Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Skill Devouring to the 666th Floor Episode 031

31. Park Se Hee’s Resolve

The Three Gods were watching.

Lee Tae Seong’s approach to Park Se Hee.

[How does that author even know about my Apostle?]

[Well, he is a regressor after all.]

[Ugh… that damn regressor. Would it kill him to give us a heads up?]

Orcus expressed his dissatisfaction but had to acknowledge it.

That when it came to information, no one could match Lee Tae Seong.

Even so, his dissatisfaction didn’t fade.

[Are we just going to watch like this? Just sit here and watch that bastard do whatever he wants?]

[We have no choice. Tae Seong has the upper hand when it comes to information.]

[Since he’s a regressor, he must have his reasons.]

Harmonion also agreed, but only briefly.

Seeing Lee Tae Seong tailing Park Se Hee in the dead of night made him frown involuntarily.

[Why is that author… following my Apostle?]

[Hmm, who knows…]

[Perverted bastard. I knew he’d do something like this.]

But contrary to their concerns, he didn’t do anything particular to Park Se Hee.

He only left advice telling her to enter the Labyrinth and become an Apostle of the Three Gods.

Still, this crossed the line.

He had made a scouting offer without any consultation with them.

[Orcus! Open the Eternal Room. I need to know why he told my Apostle to enter the Labyrinth!]

[Right. Open the Eternal Room, Orcus. I’m curious too.]

[Fine, fine. Stop nagging me.]

After a moment, he sent a message and a spatial door opened.

“We meet again? Three Gods?”

Lee Tae Seong appeared relaxed.

As if he had expected them to summon him.

[Regressor. Tell me. Meeting my Apostle Park Se Hee wasn’t a coincidence, was it?]

Harmonion confronted him.

Ready to press him with various accusations if he dared to deny it.

However.

“Of course not. You don’t think I met her by chance, do you?”

Lee Tae Seong surprisingly had no intention of denying it.

“The Three Gods may not know, but I’ve already experienced the future. Who you choose as the Twelve Apostles and what they do.”

Having opened his mouth, Lee Tae Seong slowly approached Harmonion.

“Park Se Hee is Harmonion’s Apostle. She’ll later be chosen as the 11th of the Twelve Apostles. She’ll prove her qualifications fairly by conquering the Labyrinth. However, that timing is quite late.”

[So you intervened? To move up the timing?]

“That’s right. That’s also why I specifically went to Park Se Hee to advise her to conquer the Labyrinth.”

[Why Park Se Hee specifically? Don’t tell me Park Se Hee is an important figure for the conquest?]

Lee Tae Seong looked at Harmonion and smiled faintly.

“You’re quick on the uptake. That’s correct. Park Se Hee was the only supporter among the Twelve Apostles. Because she was chosen late, there weren’t many skills worth sponsoring besides Support Skills. Thanks to that, she ended up taking on an important position though.”

[Are you telling us to nurture Park Se Hee now?]

A direct question.

Lee Tae Seong nodded.

Then the other gods erupted in opposition.

[Nurture a supporter? What nonsense.]

[Wouldn’t it be better to back my Apostle Joshua instead?]

A supporter is a non-combat class.

A completely useless position for Labyrinth conquest where many battles occur.

But Lee Tae Seong thought differently.

“There’s no position more important than a supporter. Honestly, Joshua is also someone who should be chosen as one of the Twelve Apostles, but Park Se Hee is no less capable.”

[Park Se Hee has never conquered the Labyrinth yet. Frankly speaking, I’m having regrets.]

“I know. I think you must have many complaints. You chose her as an Apostle and even sponsored her with skills, but she’s not conquering the Labyrinth and just working for a living.”

[You know well.]

“However, you’ll realize later. That her survival rate is no less than other Apostles. The reason you’re not choosing the Twelve Apostles right now is because you can’t tell if they’re the kind of material that can survive to the end, isn’t it?”

[Hmm…]

[That’s true.]

[…]

All Three Gods agreed.

They had chosen several people as Apostles now, but there was no one designated as an Apostle of all Three Gods like Lee Tae Seong.

Because they lacked the insight to identify Apostles who could survive to the end.

and had been waiting.

Until the riffraff were filtered out and talented apostles survived.

