CHAPTER 20

The effect of this "job change item" is extremely simple:

"It gives you a chance to change to a rare class."

In Playmier, characters undergo a job change upon reaching a certain level.Usually, players use regular job change quests made by the system to advance. In that case, you can't change into a rare class.It means you're limited to ordinary classes like warrior, mage, or archer.

But what if the player has a "Job Change Item for Advanced Classes"?

"A special quest or trial appears. And if you clear it..."

You get to change into a rare class.

This had nothing to do with Han Yoo-sung's past life.The class he changed into back then was "Fighter" — just a normal class.

He later obtained a few Job Change Items for Advanced Classes, but it was meaningless.

"Once you change classes, that's it—you can't switch to another class."

While advancing to a higher-tier class was possible, using a job change item to switch from one class to another—even to another advanced class—was not allowed.That's why, in his past life, he stuck with the Fighter class and honed it with unwavering focus.Thanks to that, he had mastered it to the extreme.

"Is there really a need to live this life as a Fighter again?"

Han Yoo-sung fell into deep thought.A rare class—[Martial Soul].

It was the class used by a famous player from his past life, an American Playmier player named Weslow, who had shaken the world with his name.

"He was as infamous for his cruel nature as he was for his mastery of every class's skills."

That was the defining trait of the Martial Soul class:It removed class restrictions.

In Playmier, skills typically have an acquisition restriction—meaning only certain classes can learn and use them.

Martial Soul allows you to bypass those skill acquisition restrictions.To put it simply:

"You can learn the skills of every class in existence."

It's quite literally an incredible advantage.

Of course, there's one downside: the class doesn't come with any default active skills.You have to acquire skill books on your own.

But even that didn't matter to Han Yoo-sung.

"The extra rewards from the Battle God will take care of that."

Han Yoo-sung had more chances to obtain skills than anyone else.On top of that, he could use his past-life knowledge to hunt down the skill books he needed.With that in mind, the downside of Martial Soul was basically nonexistent.There was no reason not to choose it.

[Purchased: Orb of Command (Legendary)][30,000 Star Points have been consumed.]

All that remained was 20,000 Star Points.The only question was—what to spend them on?

Fortunately, there was no need to worry for long.

[Frozen Iron Robe (Legendary)]• Type: Armor (Martial Garb)• Defense: 65

• +6 Vitality, +4 Strength, +20% Defense• Even if destroyed, this armor repairs itself automatically.

• For a very brief moment, the robe becomes harder than metal, completely nullifying an incoming attack. (Cooldown: 60 minutes)

[Sword Art of the Lucen Kingdom (Grade B)]• A sword technique made up of two forms. Emphasizes speed.

Han Yoo-sung purchased both the armor and the sword technique.The sword art wasn't particularly impressive, but owning at least one sword skill was helpful for activating "The Path of War," the castle trait of Kakasha.

[All Star Points have been used.][Closing the Star Store.]

The Star Store closed.

Han Yoo-sung gazed at the Orb of Command in his hand.Kakasha, who stood by his side, showed interest in the orb.

[Hooh… not a bad class at all. Has it caught your fancy?]"Not bad at all."

Han Yoo-sung slipped the Orb of Command into his pocket.

"This time, I'll be able to change into a rare class."

Considering the enemies he would face in the future, he needed a broad range of abilities.And this class would help him achieve that.

"Let's go back. What's left now is…"

Han Yoo-sung turned around.

What needed to be done was finished.All that remained was to wait.

"Now, I just have to wait for the Trial of the Gods to begin."

Han Yoo-sung left the Battlefield of Stars.

—

It appeared one day without warning and was the root cause of all the chaos that followed.

The Trial of the Gods could be described as a kind of "mission."

Its forms were varied, but broadly speaking, they could be categorized into three types:

1. A designated region becomes a demon-infested hellscape overflowing with monsters.

2. The player is transported to a special area to undergo a trial.

3. Competing against players from other nations or even other worlds.

"If there's one thing all trials have in common, it's that they're incredibly difficult."

No matter the type, every trial resulted in numerous casualties.

That's how high the difficulty was.

And there was one very distinct trait that set the Trial of the Gods apart from any ordinary high-level quest or royal challenge.

"If you fail, your entire nation suffers a penalty."

And the more times you fail, the more dangerous that penalty becomes.Repeated failures can lead to full-scale national disasters.

Several countries had already been destroyed because of this,which is why the Trial of the Gods must be cleared—no matter the cost.If it's a competitive trial, you must win.

"So then, when does the Trial of the Gods end?"

No one knows.

Maybe it'll end when the world is destroyed.

But that's not really an answer.

The only hint—if it could be called that—is this message:

[There is potential in this world.][Prove that you can become the one and only 'Existence.']

This message appeared when the Trial of the Gods first began.Everyone had puzzled over what it meant,but no one had come up with a clear answer.

Han Yoo-sung was no different.

"Kakasha, do you happen to know anything?"

[Hmm? What are you talking about? I'm busy right now…]

Kakasha answered lazily.

It had been a few days since the ritual duel.She had been spending her time in Han Yoo-sung's studio apartment, absorbing the coins he had collected so far.

"I'm talking about the 'Only One Existence.' Do you know what that means?"

[Ah, that… I don't know exactly what it is either. All I can say is—it's the same for the Lords. They're just as clueless.]

"Just as clueless?"

