Ascension Through Skills

[Easy Mode] [This is the easiest difficulty level. Plenty of food is available, and the rest areas in the middle of the labyrinth will be like an oasis for you. Even ordinary and weak individuals can clear this level with enough effort.]

Easy Mode.

It was the mode he had chosen and was incredibly easy. As stated in the description, even an incompetent could clear it with some resolve.

Of course, some people still died. The clearance rate was about 70%.

[Normal Mode] [This is the average difficulty level. The amount of food here is scarce, and the rest areas that exist halfway through the labyrinth are significantly less than in Easy Mode.] [Survival for ordinary people is challenging, but if you do your best and avoid succumbing to despair, you can clear it.]

From here, the survival rate dropped sharply. The average clear rate of Normal Mode was about 30%.

[Hard Mode] [This difficulty level tests your limits. The amount of food here is critically low, and the rest areas scattered throughout the labyrinth are very scarce. Monsters will willingly sacrifice their lives to kill you. If you don't ensure maximum safety, you will lose your life horribly.]

The clear rate for Hard Mode was just 1%. Those who survived this mode boasted strength incomparable to those from the Easy and Normal Modes.

Until this point, players of the same mode were able to cooperate. They can clear the labyrinth together and jointly attack the bosses.

And then, the last one.

[Solo Mode] [This is a mode where you are alone. You cannot meet anyone from your world. The only things you can see here are monsters, individuals hostile to you, and NPCs.] [Luck, talent, wisdom, strategy. You can't survive in this place that tests everything. If your life is precious, don't choose this difficulty.]

Such a brutal description. The funny thing was about 10,000 people chose Solo Mode despite that description.

Among them, only Lee Taeyeon survived.

A labyrinth where the clearance rate was unknown.

The first time, Taesan had chosen Easy Mode. Because he was weak because he didn’t know his worth.

But now, he knew his worth.

Taesan looked up at the crack in the sky. The apostle who killed him might also be beyond that.

Would he have won if he had been fully prepared? Taesan thought there was a possibility. If he pulled out all the stops, maybe he could have won.

But would that be the end?

There had only been four waves. The last monster that appeared in the sky was stronger than the apostle. The strongest monster hadn’t even shown itself yet. In the end, he would have been defeated.

But if he hadn’t chosen Easy Mode, if he had chosen the mode where he could gain the most and become the strongest.

Taesan smiled faintly.

“Wait for me.”

[Solo Mode selected.] [May fortune be with you.]

His vision flipped, and his body transitioned. Taesan closed his eyes and waited quietly.

Soon the discomfort disappeared. When he opened his eyes, a village came into view.

Houses with chimneys. A well in the middle of the village.

A world with a medieval setting was before his eyes.

“Sigh.”

Taesan let out a sigh filled with both longing and weariness.

After a long time, he returned here once again.

“It looks the same.”

The village looked no different from the one in Easy Mode. The important part was not the village but the labyrinth, so it probably hadn’t been made with much care.

There was nothing to see here. His plan was to just check to the bare minimum and then head straight to the labyrinth. Taesan opened his mouth.

“Community.”

[Community.] [Posts.] [Kang Junhyuk[Solo] : ??? Guys, what is this?]

Community. It was the only way for people of different difficulties to communicate. It was of great help as pioneers released various pieces of information.

‘There’s already a post?’

He also logged in and immediately opened the Community. But the existence of a post meant that someone had shouted ‘Community’ and left a message as soon as they entered.

He didn’t know who it was, but they were quick to adapt. Taesan wrote a comment.

[Kang Taesan[Solo]: Fighting.]

He could utilize the Community later. It had no significant meaning now.

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“Status Window.”

[Kang Taesan] [Level: 1] [HP: 100/100] [Mana: 10/10] [Strength: 10] [Intelligence: 10] [Agility: 10] [Attack + 0] [Defense + 0] [The target is in the best condition.]

A familiar window appeared. Looking at those feeble stats, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Every player who entered the labyrinth started with the same stats.

But the difference in growth varied depending on the difficulty level. As you broke through the labyrinth and leveled up, the gap gradually widened and eventually became insurmountable.

