Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 460: The Seventh Return, Earth (12)

Taesan examined his own body.

Something invisible, like a membrane, surrounded him.

The power contained within it was not of this world.

It belonged to the High God.

“What is that?”

Beldenkia asked, his face incredulous.

“It’s not just some simple force or concept of rank. What kind of power did you obtain?”

“Power of the High God.”

Taesan briefly explained. After hearing this, Beldenkia’s pupils widened, and then a hollow laugh escaped him.

“Denial of the laws themselves? What nonsense...”

That was not something easy to accept.

“So, does that mean no one can interfere with you now?”

Even transcendents, their powers are based on the laws of the world. But Taesan shook his head.

“It’s not at that level. The limits are clear.”

When the High God directly wielded it, that would have been the case. Death, life, power—everything would be interfered with, and even the laws of the labyrinth would be twisted and broken.

But the power had degraded during the process of Taesan’s theft. What he could stop were only the laws that directly interfered with him.

And every time he blocked the laws, Self-Unchanging was consumed.

When he blocked Diana’s lethal strike earlier, the Self-Unchanging surrounding his body was consumed. It was slowly replenishing, but at a very slow rate.

“Doesn’t seem like it’s reduced, though?”

“That’s because the gap between you and me is too large.”

Taesan was a transcendent now.

Even though Diana was strong, she was at most at the Boundary Line level. The difference in rank was overwhelmingly large, so the consumption was minimal.

To block an attack from someone of equal rank or higher, Self-Unchanging would be consumed significantly more. Beldenkia stroked his chin as he processed this.

“Still, it’s an absurd power. To affect you, they would first need to break through the Self-Unchanging surrounding you, right? Until then, they can’t interfere with you in any way.”

“Exactly.”

Even with limitations, it was an incredibly powerful skill.

No existence in this world could escape the concept of laws. For anyone to influence Taesan in any way, they would have to first break through the wall of Self-Unchanging.

And Self-Unchanging was the power of the High God. It didn’t belong to the laws of this world. It was also difficult for enemies to even comprehend it.

Moreover, the problem of attack nullification failing had also disappeared.

Is this the power of the High God?

Even this was a significantly degraded version of what the High God originally had.

Taesan became curious about what kind of powers other High Gods wielded. Beldenkia let out another hollow laugh.

“Someone with the power of the High God. First time I’ve heard of that.”

Next, Taesan wanted to check the changes in Bardray and Akasha.

Both evolved and changed every time they defeated an enemy. Since they had just defeated a fragment of the High God, Taesan expected significant changes.

[Prince of the Destroyed World: Bardray]

[The Empire of the Destroyed World. Prince of Cavert. Bardray. Reborn by embodying a sword as his flesh.]

[Attack Power +2854]

But contrary to his expectations, there were no significant changes.

Though his attack power increased to a high level, considering that they had defeated a fragment of the High God, it wasn’t an extraordinary number. Bardray spoke.

[I think it’s because it was the High God? It’s an existence beyond the laws. You’re special, so you were able to gain power without any problem, but I couldn’t.]

“I guess that makes sense.”

The High God was immutable. That power neither decreases nor increases. Only Taesan could forcibly steal it using the Boundary Line and rank-up increases. Bardray wasn’t included.

What about Akasha?

[I’m not sure either. It’s still foggy, like I’m in a haze. I think something will come to me soon, but... it’s tough for now.]

“Take it slow.”

[Yes. Thank you, Master.]

He had roughly checked the rewards.

But it still wasn’t over.

Taesan closed his eyes and began to contemplate.

He had become the god of Earth.

On Earth, he was a transcendent.

Now that he had become a transcendent, what could he do, and what influence could he wield?

He read and observed himself. He was assessing the new powers and abilities he had gained.

“Ah.”

A voice echoed. Taesan realized something and opened his eyes.

“...Now that I think about it, it was obvious.”

Taesan chuckled lightly.

He had become a transcendent.

Therefore, it was natural that he could now use abilities that only transcendents could possess.

Taesan stood up. His body leaped through space.

***

One week remained until they would return to the labyrinth.

During that time, the people danced, sang, and rejoiced.

"For Taesan-nim!"

The people shouted the names of those who had saved them.

The name most frequently called, of course, was Taesan’s.

Everyone on Earth worshipped Taesan. They prayed to him and praised him. Some singers even composed songs in his honor.

"For Diana-nim!"

After Taesan, the next most frequently called name was Diana.

She had single-handedly fought and defeated several S-class monsters, and she definitely deserved the praise of the people. Beldenkia also received praise for similar reasons.

"For Lee Taeyeon-nim!"

Naturally, Lee Taeyeon was also included in the praises.

She was the second strongest Earthling after Taesan.

She fought S-class monsters and saved many people, so she too was worthy of admiration.

