Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 450: The Seventh Return, Earth (2)

[Special Quest: Start]

[This quest targets all of humanity.]

[All survivors must gather at a specific location. Overcome the challenges encountered on the way and reach the designated place.]

[This quest has no time limit.]

[The more influence you have on the encounters between players, the more points you will earn upon returning to the labyrinth.]

The quest began.

Leaders and powerful figures from various nations gathered in a conference room, their faces serious as they started their discussions.

"Has the location been confirmed?"

"It’s in the United States."

In response to the question from India's leader, Kamal Hassan, Russia’s leader, Viktor Stanichin, answered.

"The United States was the dominant nation before the world fell apart, so it’s fitting as the last meeting point. But I don’t like it."

Viktor grumbled. His homeland, Russia, had been in opposition to the United States until the world’s collapse. The idea that the final gathering point would be in America wasn’t a pleasant one for him.

"Given the state of the world, it would be foolish to cling to such outdated feelings," Taesan added.

"We need to head to Las Vegas in the United States. Fortunately, there’s no time limit like in the previous quest," Kamal Hassan said.

"Las Vegas..." Kang Junhyeok muttered with an ambiguous expression.

"How do we get there?"

At those words, silence fell over the room.

Previous quests had involved long-distance travels, crossing continents and oceans.

But this time was different.

This time, they had to cross not just continents, but the world itself.

"How far is it from here?" Kamal asked.

"Approximately... 6,500 miles. About 10,000 kilometers. That’s a straight-line distance across the North Pacific. If we go by land, it could be double the distance. Strangely enough, that’s about half of the Earth's circumference," the Russian leader replied.

"...I can’t even fathom how long that will take."

Kim Huiyeon sighed in disbelief.

It could very well take years to complete the quest—if Taesan weren’t around.

"Still, with Taesan here, it shouldn’t take that long."

All eyes turned to Taesan. With him, they believed that even the monsters that appeared along the way could be defeated, and they could push forward.

Though it was generally impossible to walk that distance, even Easy Mode players had surpassed the capabilities of average humans. Endurance would not be a problem.

"So how do we cross the ocean?" Lee Taeyeon asked.

"I recall there’s land near Canada that borders Russia. We could go through there," Viktor suggested.

"I’ve confirmed it. In Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, there’s a port town called Wellen. It’s very close to Alaska. Though it takes about an hour by plane... that should be manageable for him," Kamal Hassan added.

"Yes. It should be more than possible," Kim Huiyeon nodded.

Taesan had crossed the seas between Japan and Korea before. A one-hour flight would be nothing for him.

"It’s going to be a long journey. We’ll need to prepare thoroughly."

The decision was made.

They began preparing for the journey. Given the number of people involved, which exceeded the hundred-thousands, they had to prepare thoroughly.

In the midst of the planning, Taesan spoke up.

"What are you talking about?"

"We’re discussing how to move forward. Why?"

"There’s no need to go through Russia. We’re going straight."

"...What?"

They were taken aback.

Kamala Hassan, who had interpreted Taesan’s words, asked with a stunned expression.

"Straight? You mean... across the Pacific?"

"Yes. We’ll cross the Pacific directly to the United States."

"No... that’s the fastest route, but..."

Kim Huiyeon stammered.

"Across the Pacific? That’s over 10,000 kilometers! And the ocean depth is around 10,000 meters. Even Taesan... can you really do that?"@@@@

It was different from crossing the seas between Japan and Korea.

They would have to cut across the entire Pacific Ocean.

It was like splitting the world in half.

Taesan replied calmly.

"I won’t be splitting the ocean this time... but it’s not impossible. It won’t be that difficult."

"...Huh?"

"Well, I don’t doubt your abilities, but... it’s hard to believe."

Everyone, except for Lee Taeyeon, Beldenkia, and Diana, was stunned. They could barely collect their thoughts.

"But if what you’re saying is true, it would save us a huge amount of time."

"Call me when you’re ready."

Taesan stood up and left the conference room.

Taesan stepped forward.

Exerting his influence over nature, he declared with strong will.

"Freeze."

[You activated the Declaration of Freezing.]

Creeeak!

The ocean froze. People couldn’t contain their awe.

In an instant, the entire ocean froze.

"Just like Taesan!"

"Ohhhh..."

Players from Easy, Normal, and Hard Modes marveled at the sight. It wasn’t surprising since they had seen Taesan freeze the East Sea before.

But the Alone Mode players and the strongest among them were different.

They remained silent.

Their eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.

Even someone like Hassan or Viktor, with enhanced perception, could sense the range of Taesan’s power.

Lee Taeyeon asked with a puzzled expression.

"...How far did you freeze?"

"The entire North Pacific. It’s a large area, and the distance is long, so I did it to be safe."

Taesan answered nonchalantly.

Lee Taeyeon let out a brief chuckle.

The North Pacific was vast.

It was comparable in size to the entire Asian continent.

Taesan had frozen an area of that size with barely any effort.

It meant that, with a thought, he could exert his influence on a continental scale.

Taesan said, as if it were nothing.

"It’s just nature without will. It’s not hard to intervene."

"You do know that this only applies to you, right? I knew it, but... you really are a monster."

She murmured in a tone filled with admiration.

Beldenkia, too, couldn’t hide his amazement.

In his prime, he had nearly reached the edge of mortality. It wasn’t impossible to exert this level of influence, but it would require countless magic circles and tools, preparing for at least a year.

Even then, it would be unstable, and someone could easily disrupt it.

But Taesan had done it with a simple phrase.

It didn’t even seem unstable. He had frozen even the deep ocean, and there were no problems even with millions of people walking on it.

"Is this the power of an immortal?"

In the stunned silence, Taesan moved forward.

"Let’s go."

***

"A whale."

Kim Huiyeon muttered. On the surface of the ocean, a whale was frozen, its head raised above the water.

But it wasn’t just the whale.

Countless fish from the Pacific Ocean.

They were all visible beneath the frozen sea surface.

The North Pacific, between Japan and the United States, was completely frozen now.

"What is this?"

Lee Taeyeon clicked her tongue in disbelief. While she could easily make a path across the East Sea using her items, freezing the entire Pacific Ocean was an achievement beyond her imagination.

"Taesan, there must be monsters beneath the ocean, is that okay?"

"No problem."

Taesan replied calmly. Monsters were banging on the ice beneath the ocean, but unless they were at the Apostle level, they couldn’t break the ice that Taesan had created.

They continued to advance across the frozen Pacific.

Late to react, monsters began charging at them and attacking.

[Uooooh!]

[You have activated the Frozen World.]

Crreeeeak!

The frozen sea rose up. It turned into a tidal wave of coldness, rushing forward. The monsters charging toward them froze instantly and became immobile.

"Taesan..."

The reverence and trust in Taesan grew even stronger.

And that belief materialized, enveloping Taesan.

[Divine Power Mastery has increased by 1%.]

It had been a long time since his Divine Power Mastery had increased. Now, there was not much left to reach 100%.

Taesan’s primary goal for this return was to reach 100% Divine Power mastery.