He was now in Solo mode. He would become stronger faster than anyone else.

The simple check was over. Taesan headed for the labyrinth.

Walking through the village, he recalled Lee Taeyeon’s words.

‘There was someone guarding the entrance of the labyrinth.’

There was one even in Easy mode. A white-bearded old man, an NPC who answered only when asked.

It would be different here. Taesan recalled the description of the Solo Mode.

[This is a mode where you are alone. You cannot meet anyone who came from your world. What you can see here are only monsters, those who are hostile to you, and NPCs.]

NPC.

There must be a reason why they specifically mentioned them.

As he arrived in front of the labyrinth, he saw a sleeping man leaning against the cave wall. As Taesan approached, the man slightly opened his eyes.

“What, you’re here already? I thought it would take about a month.”

The man with black hair woke up with a yawn. Sharp eyes became visible.

‘Hmm.’

Taesan quietly admired him.

As the man stood up, it felt as if the world itself was standing up. Something colossal seemed to be condensed into that small body.

An aura, or perhaps a sense of intimidation. He felt something.

‘This is…’

He was stronger than Lee Taeyeon. An opponent against whom even his past self could not guarantee victory.

‘This is the gatekeeper?’

“First of all, congratulations. I am the gatekeeper of the labyrinth. The guardian of this place and the one to guide you.”

As he stretched, the man asked.

“What’s your name?”

“Kang Taesan. Taesan.”

“Taesan. Not a bad name. Call me Broken Man.”

“Broken Man?”

“The one who challenged and failed became the gatekeeper. Doesn’t that seem appropriate?”

“I suppose so.”

Taesan slightly nodded his head. Outwardly, he was having a calm conversation, but inside, he was quite surprised.

‘So, it was real.’

Lee Taeyeon often told him how hard her difficulty level was. He wasn’t particularly interested, but he had listened to her because she offered him a drink.

There was something she said that stuck in his memory.

“Taesan, how were the NPCs in Easy mode?”

“Just NPCs. What’s different?”

They were like game NPCs who only gave set answers and mindlessly repeated the same actions. All the NPCs in Easy, Normal, and Hard modes were such entities.

But Lee Taeyeon rejected Taesan’s words.

“The NPCs in Solo Mode were… well, they were different. They were almost like people.”

“A person?”

“Yeah. They possessed a genuine intellect and moved freely. It seemed like that was one of the differences between other modes and Solo Mode.”

A proper NPC, not a machine. They existed in Solo Mode.

Why did they only exist in this mode and not in Easy, Normal, or Hardmode?

The reason wasn’t hard to figure out.

‘This mode must be the only true mode.’

As Taesan calmly sorted out his thoughts, Broken Man furrowed his eyebrows.

‘Why is this kid so calm?’

He thought that Taesan, who had only lived in a tranquil world, would not be able to accept this sudden reality and would panic.

He had planned to beat him up first and then explain, but Taesan was unfazed. He was just silently looking at him.

“Do you want to hear the explanation?”

“Yes.”

Taesan responded. Most of the information he knew was from Easy Mode. It would be good to listen.

“You’ve heard it roughly from the outside, right? Your world is being destroyed by invaders. This place is an opportunity bestowed on you by a merciful transcendent.”

Broken Man grumbled.

“Such a disgustingly merciful one. It would be happier to just be destroyed.”

“Is that so?”

From that dialogue, Taesan was sure. Broken Man was a similar existence to them.

It meant that he was an existence that had come from a destroyed world, just like them.

Broken Man continued speaking.

“This place is a labyrinth. Some call it a tower. You can call it as you want. In total, there are a hundred floors, major changes occur every ten floors, and naturally, the deeper you go, the harder it gets. Figure out your own food situation within the labyrinth, and you can find the specific details yourself. That’s all.”

“……Is that all?”

It was a very clumsy explanation. Broken Man grumbled.

“Do you want me to explain what’s on the 1st floor and what’s on the 2nd floor too? There’s a guy selling stuff inside. Ask him.”

His face showed immense irritation. Taesan recalled what Lee Taeyeon had said.

