"Fweeeee!!" Another arrow sliced through the air.
A chill ran down Jhin's spine.
For a fleeting second, he wondered—
'Was I out of my mind picking Hell difficulty?'
What kind of lunatic risked their life like this?
"Was I crazy...?!"
He cursed under his breath.
"Fweeeee!!"
Teeth gritted so hard it hurt, Jhin threw himself sideways again.
Behind him, lava surged up, devouring the ground —
but there was no time to look back.
'What's next...?'
If this had been Normal difficulty,
the hellish trial would have ended here.
But this was Hell.
The difficulty designed to crush hope itself.
Complaining was pointless.
Pain was pointless.
He just clenched his jaw harder and forced strength into his burning legs.
Ding!
[Quest — Strength Test has begun.]
[5 kg sandbags are generated on each of your arms and legs.]
[Success Reward: Strength +1.]
His limbs immediately sagged under the sudden weight.
Like waterlogged cloth.
Dodging the arrows had been bad enough —
now, his arms and legs dragged heavily with every step.
It was cursed. It was brutal. It was Hell.
Thunk!
He wasn't fast enough.
An arrow punched straight through his shoulder.
Pain exploded in his vision —
bright white, blinding.
"Khghhh...!"
The lava crept closer.
There was no time to even scream.
More arrows rained from the shadows.
Blood running down his arm, Jhin snapped the arrow shaft cleanly.
His mind blurred with agony. But he moved. Because stopping meant dying.
Simple as that.
'Just hold on. Just find it...'
The hallway ahead rumbled and shifted.
The ground tilted sharply upward, turning into a steep, merciless slope.
Ding!
[Quest — Muscular Endurance Test has begun.]
[An uphill slope has formed.]
[Success Reward: Agility +1.]
The burning air seared his lungs, the weights dragged at his body. Blood loss made his vision swim. And the slope towered ahead like a cliff face.
This was Hell difficulty.
There were no checkpoints.
No mercy and No quitting.
Clear it — or die.
And yet—
Even with pain gnawing at him,
a small, wild grin tugged at Jhin's lips.
Because he saw it.
Scattered across the ground ahead — tiny, uneven patches of dirt.
"Found it."
Ding!
[Quest — Vision Test has begun.]
[Dodge the landmines while running.]
Without hesitation, he stomped hard on one of the suspicious patches.
BOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath him.
The blast hurled his body high into the air —
but somehow, he stayed intact.
Ding!
[The 5kg Sandbags are classified as indestructible objects.]
[Shock has been absorbed.]
"Perfect."
The strategy still worked.
Flying through the air, Jhin spotted more landmines scattered like invisible traps.
If he hadn't known, dodging them while sprinting uphill would have been suicide.
But now?
Now he used them. He angled his body midair, slamming into another mine deliberately.
BOOM!!
Another explosion launched him further forward.
Ignore the arrows….Ignore the lava.
Focus only on the mines —
on the propulsion.
Arrows pierced his body again and again —
shoulders, legs, even grazing his ribs.
Pain lanced through him with every breath, but none of it was fatal.
He endured.
How long had he been running and flying like this?
How many blasts had he ridden like stepping stones?
Then—
Bzzzzzzm!
[Congratulations! You have entered the Safe Zone!]
Panting heavily, Jhin skidded to a stop.
Behind him, the world shimmered —
the lava, the traps, the broKyleground —
all washed away, as if none of it had ever existed.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[You have cleared: Cardiopulmonary Endurance Test.]
[You have cleared: Reflex Test.]
[You have cleared: Strength Test.]
[You have cleared: Muscular Endurance Test.]
[You have cleared: Vision Test.]
[You have gained a massive amount of experience points.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
…(Multiple notifications skipped)…
[Partial activation of your Unique Skill: 'Celestial Combat Body.']
[Skill 'Flowing Eye has been activated.]
Jhin stood there, breathing hard, as arrows slowly slid out of his flesh.
New skin knitted itself together almost instantly.
The Safe Zone's healing effect.
The rule was simple:
As long as you reached the Safe Zone alive —no matter how broKyleyour body was — you would recover.
"Huff... Huff..."
Wiping sweat and blood from his forehead, Jhin lifted his head. There was no time to celebrate.
The Safe Zone was just a pause. Not a finish line.
Once he stepped out, the next trial would begin immediately.
And New Capital —
the real world —
was still burning.
He couldn't stay trapped in a tutorial forever.
How long would it take? He didn't know.
He only knew this: Clearing the first chamber was nothing.
Ahead, dozens more rooms waited —
each one hiding horrors far worse than the last.
Back in Exodia 1,
It had taken him a full month to escape the trial nexus.
But this time? Jhin clenched his fists.
"This time, it won't take that long."
Because now …
He knew exactly what he needed to do.
No hesitation…No wasted steps…No second-guessing.
He was ready.
Three months later….