The Proving Grounds (2)
A blinding pillar of white light shattered the calm of the arena.
The smooth marble beneath Seo Jun's boots cracked apart.
White stone melted into jagged obsidian.
The sky above bled from blue into a deep, suffocating crimson.
This was no longer a tutorial stage.
The system had bent itself into something unnatural.
Something meant to contain what it could not fully control.
When the light faded, the arena was already wrong.
And in its center stood the next enemy.
The Ancient Sword Demon.
Not flesh.
Not metal.
A humanoid silhouette made of pitch-black shadow and swirling purple starlight.
No face. No breath.
Only presence which is heavy and crushing.
Like the air itself was forced to kneel.
Seo Jun's eyes narrowed.
That feeling again. The purple light wasn't mana. It was corruption. It was outer energy.
A trace of something that should not exist inside any system.
Something beyond this world's rules. His gaze sharpened.
He read the numbers instantly.
Strength: 30
Agility: 30
Stamina: 30
Seo Jun exhaled slowly.
"…So this is what they consider 'fair'."
Then Seo Jun looked at his weapon.
A dark alloy longsword. Perfectly balanced.
Just a weapon stripped down to its most honest form.
Across from him, the shadow held the same blade.
Same system. Same weapon. Same starting point.
But not the same existence. Different world of power.
The shadow tilted its head. Then vanished. No sound.
\No pressure wave. No warning.
Only instinct screamed one truth.
Death had moved. Seo Jun reacted without thought.
He threw his body backward. The blade passed where his throat had been.
A fraction too late and he would have been split cleanly in half.
A thin cut still opened across his collarbone. Blood dropped onto obsidian.
Drip.
Drip.
Seo Jun landed hard, sliding back. His lungs burned instantly.
Not from exhaustion. From the air itself.
It was wrong. It was toxic.
The purple energy in the arena wasn't pressure.
It was corrosion.
Every breath slowly rotted the body from within.
The shadow didn't pause. It advanced. Then attacked.
A storm of slashes descended.
Fast.
Perfect.
Relentless.
Each strike aimed not at killing.. but at removing every possible answer he could give.
Seo Jun raised his sword.
Severing Current Sword Art
✦ ✦ ✦
[Severing Current Sword Art]
Grade : Rare
Level : 9
Description:
An advanced sword art that transforms fluid motion into relentless cutting force. Every movement flows naturally into the next, preserving momentum while continuously refining the blade's trajectory. Rather than meeting resistance head-on, the sword seeks the weakest path through it, exploiting flaws, gaps, and imperfections with exceptional precision.
As the flow continues, each strike builds upon the previous one, increasing cutting efficiency and making successive attacks more difficult to defend against. At higher levels, the user can instinctively identify the most vulnerable point in an opponent's defense, allowing the blade to achieve maximum lethality with minimal wasted movement.
✦ ✦ ✦
He did not block.
Blocking meant surrendering the initiative.
Instead, he cut through the flow.
The principles of the Severing Current Sword Art unfolded naturally.
Every strike of the Sword Demon carried overwhelming force.
Seo Jun's blade met it at the weakest angle.
Not to stop it.
Not to resist it.
But to carve through its momentum and create a flaw.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Purple and black sparks erupted between the two swords.
Each collision became another cut.
Each cut became another opening.
And each opening flowed into the next strike.
Like an endless current seeking the path of least resistance.
Relentless.
Precise.
Lethal.
Each impact was heavier than the last.
The Ancient Sword Demon wasn't simply attacking.
It was refining its attacks.
Every exchange sharpened its killing intent.
Every clash increased the pressure.
His arms began to tear under the strain.
Muscles screamed.
Bones trembled.
Tiny fractures spread through his hands.
Yet Seo Jun refused to retreat.
Because for the first time since the battle began—
he was no longer merely defending.
He was reading.
Observing.
Learning.
Not the sword.
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Not the technique.
But the rhythm.
