HBWnovel Chapter 438: 85th Floor, The Ashen Lady. Societ Gardenia (6)
Chapter 438: 85th Floor, The Ashen Lady. Societ Gardenia (6)
[You bastard!]
Derzha’s voice roared in defiance.
But her resistance no longer mattered. Even the final explosion of death was nullified by Taesan’s Boundary Line.
Taesan’s Spiritual Rise activated, allowing him to absorb a portion of the power that had once belonged to Societ’s body.
[Your Spiritual Rise has activated. Your stamina has permanently increased.]
[Your Spiritual Rise has activated. You have acquired the special skill [Necromancy].]
But it didn’t stop there.
Taesan began to draw upon powers that Societ had not possessed—abilities granted by external intervention.
[How dare you! You would dare to steal my authority!]
Derzha’s enraged voice thundered as she fought back, attempting to suppress Taesan’s Spiritual Rise by exploiting Societ’s disintegrating body.
But her efforts were futile.
Spiritual Rise ignored Derzha’s resistance, forcefully seizing the powers she had bestowed.
[You...!]
With a final, furious cry, Derzha was completely expelled.
Crunch.
Taesan pulled his sword free, feeling the remnants of Derzha’s authority begin to settle into him.
[Your Spiritual Rise has activated. You have acquired the special skill [Cradle of Death].]
Societ’s body fully crumbled, leaving behind nothing.
For a moment, Taesan gazed down at the remains before calmly swinging his sword to clear the air.
While Taesan finished off Societ, Bardray seized the opportunity to strike.
Clang!
Their swords collided. Bardray executed a technique of near-divine mastery, redirecting Taesan’s blade and lashing out with a counterstrike.
But Societ was no longer present.
Taesan’s magic and dark arts were now unimpeded.
[You activated Baal’s Abyssal Surge.]
The labyrinth trembled as a space-consuming darkness surged toward Bardray.
Bardray tried to hold his ground but was ultimately forced to retreat as the dark tide overwhelmed him.
“...For all the confidence you had in the gods, they didn’t seem to help you much,” Bardray muttered, scowling.
Taesan raised his sword, pointing it at Bardray.
“Do you still intend to fight?”
Most of Bardray’s cards had been revealed, and with Societ gone, victory seemed all but impossible.
Yet Bardray stood firm, lifting his sword without hesitation.
“You’re right. I cannot defeat you. But what of it? A true hero does not falter in the face of the impossible! I came here knowing what lay ahead, conquering every so-called impossibility to reach this point!”
His words, charged with unyielding determination, rippled through the labyrinth.
“I will make the impossible possible! Come, adventurer! I will kill you and claim victory!”
True to his word, Bardray launched himself at Taesan, refusing to stop despite the odds.
Taesan reciprocated, ready to bring the fight to a decisive end.
[You activated Great Collapse.]
A sphere of destructive magic materialized, warping reality as it rushed toward Bardray.
Bardray narrowly evaded, his movements swift and precise. But Taesan pursued him relentlessly, striking at his retreating form.
Clang!
Their swords met again, and Bardray’s wrist twisted deftly, guiding Taesan’s blade downward with a precision born of mastery.
With an opening created, Bardray drove his sword toward Taesan’s chest.
But Taesan didn’t block.
[Your First Strike Absolute Nullification has activated.]
The attack vanished, leaving Bardray’s eyes wide with shock.
Taking advantage of the opening, Taesan thrust his blade.
[You activated Blade of Willpower.]
[You activated Addition.]
Crunch.
[You dealt 88,977 damage to Bardray.]
[Bardray’s Last Stand has activated.]
[Bardray’s Final Battle has activated.]
“Gah!”
It was a single, decisive strike.
***
Taesan turned to speak to the ghost, but before he could, another presence revealed itself.
Boom!
The bricks of the labyrinth shifted, and Balbabamba, the Administrator, appeared.
[This interference exceeds what is necessary, but I’ll allow it this time. It concluded without any significant issues.]
