The difficulty of the Trial of the Gods is so extreme that countless casualties occur every time.However, in contrast to its harshness, the Trial of the Gods has always provided a certain level of explanation at the start.Who the opponent is, how strong they are, what the goal is.Sometimes it deceives, but the explanation itself is always polite.
[Number of participants (Korea): 10,000.][Now, the Night of the Prey Hunt begins.]
A city now uninhabited, utterly destroyed.In this place filled only with traces of countless souls, the roar of an unfamiliar beast echoed.The players dragged into the trial shuddered without realizing it.
[Soon, the "Hunter" will appear.][You prey must flee from the Hunter. This Hunter possesses overwhelming strength and is immune to any form of attack.][The Hunter, long-starved, seeks to satisfy its hunger.]
"Did they just say… the Hunter?"
The players summoned here are "prey."Tonight, the Hunter will ravenously pursue them.There is no way to resist. Attacks do not work on the Hunter.
[When the Hunter successfully preys on someone, it will 'devour' them. Those devoured will have their names fall into slavery and be forced to assist in the hunt.]
[There are devices in this area that can restrain the Hunter. Discover them by completing each quest and stop the Hunter.][There are only two ways for the prey to escape this place.][Either kill the Hunter—or die.]
The polite explanation ended.Who the opponent is, what needs to be done, what the objective is—Everything was clearly laid out. And that made it all the more despairing.
"W-What do they mean no attack works…?""Are they saying it's invincible? How the hell are we supposed to deal with that?!""Wait, look up there… something's showing in the sky!"
The explanation had clearly stated:'No attack will work on the Hunter.'In other words, it was essentially invincible!
And then—The players clutching their heads turned their eyes to the sky at someone's shout.Above them, a vision of ruined cities, similar to the one they were in, appeared in the air.
"What's that?""Looks like other countries… they're undergoing the Trial of the Gods too, just like us…""Damn it. Just how many people have been dragged into this…?"
The number of ruined cities shown was well over double digits.If you combined all the players participating in this trial, the total easily exceeded hundreds of thousands.An utterly massive number had been summoned.And among them, an enormous number of casualties would surely occur.
"Ugh… What the hell are we supposed to do…?""They said to complete the quests. We need to move—now."
"W-Wait for us! Take us with you!"
They had to move—fast.The experienced players began to move in a hurry, desperate to survive, and a few others frantically chased after them.But before they could leave the area—
– KRAAAAHHHHHHH!!
A thunderous roar, filled with overwhelming power, swept through the players even faster.
"H-Huh?!""M-My body... I can't move?!"
They wanted to run—but their bodies wouldn't respond.And then, from high above in the sky, something began to fall.
BOOOOOM!
The ground shook as if struck by an earthquake.Along with that tremor, a massive creature stood tall.The beast, crouched low, slowly lifted its head—revealing itself.
**– Kahahahhh… **
It was a grotesquely twisted wolf.No—more accurately, a werewolf.A towering, 4 to 5-meter-tall werewolf with an abnormally thin, skeletal frame.
[The Hunt begins.]
The Hunter's bloodshot, crimson eyes locked onto the players.
SHRAAAAKKK!
The two greatswords hanging from the Hunter's waist sliced through the air.A deafening roar echoed, as if the blades had torn through space itself. And in the very next instant—
"W-What...?""Oh my g—!"
CHRRRACK—
The players' bodies were cleaved in half.There was no time to react, no chance to scream.It happened in a literal instant.The bisected bodies of the players collapsed to the ground in utter futility.
[Hunt the prey. Devour it—before the others do.]
SKRREEEEEECH!
And then, something even more grotesque happened.
CRUNCH. SNAP.
The corpses of the fallen players were chewed and swallowed by something invisible.Then, from their bodies, something began to rise.It was their souls—their lingering spirits.
The souls of the dead players.
[You will now aid my hunt.]
The souls began to scream in agony.At the same time, their forms twisted—from ordinary humans into grotesque beasts that seemed to be modeled after the Hunter, the "wolf."
– MAAAAUUUUU!– GRRRKHHHRR!
"W-What is that?! What the hell is that?! AAAAHH!"
The souls, now slaves of the Hunter, lunged at the players.Those who were devoured became nourishment for the Hunter.His once gaunt, skeletal body began to fill out with flesh.
'That's the Hunter's trait—growing stronger through consumption.'
