Ascension Through Skills - Chapter 578

**Chapter 24 Episode 7**

582. The End

“If there is anything I can do, I can grant it to you. Not just me, but even the transcendents who reside in the labyrinth will help you with your wish.”

In fact, everything that the universe allows is possible.

“If you wish, I can even make this labyrinth yours.”

In the true sense, Taesan could achieve many things.

However, the light of wishes had faded for Taesan.

The magician muttered with an ambiguous expression.

“It would have been a meaningful reward for a normal conqueror, but I am not sure about you now. Most of what I can do, you can do yourself.”

Taesan had become strong.

Too much so.

Overwhelmingly so.

It was rare for someone who had reached such a level to not be able to achieve something.

Although he would not do so, if Taesan made up his mind and set his heart on it, he could forcibly seize the labyrinth.

So the magician guessed what Taesan wanted.

Things that Taesan could not achieve in the orthodox way.

The magician mentioned one of them.

“Do you want to turn back the time on Earth?”

“Is that possible?”

“There is the God of Cycles, and she can intervene in Ouroboros to some extent… If it is the cycle of a single Earth, it is not impossible. I can make it a peaceful Earth before the monsters invaded.”

“What about the memories?”

“They will forget because they do not have the right qualifications.”

Everything will be forgotten.

The gods, the labyrinth, the memories of the people will be forgotten, and everyone will live ordinary lives.

Taesan would be the only one who remembered it.

‘Will Itaewon remember?’

I can’t be sure.

She is an apostle of Maria, but she did not regain her memories until she reached a certain level.

Everyone forgets everything and lives on. An ordinary life.

That was not a bad ending either.

However, Taesan shook his head.

“I don’t want that.”

“Then what do you want?”

The magician asked. He guessed what Taesan wanted.

Taesan pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

And what he said was something completely different from what the magician had expected.

“The adventurers of the labyrinth who are in the Alone mode.”

Most of them had given up on the Strategy, or even if they hadn’t, they were the ones who could not clear the labyrinth.

“Can you let them give up on the labyrinth conquest anywhere they want and return to Earth at will? In other words, can you let them freely Strategythe labyrinth?”

“Huh?”

The magician was taken aback.

After a moment of understanding Taesan’s words, he soon had a bewildered expression.

“It is possible… but it wouldn’t mean much.”

In the first place, it was not difficult to give up on the labyrinth conquest.

You just had to not go down the labyrinth.

All of the Alone mode players were currently on Earth.

Preventing them from returning to the labyrinth was not a difficult task for Taesan.

There was no reason to ask for it as a wish to clear the 100th floor of the labyrinth.

“In the first place, there is nothing I want right now.”

He had achieved everything he wanted.

That didn’t mean he wanted to turn back the time on Earth either.

“I can keep the Alone mode players on Earth, but that would mean taking away their freedom of choice.”

Some of them would want to continue down the Alone mode.

Even if it meant losing their lives.

Taesan had no intention of forcibly taking away their choice.

However, the magician would not be very happy if he allowed Taesan to freely enter and leave the Alone mode at will. Because he was the master of the labyrinth.

So he makes it a wish.

It was a reasonable thing to say.

However, the magician was very bewildered.

“Is that really all you want?”

It was too small a wish to be granted in exchange for clearing the labyrinth.

It was even a wish that had nothing to do with Taesan himself.

Taesan said calmly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“If that’s what you really want, I have no reason to refuse. But I’m a little confused.”

“Then can I ask for one more thing?”

“A favor? Tell me.”

Taesan said what he wanted.

The magician stroked his chin after hearing the story.

After a moment of contemplation, the magician nodded.

“That much should be fine. Delsha doesn’t like that kind of thing very much, but… Since you have done what you have done. I will not refuse.”

“That’s enough.”

He spoke his wish.

The magician chuckled.

“You are unpredictable until the end. Well, it’s not bad. It’s like you.”

The magician claps his hands.

Kiiiiiiing.

The magician’s power spreads.

Themasterofthelabyrinth exerts his influence over the labyrinth.

“I, the magician who created this labyrinth, hereby declare in this place,”

The magician declared as the administrator of the labyrinth.

“The one who conquers this labyrinth will have his wish granted without fail.”

Keeeeing!

The magician’s power activates. It spreads throughout the labyrinth.

And it happens.

Taisan’s wish.

“It’s done.”

“It’s simpler than I thought.”

“Your wish isn’t that grand, so it was easier to grant than I thought.”

“Then…

“It’s over. Now.”

The labyrinth no longer has any meaning to Taisan.

“Is that so?”

Taisan mumbled.

The magician smiled.

“If you ever change your mind, come visit me again. I’ll welcome you.”

“I’ll think about it once things settle down.”

“Farewell. I truly enjoyed myself thanks to you, Taisan.”

* * *

Taisan returned to Earth.

Those who had been waiting for him approached Taisan.

And Taisan told them. What he had done and what had become of them.

The solo mode players were moved to tears.

“Oh, ohhhhhh…

“For insignificant beings like us, you personally did such a…

“Thank you. Thank you…

“If you wish, you may settle on Earth. If you wish to conquer the solo mode, you may go back down.”

