Ascension Through Skills

Einzhar, the Holy knight (2)

TL: handCream

PR: Kasaix

Einzhar no longer had any intention of beating him up. Tae-san first took care of his body. He didn’t take in any damage thanks to Endurance but the numbing shock was still lingering in his body. 

He called over status window and checked his skills. 

[Special Active Skill: Parry]

[Mana consumed: 5]

[Proficiency: 24%]

[Lowers the centre of an attack to reduce damage. Deflects attack against all the weapons] 

Tae-san, confirmed his proficiency and smirked.

The skill proficiency was already at 24%. It meant that it was worth it to block that blow.

In addition, his strength had risen by 1. It was very rare that his stats rose without any conditions met. It was all thanks to Einzhar’s sudden attack.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, nevermind…”

“If you are curious, you can ask me. I’ll answer you.”

The old man shouted. Doubtfully, Tae-san, who was looking at him, narrowed his eyebrows.

“Hoho! As expected, you’re different.”

Lee Tae-yeon also met Einzhar at the Fountain of Life on the first floor, and just like Tae-san she said she was also tested.

But unlike him she couldn’t respond.

Barely arriving at the safety zone, she was relieved thinking she would be safe. But suddenly an old man came out of nowhere and punched her. A punch that could kill her in one go. So, at the time, Tae-yeon, who was just adapting to the labyrinth, couldn’t respond. 

Einzhar clicked his tongue at Lee Tae-yeon, who was just staring blankly at his fist.

[You’re not only weak but also a coward]

After saying that, Einzhar left the fountain with a contemptuous gaze.

And after that Lee Tae-yeon said she never saw Einzhar again.

Believing what she said was true, his attitude toward Lee Tae-yeon and Tae-san was very different. Einzhar was looking at Tae-san with a pleased gaze.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything”.

“Why did you attack all of a sudden? Just to bully the weak?”

Realistically, it was only the first floor. There was no way someone like Einzhar could be defeated here. So, in a sense, he must have been a bug NPC.

‘No, that’s not it. He must have been engineered in a certain way. So that he can’t beat the weak.’

The golden knight spoke with a dignified face.

“I’m here to evaluate those who have entered here.”

“Evaluate?”

“Can you find a way to survive here? Are you worth acknowledging? Because there are no men as troublesome as those who have not yet grasped themselves.”

Einzhar laughed.

“And in that sense, you got the passing score. You were excellent!”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

Tae-san replied vaguely, looking at Einzhar’s approval thumb. He was still in shock, the old man contrasted himself from what he had heard. However, thanks to him Tae-san was able to sort out most of his doubts. 

Recognition.

That was probably Einzhar’s evaluation criteria. Clearly, Lee Tae-yeon didn’t pass, but Tae-san most probably passed. And that’s probably why the knight’s attitude was totally different towards him.

In other words, there was no reason to have hostility against him. Rather, he was treated kindly. After confirming that, Tae-san asked. 

“Did you say Einzhar?”

Lee Tae-yeon couldn’t even talk to Einzhar. Tae-san didn’t know what Einzhar was like or what his purpose was. He had to seek the information himself.

“Yes! It is a name given to me by my glorious father!”

“You said you were seeking gods.”

There were several gods in the labyrinth. However, most players did not pay much attention to them.

The reason was simple.

Because they existed only in the Solo mode.

Lee Tae-yeon said that various gods not only tested the players but also rewarded them. And often complained about how terrible and filthy they were.

He knew a lot of gods because the subject was vast.

Even their information.

“May I ask what kind of god you are seeking?”

“Hoho! The more people who know our god, the better”.

Einzhar said cheerfully.

“The god I serve is the goddess I love. Revinenoff Prane”.

Tae-san paused, hearing the name.

“Revinenoff. Is that right?”

“Yes, there’s no way I could mistake her name. I am the servant of Revineoff.”

Einzhar looked up at the ceiling with dreamy eyes.

“When I wake up in the morning and when I am about to sleep at night, I chant her name. She is a very good goddess who has always been with me and my loved ones. There has never been a goddess who could love us as much as her.”

Einzhar shrugged.

“Unfortunately, my world has fallen. So I am the last one to remember her.”

“Did you come here to find her?”

“Yes, they say she is on the 13th floor. But I haven’t even made it there yet, so I am not sure…”

Einzhar dropped his head. Tae-san thought the knight was in his deep depressed thoughts.

‘Revinenoff.’

Tae-san also knew a lot about her. She was the goddess Lee Tae-yeon told him. She knew which floor the goddess existed. But there was a problem.

She said, ‘The goddess was dead.’

The beautiful goddess was horribly ripped apart. At that time, Lee Tae-yeon left a message in the community saying that it was disgusting and gory, so Tae-san remembered everything.

