Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 475: 90th Floor: The Wizard (1)

The end of the labyrinth was now within sight.

Leaving behind the ever-familiar shopkeeper, Taesan arrived on the 90th floor.

The room he stepped into was utterly ordinary. It was just another generic space, identical to countless others he had encountered on his journey.

But the person waiting there was anything but ordinary.

The man had gray hair.

His build was unremarkable, and his face was the kind you’d forget instantly if you passed him on the street.

The wizard who had created the labyrinth waved his hand.

“Nice to see you again, Taesan.”

“It’s you.”

Balbabamba had mentioned that they were no longer responsible for the floors beyond the 89th. Someone else would take over—and it had been easy to guess who that someone would be.

“Balbabamba won’t appear from this point onward. This is beyond his role.”

“So this is goodbye?”

“You might see him again on occasion, but it won’t be common,” the wizard replied casually before turning his gaze to Bardray, who had taken on his sword form.

“Should I say congratulations? Or should I pity you? Hero.”

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[I’m satisfied enough with myself. At least I’m not in a situation where I need someone’s pity.]

“Then congratulations it is. Congratulations. You may not have achieved your desires, but you’ve found peace with reality.”

The wizard hummed softly.

“You were quite the adventurer, one I found intriguing. It’s a shame that your story ended the way it did... but if you’re content with your conclusion, that’s all that matters. Oh, and there’s one more thing I’m curious about.”

His gaze shifted to Taesan’s ring.

“What exactly are you?”

[Do you... know about me?] Akasha’s voice was quiet, almost cautious.

The wizard shook his head. “No.”

“You don’t know?” Taesan was genuinely surprised.

Akasha, the Apostle of the Forgotten Goddess, existed within the labyrinth. As the master of this labyrinth, the wizard should have known everything about it.

“I can sense something, but I can’t discern what it is. That’s why I need to hear the story.”

With a serious expression, the wizard listened as Taesan explained how he had encountered the apostle, prayed to the statue of the Forgotten Goddess, and gained her blessings.

The wizard stroked his chin as he processed Taesan’s account.

“That’s... odd.”

“You don’t fully understand your own labyrinth?”

“No,” the wizard denied firmly. “I understand this place completely. In fact, I have to. There’s no other way.”

His sharp eyes fixed on Akasha.

“But I didn’t notice anything about the goddess you mentioned. That’s fascinating. Could it be that she’s forcibly erased herself from perception? So interference of this nature is possible after all.”

The wizard chuckled, though his laughter carried a faint edge.

“Truly, the world is full of nuisances.”

“So, this is tied to the Old Gods, isn’t it?”

“Most likely.”

The demon had also suspected a connection between Akasha and the Old Gods, and the wizard seemed to agree.

“They erased all traces of this goddess from our awareness. The only reason we even know about her now is because of you, an irregularity that disrupted their plan. Otherwise, we’d have never known. Only the Old Gods are capable of something like this.”

After mulling it over, Taesan asked, “Do you know anything about the Old God called the Usurper?”

“The Usurper?”

“They were mentioned by others. And Akasha reacted to the name.”

“Hmm, the Usurper...”

The wizard fell silent, lost in thought. After some time, he spoke.

“I do recall the name. They were an Old God who occasionally appeared during the ancient wars. But as far as I know, they never took direct action... or maybe I was mistaken.”

He muttered to himself, piecing together fragmented memories.

“Do they erase existence itself... or devour the very concept? This is worth investigating.”

The wizard smiled, his enthusiasm rekindled.

“Well, this has been enlightening. And now, one last thing.”

The wizard stepped toward Taesan, his hand reaching out.

The closer his hand came, the slower its movements became.

“Amazing,” the wizard remarked, his eyes gleaming.

“When you obtained Self-Stabilization, it was impressive, but now you’ve completely mastered the authority of the One Who Walks Through Time. If this continues, you’ll be able to steal the authorities of other Old Gods as well.”

Taesan stared at the wizard silently.

“What’s that look for?” the wizard asked, tilting his head.

“It’s just... not something you’d find reassuring, is it?”

After all, Taesan now had the power to collapse the very fabric of order and law.

While this had always been true, his capacity to do so was steadily increasing. The authorities of the Old Gods—once banished from the world—were now becoming his.

This wasn’t something transcendents would easily approve of.

“I understand your concern. But, Taesan,” the wizard said calmly, “we don’t intend to repeat their mistakes.”

“Plenty of others don’t seem to share that sentiment.”

The God of Death, for instance, had already intervened in the labyrinth to eliminate him. The wizard’s face grew slightly awkward.

“Well... not all of us are so reasonable. But as I’ve told you before, you’re safe as long as you’re within the labyrinth.”

Satisfied, the wizard clapped his hands.

“Enough idle talk. Let’s get to the point. Do you know why I’m here, Taesan?”

“To test me.”

The quest itself was clear—pass the wizard’s trial. There was no other reason for him to appear.

The wizard nodded. “That’s right. I’m here to test you. You need to prove yourself to me.”

“Prove what?”

“Your worth.”

The wizard stepped back, creating a distance between them, his gaze steady as if preparing for a duel.

Taesan frowned as the wizard spoke again.

“The 90th-floor quest is simple. Break through me using your strength. If you succeed, you pass.”

“That’s insane.”

Taesan let out a hollow laugh.

The wizard was a transcendent. While his exact level of power wasn’t known, he was likely on par with Mariana Rakiratas—one of the strongest among transcendents.

Even though Taesan had reached the realm of transcendence, he was at the very bottom of that hierarchy. The gap between them was insurmountable.

