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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 20
“So it finally begins.”
According to the manual, this was where the true trial began.
Since each challenger was given a different trial, there was no way to predict what would come.
Cheon Woo-jin responded to the message: “I accept the challenge.”
Immediately, a new message appeared before his eyes:
[Measuring the challenger’s potential.]
[The stage of the trial will vary depending on potential.]
[Unbelievable potential has been detected.]
[Stage difficulty will increase according to the challenger’s potential.]
Cheon Woo-jin furrowed his brow as he read the message.
So the difficulty is scaling to match my SS-grade constitution.
[Trial stage has been set.]
[‘Battle of the Balralaf Plains’ selected as stage.]
[Main Mission: Seize the Crown of Harmens.]
[Administrator has bet on increased difficulty based on the challenger’s potential.]
[Difficulty Rating: Maximum Difficulty.]
[Do you really wish to proceed with the highest difficulty mission?]
The higher the difficulty, the greater the reward would be.
Cheon Woo-jin gave a firm nod.
“I accept.”
[Beginning the Twisted Trial.]
[Upon completing the trial, rewards will be given based on calculated score.]
TZZZZZT!
The space where the stone monument had stood lit up with vibrant colors and began to change. At the same time, the surrounding scenery shifted.
‘Where am I...?;
A foul stench and ominous energy hung in the air, making Woo-jin grimace.
As he cautiously surveyed his surroundings, he found blackened earth, a black sun hanging in the sky, and ash and grime blowing across the plains.
He quickly realized that this was the stage mentioned by the administrator.
‘First, I need to assess my location.’
With his presence concealed, Woo-jin climbed a mound covered in dark ash.
And then—an unbelievable scene unfolded before his eyes.
RAAAARGH!
YAAAAARGH!
Knights wielding swords and robed mages were charging across the plains.
Thousands of soldiers advanced, kicking up clouds of ash and dust.
Woo-jin’s eyes widened.
He recalled the message he’d seen just before entering:
The Battle of the Balralaf Plains.
‘They’ve recreated an alternate dimension’s space and time…’
Focusing his energy into his eyesight, Woo-jin looked beyond the advancing army.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With loud blasts, knights shrouded in aura clashed with some kind of enemy.
BOOM—KRAKABOOM!
In the midst of fierce combat, knights were torn to pieces and their bodies scattered like leaves.
Corpses were piling into mountains.
‘What kind of force could they be fighting that even this many warriors are being slaughtered...?’
Their enemies were massive warriors—giant in stature, incredibly strong, fast, and durable.
They were pushing the knights and mages back in intense battle.
Then, from the center of the battlefield, a radiant light burst forth.
FWOOOOSH—!
A knight in shining white armor, surrounded by brilliance, charged forward wielding a sword and shield.
With every swing of his blade, a dozen enemy warriors fell in bloody heaps.
“#)&()%*&)!@&)!”
The Knight of Light shouted something incomprehensible, and the knights and mages behind him surged forward like a crashing wave.
For a moment, it looked like the tide of battle had evened out— until something unexpected occurred.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...!
From the far side of the battlefield, a formless darkness surged into the sky.
CRACKLE—!
The darkness, laced with red lightning, slammed into the battlefield, forcing nearby knights and mages to retreat.
Then came a horrifying sight—
RRRRRRRGH—!
The fallen knights and mages began to rise again— now reanimated as undead, attacking their former allies.
RAAAAAARGH!
A massive roar swept across the plains, shaking the entire battlefield.
The momentum led by the Knight of Light shifted drastically.
A necromancer must be on the enemy side...
In dungeons, undead enemies were among the most dangerous— not only because of their numbers, but because their dark mana affected the mind, causing hallucinations, mental breakdowns, and depression— crippling effects in the middle of battle.
FWOOOSH—
The Knight of Light radiated brilliance to push the undead back, but there were simply too many of them.
The flow of the battlefield was rapidly deteriorating.
‘So I have to break through that...? Now I understand what "maximum difficulty" really means.’
Just then, as Woo-jin silently observed the scene, he sensed something approaching from behind.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
A squad of warriors in heavy armor and wielding massive battle axes was marching toward him.
