Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 453: The Seventh Return, Earth (5)

The proficiency was steadily increasing.

The lofty realm that had seemed out of reach now flickered before his eyes.

What would happen when the proficiency of divine power reached 100%? What kind of realm would he attain?

It wasn’t easy to grasp.

Taesan calmed the divine power surging within him and surveyed the numerous pillars that had appeared across the mainland.

This quest was one even he did not know about.

In their previous life, the area they had to defend had been just Las Vegas. The change had come because of Taesan's intervention.

The quest description stated that as the pillars were destroyed, penalties would be imposed on the next quest. The high-tier beings would come in full force to destroy the pillars.

They could swarm from outside the U.S. or be summoned from across the entire country.

"Should we prepare?"

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Though the pillars were surrounded by barriers, it still wasn’t enough. Taesan used his skills to place defensive magic circles around each pillar where Beldengia hadn’t set up a teleportation circle.

Meanwhile, the leaders of various countries began to deploy people.

There were many places to defend.

They were struggling to figure out how to allocate the manpower.

Fortunately, there were Diana and Beldengia.

Both were very strong. Each of them could easily handle a pillar on their own. The leaders placed people around Diana, Beldengia, and the strong players from the Early Mode.

They decided to place a large number of people around the outskirts, with a moderate amount of defenders stationed at the inner pillars. If monsters appeared from the inside, they would respond immediately using the teleportation magic circles. That was the plan.

The rest of the players spent their time sparring and preparing for the battles to come.

Among them were also the players from Early Mode.

“Ha!”

Amelia swung her sword fiercely. Dozens of afterimages were drawn around her.

She charged at Diana along with her afterimages.

Diana extended her hand smoothly.

Amelia’s sword was caught by Diana’s finger.

"Ugh!"

With a light flick of her finger, Diana sent Amelia flying. Amelia barely managed to land on the ground.

Diana spoke with a calm face.

"Disrupting with afterimages to hide the real attack. It’s not bad, but unless you have skills, it won’t work against someone stronger than you."

"...I see."

"You have talent. That’s probably why the God of the Fall chose you."

Amelia had been chosen by the God of the Fall. It meant she had the kind of talent that warranted the attention of a god.

"But you’re relying on your talent to seek victory, not experience or judgment. It works when you fight those less talented than you, but against someone with equal or greater talent, it won’t work. You should work on that."

"I’ve thought about it, but it’s not easy."

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you understand it this time."

Diana smiled softly and raised her sword. Amelia met her gaze and raised her own sword with a somewhat reluctant expression.

She wasn’t the only one. Viktor, Hasan, Kang Junhyuk, and others from Early Mode who were emerging as strong players also engaged in sparring with Diana or Beldengia, preparing for the coming quest.

They were all incredibly talented among humanity, each possessing extraordinary skills.

However, Early Mode was a labyrinth of one’s own making.

It was difficult to train with others.

In principle, the guides of sin in each hierarchy could spar with one another, but there was an atmosphere of mutual suspicion, with each trying to prevent the other from growing stronger, so actual sparring was rare.

Thus, for them, the time spent on Earth was the only opportunity to train with one another.

They continued to refine their skills, sometimes equalizing their abilities, sometimes fighting with full strength, or even fighting in 1-vs-many scenarios to gain experience.

And Taesan watched them.

"How’s it going?"

"Ah, Taesan."

Diana spoke with a gentle smile.

"Lee Taeyeon has already completed herself, so she doesn’t need much help from me. Amelia is quite impressive. She’ll adapt quickly, even if she steps into the depths."

Amelia was exceptional.

In some ways, she could be considered above Lee Taeyeon. Like Taesan or Lee Taeyeon, she had the potential to delve into the depths and acquire her own abilities.

"The others also have good talent. Thanks to you, Taesan, many of them possess unique powers."

During the process of clearing Earth’s quests, various blessings from the gods had been granted to the players.

These blessings had greatly enhanced their strength and abilities.

"At this rate... if we take on hundreds of life-risking challenges, we might be able to clear the labyrinth. I can’t say for sure, though."

Those who realized Taesan’s presence gave him a light nod of acknowledgment. Amelia approached Taesan with a solemn expression.

"Taesan, can I ask you something?"

"By the way, what were you about to say? Go ahead."

"Can you spar with me? Full strength."

Taesan looked at her. Amelia met his gaze with an unwavering expression.

If he went all out, Amelia wouldn’t be able to do anything. She must have known that too.

Taesan nodded.

"Alright."

[Kang Taesan has challenged Amelia Aerin to a duel.]

Taesan drew his sword.

Amelia took a deep breath and charged at Taesan.

Taesan lightly swung his sword. Amelia raised her sword in an attempt to block.

Clang!

But she couldn’t block it.

Taesan’s sword shattered her defense and struck her with a powerful blow. With a loud noise, she crashed into the ground.

[The duel has ended.]

"...I expected it, but I couldn’t block even one strike."

"You knew it too. Why did you challenge me?"

"Just... I wanted to clear my mind. It’s fine. I feel much better now."

Her face, as if it wasn’t a mere empty comment, brightened up.

After that, Amelia began to change. She started actively talking with people and participating in conversations. She even approached Diana herself and started speaking to her.

Taesan could see the change in her emotions.

She had been struggling with her role up until now.

Though overshadowed by Taesan and Lee Taeyeon, she too had the potential to be a leading figure. She could stand before the people and guide them.

In her past life, she had held the role that Taesan now held.

But not anymore. Now, there were four people stronger than her: Taesan, Lee Taeyeon, Diana, and Beldengia.

