Ascension Through Skills

Time passed without any particular events. Players from Korea and Japan tried to communicate with those from China, but except for a few in Easy Mode from the lower class, they couldn’t establish any significant relationships.

A week went by, and the quest began.

[Special Quest Begins.]

[For the next week, monsters will continuously swarm.]

[They won't stop. They won't rest.]

[Protect yourself from the onrushing monsters and defend your territory.]

Players from Korea and Japan stood firm in their positions, while those from China also took their places in readiness for the monster attacks.

“There are disgustingly many of them.”

Kim Hwiyeon exclaimed as she looked at the ranks of people standing.

A hundred million people could not fight on an ordinary battlefield. They created an enormous battlefield centered around Mount Baekdu.

With this number, she thought they could overcome the challenge without much difficulty.

Just as she thought this, monsters appeared.

Koo-goo-goo-gung…

“Uh, uhuh.”

“What’s that?”

Faces hardened.

Monsters were charging from beyond the horizon.

And their numbers were incalculable, fitting for the hundred million players.

A number of monsters they had never seen before.

They gritted their teeth.

“Everyone, get ready!”

Kim Hwiyeon shouted roughly. Players from Korea took up their weapons in formation.

And Taesan was completing his alchemy.

Kee-ing.

A blue light swirled around where the Korean and Japanese players were, enhancing their physical and regenerative abilities overall.

“Fight within this area if you can.”

Creating a territory for a hundred million to fight in was impossible with Taesan’s current abilities. But at least making one for Korea and Japan to fight in was doable.

“Ah. Yes!”

“Thank you, Taesan!”

The people thanked Taesan as they prepared for the charging monsters.

Unlike the Korean and Japanese players preparing for the monster attack, all the players from China were bowing towards Zhenlong.

“Emperor, please protect us!”

In front of the battlefield, Zhenlong stood with a haughty expression.

“Ugly monsters are approaching.”

Zhenlong’s soft voice spread across the entire battlefield.

“Behold. My power.”

Power began to seep out from Zhenlong.

People held their breath as they watched him.

Zhenlong bared his teeth.

“This is the power of an absolute being.”

Boom.

The power exploded from Zhenlong.

An overwhelming force surged towards the monsters.

Kwaaaang!

It exploded as if a meteor had struck. Hundreds of monsters were blown apart at once.

No matter how outstanding the players were, they couldn’t match this overwhelming manifestation of power.

The Chinese people were astonished and exclaimed loudly. Even as monsters charged, they bowed their heads and chanted Zhenlong’s name.

They accepted his worship as if it were due.

‘Worship me, you lowly creatures.’

He deliberately appeared near the territories of Korea and Japan.

He showed them his power, to make them worship him.

Taesan was definitely strong. His power might even be superior to his current self.

But when it came to destructive power, it was a different story.

In the case of a regular player, they were strong in a 1:1 but could not exert great power against many due to the narrow labyrinth’s nature and the principle of skill acquisition through experience.

And Zhenlong judged that Taesan would be no different. He was strong, sure, but he thought he could never match him in such a vast battlefield.

So he showed a different level of power from the start. A wide-reaching power that could simultaneously knock down hundreds of monsters.

Zhenlong unleashed his power again.

Koo-goo-goo-gung!

Hundreds of monsters couldn’t even get close and disappeared.

The Chinese people were even more astonished.

Zhenlong smiled slyly as he looked behind.

He saw the reaction of the Korean and Japanese players, and his eyes flickered for a moment.

“Wow…”

“Is there another person as strong as Taesan?”

They were clearly amazed by Zhenlong’s power. The destruction and might he displayed were beyond their reach.

But that was it.

They showed no more than admiration.

“Hmm.”

Taesan quietly watched Zhenlong wield his power.

“It’s unstable, as expected.”

The mixed and intertwined power. By absorbing many powers, Zhenlong had inflated his own, but the stability and quality were deplorable. If faced with a suitable opponent, there would be no need to defend against it.

That was Zhenlong’s limit.

He didn’t realize it himself, but by walking the wrong path, he could no longer grow stronger.

And that mixed power would one day escape Zhenlong’s control, leading to his ruin.

“So he’s a slave.”

He merely dispensed lowly power in exchange for lives as sacrifices. An immortal who saw mortals only as prey.

Taesan moved forward.

As he stepped in front of the people, monsters rushed at him.

Opening their jaws to devour him, Taesan raised his fist.

Kwaaaang!

A roar erupted. The range of his punch exploded all the monsters within it.

The range of power Taesan released was much wider than that of Zhenlong.

Seeing this, Zhenlong and the Chinese players were shocked.

Then, Taesan rolled his foot.

[You have triggered an earthquake.]

Grrrung!

The ground collapsed. As if the ground itself disappeared, massive sinkholes appeared beneath the monsters’ feet. The monsters floundered as they disappeared deep into the earth.

Silence pervaded.

