Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 487: 91st Floor. Ouroboros (8)

One’s essence—it was something one had to uncover on their own.

But if help from another was available, there was no reason not to accept it.

Essentia, the God of Essence, governed essence itself. If anyone could discern Taesan’s essence, it would be him. It was with this thought in mind that Taesan asked the question, and Essentia stroked his chin in thought.

“Understanding essence... You mean for you to grasp your own essence, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s not impossible. Many mortals have come to me seeking to find themselves.”

It was possible. Taesan’s eyes lit up.

“But essence is what makes up an individual. If one recklessly tries to observe it, their sense of self could be shaken. To truly realize your essence, you would need to perform the designated rites in my sanctum.”

“And if I leave this place?”

“Then I can assist you as much as you like.”

Essentia replied without hesitation.

“Normally, one would have to offer themselves to me entirely for such assistance, but for you, I’d do it without cost. I owe you, after all.”

“Thank you.”

With this assurance, Taesan knew that once Ouroboros was resolved, the God of Essence would help him uncover his essence.

“Well, then,” Essentia said, flashing a mischievous grin, “let’s get to the main event.”

He chuckled darkly.

“Let’s move to kill that damned wretch.”

“If we deal with the Worthless One, will Ouroboros return to its original state?”

“Probably. That thing is like a foreign contaminant stuck between gears. Remove the contaminant, and the mechanism should restore itself.”

“That’s easy to understand.”

Clearing the Worthless One would complete the quest. However, Essentia frowned.

“The issue is... I don’t know how Ouroboros will react afterward. We have no information on whether it possesses full intelligence or can make sound judgments.”

There was a possibility that a restored Ouroboros might view them as contaminants and attempt to remove them. Addressing Essentia’s concern, Taesan responded calmly.

“It should be fine. Probably.”

Ouroboros had looked at him when he approached. It had then turned its gaze away, almost as if inviting him inside. It didn’t seem hostile toward them.

“Well, that’s a relief, but we should still prepare just in case.”

In any case, dealing with the Worthless One took priority. For that, rest was essential. Taesan had consumed a significant amount of his Boundary Lines countering Essentia’s attack, and Chaos Domain was still on cooldown. He needed time to replenish himself.

In Essentia’s space, Taesan quietly focused on recovering his internal strength.

From a distance, Essentia watched him intently.

“What is this guy?”

His gaze was filled with curiosity. Though he didn’t outwardly show it, Essentia was deeply intrigued by Taesan’s true nature.

Even as the God of Essence, Essentia couldn’t discern Taesan’s essence.

It was baffling. As a god capable of reading even beings of equivalent stature, Essentia should have been able to perceive at least a part of Taesan’s essence. But all he could see was the surface. The deeper layers remained shrouded.

“Only the Old Gods have been like this before...”

But Taesan wasn’t an Old God. Though his power was foreign, he clearly belonged to this world.

“...I can’t figure it out.”

Even as a mighty Transcendent, Essentia couldn’t understand him.

Unhidden curiosity glimmered in Essentia’s expression.

Unable to suppress his inquisitiveness, he focused his mind, extending his perception to delve deeper.

This was his divine authority—gazing into the very core of essence. Only a god governing essence could achieve such a feat.

Essentia’s vision began to pierce through the surface, reaching for the depths of Taesan’s essence.

And at the deepest layer, he saw it.

A distorted image.

A mind entirely consumed by blackness, its form indiscernible.

It was the same incomprehensible darkness that Haphran and Amelia had seen.

“What is this?”

Essentia’s pupils momentarily trembled. This was far more alien than he had anticipated. As he moved to probe further into this unsettling discovery, he saw something.

A presence.

It had no discernible form, nor could its strength or nature be identified.

When Essentia tried to scrutinize it more closely, he was met with a violent rejection.

[Stop.]

“Ugh.”

Essentia involuntarily stumbled back, his face reflecting shock.

“What... was that?”

Something within Taesan had forcibly expelled him.

Normally, even if the owner of the essence actively resisted, Essentia could bypass such barriers. As a god, his authority to observe essence was nearly absolute.

Yet, he had been ejected by whatever lay inside Taesan.

“...How alien.”

Essentia’s gaze was filled with fascination.

“Something like this exists?”

A mystery.

Taesan’s very existence ignited Essentia’s curiosity. Silently, he observed Taesan.

Before long, Taesan opened his eyes.

Essentia stood, his steady gaze meeting Taesan’s.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Shaking his head, Essentia rose.

“Are you fully recovered?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then let’s get moving.”

Essentia grinned, his steps lively as he began to move.

***

They approached the Worthless One once more.

The formless aura had grown, spreading further than before, possibly due to its influence expanding.

“You said you could kill that thing, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. While the Worthless One has no physical form, there must be a core that sustains its existence. It’ll be at its deepest point. Pierce it, and you’ll kill it. The problem is... even so, it’s stronger than you.”

“That won’t be an issue.”

Taesan answered calmly, his unwavering tone drawing a sharp grin from Essentia.

“Not arrogance, I see. Still...”

Essentia stared at Taesan, his expression contemplative.

After a moment, as if reaching a decision, Essentia placed a hand atop Taesan’s head. His authority began to manifest, embedding itself into Taesan.

Taesan felt the divine power settle within him, and he didn’t resist it.

[You have gained the special skill Essence of Self.]

“This is...”

“Better safe than sorry. You’ll instinctively understand how to use it. Got a sense of it yet?”