’The gatekeeper was foul-tempered and beat me up every time I complained. I almost died even before entering the labyrinth, you know?

Taesan kept his mouth shut, heeding the advice of the pioneer. Broken Man reached out into the empty space.

“Still, I need to give you the basics.”

Crack.

The space split open.

“Catch.”

Broken Man tossed the cloth armor and sword he took out from that void space.

“Say ‘check’.”

“Check.”

The same system window as before blocked his view.

[Torn Cloth Armor] [Defense +1] [It seems like it can block minor scratches.] [Rusted Sword] [Attack +1] [It seems like it's about to break soon.]

“It’s shoddy.”

It was exactly the same as the equipment provided as the basic in Easy Mode.

“What, you don’t like it?”

“No.”

He could now finally enter the labyrinth. That alone was incredibly exciting.

Broken Man stared at Taesan as an oddity who felt this way.

“Why are you doing that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

After a moment of thought, Broken Man made a decision.

“Take this too.”

Broken Man handed him a worn wrist protector.

[Worn Wrist Protector] [Defense +1] [It's been used so much that it's lost its original value. It seems it can block animal teeth.]

Taesan was momentarily taken aback, but he silently accepted it.

‘What is this?’

Lee Taeyeon said that she only received a rusted sword and cloth armor. Just two things. There was no wrist protector.

However, Broken Man did not offer an explanation.

“And try shouting ‘inventory’.”

“Inventory.”

A window blocked his view.

The black window was divided into a total of twenty squares.

“You can put one item in each square. The same item can be stacked up to 20 times. If it’s full, carry it yourself or sell it. And then…”

“Status window.”

A window appeared in front of Taesan.

“You know it well, don’t you?”

“It’s common.”

Taesan checked the familiar status window.

[Kang Taesan] [Level: 1] [HP: 100/100] [Mana: 10/10] [Strength: 10] [Intelligence: 10] [Agility: 10] [Attack + 1] [Defense + 2] [The target is in the best condition.]

Seeing the stats, Taesan wore a satisfied smile. A difference of 1 in defense was quite significant early on. It was an unexpected harvest.

“Later, you’ll see various things added. You’ll have to find out for yourself what effects each ability has. Also, you’ll have to figure out the skills.”

Broken Man snapped his fingers.

“Well, go ahead.”

“Yes.”

Taesan quickly stepped into the cave.

“Thank you.”

“Good luck.”

Broken Man waved at Taesan. He only put down his hand when Taesan was out of sight, swallowed by the darkness.

“I wonder if he can survive?”

This place was hell.

Broken Man had seen countless people so far. Among them were born warriors and skilled wizards. There were also those called prodigies, but none of them could conquer this place.

However, when Broken Man saw Taesan, he perceived something different about him.

Not merely talent or skill but something more fundamental.

The power to survive.

“I hope he survives.”

But he was just the gatekeeper of the labyrinth. He couldn’t interfere with the labyrinth. Unless Taesan came back, he would never see him again.

Broken Man dismissed his interest and guarded the labyrinth.

Taesan walked through the cave. There was no torch, but the visibility was not a problem, as if the roof above was open to the sky.

Soon, the cave ended, and a brick tunnel appeared.

The labyrinth was open.

As he checked the surroundings, a window covered Taesan’s view.

[This place is a labyrinth created by a great magician long ago. Rumors say that those who conquer it are granted one wish.] [This place is a prison.] [Dreadful beings move breathlessly. Living things die. Everything here exists to oppress you.] [Eternal glory awaits you if you can break through the deep and dense abyss.]

Familiar.

Yet, very different explanations.

Taesan entered the brick tunnel with a happy face.

[This is the entrance to the labyrinth.] [A place where things that die when stabbed can survive. The power of this place is not very strong.]

As soon as he confirmed the contents, another window appeared.

[Main Quest Begins.] [There are many hidden places and secrets here.] [You will be rewarded upon clearing the floor according to the secrets you discover.] [1st Floor Quest Begins.] [Defeat the boss of the 1st floor and pass through.] [Reward: Random Stat Increase Potion.] [Secret Reward: ???]