[You know it already. Why the Lords are gathering coins.]

Ascension.

The Lords wield great power, but they are not in a truly unrivaled position.Above them exist beings of even greater might—gods, or perhaps something beyond gods.

[We are beings who proved our worth on our own stars and became Lords. Back then, we heard something like this—'Prove through repeated ascensions that you can become the Only One Existence…'Hmm, not exactly word-for-word, but something along those lines.]

Too much time had passed—Kakasha couldn't remember clearly anymore.She muttered to herself as she continued to munch on coins.

[What I can say for sure is this: someone—or something—created the Lords and the Trial of the Gods.]

"And no one knows who that being is, right?"

[No one knows. We only know that such a being exists. Maybe the gods, or beings even higher than them, know the truth…]

Even the Lords were in the dark.

After hearing Kakasha's explanation, Han Yoo-sung let out a quiet chuckle.

"Maybe if you ascend again, you'll find out."

[Or maybe you will, if you ascend instead. Either way, it's all just wishful thinking for now.]

Kakasha laughed as if the whole thing amused her.And she wasn't wrong—either way, it was a far-off dream, for now.

Han Yoo-sung leaned against the wall and stared out the window.

"By the way… I heard you were the one who declared war on Makiros first."

[Out of nowhere… You're poking at some old wounds there.]

"I was just curious about the reason. Why did you do it? Did you think you could win?"

[Well… I didn't think the odds were very high. Maybe 30% at best. And I staked everything on that 30% chance when I declared war. The result… I'd rather not talk about it. It was a crushing defeat I never want to relive.]

"So you didn't think you could win, and yet you still went to war?"

[That's because…]

Kakasha hesitated.She seemed unsure how to put her thoughts into words—as if she was trying to express something deeply buried inside.

After a moment, she finally spoke.

[I thought… he was dangerous.]"Dangerous? Who?"[Makiros. If I didn't stop him then, if I didn't do something about him… I felt like he'd consume me.]"So in simple terms, it was a sense of crisis."[Exactly. And not just me—other Lords felt it too.]

After hearing that, Han Yoo-sung was quietly impressed.

Considering the path Makiros would eventually walk, it had been a sharp judgment.After destroying Earth and absorbing a terrifying amount of power, Makiros launched his conquest war.A war of conquest waged against numerous Lords—

[Well… it wasn't exactly a wrong decision, don't you think?]"It wouldn't have been, if you hadn't failed."[Kuhh…]

Han Yoo-sung looked over at The Path of War, resting against the wall.

"You said it required 1,000 coins, right?"[Indeed. With that amount, you'll be able to draw upon its power for a brief time. You already know what kind of effect it has, don't you?]

"I know."

The Path of War held a powerful effect.If he used it well, it could make the upcoming Trial of the Gods far easier to overcome.And if he succeeded—

"I'll earn a ridiculous amount of rewards."

Han Yoo-sung closed his eyes and waited for the trial to begin.

There was no need to wait long.

KUUUUU-BOOOM!

A massive explosion echoed from somewhere in the distance—like a colossal object had crashed down from the sky.At the same time, the ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck,and screams erupted from every direction.

In that moment, everyone instinctively knew what this was the sign of.

[The Trial of the Gods is now opening.][This trial is competitive. The nation that clears the trial first will receive a reward. Those that fail will be penalized.][In this trial, direct intervention from "Lords of the Stars" is prohibited.]

[Participants will be selected randomly by nation.][Selecting participants up to level 60…]

The ominous phenomenon that always marked the beginning of a Trial of the Gods had begun.Sometimes, participants were chosen at random. Other times, volunteers were accepted.This time, it was the former.

And Han Yoo-sung knew what was coming.

[Han Yoo-sung, you have been selected as a participant in the Trial of the Gods.]

[You are being forcibly summoned to the site of the Trial of the Gods.][This summoning cannot be refused.]

The fact that he had been selected to participate in this trial—It was the same in his previous life.

For some unknown reason, whenever the trial involved random selection,Han Yoo-sung was always chosen.And once again, this time was no different.

[So it begins. Tell me, are you confident, dear one?]

"Confident?"

Kakasha's tone was clearly provocative.Hearing her words, Han Yoo-sung let out a soft laugh.Light began to wrap around his body, and his figure gradually became translucent.

"How could I not be?"

He had already been through this trial before.

With that answer, Han Yoo-sung's form vanished from sight.

Silence filled the room that had lost its master.

A thick darkness had fallen over a city whose name was unknown.There wasn't a single intact building—only a vast ruin remained.Scattered everywhere were fragments that might once have been people.

And into that devastated city, countless players were summoned.

"W-What the hell! No! Damn it, no! Why me?!""K-Kyaaaaaa!!""Goddammit… I dodged it last time…"

Terrified players screamed in panic.

The deadly difficulty of the Trial of the Gods was widely known.Now thrown into a life-threatening situation, their fear and desperation erupted in cries.

"Haaah…."

"Damn it… For now, we just have to focus on staying alive."

The few players with experience managed to stay calm in their own way.Of course, they were extremely rare.And among that small number was Han Yoo-sung.

"What a nostalgic sight… I didn't think I'd be back here again."

He already knew where this was.Han Yoo-sung simply waited for the message that would inevitably appear.

[The Night of the Hunt begins.]

The message that revealed the nature of this trial.

And not far off in the distance—the roar of a beast echoed through the ruins.