2026-07-08 22:03:54The river crashed down upon Rin and spread across a ten-meter radius around him, never reaching the woman, who stood far away.
Rin couldn't even scream. His entire body—including his blood—froze solid. Completely. Moments later, the river vanished. The woman in the distance sighed in disappointment when she saw that Rin was no longer moving. But immediately after that sigh, Rin slowly began to move. Cracks spread across the ice encasing him. Then the ice shattered into countless pieces, revealing Rin standing upright. This time, his body was pale white, with wisps of frost occasionally escaping from it. The burns covering his body had completely disappeared. His physique had become sturdier and far more imposing. The same was true for his face. [ You have obtained Advanced Ice Resistance and the Art of Ice Manipulation. ] [ You may now decide whether or not you wish to proceed to the Final Trial. ] Decide? Rin finally understood the woman's situation and let out a sigh. She must have already completed the Fourth Trial. The Fifth Trial must be far deadlier than everything before it... The woman suddenly appeared beside him, her eyes shining with excitement as she carefully examined him. "Yep, you're tough. The others couldn't even make it this far. Come on, please! Take the Fifth Trial, take control of this System, and get us out of here!" "..." Are you trying to get me killed? Rin's heart skipped a beat just hearing the words Fifth Trial. Seeing his silence, the woman pointed at him. "Come on! Men are supposed to protect women, aren't they? Go for it, and we'll both leave this place alive!" "..." "Ma'am... shouldn't you be the one getting me out of here? You're older than me, and at least you have supernatural powers." "..." The woman fell silent, not knowing what to say. Then she asked in surprise, "You don't have supernatural powers? You're not an Awakened?" She shook her head. "Never mind. As long as you're resilient..." Ma'am... I'm only seventeen... Rin complained inwardly. Pushing her words aside, he asked, "Are you sure that if I clear the Fifth Trial, I'll become stronger and get out of here?" "Yes. Every time I refused to take the Fifth Trial, she kept saying things to push me into trying it. If you finish it, you'll become stronger, though I don't know by how much. I also don't know whether it's all a scam." Rin then asked curiously, "Where were you before you ended up here?" The woman thought for a moment before answering, "Floor Nineteen." Nineteen? I was taken from Floor Twenty! Rin was stunned by that information before sighing. "Honestly, I want to get out of here... but I'm hesitating. Don't you know anything about the Fifth Trial?" The woman simply shook her head. Rin looked up at the sky before speaking. "Ms. Psychopath... I'll accept the Fifth Trial if you promise me one thing." An excited female voice immediately replied, [ I'm listening! I'm listening! ] "..." Why is she so excited? The same question crossed both of their minds. "If I succeed, not only do I leave... but this woman leaves with me." He pointed at the woman beside him, who stared at him in surprise. A relieved smile slowly spread across her face. She genuinely appreciated Rin's request. After all, whoever cleared the trial would leave. No one knew what would happen to someone like her, who had refused the Final Trial. [ Very well. Trust me, and you won't be disappointed. ] The female voice sounded more excited than ever, as though she had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. [ The Fifth Trial begins. ] "..." Rin swallowed hard. As for the woman, she smiled. "Good luck!" She instantly teleported backward... Then again... And again... Putting dozens of meters between herself and Rin. She had no idea how dangerous this trial truly was. Better safe than sorry. White threads suddenly began appearing all around Rin. One after another. What are those? Before he could think any further, the threads pierced straight through his body. Rin let out an agonized scream. This pain far surpassed all the previous trials. His mind... His soul and consciousness, everything was being pierced simultaneously by countless white threads. And it wouldn't stop. The woman watching from afar couldn't understand what was happening. She simply stared in shock. The torture lasted five full minutes before finally ending. Rin collapsed to his knees, sweat pouring down his face. His thoughts were in complete chaos. He couldn't think and couldn't reason. The woman reappeared beside him and tried to help him stand. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly while waiting for the female voice to speak. [ Fifth Trial completed. You have successfully cleared the Fifth Trial. Charly will keep her promise and allow both of you to leave. ] Charly? So that's her name... The woman wondered as she helped Rin back onto his feet. A game-like status window suddenly appeared before them. Rin finally raised his head as his thoughts slowly returned to normal. [ Name: Rin Age: 17 Stage: 5 Skills: Thunder, Inferno, Ice River, Cognitive Overload, Soul Pierce Resistances: Lightning, Fire, Ice, all attacks related to the soul, mind, or consciousness Item: Key to the Chaotic World ] A player status screen! The realization flashed through both of their minds. Suddenly... Space itself tore open before them. An overwhelming force dragged both of them inside. _______________ Outside Zenith... Numerous people stood in orderly rows, preparing to enter and explore Floor Twenty-One of Zenith, the highest floor humanity had managed to reach so far. Television cameras were broadcasting the departure live. At the entrance of the enormous tower stood a gigantic pure-blue portal. Suddenly... The portal began shaking violently. Everyone instinctively stepped back while drawing their weapons. A man wearing a suit rose from his chair and said, "That kind of vibration... Prepare yourselves." Whenever a portal behaved like this, it meant that a monster was about to emerge. Years of observation and research had proven it. The portal shook even more violently as several additional Awakened arrived, ready for battle. Then... Two figures slowly walked out of the portal. A young man and a woman. The young man wore black trousers and a long-sleeved blue shirt. He was unbelievably handsome. The woman had crimson-red hair and matching crimson eyes, while the lower half of her body, from her thighs downward, was covered by a slightly transparent veil.
