Ascension Through Skills

Taesan smiled as he looked at the system window.

He had finally obtained it—the skill he couldn’t get in his previous life, the one he had given up on.

He cheerfully opened the skill window.

[Special Activation Skill: Skill Acceleration]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Mana Consumption: 100]

[Accelerates the action speed of the next skill activated.]

A very simple explanation. It was just as easy to understand.

“A skill that influences action speed, huh?”

Since he had obtained a new skill, it was time to test its effect. Taesan dealt a finishing blow to the tattered shadow and searched for a new monster.

He stepped toward the shadow that drew its sword.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

[You have activated Acceleration.]

In an instant, his body left an afterimage.

It was a speed even Taesan had difficulty tracking with his eyes, almost impossible to react to.

The shadow had no way of perceiving such speed. The shadow that mimicked power couldn’t respond properly and was thrown back.

Boom!

The shadow slammed into the wall and writhed.

Taesan clicked his tongue.

“What is this?”

[……The speed literally doubled?]

The final speed, which included the base speed and the additional speed from acceleration, was doubled. It was similar to the mechanism of Multiply.

He checked another skill. Taesan kicked at the shadow as it staggered to its feet.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

[You have activated Leap.]

Thud!

The speed at which he jumped was incredibly fast.

At a glance, it could seem like he had teleported into the air. Taesan, who had moved above the shadow’s head, aimed his foot downward.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

[You have activated Landing.]

Boom!

The speed at which he landed was significantly faster. It was as if a rock had dropped and crushed the shadow.

“Hmm.”

Taesan’s eyes sparkled.

It could be applied to all skills related to actions like leaping and landing.

“If that’s the case, it might link well with Ability Sword.”

The leap and landing that had changed due to the effect of Ability Sword involved slashing the enemy upwards and then striking them down forcefully. Taesan tested it directly. Once again, he leaped and struck down at the shadow with his sword. The shadow tried to block it with its sword.

sysetm_start

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

[You have activated Landing.]

system_end

Crunch.

The shadow’s defense was crushed.

It slammed into the ground with a loud crash. Taesan sheathed his sword and smiled.

It was possible to link it with the Ability Sword.

“Nice.”

The shadow no longer seemed capable of fighting, so he finished it off and went to find a new monster.

[You have activated Frost Arrow.]

He used Skill Acceleration with Frost Arrow. However, there was no significant change in the magic.

It only accelerated skills related to action speed. For magic, there was Magic Acceleration, so it seemed he would have to use that instead.

‘Could this work too?’

Skills that affected the sword strike itself, like Strong Blow.

Since he had acquired it through Gale Slash, it should be usable. Taesan experimented, and his prediction was correct. Skill Acceleration could be activated for skills like Strong Blow or Counter as well.

Taesan continued to experiment.

After testing all the skills he had, he confirmed that Skill Acceleration could be used on most skills involving physical movement.

He could double the speed momentarily. It was possible to link it with Ability Sword.

[Ha. What a skill.]

The ghost let out a hollow laugh.

The speed doubled.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it doubled the Agility stat. It was practically impossible to match up against an adventurer of the same level.

The value of Skill Acceleration was beyond words. In terms of advantages, it was on par with Multiply or Absolute Judgement.

“But it’s not a skill without drawbacks.”

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

[You have activated Gale Slash.]

His body moved. The speed of Gale Slash, accelerated twice over, violently struck the shadow.

Crash!

The shadow was subdued without much resistance.

It was overwhelming in every sense, but Taesan’s expression wasn’t bright.

“I can’t control it properly.”

Stats were assets an adventurer accumulates as they descend the labyrinth. The speed and strength increased by the rise in Agility or Strength stats could be handled smoothly, as if they had been possessed from the beginning.

But not with Skill Acceleration.

This skill doubled the speed instantly.

And it didn’t allow for any control by the user.

Taesan could barely control the movement of Gale Slash when using Skill Acceleration.

There were parts he couldn’t control even originally, but when it was doubled, only a tiny fraction was controllable.

The same applied to other skills. The speed that increased in an instant made it impossible for the opponent to respond, but it was also difficult for Taesan to adjust organically to the situation.

For other skills, it might be possible to control by increasing proficiency, but since Skill Acceleration literally doubled the speed, controlling it was difficult.

Moreover, the mana consumption of 100 wasn’t small. It couldn’t be used with every attack like Addition or Absolute Judgement.

‘But.’

Its performance was superior enough to overshadow those drawbacks.

In his previous life, it would have been a skill of little use. The mana consumption was too high, and even if he accelerated, there wasn’t a big change due to his weak stats.

But now it was different.

This was a skill perfectly suited for the Taesan of Solo Mode.

“Looking forward to it.”

He eagerly awaited the time when he could properly use the skill against the guide.

And that wasn’t all. The 17 days of repetition had also increased the proficiency of various skills.

[Special Activation Skill: Gale Slash]

[Proficiency: 20%]

[Consumption Mana: 100]

[Wield your sword like a storm and dash forward. The movement can be controlled to some extent.]

There were no additions, but something had been removed. It was the part about dashing straight forward.

Upon actually using it, unlike before, Gale Slash didn’t end even if he changed direction. It was a change that could be effectively used in real combat.

