Ascension Through Skills

“Is it there?”

Malbre muttered while observing the city of the forsaken. Watching the city from a distance, he frowned.

“…What are those buildings?”

The houses caught his attention first.

Small, sturdy houses made of thick wood were scattered throughout the city.

And the movements of the forsaken, who scrambled at the sight of him.

They should have looked emaciated, unable to produce anything, but instead, they appeared well-fed. Although their appearances seemed unkempt, they didn’t seem to lack food.

“It’s certain.”

Someone with production abilities resided here.

Malbre twisted his lips into a sneer.

He stepped forward, followed closely by his subordinates. The people of the city panicked at the sight of them.

“What do we do?”

They were thrown into a state of chaos.

The happiness they had indulged in until now made them forget the harsh reality. They had no power of their own. If another group decided to intervene, there was nothing they could do to stop it.

The reason for Malbre’s visit was obvious. It was to take Taesan away.

“Protect the Messenger of God!”

“We can’t let them take him!”

People raised crude weapons and shouted, desperately trying to resist.

But not everyone agreed. A man quietly spoke up.

“Do we really have an obligation to protect him?”

“What?”

“Are you saying we should abandon the Messenger of God?”

“No.”

The man shook his head.

“It’s the opposite. Claiming we can protect him is arrogance. Think about it. Would that man be oppressed if he went to another city?”

The crowd hesitated at his words.

The ability Taesan possessed was extraordinary, unmatched in this world.

Other cities wouldn’t exploit him as a mere tool. They would offer him countless benefits to bring him to their side.

On the contrary, it was detrimental for Taesan to stay here.

“Trying to keep him here is our selfishness. That’s what I think.”

The people couldn’t answer him.

Reaching a conclusion was not easy. They hesitated, lost in confusion.

Meanwhile, Taesan brushed past them and walked out of the city.

“Ah.”

“Messenger…”

People tried to stop him hastily.

But Taesan had already left. Malbre, noticing him, brightened with recognition.

“That must be him.”

Distinct black hair and eyes. His outfit was unusually clean, unlike the forsaken. Malbre instinctively knew.

“Are you the one who revived this city?”

“Yes.”

Taesan replied curtly. Malbre scrutinized him.

No markings, and an unfamiliar face. He didn’t belong to another group. The most likely scenario was that he came from outside.

‘So there are still survivors out there.’

Slightly surprised, Malbre spoke again.

“Your power is too precious to be wasted in a place like this.”

Malbre extended his hand to Taesan.

“Join me. Even in this ruined world, I’ll ensure you lack nothing.”

The forsaken watched anxiously.

Malbre never considered the possibility of Taesan refusing his offer.

“No.”

Taesan’s reply was brief.

The unexpected rejection made Malbre scowl.

“No?”

“I have no intention of leaving here. Go back.”

The forsaken sighed in relief and collapsed. Malbre clicked his tongue.

“I wondered why you were in such a place. Turns out you’re a fool.”

He had seen people like this before, back when the world was still somewhat livable.

Those who possessed great power but used it for others instead of themselves.

Malbre thought such people were incredibly foolish.

In this world, consideration for others was useless. The only thing that mattered was oneself, as the outcomes had shown.

Those who cared for others were exploited and killed, while those like him survived.

Malbre believed Taesan was one of those foolish people.

Malbre laughed.

Such behavior, while stupid, would make him easier to control.

‘If I kill these forsaken one by one, he’ll come around.’

For now, subduing him was the priority. Malbre gave his orders to his subordinates.

“Capture him without injuring him.”

The subordinates sneered as they stepped forward.

The forsaken tried to rush out to protect Taesan, but Taesan stopped them.

“Stay put.”

“Ah.”

The forsaken froze in place. The command seemed to compel them with an unshakable force.

The subordinates lunged.

Their coordinated attack was sharp, so much so that even Malbre would struggle to block it. Since Taesan’s abilities were related to production, his combat strength must be weak. Malbre was certain Taesan would be captured without resistance.

Malbre watched leisurely.

Even as the subordinates rushed at him, Taesan didn’t move.

His gaze, detached and indifferent, fell on Malbre.

It was the gaze of someone looking at an insect.

Malbre shuddered instinctively.

His senses screamed a warning. He tried to shout for a retreat, but it was already too late. The subordinates reached Taesan.

Taesan’s fist moved.

Crunch.

“Ugh!”

With a scream, the subordinates were sent flying. One staggered back to his feet behind Malbre.

“W-What is this?”

“Even controlling my strength to avoid killing you is too easy.”

Taesan stomped the ground. His body surged forward at incredible speed.

The subordinate, barely standing, flinched and tried to move.

A surge of power enveloped him.

An unseen force swept over Taesan. Flames engulfed everything around him, and a sharp blade pierced his chest.

Taesan moved his hand.

The blade shattered, the flames extinguished, and the unseen force dissipated.

Even the forsaken stared blankly at the scene.

“What… What is this!?”

One of the subordinates screamed. It was overwhelming, pure domination. Their strength was utterly crushed.

“I’ve come up with a method.”

Taesan murmured as he casually deflected the subordinates’ attacks.

What methods existed to stabilize the corrupted land?

The answer wasn’t hard to find: a sanctuary.

A sanctuary imbued with divinity was something even the current Taesan could create.

