Ascension Through Skills

Taesan left the confused Jorge behind and entered the secret room. The ghost, coming to his senses belatedly, asked,

[What? How did you find it so quickly?]

“You already know.”

[What are you talking about… Ah.]

The ghost also realized it late.

It knew that Taesan had turned back time. And it also knew that in that process, an adventurer had been involved.

The ghost fell silent. Taesan passed through the corridor and entered the room.

Inside the small room, there was a single book.

Taesan picked it up.

[Analysis of Reading Methods for In-Depth Exploration of Knowledge.]

Taesan stepped back out with the book. He showed it to Jorge, who stared at him blankly.

“Have you read this?”

“No.”

Jorge shook his head.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen this book.”

“I see.”

“How did you find that place so quickly?”

Jorge couldn’t comprehend it.

This place was under Metis’s domain. Powers like reconnaissance didn’t work here. To find a secret room required pure judgment, time, and luck.

And yet, Taesan had found the secret room instantly.

“You…”

“I have my ways.”

Taesan sat down in a chair and opened the book. Its content was exactly as the title suggested. While not particularly exciting, it was still worth reading.

And upon reading the entire book, Taesan obtained a skill.

[You have acquired the special continuous activation skill [Speed Reading].]

‘It’s real.’

A book that granted skills simply by being read. That’s why it was hidden in a place called a secret room.

Having obtained the skill, Taesan handed the book to Jorge, who accepted it, trying to calm his surprise.

“I’ll admit it. I don’t know how you found it, but you’ve brought a book I couldn’t read. Congratulations. You’ve fulfilled the clearance condition for Floor 78.”

Taesan could now proceed to Floor 79 at any time.

“You can descend or stay here to accumulate knowledge. Do as you please.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Taesan moved through the shelves once more.

Rather than reading the books, he appeared to be searching for something, causing Jorge to gape in disbelief.

“…Don’t tell me you…”

“Found it.”

Krrrrng!

The shelves shifted, revealing a hidden corridor beyond them.

[You have discovered a second secret room.]

[First Discovery Bonus]

[Strength +100]

[Agility +100]

[Intelligence +100]

Jorge was now speechless.

---

Taesan continued exploring the Library of All Things.

Before long, he discovered six secret rooms.

[You have discovered a sixth secret room.]

[First Discovery Bonus]

[Attack Power +50]

[Defense Power +50]

[Ha.]

The ghost couldn’t help but admire it.

[Many suspected it, but… This is incredible.]

The ghost knew about Lee Taeyeon.

Though Taesan had occasionally mentioned her, what stood out was that the ghost had met an incarnation of Lee Taeyeon during the trials of the God of Despair.

Though it was just one meeting, the ghost had seen enough to understand the kind of person Lee Taeyeon was.

Frightened, wanting to run, yet unable to abandon her duties—ultimately moving forward.

That was Lee Taeyeon as the ghost saw her.

It knew she had the talent to clear the labyrinth, but compared to Taesan, she seemed lacking.

Yet, this exceeded its expectations.

The ghost hadn’t even sensed the existence of secret rooms here, and neither had other adventurers. Searching for secret rooms in this vast library, where reconnaissance didn’t work, was almost impossible.

Yet Lee Taeyeon had found secret rooms here—multiple ones.

[In some ways, she might be more amazing than you.]

“She is amazing.”

While she sometimes doubted herself, she was indeed remarkable.

Though her experiences on the 78th floor were from long ago, Taesan still vaguely remembered the locations.

Back then, Lee Taeyeon frequently shared her stories on the community platform, to the point of annoyance. Her posts about struggling in the depths were etched into Taesan’s memory.

Though not recalled with perfect accuracy due to the passage of time, Taesan’s current abilities allowed him to find things even with just approximate information.

“…Truly remarkable.”

Jorge, watching the scene, murmured as well. Since Taesan had discovered the second secret room, Jorge had closed his book and followed him.

Kugugugung!

[You have discovered the seventh secret room.]

Taesan tried to enter as he had done before.

However, the corridor rejected him. His body was pushed back.

Taesan stared at the passage.

A faintly trembling force was denying entry to the visitor.

[Secret Room of the Demon God.]

[Entry is prohibited unless granted permission by the god.]

“What is this?”

“I told you. Some knowledge here requires qualifications. The room in front of you belongs to the Demon God.”

Jorge explained.

“This place is called the Library of All Things for a reason; it contains information about gods. But not everyone can access it. Permission must be granted by the gods themselves. It’s practically impossible. You should give up.”

Lee Taeyeon had said something similar. She mentioned finding a secret room but being unable to enter it.

Taesan placed his hand on the corridor’s entrance.

The force guarding the corridor quivered, as if observing the intruder.

Taesan felt a gaze beyond the force. It was familiar—one he had sensed repeatedly.

The owner of the gaze smiled faintly.

At that moment, the restrictions imposed by the corridor’s force disappeared.

“…That’s impossible.”

Jorge’s eyes wavered.

Taesan stepped inside.

There, he saw a black, shining sphere of power.

The sphere seeped into Taesan.

[You have acquired the special continuous activation skill [Trace of Darkness].]

A skill was obtained.

Simultaneously, memories seeped into Taesan’s mind.

