Ascension Through Skills

First floor (3) 

TL: handCream

[Lee Tae-yeon [Solo]: Tae-san, how did you deal with Big Rat?]

[Kang Tae-san [Solo]: Predict its muscle movement, dodge and then stab it.] 

[Lee Tae-yeon [Solo]: You want me to stab it?] 

[Kang Tae-san [Solo]: No. First, predict it!] 

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: …How am I supposed to predict the muscles movement of a rat?!]

* * * 

“Squeak!”

Big Rat lets out a threatening scream. Tae-san just started at the Big Rat.

 He didn’t react. 

However, the Big Rat is a creature that breathes and uses its muscles to move. So, anyone can check its movement when trying to do something.

Suddenly, Big Rat’s legs contracted. His chest, going up and down, swelled up. 

Now’s the time. 

Tae-san drew his sword. 

Squeak!

“Kki-ik!” 

Big Rat, that was about to rush in, reflexively backs down.

The concept of prediction. 

A must know when attacking any creature. If noticed closely, it wasn’t difficult to block attacks in advance.

 It was the same as in professional boxing. The boxer sees the punch and is not able to avoid it. Whereas looking at its opponent’s shoulder and predicting it. 

Although the opponent was a rodent, the theory was the same. 

Then it started. 

Tae-san held out his other arm that was without a sword. 

Big Rat hesitates and runs backwards. 

However, it is blocked again by Tae-san’s attack.

“Squeak! Squeak!” 

[Big Rat is overwhelmed by you] 

[The attack is nullified] 

Those small red eyes panicked that even Tae-san noticed. Big Rat knew that it cannot attack Tae-san twice on his ankle.  

If so, the rodent will have to go for the next easiest place to attack. 

His forearms were sticking out. 

Without thinking it came into a quick decision.

 Big Rat throws itself and tries to bite Tae-san. 

“Squeak?!” 

The question in Big Rat’s eyes was clear, the feeling of biting flesh was very strange. It wasn’t springy, rather it was something hard. 

 Scared, it tried to escape but the next second Big Rat’s body was in the air. Such quick movement the rodent didn’t even notice.  

“You’re dead.” 

Tae-san pulled Big Rat with his forearm, on the ground.

Twak! 

“Squeak!” 

Big Rat, crushed beneath the forearm, screamed. It was struggling to escape, but the difference in their power was large.

 Tae-san didn’t miss any time and stabbed the rodent in its chest. An unpleasant sensation ran through his hand.

[Your attack] 

[Big Rat is paralyzed. Damage is greater] 

[4 Damage to Big Rat] 

[5 Damage to Big Rat]

….

“Squeak, squeak…”

 Life disappears from those red eyes.

 “Good…” 

When the Big Rat stopped moving, Tae-san finally pulled back.

 “It’s pretty difficult.” 

Even the first monster, who is just a mouse, cannot be dealt with human reflexes. 

However, Tae-san was calmly organized.

 He won. 

Now it’s time to get his reward.

[You’ve won against Big Rat]

[Gained tons of experience]

[Health restored to +5] 

[Acquired 43 gold coins] 

[Obtained Big Rat’s leather] 

[You have obtained the meat of the Big Rat] 

Up to this point, Tae-san had already crossed what he was expecting. He felt stupid for making a fuss about receiving only a few basic rewards. 

[You have won alone against an enemy that is difficult to win] 

[Agility has been permanently increased by 1]

“Oh…”

Tae-san smiled satisfactorily. In the labyrinth, stats are an unchanging value. Levelling up is always a good thing.

 But the system window didn’t end there. 

[Soul Raiser has been activated. Agility is permanently increased by 1.] 

[Basic skill [Swordsmanship] has been acquired.] 

[You have won the battle based on your wide-field vision. A Passive Skill [Securing Visibility] has been acquired.]

[You won by seeing through the opponent’s weaknesses during the battle. A Passive Skill [Detection] has been acquired.] 

[You faced your opponent without agitation even in your first battle. A Passive Skill [Coolheaded] has been acquired.] 

“Huh?” 

Tae-san was confused. From here on, it was beyond his expectation. 

But the system window kept coming up.． 

[You won against the monster for the first time]

[Acquired 100 golds] 

[The title [Brave One] has been acquired.] 