But among them...

No one called out Amélia’s name.

Amélia smiled bitterly among the crowd.

“Hah.”

With a sigh, she slipped away from the people. As she passed, those who saw her smiled brightly and expressed their gratitude.

“Ah! Amélia-nim! Thank you! We wouldn’t have survived without you!”

“No, it’s nothing. I just wanted everyone to survive.”

She casually responded and made her way to a quiet place, slipping away from the crowd.

She hadn’t been forgotten. She still had the trust and belief of the people.

But she was no longer their hope.

“Well, I guess that’s only natural.”

She muttered quietly. In terms of strength, she was fifth. It was a position that felt terribly ambiguous.

“...It’s a little sad.”

She couldn’t be the leading star.

The leading star was Taesan.

She accepted that.

But there was still an inexplicable sadness.

Amélia leaned against the wall.

What am I hoping for?

She couldn’t even clearly understand her own feelings.

As she absentmindedly thought, Taesan’s face appeared in her mind.

Their first meeting hadn’t gone well.

Having received the god’s blessing and believing herself to be the greatest, Amélia was certain that Taesan, like everyone else, was weaker than her.

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But when the duel took place...

She couldn’t do anything and lost.

It was a crushing defeat. An absolute gap in power.

Amélia had been captivated by that power.

More precisely, she had been captivated by Taesan himself.

She believed that with her talents, she could catch up one day. She thought she could be equal to that fascinating person.

I’ll catch up to you.

I’m the one who will be next after you.

With that resolve, she began challenging the labyrinth.

But at some point, Lee Taeyeon changed.

She started descending through the labyrinth at a speed unlike before. Amélia, sensing the urgency, sped up as well, but Taeyeon overtook her in the blink of an eye.

As a friend, she was happy and proud of her growth, but at the same time, she was flustered.

I’m the one who will catch up to Taesan.

I’m next after him.

But that wasn’t the end.

Diana and Beldenkia. Two others, clearly stronger than her, appeared.

Her strength no longer seemed all that remarkable.

And then came the overwhelming power Taesan displayed during this return.

The thought of catching up to Taesan disappeared from her mind.

And in its place, something else filled her heart, something she couldn’t even fully recognize.

Is it jealousy?

Was it jealousy of their strength? No, it wasn’t. She felt grateful that so many people had survived thanks to them, not jealous.

...Did I want to be worshipped by the people?

She used to.

She had wanted to be the strongest, to be adored by everyone.

But now, that wasn’t the case. The indifference of the people was a little bitter, but it didn’t depress her. The reason for her sadness was something else.

...Taesan and Taeyeon often talk to each other alone.

She knew that Taeyeon’s change had something to do with Taesan. But Taesan hadn’t told her anything about it.

The same went for Diana and Beldenkia. Taesan had never shared any details about them with her.

And that made Amélia a little disappointed.

“...Huh?”

She suddenly spoke aloud.

She had realized the reason for her sadness.

To her, Taesan was a god.

He was an overwhelming powerhouse, a leader guiding everyone.

She wanted to be recognized by him.

You’re strong.

If it’s you, I can trust you.

She wanted his trust and to hear his secrets firsthand.

Amélia’s face turned red.

“W-What’s this?”

Wasn’t it just a desire for recognition, like a child’s? She didn’t want to admit her feelings. She shook her head, trying to shake them off, but once the thought had appeared, it wasn’t easily erased.

Looking back, she had always wanted to be acknowledged by someone.

She had been deceived by the God of Fall because he had recognized her.

Now, that had become Taesan.

Once she realized her feelings, they didn’t stop. Thoughts kept flooding her mind.

She wanted to share secrets with Taesan too.

She wanted to hear him say that he trusted her and could rely on her.

She wanted to fight alongside him, back to back, depending on each other’s lives.

She crouched down.

“Is that all I’ve been hoping for? How embarrassing.”

“What’s that?”

She was startled and jumped up.

Before she knew it, Taesan was standing next to her.

“Ta-Taesan? What are you doing here?”

“I have something to ask you.”

“...Me?”

Not Taeyeon or Diana, but her.

Amélia felt a sudden rush of happiness just from that. Her previously gloomy feelings vanished. She said cheerfully:

“What is it? Tell me.”

Taesan looked at her for a moment before speaking.

“Would you like to become my apostle?”

***

Taesan's words made Amélia’s face stiffen.

“Apostle of a god... You’re talking about that, right?”

Taesan nodded.

An apostle.

She knew what that was, too.

“I’ve become a god.”

Although he wasn’t entirely complete, Taesan was now a transcendent being.

And transcendent beings could create their own apostles.

“Your soul will be bound to me. In exchange, I’ll be able to grant you my power.”

Until now, Taesan had been offered apostolic contracts by other transcendents.

