Ascension Through Skills

[Malakas activated the Echo of the Earth.]

Kugugung!

The earth trembled in waves. Taesan pushed off the ground, narrowly avoiding the surging tide of soil.

As Taesan leaped into the air, Malakas cast a spell aimed at him.

Taesan swung his sword, deflecting the incoming magic, then kicked off into the air. He activated Spatial Leap, flying toward Malakas.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

After a long battle, Taesan finally defeated Malakas.

[The decayed Lich, Malakas, has resurrected.]

Malakas resurrected again, sneering at Taesan as he began chanting magic.

The ghost watched the scene silently.

[Not sure about this.]

Taesan had been fighting Malakas nonstop for a full day.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

Barely blocking Malakas’s attacks, Taesan showed a small opening. Malakas seemed to enjoy this, thinking he had the upper hand, clicking his tongue gleefully.

No matter how closely the ghost watched, he couldn’t figure out what Taesan was aiming for. Eventually, the ghost gave up.

[Explain it to me. What are the conditions, and how do you acquire it?]

“Don’t you know?”

[Not a clue.]

The ghost was undoubtedly strong. He had the talent and ability to conquer the labyrinth.

But his strength was focused on swordsmanship.

The ghost was less adept at understanding and analyzing the conditions for various skills compared to Taesan. Taesan opened his mouth.

“The enemy must resurrect endlessly.”

Ka-ga-kak!

Taesan deflected an ice arrow and dodged the incoming wave of magical energy.

“And when they resurrect, there must be no loss of power.”

[That much I understand. But beyond that, I’m clueless.]

“And they must have self-awareness. Even if they aren’t perfect or extraordinary, they need enough self-awareness to make decisions and change their tactics in battle.”

[Self-awareness?]

“And they must retain the memories from their previous lives upon resurrection. So far, these are the four conditions.”

There could be other conditions, but Taesan wasn’t sure. Still puzzled, the ghost asked again.

[You get the Copy skill with those conditions? How do you meet the acquisition criteria?]

“Defeat the enemy once, and then defeat the resurrected enemy with the exact same battle.”

Taesan explained, and the ghost hesitated.

[...The same battle?]

“Yes.”

Kwajik.

Taesan defeated Malakas. The shattered bones scattered on the ground began to reassemble themselves.

[Not just the final attack, but the entire battle has to be the same?]

“That’s right.”

From the start of the fight to the end, everything must be copied perfectly.

That was the condition to obtain the Copy skill.

[That’s ridiculous.]

The ghost chuckled sarcastically.

[Is that even possible?]

Addition, Absolute Judgement, Absolute Protection. All the skills Taesan had obtained so far were based on nearly impossible conditions.

Taesan had overcome those impossibilities to acquire the skills. By now, the ghost was getting used to it and was rarely surprised by anything.

But the condition for Copy baffled even the ghost.

[Copy the entire battle? How on earth is that even possible?]

The reason Taesan had been able to acquire his skills up until now was that he minimized variables as much as possible.

In the case of Addition, the opponent barely moved. All he had to do was adjust his sword strikes and hit them perfectly.

The timid shapeshifter, blinded by fear, acted like a machine, responding with mechanical precision when taking a certain amount of damage. Timing it perfectly allowed Taesan to acquire Absolute Judgement.

The conditions for Absolute Protection were absurd, but once he understood them, all he had to do was use a potion and wait, making the acquisition relatively easy.

There were almost no variables, or if there were, they were factors that Taesan could control.

But this time was different.

Malakas had self-awareness.

During the battle, he could react differently depending on Taesan’s movements.

That was something Taesan couldn’t control.

In fact, Malakas had often responded differently to the same moves Taesan used.

[You can’t just defeat him in one hit, right?]

“I don’t know the exact condition, but you need to exchange a certain number of blows.”

[Huh.]

The ghost chuckled at the idea of needing to adapt to the enemy’s responses.

[You can't control the variables. Does that mean you can’t obtain the skill?]

“Why not?”

There were certainly more variables, and it was trickier than acquiring the other skills.

But it wasn’t impossible to control.

“I can obtain it.”

Taesan calmly replied and moved his body. The ghost said nothing more.

In the ghost’s judgment, it seemed impossible. But Taesan had always obtained such skills in the past.

So it was best to observe silently. The ghost made that decision.

Time passed.

Taesan continued to defeat Malakas.

And during that process, he gradually adjusted his movements.

He intentionally slowed down just enough for Malakas to react, leaving enough gaps for Malakas to exploit.

