Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 520: Eighth Return, Earth (5)

Taesan landed in front of Kim Hwiyeon, who greeted him with a composed expression.

“Taesan.”

Beside her, the Guardians stood with their heads bowed, looking like criminals awaiting judgment.

“It’s over, then.”

“Yes,” Kim Hwiyeon replied with a faint, bitter smile. She had expected this outcome from the start; it was hardly surprising or impactful.

There was no point in dwelling on meaningless matters. The only thing of importance now was that the quest had begun.

The objective: activating the discs.

Taesan turned to Akrasian. “How do we activate them?”

“Ah...” Akrasian hesitated, as if wanting to say something else, but eventually swallowed his words.

“You need to place each disc at specific points around the rift, spaced at regular intervals. Then, we begin the ritual. Once the discs synchronize perfectly, they’ll seal the rift. Until then, we have to defend them.”

“How long will it take to seal?”

“We don’t know. But it will take a considerable amount of time.”

“I see.” Taesan nodded. “Then let’s get started.”

The group began their preparations.

There were four discs in total, which needed to be positioned at the cardinal points of Greenland: north, south, east, and west.

Accordingly, personnel were distributed evenly to each location, with strong individuals like Diana, Beldenkia, Lee Taeyeon, Amelia, and Minerva assigned to lead the groups. The arrangements ensured a balanced distribution of power.

Throughout this process, the Guardians received little attention.

Though everyone was moving with purpose, the Guardians were left idle. Eventually, Akrasian couldn’t suppress his frustration and approached Kim Hwiyeon.

“Where should we go?”

“Oh.”

As if just remembering their existence, Kim Hwiyeon looked at Akrasian. After a moment of deliberation, she responded.

“You can go wherever you like. I’m sure you’ll be helpful. Thank you in advance.”

Her words implied that while their assistance might be nice, it wasn’t necessary.

The implied disregard stung deeply. It was an outright humiliation for those who still clung to their pride as saviors of countless worlds.

“This treatment is unacceptable,” one Guardian muttered to Akrasian. “We came here to save this world. Shouldn’t we appeal to the Transcendent for proper acknowledgment?”

But Akrasian didn’t respond. He had already tried.

After arriving in Greenland, he had cautiously approached Taesan, suggesting they deserved recognition for coming to save this world.

Taesan’s response had been simple.

He said nothing, only gazed at Akrasian.

There was no release of energy, no threat, no malice—just an emotionless stare.

But that alone had left Akrasian unable to continue. It was as if he were a child throwing a tantrum, suddenly reminded of his insignificance.

“...We just need to prove ourselves,” Akrasian muttered, gripping his sword tightly.

“This battle will show them. Our power isn’t meant to be used against mere humans—it’s meant for fighting the servants of the Malevolent God.”

He clung to the belief that their collective experience and numbers would allow them to shine in the upcoming battle, even if their individual strength was lacking.

With that determination, the Guardians waited for the monsters to appear.

Finally, the preparations were complete.

“Then let’s begin,” Akrasian said as he knelt beneath one of the discs and began chanting.

“O Great Ones, we, your humble children, beseech your mercy.”

“Hmm.”

The crowd felt a strange unease.

Something massive and indescribable seemed to descend upon the area, a weight that defied words.

Akrasian raised his arms to the heavens.

“Grant us your power to banish these vile entities from this world.”

The prayer reached the sky.

At that moment, the discs began to activate.

Vrrroooom!

Beams of light shot upward from the four discs, piercing the heavens. The golden pillars of light soon touched the rift.

Riiip!

A tearing sound echoed across the land as the golden light clashed with the darkness of the rift, sending shockwaves through the air.

“Ah...”

The crowd watched in stunned silence.

The sight of the four golden pillars rising to meet the rift was awe-inspiring, almost divine. Even those who remained steadfast in their reverence for Taesan couldn’t help but be moved by the scene.

The discs had been activated, and the rift began to be enveloped in a golden hue.

But the servants of the Malevolent God would not stand idly by.

Sssshhhhhk!

The rift widened.

From its depths, monsters began to spill forth.

“Ugh.”

Lee Taeyeon felt a chill run down her spine. The scene was eerily reminiscent of what she had witnessed in her previous life.

“Damned fate. I really came a long way, huh.”

But this time was different.

Back then, she had been alone. Now, she wasn’t.

Screeeech!

Roaaaar!

Monster 112 has appeared.Monster 589 has appeared.Monster 214 has appeared.“Everyone! Prepare for battle!” Kim Hwiyeon shouted, her voice steady and resolute.

The players roared in response, drawing their weapons and readying themselves for the fight ahead.

***

“Eeeek!”

The Guardians grouped together, desperately swinging their weapons and casting spells. Their faces were filled with panic and disbelief.

“What is this?!”

[Roooaaar!]

A monstrous creature the size of a house charged at the Guardians. A few of them tried to block with their shields but were sent flying by the beast’s sheer force.

At that moment, Akrasian leapt into action. He climbed onto the monster’s back, plunging his sword into its neck.

[Graaaaah!]

But the creature didn’t fall. Instead, it thrashed even more violently. Only after Akrasian stabbed it several more times did the beast finally collapse.

There was no time to rest, though.

The spot where the monster fell was quickly filled by three more of equal size and ferocity.

[Rooaaar!] [Screeee!]

Akrasian gritted his teeth.

“What the hell are these things?!”

They were far too powerful.

The Guardians had saved countless worlds from the Malevolent God. In doing so, they had slain many monsters, but rarely had they encountered creatures of this caliber—and even then, it was only one or two at a time.