[Special Passive Skill: Frenzy of Struggle]

[Proficiency: 45%]

[As you continue to struggle, your movements gradually speed up, and your strength increases. The recovery speed of stamina and mana also increases. The effect disappears once the struggle ends.]

Frenzy of Struggle had also surpassed 40% at some point. The added part was the increase in stamina and mana recovery speed. For Taesan, who had already acquired the Forced Stamina Drain, the more recovery skills of this kind he had, the more they could synergize with each other.

[Special Passive Skill: Persistence]

[Proficiency: 20%]

[Efficiency in repetitive tasks increases further.]

Persistence had also changed, but there wasn’t much advantage. Persistence was a skill that couldn’t be activated in normal combat from the beginning.

The skill that changed the most was, of course, Combat Continuation.

[Special Passive Skill: Combat Continuation]

[Proficiency: 100%]

[Fatigue barely accumulates. The time it takes to reach the limit of stamina is infinitely extended. No matter how close you are to the limit, you can continue to move.]

Combat Continuation.

The effect obtained when proficiency reached 100% was, literally, the possibility of infinite combat.

Even when pushed to the limit, you could continue to move. If you willed it, you could fight for years without rest.

Of course, it didn’t literally work that way. The fact that you could move even when your body was at its limit didn’t mean that your muscles wouldn’t wear out or that fatigue wouldn’t accumulate. It was impossible to move normally in a near-death state.

But even considering that, it was an excellent skill. It meant that you wouldn’t be rendered unable to act.

Taesan advanced, satisfied, as he cleared the shadows.

He checked the secret rooms and cleared the floor, then organized the rewards he obtained.

[High-grade Attack Power Enhancement Potion]

[Permanently increases attack power by 200.]

The attack power enhancement potion that Veldencia gave as a reward on the 61st floor. He obtained it only now on the 66th floor.

The reward for the secret room was a bow. It was a bow similar to a ballista, requiring considerable strength to use, but its power was guaranteed.

It was so superior that Taesan decided to keep it rather than sell it.

And then the secret reward.

[Whetstone of Sharp Frost]

[A whetstone that can sharpen a sword’s edge to extreme sharpness. However, an extremely sharp sword is just as easily broken. Unless handled by a skilled blacksmith and wielded by a proficient swordsman, it would be less useful than a toy.]

An item that increases a sword’s attack power. This reminded him that he had equipment entrusted to Hafran. He planned to check if it was completed before descending to the deeper floors.

67th floor. The latter half of the 60s had begun.

[67th Floor Quest Start]

[Break through the labyrinth on the 67th floor and defeat the boss.]

[Reward: All Stats Increase Potion.]

[Secret Reward: ???]

The 67th floor was quite ordinary. The monsters that appeared were knights with shields, and the floor’s structure wasn’t much different.

Such floors would no longer be seen once he entered the deeper levels.

With a strange sense of nostalgia, Taesan slowly broke through the floor.

When he reached about halfway through the floor, Taesan felt a peculiar sensation.

It was as if something was calling out to him.

He had felt this sensation a few times before.

Following the sensation, Taesan pressed a brick that didn’t seem to have any force. The brick began to move inward with a grinding sound.

Boom!

The space expanded, revealing a long corridor.

[You have discovered the domain of the Forgotten Goddess.]

The Forgotten Goddess. When he had been taken to the 70th floor with Amracia, he had used Lee Taeyeon’s information to obtain a blessing.

At that time, he had received a special quest.

[Special Quest: Forgotten Goddess]

[The goddess, forgotten by those who created the labyrinth, the gods, and the believers alike, has awakened to your prayer. She hopes you will save her.]

[The one blessed by the goddess can sense the presence of the goddess's statue hidden in the labyrinth.]

[Find it and offer a prayer to her.]

It hadn’t appeared for a long time, so he had forgotten about it, but it seemed there was one before the deeper floors as well.

“What could it be this time?”

There were no disturbances at the statue of the Forgotten Goddess on the 70th floor, but in the secret domain he visited to obtain crafting materials, he encountered traps full of malice and the goddess’s apostle.

[You have activated Reconnaissance.]

[You have activated Essence Identification.]

A vast amount of information about the corridor flooded into Taesan.

[A place filled with numerous traps.]

As a result, he learned that there was nothing here but traps.

Traps were no longer a threat to Taesan. However, since these were traps guarding the goddess’s statue, they would likely cause significant damage to a mediocre adventurer in an instant.

Taesan stepped into the corridor. As he did, the walls opened with a loud noise.

Boom!

The ceiling opened, and the floor collapsed.

Beyond the expanded walls, he could see countless bombs, arrows, and flames.

Taesan spoke.

“Begone.”

[You have activated Denial Declaration.]

Boom!

The bombs exploded before they could reach Taesan. The trajectories of the arrows twisted, and the flames withdrew on their own.

Dozens of traps vanished with just a single word.

Taesan nodded in approval.

“It’s quite useful.”

He had obtained the power of words through Soul Ascension. While staying with the witch, he had learned how to use it properly and understand its effects.

Language spells were a power that projected one’s will onto the world. Against things like traps that moved according to design rather than intent, they exhibited near-absolute power.

The traps that had just attacked Taesan were by no means light. The bombs could shake mountains, the arrows had the strength to cut through waves, and the flames had the power to dry up a riverbed.

They were traps that even Taesan would have to respond to seriously.

But there was no master of that power.

So they could be solved very simply with a language spell.