Unaware of what was happening, Malakas attacked the gaps that Taesan created.

That was how four days passed.

After plunging his sword into Malakas’s chest and defeating him, Taesan checked his overall condition.

His mind was clear. His muscles were not fatigued. His stamina was intact.

Maintaining 100% combat efficiency meant that a mere four days of battle didn’t deplete his stamina.

“Well then.”

Taesan had fully grasped Malakas after these four days.

It was time to begin.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Taesan stomped his foot, charging straight at Malakas.

It was an obvious move. Malakas’s response was equally predictable. First, block and then assess the situation.

[Malakas activated Scorching Sphere.]

A ball of fire flew towards Taesan’s head.

Taesan lowered his stance, pressed his body to the ground, and continued to rush forward.

[Malakas activated the Echo of the Earth.]

The ground surged and rippled.

Taesan kicked off the ground and leapt into the air.

As Taesan ascended, Malakas activated Frozen World.

Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeok! (Sound of freezing)

[You activated Airborne Leap.]

Taesan’s body soared even higher, evading the Frozen World.

[You activated Landing.]

Taesan’s body crashed down. Malakas braced for impact.

[Malakas activated the Iron Wall of Protection.]

[Malakas activated the Wave of Liberation.]

Ka-a-ang!

Taesan’s sword collided with the barrier surrounding Malakas.

The ensuing wave pushed Taesan back.

Malakas swung his staff at Taesan, who was suspended in midair.

[Malakas activated Magic Crystal Surge.]

[You activated Frozen World.]

Taesan activated Frozen World.

Malakas also activated Frozen World, blocking the remaining effects with the Iron Wall of Protection.

Ka-ga-gak!

The battle continued, both sides searching for openings.

Ta-da-dak!

Malakas clicked his tongue in excitement.

He was exhilarated at this moment.

The battle was unfolding exactly as he had planned, in a way he had never experienced during his lifetime.

He felt as if a higher realm was welcoming him.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

Yet, despite his excitement, Malakas fell. He couldn’t block the Frozen World that Taesan cast after moving back with a Limited blink.

Taesan leapt backward to create distance again.

[The decayed Lich, Malakas, has resurrected.]

Ta-da-dak.

The resurrected Malakas clicked his tongue joyfully.

He was now confident of his victory.

The adventurer in front of him was strong, but he hadn’t figured out where Malakas’s life vessel was hidden.

Moreover, with each repeated battle, Malakas was growing stronger.

He was perfectly responding to the enemy’s attacks and executing optimal counterattacks.

This time, he believed with certainty that he would win.

And Taesan thought the same.

“Shall we begin?”

Taesan took a breath and charged forward.

The position where Taesan ran was exactly the same as in the previous battle.

Malakas raised his staff toward the charging Taesan.

[Malakas activated Scorching Sphere.]

Taesan lowered his stance and dodged the incoming Scorching Sphere.

Malakas smirked.

The opponent was approaching in the exact same way as before.

The previous battle had been incredibly close. If he moved a bit more efficiently, he could win.

Thus, there was no need to act differently.

He would fight in the same manner as before and make a slight adjustment when the time came.

[Malakas activated the Echo of the Earth.]

The ground rippled. Taesan kicked off the ground to avoid it.

As Taesan flew through the air, Malakas quickly considered what to activate next.

Ice Arrows wouldn’t work. Magic Crystal Surge was also unsuitable.

The opponent had the Airborne Leap skill.

First, he needed to make Taesan use that skill.

Thus, activating Frozen World, like last time, was optimal.

[Malakas activated Frozen World.]

[You activated Airborne Leap.]

Taesan rose into the air.

Previously, Malakas had used the Iron Wall of Protection and the Wave of Liberation to push him away. This time, he planned to pierce through him by activating Ice Arrows.

[You activated Landing.]

But Taesan’s descent was accelerating.

As Malakas prepared to cast Ice Arrows, he realized too late.

Taesan’s falling speed was incredibly fast.

In the previous battle, Malakas hadn’t noticed because he had been acting on instinct, but now he understood that responding with attack magic at that speed was impossible.

Furthermore, the strength imbued in Taesan’s sword was too great for a single spell to block, something Malakas had realized through their prior battles.

In the end, all he could do was defend.

[Malakas activated the Iron Wall of Protection.]

[Malakas activated the Wave of Liberation.]

The two spells activated simultaneously. Taesan’s sword shattered the Iron Wall, and the wave pushed him back.

As Taesan soared and began to fall again, Malakas considered which skill would best suppress him.

Several skills flashed through his mind.

