse* that had been tested on Wirad. The power contained within it could not have been obtained through a normal trial.

"Advanced magic... It’s a force tied to the concept of laws, isn’t it?"

[Exactly.]

Zerband smiled.

[It’s not simple magic. It’s a force that delves into the very essence of the world. That’s why it could negate Wirad’s white light.]

The level of magic was on a completely different scale. Even Taesan hadn’t anticipated the power involved.

[But for you, who has already obtained forbidden magic, it probably doesn’t seem so surprising. What a pity.]

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Zerband clicked his tongue.

Forbidden magic had powers and laws beyond the normal, blending forces that should not be mixed.

Taesan quietly waited for Zerband’s next words.

The magic he wielded was Zerband’s own power. He combined it with darkness to create new magic. And Zerband, being a god in opposition to the high gods, probably didn’t like it.

It was easy to predict that Zerband would not approve of forbidden magic.

However, he didn’t show any significant reaction.

[You probably understand what I’m thinking, but I don’t mind. After all, it's a new path of magic. If those bastards directly interfered with my magic, I’d care, but what you deal with doesn’t concern me.]

"Thank you."

With the only source of anxiety gone, Taesan expressed his thanks. Zerband leaned back in his chair with a relaxed expression.

[If you want another advanced magic, just continue offering tributes like before.]

"It seems it’ll take quite a while."

Even learning mid-level magic required a substantial amount of offerings. The advanced magic was far from being in his grasp.

[If you offer them slowly, you’ll get it eventually. There’s no need to go through Rillis. She seems to be enjoying herself with the kid on the 61st floor.]

Beldenkia. The NPC residing in the labyrinth, whose wish was to save the princess captured by the God of Fall.

The God of Fall resided on the 83rd floor.

The god who treated the princess and Amelia as toys.

He would meet him soon enough.

[Keep working hard. I’ll be watching.]

"I understand."

[Well, then, is it over?]

Zerband waved his hand, trying to send Taesan back to the labyrinth. Just then, Taesan remembered something and opened his inventory.

"Is it only possible with magic? What about these things? Are they impossible?"

In Taesan’s hand were materials like the Essence of the World and Crystallized Divine Blood.

Zerband shook his head.

[No. They’re certainly valuable, but I am the god of magic. They’re of no use to me. The Demon God will probably react similarly.]

"I see."

These materials could only be used by Taesan himself. With that confirmation, it was truly over.

[Then next time, if there's an opportunity, let’s meet again.]

With a low murmur, Taesan returned to the labyrinth.

---

### * * *

Although it was shorter than Zerband’s plan, it still took a considerable amount of time. Taesan stayed in the Magic Tower for over a month.

He opened the community to check on the other players. Most were progressing through the labyrinth without any major issues.

Especially, Lee Taeyeon was moving impressively fast.

He was already at the 62nd floor. Kang Junhyuk and Kim Hwiyeon were worried, while Amelia was flustered.

[Kim Junggeun [Hard]: Hyung, are you sure you're okay?]

[Kang Taesan [Elron]: It’s fine.]

Taesan didn’t pay much attention. He knew about Lee Taeyeon. Though his personality had changed somewhat due to mixing memories from his current life, his core nature remained the same.

He was probably still being careful as he descended. The 62nd floor wasn’t that fast, considering Taesan’s expectations. There was no real problem.

[Special Active Skill: Path of Magic]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[For those advancing towards a higher realm of magic, understanding the essence of magic, and gaining the qualification to handle advanced magic.]

[Blue Light Mana Earrings]

[Health +1,000]

[Mana +3,000]

[Strength +300]

[Agility +300]

[Intelligence +1,000]

[Magic +100]

[Defense +400]

[The pure blue light mana condensed into the shape of earrings. The mana contained inside is the purest of all.]

While it didn’t provide any attack power, the magic stat was exceedingly high. Since this stat directly influenced the potency of magic, it was far more valuable than most attack stats.

Having confirmed everything that needed to be checked, Taesan moved.

But not downwards.

He went upwards.

He sought Hafran. Hafran, who had been welcoming him, froze.

"...Why do I feel no power?"

"Oh. It’s still activated."

Taesan released the seal of authority. At the same time, a powerful presence and aura flooded out.

"Ha."

Hafran’s face turned pale.

