Chapter 15 -
Jae-Hyun’s fingers tightened around his sword hilt as the last of the yellow-named monsters disintegrated into particles of light. His breath was steady, but exhaustion seeped into his muscles, a lingering reminder that time was his greatest enemy here. The weight of the battle settled into his limbs, and he exhaled slowly.
The hour of rest had finally arrived.
System Notification: Rest Period – 1 Hour During this time, you may choose to rest, eat, search the environment, or access the system shop. The shop will be locked once combat resumes. Monsters will not aggro during resting periods unless attacked.
Jae-Hyun wiped the sweat from his brow, scanning the vast wasteland around him. The cracked terrain stretched endlessly, the wind carrying fine dust across the barren expanse. The bleakness of his surroundings did little to settle the growing tension in his chest.
Between these waves, time blurred together. Hours passed in a cycle of relentless battles—strike, evade, kill. He had carved his way through countless enemies, their bodies vanishing into shimmering particles, but the weight of each encounter dragged on him. He wasn’t sure how many waves had gone by since the start of the trial, but his stamina was thinning, and his focus wavered.
The real challenge had only just begun.
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The final wave of the day loomed on the horizon.
Unlike before, the monsters didn’t swarm him in coordinated droves. Instead, a single entity emerged from the darkened haze—an imposing figure wrapped in jagged armor, its eyes glowing with a predatory light. The sheer weight of its presence sent an involuntary shiver down Jae-Hyun’s spine.
System Notification: [Scourgeborn Tyrant] – Level 55 (Dark Orange Name)
Jae-Hyun’s breath hitched. That was a massive leap.
A boss-class entity? Already?
His eyes flicked to the system interface, skimming over the wave conditions. Unlike before, the system had included something new.
Special Condition: The Boss Does Not Need to Be Killed. Survive the full 4-hour wave, and the wave will be considered complete.
Jae-Hyun exhaled sharply. So I don’t have to fight it. I just have to survive.
But even as he processed the information, something about the creature’s stance irked him. It wasn’t just some mindless beast—it was watching him, assessing him.
His grip on his sword tightened. He could wait out the wave, find a place to keep himself safe until the four hours ran down. That was the logical thing to do.
Yet, deep inside, a familiar fire burned. This wasn’t a trial of survival. It was a chance.
Jae-Hyun narrowed his eyes, considering his options. He turned his focus inward and asked the system directly.
"What happens if I kill the boss before the wave ends?"
A brief silence followed before the system responded.
System Notification: If the boss is defeated before the wave concludes, the remaining time will be available for rest, resource gathering, or any other actions.
A smirk flickered across Jae-Hyun’s lips. So, that’s how it is.
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Jae-Hyun hesitated for a fraction of a second, analyzing his opponent. He had fought countless beasts today, but this one—this one was different. It carried itself with the confidence of a predator at the top of the chain. One mistake, and he wouldn’t just be injured—he’d be dead.
He exhaled, steadying himself. No room for hesitation.
Jae-Hyun surged forward.
The moment his foot left the cracked earth, the Scourgeborn Tyrant reacted. A low, guttural growl reverberated through the wasteland, and then—it moved.
Fast. Too fast.
Jae-Hyun barely registered the pain at first—his body felt like it had been torn apart. His breath hitched as he tried to move, but a sharp, agonizing jolt ran through his ribs, forcing him to collapse onto his side.
He couldn’t breathe.
The Scourgeborn Tyrant didn’t stop to gloat. It moved toward him, claws sinking into the dirt, preparing the final strike.
Move. He told himself. MOVE.
But his body didn’t listen.
Was this it?
He twisted his body at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the full brunt of the attack, but the force still sent him skidding backward across the brittle ground.
Warning: Health Dropped to 78%.
His heartbeat spiked.
The boss was on another level.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Jae-Hyun gritted his teeth, shaking off the impact. The monster wasn’t just strong—it was intelligent. Its movements weren’t wild or reckless; it fought with an awareness, its strikes calculated to break him down, not just kill him outright.
And then—he made a mistake.
Exhaustion dulled his reflexes. A single misstep.
Jae-Hyun pivoted too slowly, and in that instant, the Tyrant’s tail lashed out, slamming directly into his side.
BOOM!
His body launched through the air like a broken doll, crashing into a jagged rock formation with a sickening crack. The force rattled his bones, his vision flickering.
Warning: Critical Impact Sustained. Health at 32%.
Jae-Hyun gasped, pain flaring through every nerve in his body. His limbs felt sluggish. His body screamed in protest.
The Tyrant wasn’t waiting.
It leaped toward him, all muscle, all weight, all force.
Jae-Hyun forced himself to move. His instincts screamed at him—dodge!
