The Moment Before

[Time Remaining: 00:14:59...]

As soon as the timer began, the surviving members, along with the rest of their group, started preparing to overcome the second Trial. However, many of them remained frozen in shock, having just witnessed the horrific scene of their friends dying one by one before their eyes.

"Brother Venn… I thought you were going to say something earlier…" Griggs, who had been working diligently with the selected shield as a reward, asked in a quiet voice.

"Let it be... He must be thinking of something as well... Aren't we in a good position for now?" Lira Venn responded with a reassuring smile as he finished securing his arm guards.

Griggs turned to look at Seren Vale but only saw his shoulders shaking with what seemed like silent sorrow. Seyin, on the other hand, kept her gaze straight ahead, showing no interest in their conversation.

The group was now enveloped in silence.

After securing his arm guards, Lira Venn's gaze moved to the blue screen hovering before him.

[Character Profile…]

Name: Lira Venn

Title: Fury Incarnate (Epic), Trial Survivor (Common)

Blessing: None

Stats:

Strength: 73 (Restricted: Cannot exceed 100 until the 10th Trial.) Agility: 58 (Restricted: Cannot exceed 100 until the 10th Trial.) Stamina: 80 (Restricted: Cannot exceed 100 until the 10th Trial.) Willpower: 33 (Restricted: Cannot exceed 100 until the 10th Trial.) Mana: 0 (Restricted: Cannot exceed 100 until the 10th Trial.)

Abilities:

[Combat Mastery] (Lv.7) [Weapon Mastery] (Lv.3) [Aura Mastery] (Lv.1) [Fighter's Instinct] (Lv.2)

Skills:

[Soul Insight Lv.1] [Reckless Charge Lv.1]

Items:

[Steel Arm Guard]

"I didn't see Jiho's soul color earlier. Could it be because he has a soul-defending skill... Never mind… Seyin and the others were strong enough… I'll try again the next time we meet…" Lira Venn thought as he read the restriction details of his [Soul Insight] skill.

[Soul Insight Lv.1]

Effect: The skill allows the user to see the color of a person's soul, revealing their strengths, emotions, intentions, and overall nature for ten seconds. Cooldown: 2 hours Restriction: Limited to detecting basic soul colors; cannot pierce through advanced soul defenses or illusions.

"[Reckless Charge] is not really useful yet… Since I'm the main attacker in the group, if I use this skill, the others will face difficulties due to the vulnerability I'll have after charging... I'll have to use it wisely during crucial moments."

[Reckless Charge Lv.1]

Effect: The skill enables the user to charge toward enemies with great speed, knocking back any foes in the path and briefly boosting Strength and Agility for the duration of the charge. Cooldown: 1 hour Restriction: The charge comes at the cost of stamina, and it leaves the user vulnerable after the impact if not used carefully.

After glancing over his character profile and assessing the skills, Lira's confidence flickered for a brief moment. Will it be enough? He took a deep breath, shaking off the doubt. No. I'll make it work. It has to be enough.

Once everything was ready, Lira Venn glanced at the remaining time displayed on the blue screen. In his mind, he was already thinking about rushing to the safe zone with the group as soon as the time ran out.

[Time Remaining: 00:07:35...]

…

Under the Tree...

"What is this skill...?" Jiho muttered in frustration after several failed attempts.

In front of his eyes, a black screen flickered.

[System Codex]

Name: Seyin Name: Griggs Name: Lira Venn Name: Seren Vale

The skill he was using allowed him to view and store these names in his personal database, but that was the extent of it. Initially, he had been excited by the idea of potentially viewing others' character profiles, but now, as he looked at the screen, he realized it was only listing names.

He selected one name and...

[Character Profile]

Name: Lira Venn

Height: 190 cm

Age: 27

Strengths: Unstoppable in combat!

Weaknesses: Too caring about other people's feelings

The information that appeared didn't align at all with what he had expected. Surely, a blue screen wouldn't display something so off. This skill seemed to create a profile for the user based on his knowledge.

[Character Profile]

Name: Griggs

Height: 170 cm

Age: 18

Strengths: Fight with him?

Weaknesses: Being overly attached to others

"Fight with him? Ha?... Is this system asking me?" Jiho laughed out loud.

