{The Last Stand}
Wave Ten defied comprehension. The arena floor vanished beneath a sea of green flesh and gleaming steel. Every goblin type they'd faced returned in massive numbers, led by a towering goblin chieftain whose presence made the air itself recoil.
Jin-Seok threw himself into the melee with desperate fury. His blade became a silver blur, each swing claiming multiple lives. But for every goblin that fell, two more seemed to take its place. Slowly, inexorably, they began to push him back toward the crystal.
A goblin warrior's weapon shattered against Jin-Seok's blade, the broken hilt spinning end over end toward the crystal. Time seemed to crystallize as the improvised projectile traced its deadly arc.
Sera moved without thinking, throwing herself between the crystal and the flying metal. The jagged edge opened a gash across her palm, but the crystal remained untouched.
Jin-Seok's eyes widened behind his mask. She'd actually done it—followed through when it mattered.
His momentary distraction cost him. Three berserker high goblins broke through his guard, charging directly at the crystal with foam flecking their lips. Jin-Seok intercepted two, but the third slipped past.
The three male teammates looked at each other for a split second before launching themselves at the charging goblin. They had no technique, no coordination—just desperate courage and the refusal to let their teammate's sacrifice be meaningless. Their combined weight brought the creature down mere inches from the crystal's base.
Jin-Seok's blade found the goblin chieftain's heart in that moment, and sudden silence fell over the arena. The last monsters collapsed, their supernatural fury extinguished.
---
{Victory's Sweet Taste}
"Crystal integrity: one hundred percent!" The Administrator's voice carried genuine amazement.
Sera's team erupted in celebration, their relief and joy infectious. They surrounded Jin-Seok, cheering and laughing with the manic energy of those who'd survived the impossible.
Jin-Seok found himself smiling behind his mask. "Good job. You all did better than I expected."
The system notification appeared in golden script before his eyes:
✅ Crystal Guard Trial Cleared – Nightmare Mode
> [System Notification]
You have achieved an unprecedented feat.
Newbie Zone Trial – Crystal Guard Cleared (Nightmare Difficulty, Team Mode)
▸ Team Members: [5]
▸ Trial Type: Wave Defense – Crystal Protection
▸ Final Wave Cleared: Wave 10 (Maximum)
▸ Crystal Integrity: 100%
▸ Performance Rating:
• Ryu Jin-Seok – 95%
• Sera – 2%
• Chen Wei-Ming – 1%
• Ron Owen – 1%
• Thomas Schmidt – 1%
Previous Record: Wave 9 / Crystal Integrity: 18%
▸ Reward: Title – Bastion of the Waves
▸ Effect: +8% Stamina, +5% Physical Resistance, minor HP regen during defensive stance
A second prompt appeared, pulsing with violet light:
> [Legacy System Prompt]
Reveal your name — Gain +500 Legacy Points and 1x 20% Discount Coupon (System Shop)
Hide your name — Gain +1500 Legacy Points
Jin-Seok looked at his teammates. "Should I reveal your names? There might be benefits—recognition, scouting opportunities. But also risks."
They huddled briefly before Sera spoke for the group. "We're planning to form a guild together anyway. Might as well make it official."
"We want the recognition," one of the men added. "After what we just survived, we've earned it."
Jin-Seok nodded and selected [Reveal].
[Tower Broadcast – All Climbers, All Floors]
> A new record has been set in the Newbie Zone Trial (Crystal Guard – Nightmare Mode).
Team Leader: Ryu Jin-Seok
Team Members: Sera Martinez, Chen Wei-Ming, Ron Owen, Thomas Schmidt
Result: All Waves Cleared / Crystal Integrity: 100%
Previous Record: Wave 9 / Crystal Integrity: 18%
---
{Ripple Effects}
Back in the trial staging area, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Whispered conversations erupted among the remaining climbers, their eyes following Jin-Seok with newfound respect and wariness.
"He carried them completely…"
"Four deadweight teammates and still perfect clear…"
"Who is he really?"
"Has to be nobility. Maybe Tower royalty?"
The Administrator released a pulse of his aura to restore order, but his own thoughts churned with questions. In his centuries of service, he'd never witnessed such raw potential in a newbie. The masked climber's movements, his tactical awareness, his sheer presence—it all pointed to training that should have been impossible at this level.
Tower nobility would explain it, he mused.
But I know every significant family, every rising talent. This one's a complete mystery.
His eyes lingered on Jin-Seok's outfit. There was something familiar about that particular style of clothing, something that tugged at old memories…
"Prepare yourselves," the Administrator announced, pushing aside his puzzlement.
"The fourth trial awaits. Step forward when ready."
---
{Mirrors of the Soul}
Trial 4 – Clone Arena: Face Thyself
---
{The Arena of Self}
Jin-Seok approached the Nightmare portal with characteristic confidence, leaving his bewildered teammates behind. The difficulty selection had become routine—why settle for less when he was capable of more?
According to the sparse information from previous survivors, this wasn't a trial of conquest—it was a trial of endurance. You didn't need to defeat your opponent. You only had to survive.
Ten minutes. That was all.
The portal delivered him into a space that defied conventional architecture. The arena stretched endlessly in all directions, its boundaries lost in swirling mists that seemed to pulse with their own heartbeat. The floor beneath his feet was polished obsidian, reflecting not his image but something deeper—glimpses of movement that didn't match his own.
Weapon racks lined one wall, displaying every conceivable instrument of war. Swords, spears, axes, exotic blades from distant realms—all humming with latent power. But Jin-Seok's attention was drawn to the center of the arena, where a figure stood waiting.
The clone was perfect. Every detail of Jin-Seok's appearance had been replicated flawlessly, from the traditional robes to the fox mask. But something in its posture was wrong—too confident, too cruel. When it spoke, Jin-Seok's own voice carried a mocking edge he'd never heard before.
"Finally decided to show up?" The clone's laugh was sharp and unpleasant. "I was beginning to think you'd lost your nerve."
---
{Testing Waters}
Jin-Seok addressed the empty space beside him. "I'll test my limits here first, Aris. No sync until I understand what we're dealing with."
The clone's head tilted with predatory interest. "Talking to imaginary friends now? How pathetic. Without your grandfather, you're nothing. Just a scared little brat who spent his whole life hiding behind masks and false names."
The words struck deeper than Jin-Seok expected. His grip tightened on his weapon, but he forced himself to remain calm. The clone was baiting him, trying to trigger an emotional response. Two could play that game.
Jin-Seok let his shoulders slump slightly, his stance becoming less certain. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am just—"
The clone's strike came like lightning, nearly taking Jin-Seok's head off. Only instinct saved him as he threw himself backward, the blade whistling past his throat.
"Too slow!" The clone pressed its advantage mercilessly. "I know every technique you've ever learned, every trick you think makes you special. I am you, perfected—no hesitation, no weakness, no foolish sentiments!"
[ In a place built to break the mind, Jin-Seok faced the one enemy he couldn't outpace—himself.
Not the man he was… but the version he might become.
Their clash was only the beginning.
The fight isn't over. Not even close.
But if Jin-Seok falters now…
he might lose more than the match.
He might lose himself. ]
_________________________________________________
{An Original Series by Celestial Raven}