But his body lagged. Too slow.
At the last moment, he gritted his teeth and twisted his sword upward, dark energy coiling around the blade.
CLANG!
The impact shattered the rock behind him, but his sword dug deep into the beast’s arm.
For the first time, the monster let out a snarl of pain, staggering backward, struggling to stay upright. Its massive form wavered, blood pooling beneath its feet. A low, agonized growl rumbled from its throat, its predatory eyes flickering with defiance—yet, despite the wounds covering its body, it refused to fall.
Jae-Hyun collapsed to one knee, chest heaving, vision swimming. He could feel the tremor in his hands—he was burning out. Fighting too long. Pushing too hard.
But there was no time to hesitate.
He reached into his inventory, his fingers fumbled uselessly against the bottle, his grip weak, slipping. The glass clattered against the dirt, rolling just out of reach. A curse left his lips. He couldn’t even hold onto a damn potion.
"Damn it," he rasped.
He couldn’t even hold onto a damn potion. Move. He forced his body to obey, snatching the vial and wrenching the cork off with his teeth. The liquid burned as he downed it in one desperate gulp.
System Notification: Health Restored to 59%.
But he didn’t feel any stronger.
His arms still shook. His legs refused to respond immediately. His sword felt like it weighed twice as much as before.
The Tyrant had already recovered—it was coming at him again.
Not yet. I need more time.
But even as the potion worked its magic, he knew—it wasn’t enough. His limbs still felt heavy, his muscles burning with exhaustion, each breath dragging like a weight against his ribs. He had been fighting this monster for nearly thirty-six minutes, a battle of attrition that had pushed him beyond his limits.
And the Tyrant wasn’t slowing down.
It lunged again, faster, more erratic, sensing that its prey was on the verge of collapse. But this time, Jae-Hyun didn’t meet its charge head-on.
He adapted.
He forced himself to move with calculated precision, weaving through its massive swings instead of absorbing the impact. Every dodge had to count. Instead of overcommitting, he let the beast’s own momentum betray it—forcing it into awkward lunges, making it strike where he no longer was.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
The Tyrant roared in frustration, its movements growing desperate. That was when Jae-Hyun saw it—a pattern.
The way its right arm lagged half a second too long after a claw swipe.
The way its tail twitched before a sweeping attack.
The way its breath hitched just before a forward charge.
He saw the openings—and he exploited them.
The moment the Tyrant overextended, Jae-Hyun struck.
He spun low, ducking beneath a wild slash, his blade carving a deep gash along its exposed ribcage. The beast staggered, snarling in agony, but he wasn’t done.
He couldn’t afford to be.
A surge of dark energy coiled around his blade as he propelled himself forward, using every last ounce of his strength.
The Tyrant reared back, preparing a final, desperate strike—
Too late.
Jae-Hyun’s sword drove deep into its chest, piercing straight through its armor.
The Tyrant reeled back, a deep, shuddering snarl escaping its throat. Blood poured freely from the wound in its chest, seeping into the cracked earth beneath them.
But it wasn’t dead yet.
With a final, desperate attempt, it lunged forward—claws swiping wildly. Its movements were sluggish, uncoordinated—but still lethal.
Jae-Hyun barely managed to dodge, stumbling as his sword nearly slipped from his grasp.
Not yet. Die already.
The Tyrant staggered, its legs finally giving out beneath its own weight.
It let out a guttural, pained roar—then collapsed.
Jae-Hyun stood there, sword still raised, watching as the light slowly faded from its predatory eyes.
Only then did he let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Dust and debris erupted into the air as the Scourgeborn Tyrant fell, lifeless. Silence swallowed the battlefield.
Jae-Hyun exhaled, his body swaying, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. His hands trembled as he pulled his sword free, watching as the creature’s massive form began to disintegrate.
[Scourgeborn Tyrant] Defeated.
Time Taken: 36 Minutes.
His chest rose and fell in deep, ragged breaths.
Thirty-six minutes.
It had felt like a lifetime.
Jae-Hyun staggered back, panting.
For a brief moment, he just stood there, absorbing what had just happened. He had nearly died. If he had been just a little slower…He clenched his fists. This trial was only going to get harder
And then—the system delivered another message.
System Notification: The wave has been completed. You now have 4 hours and 24 minutes of free time before the next challenge begins.
Jae-Hyun blinked.
A smirk tugged at his lips—tired, but determined. If he got strong enough to clear these waves faster, he could use the remaining time however he wanted. If he survived long enough to do so.
But he knew one thing for sure—
There was no time to celebrate. Tomorrow’s waves would only be worse. This was only going to get harder.
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight of his exhaustion settle in. He still had four hours of rest, but deep down, he knew—
He wasn't going to sleep tonight.