"Anyway, I'm lucky to have this body… With my old body, I wouldn't have survived the First Trial."

The current body of the young gangster stood at a tall 187 cm, with black hair and gray eyes, giving him a rare, harmonious look. His face resembled that of a young man from the Middle Eastern regions of his home planet.

Then, Jiho's thoughts shifted quickly as his mind drifted to the previous owner of this body and a mysterious, strange woman he had yet to encounter. However, he quickly refocused, as the matter before him was far more pressing. He didn't want to waste time on irrelevant thoughts when there was something much more important in front of him.

[Time Remaining: 00:00:15...]

"So it's a death race..." He let out a deep sigh, eyes fixed on the dwindling countdown.

[Time's Up…]

[Second Trial has begun.]

[Time Remaining: 01:00:00...]

The countdown for the Second Trial began, and the invisible barriers around Sunset Park faded away like mist at dawn. A green light in the distance marked the safe zones, a beacon of hope amidst the chaos. Without hesitation, the survivors bolted towards it, their feet pounding against the cracked pavement, their breaths ragged with desperation. The weak, the injured, and the strong—all surged forward, driven by the same primal instinct: survival.

Once outside the park, Jiho saw people running towards the safe zones marked by a green light. The entire city had erupted in chaos, with black holes and terrifying creatures emerging from them.

Goblins, wielding filthy, jagged weapons, screeched as they swarmed out, their red eyes burning with hatred. Imps with leathery wings darted through the sky, swooping down like vultures upon the unsuspecting. Shadow Beasts, eerie figures of shifting darkness with glowing hollow eyes, crawled out, their claws stretching toward prey.

Screams filled the air as the first victims fell.

However, most survivors had chosen weapons as rewards in the First Trial, so the situation wasn't entirely hopeless. Many used the weapons provided by the system to fight back, while others fought barehanded, relying on their strength to strike back. Blood sprayed and steel clashed, lighting up the battlefield as survivors desperately battled the oncoming horde.

Amidst all this, Jiho's gaze flickered to Lira Venn's group.

Most survivors were rushing toward the safe zone, focused only on getting there as quickly as possible, risking their lives as they ran. But Lira Venn's group was different. They moved through the chaos like a well-oiled machine—defense and offense perfectly balanced. Venn and Seyin led the charge from the front, clearing the way, while Griggs guarded the rear with a shield. Seren Vale, positioned at the center, provided cover while keeping a sharp eye on the approaching monsters.

They weren't just running blindly.

They were fighting their way to the safe zones.

"Save... save me, please..."

The sudden cry of a child caught Jiho's attention. His eyes followed the sound, and there, before him, was a young girl being attacked by an Imp. She was thrown into the air, flailing, as she was gripped by the creature's claws. Her group, about six people, was engaged in battle with a few Goblins and couldn't help her.

"Energy Harmony..."

Jiho focused his mind, and an energy wave enveloped his body, enhancing both his speed and strength. Within the blink of an eye, he reached the girl, still suspended in the air by the Imp. Using his momentum, he leaped and, with a powerful strike, sent the Imp flying, propelling the girl to safety.

The sudden impact from Jiho caused the Imp, which had been struggling to hold onto the girl, to lose its grip. It was knocked away, helpless and unable to move any longer. The girl, who had been gripped by the Imp, fell but not from a high enough distance to cause fatal injury. If Jiho hadn't acted in time, the force of the fall might have killed her.

Now, the young girl, though slightly injured with a few bruises, was no longer in mortal danger.

After rescuing the young girl, Jiho, still using [Energy Harmony], continued running toward the safe zone before the skill's effect wore off.

As the girl landed safely, she glanced back for a moment, her eyes watching Jiho, who was running toward the safe zone. Though her mind raced with thoughts, she was distracted by the sound of one of her group members being injured, pulling her focus back to the fight.

…

[Time Remaining: 00:23:18...]

Safe zones are scattered across the entire city, with Trial Zone 73 located on the outskirts. To reach the nearest safe zone from there, one must run non-stop for about 30 minutes. Furthermore, there are monsters along the way that may attack, so getting to the safe zone in time is not as easy as it seems.

As Jiho continued toward the safe zone, he had already fought and defeated two Shadow Beasts and a Goblin blocking his path. He had also gained a better understanding of his skills.

