Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 516: Eighth Return, Earth (1)

The return to Earth. Kang Taesan's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

There had been seven returns so far, and each time, all quests had been cleared, allowing humanity to gather in a single location.

With the next return, there was only one task left.

To restore order on Earth.

And to close the rift in the sky.

“Faster than I expected.”

Taesan's comment was met with agreement from the Magician.

“I thought it wouldn’t happen until you reached the late 90th floors. But lately, there’s been a strange atmosphere.”

“A strange atmosphere?”

“The rift above your planet.”

A massive, gaping hole that obscured the sky.

“It’s been gradually growing.”

Taesan’s expression darkened.

“Earth is technically neither ours nor theirs. It’s a neutral zone. We’ve been monitoring it closely, but... something feels off.”

The Magician’s face reflected uncertainty, a rare sight.

“There’s some distortion. It doesn’t seem like it’s entirely the Old Gods’ doing, but I can’t be sure.”

“Even you don’t know?”

“We’ve had too many things to handle recently, so a full analysis isn’t possible. Too many cursed things crawling around, leaving us with no room to breathe. It’s better to clear up what we can beforehand.”

The Magician fixed his gaze on Taesan.

“Your mission this time is to return to Earth and seal the rift in the sky.”

To seal the rift in the sky.

It was essentially a final cleanup operation. Taesan nodded in agreement.

“Alright. How do I close it?”

In his previous life, they had closed the rift once. They believed they had achieved victory, but it had been nothing more than a deception by the Old Gods.

During a twisted timeline journey with the Uroboros Fragment, Taesan had poured all his power into attacking the rift.

At that moment, the rift opened.

Something emerged from within and crushed the Boundary Line.

It had to be the gatekeeper of the rift. Considering it had shattered the Boundary Line, it was likely an opponent at the level of the Old Gods. The question remained whether such a rift could even be sealed.

“You don’t have to worry about that. This time, you won’t be alone.”

“We won’t be alone?”

“There will be those who come to assist you.”

The Magician spoke quietly.

“They will help close the rift.”

“Transcendents?”

“No. Transcendents can’t intervene, as you know.”

Earth was a neutral zone. If the Transcendents interfered, it would grant the Old Gods the same privilege.

“So there will be messengers instead. We’ll hand them a useful card, and you can make good use of it.”

The Magician spoke without much emotion.

“What you do with the messengers is up to you. Handle them however you see fit. We won’t care.”

A cryptic statement. Taesan gave a nod of understanding.

“I’ll do that.”

“Well then, I’ll be watching from afar.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“I told you, I’m busy. Really filthy busy.”

Grumbling, the Magician opened a portal. Half-submerged in the space beyond, he looked back at Taesan.

“I don’t know how it’ll turn out... but I’m looking forward to it. As always.”

“Yeah.”

The Magician disappeared. Two days remained. Enough time, or perhaps not. Taesan opened the community.

The community was, unsurprisingly, buzzing with activity. People from all over the world had gathered, exchanging countless conversations.

Yet, there was little fear in their words.

Hope that victory was possible.

And faith in Taesan.

Those sentiments were most prevalent.

After observing for a moment, Taesan opened a private chat window.

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: What’s the status?]

[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]: Oh, you’re here?]

[Amelia Airen [Alone]: Taesan! You’re back!]

[Geum Joonggeun [Hard]: Boss, you’re here.]

This chatroom consisted of the core players from each nation. Taesan typed again.

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: What’s the total headcount now?]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: I’ll need to check for specifics... but around 1.6 billion, I think.]

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: That’s a lot.]

[Daniel D’Armond [Hard]: Is it though?]

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: I was expecting less than a billion. This is plenty.]

Oliver was right. 1.6 billion was a significant number of survivors.

They discussed further details. Hard mode had about 25 million players, normal mode had 65 million, and easy mode had around 800 million.

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: What about the floors reached?]

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: It varies by nation. Hard mode players are mostly in the early 80s to high 70s. Normal mode is around the 90s. Easy mode is on the verge of clearing.]

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: No one’s cleared yet, right?]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Nope. No one wants to leave yet.]

Staying in the labyrinth was the right choice. Leaving in easy mode now would only lead to endless fleeing and inevitable death. Waiting with others until everyone could leave together was the correct strategy.

In the previous life, countless people had left the labyrinth alone, unaware of this fact, only to die unnoticed.

Taesan had no intention of witnessing that tragedy again.

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: No one leaves until I give the order. Understood?]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Got it.]

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: And what about the Alone mode players like Lee Taeyeon, Amelia, and Junhyuk? How far have they gotten?]

[Kang Junhyuk [Alone]: I’m at floor 69.]

[Amelia Airen [Alone]: Floor 76.]

Many Alone mode players reported their progress, with most reaching at least the 60th floor.

‘They’re moving faster than I expected.’

The dark magic and spirits he had shared seemed to be helping significantly. That was good.

Then it was Lee Taeyeon’s turn, and everyone was astonished.

[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]: Floor 83.]

[Kang Junhyuk [Alone]: Wow.]

[Amelia Airen [Alone]: ...Insanely fast.]

Floor 83. That was the mid-depths of the labyrinth.

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: How’s it going? Manageable?]

[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]: It’s tough, but not unbearable.]

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Good. Don’t push yourself too hard.]

[Lee Taeyeon [Alone]: Do I seem like someone who would?]

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: True.]

