NOVPUBThoom!
Wind and light surged forward, colliding with the Shadow Devourer as it hungrily opened its maw to consume everything in its path.
No other shadows were left around—they had all fled in fear long ago.
“What *is* this thing?”
Minerva swung her arm in frustration, condensing a massive gust of wind that formed into a storm aimed at the shadow.
Crack!
The enormous shadow was shredded by the whirlwind, with chunks of its form twisting and breaking off like soft clay.
But the Shadow Devourer only opened its maw wider.
Crunch.
The storm was slowly absorbed into its body, and despite the force tearing through it, the shadow continued to consume it, pulling it into its depths.
[Karrrrk.]
A contented, disturbing laughter echoed. Minerva chuckled incredulously.
“This is just absurd.”
Boom!
The shadow charged forward again. Barkaja clapped his hands, and Minerva stomped her foot, creating a barrier of wind and rainbow light in front of them.
Crash!
The shadow slammed against the barrier. Even with Barkaja’s assistance, Minerva’s defense was nearly impenetrable—something even Taesan would struggle to break through without a high-level Absolute Judgment. The shadow, too, couldn’t shatter it immediately.
Scrape.
However, the Shadow Devourer rubbed itself against the barrier, opening its maw.
The wall of wind Minerva had created started to slowly pull into the shadow’s form, being absorbed inch by inch.
“Master, there’s something *really* strange about this thing.”
Minerva’s brow furrowed. She had inflicted substantial damage. Even the most durable monster should’ve shown signs of defeat.
Yet the shadow was unscathed.
Not only that, but its form...had grown larger.
“It’s consuming everything.”
Attack, defense—it didn’t matter. It swallowed anything into itself. And as its health was chipped away, it consumed enough to fully recover, rendering any damage useless.
Having devoured the entire wall of wind, the shadow lunged forward again.
Taesan stretched out his hand, summoning mana that crystallized and took shape.
[You have activated Amon’s Black Spike.]
Boom!
The spike struck the shadow, sending it tumbling backward. But it soon recovered and came charging at Taesan once more, ready to consume him.
“Both of you, retreat.”
[If we must.]
“This is...beyond frustrating. I feel like my pride is taking a hit.”
With neither Minerva nor Barkaja able to contain the creature and with their powers being absorbed, they were proving more hindrance than help. Minerva shook her head in resignation and stepped back.
“This thing is something else. See you later, Master.”
As they vanished, the shadow let out a disappointed murmur.
[Karrrrk.]
Taesan quietly observed the shadow.
A monster that could devour any attack and make it its own.
[What are you planning?]
“I’m figuring that out now.”
The shadow grew even larger, its form swelling as it surged toward Taesan like a tidal wave, engulfing everything in its path.
[You have activated Limited Blink.]
Taesan shifted, teleporting directly above the shadow. As he descended, he raised his sword.
[You have activated Impact.]
[You have activated Forceful Strike.]
[You have activated Amplify.]
[You have activated Absolute Judgment.]
Boom!
The sword strike created a thunderous explosion, causing the shadow to ripple and slam into the ground.
[16,043 damage dealt to Shadow Devourer.]
Sixteen thousand—a significant blow. Yet, Taesan’s expression remained calm.
Squirm.
The scattered shadow particles reformed back into its original shape.
The Shadow Devourer had absorbed Taesan’s attack to mitigate the damage.
“So even Absolute Judgment doesn’t work.”
Since it wasn’t defending but rather consuming the attack, it made sense that the skill wouldn’t work. The shadow emitted a sinister laugh. Its body split into dozens of tendrils, all surging at Taesan.
Boom!
Taesan moved, waving his hand.
[You have activated Seed of Calamity.]
“Let’s see if you can devour this.”
The flames erupted like a bomb, the fiery power that had once incinerated an entire world enveloping the shadow.
For a moment, it appeared that the shadow couldn’t fully absorb the fire, writhing in pain as it was engulfed by flames. Taesan prepared to charge forward with his sword.
But suddenly, the shadow swelled violently.
It then wrapped its dark form around the flames consuming it. The devastating fire that had once destroyed a world was snuffed out.
“It really devours everything.”
[Karrrrk.]
The shadow laughed.
It was now immensely satisfied.
For the first time, its insatiable hunger was being fulfilled.
But it wasn’t enough.
It could still consume more. Its belly was far from full.
What if it devoured the very being in front of it?
If it could consume Taesan himself, would its endless hunger finally be satisfied?
Dark energy began to drip from the shadow like saliva from a hungry beast.
It expanded its body.
Then, in a rain of shadows, dozens of tendrils fell upon him.
[You have activated Slip.]
Taesan moved fluidly, deflecting the tendrils with his sword. Each shadow strand that touched his blade veered off course, scattering in all directions.
Boom!
The shadow’s movements grew more erratic, irritated that Taesan was evading its attempts to devour him. It started destroying everything in its path.
[You have activated Perfect Fairy Wings.]
Unfurling his wings, Taesan took flight, reading the pattern of each attack and dodging accordingly.
As he evaded, he began organizing his thoughts.
‘How can I handle this?’
He considered his options one by one.
Partial World Alteration wasn’t feasible—he’d used all the catalysts needed for that when defeating Vishnu.