[Energy Harmony] had now become like a skill itself, making it easier for him to use. With just a thought, he could immediately activate it, and it had become much smoother than before. The amount of time he could use it for depended entirely on him. The system couldn't alter it. Currently, he could only maintain it for 15 minutes, but it was the most useful tool for saving his life at the moment.

The [System Codex] was still having issues. In the beginning, Jiho had tried using it to find the weaknesses of the monsters and attack, but it could only store information about humans as living beings in the Personal Database. He couldn't save data about monsters that appeared during the system trial. Ultimately, he had abandoned this idea.

As Jiho approached the safe zone, the anxiety weighing on his mind began to ease. Although monsters swarmed the air and roamed throughout the city, none were encountered near the safe zone anymore.

"I've finally made it…" Jiho murmured as he gazed at the safe zone, where green lights illuminated the area, and wiped his face in relief.

However, just as he was about to move forward, his steps halted at a corner. How could he proceed without stopping? Around the safe zone ahead, a group of about 20 monsters surrounded the area, including some with green glowing lights.

Most of them were Shadow Beasts and Goblins, with a few Imps scattered among them. These monsters blocked the entrance to the safe zone, attacking the green light barrier that protected it. The people inside the safe zone were terrified by the scene, but fortunately, the monsters' attacks hadn't caused much damage to the light barrier.

Jiho observed the scene from a distance, his thoughts racing.

To attack or not… He had been running and fighting nonstop for so long that his body was on the verge of collapse. His muscles ached, and he could barely stand. If he wanted to fight, he would have to wait for others to arrive and join him.

His gaze shifted toward another green light formation that had appeared elsewhere. But even if he decided to head to another safe zone…

It wouldn't be easy. He only had about 19 minutes left before time ran out, and there were more monsters to face along the way. With the monsters blocking the entrance to this safe zone, how could he move forward?

The worst part was that since he had already used [Energy Harmony], he wasn't sure if he could use it again.

Weighing his options, balancing his life against the risks, Jiho couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"It seems like I'll have to hide somewhere and wait… Only when others arrive can I figure out what to do next…" he muttered, slipping behind a nearby car to assess the situation.

[Personal Profile]

Name: Han Jiho

Titles: ??? (Mythic), Trial Survivor (Common)

Abilities: [??? Lv.max], [Clear Mind Lv.2], [Combat Mastery Lv.4], [Weapon Mastery Lv.2], [Adaptability Lv.6]

Skills: [System Codex Lv.1], [Energy Harmony Lv.max]

Overall Stats: [Strength Lv.6], [Agility Lv.6], [Stamina Lv.8], [Willpower Lv.4], [Aether Lv.1]

Though there hadn't been many major changes, his [Agility] and [Strength] had each risen by one level. It seemed that all the running and fighting he had done during this period were beginning to pay off.

His [Willpower], which had started at [Lv.2], was now at [Lv.4].

As for [Aether Lv.1], he still wasn't sure how useful it might be.

[Adaptability Lv.6]

Effect – An ability that allows the user to quickly adjust and evolve beyond limits.

What intrigued him most was this ability… As its level increased, it seemed to help him quickly adapt to his mental state, allowing him to strengthen and stabilize his body with remarkable speed.

As he was reviewing his profile, he heard some voices, prompting him to peek cautiously out from behind the car.

At that moment, a group of about four people, none of whom he'd seen before, was walking toward his position from the west, turning frequently to glance back. Judging from the situation, a battle had taken place, and these were likely the survivors.

He felt an overwhelming concern that they would head his way, and they hadn't yet noticed the monsters lurking around the corner.

"These guys are dead for sure..." Jiho muttered as he shook his head in disbelief while watching the group.

His thoughts flickered between the decision to help and the desire to conserve his energy. If he intervened, he'd reveal himself—but if he stayed hidden, those people were as good as dead.

His gaze flickered between the monsters and the group. The gap between them was closing fast.

Just as Jiho prepared to warn them...

One of the older women from the group suddenly sprinted toward the corner where the green lights were.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to freeze.

The monsters turned toward her.

The group froze.

Jiho's breath caught.

—And then, the first scream shattered the silence.

End - 15