Ascension Through Skills

What did it mean to be an Immortal? What was a Transcendent? How did faith form among people?

The Library of All Things contained information on these topics.

Most of it matched what Taesan had heard from the ghost, but the ghost hadn’t completely grasped the knowledge from this place.

This was because the ghost wasn’t particularly interested in faith or transcendence.

The ghost’s interest lay solely in the sword and the salvation of the destroyed world.

As such, some of the information the ghost knew was incomplete.

“Hmm.”

Taesan closed the book.

He had searched through the library and read books about faith and transcendence.

Thanks to this, he was able to confirm what he already knew and fill in some gaps.

Moreover, he acquired more detailed information.

“Immortality and transcendence. Reflections on the two realms.”

It was a book packed with extraordinarily complex and densely written information.

[Transcendents are beings who acquire their own divine names and establish their domains. They are sometimes called gods.]

[In contrast, Immortals are those who lack divine names. They have no domains to govern.]

[While Immortals achieve their status through sheer power and thus enjoy more freedom, they have little influence from a cosmic perspective.]

[An Immortal can become a Transcendent, but in most cases, this happens through acquiring faith, resulting in an incomplete transcendence. True transcendence, where an Immortal gains a domain, is exceedingly rare across the universe.]

The distinction between Immortals and Transcendents lay in the presence or absence of a domain. This matched what the ghost had explained.

However, the subsequent information was new to Taesan.

[It is also possible to transcend mortality by gathering the faith of people. However, this path is unstable and limited.]

This was something Taesan had experienced himself.

He had surpassed the mortal realm through the worship of the masses.

Depending on the quality and quantity of worship, reaching the state of transcendence was possible. After all, having a world under one’s control could be considered a form of domain.

“This might be the path the Green Witch was seeking.”

The Green Witch had desired to become a Transcendent.

Faith from people.

This might have been one of the methods she sought.

As this thought crossed his mind, a voice resonated in his head.

[That’s not it, child.]

A soft and gentle voice.

Taesan paused briefly, then realized the owner of the voice.

“Green Witch.”

[So you remember me.]

A faint laugh followed.

Taesan returned his gaze to the book.

“You can also converse?”

[Simple conversations are possible. I had intended only to observe, but I felt the need to correct your thoughts.]

The witch continued in a calm tone.

[Your thoughts are correct. With sufficient faith, it’s possible to reach transcendence, even if only temporarily. But, child, haven’t you experienced it yourself? Such a position is precarious.]

“I know.”

When Taesan had announced his departure, people despaired.

In that moment of emotional outburst, Taesan felt immense strain.

It was enough to momentarily shake his very being.

[Though it’s possible to ascend to transcendence through faith, it’s not a stable position. Humanity is destined to perish, and faith is no different. Over generations, belief weakens, and eventually, power fades.]

[That’s not the kind of position I seek.]

The witch spoke softly, yet her voice carried a fervor.

[A solitary, pure existence, one that receives its own divine name, free from interference and unwavering under any circumstance. A position that defies even the passage of time and shines eternally. That is what I desire.]

“Is that so?”

Reflecting on it, it was impossible for someone as knowledgeable as the Immortal Witch to be unaware of faith.

What she sought was higher than the unstable position created by faith.

“That’s unfortunate.”

[Not at all. Even so, I see hope now, unlike before.]

The witch’s voice grew excited.

[You’re truly remarkable. Even if it was only temporary, you reached a level comparable to mine in such a short time.]

It hadn’t been long since the witch had encountered Taesan.

During that time, Taesan had crossed the threshold and transcended mortality. It was an incomprehensible pace of growth. Most powerful figures spent their entire lives without crossing that boundary.

The emperor’s obsession with divine blood was evidence of how difficult it was to surpass that threshold.

[Perhaps you could...]

Of course, it was still a distant prospect.

The position Taesan had reached through faith wasn’t that of a full Immortal, much less a Transcendent.

But the potential was undeniable.

[I’ll keep watching over you and cheering you on. Stay strong.]

With that, the Green Witch’s voice faded.

The ghost let out a belated sigh.

[Whew. That was intense.]

“What’s wrong?”

[The presence of an Immortal isn’t something you can simply brush off. You’re the strange one.]

The ghost grumbled.

It seemed he had been using all his strength just to shield himself from the overwhelming presence of the Green Witch.

Taesan continued reading about gods and transcendence.

Overall, the content wasn’t much different from what other Transcendents had told him.

The ghost mumbled in awe as Taesan calmly absorbed the knowledge.

[Don’t you feel dizzy? I can’t even manage to read it.]

The ghost’s disinterest in faith and Transcendents wasn’t the only issue; he simply couldn’t handle reading it.