Taesan chuckled. Lee Taeyeon had changed in many ways, but at her core, she remained the same.

Amelia, not pleased with their exchange, interjected.

[Amelia Airen [Alone]: Taesan, what about you? What floor are you on?]

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: I’m curious too. Late 80s?]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: I’d bet he’s reached the 90s.]

[Amelia Airen [Alone]: 90s? Even for Taesan, that’s...]

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: Floor 94.]

Silence filled the chat. The once noisy community fell eerily quiet.

Taesan typed calmly.

[Kang Taesan [Alone]: The return is in two days. Be ready.]

***

The community was bustling with chatter. Discussions swirled about how to position themselves during this return, what strategies to adopt, and the ultimate objective of this eighth return.

Taesan, uninterested in the noise, closed the community window and opened his skill menu.

[Special Activation Skill: Forced Reach]

[Mana Consumption: 50]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Effect: Allows you to forcibly reach a desired goal. However, the target is limited, and all penalties and risks required to achieve the goal must be borne by the user.]

Taesan understood how skills like Multiplication worked and how to manipulate them.

But Forced Reach was a skill he had just acquired. He needed to test its mechanics before being summoned to Earth.

“Hm...”

[You have activated Forced Reach.]

Taesan focused on a target in his mind and triggered the skill.

Ssmrrr...

The Boundary Line began to manifest.

A gray haze emerged, obscuring Taesan's form. It didn’t stop there. The haze expanded, slowly consuming the surrounding space.

The Boundary Line filled the entirety of the 94th floor.

Then it began to seep beyond, spreading across the stairways and into other floors.

“Hmm...”

Bardray felt an immediate sense of unease. The Boundary Line Taesan was manipulating now was distinctly different from before.

Until now, it had been alien and dangerous but remained under control. This time, however, it exceeded Taesan’s grasp, spreading chaotically beyond his command.

“So, this is how it feels.”

Taesan reined in the Boundary Line.

The experiment gave him a rough understanding of how Forced Reach worked and how to handle it.

“Not bad.”

If used correctly, it could shift the tide of battle entirely. Taesan now had a clear plan for the next two days: refine his use of Forced Reach and calculate its best applications. His mind spun at a rapid pace.

Time flew by.

And when the two days were up, they began their return to Earth.

[Amelia Airen [Alone]: Let’s do this!]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: Let’s survive, everyone.]

Posts flooded the community as the players prepared. One name in particular caught Taesan’s attention.

[Lee Deoksoo [Easy]: Ugh, this is always terrifying.]

“He’s alive.”

Taesan chuckled. As the portal opened, his body began to exit the labyrinth.

Step.

As his foot touched the ground, cheers and determined breaths surrounded him. Countless gazes turned toward him.

They had returned to their home.

[Special Quest Initiated]

[This quest applies to all of humanity.]

[Gather the survivors, establish rules, and restore order.]

[This quest has no time limit.]

The quest appeared. The first objective was to gather the people. Leaders from different nations shouted commands.

“Everyone, gather here!”

“Players from the United States, this way!”

The people moved calmly, accustomed to the process after eight returns. By now, their coordination was second nature.

Taesan observed from a distance.

Step.

“Taesan, it’s been a while.”

“It has.”

Diana and Veldenkia approached Taesan. Diana glanced at Amelia and Lee Taeyeon before letting out a surprised remark.

“You’ve both grown stronger. Visibly so. At this point, even if we teamed up, I can’t guarantee victory against you.”

“They’ve been working hard.”

Everyone had been risking their lives to descend the labyrinth. Slowly but surely, they were all growing.

Soon, the survivors were perfectly organized.

“It’s done.”

“That was fast.”

More than a billion people had returned. Even if they were all superhumans, sorting them out should have taken over a day. Instead, it had taken just a few hours. Kim Hwiyeon beamed with pride.

“They’ve grown used to it. More importantly, with you here, Taesan, there’s no room for dissent.”

Every player on Earth revered Taesan. With such an absolute presence, there was no need for arguments. Kim Hwiyeon clenched her fist.

“This time will be dangerous too, but if everyone works together like this, we can overcome it.”

Before her words settled, a system message appeared.

[Special Quest Completed.]

[Special Quest Initiated.]

[The Guardians will now appear. Speak with them, coordinate your efforts, and unite your strengths.]

“What?”

“Guardians?”

Confusion spread among the people. Before their bewilderment could subside, they appeared.

Kiiiiiiiiing!

A divine light descended from the sky. The dazzling radiance forced everyone to shield their eyes.

“That’s...”

“A passage.”

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Taesan muttered. The golden pillar of light was a type of gateway.

Kiiiiiiing...

As the light slowly faded, hundreds of figures emerged through the passage.

They were warriors and mages. Their armor bore the marks of countless battles and the enemies they had faced.

‘They’re strong.’

Each one of them radiated a formidable presence. Among them, a figure who appeared to be their leader stood out with overwhelming power.

“What the...”

“Who are they?”

The arrival of these alien figures left the crowd stunned. Diana’s reaction, however, was different.

“Guardians...”

Her face was tinged with discomfort.

The hundreds of figures slowly approached Taesan, and their leader bowed before him.

“An honor to meet you, Great One. We are the Guardians.”

Clank!

The figures behind him fell into a flawless formation, their movements synchronized to near perfection. Such precision was impossible to achieve in a mere year or two. The man spoke firmly.

“My name is Akrasian. Following the will of the Great Ones, we have come to assist you.”