Chapter 154
“Park Chan-woo……?”
Han Min-oh’s eyes widened as he saw the name on the ranking window.
A name so familiar—so precious—that he had never once forgotten it since that day suddenly appeared before him.
“Do you know him?”
Lee Hyuk-soo asked, noticing Han Min-oh’s intense reaction.
The man who hadn’t just scratched the [Black Iron]—but destroyed it.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious.
To Lee Hyuk-soo, breaking [Black Iron] was an impossible feat.
It required Strength over 100 and mastery of swordsmanship at the highest level.
And yet, Park Chan-woo had achieved what even he could not.
“It’s just… that’s the name of the man who saved my life.”
“The one who saved you during the [Sniper Abyss]?”
“Yes, Master.”
Ah, right.
Lee Hyuk-soo nodded.
That incident had led him to seek Han Min-oh out personally—he’d been curious why so many Creators had “sniped” at him in the first place.
But truth be told, his first impression of Han Min-oh had been one of confusion.
There was nothing about the boy worth a Creator’s envy.
Even Han Min-oh himself had no idea why he’d been targeted, so what could Lee Hyuk-soo have possibly deduced?
And yet—
—“Master Lee Hyuk-soo, you are my idol.”
—“Please take me as your disciple!”
That earnest voice, that fierce determination, and those unwavering eyes.
Combined with the fact that he was Han Shin’s younger brother, it had stirred his curiosity.
So he had told the boy to pick up a sword.
The result had stunned him.
‘A talent so vast it was bursting at the seams.’
Han Min-oh’s gift was real.
And unlike Han Shin, he wasn’t an Incarnation.
His disposition was entirely different too.
He had no interest in inheriting the family’s group—he simply wanted to be a hero.
That was why Lee Hyuk-soo accepted him as a disciple.
They needed more hands.
And it was then he’d learned of the “savior” Han Min-oh kept mentioning.
‘He said his savior saved him three times.’
His talent had been so dazzling that Lee Hyuk-soo had forgotten to ask who that savior actually was.
Or perhaps he just hadn’t cared.
Stories told by word of mouth were always exaggerated anyway.
But now—
‘Could it be true?’
A powerhouse who had slaughtered dozens of Incarnations in one swoop.
If that Park Chan-woo was really Han Min-oh’s savior, it made sense.
Still, it raised a question.
‘Park Chan-woo… Park Chan-woo…’
He’d heard that name recently.
When a Creator Abyss fell from the sky—
Park Chan-woo had been mentioned as the “Savior of the Fox Den.”
Thousands had shouted that same name in unison.
There was no doubt he was strong.
But even then, Lee Hyuk-soo hadn’t paid much attention.
‘No one ever saw him actually fight in the Fox Den.’
He’d had the Abyss Safety Bureau look into it, but the reports were disappointing.
No one had witnessed Park Chan-woo in direct combat.
They all said he had waited at a distance for the results.
All they knew was that his archery was extraordinary.
Maybe the fox had simply been weak.
He had dismissed it as an exaggeration.
But what if it wasn’t?
What if he truly was that powerful?
Then verification was necessary.
A new powerhouse appearing out of nowhere was likely an Incarnation.
If the Abyss Safety Bureau had overlooked such a threat, he needed to be monitored before becoming half-human, half-demon.
“……”
Han Min-oh glanced around, and Lee Hyuk-soo caught on immediately.
“Han Shin isn’t here, I see.”
“…I still can’t believe it. That monster of a brother is really dead.”
“I’d have felt the same.”
If Han Shin were alive, there was no way he’d miss the [Third Night].
He would have chosen the [Warrior Faction] and dominated effortlessly.
But his name was nowhere to be found.
Lee Hyuk-soo still couldn’t forget the chill he’d felt when they’d crossed paths during the [Second Night].
Ding!
《[Gula’s Trial] has begun!》
《Complete the vast plains!》
《Finish 500km within 24 hours to receive the teachings of [Death Knight Gula]!》
《Once a renowned knight of unparalleled honor, [Death Knight Gula] can grant power great enough to stand against Death itself!》
Rumble!
A thunderous sound echoed from afar as colossal walls crumbled.
“What was that?”
“A sandstorm!”
“Are we supposed to run through that?!”
Countless sandstorms swept across the plains.
The second trial—was far from a simple run.
They had to protect themselves from countless traps, snares, and contraptions while running nonstop.
Rest even for a moment, and they’d be torn apart by the storm and die.
‘……This won’t be easy.’
He couldn’t imagine many would finish.
But if humanity was to wage war against the [Temple of Death], they needed as many survivors as possible.
Then again—
When Park Chan-woo had destroyed the [Black Iron], the system had added another hundred thousand successful participants as a special bonus.
