Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 429: 84th Floor, Levinenov’s World (2)

The girl with ash-colored hair sat quietly, closing her eyes.

It seemed she was holding her breath, trying to feel something, carefully controlling her breathing.

"...I can feel it. You're coming."

She murmured, her voice filled with joy and anticipation.

"How will you react? Will you curse me? Or will you show pity? Will you spit out your anger and tell him to kill me?"

The girl giggled, as if she would be satisfied no matter the outcome.

"I won't back down. So come quickly. My prince."

Before her, there was something in the form of a human.

---

### * * *

Taesan stepped onto the 84th floor.

**[84th Floor Quest Started.]**

**[Defeat the Abyss that Corrodes Everything.]**

**[Reward: Weapon Engraving.]**

**[Secret Reward: ???]**

At the same time, Balbamba appeared.

"You're showing up often."

[That means you’ve been doing a lot. I can't just send you down to the 84th floor like this. A normal 84th floor would be too easy for you.]

The mage had said he would adjust the difficulty of the maze to suit Taesan. It seemed that the 84th floor was going to be like that.

[By chance, Ainztar gave something suitable. The quest Ainztar gave you—I’ll change that to be the 84th floor quest.]

**[84th Floor Quest Started.]**

**[Complete Ainztar’s Quest.]**

**[Reward: Weapon Engraving.]**

**[Secret Reward: ???]**

Boom!

The maze changes. It shakes and moves, all adjusted just for Taesan. Then it stops.

[You’ll see it after passing through the passage.]

Following Balbamba’s words, Taesan stepped into the transformed maze.

After passing through an appropriately distant passage and opening a door, he saw a swirling corridor of space.

Beyond it, there was a collapsed world.

It was Levinenov’s destroyed world, painted entirely black.

It was the first time Taesan had seen a world completely destroyed by the gods.

[Honestly, I don’t want to send you there.]

Balbamba spoke. As the maze’s manager, he expressed reluctance about the quest.

[That place is a world devoured by the gods. It can no longer be considered part of this world. It’s close to their domain. Their influence is stronger than ours.]

The world beyond the passage felt extremely foreign. It was similar to the realm of the gods that Taesan had seen in Arulia.

[The gods’ gaze will be focused there. The moment you step in, you’ll see their movement.]

[Of course, it’s dangerous, but wasn’t fighting with your life the purpose of the maze?]

[He won’t die there.]

Balbamba said, his voice calm and certain.

[That’s actually the problem.]

"...Does that mean the gods won’t kill me?"

Thinking back, it had been the same before.

The gods Taesan had encountered in the demon realm, the former gods.

They didn’t try to kill him.

They tried to capture him, almost as if killing wasn’t their goal.

[I personally think we should leave it as is, but it seems the mage and the gods have different opinions. They want you to know the truth.]

Truth.

[But you won’t last long if you just go to that world. So, we will grant you a blessing.]

Balbamba’s power manifested. As the maze’s manager, he granted Taesan a blessing on behalf of the gods.

[You’ve probably figured out how to use it by now. It’s a one-time blessing, so use it carefully.]

Taesan had encountered many gods, and all of their blessings now resided within him.

[But even if you activate these blessings, if the gods really want to target you, it won’t mean much. So, the gods will act directly.]

Screech!

A ripping sound echoed from beyond the passage. A huge clash of power was felt.

[The gods will prevent the gods’ direct intervention. It won’t last long, so deal with it quickly.]

"Is this really necessary?"

It was the first time so many gods had intervened like this since the gods’ battlefield. Even if they favored Taesan, it didn’t seem like they would help this much just to clear a quest.

[This quest is meaningful to the gods too. Levinenov is a god corrupted by the gods. Even transcendents couldn’t do anything about it. If it’s to verify the possibility, it’s worth investing.]

Now that made sense. After Levinenov took root in the maze, both mages and transcendents had tried various methods, but Levinenov could not be restored.

If Taesan could achieve that, the gods would be willing to expend their strength.

[And there’s also the psychological factor where they want you to learn the truth on your own. It would be easier for you to understand it by realizing it yourself than hearing it from others.]

Balbamba expanded the passage.

[The rest, you should go through and check for yourself. I’ll pray for your safe return.]

Taesan stepped through the passage.

As he did, an incredibly strange sensation covered his entire body. It felt as if he were being thrown into space. A world where the laws of nature didn’t apply, where gravity vanished, and friction was absent—it was like falling into a world that was entirely unfamiliar.

Taesan wrapped divine energy around himself and crossed through the passage.

And he stepped into the black world.

The world, on the surface, looked fine.

The forests, rocks, and plains all retained their original shapes, except they were all dyed black.

But nothing could be felt. There was no smell of vegetation, no natural wind. It was utterly empty.

This was the world destroyed by the gods.

Taesan looked up at the sky.

Huge beings were clashing above.

The shockwaves spreading around had enough power to shatter stars.

He had to finish the quest before their fight ended.

The quest was to find Levinenov’s holy relic in the destroyed world.