This had brought confusion to Amelia, who had always been the leader.

But after her duel with Taesan, she had made her own conclusion: she would support Taesan and Lee Taeyeon, taking the role of a supporting figure.

Amelia was undoubtedly growing, both physically and mentally, beyond what she had been in her previous life.

Time passed.

Only one day remained until the quest began. People moved to their assigned regions, preparing for the next day.

Taesan wasn’t assigned to any region.

He would move freely, ready to counter any monsters that appeared.

Taesan spent his time quietly in Las Vegas.

"What’s up?"

Lee Taeyeon flew over and landed next to Taesan.

"Nothing. But why are you here? Shouldn’t you be waiting in your assigned region?"

"I was just bored. Anyway, it’s fine. I can move around before the quest starts, so it doesn’t matter."

She sat down on the ground and stared blankly at the sky's crack.

"I’ve always wanted to see this."

"Where’s this coming from?"

"I mean the atmosphere where people come together, believe they can survive, and are willing to move forward."

Taesan understood what she meant.

In their past life, countless people had died.

It wasn’t just because of the monsters.

People had tried to exclude each other, killing others to secure their own interests.

When all the players of the world gathered in the past life, they constantly fought to become the representative of humanity. In the process, many had died.

But now, under the overwhelming power of Taesan, everyone had united.

There was no despair to be seen in those waiting for battle.

Everyone believed that if they united, they could survive, filled with hope.

"We can... achieve it."

"Yeah. We can."

Taesan answered.

The next day arrived. The quest began.

***

A scream echoed beyond the outskirts.

"How many of them are there?!"

It was endless.

Monsters were charging, breaking through forests and tearing across the seas.

[Monster 213 has appeared.]

[Monster 144 has appeared.]

[Monster 146 has appeared.]

...

Countless B and C-rank monsters.

And there were also hundreds of A-rank monsters.

Among them, some of the monsters they had previously defeated were visible.

"Looks like they resurrected."

Lee Taeyeon wasn’t surprised by this fact. Monsters with numbers attached to them were essentially mass-produced by the high-tier beings. No matter how many they defeated, it was certain that they would keep appearing.

[Oooh! Oooh! Oooooh! ]

Among them, there were also monsters with far superior strength.

[Monster 4 has appeared.]

[Monster 12 has appeared.]

[Monster 5 has appeared.]

S-rank monsters.

They scattered in all directions, rushing toward America.

The scene, like an omen of the end of the world, made Oliver shout with a stern face.

"Then I’ll leave it to you!"

"Got it!"

Lee Taeyeon lunged forward. She charged head-on at an S-rank monster.

The S-rank monster gathered its intangible body and shot a violet beam.

The target of the beam was the pillar.

People screamed as the destructive light within it approached.

Lee Taeyeon did not back down. She clashed her sword with the beam. The light scattered in all directions, and the shockwave alone obliterated hundreds of monsters.

Ka-ka-ka-ka!

Lee Taeyeon swung her sword forcefully, deflecting the beam.

"Oooh!"

A cheer erupted. She smiled as she looked at the monster.

"You. You're the one."

[Monster 9 has appeared.]

It was the S-rank monster that had made Lee Taeyeon face death in her previous life.

"Alright. Let’s do this fairly."

Lee Taeyeon charged at the monster. The monster responded with a violet beam.

Beldengia was also doing his part. He waved his hand, and dozens of magic circles appeared in the air.

Boom!

And within them, magic was unleashed.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of monsters were wiped out. The sheer power of the magic left the people in awe as they looked at Beldengia.

Amelia wasn’t yet at the level to take on S-rank monsters, but she was standing firm, holding her ground against hundreds of A-rank monsters without retreating.

Minerva had also been summoned and swung wind and fire, taking down numerous monsters.

People cheered as they stopped the monsters rushing toward them.

And Diana was holding off the S-rank monsters.

"With just one of these, a weak world would crumble easily. How terrifying."

Ziiing!

Muttering that, Diana dodged the incoming light and blocked the storm of blades. She swung her sword gently, severing the upper body of one S-rank monster.

Grrrk.

The monster’s upper body flew off and immediately regenerated. Diana clicked her tongue and pressed the attack.

[Uoooooh!]

From afar, three more S-rank monsters were charging. Diana thought she could deal with one quickly before the others arrived. But just as she prepared to press the attack—

Crunch.

The monster’s head was crushed.

Diana’s eyes widened.

It was Kang Taesan, crushing the monster’s head with his foot.

"Taesan?"

Taesan then stabbed his sword into the monster’s body.

[56,334 damage dealt to Monster 5.]

Taesan immediately followed up with magic and dark magic.

Other monsters charged in to stop him, but Taesan simply expanded his divine power, pushing them all away. In an instant, the S-rank monsters vanished without putting up any resistance.

"It’s done. The rest is up to you."

Diana, who had inadvertently lost her kill, spoke.

"...Weren’t you supposed to stay out of the battle?"

Taesan had previously decided to watch the battle, only intervening when a dangerous or strong monster appeared.

"I was planning to do that, but this one’s a bit special."

Monster 5.

It was the same monster Taesan had fought for his life in his previous life. Now it was nothing to him, but he still wanted to handle it himself.

"And I had a little time. Now, it’s coming down."

"Ah."

For a moment, Diana’s expression shifted.

Her instincts were warning her. Something dangerous was coming. If she stayed here, she might lose her life.

Woosh.

From the sky’s crack, a massive darkness descended.

It was a viscous slime.

Formless, it landed on the earth.

Taesan calmly raised his sword.

"Is it one of the apostles from the start?"

[$!@##! has appeared.]