The rhythm of death itself.
The shadow didn't pause.
It advanced.
Then attacked.
Another storm of slashes descended.
Fast.
Perfect.
Relentless.
The black blade cut through the crimson air like a judgment that could never miss.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Every breath became heavier than the last.
The corrupted atmosphere was eating away at him.
His body was slowing. His reactions were slowing. Even his thoughts felt heavier.
Seo Jun understood the truth immediately.
He couldn't win through endurance.
The gap in raw stats was simply too large.
Strength. Agility. Stamina.
The Sword Demon surpassed him in every category.
And as time passed, that advantage would only grow larger.
If this continued..
he would die before finding an opening.
His eyes locked onto the shadow.
Nothing.
There was nothing.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary swing.
No hesitation.
No flaw.
Perfect defense.
Perfect timing.
Perfect killing intent.
A swordsman built solely for victory.
For most people, that realization would have been despair.
Seo Jun merely exhaled.
Because perfection was a lie.
Everything that existed could be cut. Everything.
The only question was the price.
A cold calm settled into his eyes.
If there was no opening...
Then he would create one.
With blood.
The system's rule resurfaced in his mind.
If you complete a stage then full restoration happens.
Broken bones, torn flesh. Even you can avoid death if you are breathing.
Everything would be reset.
He prepared himself for a trade. Pain for victory.
Seo Jun stopped moving backward.
His feet planted into obsidian. He lowered his sword. His guard disappeared.
The shadow reacted instantly.
It lunged with a perfect thrust. Straight for his heart.
Seo Jun didn't move away.
Instead,
He moved into it.
The blade pierced his left hand. Then his forearm.
Bone shattered instantly. Blood exploded across the floor.
The sword drove through muscle, tearing it apart as it passed.
Pain erupted like lightning through his entire body.
His vision flickered white.
But Seo Jun did not scream, he prepared for this gamble.
He didn't even flinch.
Because this was the moment.
The shadow's weapon was now trapped.
For a fraction of a second, its perfect motion was broken.
Seo Jun's eyes sharpened.
That was all he needed.
He is prepared to endure the recoil, even if the execution conditions are not fully ideal.
The technique does not wait for perfection.
And neither does he. And moved.
[Archive of The Fallen Epoch]
"...Asura Single Slash."
✦ ✦ ✦
[Asura Single Slash]
Grade : Epic
Level : 6
Description:
A condensed sword technique that gathers all power, intent, and momentum into a single irreversible strike. It abandons prolonged combat and focuses entirely on one moment of absolute destruction, where all variables are compressed into a single line of execution.
✦ ✦ ✦
His right arm ignited with black light.
Every ounce of remaining mana. Every fragment of willpower. Every memory of death.
Compressed into one strike.
Space itself felt thin for an instant.
Then, a single crescent of darkness erupted forward.
Fast enough that the world lagged behind it.
The blade cut through the shadow's torso.
Through the purple core inside its chest. Through the illusion of a head that wasn't truly there.
The Sword Demon froze. The sword slipped from its hand.
Purple starlight cracked.
Then shattered. Like glass breaking across reality. The body dissolved into dust.
Silence returned.
Seo Jun stood there for a moment.
Still breathing but heavily.
Then, his body collapsed. Using a technique without fulfilling the conditions puts a lot of strain.
His left arm hung in ruin.
Blood pooled beneath him. The ceiling above turned red again.
He stared upward.
And whispered, almost calmly: "I cleared it."
Golden light erupted.
Warm and pure.
✦ ✦ ✦
[System Notice]
[Hidden Condition Cleared]
[Lee Seo Jun have defeated the Stage Four Hidden Guardian]
[Combat Evaluation Complete]
[Grade Beyond Measure]
[Massive Bonus Survival Points Awarded]
[The Proving Grounds Have Been Conquered.]
[Initiating full restoration]
✦ ✦ ✦
The pain vanished instantly.
