Chapter 12 – Enter the Fortress

The fortress doors groaned as they swung open, revealing a vast stone corridor bathed in dim red light. A cold wind howled from within, carrying the stench of blood and decay. Joon-ho stepped forward without hesitation, knife still slick with blackened blood. Behind him, Ha-ri hesitated, eyes darting around at the surviving players. Only a fraction remained—those who had managed to withstand the carnage outside.

"Inside. Now," Joon-ho ordered. No one argued. They knew the alternative was staying out in the open, waiting for more Reapers to emerge.

The moment they crossed the threshold, a system message appeared.

[First Gate Fortress – Trial Chamber]

Objective: Clear the Trial to Proceed to the Next Zone.Time Limit: 3 Hours.Failure Condition: Death.

The air shifted. A deep thud echoed through the chamber as the fortress doors slammed shut behind them. They were locked in.

Joon-ho scanned the surroundings. The corridor stretched forward into darkness, torches lining the walls, their flames flickering as if disturbed by unseen movements. The floor beneath their feet was solid stone, but here and there, cracks revealed something unsettling—dark liquid pulsing beneath, like veins within the fortress itself.

"This place is alive," Ha-ri muttered.

Joon-ho didn't reply. He already knew. The First Gate Fortress was more than just a structure—it was a testing ground, shaped by the Tower's will. And the trial waiting ahead was far worse than the battlefield outside.

A sudden tremor shook the corridor. Then, a voice echoed through the air.

"Welcome, challengers. You have entered the Trial of the Hollow King."

The torches flared violently. The ground rumbled. And from the darkness ahead, something moved.

A figure stepped forward. It was tall, draped in tattered, ancient robes. Its skeletal frame pulsed with eerie blue energy, eyes hollow and yet filled with a cruel intelligence. A Hollow Warden—the executioner of the First Gate.

Joon-ho reacted instantly. His knife flew through the air, aimed directly at its forehead.

Clang!

The blade stopped mid-air.

An unseen force gripped it, twisting it into shrapnel before dropping the ruined metal to the ground.

The Hollow Warden raised a bony hand.

The temperature plummeted. The torches flickered wildly before snuffing out.

Darkness swallowed the chamber.

Then, with a whisper that slithered into their minds, the Warden spoke:

"Let the Trial begin."

A monstrous pressure filled the air. Chains erupted from the ground, seeking flesh.

Joon-ho reacted instantly, leaping back as the first chain whipped past his face. Another shot toward him, but he twisted midair, landing in a crouch. Behind him, the weaker players weren't as fortunate. One man screamed as a chain wrapped around his torso, yanking him into the air. His body convulsed violently before the life drained from his eyes. Within seconds, he was a husk—his skin shriveled, his body dried up like a corpse left in the sun for years.

Ha-ri barely dodged a chain herself, rolling across the floor as she slashed at the tendrils that sought to bind her. The others panicked, trying to fight back, but the chains moved unnaturally, twisting through the air like living creatures.

Joon-ho's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just a physical attack. It was a curse—a draining effect meant to siphon away the life force of its victims. Fighting head-on was pointless.

His gaze flickered toward the Warden.

That was the real enemy.

A sudden movement caught his attention—one of the chains had altered its course, arcing straight toward him. This time, he didn't dodge. Instead, he lunged forward, meeting the attack head-on. At the last second, he shifted his weight, twisting his body so that the chain barely grazed past his shoulder. With a precise strike, he grabbed the chain mid-air, feeling its unnatural coldness seep into his bones.

For a split second, the energy tried to invade him.

But his resistance was too strong.

[Resistance to Curses: Intermediate] negated incoming life drain effect.

Joon-ho smirked.

Using the chain as leverage, he yanked hard, pulling himself forward in a blur. The Warden hadn't expected it. Its skeletal face twitched in recognition as Joon-ho closed the distance instantly.

His knife flashed.

But before it could strike home, a barrier materialized around the Warden, deflecting his attack.

Joon-ho flipped backward just as another wave of chains exploded from the ground beneath him. He landed smoothly, assessing the situation.

The Warden wasn't going to be easy to kill.

"Ha-ri," he called out.

She barely had time to respond, slashing wildly at the chains around her. "What?"

"Focus on cutting the chains. I'll deal with him."

She hesitated for only a second before nodding. There was no time to argue.

Joon-ho took a slow breath, activating his skill.

[Phantom Step – Advanced: Temporarily increase speed and agility by 40% for five seconds.]

His figure blurred as he dashed forward again. The Warden reacted, summoning more barriers, but this time, Joon-ho anticipated it. Instead of attacking directly, he feinted, making it seem like he was going for the head. The moment the barrier formed, he twisted mid-motion, slamming his blade toward the floor beneath the Warden's feet.

Crack!

The stone shattered.

The Warden staggered, caught off guard by the sudden loss of footing.

That was all Joon-ho needed.

His knife pierced forward, slipping through the one weak point in its defenses—its exposed ribcage.

The Hollow Warden let out a shriek, its body convulsing as dark energy surged from the wound. Its skeletal hands clawed at the air, desperately trying to regain control.

But Joon-ho didn't stop.

With a ruthless expression, he twisted the blade deeper, then yanked it upward, shattering the Warden's core.

A final, hollow scream echoed through the chamber.

Then, silence.

[Trial Completion: First Gate Warden Defeated.]

Rewards: Hollow Warden's Core, 12,000 EXP, Fortress KeyPath to the Second Chamber Unlocked.

The remaining chains collapsed into dust. The surviving players, battered and breathless, looked at Joon-ho with wide eyes.

Ha-ri exhaled, lowering her sword. "You make it look easy."

Joon-ho turned away from the corpse, gripping the Fortress Key.

"This was just the first test."

Ahead of them, a new path had opened. A massive stone door, leading deeper into the fortress.

The real challenge was just beginning.