The more players he hunted, the stronger he became.And the number of slave souls under his command would continue to grow as well.The longer time passed, the more impossible he would be to deal with.Sensing the power surging through him, the Hunter grinned.
[KRAHAHAHAHA!]
Like a mad beast, the Hunter swung his two massive greatswords.Waves of sword energy surged endlessly, and countless players were slain once more.So easily. So meaninglessly.
– GRRRKHHHAAA!
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!""P-Please! Don't! Somebody help!"
The players, now in total panic, began to flee in all directions.
The Hunter didn't let them escape.The distance closed in an instant.Faced with the threat of being devoured, one of the players let out a cry of despair.
"It's coming! Those bastards are swarming us!""…What exactly does it mean that attacks don't work?""What are you talking about?! Just run!""It's too late to run, you idiot!"
And they were right.Slave creatures were converging from all sides, and the Hunter was now just steps away.There was no way to run. No time.
Which left only one option.
"We have to hold it back! Hit it with everything! Use every CC you've got!""F-Flashbang! Close your eyes!""O spirits of nature, lend me your sight!"
The players began their counterattack.A blinding flash exploded right in front of the Hunter's face.At the same time, countless roots burst up from the ground, trying to entangle his legs.Wave after wave of crowd control abilities surged toward the Hunter.
But then—
[It is meaningless.]
It was all for nothing.
Even with the blinding light going off in front of him, the Hunter didn't so much as blink.The roots that tried to bind him vanished the moment they touched his body.Every other CC ability met the same fate.
Nothing worked on the Hunter. Not a single attack.
"Our attacks… they're…""T-They're not working at all…"
SPLAT!
More players fell, bodies cleaved clean in two.It was, without exaggeration—invincible.No attack worked against the Hunter.
And then, even worse news followed:
[10% of the Korean players participating in the Trial have died.][The Hunter becomes more ferocious. The city is now shrouded in the energy of wild instinct.][Player movement speed decreases by 10%.][Traps have appeared throughout the city to capture prey.]
It was one of the mechanics of The Night of the Hunt.If a certain percentage of players die during the Trial of the Gods, penalties are triggered.And the higher the death toll, the harsher the penalties become.
Eventually, players receive debilitating debuffs that make it hard even to move.And then, sword energy storms erupt all across the city.
[O Trial! Are you watching?]
The Hunter, drenched in the blood of countless players, looked up at the sky.Above him, visions showed other countries enduring their own Trials of the Gods—monsters, just like the Hunter, were seen slaughtering players across the world.
The Hunter roared with wild determination.
[I will be the first to finish this hunt! The promise you made—to grant me freedom—I will see it fulfilled!]
The Hunter's movements became even more ferocious.No one knew exactly why, but the enemies that appeared in the Trial of the Gods always carried a certain sense of purpose.
"That's why these trials are always so difficult—especially ones like this."
The Trials of the Gods inevitably result in mass casualties.But this trial, in particular, became even harder as more players died—making it especially cruel.There was only one way to clear it with minimal penalties:
"Kill the Hunter quickly. The problem is…"
The problem was that attacks didn't work on it.
Han Yuseong narrowed his eyes, focusing on the Hunter's body.When it was hit, something like a barrier flared around it.It was a special effect of this trial—The Night of the Hunt—a divine shield that rendered all attacks null and void.
And there was only one way to break that shield:
"Find and complete a hidden quest somewhere in this city."
That quest would provide a means to deactivate the Hunter's barrier.In his past life, that fact had only been discovered after countless players had died,and only after a mountain of corpses had piled up were they barely able to clear the trial.
But now—Han Yuseong knew where that quest was.
[So, completing the quest is the proper way, is it? Will you choose that path?]
A voice whispered in his ear.It was Kakasha—a voice laced with an unmistakable excitement.
It was, quite literally, the standard way.But—
"You already know what my answer is, don't you?"
Han Yuseong had no intention of doing things the conventional way.While the other players scattered in terror, running blindly in all directions,only one person—Han Yuseong—was walking in the opposite direction.Not away from the Hunter, but toward it.
"The Hunter grows stronger with every successful hunt."
That meant the longer this dragged on, the more powerful it would become.Completing the quest to disable the barrier would take time.Even with the knowledge of his past life, Han Yuseong couldn't skip over the lengthy, tedious steps required.
