Ascension Through Skills

People quickly read through the quest window that appeared. Kim Hwiyeon had a face that looked both happy and ambiguous at the same time.

“Hmm… South Korea, China, North Korea, and Japan… But are North Korean players still alive?”

“I thought they were all dead since nothing had been posted on the community.”

Junggeun murmured. Kim Hwiyeon frowned.

“It’s not bad. But…

First of all, Japan was included. She had many conversations and exchanged much information with Ichijo Eika, Japan’s leader. Naturally, the relationship with Japan became close.

But China was also included.

A country that completely ignored other players, as if they weren’t their allies.

“Fortunately, this time, the destination is clear.”

The place they had to go was Baekdu Mountain, located between China and North Korea. It wasn’t too far, but there was another issue.

“How will they cross over from Japan…”

If the destination was Baekdu Mountain, Japan had no choice but to cross to the mainland. The problem was that Japan was an island nation, meaning they had to cross the sea.

And the sea was teeming with monsters.

Kim Hwiyeon pressed her forehead, looking troubled.

“I’ve discussed it, but what will happen…”

If the quest progressed, it was likely to be centered around the continent rather than Japan, so they had previously discussed having Japanese players cross over to Korea by sea.

But how long it would take and whether it could actually succeed was unknown. Taesan spoke up.

“I can go and help them.”

“Mr. Taesan?”

Kim Hwiyeon, who was momentarily flustered, soon realized something.

“Come to think of it, Minerva said she could split the sea…”

The players in Jeju Island had been persistently talking about it. Minerva had split the sea. They claimed she had god-like powers.

But even those who worshiped Taesan as a god didn’t quite believe it. Splitting the sea? It was almost like a divine miracle.

Taesan nodded.

“I can do it.”

“Hah…”

Kim Hwiyeon couldn’t help but be amazed.

To actually split the sea.

It was unbelievable, even hearing it directly. Taesan continued.

“I’ll leave Barkaza and Minerva here and go alone.”

“What? Without Minerva?”

“I can do it alone. And the two of them need to stay here.”

You never know what tricks the High Gods might pull. But Minerva and Barkaza could handle it.

If a monster that the two couldn’t stop descended, Taesan, heading towards Japan, would feel the shockwave of that power. He would be able to deal with it adequately.

“You said they’re gathering in Fukuoka, right? Just manage people while you rest.”

“Ah. Thank you, Mr. Taesan.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Taesan’s body disappeared. Kim Hwiyeon let out a hollow laugh. Even as the strongest in Hard Mode, she couldn’t track his movement. His strength was truly monstrous.

“Let’s go.”

Taesan stepped outside.

[You have activated the skill Acceleration.]

[You have activated the skill Leap.]

With a thunderous sound, his body soared into the sky.

“Phew.”

Eika wiped the sweat off her brow as she slowly advanced.

They would soon reach Fukuoka. After several days of hardships, fighting off monsters, they finally had their destination in sight.

But their expressions were not bright.

“Ms. Eika. What do we do now?”

“Well…

The destination was Baekdu Mountain. It was inland. They first had to cross Japan and head to Korea as discussed.

It was a distance that would take nearly an hour by plane, but they had to cross it relying only on their physical bodies.

“What do we do…”

Swimming was out of the question.

The deep sea was home to monsters. If they tried to swim across, most would not make it alive.

“Damn island nation.”

Eika sighed deeply.

“Should we try building a ship…”

A sturdy and strong ship that could carry all these people.

Eika didn’t know, but in a past life, Japanese players had indeed crossed over to the mainland that way.

The fifth return in the past life had a fairly long interval. By then, the players had gained enough strength to deal with the sea monsters without any issues.

Moreover, this quest had no time limit. Although there were a few ships in Fukuoka that hadn’t been destroyed, there wasn’t enough fuel left to carry over 400,000 players. In the end, they had to chop down trees and melt iron to build several huge ships.

And then they sailed toward the mainland. The sea monsters that tried to attack the ships were defeated by the Hard Mode players.

It had taken about half a year.

Even though they had become superhumans, building ships from scratch wasn’t an easy task.

But they had no other option. Eika groaned as she spoke.

“Let’s think about it after we reach the port. We’ll slowly proceed after assessing the remaining ships and the situation in the sea. Once.”

“Understood.”

People nodded grimly.

They headed toward their destination, ready for the hardships ahead.

“The sea.”

Someone murmured. In the distance, the sea began to come into view. Their destination was Baekdu Mountain, but first, they had to reach the port.

“…Huh?”

One of the men leading the way suddenly widened his eyes.

“That… is that a person?”

“Huh?”

At his words, Eika turned her head. As she focused her gaze, she saw someone near the beach.

“…Huh?”

“Wait. Who is it? Was there a player who arrived first?”

They rushed towards the figure, surprised. When Eika confirmed who it was, her eyes widened.

“Mr. Taesan?”

Kang Taesan. The Solo Mode player from South Korea.

He was standing on the beach.

“You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting for days.”

“Why are you here, Mr. Taesan?”

“I came to help.”

Taesan answered briefly. Eika asked in astonishment.

“Did you cross the sea alone…?”

Taesan nodded.

Eika couldn’t help but express her amazement.

He had crossed the sea with his own power alone. She could grasp the extent of Taesan’s strength.

The Japanese players, who realized Taesan’s true identity belatedly, felt not only reverence but also gratitude. He had crossed the dangerous sea alone to help them.

“Thank you, Mr. Taesan.”

Eika expressed her sincere gratitude. With hope in her eyes, she spoke.

“With Mr. Taesan here… we could cross the sea much faster.”

While Taesan dealt with the sea monsters, they could build a ship and cross to Korea without any interference from the monsters.