He possessed Boundary Line, an irregular power, but that alone wouldn’t bridge such a divide.

“Try everything you can. I’ll restore everything except your divine energy and ashen power.”

“Those are the most important things,” Taesan grumbled.

“Sorry, but those are beyond my control. I’ll hold back appropriately, though.”

Taesan sighed, shaking his head. The wizard clearly had no intention of altering the trial. Complaining further was pointless.

“What are the exact conditions?”

The wizard smiled, pointing to himself.

“This body isn’t my true form.”

Taesan had already noticed. Unlike the last time they met, the wizard’s physical presence now felt peculiar.

The power and essence were the same, but there was something hollow about it.

“This is a puppet directly connected to me. Injure this puppet, and you clear the 90th-floor quest.”

Taesan unsheathed his sword.

The wizard observed him calmly, seemingly preparing to defend rather than attack. If he had chosen to attack, Taesan’s chances would have been non-existent.

Given the circumstances, Taesan abandoned all thought of defense, focusing solely on breaking through.

[You have activated Magic Stacking.]

[You have activated Great Collapse [Negation].]

A sphere of condensed darkness materialized in the air.

Taesan didn’t stop there. He unleashed every power at his disposal.

Dark magic, the power of destruction, and an array of spells filled the room, saturating it with his presence.

[You have activated Stealth.]

Taesan concealed himself, letting his amassed powers hurtle toward the wizard.

“Impressive,” the wizard murmured in quiet admiration.

Even the forces gathered here were enough to end a world.

Taesan was undeniably powerful.

Even without Boundary Line, his strength was formidable and not to be dismissed.

The wizard clapped lightly.

Ring!

A faint ripple spread across the room, as gentle as a pebble skipping across the surface of a calm lake.

But the impact was anything but small.

The ripple tore through Taesan’s amassed forces. The dark sphere of Great Collapse dissolved into nothingness. The blackened space of Baal’s domain was casually pushed aside, as though a child had knocked over a toy.

All of Taesan’s attacks, unleashed in full force, were erased by the ripple as if they were never there.

Yet, Taesan wasn’t surprised.

He had expected the wizard to dismantle his efforts with the ease of toppling a sandcastle. What he had aimed for was a microscopic gap in the destruction.

As his attacks collapsed and dissipated, Taesan emerged.

His entire body was cloaked in ashen energy. He had enveloped himself with Boundary Line.

And then he expanded it.

[You have activated Chaos Domain.]

Laws and order unraveled as Taesan’s domain overrode the room. In its place, a world entirely of his own making took shape.

The Chaos Domain wouldn’t last long—only three seconds at best.

But three seconds was all he needed.

The ripple began to crush and suppress his domain, but Taesan advanced regardless.

[You have activated Possibility Denial.]

His sword, brimming with the power of Boundary Line, shot forward, aiming directly for the wizard.

“Ah,” the wizard exhaled softly, unable to suppress a note of admiration.

The power Taesan wielded was an anomaly.

If he continued to grow, reaching the heights of the Old Gods themselves, even they might find it challenging to counter such a force.

But now was not that time.

“Come to me.”

The wizard murmured a short incantation, and something monumental descended into the puppet.

The wizard extended his hand.

Taesan’s sword came to a halt, gripped firmly in the wizard’s hand.

Crack!

Taesan’s pupils widened.

The ashen energy of Boundary Line—a force that had shattered everything in its path until now—was unable to pierce the wizard’s body.

Around the wizard’s hand was something unusual.

“That’s...”

Taesan recognized it.

It was a law.

A fundamental principle of the world, one that even the Chaos Domain couldn’t dissolve. The law wrapped around the wizard’s body like a protective cocoon.

Taesan poured more power into his sword, causing Boundary Line to flare violently.

But the barrier wouldn’t break.

Though the law fractured and crumbled under Boundary Line, it was immediately replaced by a new one.

“Boundary Line can destroy laws, but it takes time. If I replenish them faster than you can dismantle them, your power will never reach me,” the wizard explained calmly.

With a subtle application of force, the wizard pushed Taesan back.

Boom!

Taesan was sent flying, slamming into the wall of the labyrinth.

He gritted his teeth as the impact shattered his Self-Stabilization.

Still, he forced himself to his feet, his body battered but unyielding.

The wizard dusted off his hands, speaking nonchalantly.

“Your power is undoubtedly formidable, but you haven’t fully mastered it yet. And so, it can still be countered.”

The wizard smiled, a lighthearted yet knowing expression on his face.

“Remember this—we defeated the Old Gods.”

The Old Gods were entities that could bend and shatter the world’s laws. They were undeniably stronger than Taesan at his current level.

And yet, the transcendents had triumphed over them. Naturally, they had developed ways to counter such threats.

“Your approach is too ordinary to reach me. Still...”

The wizard’s expression softened into one of genuine admiration.

“In such a short time, you’ve already begun to erode my domain. Even the Old Gods struggled to accomplish that much. Truly, you are... otherworldly.”

“You don’t seem like you’re holding back much,” Taesan quipped, brushing dust off his armor.

“Apologies. But you must at least meet the baseline,” the wizard replied with a chuckle.

“You know what’s waiting for you beyond this floor, don’t you?”

Taesan didn’t respond, but he understood the implication.

He had already reached the bottom rung of transcendence.

He had defeated the Seventh Fragment of the World Breaker, overcome the combined assault of two immortals, and crushed even the envoy of the Old Gods.

So what awaited him next?

The answer wasn’t hard to deduce.

His future opponents would be none other than the Old Gods and transcendents themselves—beings who ruled over existence.