But the problem lay in its maintenance. Divinity was consumed rapidly, and once Taesan left, the sanctuary would soon vanish.

Thus, Taesan needed to create a sanctuary that could sustain stabilization even after his departure.

He already knew the method.

The sanctuary of the God of Regret, as seen in the ruined world of the ghost.

Even though the God of Regret had long abandoned interest in it, the sanctuary was maintained by the faith of its followers.

If he could create a sanctuary sustained by the people’s faith, it would persist even after Taesan left.

Faith was based on people’s beliefs. The stronger that belief, the more powerful the divinity became.

Therefore, he would make sure to imprint his power clearly in their minds. Taesan drew his sword.

Crunch.

“Urgh!”

One subordinate’s stomach was pierced. Taesan kicked the corpse aside and waved his hand to extinguish the flames, grabbing another’s neck with a firm grip.

“Oh… Ohhhh!”

The forsaken erupted into cheers.

The subordinates began to fall, one by one. Malbre’s face turned pale.

‘Wait…’

Taesan was far from weak. Judging by his movements, he was overwhelmingly stronger than Malbre himself.

‘No way!’

Among the remaining survivors, Malbre had been considered one of the strongest.

But even his strength wasn’t exceptional.

During the era when monsters began invading in earnest, there had been many far stronger than him.

Yet, they all perished in battles against the monsters. It was their deaths that allowed Malbre to dominate the city.

Now, the strength Taesan displayed rivaled those who had once fought monsters.

‘Could a survivor like this have existed?’

Malbre made a swift decision: escape.

Thud.

“You coward…”

He abandoned his dying subordinates and fled. One subordinate, seeing this, muttered a curse before being struck down by Taesan.

‘I have to escape!’

Whenever Malbre found himself in unwinnable situations, he would flee and hide in a safe place. He had done the same whenever monsters appeared, staying far from the frontlines.

It was how he had survived.

But this time, escape was impossible.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Malbre’s body was seized by a powerful force and hurled into the ground.

Boom!

“Cough… Ack!”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Taesan’s leisurely voice reached him as he stomped down on Malbre.

Malbre was horrified.

‘…All of them are already dead?’

Taesan grabbed Malbre and examined him.

What kind of unique power did they possess?

[You have activated Essence Insight.]

Upon inspecting Malbre, Taesan understood.

‘Divine power.’

Though it was nothing more than scraps, fragments of transcendent power were embedded within Malbre.

The reason was not hard to guess.

The invasion of the high gods had been too much for even the gods’ power to repel. The God of Magic had even assigned a quest to a much weaker Taesan to fend off the high gods.

It seemed that in this world, divine power had been scattered among random individuals to grant them strength so they could aid the gods.

‘So divine power can be used this way.’

Instead of granting it to specific individuals like apostles or saints, it had been distributed to the masses.

This was a use of divine power currently beyond Taesan’s capabilities.

The more he learned, the more limitless the potential of divine power seemed.

“Nothing impressive.”

Malbre’s strength was unimpressive. While he might handle weaker monsters, even B-grade monsters would overwhelm him.

He was nothing more than a disposable pawn.

[Unworthy individuals gain strength only to fall short in the end.]

Taesan had gleaned all the information he needed.

He pressed down on Malbre, who scrambled desperately.

“Sp-Spare me…”

“You’ve killed relentlessly up to now, haven’t you? Accept your fate.”

Taesan’s calm voice was followed by a decisive blow.

Taesan returned to the city.

The people, who had been watching blankly, erupted into cheers.

“Ohhh!”

“Messenger of God!”

“You have descended to save us!”

Taesan looked at them.

Their intense and unwavering faith surged toward him.

The people began to worship Taesan.

He provided them with food, built shelters, and even purified the air.

And he had defeated those who sought to oppress them, wielding overwhelming strength.

All of this he had done without asking for anything in return. To the people, his actions were nothing short of saintly, and their worship came naturally.

Amidst their reverence, someone shouted:

“No! He isn’t just a Messenger of God! He descended himself to save us—he is our Savior!”

“Savior!”

“Our Savior who will deliver us!”

The people began calling Taesan their savior. They gathered daily, praying to him, and their faith in him grew ever stronger.

But it was still not enough.

This level of faith was insufficient to create a stable sanctuary.

Taesan, accompanied by a few people, headed to the city once ruled by the Red Avatar. It was in chaos, its ruler dead.

Taesan announced that he had defeated Malbre and his followers and that the people were now free.

Initially skeptical, the people believed him when they saw him produce food and houses. Unlike the forsaken, they had suffered under Malbre’s tyranny, and their faith in Taesan grew explosively.

Those who followed Taesan began to praise his greatness, and soon, two cities began worshiping him.

Deep, fervent faith continued to converge on Taesan.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Taesan considered a possibility.

“What if I could gain the worship of every human on this planet?”

Normally, such a feat would be impossible. A planet typically has a deity, and the diversity of its inhabitants makes unanimous worship nearly unattainable.

But this world was different. The main deity had perished at the hands of the high gods, and only a few survivors remained.

With survival itself under constant threat, universal worship might just be achievable.

[That… even I don’t know.]

The ghost couldn’t provide an answer.

Faith from all living beings.

That was Taesan’s goal.

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