Now, in the new trial to reach the second floor, players had only one choice kill or be killed. The air grew heavy, tension thick enough to choke on weapons were gripped tighter.
Around Donghyun, players moved with practiced precision, their bodies taut and ready to strike at a moment's notice. They looked stronger, faster, their eyes gleaming with raw survival instinct sharpened by countless battles, compared to them, Donghyun felt painfully weak like a fledgling trapped among hawks.
To pass this trial, Donghyun had to face players leagues above him. One wrong move, and he'd be dead.
Around him, players began to raise their weapons, forming tense standoffs no one trusted anyone. Donghyun's gaze scanned the crowd, searching.
"Han Jae-min.." he muttered. "Guess he didn't make it past the first floor."
Donghyun remained calm, eyes quietly scanning the air as it shifted heavier.
Suddenly, a man with a massive sword burst forward, blood spraying as he cleaved through players without restraint. His laughter rang out, wild and unhinged.
"Die, you weaklings."
He swung again, uncaring, enjoying the carnage.
"Who are you calling weak?" a voice rang out, steady and cool. It was Kang Sejin, the S-Rank Hunter who had recently appeared at the guild.
At first glance, the towering swordsman looked far more imposing. His muscles bulged beneath his worn armor, scars crisscrossing his skin like battle maps. Standing next to him, Sejin seemed almost fragile, like a twig swaying against a storm.
The swordman scoffed, sneering down at Sejin. "What was that, insect?" He laughed, deep and cruel.
But the laughter stopped.
In the blink of an eye, Kang Sejin moved his hand piercing straight through the man's chest like paper. Blood sprayed across the grass, hot and sudden.
Sejin calmly shook off the blood and muttered, "Size doesn't matter."
Every player who had been watching Kang Sejin took a step back no one dared to raise their weapon, not even meet his eyes. The crowd fell into a stunned silence but only for a second.
Then, the chaos exploded.
Blades clashed and shattered. Players screamed in fear as blood sprayed across the ground. Necks were sliced open, bodies impaled, but none of them could use skills every ability was blocked. It was pure, raw slaughter.
Kang Sejin stood among the dying, watching and enjoying the carnage. A player crawled toward him, begging for help.
Sejin crushed the man's skull with a step.
The air thickened with the stench of blood, so dense some players dropped to their knees, puking. Panic spread like fire, no status windows nor system aid just instincts and weapons.
What bothered Donghyun wasn't the killing. It was the fact that for the first time he didn't want to die.
He needed to climb the Tower.
Yet he had no strength, no skills, nor any training. Most of the players were at least First Awakening some weren't, including him. He didn't even know how to hold his sword properly.
"I don't want to die." He repeated it in his mind as the battlefield drowned in carnage. Every scream, every fresh death pressed against his chest like a weight.
To his right, two players whispered quietly, their eyes darting, suddenly, one slashed through the other's stomach in a cold, precise motion. Guts spilled onto the grass, warm and sticky.
"Sorry.. but I had no other choice."
The surviving player's gaze locked on Donghyun. He moved toward him slow, deliberate, like a predator spotting the weakest prey.
Donghyun's breath caught.
The man raised his sword.
Donghyun rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the slash. He stumbled, gasping. But the attacks didn't stop the blade kept coming relentless, wild.
He barely dodged each swing, survival running on panic alone.
And then, something he hadn't felt in a long time gripped him, fear.
Each breath he took tasted bitter, mixing the sharp sting of fear with the cold bitterness of determination.
He didn't want to die.
The man chasing him grinned as he advanced, confidence dripping from every step. Not in a hurry, enjoying the hunt, when his blade finally sliced into Donghyun's leg, the pain shot up his spine like fire. Blood trailed behind him as he crawled across the dirt, his breath shallow, vision blurred.
The man followed slowly, savoring it like a predator circling its prey.
Donghyun's hand reached into his pocket. A small bottle hand sanitizer the kind he always carried to the PC room, where crumbs, sweat, and shared keyboards made him uneasy. His fingers trembled as he gripped it.
And then, he turned.
The bottle hissed as he squeezed, spraying the sharp-smelling liquid straight into the attacker's eyes.
The man screamed, staggering back, swinging his sword wildly. His cries filled the air as he stumbled, blinded and enraged.
Donghyun pushed himself upright, dragging his wounded leg. His sword trembled in his grip, and he used it like a crutch to stand. Blood soaked his pants, but he kept his eyes on the man.
He thrust the blade into the man's chest.
It sank in with resistance, scraping bone. The man's breath hitched. His body dropped.
Donghyun collapsed too, chest heaving. Pain screamed from his leg.
Then another shadow lunged.
A blade slashed across his left arm, tearing flesh. The attacker was barely conscious, bleeding from his side, eyes unfocused. He didn't even seem to know who he was striking just swinging blindly in panic.
Before Donghyun could react, another player crashed into the scene. A second sword pierced the mad attacker's chest, sending him crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Donghyun didn't move an inch. The woman who had just killed another player turned her gaze on him. She stepped closer, her sword raised, eyes scanning the chaos around them slowly, she lowered the blade, poking his side checking if he was dead.
His breathing was shallow. His blood soaked the grass her steps faltered and in that moment, he struck.
The sword pierced her stomach, sliding in deep, her eyes widened in shock. Joo Donghyun's heart dropped.
Her face was familiar. It was her the part-timer from the convenience store who had always greeted him kindly, always gave him money when she saw him skipping dinner again.
His hand trembled around the sword's hilt. Blood coated his fingers. His breath hitched.
But there was no time to grieve or regret.
Still bleeding, Donghyun dropped back down. His eyes darted across the battlefield. No one noticed him in the chaos, screams echoed, blades clashed and all he could do was lie there, shaking, pretending to be another corpse.
Minutes passed.
Then, a chime rang out.
[You have passed the trial second Floor Access Granted]
[Players can return to their world]
[Portal will be open soon]