Chapter 70: The Trial of the Divine Throne - (3)
I ran and ran again.
I wondered if there had ever been a time in my life when I had run so relentlessly.
The current situation, which was close to a catastrophe, was not something I could face and fight like a monster or an enemy.
As I kept running away, I thought that for a trial of the Divine Throne, this was quite lenient.
Just when I began to wonder if this was all there was to it, danger finally arrived.
Crazy Bat.
The creatures also called Mad Bats appeared in the sky.
Since I was the only living being running across the vast wilderness, the Crazy Bats immediately locked onto me as their target.
Kieeeek!
The swarm of Crazy Bats bared their sharp claws and venomous fangs as they began a rapid descent toward me.
I instinctively felt it.
If I were to be bitten or scratched by these creatures, it would mean the end of the situation.
And by end, it meant the end of my life.
These creatures usually carried paralyzing venom, and without an antidote, getting bitten once meant a one-way trip to the afterlife.
This wasn't a game where I could insert a coin and come back to life. Failing the trial of the throne meant becoming a dead loser.
‘I can’t afford to leisurely fight these things with attack skills. If I get delayed even a little, I’m dead.’
Even though I didn’t look back, I knew this was a situation where stopping even for a moment was not an option.
There was no time to hunt Crazy Bats at leisure.
‘In that case.’
There was only one conclusion.
Wasn’t there a skill perfectly suited for this situation?
As the swarm of Crazy Bats descended, I activated my acceleration skill.
My body, now in a state of triple acceleration, surged forward as if I had grown wings.
Kuwiiiik!
Then, just as one of the Crazy Bats reached me, extending its claws to attack—
『Brave Charge』
Fwoosh!
Using Brave Charge, I instantly leaped five meters forward with all my might.
Kwaak! Kweek!
It was like witnessing a traffic accident.
While I, protected by my shield during the charge, suffered no impact—
The Crazy Bats that had aimed to scratch me instead crashed head-on into my shield.
No matter how lethal their attacks were, they were still just small monsters.
And since they collided with my shield while I was in acceleration, the impact was even greater than a normal crash.
Thud! Thud-thud!
The Crazy Bats, either losing consciousness or dying instantly, fell helplessly to the ground.
Soon, they were swallowed by the sinking terrain, disappearing without a trace.
“I like this.”
I smiled in satisfaction.
My calculation that this skill could be used both as a charge and a defensive move had been exactly right.
Of course, my shield’s duration wasn’t long, but as long as I timed it well, that wasn’t a problem.
Boom! Thud! Thunk!
Continuing to use Brave Charge, I steadily crushed the Crazy Bats.
Against my aggressive charging, they had no means to create any variables.
Perhaps that was why?
After nearly thirty Crazy Bats had died, the remaining ones finally began to flee.
They had appeared so menacingly at first, but now they were flapping their wings frantically in a pathetic retreat.
【An unknown Divine Throne declares that they will now dramatically increase the collapse speed.】
【In exchange, all monsters buried within the collapsing world will have their deaths converted into your experience points.】
“…It’s going to get even faster?”
I clicked my tongue.
I was already gasping for breath. If the collapse accelerated, even a single misstep would be fatal.
Kuwaaaah!
There was no room for negotiation. The deafening noise behind me grew more intense, shaking the entire world.
I could already feel the emptiness growing behind me, confirming that the collapse had indeed sped up.
『Over Psychedelic』
“This is hopeless.”
Without hesitation, I activated Over Psychedelic to push my physical abilities to their maximum.
Holding my greatsword as close to my body as possible, I sprinted at full speed.
Gwoargh! Woargh! Uwoah!
Just as the throne had declared, the monsters living on the collapsing ground plummeted one by one to their deaths.
Each time, my experience points surged like an unbridled stallion.
It felt as if my very survival was being converted into experience.
I had no idea how long I had been running.
Lost in the ecstasy and serenity brought on by Psychedelic Mode, I even forgot the passage of time.
‘If I want to reach my dream, I can’t afford to stop for even a moment. That’s absolutely true.’
I had gained a realization.
Some might dismiss it as an obvious thought, but to me, it was a truth worth reflecting on.
‘No challenge or trial is meaningless. Even if it’s just endless running.’
At that moment—
The continuous collapse of the terrain, which had filled my ears with a deafening roar, finally ceased.
After running nonstop for nearly thirty minutes, I had reached the result.
“I leveled up three times just by running.”
The three-level increase was a bonus.
The countless monster corpses buried in the collapsed abyss had become a great source of experience for me.
Then—
A new title was granted to me.
【An A-rank title, 『Throne’s Attention』, has been bestowed upon you.】
“Oh?”
The title was so straightforward that I didn’t even have to guess who had given it to me.
//s_win
//win_h 【Throne’s Attention】
■ Title Rank: A
■ Title Description: Even if you make a contract with one throne, you can still receive support from other friendly thrones.
However, hostile thrones will also consider you an enemy.
//e_win
“So, it’s about picking sides.”
Understanding the title’s meaning, I nodded.