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A battle in the night.
Rin swallowed his saliva, gathered his courage, and moved forward. After minutes of walking, he could finally hear sounds in the distance, as if two metals were colliding at the same time. The sound was coming from the end of one of the exits of this forest. He couldn't help but hurry, and once he came out, he saw what looked like a vast garden, and two fighters. A woman with long black hair, clothes made from animal skins, one part covering the upper part of her stomach and another covering the lower part of her body, stopping around her legs and almost reaching her knees. She had long ears and slightly dark skin. She was fighting a creature resembling a giant praying mantis, one meter long. An elf! thought Rin with excitement. I didn't think I would see one without even having to go far. And what kind of creature is this again? [ Mission: Accept to help this elf when she asks you to. ] Charly's voice echoed. Accept to help her when she asks me? Rin wondered while looking a
What Lies Within the Dark Level
Why doesn't this psychopath want to let me move forward? Damn it. Rin cursed as he looked out the window. It was already night outside. Granted, he hadn't stayed in the Chaotic World as long as the last time, but he was still surprised because it should have at least been morning or a little later than that. He put those thoughts aside and focused on his exploration of the Dark Level. Somehow, he had stopped feeling sleepy ever since he received Charly's approval. He was sure it had something to do with this "stage" thing, but he didn't bother asking. After all, he wouldn't get any answers from that psychopath anyway, he thought. He walked over and lay down on his bed. In any case, tomorrow he would be heading out alone to explore, so there was no need to leave right now and risk being disturbed. [Don't make me laugh... You really want to sleep? That's impossible!] Charly's voice echoed, making Rin question himself as he sat up slightly. "What do you mean by that?" he asked uncer
The Sixth Trial
Rin let out a calm sigh before focusing his gaze on the pure red sky, then shifting it back in front of him. Now that I think about it... what's in the other parts of this world? The question suddenly crossed his mind, but before he could think any further, Charly's voice echoed once again. [The trial begins!] [Trial 6: Defeat someone in a mental attack duel.] A beam of pure red light shot out from the crimson sky like a comet before crashing into the ground in front of Rin at lightning speed. He couldn't move, nor did he even have time to understand what had just happened. "What kind of trial is this?" he asked, looking completely lost. The light didn't disappear. It remained on the ground before him and slowly began to materialize... The more it took shape, the wider Rin's eyes became. It was simply an unnatural form. A creature stood there with the body of an elephant and the head of an octopus, while tentacles writhed all around it. It was a terrifying sight, and the creat
More trials?
Eldric, who was the closest and had been hurt the most, got to his feet at the same time as the others before raising his hand and wiping the blood flowing from his nose."What a real bastard, that boss!" Dwayne growled as he struggled to stand up."Well, we'd better move, and fast, before he starts sending his subordinates out of his dimension," Richard said as he got to his feet.Rin slowly stepped forward and asked,"Why so suddenly?""If he's an idiot, he'll take this as a provocation and attack immediately. So we have to enter before his subordinates come out," Key explained with experience, looking at the machine that had already been reduced to pieces."Alright, who will go on the first exploration? We can't all go at once. Some people have to stay behind as protectors since this is only an exploration, not a battle against the boss," George said seriously.Rin already knew that.Whenever a new level became accessible, several exploration teams would go in to gather information
Omega, Neph and the Dark level
All the awakened were now coming out of the glowing blue portal, just like when they had entered, causing the people outside to cheer.Just by their expressions when they came out, it was obvious that it was a success. The more they succeeded in passing the floors, the more the population would continue to believe that there was a chance to survive this apocalypse.While Rin was walking with Key, behind Marc, Richard, and George... Dwayne started approaching him from behind.Noticing this, Rin looked at Dwayne behind him and murmured:" I won't say anything. "before continuing on his way."..."Dwayne suddenly stopped.Rin was sure that he was behind him only because he wanted to negotiate. If he said that the leader of his squad had thrown him to the Ice Dragon, Dwayne would be in serious trouble.But when it came to revenge, Rin was just looking for a good way. However, he was already thinking a little about how to deal with Eric's case.______________________ In a room where ther
Class A?
" W-What? " shouted Dwayne when he saw the first part of level 20 empty. They had crossed the portal and arrived in the ruined world of level 20, only to see no creature in sight, and worse, the portal leading to the second part was open. He could see the frozen world behind it, and this world was calm. That only happened when the boss of the level was dead. " What if we go further? Maybe the way bosses work or Zenith itself has changed. " said Richard with a sigh. They moved forward, heading toward the frozen world. However, when they entered it, all their expressions changed. There was no boss, but a dark portal, and inside there was nothing but mist. Even the exaggerated cold that Dwayne, his squad, and other squads had mentioned existing here had disappeared. Before they could question anything, they heard a noise from the other side, on their left, and immediately took combat positions. But they were even more surprised when they saw who it was. Rin? thought Key when she s
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