“Of course we’ll go back down!”

“Ugh… It’s scary, but it’s too late to back down now.”

Amelia, Lee Taeyong, and others who had gone down a certain level chose to conquer.

And those who were below a certain level gave up on conquering.

All of that was their freedom.

The same went for the easy, normal, and hard mode players.

Those three labyrinths belonged to Taisan, so it was much simpler.

“Enter the labyrinth whenever you want, and if not, stay on Earth. All of that is your freedom.”

“So we have a choice. Not bad.”

“It’s over. In the truest sense.”

It had come to a perfect end.

“So, live your lives.”

A calm voice spread among the people.

It’s over.

Now they can live.

However, there was a problem.

The fact that Earth had been left desolate.

There wasn’t a single lifeform except for them.

They could obtain food through simple cultivation, but the variety was extremely limited.

Even if they were to live again, they wouldn’t be able to live normal lives.

Amelia asked Taisan.

“What, are you going to bring animals and plants from another planet? Or are we going to move to another planet?”

Both were possible if it was Taisan.

However, Taisan shook his head.

“Neither. We’re going to live here.”

“That’s good, but how…

Taisan placed his hand on the ground. A withered, ruined world. People shut their mouths.

‘I’ve always thought about it.’

What to do with Earth after everything was over.

He had now drawn that card.

“Circulate.”

The Earth began to circulate.

Koo-goo-goo-goong!

“Uh.”

“Uh-huh?”

People were bewildered.

Almost everything on Earth, except for a few things, began to circulate and accelerate at a rapid pace.

Meaningless boulders were instantly corroded and turned into sand.

The concentration of air changed rapidly. The sky accelerated and accelerated.

“Uh-huh…”

People realized it.

That the planet called Earth was accelerating at an absurd speed.

The ruined planet that was originally uninhabitable had finally become a planet where life could live.

Now, that process was being forcibly reversed.

Unicellular organisms soon became multicellular. And multicellular organisms became living organisms, transforming into something that could be called life.

Green plants began to appear little by little in the brown world.

Splash!

And fish jumped out of the water.

Crustaceans,

Fish,

Amphibians,

Insects,

Birds and reptiles,

And, mammals.

Lush trees.

“Aaaaah.”

“Ooooooh…”

It was as if a documentary was fast-forwarding from the birth of Earth to the present.

That sight was unfolding before their very eyes.

“That should be enough.”

Taisan removed his hand. People couldn’t shut their mouths.

A world like the lush Amazon was right before their eyes.

“The rest is up to you.”

Taisan told them.

* * *

“Yeah!”

People shouted vigorously. They cleared the trees and turned the soil.

Thanks to Taisan, Earth had regained life.

However, the overgrown plants hindered them. They needed to clear the land.

They didn’t have any equipment, but that wasn’t a problem. Most people had far surpassed the realm of superhumans.

“Right, and yet it didn’t matter. Most individuals had already far surpassed the realm of the superhuman. Even Lee Taeyoon alone could cover an area the size of a country.

Then there were those who wielded power beyond mere force.

The engineers and the scientists.

Taesan had not cycled through everything on Earth. He had left the remnants of humanity as they were.

The people began to take an interest in technology that they had not had the time to care about while focusing on survival.

They repaired what they could, and they dismantled broken machinery to understand its structure.

They progressed, filled with hope.

“Whew.”

Lee Taeyoon let out a breath.

As if suddenly remembering something, she asked while traversing an area the size of a continent.

“Now that I think about it, Taesan. Why didn’t you rewind time? It would have been easier.”

“Because you would have lost everything.”

There is no such thing as a convenient method without drawbacks.

Taesan would not have lost anything by rewinding time. What he had accumulated was outside of such concepts.

But the same could not be said for them.

All the power and memories that they had built up until now would disappear.

The fact that they had broken through at the risk of their lives would be erased entirely.

They lived for the fact that they had survived, and they took pride in the power that they had accumulated.

Taesan had no intention of making them lose all of that.

He had experienced it himself.

He had lost everything except his divine ascension.

He had regained most of it, but there were still some skills that he had not gotten back, like the skill reset.

The sense of loss and powerlessness had been quite terrible.

He did not intend to make others experience it as well.

“I see. That’s definitely better for us.”

Lee Taeyoon may have been an apostle, but even she was not an exception. Only complete concepts could remain within the time that was rewound.

“It’s sad, though.”

The number of lives that had been lost was not small. No, the majority had died.

They had to live on with the deaths of those people in their hearts.

Taesan had been thinking about that too.

“It’s okay. I’ve talked to the god of death about that.”

“What?”

“It takes time for a concept to turn around like that. But… at least those who died related to the gods can all come back.”

Bardray had also been able to revive, albeit in a twisted way. There was no reason why it would be impossible for the people of Earth.

Taesan could solve the gods’ corruption, so all he needed was Delsha’s cooperation.

Delsha was dissatisfied with having the concept of death interfered with, but she did not oppose it because she knew of Taesan’s achievements.

“Really?”

Lee Taeyoon’s face lit up. Even the dead could come back.

“That’s great. Then… this really is a perfect happy ending.”