The Boundary skill was also too risky. While immensely powerful, it posed a threat to him as well. Without direct divine support, he could only use it once, so it had to be deployed in a decisive moment.
After a brief deliberation, Taesan made his decision.
“Let’s keep it simple.”
[Huh?]
Boom!
He created distance from the shadow’s attacks, and the shadow grinned, expanding its presence.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
[You have activated Mana Focus.]
Crack!
An intense frost surged towards the shadow, freezing its body. Yet, the ice was quickly shattered as the shadow fought against it.
[10,143 damage dealt to Shadow Devourer.]
With glee, the shadow began devouring the frozen world.
Taesan watched silently.
He’d observed something when using Seed of Calamity. The Shadow Devourer was indeed taking damage from attacks.
It was just that afterward, it would consume the attack, using it to restore its health.
And absorbing an attack took it some time.
[You have summoned Minerva, the Spirit King of Wind.]
[You have summoned Barkaja, the Shield of Many Colors.]
Taesan summoned his spirits once more. Minerva looked bewildered at being called again under the same circumstances.
“Why bring us back? We’re not much use against this thing.”
“I’ve changed my approach.”
Taesan gathered both mana and dark energy simultaneously.
[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]
[You have activated Dekarabia’s Twisted Flora.]
Boom!
The Starlight Arrow pierced the shadow, while twisted roots surged up to entangle it.
The shadow laughed as it started to absorb these energies.
Taesan then intensified his mana.
[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]
[You have activated Forced Amplification.]
An immensely powerful Starlight Arrow materialized. Taesan clenched his fist.
[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]
Thoom!
The accelerated Starlight Arrow collided with the shadow and detonated. The shadow’s entire body shuddered violently.
[Starlight Arrow proficiency increased by 1%.]
Rumble...
The shadow sluggishly opened its maw, struggling to absorb the incoming force—but it was noticeably slower this time.
“...Ha. Crude but effective,” Minerva chuckled, finally understanding Taesan’s plan.
She extended her arms, and a violent storm tore through the shadow, slamming into it. Although the shadow tried to absorb the barrage, it was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of energy.
“Barkaja, assist me.”
[As the king commands.]
Barkaja infused Minerva’s wind with rainbow light.
With a gleeful expression, Minerva unleashed her full force. Taesan poured in his mana and dark energy simultaneously.
[You have activated Eligos’s Thorned Rose.]
[You have activated Frozen World.]
[Magic proficiency increased by 1%.]
Crack!
An immense power slammed into the shadow.
Before the shadow could fully absorb this onslaught, another surge of energy was unleashed upon it.
The shadow finally realized something was wrong.
No matter how much it devoured, the attacks never ceased.
Taesan continued to unleash his power.
[You have activated Marbas’s Black Wave.]
[Marbas’s Black Wave proficiency increased by 1%.]
[Dark Magic proficiency increased by 1%.]
“What?”
Both his dark magic and general magic proficiency hadn’t progressed much recently.
Even his frequently used Frozen World skill was still far from 20% proficiency.
Yet now, as he battered the shadow with repeated attacks, both dark magic and magic proficiency were rapidly increasing.
The cause was not the shadow’s strength.
Taesan soon understood the reason.
---
[Title: The Entitled]
[A token granted to those who descend through the labyrinth, gaining power on their own terms.]
[Attack Power +100]
[Greatly increases
the rate of proficiency for all skills.]
---
The title he earned for clearing the 70th floor was finally taking effect. Its function was to greatly accelerate the proficiency of all his skills.
“This much of a difference?”
His skills were advancing at a pace twice as fast as before. The spirit spoke up.
[It's a reward for reaching the Deep Floors; the effect is no small thing. But... curious, isn’t it? I thought titles like this would apply only to specific skills—such as swordsmanship for me or magic for a wizard. But yours seems to cover everything.]
The spirit had earned its proficiency boost for swordsmanship alone, while a mage would’ve received it only for magic.
In contrast, Taesan’s title boosted proficiency for all skills.
He had assumed the versatility would come with a reduced effect, but it was almost as potent as the spirit’s specialized title.
“So it seems.”
Taesan smirked.
Dark energy surged in his hands.
[You have activated Naberius’s Golden Blade.]
A golden blade materialized in Taesan’s grasp. He dashed forward, aiming at the struggling shadow still attempting to absorb the overwhelming power.
Boom!
The shadow rippled with the impact.
[Naberius’s Golden Blade proficiency increased by 1%.] 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝙢
The shadow wasn’t defeated yet.
It continued to devour, expanding its form, determined not to yield.
To Taesan, this was a boon.
A highly satisfying opponent had presented itself.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
[Frozen World proficiency increased by 1%.]
And so, the relentless assault of magic began anew.
---
Taesan unleashed countless spells and dark magic attacks upon the shadow.
Whenever his dark energy was depleted, he relied on divine power to replenish it. And when his mana was exhausted, he drank potions to restore it. Hundreds, then thousands, of skill casts battered the shadow repeatedly.
The shadow did not fall.
No matter how battered, it kept consuming, steadily expanding its form.
For Taesan, it was a welcome challenge.
At last, several skills reached the threshold for leveling up, with many others nearing a new state. And finally, Taesan even unlocked a brand-new skill.