But now, he was offering an apostolic contract to someone else.

“You’ll be my first apostle. Interested?”

“...Wait a minute.”

Amélia was confused. She needed time to collect her thoughts before agreeing to an apostolic contract so suddenly. Taesan waited quietly.

After a while, once she had sorted through her thoughts, she asked:

“How many apostles are there?”

“Just you. Right now, I can only make one apostle.”

At the moment, he wasn’t yet a complete transcendent. There were still various limitations.

Hearing this, Amélia bit her lip.

With a determined expression, she said:

“Taesan. The apostolic contract should be with Lee Taeyeon, Diana, or Beldenkia, not me.”

“Why?”

“They’re stronger than me.”

They had more talent than Amélia did.

For them to become Taesan’s apostles would maximize their strength. She believed that if she became his apostle, she wouldn’t be able to fully use Taesan’s power. That was her reasoning.

“What are you talking about?”

But Taesan looked at her as if she were speaking nonsense.

“You have talent, Amélia Aerin.”

“Well, I do, but compared to them...”

“Your talent is in no way inferior to Lee Taeyeon’s. In fact, in some aspects, you’re superior.”

“Eh? Really?”

Amélia had thought she was inferior to Lee Taeyeon.

But now, Taesan was denying her thoughts.

“You’re exceptional. When it comes to pure talent, you’re in no way inferior to them.”

Thump.

Amélia’s heart skipped a beat.

Taesan was acknowledging her.

“Are you serious...?”

“Yes.”

Taesan nodded.

I knew it.

Amélia was exceptional.

In Taesan’s judgment, her talent was among the best of any human he had encountered. Even after escaping from the God of Fall, she had descended through the labyrinth at an impressive speed.

But at some point, something had changed in her.

Her speed through the labyrinth had slowed, and there were gaps and hesitations in her movements.

Taesan knew the reason for this.

Lee Taeyeon’s talent is doubt and caution.

She had become almost cowardly, constantly doubting herself, and at times even rejecting the right answers.

The reason she had survived and grown stronger was definitely due to her talent. Even now, after recovering memories from her previous life, her excessive traits had been tempered, but her foundation hadn’t changed much.

And Amélia’s talent is belief in herself.

She repeatedly took life-threatening challenges. She never doubted. She believed she would win, that she could accomplish whatever she set her mind to. And she actually succeeded.

That was her talent.

But the reason she had been overwhelmingly defeated by Taesan was that her belief in being the strongest had been shattered.

Even so, it was okay. Taesan was the only one who was truly strong. She could still believe in herself and move forward.

Then Lee Taeyeon appeared.

Lee Taeyeon, unlike Taesan, didn’t match her. But at some point, she changed and suddenly reached deeper into the labyrinth than Amélia had.

Then Diana and Beldenkia appeared.

Cracks began to form in Amélia’s belief in herself.

It was self-doubt.

She began to wonder if she really was exceptional or if she was just slightly better than an ordinary person.

She was quietly breaking down, eroding her own confidence.

At this rate, even if she cleared the labyrinth, she might stop at a level that wasn’t all that impressive.

Taesan would never let that happen.

This is perfect.

He had been thinking about how to resolve Amélia’s wavering. Simple words wouldn’t work. He needed to show her, directly, that she had value.

And the apostolic contract was the most certain form of recognition.

“I don’t offer an apostolic contract to anyone I don’t recognize.”

Amélia’s pupils shook. Her face turned bright red.

What filled her heart was joy.

“You’re exceptional. The difference is just in direction, you’re in no way inferior to Lee Taeyeon or Diana.”

“But Lee Taeyeon reached deeper into the labyrinth than me...”

“That’s because she recovered her memories.”

“...Memories?”

“It’s hard to be specific, but she went through a special method. It’s not because she has overwhelmingly superior talent over you.”

“...”

Amélia couldn’t hide her joy.

Taesan was acknowledging her.

He had said she wasn’t inferior to Lee Taeyeon or Diana.

“I’m offering the apostolic contract not to Lee Taeyeon, not to Diana, not to Beldenkia. Amélia. It’s you.”

Amélia worshipped Taesan. And she was someone who understood what being an apostle meant.

An apostle is the closest servant to a god. They follow the god’s orders by his side, and because of that, gods don’t offer apostolic contracts lightly.

They only offer them to those they truly trust, or those who have power, or those who are exceptionally attractive.

Amélia realized Taesan’s intentions. All the embarrassment she had felt before disappeared completely.

“Of course, I’m not forcing you. It’s about dedicating yourself. If you don’t want it, I won’t push...”

“No.”

Amélia shook her head.

Her thoughts were now clear.

She smiled widely. It was the same confident smile she had shown when Taesan first saw her, the smile of someone who truly believed she was the best.

“I’m fine with it. Taesan. I’ll accept.”