Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 405: Floor 81, Advanced Magic (5)

Wirad noticed it. This time, Taesan intended to fight with the goal of victory.

"Then let’s begin."

In accordance with the god of magic’s rules, most powers besides magic were sealed. Wirad’s staff moved, a black dot forming in the air, soon transforming into lines that shot toward Taesan, leaving no space to escape—a perfect domination of the surroundings.

Taesan responded by casting his own magic.

>[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]

>

>[You have activated Magic Focus.]

The Starlight Arrow compressed and shot toward the black lines. Although the Starlight Arrow crumbled under the attack, it disrupted the trajectory enough to open a gap for Taesan to evade.

*Boom!*

Taesan evaded Wirad’s assault without taking any damage, countering purely with his own magic.

Wirad, however, was unfazed. Instead, he laughed joyfully, waving his staff.

*Buzz!*

Dozens of black dots appeared in the air. Hundreds of lines poured down like divine punishment, crashing toward the ground. Taesan moved swiftly.

*Boom!*

Taesan manipulated the space around him, twisting it to create gaps, and used random blinks to widen the distance. He layered his magic to intercept the falling black lines, detonating his spells to block them.

Wirad formed a black dot at the tip of his staff and drew a large arc.

"Go."

*Boom!*

From the arc, a fan-shaped force erupted, swallowing space violently.

Taesan raised his hand.

>[You have activated Magic Overlap.]

>

>[You have activated Distortion.]

The overlapped distortion activated. As soon as the fan-shaped force touched the twisted space, it began to warp.

Taesan didn’t miss that moment.

>[You have activated Forced Exclusion.]

>

>[You have activated Magic Focus.]

>

>[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]

*Boom!*

The power of exclusion focused on the twisted space, causing the fan-shaped force to screech to a halt.

>[You have activated Distortion.]

>

>[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

Taesan activated Distortion once more and exploded the space. The rampaging force shattered, creating an opening for Taesan to dodge the attack effortlessly.

Wirad snarled, swinging his staff. Black lines filled the space but failed to reach Taesan.

The world was engulfed in fire and ice, a display of perfect magic resisting Wirad’s might.

>[Magic proficiency increased by 1%.]

>

>[You have acquired the skill [Magic Circle].]

>

>[You have acquired the skill [Magic Interference].]

>

>[You have acquired the skill [Memorize].]

The battle with Wirad was entirely one of magic.

As Taesan’s proficiency continued to rise, it finally reached 80%.

>[You have activated Frozen World.]

*Crack!*

The Frozen World activated, a force beyond anything Taesan had unleashed before, freezing everything in its path.

Wirad raised his staff, summoning countless black lines that shattered the Frozen World.

"Impressive."

Wirad expressed pure admiration.

Taesan had analyzed Wirad’s combat patterns and powers almost to perfection.

As a result, even though the battle had lasted for quite some time, Taesan remained unscathed.

Of course, as an immortal, Wirad had lived for countless years as a mage, still holding many patterns yet to reveal.

But every pattern and action was based on fundamental principles. Taesan had identified these, making it difficult for Wirad to break through.

"But that’s all there is."

Taesan wouldn’t fall easily. But that was his limit.

Wirad’s staff moved, unleashing black lines en masse.

Taesan countered with his magic.

At 80% proficiency, Taesan’s magic was indeed powerful. Other mages watching might doubt that this was the same magic they had learned.

*Boom!*

But even now, it couldn’t break through the black lines.

Though it counteracted them more effectively, the strength was still insufficient.

"I reached the pinnacle of immortality using only this magic," Wirad murmured.

"If you had your full power, it might be different. But with only magic, you’ll never reach me."

*Boom...*

Black lines densely surrounded Taesan, close enough for Wirad to pierce him at any moment.

"So, what will you do now?"

Victory seemed impossible.

And Taesan knew it.

"I never thought I could win in the first place."

Everything Taesan had done so far had been to prepare for this moment.

Taesan looked through the black lines toward Wirad.

"Your authority, Dimensional Definition, manipulates points, lines, and planes. I was curious how you controlled them. Surprisingly simple."

"Oh? What did you discover?"

"The balance between opposing forces—internal and external."

Wirad grinned.

"Correct."

The foundation of Wirad’s magic lay in tiny points, each a meticulously compressed force without any outward ripple.