If everything went according to plan, the time required to construct the ship could be drastically reduced. It was quite possible they could reach Korea within three months.

“No.”

But Taesan said,

“We’re crossing right now. Get ready.”

“Pardon? Right now?”

Eika was flustered. Crossing right now? There was no way that was possible. A memory flashed through her mind, just as she was about to deny it.

Japanese and Korean players often communicated through the community. Since the distance was close and the cultures were similar, they shared a lot of comfort in these desperate times.

And most of what the Korean players talked about was Taesan.

There was also a story that was so exaggerated she had dismissed it.

The story that Taesan could split the sea.

Taesan stared at the horizon.

The rolling waves.

He felt no will within them.

They were merely natural phenomena.

If that’s the case.

Taesan spoke with intent.

“Part.”

[You have activated the Declaration of Severance.]

“Huh?”

Eika’s pupils widened.

The people who had been quietly murmuring fell silent.

“The sea…”

Eika looked at the sea as if bewitched. It wasn’t just her; everyone else was the same.

The surface of the sea in front of them was splitting.

Beyond the horizon, down to the deep, deep ocean floor, it was splitting, creating a path for them.

Fish flopped and jumped into view.

No one could speak.

They just stared blankly at the split sea.

In the silence, Taesan took a step.

“Let’s go.”

“Oh, oh…”

The Japanese players hesitated as they stepped onto the sea floor.

They flinched as they looked at the walls of water split beside them. It felt as if the walls would collapse at any moment and the sea would swallow them whole.

“I never imagined I’d see the bottom of the sea like this…”

Eika murmured blankly.

Parting the sea to create a path.

It was literally a divine miracle.

And the one who performed it was Taesan.

‘Is this really the power of a human?’

Eika quietly marveled. She knew of Taesan’s power. The momentum he showed at the end, effortlessly trampling Amelia, was beyond her reach.

But this was beyond that.

Splitting the sea, which stretched from Korea to Japan.

“What on earth…”

She knew that the Korean players worshiped Taesan as a god.

She also knew that Taesan had such overwhelming power that he could be mistaken for a god.

But this was beyond what she had imagined.

Taesan’s power was beyond comprehension.

The shock was even greater for the other Japanese players who were experiencing Taesan’s power for the first time.

While they had seen Taesan’s power when he defeated Amelia, only a few had witnessed it firsthand.

The Korean players in the community worshiped Taesan and bragged about his power, but they naturally assumed there was some exaggeration.

But that wasn’t the case.

If anything, it was an understatement.

Rumble!

Monsters beyond the sea waved their tentacles to attack, but Taesan waved his hand.

[You have activated Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation.]

Boom!

Roots rose from the bottom of the sea. They pierced and crushed the monsters, encircling and protecting the tens of thousands of players.

“Lord Taesan…:”

Their reverence turned towards Taesan. Those seeking someone to rely on began to believe in him.

[Your proficiency in Divinity has increased by 1%.]

They arrived in Korea in just a few hours.

Considering it had taken them several days to reach Fukuoka while dealing with monsters, the speed was unbelievably fast.

They stumbled as they set foot on Korean soil. Taesan led them up to Seoul.

In just one day.

The time it took for the Japanese players to cross the sea and arrive in Seoul.

It was natural that Kim Hwiyeon’s eyes widened when she saw them.

“You’ve already arrived?”

Though she was flustered, she guided the Japanese players to their resting place. They followed Kim Hwiyeon’s instructions in a daze.

A while later, as they barely recovered from the shock, they shouted.

“Lord Taesan…!”

“He’s a god! He’s really a god!”

They began shouting fervently. Those who already believed in Taesan as a god among the Koreans joined in, and they all started offering prayers of worship.

[Your proficiency in Divinity has increased by 1%.]

[Your proficiency in Divinity has increased by 1%.]

“It keeps going up.”

Taesan murmured. The number of Japanese players was ten times that of the Koreans. The speed of Divinity’s increase had accelerated as more people worshiped him.

It was quite possible that his proficiency in Divinity would exceed 60% in this return.

Even Minerva, who was clearing out the monsters, spoke in astonishment.

“I’m surprised too, master. Where did you get that word of power? It’s not something permitted to mortals.”

Minerva was the Spirit King. She knew a lot of information that mortals didn’t. It was only natural for her to have questions about the word of power that Taesan possessed.

“Well.”

Taesan didn’t know either. To understand it, he first had to figure out what Soul Ascension was, but even the Immortal Green Witch couldn’t provide an answer.

He wouldn’t realize it until he had descended deep into the labyrinth.

Meanwhile, Ichika regained her composure and began to converse with Kim Hwiyeon.

She was the leader of Japan. She couldn’t afford to be in awe forever.

“There are 450,000 surviving players in Japan. 110,000 are in Hard Mode.”

“That’s ten times our number…”

Kim Hwiyeon clicked her tongue. She had heard it before, but it was still a lot. Ichika gave a wry smile.

“It’s nothing to be proud of. The situation in Korea was unique.”

Because of Taesan’s presence, those called the High Gods focused their attention on Korea.

In fact, the gap between Korea’s Hard Mode players and Japan’s Hard Mode players was quite significant.

“Then now…”

“Yes.”

Kim Hwiyeon nodded.

“The biggest problem remains.”

This quest was a joint national quest. Every player from the designated countries had to gather in one place.

And they had to meet with China’s players, who had never once responded from Baekdu Mountain.

“How many survivors are there in China?”

How many had survived, what was their atmosphere like, and were they hostile towards other countries?

There was no way to know.

But still, they had to proceed.

Two days later, after the conversations and some exchanges among the people were over.

They headed towards Baekdu Mountain.