Rising to his feet, Woo-jin’s eyes narrowed as he saw the towering warrior before him.
‘Orcs...?’
Their green skin and protruding tusks resembled orcs, but their builds were massive—nearly 2 meters tall and rippling with muscle.
[Class: Weapon Mastery is identifying the enemy.]
[You have encountered Ancient Combat-type: Orc Warriors.]
[These Orc Warriors are currently in a berserk state, controlled by the Lich King.]
A system message clarified: they weren’t ordinary orcs— they were Orc Warriors, a higher ancient battle species.
Red light gleamed from the eyes of the Orc Warriors who had spotted him.
RAAAAAARRGH!
An Orc Warrior let out a battle cry directed at Woo-jin.
For lower-level Hunters, even a basic orc’s war cry could cause hyperventilation, paralysis,
or in severe cases, psychotic episodes.
And this was a superior species.
A regular person would’ve collapsed on the spot.
But Cheon Woo-jin was no ordinary man.
BOOM!
He stepped forward, channeling his energy into the ground.
A powerful shockwave rippled outward in concentric rings, obliterating the Orcs’ momentum and silencing their war cries.
Without pause, Woo-jin channeled more energy into his Goblin Blade.
KIIIIIIING—!
The sword vibrated and emitted a long, piercing wail.
Despite their war cries failing to faze him, and despite him standing firm with his sword pointed their way, the red glow in the Orc Warriors’ eyes only intensified.
RAAAARGH!
The Orc Warriors roared louder and charged straight at Woo-jin.
In that instant, Woo-jin quickly analyzed their numbers and positions: Three in front. Two on the flank. Five at the rear.
Though they charged with wild ferocity, the Orc Warriors moved in perfect formation—front, flanks, and rear—coordinating to encircle Cheon Woo-jin.
It was a stark contrast to the typical orcs who relied on sheer numbers and brute force.
Cheon Woo-jin stepped forward without hesitation toward the Orc Warriors.
Ssshhh—
As he activated Ghost Shadow Steps, his presence vanished.
Grrrk—!
The Orc Warriors, having lost their target, snarled as they searched the surroundings, radiating murderous pressure.
In that moment, something suddenly shot up from behind the shadow of the rearmost Orc Warrior.
Slash!
Woo-jin's Goblin Blade sliced clean through the Orc Warrior’s neck in a single stroke.
RAAAAARGH!
The Orcs in the front immediately turned and hurled their axes at him, roaring their war cries.
Whoooosh!
The axes came flying with terrifying momentum.
Woo-jin swiftly unfurled his Celestial Silkworm Robe.
Tuuunng!
The thin silken robe deflected all the incoming axes.
Retracting the robe, Woo-jin again used Ghost Shadow Steps and dashed toward the Orc Warriors.
Cheon Family Sword Art – Swift Sword Form: High Wind.
Slaaaash!
With a single arc of his sword, three Orc Warriors were cleaved apart in an instant.
Thud, thud, thud—!
Their torsos and legs hit the ground separately, limp and lifeless.
Even after seeing their comrades cut down in one stroke, the remaining Orc Warriors didn’t hesitate for a second.
Still in a berserk state, their red-glowing eyes glared with killing intent as they swung their axes to tear Woo-jin apart.
KWAANG!
The crash of axe against sword echoed like thunder.
Given the sheer size of the Orcs, it should have been obvious that Woo-jin would be overwhelmed.
But the result was the exact opposite.
“Grrruk—!”
One Orc Warrior lost his balance under the fierce rebound and staggered.
Woo-jin didn’t miss the opening.
Shhhk—!
The Orc's head rolled across the ground.
The remaining Orcs stood no chance against him.
The ash-covered plains were now soaked with the green blood of fallen Orc Warriors.
Looking down at the bodies, Woo-jin gauged their strength.
They possess muscle strength and reflexes several times greater than regular orcs, and durability rivaling that of trolls.
In terms of raw power, ogres might be stronger, but unlike lone, rampaging ogres, these Orc Warriors fought with disciplined formations and wielded weapons with skill.