Amidst the shock, Taesan moved quietly.

Crunch.

He crushed a monster’s head. Swinging his arm wide, the monsters that came into contact were crushed, and even those untouched burst from the impact.

The monsters now visible were at most C and B grade. Taesan could handle them just by moving.

“Wow!”

Overwhelmed by Taesan’s formidable power, players from Korea and Japan also advanced with cheers.

Taesan literally possessed god-like power.

And such a being was protecting them.

Energized, they began to desperately defeat the monsters. Players from China joined the battle belatedly.

“For the emperor!”

However, their cries lacked strength.

Zhenlong too defeated monsters with a stern face.

His power was certainly tremendous.

But beside him was Taesan.

“…I’ll return now. You handle the rest.”

“Yes, yes!”

Ten hours later, as night fell, Zhenlong left the battlefield. With a stern face, he walked towards Mount Baekdu.

Even at night, the monsters did not stop appearing. Players, exhausted, took turns defeating them.

And Taesan never left the battlefield, continually crushing the monsters.

The next day, Zhenlong reappeared.

He was noticeably stronger than the day before. His intermingled power had grown but had become more unstable.

‘Did he manipulate it again?’

He fought beside Taesan with this enhanced power.

Yet, he still couldn’t match him.

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]

[You have activated Magic Separation.]

[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]

Dozens of split beams of light were fired at the monsters. Taesan clenched his fist.

[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

Light burst forth.

The world was enveloped in white light that blinded everyone. When they barely opened their eyes, all the charging monsters had disappeared.

“Ooh…”

People’s attention converged on Taesan. Not only players from Korea and Japan but also those from China.

The efforts of Zhenlong, who had been diligently defeating monsters beside Taesan, were gradually forgotten.

Zhenlong’s expression became even sterner. The Chinese players hurriedly praised him, but his expression did not ease.

“Mr. Taesan, are you alright?”

Kim Hwiyeon looked at Taesan with awe. Taesan had been fighting non-stop for two days now. Even Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok had taken brief rests due to exhaustion.

But his expression was unchanged.

“There aren’t any strong monsters anyway.”

Taesan replied. They were just C or B grades. At this level, he could literally fight for years.

“Huh.”

Kim Hwiyeon gasped in astonishment.

Taesan continued to fight. He moved around the entire battlefield, blocking where necessary and saving lives.

But Zhenlong took breaks in between.

His power was mixed and intertwined. Once used, it took time for the power to stabilize.

A being they believed was a god had appeared, much stronger and absolute.

People’s faith began to waver.

“Aaaah!”

A Chinese Easy Mode player, a serf, let out a despair-filled moan.

Right in front of him, a monster was rampaging. Other serfs tried to block it, but as Easy Mode players, they had no chance against a C grade. All they could do was serve as meat shields.

“Gasping!”

He moved desperately. It wasn’t just him. All those fighting on the front lines were serfs.

In China, the class disparity was distinct. Naturally, the dangerous tasks were the serfs’ responsibility.

Serfs fought on the front lines, blocking the monsters’ movements, while the nobles joined the battle later.

Naturally, countless serfs died. But no one could resist. After all, they had Zhenlong, an absolute being, their god.

Crunch.

A friend he had been talking to just yesterday dies right beside him.

Child, elderly, woman, man—serfs hoped for salvation in a situation where death spared no one.

“Emperor, please… save me.”

But the words did not continue.

Zhenlong had never saved them, not even once.

He just ruled them with absolute power.

Bang!

The front line collapsed. A monster swung its whip-like arm. He sensed his impending death.

Crunch.

At that moment, a monster’s head was crushed.

A man with black hair landed in front of him. The serf stared blankly at him.

His hair fluttering, the man with a cold demeanor raised his hand.

[Kang Taesan has activated Frozen World.]

[Kang Taesan has activated Magic Concentration.]

And a harsh cold swept through.

An icy wave surged forward. The ground froze, and the air turned frigid.

The serf groaned.

All the monsters charging at him froze solid.

Hundreds of monsters he couldn’t have stopped on his own, not even one.

The man who had dealt with the monsters immediately moved on. The serfs, who had narrowly escaped death, struggled to their feet.

“…Kang Taesan?”

They knew the man’s name too. Zhenlong had prohibited conversations with people from other countries, but they couldn’t control people watching the community.

They had seen many discuss the strength of someone called Taesan.

A strong man. But they thought he couldn’t reach Zhenlong. Such was the absolute power Zhenlong had shown.

But.

The serf was about to touch the ice that had frozen the front lines when he recoiled in shock.

Even without touching it, the tips of his fingers froze.

Getting any closer would mean his entire body would freeze, costing him his life.

Even with his meager power, he could tell that Taesan’s power surpassed Zhenlong’s.

Zhenlong didn’t save them. He just ruled with power.

But Taesan saved them.

And his power was also above Zhenlong’s.

The object of their faith began to waver.