Seo Jun's ruined arm dissolved into golden particles.
Then rebuilt itself.
Bones, muscles, nerves, skin.
All restored in seconds.
He flexed his fingers.
Perfect.
No trace of injury remained. His body felt lighter.
Like the limit had been pushed back further than before.
The crimson arena dissolved.
Light swallowed everything.
✦ ✦ ✦
When Seo Jun opened his eyes again,
He stood in a vast marble hall.
Crystal chandeliers hung above like frozen stars.
Statues of forgotten heroes lined the walls.
Peaceful.
Almost unreal.
And people were already there.
Ha Neul.
Min Ho.
900 survivors cleared Stage Four.
Not surprising.
Level 1 of the Proving Grounds was only the minimum requirement.
Everything beyond that was optional.
Compared to level 1, stage 3 was brutal and they survived there.
Ha Neul ran first.
She crashed into him without hesitation.
It was tight.
"You were gone too long," she said, voice breaking. "Everyone finished. We thought…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Seo Jun gently patted her head.
"I'm here."
Min Ho stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"We learned a lot during this tutorial," one of the cadets said, stepping forward.
His voice was steady, but there was clear respect in his eyes.
"Maybe because of that… we were able to clear Stage Four."
He paused for a moment, then lowered his head slightly.
"We're all thankful for your guidance."
The words spread through the group quietly.
The words were not loud, not dramatic but sincere.
Several others nodded in agreement. Some tightened their grips on their weapons.
Others looked toward Seo Jun with a quiet kind of gratitude that didn't need shouting to be understood.
They hadn't just survived the stage. They had learned how to survive.
Seo Jun looked at them for a moment.
Then he gave a small nod.
"Good," he said simply.
His voice wasn't heavy with praise. But it carried weight.
"Then don't forget what you learned."
His gaze swept across them.
"Because the next time… no one will guide you."
All nodded. Survival had turned into reality again.
Then, a crack of green smoke exploded near the ceiling.
Supervisor Krix descended.
He was floating, smiling and annoyed at the same time.
"Enough celebrations," he snapped. "Stage Four is complete."
His eyes lingered on Seo Jun.
Longer than necessary.
Like something in the system had failed to make sense.
"The system will now distribute settlements."
Excited murmurs spread. They will get their reward they deserve, power and freedom from tutorial.
Then, Supervisor Krix's smile twisted.
"But..."
The single word silenced the entire hall.
"There is one final stage."
At the far end of the chamber....
A colossal golden gate emerged from nothingness.
It radiated an ancient pressure that seemed to reject the very existence of those standing before it. Simply looking at it filled their hearts with an instinctive sense of dread.
Krix's grin widened.
"Stage Five."
"The Zenith Crown Trial."
"An optional stage."
"A solo stage."
He slowly swept his gaze across the survivors.
"And if you fail..."
"...you die."
"Not elimination."
"Not disqualification."
"Permanent death."
Silence descended upon the hall.
No one dared to speak.
Even the sound of breathing felt deafening.
Then Krix raised a finger.
"However..."
"Stage Five is unlike every other floor in the Tower. It is one of the special zone of the Tower."
His playful expression disappeared.
"It is a place that must remain hidden."
"The Tower does not allow the existence of this stage to become known."
The survivors frowned.
"What do you mean?" Min Ho asked.
Krix chuckled.
"It means that once a challenger enters Stage Five..."
"...everyone who did not enter it will have that memory erased."
A ripple spread through the crowd.
"They'll still remember you."
"They'll remember clearing the Tutorial."
"They'll remember every conversation, every battle, every moment you shared."
"But..."
"They will never remember that you challenged Stage Five."
"To them..."
"You simply disappeared after the Tutorial ended."
Ha Neul's eyes widened.
"...Everyone?"
Krix nodded.
"Everyone."
He lifted one finger.
"With a single exception."
"The challenger may choose one person."
"Only one."