That made them far more dangerous.
At that moment, a message appeared before his eyes:
[Challenger has slain 10 Orc Warriors.]
[10 BP has been awarded.]
[Points will be factored into your final score after the trial ends.]
So, defeating Orc Warriors during the quest itself contributed to his score.
[Main Mission: Break through 10,000 berserk Orc Warriors and steal the Crown of the Lich King Harmens.]
Woo-jin frowned in disbelief after reading the mission.
“Break through ten thousand Orc Warriors? What kind of insane mission is this...?”
He raised his head and glared across the battlefield.
The berserk Orc Warriors were brutally slaughtering the knights and mages without mercy.
‘So I really have to get through all of that…’
Even during his time as a special agent, Woo-jin had only been assigned the kinds of missions that looked impossible.
He scanned the battlefield and precisely identified its weakest point.
Having made up his mind, he took the hard-case bag off his back and opened it.
Inside were various pieces of equipment.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
He sprinted over the ridge and charged straight into the battlefield.
RAAAAAARRGH!
The berserker Orcs, brainwashed by Lich King Harmens, moved solely according to their primal instinct to kill.
GRAAAARGH!
The knights and mages faltered as the frenzied, fearless Orc Warriors surged toward them. Unable to hold their ground, their advance halted in the heart of the battlefield.
Then, once more, darkness descended from the sky.
KWA-BOOOOOM!
Fallen knights and mages struck by the dark energy rose again—this time as undead.
GRUUUUH—!
Now ghouls, the reanimated soldiers turned on their former allies, grabbing their arms and legs and feasting on their entrails.
“GAAARGH—!”
“AAAAAAH!!”
“NOOOOOO—!!”
Their morale shattered, the knights and mages could no longer fend off the Orc Warriors.
SPLAT!
A knight’s helmeted head split apart like a watermelon from a single blow of an axe.
RAAAAARRGH!
The Orc Warriors roared again, hunting down the terrified knights and mages like prey.
But then—
WHIIIIIIIR—!
Something metallic, shaped like a hovering orb, approached from the sky.
Click—!
A capsule dropped from the drone-like orb, releasing a burst of green smoke.
SSSSSSSSHH—!
Orc Warriors who inhaled the green mist suddenly stiffened up and collapsed where they stood.
THUD!
As more of this green smoke spread across the battlefield, the Orcs at the frontlines toppled over in paralysis.
And then, in the very center of the battlefield, a single figure suddenly leapt into view.
SWOOSH—!
Cheon Woo-jin had deployed drones to disperse paralyzing gas throughout the battlefield,
then sliced through the immobilized Orcs with his sword aura.
Cheon Family Sword Art – Heavy Sword Form: Iron Cliff.
CRAAAASH—!
Even through thick plate armor and the Orcs’ formidable bodies, his sword strikes reduced them to shattered pieces.
With the drones spraying paralysis gas ahead of his path, there was nothing to hinder him.
WHOOOOSH—!
Woo-jin, as swift as the wind, carved his way through the immobilized Orc Warriors and crossed the battlefield in no time.
Soon, the enemy’s camp came into view— a defensive line of barricades manned by Orc Warriors.
That’s the place.
Woo-jin pulled a cylindrical metal container from his bag.
BZZZZ—
He placed his finger on the sensor, and the device activated upon fingerprint recognition.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep—
Electronic beeps rang from the device.
Normally, electronics would burn out upon entering a dungeon, making them useless.
But Woo-jin had spent a fortune crafting a special mana bomb, using dungeon-sourced materials infused with mana stones and magical circuits for activation.
“Working perfectly. Now for phase two.”
He channeled his internal energy into the core of the bomb, and the central mana stone was injected with a red liquid.
That red liquid—was his own blood.
The blood of Cheon Woo-jin, densely saturated with magical energy.
A trump card he’d prepared solely to overcome the Trials Dungeon.
Paralysis gas and a customized mana bomb.
It was time to teach this medieval fantasy world—full of swords and magic— what modern warfare really tasted like.
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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