Ascension Through Skills

Maria spoke.

[Your destination is the God of Order, Horai. He is in a world ruled by his apostle, called Arbosea. Stay by the side of the one who bears divine blood and make your choice there. That is your task.]

“Can transcendents intervene?”

A world with the apostle of the God of Order. It was possible that a transcendent might directly intervene. Maria shook her head.

[They will not. Horai’s order binds even himself. That’s why he hasn’t entered the Labyrinth.]

Maria’s voice carried a hint of mockery.

[I respect the choices of all beings. Even if it leads them to death, as long as it’s their own will, that’s enough. But sometimes, there aren’t even choices to be made. That is something I cannot tolerate.]

Maria smiled and waved her hand. Taesan’s body began to move against his will.

Taesan closed his eyes and prepared for the transition.

The sensation of the world turning upside down engulfed him.

When it settled, Taesan opened his eyes.

A vast forest stretched before him. The rustling grass tickled his ankles, and the scent of greenery filled the air.

The God of Order. The world ruled by Horai’s apostle: Arbosea.

He was now there.

First, reconnaissance. Taesan gathered magic energy and activated Leraje’s Territory Detection. Information about his surroundings flooded in.

He sensed countless small lives. And nature.

“This isn’t a particularly special world.”

It seemed Arbosea was just an ordinary world found anywhere.

The first objective of the quest was to find the one with divine blood.

[She placed you right next to them.]

By a tree, a small child was curled up, sleeping.

The child looked to be no older than twelve. Though they seemed exhausted, there were no visible injuries.

The child lay without any shelter, sleeping on the forest floor. They occasionally shivered from the cold, likely because their campfire was dying out. ȐÄƝȫʙÈS

Taesan tended to the fire, rekindling its embers.

This quest offered little information. The state of the one with divine blood, the nature of the trial, and the identity of the Emperor—all these were things Taesan had to uncover himself.

Instead of waking the child, Taesan asked the ghost.

“What exactly is divine blood?”

The first thing to understand was what divine blood actually was.

The only person Taesan had seen wield divine blood was Helia. He had forcibly activated his divine blood to gain overwhelming speed and strength.

It wasn’t an ordinary power. The ghost spoke with a vague tone.

[I don’t know much about divine blood either. Those born with it are so rare, and most are persecuted to death.]

“Persecuted?”

[I’ll tell you what I know. Rarely, some are born with blue blood instead of red. This is called divine blood, and those born with it are called the bastards of gods.]

“Are they really descendants of gods?”

[Probably not.]

The ghost wasn’t confident.

[I can’t be sure. After all, the bastards of gods cannot pass on their powers. On the contrary, even if their parents are ordinary humans, they might suddenly be born with blue blood.]

“So it’s unclear.”

[The only certainty is that there’s no consistent rule for the birth of godly bastards.]

In other words, it couldn’t be definitively proven whether they inherited divine blood from gods.

Taesan asked the ghost another question.

“Why are they persecuted? Don’t they gain great power from having divine blood?”

[Not necessarily. Divine blood isn’t as convenient a power as you might think.]

The ghost refuted Taesan’s assumption.

[Of course, they’re extraordinary. They’re born with talents that defy comparison. But that’s it. They’re no more special than that. They’re still fundamentally human. That’s why they’re often killed as demon spawn or exiled for being cursed. Only a rare few who understand their abilities live revered as noble beings.]

“Helia was one of the latter.”

Now that he thought about it, his skill also forcibly activated his divine blood. It was a power so difficult to control that even adventurers of the deep levels struggled with it.

Taesan looked at the child sleeping fitfully.

“Then was this child also persecuted?”

[Most likely. It’s a sad story. To think that just being born this way would lead them to choose death.]

The boy seemed to have despaired from suffering inflicted by others and had given up on life. That’s how it appeared.

But something felt off to Taesan.

He couldn’t put it into words, but he had a gut feeling that wasn’t the case.

Taesan stoked the fire.

Hours later, the child woke up.

“Ugh…”

The child rubbed their eyes, looking groggy. As they dusted the dirt off themselves, they noticed Taesan sitting by the fire.

“…Who are you?”

Still half-asleep, the child asked in a dazed voice.

Taesan replied.

“An adventurer.”

“…Oh. A mercenary?”

The child glanced between the fire and Taesan before bowing their head. It was a gesture of respect that had likely been taught to them.

“Thank you for tending the fire. But please leave.”

“Why?”

Taesan asked. The child looked downcast as they answered.

“I’m a cursed child.”

“And?”

“Pardon?”

The child was startled by Taesan’s response, as if they hadn’t expected such a reaction.

