Ascension Through Skills

A three-digit monster.

It was an A-grade monster.

Even players who had cleared Hard Mode couldn’t guarantee victory against it. It was one of the strongest monsters at a general level and had claimed the lives of numerous people in a previous life.

“Ah…”

As the monster appeared, people trembled. In the case of Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok…

Their faces paled, and they quickly created distance.

“That, that…”

Others were merely terrified by its overwhelming power. However, having faced many strong foes, these two could estimate the monster’s approximate strength.

It was a monster they dared not defy.

A level of monster rarely seen even in the Labyrinth.

To them, the monster seemed like one of the leaders of the Guides of Sin.

It was commendable that they didn’t lose their will and still held onto their weapons.

Everyone was scared and kept their distance.

And Taesan calmly observed the monster.

‘An A-grade monster.’

He thought it was about time it appeared.

A monster capable of challenging even those who had cleared Hard Mode.

But now, he is even stronger than before.

Taesan walked toward the monster. Kang Jun-hyeok called out to him hastily.

“Brother. That monster is…”

“I know.”

An A-grade monster couldn’t stop him now. The high gods would surely be aware of that, too. So, they must have employed some means.

Taesan had a hunch about what it was.

[The opponent is a difficult enemy to defeat.] [Desire for Battle has been activated.] [Proof of Limit has been activated.] [Contempt for the Strong has been activated.] [Half-God Theory has been activated.] [Giant Killer has been activated.]

Kwoong!

As the system window popped up, the monster stomped the ground. In that instant, Taesan drew his sword. The monster’s front leg and Taesan’s sword collided.

Kaang!

And a storm ensued. The repercussions of the collision spread, pushing people back.

“Aaah!”

“Save us, someone!”

Only Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyeok stood their ground.

Even they barely managed to hold on by driving their weapons into the ground.

“This… this is…”

Merely exchanging blows sent people flying, including Hard Mode players, not just those on Easy or Normal.

Taesan clicked his tongue, sensing the disbelief in people’s eyes.

An A-grade monster possessed enough power to alter the landscape. Fighting nearby could destroy the city with just the collateral damage.

“We need to move the fight elsewhere.”

[You have activated Acceleration.]

Kwaang!

Taesan struck the monster’s chest. The monster was pushed back, but Taesan winced from the recoil.

[Monster 999 took 102 damage.]

It was tough.

He hadn’t used Addition, yet the damage was only around 100.

Taesan stomped the ground again.

He pounded the charging monster’s chest, sending it soaring.

The monster didn’t get flung away easily but lifted its front leg instead. Taesan dodged the incoming leg by tilting his head and delivered a hard kick.

“This should be enough.”

Having pushed the monster far from Seoul City Hall, Taesan hurled it even farther. The continually resisting A-grade monster was not an easy adversary to subdue, even for Taesan.

[You have activated Reconnaissance.] [Monster 999] [Target Specialization]

Target Specialization.

It was a type of monster he hadn’t encountered before, but its meaning was clear.

Taesan lifted his weapon.

“Let’s get serious now.”

People blown away by the impact gathered, struggling to their feet.

“Where is Taesan?”

“He went to fight the monster.”

Lee Taeyeon spoke with composure.

“He must have considered the aftermath for us.”

“Ah…

“Oh, Taesan…”

People sat down, their tears flowing. Kang Jun-hyeok gave a bitter smile.

“Sorry, but it seems we don’t have time to be grateful.”

“Uh!”

The space cracked open once more.

The faces of Kim Hwiyeon and the others turned ashen at the sight of more monsters emerging.

“Everyone, get up! Return to your positions!”

The battle resumed.

Taesan charged at the monster that was created specifically to kill him. The monster responded by swinging its leg.

[You have activated Evasion.]

As the leg neared the sword, its path twisted.

Previous enemies had suffered damage because they failed to correct their trajectory against Taesan.

This monster, however, was different.

Click.

The contorted leg halted abruptly and then whipped back, targeting Taesan once more.

Forced to defend against the sharp onslaught, Taesan evaded the vigorously swinging leg and struck with his weapon.

[You have activated Strong Blow.]

With the skill’s activation, the monster’s color shifted.

Now ash-colored, it hunched down like a turtle. Taesan’s sword struck the monster repeatedly, but no other harm was evident except for the aura-inflicted damage.

[The attacks aren't being ignored. Does it have an extremely high defense?]

“Hmm…”

Kwoong!

The huddled monster slammed its foot onto the ground. Like a mantis poised to strike, Taesan instantly activated Evasion, altering his charge’s direction.

Kkigigik!

The monster’s legs flailed, shattering everything in their vicinity.

Taesan widened the gap between them and unleashed his magic. Frost arrows bombarded the monster but inflicted negligible damage.

“Magic is useless, too.”

The ghost snickered.

[A monster made solely to kill you.]

Flow and Strong Blow were easily countered by it. Its defense was impenetrable, rendering both landing and aerial attacks ineffective.

Its resistance to magic was just as formidable.

A tough adversary, yet Taesan’s expression remained stoic.

His skills held the upper hand because the enemy was ignorant of them. He had foreseen that the high gods would employ such strategies.