"In the meantime, the Hunter will only grow stronger. I won't be able to stop it then."
Right now, Han Yuseong's level was 10.Though his stats were wildly overdeveloped for his level—comparable to a level 30 or 40 player—that still wasn't enough.
And the Hunter?
[Hunter: The Starving "Predator of the Night" – Lv. 80]
Level 80.A level far beyond what Han Yuseong could reasonably handle.And as it continued hunting, its level would climb even higher—eventually surpassing level 100 and becoming a true monster.
But there was one thing—a hidden mechanic that changed everything.
"The Hunter's level might be high, but its stats don't match."
That's because it had been weakened by prolonged starvation.Even accounting for what it's devoured so far, its actual performance likely hovered somewhere around level 70.If Han Yuseong used every tool and skill at his disposal, it was within reach.
That made now the only window of opportunity.
"My one chance to take that thing down—alone."
And Han Yuseong had no intention of letting that chance slip away.
"W-Wait!""Please, save me! Take me with—GAHHHH!"
**– KRAHAHAHAHA!! **
Blood and flesh sprayed through the air.Screams echoed.Souls writhed in torment.
Han Yuseong slammed his foot into the ground.A thick crimson storm burst outward, swallowing the battlefield in a whirlwind of gore.
WHOOOOSH!
– "K-KHAAACK?!"
The wind from his Crimson Stormrend tore through the slave creatures, shredding them apart.Han Yuseong advanced, absorbing the blood they'd spilled—drinking it in with savage efficiency as he moved forward.
Only one destination in mind.
The Hunter.
[KRRRRRRRRHHHHH…]
The Hunter, mid-feast, stopped and turned its head.It had sensed it—the number of slave creatures was dropping rapidly.The gaze of the starving wolf searched for the cause.
"Kakasha."
There he was.A lone figure walking against the tide of fleeing humans—Han Yuseong, his body soaked in blood, raising the sword at his hip.
A pathetic-looking, rusted blade. So fragile it seemed like it might shatter at any moment.
"I offer a worthy sacrifice."
The Hunter's eyes flickered with curiosity.Why, with such extraordinary gauntlets, would he wield such a pitiful sword?Why choose that weapon?
It was a question anyone would naturally wonder—but there was no need to think twice about the answer.
"In return, unleash the flame of war."
WHOOSH!
Flames erupted violently from the rusted blade.The fire engulfed it in an instant—and revealed what had been hidden beneath the rust all along.
The true form of the blade that once burned endlessly before the fall of the Goddess of War:
[Your offering is worthy. Now show me, O Oathbound One.]
Annihilation was in the air.The Blazing Path of War, now awakened, devoured the offering called coin and roared to life.It burned wildly—as if demanding to be set free now.Han Yuseong responded.
[Let it be merciless war—a struggle of blood and flesh!]
The blade cut through the air.The flames that had clung to the sword surged forth, erupting violently.The inferno swallowed the very air around it, transforming into a massive tidal wave of fire—an unstoppable path of destruction.
FWOOOOOSH!
– "Kyaaaaagh?!"– "Gyaa—Ma—!!"
In the wake of the firestorm, nothing remained but ash.The slave-creatures that had been closing in on the players were all incinerated.And as even their remains fed the flames, the inferno surged higher—straight toward the Hunter.
[Grrr… I told you, didn't I? It's meaningless.]
The flames engulfed the Hunter.Yet, even as the fire reached him point-blank, he didn't move.There was no need.Protected by a divine barrier, no attack could harm him.
And so, the Hunter believed…
FWOOOOOSH!
[KRAAAAAAGHHH!!]
Like ashes scattered by the wind—the divine barrier was gone.The Blazing Path of War roared as it devoured the Hunter.The inferno didn't just burn the shield—it seared the flesh underneath.
Caught off guard by the unexpected pain,the Hunter couldn't hide its panic.
[I… I had… divine protection…!]
"You should fight fair, don't you think?"
A storm of blood surged in,and within it—a voice, soaked in steel and fire.
The Hunter's bloodshot eyes searched for the source.But there was no need to search.
"Let's find out who the real Hunter is."
BOOOOOOM!
A fist slammed into the Hunter's torso.A bone-shaking impact—followed by the crushing bite of a massive dragon's fang.The Hunter's scream of agony echoed through the ruined city,shaking the rubble beneath their feet.