Chapter 69: Twelfth Level - Maria's Choice (1)

The dwarf had been brought here directly by the wizard right after this place was designed.

Having been here since the beginning, he’d seen countless visitors.

Among them were those whose names were known even before they arrived, those who were strong from the start, and even those with surprising talents that caught his eye.

‘It was awe-inspiring.’

The dwarf reminisced about the past. He gained skills with each stroke of the sword, and with every floor he descended, his proficiency increased by double digits.

It was truly an incredible talent.

From his perspective, Taesan was outstanding.

There was no doubt that he had talent. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have survived up to this point.

But it wasn’t the greatest talent he’d ever seen.

While exceptional, he had seen several others with the same level of talent as Taesan. The world was vast, and there were many more worlds beyond that. Everyone who entered the labyrinth had talent.

‘Wasn’t there also a mechanical race?’

There were those who came from worlds so advanced that he couldn’t comprehend it.

With their perfect computational and judgment abilities, they sprinted through the labyrinth. Although their advantage waned as they moved into the middle stages, they were faster than any other race in the early stages.

However, none of them had shown the figures that Taesan was demonstrating now.

The strongest one reached around 250 for their highest stat. Taesan’s stat figure was nearly twice as high. It wasn’t just simple talent.

He must have some other ability.

Being unaware of Soul Ascension, the dwarf couldn’t help but think this way.

‘I wish I knew the skill.’ The dwarf licked his lips.

If there were any variables here, it was most likely due to skills.

He would have loved to dissect and examine him if he could, but since that wasn’t allowed, he had no choice but to ask plainly.

“Is this your first time here?”



“Yes, it is.”

It was indeed his first time in Solo mode.

The dwarf exclaimed at his calm response,

“Good heavens...”

‘He’s not the type to go down easily.’

In his view, Taesan’s ability was not just talent but the ability to stick to a line.

The one who had a stat of 250 died on the 74th floor. He tried to gain everything by stripping all his gear and only holding a weapon against a god’s trial, but he died just like that.

The man with the greatest talent died on the 30th floor. He let down his guard against the boss, showed a gap, and died from a sudden attack.

‘But this guy won’t do that.’

Taesan had offered five stats.

At first, he thought it was wasteful, but then he realized that even that was restrained after seeing his stats. In his view, he could’ve touched his attack power and agility.

‘He didn’t only pursue safety.’

His current stats would have been completely impossible if that were the case.

In terms of weighing the value, Taesan was perfect.

The dwarf’s eyes gleamed.

‘Could it be?’

At first, it was just fascinating. A kind of interest in believing that he would last long and that he wouldn’t die easily. He didn’t even expect him to clear it.

But if things continued like this if Taesan didn’t make a big mistake and continued to go down the labyrinth...

‘Could it be possible?’

For a moment, his heart pounded.

A hope he had given up long ago began to flare up.



Unaware of his feelings, Taesan looked at the dwarf blankly. From his perspective, the dwarf was thinking to himself, and then suddenly, his eyes were gleaming.

Regaining his senses belatedly, the dwarf coughed awkwardly.

“Since you are already paying upfront, I’ll give you a 50% discount.”

Taesan grinned. He thought there could be some resistance as he used some underhanded means, but his worries completely disappeared.

“How should I use it?”L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

“Choose an item. I will cut its price by 50%.”

He was given a choice. What he was going to buy was already decided.

[Purple Ring: Hongyeong] [All Stats +3%] [A ring that has endured the energy of the sun until the falling water molds the rock.] [100,000G]

“Do you choose that one?”

“Yes.”

He had never considered other equipment.

Of course, all of them were good items. If he equipped them, he could probably use them for quite a while.

But if asked whether they were worth spending all his money on at this point, the answer would be no.

He wouldn’t have a problem up to the 20th floor in his current state.

His stats and level were continuously rising, and he would acquire skills, so by the time he reached the 20th floor, he would likely be able to handle up to the 25th floor, maybe even the 30th.

And by that time, the other equipment would have lost its value. This place accelerated growth, so they would largely become meaningless.

Anyway, he’s decided to accept it.

[Sub Quest Starts.] [Maria chuckles.] [Maria's domain shrinks.] [A choice is given to you.] [What do you prefer more?] [Many enemies vs. Few enemies.]

Taesan stopped at the unexpected system message.

“What’s this?”

[As the name suggests, she's a god of choice. Choose as you wish.]

It felt unsettling.

There was no correct answer to what result this choice would bring. Even if he asked the ghost, the atmosphere suggested it wouldn’t answer.

After a moment of contemplation, Taesan made his choice.

“A few enemies.”

If there was no right answer, answer honestly. That was Taesan’s philosophy.

Besides, the gods had shown behavior several times as if they were reading his memories. There was no reason to unnecessarily get on the wrong side of the gods.

The choice appeared again.

[A variety of enemies VS A few types of enemies.]

“A few types.”

It was easier to deal with those who only used the sword cleanly than those who complicatedly used magic, enchantments, swords, and arrows.

[Combat with movement. VS Combat without movement.]

“Combat with movement.”

He liked to dodge and fight from all angles. He used the surrounding environment to the maximum extent.

Choices were continuously given. Whether it was about quantity or a bit at a time, enemies using spears or magic. Everything was about combat.

Taesan’s face grew more and more uncomfortable.

But he couldn’t change his choices now. He answered honestly as he had done so far. After dealing with about ten more questions like this, finally,

The choices stopped.

[Maria is satisfied.]

Clang!

The statue of the goddess disappeared, and the room expanded momentarily. Taesan was left alone in a room that had doubled in size.

A rumble.

Monsters showed their shapes.

Seeing their number, Taesan scowled.

There was a lot.

The monsters filled the expanded room without leaving a single empty space.

And each one of them had a distinct personality. A big one, a small one like a child, one with long arms. One that floated in the air, and so on. There were incredibly many.

Kyiing.

A red, circular curtain was drawn around Taesan. It’s a distance he could move about twice with large strides.

[If you move beyond this space, you lose.]

“Damn it.”

He didn’t finish his words.

The monsters all rushed in at once.

Taesan, with an annoyed expression, stood ready. He drew his twin swords and enhanced his senses.

[You have activated your Breathless Attack.]

First, he removed the constraint of breath and identified the attacks. One goblin in front. An ogre to the left. A lizardman to the right. Behind him, a monster wielding a spear, whose name he didn’t know.

He planned his movements and moves.

He twisted the head of the goblin and slapped the face of the ogre. He ducked to avoid the spear of the lizardman and the unnamed monster and kicked out.

“Caww!”

“Ki ack!”

The monsters were sent flying, but Taesan frowned. They were clearly stronger than the monsters he usually encountered. It meant they were strengthened for the trial.

As they flew away, new monsters began their attacks. Taesan tries to retreat and create distance, but the red barrier blocks his movement.

“Darn.”

It was clear. The trial had begun in the form opposite to all the methods he chose and preferred.

‘So this is why they call her the God of Choice.’

There were many monsters among them that he didn’t know. No matter how he looked, there were creatures that didn’t seem to appear on the lower floors.

The skeleton flying above Taesan started to mutter something, and magic began to form.

Taesan pulled out a temporary dagger he had and threw it. The dagger struck through the skeleton’s head, disrupting the magic. He immediately lowered his stance and dug in his feet.

His body flew into the sky.

The skeleton, trying to pull out the stuck dagger, paused.

“Die.”

Crack.

The skeleton shattered.

[Your Mark of Struggle has been activated.]