HBWnovel Chapter 476: 90th Floor: The Wizard (2)
Chapter 476: 90th Floor: The Wizard (2)
“Even now, your growth is remarkable,” the wizard remarked. “Honestly, across the entire universe, it’s rare to see anyone progress as quickly as you.”
It hadn’t even been ten years since Taesan first entered the labyrinth.
And yet, he had already surpassed the Immortals and reached the realm of transcendence.
“Barring a few extremely exceptional cases, no one has grown as fast as you. It’s impressive—extraordinary, even. But... from this point onward, talent and speed alone won’t be enough.”
Taesan stared at the wizard, his expression calm yet focused.
The wizard shrugged.
“Well, let’s see what you’ve got.”
With a wave of his hand, the wizard’s authority enveloped Taesan. His health, mana, and demonic energy were restored to their peak.
Taesan steadied his sword.
“Is there a time limit?”
“There isn’t one. Take as long as you need. Use whatever means you can—be it ingenuity, brute force, or outright trickery. The method doesn’t matter. All that matters is breaking through me.”
The wizard’s presence grew more distinct. His immense authority and domain unfolded, filling the space with an overwhelming aura.
Taesan had encountered this domain once before, but at the time, his strength had been insufficient to comprehend its full nature.
Now, he could see it clearly.
The wizard’s domain wasn’t just an extension of himself—it was the labyrinth itself.
The space Taesan had traversed, filled with countless mechanisms, traps, and systems, was an extension of the wizard’s will.
“I am the wizard of the labyrinth, the one and only creator and ruler of this place.”
The wizard spread his arms, his grin widening.
“Show me everything you’ve got.”
Taesan clicked his tongue, his expression hardening with determination.@@@@
Then, he moved.
***
What followed was an exhausting battle.
After the initial attack failed, Taesan resorted to trying as many approaches as possible to find a way through.
He poured everything he had into breaching the wizard’s defenses, while the wizard countered effortlessly.
[You have activated Addition.]
[You have activated Blade of Resolve.]
[You have activated Copy.]
His attacks, amplified to their peak, carried damage in the hundreds of thousands. Yet, the wizard simply waved his hand, unbothered.
“Those who achieve transcendence alone wield control over laws. You need to understand the meaning of that.”
A strange ripple spread from the wizard.
Taesan’s sword, bolstered by Addition, Copy, and Blade of Resolve, lost its power in an instant.
The enhanced strength returned to its original state as if nullified completely.
The wizard then flicked his fingers. Pieces of the labyrinth’s walls materialized and shot toward Taesan like meteors.
The speed was overwhelming, making them nearly impossible to dodge entirely. Taesan moved swiftly, but a few fragments still struck him.
[You have taken 111 damage.]
[You have taken 111 damage.]
Taesan’s eyebrows furrowed as he noticed the damage notifications.
Even his Absolute Defense Nullification failed to activate.
The wizard spoke leisurely, his tone almost conversational.
“To control laws and concepts means to wield them entirely as one’s will dictates.”
The labyrinth was the wizard’s domain.
Within it, all laws and mechanisms operated under his will, and nothing born from the labyrinth’s system could defy him.
“Unless you protect yourself with your own domain, labyrinth skills won’t work on me.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Taesan muttered.
If this were Earth, the situation might have been different. On Earth, Taesan’s domain would offer some resistance to the wizard’s interference.
But here, within the labyrinth—the wizard’s domain—skills tied to its system were utterly ineffective.
That meant Taesan had to rely on something outside of the labyrinth’s framework.
[You have activated Asmodeus’s Chains of Corruption.]
“The One Who Walks Through Time... That Old God obliterated the concept of time itself, collapsing both the past and the future to transcend temporal boundaries. Compared to that, what you’re doing now is unimpressive.”
“How reassuring,” Taesan muttered, steadying himself.
Boundary Line, Chaos Domain, and even the time freeze—all of it had failed.
The wizard smirked.
“Keep trying.”
***
Taesan didn’t give up.
He threw everything he had into the fight, combining every skill and ability at his disposal to try and break through the wizard’s defenses.
It was a relentless effort, filled with countless attempts to find even a sliver of hope. Taesan pushed himself for over a week, meticulously exploring every possible avenue to victory.
And in the end, he reached a conclusion.
It’s impossible.
He had believed there would be a weakness somewhere—a gap he could exploit. After all, the labyrinth’s trials always allowed for even the slimmest chance of success. That’s why he’d tried everything in his power.
But no solution emerged.
Taesan had faced trials before that seemed insurmountable, yet he had always prevailed, achieving monumental feats. He believed in his ability to overcome any obstacle.
If there were no clear path to victory, he would create one. If no options were available, he would find an alternative.
But this time was different.
Although the opponent was just a puppet, unlike the Seventh Fragment of the Worldbreaker, this puppet was directly linked to the wizard. Its power was a slightly diminished version of the wizard’s own—arguably indistinguishable from the real thing.
In essence, what stood in Taesan’s way now was one of the strongest beings in the universe.
At least in his current state, victory was utterly out of reach.
Taesan closed his eyes.
How could he win? No, how could he even reach such heights?
This isn’t a quest I can clear through simple combat.
That didn’t mean the quest was entirely unwinnable. The labyrinth was designed so that even the faintest possibility could lead to success.
Taesan looked at the wizard.
The wizard said nothing to the now motionless Taesan. He simply smiled quietly.
It was clear that the wizard wanted something from him.
What does he want from me?
Taesan replayed the wizard’s words in his mind.
The wizard had said that from this point onward, he would face gods and transcendent beings, and that he needed to meet a certain standard to proceed.
Taesan had agreed with this assessment. While he had grown strong and become exceptionally skilled, there were always those who stood higher. The gap between him and those who could influence the universe itself was undeniable.
The wizard also mentioned that Taesan had grown rapidly, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to reach their domain.
The tone wasn’t one of merely needing more black energy or a stronger Boundary Line.
Taesan pondered deeply.
If he continued on his current path—absorbing power through soul elevation and relying on the labyrinth’s system—could he reach the same level as the wizard?
The answer was clear.
It was possible.
The Boundary Line and soul elevation were irregularities, powerful enough to allow him to consume the strength of countless strong beings and dramatically increase his power. If he did so, he could eventually grow powerful enough to confront even the wizard who created the labyrinth.
But another answer also emerged.
It’s far too inefficient.
The wizard’s level was extraordinarily high. Reaching it by consuming the power of countless others would take an astronomical amount of time—far more than what it had taken to descend through the labyrinth so far.
While this method would undoubtedly allow him to reach the wizard’s level, it was an inefficient and clumsy approach. Witnessing the wizard’s strength firsthand made this glaringly apparent.
Taesan opened his eyes.
The wizard was silently watching him.
Was this what he wanted to show me?
That the methods Taesan had relied on so far wouldn’t suffice to reach the heights above?
Does he want me to realize something?
And it wasn’t something physical.
Taesan closed his eyes again, falling deep into thought.
The wizard observed him quietly, a faint smile playing on his lips.