---

Afterward, Taesan continued searching for secret rooms and even found a few others related to the gods, similar to the Demon God’s room.

The god of Struggle and Death, Lakiratas, and the god of Victory, Balthasar, had both allowed Taesan to access their secret rooms. Thus, he easily obtained their rewards.

Before long, Taesan had discovered over fifteen secret rooms.

Jorge silently watched the scene.

‘What is this guy?’

He was utterly shocked.

Jorge already knew Taesan was strong. The Library of All Things was his domain, and it was natural to assess a visitor’s strength. He had already determined that Taesan possessed power beyond mortality.

It was surprising, but not shocking. After all, the Library was a place where even stronger individuals than Taesan occasionally visited.

However, when Taesan continued discovering secret rooms, Jorge couldn’t help but be astounded.

Even with exceptional analytical skills, it would take months to find just one secret room. Yet, Taesan had found over ten in a short period.

Jorge briefly considered that someone might have told him, but these were secrets no one else had discovered. The idea of learning about them from others was impossible.

And that wasn’t all.

Divine recognition.

As the overseer of this place, Jorge knew the significance. The Library of All Things contained valuable information for gods, making it crucial to them.

Yet, the gods themselves had allowed Taesan access to their hidden knowledge.

This meant the gods considered Taesan to be more than just an apostle—a potential confidant worthy of trust.

And not just one god—three gods had acknowledged him.

‘Fascinating.’

Jorge’s eyes sparkled.

He was an obsessive seeker of knowledge.

After craving and pursuing knowledge endlessly, he was recognized by the God of Knowledge and became the Library’s overseer.

Taesan’s existence was now sparking Jorge’s intellectual curiosity. He observed Taesan quietly.

Taesan, who had been searching for secret rooms, paused for a moment. He had acquired plenty and planned to organize his gains before resuming his exploration.

Though each first discovery bonus was small individually, receiving over fifteen made the rewards significant. That alone justified the effort in searching for secret rooms.

The rewards Taesan had gained included five books, seven items, and three divine secrets, along with skills.

The seven items were all equipment related to magic and black magic. He planned to use them as offerings.

The five books primarily helped accumulate knowledge-related skills. They seemed to have little impact on combat.

Finding them unremarkable, Taesan handed them to Jorge after acquiring the skills. Jorge accepted them with a satisfied expression.

The divine secret rewards were quite useful. Each granted a skill befitting its origin.

The Demon God’s skill enhanced the power of black magic. Lakiratas’ skill temporarily boosted stats when on the brink of death.

From the God of Victory, Balthasar, Taesan acquired a skill that granted additional stats when defeating a certain number of the same type of monster.

All were continuous activation skills that required no extra attention, making them broadly practical.

Moreover, from the secret rooms related to the gods, Taesan had gained memories alongside the skills.

Initially chaotic and incomprehensible, he could now understand them to some extent after organizing his thoughts.

These were memories of the gods when they were still mortals.

This was likely why divine recognition was required to access those rooms.

As Taesan slowly recalled these memories, a sound interrupted him.

Step. Step.

Footsteps echoed. Someone was approaching.

Jorge frowned.

“An annoying old man has come.”

“Now, don’t be so harsh, Jorge.”

A familiar voice resonated, yet its tone had drastically changed.

There was no strength in the voice.

An old man with a hollow expression appeared between the bookshelves.

“For someone we’ll be spending a long time with, shouldn’t we build some rapport?”

“I have no intention of building rapport with a lunatic.”

Jorge spoke bluntly, clearly disliking the old man.

The old man, however, didn’t mind.

He merely sat in a chair absentmindedly, seemingly unaware of Taesan’s presence right beside him.

The old man’s condition was unusual. Finally, Taesan spoke first.

“Hello.”

“Hmm?”

Only then did the old man notice Taesan.

Upon seeing Taesan’s face, his eyes widened.

“…You’ve already made it here?”

“It’s been a while, Ainzhar.”

[You have encountered one who seeks gods.]

---

Ainzhar.

“Ha, haha!”

Seeing Taesan, Ainzhar laughed.

“You’re fast. As expected of someone I acknowledged. To reach this place so quickly!”

“I worked hard. Did you find what you were looking for?”

The beloved goddess Levynenoff—he had entered the labyrinth to find her.

Taesan had told him the location of Levynenoff, which turned out to be right here on the 78th floor.

Despite the passage of time, Ainzhar was still here. Whether he had achieved his goal was unknown.

“…Did you find what you were seeking?”

Suddenly, Ainzhar’s expression changed.

“Yes, I found it. I found it.”

He smiled faintly.

It was a bright, carefree smile, yet Taesan felt a strange dissonance in its brightness.

“All thanks to you. I discovered Levynenoff.”

“…I see. Congratulations.”

Something felt off.

Taesan remembered Ainzhar. Although he had been fanatically devoted to his god, he had otherwise been a sound and vigorous individual, consistent in action and thought.

Now, however, something was amiss. While it was hard to pinpoint, it felt like Ainzhar was feigning composure before him.

“…It’s perfect timing.”

Ainzhar clapped his hands, his unsettling smile directed at Taesan.

“You. Would you like to join me in meeting Levynenoff?”