The moment the system notification appeared, Jae-Hyun felt it.
The wasteland wasn’t the same.
The cracked, dry ground that had once stretched endlessly began to shift beneath his feet. The air, once merely dry and lifeless, now carried an oppressive weight—a thick, cloying scent of decay that clung to his lungs.
A distant rumbling echoed across the terrain as the horizon shimmered unnaturally, the once-flat expanse now appearing distorted, as if the very land itself was unraveling. Jagged rock formations rose from the cracked earth like ancient bones surfacing from a forgotten grave. Pools of blackened sludge bubbled in random patches, releasing faint wisps of foul-smelling vapor into the air.
The sky had changed, too.
The dull gray expanse had deepened into a suffocating crimson haze, streaked with tendrils of pulsating black. The very atmosphere seemed hostile, a living thing reshaping itself, adapting against him.
Jae-Hyun exhaled sharply. This wasn’t just a difficulty increase. The battlefield itself had turned against him. His rest hadn’t been enough—not for what was coming next.
He took a slow step forward, scanning his surroundings. Something gnawed at him—a strange, uneasy feeling settling in his gut. Where were the monsters?
For the first time since entering this trial, he realized he hadn’t encountered any creatures for a while now. Not since he woke up.
That wasn’t normal.
He narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on his sword. This place was never empty. The monsters had always come. Always.
Yet now, the wasteland was eerily silent. Too silent.
System Notification:
Environmental Shift Complete.
His jaw clenched.
No more stability. No more predictability. The trial had entered a new stage.
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The rest timer ticked down.
[00:05…]
Jae-Hyun rolled his shoulders, exhaling sharply. His body wasn’t fully recovered, but it had to be enough. It had to be.
[00:03…]
The wasteland around him remained eerily silent, the crimson haze swirling above like a bleeding sky. No movement. No signs of life.
And then—
[00:00]
The ground trembled.
From the jagged terrain ahead, movement erupted.
Jae-Hyun’s eyes narrowed as a wave of figures surged forward, spilling from the darkness like an unrelenting flood. Dozens. No—hundreds.
System Notification: Wave 6 Commencing.
Jae-Hyun gritted his teeth. Tch. That’s a lot more than yesterday.
At first glance, their levels weren’t much different from the previous day’s enemies. Their names hovered in familiar orange-yellow hues, marking them as stronger than him, but not absurdly so. Yet, it was the sheer number that stood out.
This wasn’t just an increase in difficulty.
This was an endurance test.
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Jae-Hyun gripped his sword, adjusting his stance as the monsters charged.
The first of them—a Pale Fang Brute—lunged forward, its jagged teeth gleaming. Jae-Hyun sidestepped, slashing upward in a clean motion. Blood sprayed as the brute collapsed, but before its body even hit the ground, another took its place.
Then another.
Then another.
The horde kept coming.
Jae-Hyun’s sword cut through the masses, his movements fluid but efficient. Every swing was controlled—no wasted energy, no unnecessary flourishes.
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But for every monster he killed, two more stepped forward.
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Something was different.
Yesterday’s monsters had been relentless, but predictable. They charged without care, overwhelming with brute force rather than strategy.
Not these ones.
These monsters stalked him.
They didn’t charge recklessly—instead, they watched, circling, shifting.
A clawed beast feinted left, forcing Jae-Hyun’s dodge—only for another to ambush him from the right. He barely raised his sword in time, the impact jarring his wrist.
His mind raced. They’re adapting…
His grip tightened.
This wasn’t going to be as simple as yesterday.
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Minutes blurred into hours.
Jae-Hyun fought without pause. Wave after wave. Enemy after enemy.
At first, it had seemed manageable. He dodged, countered, cut down his foes efficiently. His movements were sharp, his breathing measured.
But the waves never slowed.
They kept coming.
What started as precision strikes turned into grueling endurance. His muscles burned, his stamina drained faster than expected. By the second wave of the day, he had already been forced to use one of his precious potions.
And he hated it.
He should be doing better.
He had to do better.
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By the time the fourth wave of the day arrived, Jae-Hyun could feel the exhaustion sinking into his bones.
The sheer number of monsters on this second day was relentless.
Even though they were manageable for him, their numbers made every wave feel harder than before.
His food rations had kept him going, but every bite felt like it wasn’t enough.
He had spent a ridiculous amount of system currency on items, and yet, it barely helped.
He realized just how much more exhausting this day had been compared to the first.
The battle wasn’t just physical, but mental—the constant awareness, the need to keep dodging, watching his mana, watching his stamina.
He’s never fought this long before, not without a break.
And worst of all—
The hardest wave hadn’t even come yet.
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A Shift in the Air—The Final Wave Begins
Jae-Hyun stood still, his breaths heavy, his muscles burning from the relentless battles that had stretched across the entire day.
And yet—he wasn’t done.
The moment the timer hit zero, the air around him shifted.
It wasn’t like the previous waves, where monsters simply charged out of the distance in endless droves.
This was different.
The ground trembled.
A deep, unnatural hum reverberated through the wasteland, the sound vibrating in Jae-Hyun’s chest. The air itself distorted, twisting unnaturally, as if something massive was being pulled into existence.
And then—they appeared.
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At first, Jae-Hyun’s eyes locked onto the larger of the two figures.
A monstrous, towering entity stood ahead of him, its body stitched together like a malformed beast. Its arms were grotesquely long, its jagged claws twitching with an unnatural hunger. Black stitches crisscrossed its massive form, pulsing with a dark, sickly energy.
Jae-Hyun’s grip on his sword tightened. This thing is built like a walking disaster.
Then his gaze flickered toward the other figure.
The second presence wasn’t as imposing—but somehow, it was even more dangerous.
A human-sized figure stood beside the beast, cloaked in shadow, his hood pulled low, obscuring his features. Unlike the stitched abomination, this one didn’t move with mindless aggression.
Instead—he stood still. Watching. Studying. Waiting.
Then—
Tarnas, the Darkened has entered the battlefield.
Jae-Hyun’s stomach twisted.
A named enemy.
That wasn’t normal.
His mind instantly began calculating. This is a 2v2. A boss and a handler. That means I should—
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Jae-Hyun reached into his system interface without hesitation. He had two options—summon his entire undead army or bring forth Kaelzar.
The decision was clear.
This isn’t a horde fight.
He needed power—not numbers.
With a surge of mana, the shadows at his feet rippled. The air around him darkened as Kaelzar materialized beside him, his form rising like a specter from the abyss.
His armor gleamed under the dim, shifting crimson sky, his blade resting effortlessly in his grasp. His head tilted slightly, sensing the situation, his hollow gaze fixed on the monstrous enemy ahead.
He said nothing.
He never did.
But Jae-Hyun understood him perfectly.
A simple glance, a subtle shift in stance—Kaelzar was ready.
Jae-Hyun readied his sword, rolling his shoulders. Alright, one target each.
This was supposed to be a fair fight.
But he was wrong.
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The moment Jae-Hyun surged forward, his instincts screamed at him.
Something was wrong.
His eyes flickered toward Tarnas, expecting an immediate attack—but the cloaked figure barely moved.
Instead, he did something worse.
His lips curled into a knowing smirk.
Then—
The air cracked apart behind him.
Jae-Hyun barely had time to react before the ground tore open at Tarnas’s feet. A mass of writhing figures erupted from the void, spilling out like crawling nightmares.
Hundreds of twisted shapes emerged—ghastly figures, malformed beasts, skeletal warriors with rusted weapons.
Their names glowed a sickly orange.
Jae-Hyun’s blood ran cold.
It’s not a 2v2.
It’s a goddamn war.