Taesan slowly collected his presence. After a moment, Hafran, finally returning to his true self, let out a hollow laugh.

"Really... This is insane. I thought it would happen someday, but to reach it this quickly..."

Taesan was a monster.

Just observing how he was conquering his destroyed world showed it. Hafran had predicted that Taesan would eventually surpass mortality.

But he never expected it to happen this soon, especially not before reaching the 90th floor. He thought it would be over 80th.

Laughing maniacally, Hafran struck his hammer.

"Truly a monster. But now, what brings you here?"

"For confirmation."

Taesan took out a pair of rings and showed them to Hafran. One was white, the other black. These were the rings Hafran had created. Hafran examined the rings and nodded.

"You’re completely submitting to me."

"This pair of rings... They’re twins, meaning they’re equal. Would it be possible to combine them into one?"

"..."

Hafran went silent.

After a while, he organized his thoughts and spoke.

"Impossible. They’ve already become twins. Recombining them is unattainable..."

"What if there was a skill to combine them?"

"What?"

If Taesan had obtained a skill from defeating the twins, it would be possible to combine the rings.

After hearing the explanation, Hafran again fell silent.

"...Then it’s not entirely impossible."

After a long pause, Hafran reached his conclusion.

"But the materials are too strong, which is why they were made into twins. To combine them and enhance their effect, we would need materials strong enough to suppress their individual properties..."

Before Hafran could finish, Taesan showed the materials.

Essence of the World, Crystallized Divine Blood, Proof of Struggle, Threads of Collapse.

These were materials that could only be obtained by surpassing the deepest levels of the labyrinth, materials nearly impossible to acquire.

Hafran was speechless.

"These materials should be enough, right?"

"...Enough."

Hafran shook his head.

"But the problem still remains. Unfortunately, I’m not at the level where I can handle those materials."

This was something Hafran had said before.

Though he was an excellent blacksmith, he was still a mortal. Handling materials beyond his level was impossible.

Taesan knew this too.

However, Taesan himself couldn’t forge equipment with the materials. He couldn’t offer them as tributes either.

He had no intention of leaving the materials useless.

So he thought of one way.

"If I become your hands and feet, would it be possible to handle these materials?"

Hafran’s eyes widened.

Hafran could forge equipment, but his rank was insufficient to handle these materials.

Taesan had the necessary rank but lacked the ability to forge equipment.

So, Taesan would become Hafran’s hammer and anvil.

"Would this method work?"

Taesan asked Hafran.

"It will

."

Hafran, after listening to Taesan, was silent for a long moment before suddenly speaking.

"An immortal helping with forging? It's rare, but not unheard of. If we follow that method, I can definitely handle materials I normally can’t. With your current abilities, there shouldn’t be any real problems..."

He muttered to himself, as if trying to find a solution.

Finally, the voice stopped, and Hafran smiled widely.

"It’ll work. It will definitely work! With this, I can create the finest items in this world!"

His voice carried madness and a lifelong wish.

"I will... fulfill my wish!"

Hafran shouted, his deep and intense emotions reverberating in the space.

---

Hafran readily accepted Taesan's proposal.

"But there’s a condition. It’s possible to create the equipment with you as my hands and feet, but I also need to accept your power to some extent. Otherwise, you’d just be a stranger, not my hands and feet. So I’ll need certain materials for that."

"What materials?"

"You already know well."

Hafran raised his finger and pointed at himself.

"My destroyed world. The will of the world in that place. It certainly transcends mortality, but I was a resident of that world. Even though it destroyed us, that hasn’t changed. If we use it, we’ll be able to form a connection between you and me."

Hafran spoke quickly, his tone full of excitement.

He smirked.

"The problem lies in the will of the world itself. The fact that it has transcended mortality."

When Taesan actually encountered the will of the world itself, he had been prepared for death.

Just encountering the will of the world had caused him harm. Without a boundary, he would have almost certainly died there.

But now, Taesan was an immortal.

He had reached the same level as the will of the world that had once pushed him to death.

"This is my final quest. Go to my destroyed world, defeat the will of the world, and bring back its core."

[Sub Quest Started.]

[Hafran offers you his final quest. Enter his destroyed world, defeat the will of the world, and bring back its core. If successful, there will be rewards.]

[Reward: Hafran’s complete trust and faith. Various equipment can be obtained as a result.]