“…I’m a cursed child.”

“So?”

Taesan looked at the child with a questioning gaze, as if to say, “What of it?” The child grew even more flustered.

“Uh… I’m a cursed… child, so…”

“I don’t care.”

Taesan had to stay close to the child anyway.

The child’s face was filled with confusion. They seemed to want to say something but couldn’t find the words.

The child began to walk.

Their shoes were so worn that they were practically barefoot. Watching them for a moment, Taesan raised his hand.

Creak!

A tree by the path twisted.

The tree began reshaping itself into something smaller. The child’s eyes widened in shock as the transformation unfolded.

Soon, the tree had turned into a pair of shoes perfectly fitting the child’s feet.

Taesan handed the shoes to the child, who accepted them in a daze.

“…Are you a magician? I didn’t hear you cast a spell…”

“Something like that.”

Of course, it wasn’t magic. Taesan had completed the Spirit God’s quest and, through a contract with the Spirit King, could exert a strong influence over nature.

If it were an unresisting typhoon, he could quell it with a mere gesture. Carving a tree into shoes was a simple task.

But the child couldn’t comprehend this. They assumed Taesan was a remarkable magician.

“Thank you. But even so, you must leave me. I am a cursed child.”

“I told you, it doesn’t matter.”

Taesan responded nonchalantly.

The child hesitated before putting on the shoes.

Walking again, the child seemed noticeably more comfortable.

‘This won’t be an easy quest.’

The God of Choice always presented him with trials involving the most challenging situations for him. While Maria favored him, she wasn’t the kind to coddle him like the Demon God.

The condition of the quest was for the one with divine blood to make a choice.

What that choice would be, even Taesan didn’t know.

Moreover, the child showed no visible injuries. They were dirty but physically unscathed.

If they had truly been persecuted, as the ghost mentioned, it seemed unlikely.

‘For now.’

Gather information.

Taesan followed the child. The child occasionally glanced back at him but continued moving forward.

“Stop!”

A group of bandits blocked their path.

The bandits grinned as they shouted.

“This is the territory of the Kleiden Bandit Gang! If you want to pass, pay the toll!”

The bandits drew their swords. The child cautiously stepped forward.

“I’m sorry, but I have nothing. May I pass?”

“If you’ve got nothing, offer up your body! Where do you think—!”

The leader of the bandits, a rough-looking man, shouted angrily. However, a burly bald man behind him hesitated and whispered.

“Hey, isn’t that kid… you know?”

“What?”

“You know… the cursed child…”

The bald man whispered something further. The leader, who had been silent, spoke quietly.

“The cursed child?”

“They look just like the rumors…”

“Damn it.”

The leader waved his hands in panic.

“Everyone, move aside! Let them pass! Don’t touch them!”

“Yes, sir!”

The bandits immediately obeyed the order, as if they feared being cursed by touching the child.

They scrambled out of the way, creating a clear path for the child to walk through.

With a bitter but accustomed expression, the child passed them.

“See? This is why you shouldn’t follow me. You’ll be cursed.”

The child spoke softly to Taesan.

Taesan didn’t follow further. The child seemed relieved and staggered forward again.

Once the child disappeared from view, the leader let out a sigh of relief.

“Whew. That was close. Do you think we’ll be cursed just for that?”

“I heard slight contact is fine… but it still feels unsettling.”

“Damn it. Should we go to a temple and ask for a blessing?”

“If it’s the cursed child, even they might refuse in fear.”

“If we bribe them, they might do something. But…”

The leader hesitantly glanced at Taesan.

“What about you? Who are you?”

Taesan didn’t answer his question. He simply watched the departing child and muttered to himself.

“Does divine blood come with traits like that?”

[Hmm... I don’t know either. There’s so little information on divine blood. It wouldn’t be surprising if it had traits I’m unaware of.]

“I’ll have to figure out exactly what it is.”

“You don’t think this one’s cursed too, right?”

“They said there’s only one cursed child, so it’s probably just a coincidence we crossed paths.”

“Then this works out.”

The leader raised his sword again, his greedy eyes scanning Taesan’s attire.

“You look like you’ve got some money. Pay the toll, or I’ll take your arm.”

“That’s my line.”

There was no need to use magic. Not even the slightest manifestation of will was required.

A minuscule fraction of his power was more than enough.

Taesan snapped his fingers.

At that moment, a massive pressure crushed the bandits.

“Guh, urgh…!”

They couldn’t even scream.

They couldn’t exhale the breath they had inhaled, and their entire bodies began to tremble.

Taesan spoke leisurely.

“Answer my question, and I’ll let you live.”