“Yes.”

Taesan quietly assessed the ability he had been granted. He could already discern how to wield it and the extent of its potential, as if it were a natural part of him.

Which made him question it.

“You’re granting me something this powerful?”

The authority Essentia had given him wasn’t something one would typically bestow upon a first encounter. Other gods had only given Taesan powers after observing him for some time and testing him through various trials.

“I wasn’t planning on giving you this much initially. Just something useful enough. But... it seems like this is what you need right now—for your sake and ours.”

Essentia laughed heartily.

“Besides, I attacked you out of the blue before, and there were... other issues. Consider it an apology for everything.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. If we can get out of here, I’d give anything to erase that damn thing from existence. Now, let’s open the path.”

Essentia stepped forward.

The Worthless One stirred, reacting to Essentia’s presence. It lunged toward him with palpable killing intent and hostility.

“It seems it’s realized this is its end,” Essentia said with a feral grin.

His essence expanded, manifesting into a tangible presence that reshaped the world around them.

Essentia raised his fist and struck.

His essence materialized and enveloped the Worthless One. The attack bypassed all defenses and offenses, directly striking at the core of existence itself.

It was a far superior version of Taesan’s essence-based attacks.

To withstand such an assault, one would need power equal to or greater than Essentia’s. The Worthless One rose in full force to meet the strike.

BOOM!

The clash of forces reverberated through Ouroboros. Distorted time and space shattered into fragments.

Taesan moved immediately.

[You have activated Call of Chaos.]

Gray energy enveloped him, allowing him to pierce through the spreading formless power unscathed. The Worthless One tried to block him, but Essentia’s roaring laughter interrupted it.

“Don’t ignore me!”

BOOM!

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

A massive shockwave rippled outward. Even though it wasn’t a direct hit, Taesan’s Boundary Line flickered under the impact.

This was the true clash of a Transcendent and an Old God.

Even in their weakened states, they were leagues above Taesan.

But—

‘They’re not untouchable.’

The Worthless One created a massive circular dome to shield itself from Essentia’s attacks. Essentia clenched his fist and swung again, creating cracks along the dome’s surface.

Taesan seized the opportunity, sprinting toward the opening. He focused his mind and gripped his sword tightly. Infused with Boundary Lines, he launched himself forward.

CRACK!

His sword pierced the gap, and he expanded the Boundary Line, forcing the opening wider. Taesan dashed inside the Worthless One’s protective dome.

Inside, he sensed it immediately—a concentrated force, unlike the diffuse aura outside. It was denser, heavier, unmistakably the core of the Worthless One.

The core began to coalesce energy around itself, taking on a humanoid form within this world.

[A Fragment of the Worthless One has appeared.]

The Worthless One’s main body was the size of a sun, but this fragment was no larger than a mountain range. Compared to its true form, it was insignificant.

Yet most of its strength was focused on defending against Essentia, leaving Taesan to face only a minuscule portion of its power.

Still, this was no mere fragment—it was a piece of an Old God itself.

The fragment exuded the Old God’s will—an intense hostility directed squarely at Taesan.

Even without full intelligence, it emanated the primal rage of a beast defending its territory.

Its gaze alone was enough to nullify the world’s value.

The Worthless One’s arm moved.

BOOM!

Condensed, formless power surged forward like a wave. Taesan dodged nimbly.

[You have activated Great Collapse (Chaos).]

A gray force materialized, clashing with the wave.

But the Great Collapse was overwhelmed. Despite being imbued with Boundary Lines, it was swallowed, its value and force erased by the wave.

Taesan reinforced himself with Chaos and charged forward.

CRASH!

The collision of formless power and the gray sword unleashed energy in all directions.

CRACK!

The fragmented aura tried to cling to Taesan’s body.

He swung his Boundary Lines, dispersing the aura.

But the formless energy surged again, attempting to engulf him. Taesan stepped back, narrowly escaping.

The formless power spread, constricting his space. Even with the Boundary Line enveloping him, it was difficult to push back the oppressive force.

Taesan clenched his fist.

[You have activated Magic Stacking.]

[You have activated Great Collapse (Chaos).]

[You have activated Ba’al’s Onyx Spatial Surge.]

BOOM!

Gray energy rippled outward, shaking the space around him.

He unleashed everything—magic, dark magic, and more—to carve an opening.

But it wasn’t enough.

The formless power seemed endless, a bottomless vessel overflowing with destructive energy. Despite countless clashes with Essentia, it showed no sign of diminishing.

This was the Worthless One.

Even this small fragment could, given enough time, erase an entire galaxy—consuming planets, suns, black holes, and all celestial bodies until nothing of value remained.

‘It’s strong.’

Even while focusing most of its strength on Essentia, the fragment’s power was overwhelming.

Yet Taesan was certain.

‘I can win.’

The Worthless One’s authority erased the value of existence itself.

Its power fundamentally surpassed the forces of the world, similar to the negation magic Taesan wielded but on an entirely different scale—a concept close to the essence of an Old God.

Formless energy surged again. Taesan raised his sword, unleashing Boundary Lines to sweep it away.

BOOM!

In a clash of conceptual and law-based powers, the Boundary Line held an edge.

The main challenge was that the Worthless One’s strength and rank clearly exceeded Taesan’s.

But that didn’t matter.

Taesan possessed the skills to bridge the gap.

With absolute confidence, Taesan activated his skills.

[You have activated Absolute Resistance.]

[You have activated Essence of Self.]