Ascension Through Skills

First Floor (6)

TL: handCream

[Kang Jun-hyuk [Solo]]: Are you really entering  the labyrinth?] 

[Na Jae-yeon [Solo]]: I don’t know, people who entered are not answering. Shit, I’m going crazy.] 

[Yoon Young-seok [Easy]]: Is there anyone who wants to form a group and break through the first floor with me?]

[Kang Jong-Jun [Normal]]: Looking for information, here… Does anyone know what monster we would encounter first?] 

[Ilsang [Solo]: Fuck, I’m really going crazy!] 

Of course, most of the comments were written by the Solo players.

Players from the different modes can meet each other, so they prefer meeting in person rather than the community and solve everything through conversation. However, Solo players don’t have that option. Other than the community they have no other means of communication.  

While scrolling down the community, Tae-san laughed. 

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]]: Guys ㅠㅠ

How did you all do it? ㅠㅠ］ 

Lee Tae-yeon, the strongest player who not only broke through the labyrinth but also survived. She was always confident, but unlike the future, right now she was very confused. 

Really?’ 

Last time she was online she said she was frightened. Maybe she was always a coward, hiding her true self until the very end. 

Taesan scrolled through the community some more. 

It’s only been a day since the labyrinth was opened.  And of course, many Solo players were alive. Hunger doesn’t kill anyone here. As far as Tae-san recollects, the full-fledged entry will begin a month later.

In Solo Mode, the rewards are proportional to the difficulty of a level. Lee Tae-yeon once said not knowing this, she missed countless rewards. Using many shortcuts, she always clears the boss monster but everytime she obtains much less rewards than what she deserves. 

But still, she was called the strongest player.

 In other words, if he could help her raise her level in Solo mode. She will likely help him in the future. 

In the labyrinth, each step is precious.

The results in the world outside won’t change much.  

“It can’t be that bad.” 

Tae-san began to type. 

At first, a few pointers would be enough. Starting by not getting into any banter with the gatekeeper and asking the store owner about his items that he’s willing to sell. 

Though Tae-san won against Big Rat, it’s highly unlikely for the others. He continues, if encountered one should immediately run away and return to the shop. And after knowing the fountain’s location, the player should without any delay set on its journey. 

Without following this route it’s almost impossible to survive. So better to write everything down before the journey and what to do after that.

[Kang Tae-san [Solo]] : Crash Course on How to clear the first floor of “Solo” mode. Basic Strategy.] 

‘I don’t know if others will believe it.’

It will be very difficult to believe in an unfamiliar source and enter the labyrinth. Even if a user believes it, it is unknown how much it will work. Of the 10,000 people, only Lee Tae-yeon was the sole survivor

Stiil, without much expectation, he threw the bait and closed the community.

“Let’s get going.” 

Tae-san got up and warmed up. 

As long as the user doesn’t leave the first floor, this place can be used unlimitedly. Another reason why Lee Tae-yeon survived and managed to kill the Big Rat in a week by going in and out of this place. 

 In other words, it’s normal for players in the Solo Mode to return to the store after encountering Big Rat, get the location of the fountain of life, and run straight here to the safety zone. 

‘What are you doing?’

The moment he heard about it from Lee Tae-yeon, he felt strange. If he was the maker of this labyrinth, it was better to place the fountain of life in the very beginning. As without this place, survival is quite impossible.

 However, the makers of the labyrinth didn’t think the same way. They placed the fountain far away, causing most of them to die on their way. 

Whether it was merciful or cruel, it was hard to understand.

Anyway, what’s important is right now. 

Here, there is no limit on recovery. 

A player can use it to its full potential before leaving the first floor. 

Skill. That was the only reason why Tae-san survived with such poor stats. Tae-san couldn’t deny the concept of having skills is much more beneficial than stats here. 

Growl.

Just then, his stomach rumbled. Thinking back, he didn’t eat anything for the whole day. But he knew he wouldn’t die of hunger. He had to deal with it quickly or else it could hamper his stats. And that could be troublesome. 

He had to solve this problem. 

Just in a slightly different way from what others would do. 

Tae-san opened the inventory and took out the meat. 

[Big Rat’s Meat]

[Quality: 86%] 

[It’s Big Rat’s meat. Can be eaten if required.]

Although it was once a rodent, it being big in nature meant the monster had a lot of meat. Tae-san took out his rusty sword. 

Slash.

He cut the huge chunk of meat into multiple small pieces, manageable enough for him to eat. Looking at the meat, Tae-san sorrowfully muttered. 

“Is that even edible?” 

Back in the Easy Mode, he didn’t have to worry about going hungry. Food wasn’t a scarcity. So, he has never touched a Big Rat’s meat. Rather than juicy red the meat was black. Not that appetizing because of those bulging muscles. 

“Will it get better if I think about the benefits?” 

Tae-san ate a piece of meat.

“….”

He grimaced at the dry flesh with no sweetness, but he had no choice. Without the urge of spitting it out he continued chewing and swallowed it.

[User ate raw meat that wasn’t cooked]

[Determining abnormal condition]

[…]

[Judgement Failed!] 

[You have food poisoning!] 

[Food poisoning. Physical strength will decrease for two days. The rate of decline is very fast, if the user doesn’t drink medicine to cure this poison or a potion to increase stamina. The user will die!] 

Normally the beginners who had been caught in this nightmare-like situation would try to cook and then eat it. 

But as if Tae-san was aiming to be poisoned, he eats the raw meat.  

 Tae-san drank the fountain water. 