The method to create this was simple.

‘Extreme mana compression.’

He compressed mana to create a small point.

But that alone was unstable and would explode uncontrollably. After a few experiments, Taesan understood.

So, he coated it with an equal amount of mana externally, creating a balance.

"But I couldn’t figure out how to do it."

Taesan had attempted it multiple times but failed. Even when he covered the compressed mana with more compressed mana, he couldn’t achieve the same balance as Wirad. The mana simply exploded.

It seemed only Wirad could manipulate mana in such a way.

"So, what now? Are you planning to experiment further to steal my magic? I won’t stop you. Spend a hundred years or so, and you might get close."

"No," Taesan shook his head.

"I can’t do that."

Wirad was a genius. His talent for magic was incomparable, having devoted countless years to achieve his mastery.

"I’m not a mage. I have neither the time nor the patience to invest in a single magic. It’s just too bothersome."

Taesan was an adventurer. One who wielded every power he could gather to his advantage.

"So, I’ll simply take what’s useful."

Wirad’s magic was based on the balance of internal and external forces.

But it didn’t have to be done with mana alone.

Black energy began to flow from Taesan’s hand. Wirad, who was about to attack, halted his staff.

"...That power."

Wirad, as an immortal, possessed strength that rivaled the gods and had even defended worlds on Zerband’s command.

He had defeated monsters and saved worlds.

So he recognized the power Taesan wielded now.

"The power of the ancient gods?"

This was a forbidden power, one beyond the reach of the beings of this world, yet Taesan wielded it.

"Most skills were sealed, but this one wasn’t."

The reason was simple. The power of the ancient gods was beyond Zerband’s rules.

As an immortal, Taesan could somewhat control the black energy.

But combining it with magic required a control that exceeded even Taesan’s imagination, so he needed additional preparation.

Taesan gathered materials and inserted them into his wristguard.

This place was the mage’s tower, abundant with alchemical ingredients.

>[You have activated Partial World Alteration.]

He wasn’t altering Zerband’s domain. He was altering himself.

The power of his mana amplified, granting him perfect control over it.

Taesan combined his mana and the black energy.

Could black energy be combined with something other than divine power?

No one else in this world could handle the black energy—only Taesan.

Black energy and holy power were naturally opposing forces, always on the verge of clashing. Taesan forcefully subdued the black energy with his will.

But magic couldn’t withstand black energy; it would be consumed.

He had been struggling with this until Wirad showed him the way.

Condensed mana manifested the Frozen World. Taesan enveloped it with black energy.

What was needed was the balance of opposing forces.

The black energy struggled, attempting to consume everything.

‘Be silent.’

Taesan forced it down.

It didn’t matter if it was the power of ancient gods or beyond this world. It was his power.

So it would obey him.

With his will, Taesan suppressed the black energy, and it quieted.

The internal mana and external black energy balanced.

Taesan unleashed the power.

>[You have activated Frozen World.]

*Crack!*

A chilling aura surged into the world, but this time, it wasn’t white—it was pitch black.

Wirad quickly swung his staff, unleashing lines that split, aiming to pierce Taesan.

But as they met the black ice, they shattered and scattered in all directions.

For the first time, Wirad’s magic had been broken.

"Good."

Taesan clenched his fist. A system notification appeared.

>[You have obtained the magic of Negation.]

"...Ha. Haha! Hahaha!"

Wirad, staring blankly, burst into hysterical laughter. His long beard quivered as he looked at Taesan with wild eyes.

"How can you wield the power of the ancient gods as your own! I can’t fathom it!"

He struck his staff to the ground, powerful waves rippling outward.

"Excellent! Absolutely excellent! This place is perfect for gathering magical knowledge, but it’s filled with weaklings! To reach a higher dimension, one must fight the strong with all their power!"

Wirad pointed his staff at Taesan.

"Come! Immortal of a different kind! Raise me to a higher plane!"

His staff shook violently.

>[Wirad’s Authority Activated: Dimensional Separation.]

At the tip of his staff, a dot formed, but this time, it was white instead of black.

Taesan felt no power emanating from it, yet instinctively, he knew. That white dot

was not mere power; it was something close to the very laws of the world.

Taesan gathered his mana and black energy. He had acquired the skill, and he knew exactly how to use it.

A black magic manifested in the world.

>[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]