Lee Taeyoon smiled brightly.

That fact was soon conveyed to the others.

Their lost family, friends, and lovers could come back. The people were overjoyed.

They worked even harder in preparation for their return.

Not many days later, the city began to take shape.

Taesan did not intervene.

If he were to use his power, the development of Earth would be finished in a day.

No. It would not even take a day.

With just a light tap of his foot, the planet called Earth would be molded to his will.

But Taesan did not do that.

There were several reasons, but the biggest one was to reduce the people’s reliance on him.

There were no more monsters. The people had to live by their own will now. He had no intention of letting them continue to rely on him.

The city was made.

Taesan watched its appearance quietly.

And at that time.

The transcendents were looking down at Earth.

[What should we do?]

[What do you mean?]

[The war is over. But he is extremely dangerous.]

One of the transcendents said. Arilan looked at him as if telling him to go on.

[He can destroy the universe. He can crush all things and reduce them to nothing.]

[So?]

[We must find a way to seal him…]

The transcendent shut his mouth.

It was because Arilan’s gaze looking at him was filled with contempt.

[Do you intend to throw away the dog that you used for hunting? It makes me sick, but beings like you have always been that way. There are problems. Many of them. First, how do you intend to seal him?]

Just because the boundary had sealed away the gods did not mean that Taesan’s power had weakened.

He could still handle the boundary.

If he were to fight with the intent to, not even all the transcendents in the universe combined could guarantee victory.

Arilan could not guarantee how much damage would be done or how many concepts would be ruined in the process.

[And how many transcendents do you think will agree with your opinion?]

[……]

The Transcendental flinched.

He could feel the countless gazes aimed at him.

Each one of them was a renowned Transcendental in the universe, who ruled over incomparable concepts.

The ones who resided in the labyrinth.

They were silently looking at him.

[Me too.]

Arillan patted the Transcendental’s head.

[So shut up with your nauseating whining and get lost. If you make that kind of noise again, I will crush your head.]

The Transcendental left without a word.

Arillan, now alone, looked back at Taesan.

[You’ve suffered a lot.]

The God of Cycles. Arillan was amazed by how much Taesan had achieved. The process couldn’t have been easy.

[Live a comfortable life.]

A soft voice echoed through the universe.

“What will happen to the people who are born in the future?”

Someone asked, as if the thought had just occurred to them.

It was a simple but essential question that made the others ponder.

What kind of lives would their descendants live?

“Will they also raid the labyrinth?”

“If they do, they’ll be given a real choice.”

Not a forced choice like theirs.

A true choice between Easy, Normal, Hard, and Alone mode. And they would have to risk their lives to clear the labyrinth.

They would live. In a different direction than before, but surely.

“Ah. Right.”

The city was gradually being built. The first monumental city to symbolize their new life. What should they name the city?

“Of course, Gang Taesan!”

There was no disagreement.

The new city was named Gang Taesan.

“Taesan will like it.”

Lee Taeyoon went to deliver the news to Taesan with an ambiguous expression.

“Taesan?”

Creak.

The door opened.

A small room.

A shabby chair inside.

Taesan was sitting there.

He had his arms on the armrests and his chin on his hands, his eyes closed.

Without moving an inch, literally = O TZ

=T= =

Lee Taeyoon’s eyes widened.

[He’s sleeping. It’s the first time I’ve seen him sleep so peacefully.]

Bardray’s voice rang out. Lee Taeyoon’s heart sank.

“I didn’t expect this.”

[Should I wake him?]

“No. Let him sleep. I’ll talk to him later.”

Lee Taeyoon sat down, hugging her legs.

The fact that he didn’t wake up even though she had come meant that he was really sound asleep.

“How long has it been since he slept like this?”

Probably for the first time in this life.

Taesan had really been running without rest.

He had cleared Alone mode faster than anyone else and had overcome countless obstacles, risking his life.

And he had finally reached the end.

Taesan deserved to rest.

“Taesan. You’ve worked hard.”

Lee Taeyoon smiled. The voices of people echoed softly. Sunlight streamed in through the ceiling of the ruined building.

〈The End〉

〈Author’s Note〉

Yes. It’s the end. Taesan’s journey ends here.

Of course, he will do many things in the future, but at least the story of the long stem has come to an end.

This work has also taught me a lot.

What I write and what I can write. And whether I can serialize a long story like this.

I’ve really gained a lot.

As it is the work that I have serialized for the longest time and that many people have loved, I feel a strange emotion.

I feel like it has come to an end.

Many people have talked about a side story.

Of course, I have ideas for a side story.

There are many stories that I personally want to write.

How will Taesan live in the future?

As some of you have mentioned, Mazin. And many IF stories.

I want to write all of them.

However, the problem is that the duty of service that I have been putting off… has finally come.

I can’t put it off any longer.

Since I don’t know when I will have to fulfill that duty, it’s hard for me to give you a definite answer about when the side story will be. TT -TT

I will try to write as much as I can until then!

I was able to come this far because all of you read my writing.

The stars and comments were a great source of strength for me to serialize the work.

Thank you always.

Well then, I will see you again in my next work. Thank you.