“But since I’m here, there’s no need to wait. I know who the necessary talents for conquest are because I’ve experienced the future.”

[Then, can we trust that Park Se Hee is an apostle who will survive to the end?]

“Yes. You can also trust Joshua, Kairos’s apostle.”

Though he said that, the Three Gods’ faces were full of reluctance.

[Can I be honest?]

“Please speak, Orcus.”

[Even though you’re a regressor, I still find it hard to trust your words.]

“Do you need more proof that I’m a regressor?”

[No, it’s not a matter of proof but a matter of trust.]

Lee Tae Seong nodded his head.

“I acknowledge that. I can understand why you might not trust me. You must be dissatisfied being in a position where you receive instructions from me. What god in the world would take orders from an apostle?”

[That’s exactly what I’m saying.]

[….]

[….]

The other gods remained silent, but Lee Tae Seong knew.

Silence was tacit agreement.

In times like this, there was only one method.

“Then, let’s do it this way.”

[How?]

“I’ll also give my opinions like you do. I won’t push through recklessly. However, if you find my opinions reasonable after hearing them, please follow them. I’m saying let’s solve things through discussion as we’ve been doing.”

[So… you won’t become a dictator?]

“Yes. We’ll decide democratically. Through voting. How does that sound?”

Conveniently, there were three gods present.

If just two agreed, Lee Tae Seong’s opinion would be accepted.

‘Even if we call it voting, things will ultimately go my way. You have no information, and I do.’

Rather, it was an opportunity to cleverly suppress the gods’ rebellion with the word “democratic.”

“In the current situation, the agenda would be whether to accept Park Se Hee as an Apostle of the Three Gods or not. Joshua is strong enough that everyone acknowledges him, so there’d be no problem adopting him as an Apostle of the Three Gods.”

[Is Park Se Hee such an important figure?]

“Yes. The existence of a supporter is important. The difference between having someone who provides care on the battlefield and not having one is quite significant.”

The Three Gods pondered.

Since he insisted so strongly, their hearts were slightly moved.

Whether to support Park Se Hee or not.

In the midst of this, Orcus voiced an opposing opinion.

[I’m not really for it. The Labyrinth isn’t team-based, so why do we need a supporter?]

“Then why are the Three Gods trying to select the Twelve Apostles to form a raid party?”

Orcus was flustered by the unexpected question.

[Uh, that’s… if we raise elites, they’re easier to manage, and if we enter the Labyrinth together, conquest would be more convenient…]

“Orcus just mentioned it. The advantages of a party.”

[….]

“While the Labyrinth is basically meant to be conquered alone, party hunting makes conquest much easier. The survival rate increases tremendously.”

Conquering alone versus conquering with others.

Which of the two was easier was too obvious to even discuss.

Since forming a party didn’t change the mission’s difficulty.

“I also agree with the idea of forming a raid party. Right now it’s the early stages so conquest is easy alone, but later? There will be casualties in droves. When that time comes, it’ll become difficult to find new apostles too. The period for sending messages to apostles is limited to exactly one month by the system. Isn’t that right?”

[To know even such details… you’re certainly worthy of being called a regressor.]

[I’ll acknowledge it. That your argument is reasonable.]

[….]

As the gods except himself acknowledged Lee Tae Seong, Orcus’s brow furrowed.

At this rate, it seemed like he’d end up just making opposing arguments and nothing more.

“Including me, how many apostles have you contracted with now?”

[Hmm, I’ve contracted with 21.]

[I have 18.]

“What about you, Orcus?”

Orcus spoke with a displeased expression.

[11.]

“That’s exactly 50. You should stop here and cease indiscriminate contracting from now on.”

[It hasn’t even been a month yet. And you’re telling us not to send contract messages?]

“Recruiting many apostles isn’t necessarily good. Even when giving power, who you give it to is more important.”

[What do you mean by that? Tae Seong?]

Lee Tae Seong answered Kairos’s question.

“Before my regression, something like this happened. One of the Twelve Apostles attacked another apostle. That apostle’s skill disappeared, and the attacker said to the Three Gods. That guy’s skill is gone, so please sponsor me now.”

[There was such a crazy bastard?]

“Yes. Is there someone called ‘Liu Weihao’ among those you’ve contracted with now?”

Orcus opened his mouth with a startled look.

[That guy is my first apostle…?]