Perhaps this trial would work the same way.
‘We just need to finish fast.’
Not everyone had to make it—only the strongest needed to carry the rest.
Run as if their lives depended on it, and blaze through every trial.
Lee Hyuk-soo turned to Han Min-oh with a heavy gaze.
“Can you keep up?”
“…If I must die to live, then so be it, Master.”
“Don’t lose sight of my back.”
“I won’t, sir!”
Han Min-oh declared with fierce resolve.
But that wasn’t enough.
One person alone wouldn’t do.
Lee Hyuk-soo gathered mana and shouted, his voice echoing across the plains.
“Those confident in your stamina—follow me, Lee Hyuk-soo! I’ll clear the path so as many as possible can reach the end!”
Defy the Creator’s will.
Break the path—and create a new one.
Not competition, but unity.
That was the way of those who followed the Prophet.
—
Indeed, this was no easy test.
The distance itself was grueling, and the journey even more so.
In the past, Park Chan-woo might have searched for an alternative method.
Even with his improved endurance, finishing in one go under these conditions would’ve been impossible.
But now—he smiled faintly.
‘This is perfect.’
The [Warrior’s Trial].
As straightforward and brutal as the name suggested.
Thud!
Without hesitation, he dashed into the raging sandstorms.
《Movement speed increased by 150%.》
The option granted by the [True Satyrus’s Boots].
His speed surged instantly.
But that wasn’t all.
《[Darkness] has been applied!》
The unique option of the Satyrus’s Boots, granting greater power in the dark, had activated.
Though the surroundings weren’t completely dark, the reason was simple.
‘This place itself is the Night.’
The [Third Night]—a realm that inherently existed within darkness.
《Movement speed increased by an additional 150% under [Darkness].》
《Stamina consumption nullified while moving within [Darkness].》
A total of 300%!
And no stamina loss.
‘No matter how fast I run, I’m not even out of breath.’
He sprinted with all his might.
Faster than the wind, he pierced through countless storms and traps head-on.
《All traps below the Tenth Realm are deactivated.》
《Immune to the effects of the trap [Sandstorm].》
Even the storms themselves were traps—malicious snares that devoured everything in their vicinity.
But they had no effect on him.
In fact—
‘Even the wind is helping me.’
The gusts carried him forward, accelerating his run.
The time limit was 24 hours.
He would reach the end long before that.
But he had no intention of merely finishing.
He would surpass all expectations.
‘[Death Knight Gula].’
He knew that name well.
The strongest knight, the mightiest warrior, once the most honorable of men—
A being who served the gods and stood closest to them.
‘Once the most noble, now the most defiled.’
…A fallen [Holy Paladin] corrupted by Death.
—
At the finish line, [Death Knight Gula] stood silently.
He was there to fulfill his role in the [Third Night].
“How dull.”
He had to wait 24 hours for challengers to arrive.
But judging from humanity’s skill, even one finishing would be a miracle.
To cross the [Desert of Torment] within a single day was impossible.
If even one reached him, it would be impressive—but even that was doubtful.
‘This trial tests endurance, agility, and wit.’
The first test measured Strength and swordsmanship.
But this second one had nothing to do with that.
It tested stamina, reflexes, and instinct.
Naturally, even the [Black Iron Destroyer] wouldn’t find it easy.
There was no point in waiting, but fulfilling his “role” was the command given by his master, Ahheta.
“A war against humans with neither skill nor honor…”
He sighed.
A war so one-sided couldn’t even be called war.
Like crushing ants underfoot, humanity’s slaughter would be nothing but extermination.
He took no pride in it, but he obeyed regardless.
He was mildly curious about the [Black Iron Destroyer], but it was hard to believe anyone could reach him in 24 hours.
‘To think I must teach dishonorable mortals…’
He sighed again.
Clatter.
Clatter.
He shifted his skeletal frame idly to pass the time.
Then—
“Hmm?”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Something was approaching from afar, kicking up waves of sand.
It moved with impossible speed, unimpeded by the storm.
‘No way…’
Gula quickly checked the time.
Since the second trial began—
‘Only fifty minutes have passed…?’
Not even an hour.
Running 500 kilometers in under an hour?
That was impossible.
Even Gula himself couldn’t achieve such speed.
And yet—
Thud!
Before he could even process it, a lone human stood before him.
Calm expression.
Not a hint of exhaustion.
‘What is he…?’
For a brief moment, Gula’s thoughts blanked.
The result before him defied all reason.
Speed, stamina—none of it made sense.
But that wasn’t what truly left him speechless.
‘……What is… this……’
He could see it.
Park Chan-woo.
And the overwhelming presence he carried.
‘This… absurd level of honor…!’
Over 100,000 Fame points shone with golden radiance, wrapping around him in a dazzling glow.