Here, they couldn’t even count the number of enemies.

At least a hundred. Perhaps even a thousand.

Even if they all fought with their lives on the line, victory seemed impossible.

“This... this is...”

“Everyone, regroup!”

While the Guardians were floundering in panic, Kim Hwiyeon’s calm voice cut through the chaos.

The players coordinated their efforts, working in perfect harmony. Despite facing monsters far stronger than themselves, they took them down without much trouble.

“Phew.”

“This isn’t so bad,” someone remarked with a shrug. “Only triple-digit monsters? I expected worse.”

Unlike the Guardians, the players seemed almost nonchalant, as if this level of danger was nothing unusual for them.

“...So we’re the ones who didn’t know anything.”

At this point, Akrasian could no longer deny the truth.

The worlds they had “saved” were insignificant.

From the perspective of the Malevolent God or the Transcendents, those worlds were nothing more than trivial distractions.

And yet, the Guardians had convinced themselves otherwise, deluded into thinking they were mighty heroes.

At that moment, Akrasian felt the full weight of his shattered arrogance and misplaced pride.

BOOM!

With the help of powerful allies like Lee Taeyeon and Amelia, the players dealt with the monsters efficiently. The situation was gradually coming under control when suddenly, the sky trembled.

RIIIP!

“Ah,” Lee Taeyeon muttered, glancing at the rift with a wry expression.

“They’re here.”

[Monster 9 has appeared.]

[Monster 11 has appeared.]

[Screeeeeee!]

Akrasian’s face turned pale.

His instincts screamed at him, warning of the impending doom.

These monsters could annihilate every Guardian present and destroy the entire world—alone.

And now, several of them were descending from the rift.

As the Guardians quaked in terror, Lee Taeyeon planted her feet firmly on the ground.

[You have activated Leap.]

She didn’t retreat. Instead, she launched herself straight at the approaching monster, activating multiple skills and slashing her sword with overwhelming force.

CRAAAAACK!

[ROOOAAAR!]

The S-rank monster stumbled backward under her attack.

The players erupted into cheers.

“She pushed back an S-rank!”

It was nothing short of a miracle.

Landing gracefully on the ground, Lee Taeyeon clicked her tongue.

“Still not on Taesan’s level.”

“That’s already incredible,” Diana remarked, gripping her weapon with a calm expression. “You haven’t even cleared the Labyrinth, yet you’ve reached this stage.”

The appearance of S-rank monsters was a signal. It was time for the stronger players to step in.

Assessing the number of monsters, Diana muttered to herself.

“This should be manageable.”

There weren’t too many of them. With everyone working together, they could handle the situation without significant difficulty.

“Well, that’s to be expected. Taesan’s handling the rest,” someone pointed out.

“...Impressive.”

Diana couldn’t help but marvel.

Instead of dividing their forces evenly across the four discs, the players had allocated resources around only three.

The reason was simple: Taesan was handling one disc entirely by himself.

The sight unfolding at Taesan’s location demonstrated the overwhelming might of someone who had ascended to the Transcendent realm—a glimpse of what such unparalleled power could achieve.

***

[Roooooar!]

The monsters charged relentlessly, their target the disc that emitted the golden light.

[Monster 1 has appeared.]

[Monster 2 has appeared.]

[Monster 3 has appeared.]

A horde of S-rank monsters surged forward, their combined force aiming to shatter the disc’s defenses.

Taesan, however, showed no change in expression. Without a hint of urgency, he moved his foot.

CRACK.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

An S-rank monster was sent flying with a single kick. The sheer force produced an explosive sound, launching the monster off the continent of Greenland. It soared across the ocean, hurtling to the farthest reaches of another continent.

It was a casual move. Not a skill, spell, or weapon. Just a simple kick—enough to send a so-called apex predator across continents.

In mere minutes, Taesan brought down every S-rank monster in sight.

“Surely, this isn’t all you’ve got to stop me?”

These creatures were no longer even useful for buying time. He raised his gaze toward the sky.

BOOOOM!

The rift trembled as a single, massive being descended from its depths.

A chill ran down everyone’s spine.

The very air warped under its presence, and reality seemed to twist and tear apart.

“It’s here,” Taesan muttered calmly, looking at the approaching figure.

[3%!#!! has appeared.]

A herald of ruin. A Servant of the Malevolent God.

The ground beneath its feet warped under its overwhelming presence. Space itself fractured, as though unable to withstand its sheer existence.

“Nice to meet you,” Taesan greeted, his tone casual and unfazed.

He had been expecting this encounter. There was no surprise or tension in his demeanor—only a flicker of anticipation.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to test against a Servant.”

He stomped the ground.

The Servant moved in response, a subtle shift of its grotesque body that caused a massive crater to form beneath it. The entire landmass of Greenland trembled under its power.

RUMBLE!

The Servant lashed out with a wave of darkness, an oppressive force meant to crush all before it. Taesan, however, nonchalantly countered with a flash of divine energy.

The darkness burned away, disintegrated into nothingness.

In an instant, Taesan closed the distance between them.

The Servant shifted, its body writhing to defend itself. But before it could react fully, Taesan raised a single finger.

“Try to block this.”

[You have activated Addition.]

[You have activated Multiplication.]

His finger lightly touched the Servant’s head.

In that moment, the Servant’s skull warped violently.

[3%!#!! takes 4,411,882,084 damage.]

The overwhelming force shattered its form, leaving silence in its wake. Taesan lowered his hand and looked at the now-obliterated Servant.

It had been nothing more than a test.