“The one who will attack fellow apostles in the future is Weihao. Even if that guy proves his qualifications, don’t select him as one of the Twelve Apostles. He’ll cause trouble by coveting and attacking other apostles’ skills.”

Orcus’s expression became blank.

It was shocking to learn that there was a flaw in the apostle he had chosen first.

“Now then. Anyone who doesn’t agree with selecting Park Se Hee as one of the Twelve Apostles?”

Orcus, who had been the only objector, had his complaints completely disappear.

Park Se Hee, who had returned home, fell into deep thought.

‘Who on earth was that person? Who is he to know that my patron spirit is the God of Balance?’

The man she encountered in the alley.

Contrary to her expectation that he would harm her, he only left advice and departed.

‘Why did he say such things to me?’

Normally, she wouldn’t have paid this much attention to words from someone she’d never met before.

However, she couldn’t help but be tempted by his advice.

‘If I want to heal more people, enter the Labyrinth? That conquering it and becoming stronger is the way to save more lives?’

It wasn’t that she had never thought about entering the Labyrinth.

She went to a place called Transcendence Net every day to observe the trends.

She had also read the conquest guides posted by someone called Amon there.

Although she hadn’t entered the Labyrinth, she wasn’t uninterested in it.

‘I want to try going to that place called the Labyrinth too.’

But why hadn’t she conquered even the 1st Floor?

‘Because I don’t have time for that. I’m too busy saving people.’

The emergency room was a battlefield every day.

Injured patients came in without rest.

That didn’t change just because the Labyrinth incident had occurred.

‘How can I conquer the Labyrinth in this situation?’

She had no time to conquer the Labyrinth.

Because she was someone who thought about saving people the moment she opened her eyes.

‘But… conquering it is actually the way to save more people…’

She had never thought of it.

The idea that becoming stronger through Labyrinth conquest would help the medical center.

However, she couldn’t trust the words of an unidentified advisor.

‘If I’m selected as an Apostle of the Three Gods, I can receive additional skill sponsorship? Wasn’t the patron spirit something you decide once and that’s it?’

Since she was also getting information through Transcendence Net, she knew to some extent.

That you could only choose one patron spirit, and you could only obtain one skill when awakening.

That’s why most apostles had only one skill.

She was the same.

‘But how do you obtain it? What are the Three Gods?’

He said that if she proved her qualifications, she could be selected as an Apostle of the Three Gods…

‘That information wasn’t anywhere on Transcendence Net.’

It was frustrating in many ways.

Because she knew nothing.

‘Should I try entering the Labyrinth for now?’

The advisor she met in the alley had said so.

Enter the Labyrinth and prove your qualifications.

Then, you can become an Apostle of the Three Gods and receive additional skill sponsorship.

‘Should I try it?’

Normally, she should sleep and prepare for tomorrow’s work.

But Park Se Hee seriously considered it.

Whether to attempt conquering the 1st Floor at least.

At that moment, a message appeared as if to resolve her dilemma.

[Kairos, the God of Time, tells you to enter the Labyrinth and prove your worth.]

[Orcus, the God of the Underworld, proposes that if you prove your worth, he will make you an Apostle of the Three Gods.]

[Harmonion, the God of Balance, says the qualification requirement is to conquer up to the 4th Floor alone.]

A proposal came from the patron spirits who had been silent until now.

Among them were gods she had never heard of before.

Park Se Hee felt as if her frustration had been completely cleared away.

‘So this was it? They’re saying I can become an Apostle of the Three Gods if I prove myself.’

However, it felt a bit difficult.

To conquer up to the 4th Floor all by herself….

‘Is it even possible…?’

Her skill was Light of Harmony.

While it could be used as an Attack Skill, it was fundamentally a Recovery Skill.

‘What if I end up dying by mistake?’

Just as she was worrying.

[Someone sets foot on Labyrinth Underground 40th Floor for the first time.]

The Apostle called the Savior, or Pioneer, had entered the 40th Floor conquest.

‘Was it Amon? That person is also working so hard to prevent the apocalypse….’

And here I am hesitating over just conquering the 4th Floor.

‘If I succeed, I can save more people.’

I can’t just sit still either.

Having gained courage, she put on her coat.

She was about to enter a place called a Sinkhole for the first time.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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