"That person's memories will remain intact."
"They alone will remember that you entered Stage Five."
"They alone will know where you went."
The hall fell silent once more.
This wasn't simply a dangerous trial.
It was one erased from history itself.
One by one, the survivors lowered their gazes.
Min Ho was the first to shake his head.
"I'll pass."
He laughed bitterly.
"I know my limits."
"I still have people waiting for me."
Ha Neul slowly stepped back.
"...I can't."
No one mocked them.
Fear wasn't weakness.
After surviving the Tutorial, they understood better than anyone what the Tower was capable of.
Reaching this point was already a miracle.
Soon...
They would become Hunters.
That alone was enough.
Then everyone's eyes drifted toward Seo Jun.
Surely...
Even he would refuse.
But Seo Jun was already staring at the golden gate.
Not because of the danger.
Nor because of the reward.
Something beyond those doors was calling him.
Min Ho sighed.
"...You're seriously going?"
Ha Neul hurried over and grabbed Seo Jun's sleeve.
"Don't."
"You don't have to."
Seo Jun looked at her.
Then at everyone else.
His expression remained calm.
"You all survived."
"Go home."
"Rest."
"Become stronger."
"Live the lives you've earned."
Min Ho swallowed.
"...What about you?"
Seo Jun smiled.
"My path doesn't end here."
"I'll see all of you again in Seoul."
He paused.
"That's not hope."
"It's a promise."
Then he turned back to Krix.
"I choose."
Krix's smile returned.
"Oh?"
Seo Jun looked directly at Ha Neul.
"I choose Ha Neul."
For a moment...
She forgot how to breathe.
"...Me?"
"The Tower said I can choose one person."
"So it'll be you."
He stepped closer.
"When I come back..."
"We'll go to the Hunter Association together."
"We'll register as Hunters together."
"So wait for me."
His voice became unusually serious.
"And until I return..."
"Don't tell anyone."
"Not your family."
"Not the Hunter Association."
He was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"…Except my parents."
"They deserve to know where I've gone."
"Just don't tell anyone else that I entered Stage Five."
"You and my parents will be the only people who remember that I entered Stage Five."
Ha Neul stared at him.
Although she didn't fully understand why...
She nodded without hesitation.
"...I'll wait."
"...And I won't tell anyone."
Seo Jun smiled softly.
"Thank you."
He gently removed her hand from his sleeve.
Then he walked toward the golden gate.
One step.
Then another.
Each footstep echoed across the silent hall.
The survivors instinctively moved aside.
As though the world itself was clearing a path.
At the end of the chamber, Supervisor Krix floated above the marble floor.
His emerald eyes narrowed.
For the first time...
His smile carried anticipation.
He wanted this human to fail.
To break.
To die, just like every challenger before him.
"...You're really doing this?"
Krix asked.
Seo Jun stopped before the gate.
His gaze never wavered.
"I accept the Zenith Crown Trial."
The words rang through the chamber.
Firm.
Absolute.
"Open the gate."
For the briefest moment...
Even Krix remained silent.
Then a slow, crooked smile spread across his face.
"...Heh."
He tapped his golden cane against the marble.
Ding.
✦ ✦ ✦
[System Notice]
[Final Challenge Accepted]
[All accumulated settlement rewards are temporarily withheld for participant Lee Seo-Jun]
[Warning: System safety protocols are now completely deactivated]
[Notice: Death in the final stage is absolute and permanent]
✦ ✦ ✦
The hall changed.
Not visually but in feeling.
Like something inside reality had been unplugged.
The massive golden doors at the end of the hall began to move slowly.
Heavy like they hadn't been opened in centuries.
Light spilled out first.
Krix leaned forward slightly, eyes glowing.
"Step right in, human."
A thin smile.
"The true nightmare is waiting for you."
Seo Jun didn't respond.
He simply clenched his fists.
And walked.
[Stage Five: The Zenith Crown Commencing]