Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 400: The Mage Who Created the Labyrinth

**Reunion with the Mage.**

There was no reason to refuse. Taesan consented without hesitation. Without any sign of delay, Balbamba used the Administrator's power.

[Balbamba has activated #000004.]

*Crack.*

The space warped, and the world beyond the labyrinth came into view.

[You're the first to see the mage again in such a short time. Enter. Speak with the mage and come to an understanding.]

Taesan stepped into the space.

It was the same as before—distorted, with countless colors mixed together in chaos.

This was the essence of the space.

An area built from the mage’s power, but it felt empty. Unlike a typical realm, it lacked the presence of its owner.

Instead, it was simply a chaotic mix of forces, an indistinguishable mess.

Taesan had no understanding of it when he first came here. At that time, he lacked the power to perceive such complexities.

But now, he could at least comprehend a little.

[You have activated Essence Perception.]

Focusing his mind, Taesan's gaze trembled slightly.

‘...What is this?’

Though he couldn't grasp the structure or dimensions of the space, he did understand one thing.

This space had not originally been this chaotic.

In the past, it had resembled the domains of other transcendent beings, containing traces of its creator’s features. The power spread throughout the space revealed this truth.

Someone had taken that space and twisted it into this incomprehensible, chaotic form.

Only the master of the domain could alter it this drastically.

The mage had transformed his domain so much that its original shape was unrecognizable.

Taesan couldn’t fathom why he did it, though. His rank was still stuck at the level of an Immortal—he simply lacked the power to understand.

“You look curious,” a voice suddenly said.

Taesan turned to see a man with an ordinary, commonplace face—a face anyone could see anywhere. He was looking at Taesan.

“It’s good to see you again.”

Taesan nodded in acknowledgment.

---

* * *

The mage snapped his fingers. A chair and a table appeared. A variety of refreshments appeared on the table as well.

“I’ll admit, I was surprised,” said the mage, sitting in the chair and sipping tea. Taesan took a seat across from him.

“Really. How did you get here so quickly?”

“Wasn’t I watching everything?” Taesan replied.

“You were watching, yes. But still, it's surprising.”

The mage shrugged.

“I thought you’d reach at least Floor 80 before getting here. This place isn’t just a matter of meeting requirements to progress; it's about power and rank. I thought you lacked those... but I was wrong. A pleasant misunderstanding.”

The mage took another sip of his tea.

“Though Balbamba's probably got a headache now.”

“What will you do about it?” Taesan asked.

The labyrinth was for mortals, and Taesan, as he was now, wasn’t supposed to be the target.

The mage smiled quietly.

“What will I do?” he repeated.

Taesan waited in silence. The mage continued to drink his tea, remaining quiet.

“Honestly, I have a headache too,” the mage said, setting his empty teacup down.

“According to the labyrinth’s rules, I should expel you. Otherwise, we’d have to make a contract that prevents you from taking anything further from the labyrinth. But... if I do that, the gods will cause quite a fuss.”

“I was in easy mode,” Taesan replied.

In easy mode, his growth had been limited. Therefore, he had no choice but to become stronger by acquiring numerous skills.

“Doesn’t that seem strange to you?” the mage prodded.

“You were strong. Really strong. Even though it was a shortcut, you were rated equally with Lee Taeyeon, who cleared this place. If you fought for real, you would’ve won.”

“That’s because I used the system to gain skills...”

“No.”

The mage denied Taesan’s words.

He laughed.

“That’s impossible.”

“But I did it.”

Taesan had defeated Lee Taeyeon, a B-rank monster, and even wounded the Apostle of the God of Death with his weak stats. The mage’s words meant nothing to him.

“That’s the problem, Taesan,” the mage said, leaning back in his chair.

His face was full of amusement.

“I said it was impossible, but it’s not completely impossible. Just like your past self, you could have made an effort to acquire countless skills, achieved results, and gained other powers. It was possible. But... how much effort did you really put in?”

“...More effort than I can count.”

He had abandoned all distractions and focused only on acquiring skills, pursuing every possibility.

“Amazing dedication and effort. With those stats, you took down two single-digit monsters. You even wounded the Apostle of the God of Death. It’s an impressive feat. Even transcendent beings would be in awe. So let me ask you one question.”

The mage asked with genuine curiosity.

“Why couldn’t your past self transcend mortality?”

---

* * *

Taesan, having finished his conversation with the mage, returned to the labyrinth.

But his mind was still unsettled.

‘You should have transcended mortality back then. It should have happened exactly like that.’

In fact, Taesan had earned that right. He had reached a higher plane through the union of body and mind.

But nothing changed.

He was still just a mortal.

‘But the Soul Up

grades I got then remain, even after time reversed. With that, I can steal the powers of even the Immortals and transcendent beings.’

The mage had been right in that regard.

The last words of the mage echoed in his mind.

‘What made you like this? What twisted you?’

Taesan didn’t know the answer either, but for now, he decided to put aside the unresolved issue and focus on something that mattered more. He opened his community chat.

In the community, numerous people were chatting away. Taesan looked for Lee Taeyeon, but she wasn’t responding.

[Gang Junhyuk [Allron]: Ah, hyung.]

He received a quick response when he contacted Junhyuk.

[Gang Taesan [Allron]: How’s Lee Taeyeon doing?]

She had regained her memory. Taesan needed to know how she was progressing through the labyrinth.

[Gang Junhyuk [Allron]: Funny you should ask. I was about to ask you the same thing. What did you talk about with her?]

[Gang Taesan [Allron]: Why?]

[Gang Junhyuk [Allron]: She’s already on Floor 55.]

Taesan froze.

When he had left for Earth, she had only been in the late 40s. From Floor 50 onwards, the difficulty increased, and it wasn’t easy to progress.

Junhyuk asked in confusion.

[Gang Junhyuk [Allron]: She hasn’t complained at all. She’s just quietly going down. What did you do to her?]