It was an essential title.
Just as my contracted Constellation, the Goddess of Luck, didn’t mind me forming contracts with others—
This title meant I could gain power from other thrones besides the one I had contracted with, without major repercussions.
'Yeah. The fact that I can gain these additional benefits is what makes this trial meaningful in itself.'
Feeling once again the weight of the Divine Throne's trial, Sanghyun clenched his fists tightly.
If possible, he wanted to complete it without being eliminated. Even if he didn’t end up forming a contract with the unidentified Divine Throne.
【A certain Constellation sends enthusiastic praise for Sanghyun's quick thinking and adaptability.】
【A certain Constellation feels deeply regretful for not recognizing Sanghyun’s potential earlier.】
【A certain Constellation criticizes you, saying you are infinitely inferior compared to the Player they contracted.】
Several Constellations voiced their opinions. Regardless of the content, Sanghyun took note of them carefully.
"Brave Charge really came in handy. That’s why having a lot of skills is always the right answer."
Looking at the endlessly sprawling pit of darkness behind him, Sanghyun finally let out a sigh of relief.
It felt unnatural and unsettling, as if a large black circle had been drawn with no light penetrating it at all.
Just in case, he threw a small rock in, but even after a long time, there was no sound of it hitting the ground.
Had he been caught in it, he might still be falling even at this very moment.
Right then.
Kugugugu!
"Huh...?"
Sanghyun felt the ground beneath his feet, a 10-meter radius, suddenly rising into the sky.
Like riding an ultra-fast elevator without any brakes, the ground was rapidly ascending.
When he peeked over the edge, he realized he had already reached a height that surpassed the dark clouds hovering low in the sky.
"What the hell is this now..."
Just as Sanghyun was about to question the purpose of this space, related knowledge was forcefully injected into his mind.
He thought once again how convenient Constellations were. They didn’t need to explain anything; they simply pushed the knowledge directly into his head.
According to the information he received, this was another trial stage.
However, there were a few conditions.
The first was that if he attacked any entity that appeared, the stage would immediately end.
If he didn’t want to proceed, he could simply attack—but doing so would forfeit the special benefits.
The benefit was that if he focused solely on defense, the proficiency of the skills he used would increase at an incredible rate. Far beyond what normal training could achieve.
Of course, just defending wasn’t enough.
He had to defend well, and if he failed, he would fall beyond the 10-meter boundary and die from the fall.
If used correctly, it was a golden opportunity to greatly enhance his skills. If not, it was a chance wasted.
【1 minute remaining until the start.】
"They really don't give me time to think."
Sanghyun muttered as he reviewed his skills.
Skills like Rising Airflow were sealed in this stage.
Skills like Full Charge and Brave Charge could be used as movement abilities if necessary.
However, Rising Airflow could neither be used for movement nor defense.
Sanghyun quickly ruled out any skills that might instinctively be used in a way that could be considered an attack.
【An unknown Divine Throne watches your response with great interest.】
【An unknown Divine Thron emphasizes that more Players have died in this trial than those who have passed.】
"I’d rather not be lumped in with them."
Sanghyun chuckled.
Though he enjoyed attacking, he also had plenty of experience committing himself to pure defense when necessary.
This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He couldn't afford to miss this perfect chance to enhance his skill proficiency.
Sanghyun loosened his heavy legs.
After all the running earlier, his legs felt like they weighed a ton.
At that moment.
Shaaaa.
A beam of light descended from the sky, and from its end, angels with white wings appeared.
There were ten of them.
They floated freely in the air, drawing their bows and arrows.
"Angel Archer."
Confirming the clearly displayed name above them, Sanghyun bit his lip tightly.
Multiple archers.
If they were unskilled, it wouldn’t matter, but facing skilled archers was one of the toughest battles.
Especially in this situation where he was forced to defend. He had to be ready to endure.
Creak! Ping!
The Angel Archers began their barrage.
They only lightly pulled their bowstrings and released, yet their arrows flew like lightning.
If Sanghyun hadn’t prepared his defensive stance the moment he saw their movements?
His forehead would have already been pierced.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
His Defensive skill successfully blocked the incoming arrows.
Each time, the proficiency of Defensive rose steeply from 3rd level 0.3% to 5.1%, then 9.8%.
‘At this rate, I should just keep defending until the end. How many days of training is this saving me with just one block?’
The gain was so enormous that Sanghyun’s determination flared up even more.
He couldn't afford to fail early and miss out on this rare opportunity. He had to see this through to the end.
But.
Crack! Crack!
Of the ten arrows, he had only blocked five so far, yet his Defensive barrier was already showing signs of breaking.
"Damn it."
There was no way this trial would let him just reap the benefits so easily.
Just as Sanghyun was about to reinforce his front-facing Defensive shield again—
Fwaaang!
"Urgh!"
One of the Angel Archers shot a Wind Arrow at him.
A sudden gust of wind surged forth, sending Sanghyun flying without a chance to react.
Before he knew it, he was no longer on solid ground, but floating in empty space.
"Son of a..."
The real crisis had just begun.