It wasn’t hard to find the destination. In this world where nothing could be felt, there was one place where divine energy could be sensed. That was where Levinenov’s relic lay.

Taesan moved toward it.

As soon as he started moving in earnest, the darkness that spread throughout the world began to move. It tried to cling to Taesan’s body, attempting to color him with its blackness.

Taesan raised his divine energy to block it, but even the divine energy was being stained black, diminishing its effectiveness.

After thinking for a moment, Taesan activated the black energy.

The blackness enveloped Taesan’s entire body. And the darkness could no longer approach him.

Taesan quickly headed toward his goal. Levinenov’s world was larger than Earth, but for Taesan now, physical distance was no longer an issue.

In his line of sight, he saw a massive building that resembled a temple. Like the other places, it was black, but divine energy was emanating from within.

Taesan entered the building.

And inside, there was someone waiting for him.

"Good to meet you."

The man in black welcomed Taesan.

**[The Avatar of the Empty Abomination Appears.]**

---

He was a tall man.

If we were to describe his appearance, he was quite handsome. His bright smile was enough to win people’s favor.

But it wasn’t alive.

Though he took the form of a human, it was only a grotesque imitation of something living.

‘Immortal?’

No, that wasn’t it. There were remnants of it, but it was twisted, as if something completely different had been mixed in.

He looked at the blackness surrounding Taesan and gasped.

"Impressive. There are many beings in this world who’ve dedicated themselves to those beings, but someone like you, who freely handles that power, is extremely rare. And you didn’t even dedicate yourself to them. I can understand why they’re interested in you."

Taesan drew his sword. The being before him was one of the gods' side, meaning he was Taesan’s enemy.

The man quickly raised his hand.

"Don’t do anything rash. You and I... we could be allies."

"That’s nonsense."

"Don’t you wonder why they sent you here?"

The man grinned.

"After all, there’s no rush, is there? Let’s talk for a bit."

Taesan hesitated for a moment but then lowered his sword.

"Alright."

Not resisting, the man looked slightly uncomfortable.

"...Well, fine. The fact that you’ve come to this world means there’s only one thing you want. Come with me."

The man entered the temple.

Taesan calmly followed him.

"Is this what you want?"

At the deepest part of the temple, there was a holy relic.

A small column-shaped relic. Inside it was the remnant of a transcendent, a being of even higher rank than Taesan.

‘If that’s it...’

If he took that relic, it would be possible to restore Levinenov.

As Taesan reached for the relic, the man blocked his way.

"Before that, let’s talk."

"What do you want from me?"

"It’s not hard. Kang Taesan. A mixed being."

The man smiled and suggested.

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"Why not join us?"

---

### * * *

"Are you asking me to side with the gods?"

"I won’t deny that."

"Ridiculous."

Taesan dismissed it. The gods had destroyed his world and were his enemies. There was no reason to join them.

"Of course, I understand your feelings.

They’re the destroyers of worlds. They’ve ruined and shattered this world. You must have suffered in the process. But think about it."

The man raised his hand.

"You’re alive. The ones who died are unrelated to you. Let’s exclude personal feelings. There’s no problem, right?"

Taesan stared at the man without speaking. The man twisted his lips into a grin.

"Most importantly, you’re mistaken. It’s not their fault. This weak world is to blame. Don’t you think this world is terribly fragile?"

The man’s face twisted.

"Humans die without meaning, and even those who reach a high level lose their lives due to the gods’ whims. Even if you become an immortal, it’s no different! With a simple gesture from a transcendent, everything you’ve built and worked for disappears!"

He shouted in fury.

"This world is wrong! It’s a broken world!"

Taesan didn’t deny the man’s words.

The God of Fall had shown what the man had described. Countless talented mortals had their potential blocked, and their lives turned into toys for the gods.

It wasn’t limited to the God of Fall. The demons of Bekweseta were gods of that place, and they were completely annihilated by Hamon. And Hamon, along with Bekweseta, was crushed by the demon gods.

In that process, many lives were lost.

Most transcendents didn’t respect mortals. That was the conclusion Taesan had reached. Even demon gods cared for their own, but they had no interest in humans.

Taesan looked at the man.

"You were an immortal."

"Yes. But I almost lost everything due to those damn transcendent games. In the process, a great being saved me."

The man grinned viciously.

"I dedicated myself to them. I became the avatar of that great being and now act as their representative. That is who I am."

"So what do you want from me?"

Taesan said indifferently.

"The gods are exiled beings. They intervene in the world, but they are ultimately losers."

"No."

The man laughed.

"Taesan. You must feel it. The influence of those beings is growing stronger with time. Do you know what that means? It means the seal of the transcendents who exiled them is weakening!"

Boom!

A massive wave of power erupted from the sky.

The blackness began to swallow the world beyond the universe. While the transcendent beings suppressed it, the blackness left an indelible scar on the world.

The man erupted in madness.

"They will return soon! To the world they were exiled from! And they will trample everything and return the world to the way it should have been!"