Every time he tried to read about gods and transcendence, he suffered mental strain, as if unqualified to absorb the information.

Yet, Taesan showed no such signs.

“Not at all.”

He felt no mental burden.

Taesan calmly read through the books, while the ghost clicked his tongue.

As Taesan was about to conclude his reading, a passage caught his eye.

[Transcendents govern domains that match their divine names, and no one can interfere with those domains.]

According to the book, Transcendents with domains were immune to external influences.

Even Taesan, who had turned back time to revisit the past, couldn’t escape the gaze of the gods.

However, the truly fascinating part was what followed.

[But even such gods find it nearly impossible to interfere with the flow of time. Their intervention is always localized and limited.]

‘Is it impossible to interfere with time?’

Yet, the Ouroboros Keystone had sent Taesan back to the past.

‘How did she even acquire something like this?’

Lee Taeyeon had also kept information about the keystone a secret.

Thus, Taesan didn’t know how she had obtained it either.

He was suddenly curious, but it was practically impossible to figure out without divine assistance.

Taesan stood up.

[What? Done already?]

“Not even close.”

There was still much he was curious about.

However, since there was no urgency, he didn’t feel the need to rush in acquiring knowledge.

For now, his plan was to organize information about the floor first.

Taesan knew quite a bit about the 78th floor.

‘The beloved goddess, Levynenoff’s dwelling place.’

Had Ainzhar found his goddess?

It seemed likely, but there was no certainty.

The location where the goddess resided was the reason.

Levynenoff’s place was in the twenty-fourth Secret Room.

In other words, this floor had more than twenty-four Secret Rooms.

‘A floor with an unusually large number of Secret Rooms.’

Taesan returned to where Jorge was.

Without lifting his eyes from the book, Jorge spoke.

“Did you find the book?”

“Here it is.”

Taesan handed over a book.

It was one he had grabbed randomly while returning.

Jorge glanced at it briefly and turned his attention back to his reading.

“I’ve already read this one. Bring me another.”

“I see.”

Taesan moved again.

But he didn’t go far.

He searched through the nearby shelves, fiddling with the books.

Perhaps annoyed by the sight, Jorge frowned and spoke.

“Just so you know, I’ve already read every book near here. This isn’t a floor where creativity or unconventional thinking will help, so give up on pointless ideas.”

Jorge had likely read most of the books in the library.

However, cases where people found useful books close by, in seemingly obvious places, were not uncommon.

Since the Labyrinth demanded so many abilities, some floors required unconventional thinking, but Jorge dismissed that possibility for this one.

Even so, Taesan continued lingering near Jorge.

Jorge clicked his tongue and stopped paying attention.

As Taesan flipped through the shelves, he asked Jorge a question.

“This place has a lot of information, but there’s no concrete detail about gods or high gods.”

There were explanations about their realms and powers but no specifics. For instance, what kind of position a Demon God held, what powers the God of Choices, Maria, wielded, or the nature of high gods. Such detailed descriptions were absent.

This was the Library of All Things—a place holding all knowledge known to the God of Knowledge.

Even so, the absence of this information meant one of two things.

Either Taesan hadn’t found it yet.

Or it was sealed somewhere deep within this place.

“Is that the information you’re after?”

Jorge frowned.

“This place holds vast knowledge… but there’s also knowledge that the unqualified cannot access.”

Information about gods and high gods that Taesan sought fell into that category.

That was also why even Jorge couldn’t approach certain books.

“If you desire that knowledge, prove you have the qualifications. Then find it yourself. That’s Metis’s will.”

If one desired knowledge, they needed to demonstrate the ability to deserve it.

Taesan intended to do just that.

“Found it.”

Taesan muttered softly and inserted a book deep into the shelf.

Rumble!

The bookshelf began to shake.

With a loud noise, it started to move slowly.

The movement revealed an empty space.

[Huh?]

“…What?”

Both the ghost and Jorge turned their attention to the sight in surprise.

Beyond the space, a passageway appeared.

[You’ve discovered the first Secret Room.]

[First Discovery Bonus]

[Health +500]

[Mana +300]

[Magic Power +50]

[Wait, this floor has Secret Rooms?]

“You didn’t know?”

[Of course not. I assumed there weren’t any since even reconnaissance didn’t reveal anything…]

The ghost hadn’t known that the 78th floor contained Secret Rooms.

His shock was understandable.

[How in the world...]

“I heard about it.”

Lee Taeyeon had spent a long time on the 78th floor.

During that time, she had shared numerous trivial, seemingly insignificant stories.

The reason Taesan, who had started in Easy Mode, knew that Levynenoff’s chamber was the twenty-fourth Secret Room was simple.

While staying in the Library of All Things, Lee Taeyeon had discovered over twenty-four Secret Rooms and shared that information in the community.