“I just killed the monster, did I just hit a jackpot?” 

In Easy Mode, even if he caught the boss monster, he wouldn’t receive half of what he has right now.

 Tae-san thought sullenly but considering the characteristics of the labyrinth, it was quite natural.

 The labyrinth does not simply weigh the outcome of the victory. 

It examines how the process was, how perfect was the victory, and how outstanding the results are. 

Tae-san’s fight was close to perfect. He was a Solo Mode player and so the labyrinth rewarded him accordingly. 

However, Tae-san, who did not know that, was both happy and confused. 

Still, a reward is a reward.

“Skill window.” 

[Basic skill: Swordsmanship] 

[Durability: 1%]

[I think I can wield a sword] 

It’s the most basic skill. And Tae-san, who depends on his skills, never used it until the end. 

He skipped the additional information and checked his next skill.

[Passive Skill: Securing Visibility]

[Proficiency: 5%] 

[You can get a wide view. It’s still within the human field vision] 

Securing visibility. It’s a good skill. Human visibility tends to be blurry except where they’re focused. With this skill, he can see countless places at the same time. 

It was a pretty big advantage. As a player fights, their field of vision narrows. So when an irregular occurs, it becomes difficult to respond, and with this skill, that’s a lot less likely to happen.

 It was also a skill he acquired only after crossing the 20th floor in the Easy Mode. 

And the next skill. 

[Passive Skill: Coolheaded]

[Proficiency: 12%] 

[Gives unshakable courage. As long as an existence beyond your perception doesn’t appear, you will not panic. Decisions could be corrected.] 

Coolheaded was also a very useful skill because it could resist various alternative decisions. 

[Passive Skill: Detection]

[Proficiency: 5%] 

[Can be used to detect and easily figure out situations. Also can be used to detect the weakness of any living being.] 

“I already had this.” 

Detection. The word describes it all and it was also a skill that Tae-san used until the end.

 When a skill reaches 100%, it evolves. And when a skill that sees through everything, evolves by a few steps, it becomes a perfect tool for strategic analysis. 

 Tae-san didn’t acquire [Detection] until the 40th floor. And at that time it meant he was skilled enough. Hard Mode players barely get [Detection] after they clear the 50th floor. 

And here he got these at the beginning of the first floor.

“Damn, terrible difference.” 

He knew there would be a major contrast, but he didn’t think it would be this much. He clicked his tongue and checked his skills again. 

[Unique skill: Soul Raiser］

[Proficiency: 100%] 

[The user sees the world one level higher.  Each time an user reaches a higher level, they can loot the opponent’s power.] 

“What’s this?”

It wasn’t a skill he acquired in this timeline. Tae-san remembered, preoccupied with his memories. 

“……when I was fighting with an S-class.” 

When 1.25M stats drastically decreased. 

Finally, in the end, a system window appeared. He tensely fumbled over the system window.

 ‘It definitely appeared then.’ 

[You are in a state of concentration. Your body and mind are harmonized.] 

[Miracle-like power is imprinted on the soul. You’ve acquired a skill, ‘Soul Raiser’] 

[You cannot acquire the skill because you are out of the labyrinth. ‘Soul Raiser’ has been sealed.] 

Yes, it was sealed because the skill could only be obtained inside the labyrinth.

Now that he was in the labyrinth, the seal was lifted.

 ‘It’s a skill that managed to exist even after time-travel?’ 

Is it because the skill is engraved within him? Tae-san thought for a moment, then shook his head. 

“Let’s not worry about it too deeply.” 

It wasn’t a problem that could be answered right away anyway. This was a good skill. And that’s it! 

Every time he’d kill an opponent, he would steal some of their powers. It meant that he could become infinitely strong if met with the right conditions. It would be difficult to find a better skill than this.

Tae-san closed his Skill window with a satisfied face. 

“The title… It’s not that much.” 

[Title: Brave One] 

[You have shown your worth, you are not reckless but a courageous one.] 

[NPCs have a good opinion about you] 

Again, it’s a favourable title. Tae-san closed his Title window without saying a word. 

The store owner’s condition was to stay alive, and he is. That means the owner would have no choice but to open his store.

 He had his eyes on something. Tae-san returned back to the store owner with the rewarded leather and meat.