And Lee Tae-yeon, who overcame numerous adversity, said that. It must have been a terrible event. Tae-san agonized over the information he had, seeing Einzhar lit up. 

“Tae-san. Can I ask you a question?”

“What is it?”

“Are you in a rush to clear the labyrinth?” 

“No, not really.”

His purpose was not to clear the labyrinth, but to learn how to fight. Unless he got all the rewards, he had no intention of leaving. Excited by his response, Einzhar clapped his hands.

“That’s great. Tae-san. Do you have any thoughts of learning Revinenoff’s skills from me?”

* * *

“Sounds great!”

Einzhar fumbled at how Tae-san’s answered, without any hesitation.

“…You won’t even hesitate?! I thought you’d think about it a little bit.”

“Because I see no reason to reject it.”

Einzhar was strong. It was still hard to understand why the NPCs in the labyrinth hold such great power.

If he had been outside, the world wouldn’t have ended.

So, there was no reason to refuse such a great offer.

“What’s the price?”

“Don’t worry, there isn’t. This is an apology that you obviously deserved.”

“Apology?”

“About the sudden attack.”

Einzhar was a bit embarrassed.

“No matter what my purpose for the test was, I was a bit hard on you. And obviously used violence even though I met you for the first time. As a holy knight, this is something I should repent deeply.”

Taesan sheepishly smiled and gave a sincere apology.

“Then don’t you think you shouldn’t have attacked me on the first hand?” 

“Now that’s a different story.”

Einzhar, shamelessly replied.

“I am apologizing because you are worthy of it. Otherwise, I would have just spit and left.”

Actually, Einzhar had already done that to Lee Tae-yeon, showing her only contempt.

“You are crazy.”

But for Tae-san, this conversation was heading in a good direction..

“A mere apology is worth nothing. If you are an adventurer, you want valuable skills, right? So I made this decision, is that okay?”

“Of course, this is great!”

If he wanted more non-lethal attack skills, he would have to work on it one at a time. So this opportunity was very easy compared to risking his life to get skills. Though, he was still willing to do it hundreds of times, Einzhar’s offer somewhat relieved his mind.

“You’re very fortunate. I am only acting on behalf of my God.”

He looked genuinely relieved. Seeing him, he wanted to say some more but was hesitating. But Tae-san was satisfied here.

Unlike Lee Tae-yeon, he was likely to continue meeting with Einzhar. He concluded that it would be more beneficial for him to keep the appropriate line than being greedy for nothing and ruining the relationship.

[Kang Jun-hyuk [Solo]] : Bro, is the rumor true?]

[Kang Tae-san][Solo]]: What are you talking about out of the blue?]

[Kang Jun-hyuk [Solo]]: The knight. Does he really spit and leave?]

* * *

“Okay! There is no reason to delay, so let’s start right away.”

Einzhar started explaining the skills.

“There are many skills in the labyrinth.”

Indeed. Before there was no need for Tae-san, that’s why thousands of them were left unlearned.  But this time, if he included skills that even he didn’t know existed, there would be more than tens of thousands of them.

“But in my opinion Revinenoff’s skills could be proudly listed as the best skill. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s honestly worth using. It’s a skill that the Goddess personally praised.”

Einzhar continued with a proud look on his face.

“Do you know what basic skills are?”

“They are the easiest skill to acquire in the labyrinth. They can be obtained without any repeated actions.”

“You seem to know it well.”

Einzhar looked at Tea-san with an impressed look.

“This is the most basic information, but it is not something an adventurer from the first floor usually notices. But I think this information is well known in your world.”

“Yes.”

A world that knows information about the mysterious labyrinth. The information system had given him about the labyrinth was limited so he had grasp every chance he got.

“But since I’m teaching, I’ll still give you a simple explanation. If you have any doubts, feel free to ask me about them.”

Einzhar was very excited.

“Tae-san. What basic skills are you learning?” 

“Swordsmanship and Shield Art.”

“That’s standard.” 

Einzhar nodded his head. 

“Basically, using a sword gives you Swordsmanship. While holding the shield gives you Shield Art. Similarly, using the spear will get you a skill related to spear. That’s basically it.”

Basic skill. 

It was a skill that you obtain immediately when you were able to handle a weapon. The higher the skill proficiency was, the more you know about the weapon and how to utilize it. It was a simple skill every player obtained during their stay inside the labyrinth.

Before it was a meaningless skill for Tae-san. He was a player who used to compete with quantity of the skills, not one who depended on their proficiency. The use of spears and swords was meaningless to him, so he didn’t even try to improve them. 

But now it was different.

He had basic stats. So it was good for him raise his basic skills. 

“Revinenoff’s Skill. Or as we call it the Ahirak Weapons Technique. And it is the integration of all basic skills.” 

“… I see.”