Ice Arrows or Scorching Sphere weren’t efficient choices. The Echo of the Earth, being a ground-based skill, was meaningless against an airborne opponent.

Frozen World wasn’t appropriate in this situation, based on his previous experience fighting Taesan.

He reached his conclusion.

[Malakas activated Magic Crystal Surge.]

Finally, Malakas realized.

The battle was unfolding in the exact same way as before.

[...Ah.]

The ghost realized it, too.

Taesan had shown subtle gaps as the battles went on. He narrowly dodged Malakas’s skills and deliberately created openings.

[It was all to guide him.]

Malakas had self-awareness and remembered their previous battles.

Therefore, when responding to Taesan’s attacks, he recalled those memories and moved toward the optimal solution.

In other words, Taesan could manipulate Malakas’s movements in certain situations based on how he had behaved in their prior battles.

[This... This is incredible.]

The ghost, who hadn’t paid much attention to the hundreds or thousands of battles over the past four days, now understood.

Taesan had analyzed Malakas’s responses in every single battle, meticulously designing his movements to acquire the Copy skill.

All four days of fighting had been preparation for this final battle.

Malakas realized it, too. Taesan had fought all these battles solely to reach this point.

Malakas quickly made a decision.

If that was the case, all he needed to do was act differently from what Taesan expected.

He was an adventurer who had once reached the depths. Though now reduced to mere bones, his talent and judgment remained intact.

Malakas watched as Taesan blocked the Magic Crystal Surge.

In their previous battle, Taesan had activated Frozen World in this situation.

This time was no different. As if anticipating Malakas’s Magic Crystal Surge, Taesan activated Frozen World.

Malakas, determined to alter the course of the battle, raised his staff.

But he realized something.

There were no other spells.

Scorching Sphere, Ice Arrows, Magic Crystal Surge—all of them could not counter Taesan’s Frozen World. The only skill that could respond was Frozen World itself.

And the power contained in Taesan’s Frozen World was stronger than Malakas’s own.

To counter it, Malakas had to first activate Frozen World and then block it with the Iron Wall of Protection.

Only then could he gain the upper hand.

Malakas, who possessed the talent to reach the depths, understood this. It was the optimal action—one that could neither be added to nor subtracted from.

[You activated Frozen World.]

[Malakas activated Frozen World.]

[Malakas activated the Iron Wall of Protection.]

In the end, the battle proceeded in exactly the same way as before.

Malakas was horrified.

In the previous battle, he had believed the battle was going exactly as he had designed, that it was unfolding according to his plan. He had been excited, certain that he was seeing a higher realm.

Because the defeat had been so close, he thought that just by slightly changing his strategy, he could win.

How foolish that thought had been.

All of it was the result of Taesan having blocked every other option.

There was only one move Malakas could make. Unaware of this, he had deluded himself into thinking the battle was going as he wanted.

In reality, he had been dancing in the palm of Taesan’s hand all along.

It was Malakas who had been analyzed by Taesan. Every action he took, every skill he used, every decision he made had been dissected and predicted by Taesan.

Malakas’s grip on his staff began to weaken.

But regardless of that, his hand continued to raise the staff.

He was, after all, a monster of the labyrinth.

Until he fell, he had no choice but to fight.

Taesan pressed against the wall and charged forward. In the previous battle, the spell Malakas had used was Echo of the Earth. Malakas desperately wanted to cast a different spell.

But he couldn’t.

Over the course of the four-day battle, this scenario had played out repeatedly. Every spell he had used had been shattered, and the one with the highest chance of success was Echo of the Earth.

Taesan was aiming to replicate the same battle.

To break this progression, Malakas would need to use a different spell than Echo of the Earth.

But even though he had become a Lich, Malakas had once been a wizard who had reached the depths of power.

He had always chosen the correct answer. Now, he could not bring himself to choose a wrong one.

[Malakas activated Echo of the Earth.]

Taesan had been waiting for that spell.

The battle continued.

And with everything proceeding in the same way as before, the fight was steadily reaching its conclusion.

[You activated Starlight Arrows.]

Starlight Arrows flew toward Malakas. He had no room to use any other magic. Even knowing the predetermined outcome, Malakas immediately activated Frozen World and the Iron Wall of Protection. But the sheer power shattered the Iron Wall.

[You activated Limited Blink.]

Taesan blinked behind Malakas.

Malakas wanted to counter somehow. He twisted his body and raised his staff with all his might.

But even this movement was exactly the same as in the previous battle.

[You activated Frozen World.]

The freezing air engulfed Malakas.