“What now?” Taesan asked impatiently.
[The end of a contract. A contract with someone like the ghost, who has already died, is unique. When it ends, I must handle it directly.]
Balbabamba’s gaze shifted to the ghost. Though Exireia’s power maintained its form, the ghost was no longer bound to the labyrinth.
[Like those who were deceived by the God of Descent, you are no longer permitted to remain here. Normally, I would finalize your rewards and expel you. However... you fulfilled your role as a contractor in the labyrinth’s quest. I’ll allow you to remain for now.]
[Understood.]
Balbabamba hesitated for a moment before addressing the ghost again.
[What do you intend to do now?]
[There’s nothing more to do. This is the end.]
[If you wish, you can establish a new contract with the labyrinth.]
The ghost paused, startled.
[...That’s possible?]
[Normally, it wouldn’t be. But this time, I’ll make an exception. If you agree to a new contract, you will be allowed to stay in the labyrinth.]
The ghost’s voice was unsteady. [And if I accept?]
[You may entrust your wish to the adventurer. However, as your wish borders on the impossible, you would need to remain here for a very long time—perhaps until the end of the universe itself.]
The ghost’s wish: the salvation of a destroyed world.
It could only be achieved by conquering the labyrinth or reversing time—both feats bordering on impossibility.
[I won’t force you. The choice is yours. You are now entirely free. Returning to where you belong might be the better option. I’ll give you some time to decide.]
Balbabamba turned to leave, but Taesan stopped him.
“Wait.”
“What I want to know is this: the labyrinth was replicated by the High Gods, wasn’t it?”
[Are you referring to the labyrinths created by the High Gods?]
“No, I’m talking about this one.”
[I understand what you mean.]
In solo mode, players like Lee Taeyeon couldn’t meet one another because the labyrinth had been duplicated for each individual.
While those who reached transcendent levels were unaffected, ordinary labyrinth NPCs were.
“In cases like Beldenkia or the ghost, does that mean their counterparts in other labyrinths didn’t achieve their wishes?”
The idea felt deeply unfair. After all the effort to fulfill a wish, would their other iterations remain unfulfilled?
[The magician has also been pondering that question. There’s no need for you to concern yourself. A solution has already been found.]
Balbabamba’s response was curt.
[Is that all your questions? If so, hero, I’ll await the ghost’s decision.]
As Balbabamba began to vanish, he seemed to remember something.
[Ah, about the 86th floor. I thought long and hard about what to do with it. A standard labyrinth wouldn’t suffice, but I couldn’t find anything suitable.]
“What did you do?” Taesan asked warily.
[I kept it simple.]
“Simple?”
[I pulled up a floor from below.]
"Pulled up?" Taesan repeated, realizing what it meant. A floor from deeper in the labyrinth had been dragged upward.
[It won’t fully satisfy someone like you, but it should still be worth your effort to conquer.]
With that, Balbabamba vanished completely.
The ghost remained silent, lost in thought.
***
[And so... it’s finally over.]
The connection between the ghost and Taesan had been forged through their shared quest. Now, with the quest complete, it was time for the rewards to be distributed.
[You’ve done well. Exceptionally well. It’s only right that I give you a reward worthy of your efforts.]
Power surged from the ghost into Taesan. It wasn’t a mere fragment; it was as if the ghost was offering everything, holding nothing back.
[Take it. This is all of me.]
[The Relic of Cavert: The Sword Imbued with the Ancestor’s Blood has transformed into The Relic of Cavert: The Final Master.]
[You have acquired the title: Successor of the Storm Scar Swordsmanship.]
[You have obtained the Ring Announcing the Succession of the Fallen Empire.]
[You have obtained Bardray’s Keepsake.]
The ghost’s legacy, along with the remnants of his past and his treasured items, had now fully passed to Taesan. The bond forged by their journey had reached its final moment, leaving Taesan with both power and the weight of the ghost’s legacy.