otification appeared before Jin—a translucent black window, like night glass, surrounded by glowing golden lines that pulsed slowly, as if it were a living entity watching him.
[System] Do you wish to begin the "Player's Ordeal"?
Jin raised his head, a cold smile forming on his lips.
Jin: "Start."
The world around him shrank, pulled away as if he were being dragged through an endless tunnel. In the next moment, he found himself standing on a gray rocky plain. The sky was covered with black clouds, and the air was saturated with the stench of blood and iron.
[System] Player Entry Ordeal Zone. Available difficulty levels: 1 – Easy 2 – Normal
Jin frowned with disdain.
Jin: "To hell with you... Set it to the highest level."
A brief silence followed, then the golden frame shook violently.
[System] Fourth difficulty selected: Nightmare.
First Ordeal: Qualification Test
Mission: Kill a group of "Orcs." Number: 10 Warning: Death in this ordeal = Death in reality.
Jin took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.
Jin: "Hmm... so some ordeals don't kill you? Alright... let's begin."
Round One: The moment the ordeal began, a collective roar thundered through the area. Ten Orcs appeared at once—massive bodies covered in hardened muscle, red eyes blazing, and tusks dripping with savagery.
Jin slowly raised his left hand, his fingers moving as if weaving an invisible spell. Mana surged from deep within him—but it wasn't ordinary mana... it was pure darkness.
A small black sphere formed before his palm. It wasn't just a sphere; it was space itself being compressed. It made no sound, it didn't tremble, yet the air around it began to vanish, as if existence itself were being erased.
He fired it.
It shot forth in a straight line of "nothingness," and the moment it touched the first Orc—it vanished. No blood... no screams... no remains.
The "Void" cleaved through flesh, earth, and even air, as if nothing had ever existed there in the first place. In a single instant, half the Orcs fell; their bodies split with terrifying precision and collapsed without a trace.
A new window appeared—translucent black, its golden frame shining brighter than ever.
[System] Void Sphere - Rift Classification: Exclusive Skill. Description: A dark evolution of the "Mana Projectile" skill. Transforms energy into a void that disintegrates everything in its path
[System] You have acquired the skill: Void Sphere. Original Classification: S. A special reward will be granted for this outstanding achievement.
Jin stared for a moment, then let out a light laugh.
Jin: "...Looks like I overdid it a bit."
He drew his sword from its sheath. Mana erupted within his body, reinforcing his muscles and flowing through his limbs. He charged. The battle didn't last long; the sword flashed, the aura danced, and every strike was clean, precise, and lethal.
Time Elapsed: 30 seconds.
[System] Round One cleared. Do you wish to end the ordeal? Or proceed to Round Two?
Round Two: Before starting, Jin glanced at his status window.
Skill: Void Sphere | Current Rank: C
His eyes widened.
Jin: "An S-rank skill... just a slight adjustment in the projectile and firing it with dark mana turned it into this?... Hahaha... looks like I really am a genius."
[System] Round Two begins. Enemy: Hob Orc Number: 5
This time, he didn't use magic. His body moved fluidly, his sword drawing deadly arcs. His aura control was precise, every strike landing on a fatal point.
Time: 40 seconds.
Round Three: Enemy: Orc General (1) It was different; larger, faster, and intelligence was clearly visible in its gaze. The two exchanged violent blows. Jin admitted inwardly: "This opponent is strong."
He waited for the General's moment of overextension, then— Mana Projectile! It exploded in the enemy's eye, followed by a lightning-fast dash and a mana-enhanced thrust beneath the torso. The General collapsed, writhing, before a final stab through the eye ended everything.
Time: 50 seconds.
Round Four: Enemy: Armored Great Orc (1) Jin didn't even give it a chance to move. He leapt high into the air, gathering what remained of his energy.
Vertical Cleave! The armor, the body, the ground... everything was split in two.
Time: 13 seconds.
Round Five – Final: Enemy: Demonic Orc (1) A true monster. The first collision sent Jin flying through the air; a gigantic axe, overwhelming force. A deep gash tore across Jin's chest, blood pouring out, yet his eyes did not dim.
The battle continued; every second was a test of survival. When his mana finally recovered, he shot a dark sphere toward the lower body of the beast. It struck. A dash... a strike to the throat... then a relentless barrage of blows. The demon fell.
Time: 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
End of the Ordeal
The sky trembled, and the system's golden frame blazed violently.
[System] Legendary Achievement! * Mastery of a skill far above your current level.
* Record time in the "Entry Ordeal" (Nightmare level).
Total Time: 5 minutes and 20 seconds.
Rewards: * 120,000 Tower Credits.
* Access to the Shop.
* Skill Book: Shadow Steps (5 Stars – B).
* Skill: Analysis (EX).
* 5 High-grade Health Potions / 5 High-grade Mana Potions.
[Your level has increased by 10] [You have gained 40 stat points]
Jin swallowed a healing potion, his breathing gradually calming.
Jin: "...This is amazing. Did I break some kind of record or what?"
[Ranking Board] The "Entry Ordeal" record has been updated:
* Kim Suho (Earth)
* Vergil (Astarion Continent)
* Nelson Elvin (Elvenheim)
* Cheon Moon-woo (Murim)
* Robert Dix (Earth)
A crowd gathered around the ranking board, but Jin disappeared instantly before anyone could see him.
In a quiet place, he looked over his spoils.
Jin: "Tower credits... the shop... and Shadow Steps? This is perfect for me."
Then he read the description for "Analysis": Allows you to read an enemy's status window, provided the gap in power is not overwhelmingly large.
A delighted smile spread across Jin's face: "My god... this is a total bargain."
He distributed his points: [+15 Agility] [+25 Mana].
[Status Window] Name: Kim Suho | Age: 17 Class: Magic Swordsman | Level: 11 Mana: 60 | Strength: 23 Endurance: 40 | Agility: 45 | Intelligence: 25 Skills: Sixth Sense (D), Analysis (EX), Void Sphere (C), Sword Mastery Without a Style (Advanced), Aura Control (Low).
Jin closed his eyes.
Jin: "...Damn it. I feel like the mana is burning my body."
He began circulating it slowly... toward the "Dantian."
End of Chapter.