[User is in the best condition] 

And then he proceeds to eat raw meat again. 

[User ate raw meat that wasn’t cooked]

[Determining abnormal condition]

[…]

[Judgement successful!] 

[Nothing happened] 

Again. 

[User ate raw meat that wasn’t cooked]

[Determining abnormal condition]

[…]

[Judgement Failed!] 

[You have food poisoning!] 

He drinks the fountain water.

[User is in the best condition] 

Once again, Tae-san took the bite of the raw meat. 

[User ate raw meat that wasn’t cooked]

[Determining abnormal condition]

[…]

If he didn’t get food poisoning he would eat another piece. Then drink the fountain water to relieve himself from the poison. Tae-san continued this process for a long time.

He constantly repeats those two actions. As he was slowly proceeding to be full, another system window appeared. 

[You have developed resistance to countless poison. You have obtained a passive skill “Poison Resistance”]

 Tae-san laughed. 

“Bingo.”

This labyrinth doesn’t provide food. 

Though the stores sell emergency food, they are not only very expensive but also quite hard to find. That was the case in Solo mode. And this small stock of food wasn’t enough to break through the labyrinth. 

In the end, the players had no choice but to roast or steam the creatures lurking in the labyrinth. And sometimes they had no choice but to eat it raw. 

And getting food poisoning in such a situation was a big deal. Once Lee Tae-yeon was also on the brink of death. 

However, with poison resistance, the story will change. 

[Passive Skill: Poison Resistance]. 

[Skill: 1%] 

[Resistance to various poisons. At this point, it’s hard to get food poisoning.] 

This method was very helpful, especially in the time of need. He handled the critical situation by reducing the food poisoning by 10%. If he continued to raise his skill, he would become immune to food poisoning. 

Originally, it is a skill that can only be obtained after suffering from various types of poisoning. But Tae-san knowing this information easily obtained the skill. 

Then onto the next skill. 

Tae-san walked toward the fountain. 

The water reached right to his waist. 

“I don’t like this.”

Tae-san frowning plunged his head straight into the water. 

Splash. 

Even underwater, it’s natural to try to breathe. But instead of pulling out, Tae-san held his breath and closed his eyes.  

Splash. 

Air bubbles are gradually decreasing. 

Finally, the air he was holding in his lungs was exhausted. 

“….”

The body automatically now with no air was reaching out to breathe. Suffocating was spreading all over his body.

 But he was holding still. 

[You can’t breathe] 

It’s painful!

Someone once said drowning is the most painful way to die. He didn’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s definitely painful. His body, longing for breath, was commanding him to get out of the water quickly. 

But he wouldn’t bulge.

He sinks further with an unshakable face. 

He forced himself to close all open airways with water.

Slowly his mind began to get heavy. He was losing his strength. His consciousness was disappearing and a kaleidoscope appeared in his eyes.

Death was just around the corner

And just then the system window appears.

[You didn’t breathe until the crisis of death. You have obtained an activated skill [Slowed Breathing].]

[You’ve been recognised by death. You have obtained a passive skill [Master of Death]

It’s working. 

Taesan pulled his body out of the water. Water droplets splashing everywhere.

“Gasp!”

He took a few deep breaths to calm his heart.  It barely fell back after a few minutes.

“Can’t really do anything about it.”

He complains, flipping through his wet hair. In fact, it was self-examination. Even Taesan, who was accustomed to suffering, this was a very painful experience.

But it had to be done. [Slowed Breathing] can only be obtained underwater.

[Activating skill: Slowed Breathing]

[Mana consumption: 1]

[Skill: 1%]

[The user can hold their breath for twice the usual amount.]

Slowed Breathing, an activation skill that increases the amount of breathing.

It wasn’t a well-known skill.

Not only can it be obtained underwater but the player should also be on the verge of their death. 

So this skill was relatively unknown, and was discovered once Tae-san obtained it.

But even after the discovery, except him no-one acquired this skill.

The player must stay underwater until one step away from death. Very few humans have the endurance to pain and not to mention the fear of death. One wrong move and they could die. Most of the players who survived the labyrinth were close to being a coward, so they didn’t bother learning such a dangerous skill. 

For that reason, except for Tae-san, there was only one who obtained this skill.  

It is a relatively useless skill in Easy or Normal mode, but the story changes if the player belongs to the  Hard and Solo mode.

As breathing becomes unstable when the players get unstable. [Slowed Breathing] skill comes handy. 

The [Master of Death] which he acquired at the same time was also not a bad skill.

A skill that notifies the user when they are in danger that could kill them. It could be anything, a dangerous location or a sudden attack.

Back then thanks to this, he avoided quite a bit of crisis.

[Passive Skill: Master of Death]

[Skill: 54%]

[The user can sense the time of death. Automatically trigger in the time of crisis.]

“Huh?”

Taesan was surprised to see his skill level.

“How is it already at 54%?”

In the labyrinth, it was hard to raise a skill by 1%. And in cases of advanced skills, there was no player who surpassed 50% by the time they came out of the labyrinth. 

However, it is already at 54%. It was just like the time when he acquired the skill in the past.

“Is it going to evolve?”

Rather than just limited to the body, the skill for some extent would be connected to his mind. 

However, if he thinks like that, [Coolheaded] and [Detection] are also basic skills. But that wasn’t the case.

“Ugh,I don’t know.”

Tae-san neatly organized his thoughts.

In the labyrinth, there are always things that cannot be often understood.

If one tries to find meaning in every step, they would go crazy.  

Right now, this was good enough for him and that’s a good thing.