Taesan reviewed the information he had gathered.

The monster was countering his Ability Sword.

It also neutralized magic, which suggested that spirit skills would probably be ineffective.

Even black magic wouldn’t provide much of an advantage, as he had nearly drained his magic.

He had to save the Apostle Transformation until he fully understood his opponent.

“And the damage isn’t significant.”

He could inflict only about 100 to 200 damage.

Taesan recalled that an A-grade monster’s health was roughly between two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand.

This monster, specialized in defense, might have even more health.

A simple calculation indicated the need for thousands of successful attacks.

“It’s not impossible, though.”

Taesan had defeated an S-grade monster with over a million health while possessing only 50 attack power.

Given enough time, it was possible. That was probably why it was classified as a difficult enemy, not an impossible one.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

Taesan glanced around.

Intense fighting sounds came from the direction of the city hall, where people battled the newly appeared monsters.

Considering the strength of the monsters, they wouldn’t last long.

This was literally a battle against time. Would he defeat the monster first, or would the people be annihilated by the monsters?

Taesan’s eyes darkened.

The monster was clearly created to counter everything about him.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t win.

Taesan began slowly analyzing the monster’s information.

The mantis-shaped monster appeared flawless. Its defense against Strong Blow was impenetrable, and its magic resistance was unbelievably high.

The monster was A-grade. Yet, so far, its demonstrated abilities, except for strength and speed, were beyond that of A-grade. Those two attributes were relatively low but not too low.

In a word, the monster was perfect.

That was what bothered Taesan.

A perfect monster couldn’t exist. Even the most versatile offensive monsters had a clear weakness: low health.

Therefore, this monster must also have a weakness.

The only question was what it was.

The monster charged.

Kakak!

Taesan blocked and continued to think. He amalgamated the numerous pieces of information and strategies he had gathered to find the answer.

“The monster’s form.”

It resembled a mantis.

The one weakness shared by the hundreds of insect-shaped monsters he had faced was always the same.

Having finished his thoughts, Taesan immediately stomped on the ground.

The monster swung its leg. Taesan raised his sword.

Kaang!

A heavy sensation flowed through his sword.

Taesan grabbed the end of the monster’s leg.

He was stronger than the monster. He pulled the monster’s body towards himself. Then, Taesan struck the reverse joint of the monster’s leg.

Kaang!

It was the loudest sound yet. The monster’s body staggered greatly.

[Monster 999 took 702 damage.]

Seeing the significantly increased damage, Taesan was certain:

The monster’s joint area was its weakness.

Every insect-type monster Taesan had faced had been like this. Despite their tough exoskeletons that resisted most attacks, their joint areas were vulnerable and easier to target.

This monster was no exception.

Taesan dove between the monster’s legs and swung his sword. The monster’s joint buckled, and it fell.

The monster swung its forelegs wildly, trying to grab Taesan. He deflected them with his sword, then stepped on and yanked the hind leg’s joint.

Puddeuk.

The hind leg made an unstable sound as it began to bend. Taesan exerted more force to tear apart the monster’s joint when suddenly, immense power descended upon the mantis.

Taesan immediately responded.

[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Lakiratas].] [You have activated Apostle Slayer.]

Great might and power filled Taesan. He exerted even more strength into his hand, holding the monster’s leg. But the monster violently shook its leg.

The strength was incomparable to before, and Taesan had to back off.

He looked intently at the monster.

A different level of might emanated from it.

[Ah... really doing everything.]

The ghost muttered in disbelief. It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.

[The high gods have bestowed might upon this monster to kill you. And it's of a considerable level.]

The might that descended upon the monster wrapped around its joint areas like a barrier.

“Can it be used in such a way?”

[This is new to me, too. Is it because they are high gods? The usage of might is quite unique.]

“But something looks off.”

The monster kept shaking its head as if it had a tic. Its leg movements became awkwardly unnatural, as if it were wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

[It's because the might was forcibly bestowed. Unlike you, it doesn't have the rightful qualifications, so maintaining it must be a struggle.]

Taesan stomped the ground.

The monster responded by swinging its forelegs.

However, the movement was awkward. Taesan easily dodged the slightly delayed attack and dove between its legs.

He stabbed at the joint area as before.

Kaang!

But the sword did not penetrate.

It felt like hitting a solid iron shell.

Taesan realized why the gods’ might was concentrated in the joint areas.

The monster’s might was similar to Taesan’s Apostle Transformation. They both gained equal power, so attacking the joints would normally work.

However, with all the might concentrated in the joint areas, Taesan could not break through.

The monster attacked Taesan with its legs.

But the attack was too clumsy. It was easy to dodge just by shifting his body slightly.

The ghost chuckled.

[It's half-ruined. They probably made it like this just to buy time, right? What will you do now? Attacking the joints seems difficult.]

Taesan’s expression remained unchanged.

Compensating for weaknesses wasn’t uncommon.

He had faced numerous monsters.

And dozens of different types of creatures.

All had their own weaknesses. Among them, some had concealed or compensated for their weaknesses.

And Taesan had defeated all of them.

If one weakness disappeared, he just had to find a new one. Taesan clenched his fist.

[You have activated The Deer Walking on the Wind Path.]