Chapter 157

The weekend dissolved into the past in the blink of an eye.

On Monday morning at nine o’clock, a refreshing spring gust swept across the open training grounds, where the remaining fifty interns had assembled. Every single person had arrived early; not a single soul was tardy. These individuals were the ones who had successfully endured the scrutiny of Yu Jia’s Mindreader Eagle and persevered through the exhausting physical conditioning. Each person in this group of fifty possessed the kind of outstanding capability that any organization would jump at the chance to enlist, and none of them were foolish enough to arrive late for such a pivotal assessment.

As the candidates steeled their nerves and masked their faces with resolve, a sharp metallic click echoed across the space. The inner door opened, and the evaluators stepped out into the open. Leading the group was the primary evaluator, Hong Ari.

She asked if everyone had managed to rest well, her tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable undercurrent of authority. Hong Ari understood the reality of their situation. She was well aware that reaching this stage was an incredible feat, a milestone that would make anyone’s credentials look spectacular. Even so, the organization known as SKY was not looking for individuals who were merely impressive. Their goal was to select only those players who were truly worthy of joining the most prestigious guild on the planet.

She informed them that the upcoming second phase of their preparation would consist of a collaborative operation. In this environment, unified effort was considered just as vital as personal strength. When operating inside dungeons or during preliminary matches, companions who functioned in perfect harmony could unlock a level of collective power that far exceeded individual capabilities. She gave them ten minutes from that very moment to organize themselves into groups of five entirely by their own choice, noting that there would be ten teams in total. A collective whisper swept across the ranks of the interns following Hong Ari’s directive.

Jeong Siwoo let out a long breath and readjusted his spectacles. It was precisely as he had anticipated. A collaborative conflict. A slight smile touched his lips because the situation matched his forecasts perfectly. A pair of participants would be insufficient to gauge collective coordination, while groups of three or four would not allow the fifty candidates to be divided evenly. Therefore, groups of five or ten carried the highest statistical probability, which was exactly what he had calculated. Had the groupings been chosen at random, he would have had to rely on fortune, but Hong Ari had explicitly given them the freedom to select their own partners. That detail worked heavily in his favor.

The reason was simple: he had already organized his alliance ahead of time.

Han Yuna approached Siwoo, expressing amazement at his foresight. She questioned how he could have anticipated the exact number of five participants, jokingly asking if he had access to confidential internal information. The previous day, Siwoo had made an appearance on her digital broadcast, and in exchange, he had suggested they align themselves if a collaborative challenge arose. Han Yuna had no sensible reason to decline, considering that Jeong Siwoo held the eleventh position in the domestic leaderboard.

Another individual neared the group with heavy footsteps, calling him the Data Machine and praising his ability to deduce the examiner’s core strategy. This newcomer was Kang Daehyuk, a massive individual standing one hundred and ninety centimeters tall with an imposing, muscular build.

The prior evening, Siwoo had reached out to four specific competitors. Trying to gather more would have been counterproductive, and the pact they formed was straightforward: if a collective challenge was announced, they would combine their efforts. He had deliberately selected the most promising prospects based on their historical metrics, and Kang Daehyuk was one of those premium choices. He had secured the second position during the physical conditioning phase. Although his temperament seemed to favor overcoming obstacles through sheer physical dominance, his endurance metrics were undeniably massive.

Seo Iyun joined them next, announcing her arrival. She was the individual who had secured the absolute top spot during the physical conditioning phase. It was truly astonishing that she had outperformed everyone else despite the physical disparities. Siwoo himself had been deeply impressed, as he had never anticipated that she could surpass Kang Daehyuk regardless of her training regimen. She was exceptional by any metric. Because of this, he had made sure to approach her immediately after their evening meal the previous day, securing her participation in a similar fashion.

The final member to arrive was Kim Daebok, a twenty-three-year-old who eagerly checked if he had found the correct gathering spot with his seniors. To be perfectly candid, Siwoo had not selected this final member due to any remarkable physical or tactical prowess. Very few candidates had been loitering around the premises at the time, and among the available choices, this individual possessed a name that translated to Great Fortune. Siwoo had reasoned that keeping someone with such an auspicious name around might actually grant them a bit of literal luck.

Regardless of the underlying logic, the final composition of the group represented a formidable collection of highly capable individuals:

1. Jeong Siwoo (Age 30) — Group Leader

2. Han Yuna (Age 24)

3. Kang Daehyuk (Age 33)

4. Seo Iyun (Age 28)

5. Kim Daebok (Age 23)

Siwoo immediately drafted the official group list and approached an official to finalize their registration. Among the fifty candidates present, their group was the very first to hand in their documentation.

Hwang Juwon’s eyes sparked with curiosity as he examined the submitted roster, passing the sheet for Group 1 over to Hong Ari so she could review it. He pointed out that the prominent figures they had discussed the previous evening had all coalesced into this single unit. Hong Ari admitted that the development was quite remarkable. Aside from the final name on the list, Kim Daebok, every single person in the group had already been identified as a high-value prospect whom they desperately wished to retain beyond this second phase.

Hwang Juwon suggested that this concentration of talent allowed them to implement a much stricter elimination rate for this round. The reality of collective challenges was that they always involved a certain degree of random chance. An exceptional competitor could easily be hindered by an inadequate group. For that reason, the original framework had been designed to permit six of the ten groups to advance, thereby reducing the probability of accidentally discarding top-tier talent. However, now that the premier candidates had voluntarily unified into a single powerhouse unit, there was no longer any reason to grant a generous margin.

Hong Ari reflected on Hwang Juwon’s proposition for a moment, recognizing its strategic value. Implementing a harsh cut at this stage would allow them to conduct far more rigorous and precise assessments during the subsequent third phase. Agreeing with the logic, she decided that they needed to emphasize the intense and unforgiving nature of the SKY evaluation process. With a sharp focus in her eyes, she determined that exactly four groups would be permitted to advance during this cycle.

Once all ten groups had been established and had taken their places in their respective sectors, Hong Ari delivered her official pronouncement, stating that the challenge before them would take the form of a conquest battle.

The phrase triggered an immediate wave of unease among the candidates. However, Hong Ari proceeded with her explanation without any delay. She described the geography of Geomdan Mountain, noting that it featured two distinct high points: the primary summit reaching six hundred and fifty-seven meters above sea level, and a secondary peak known as Gitdaebong at six hundred and six meters. The distance separating the two locations was approximately one.five kilometers. While that might represent a significant journey for ordinary citizens, it was a negligible distance for individuals of their caliber.

The low chatter died out completely as she spoke. Anyone who chose to gossip rather than focus would only disadvantage themselves. Every candidate fixed their attention entirely on Hong Ari, their eyes wide with intense concentration.

She explained that their primary goal from that moment forward was to maintain control over either of the two high points for a continuous duration of one hour. If a single representative from a group remained within the designated perimeter for over an hour without any rival group penetrating the boundary, that group would earn a passing grade.

Hearing this, the candidates felt a surge of excitement as the mechanics of the trial became perfectly clear. However, the evaluation would not be nearly as engaging if that were the only path to victory.

She added that there would be no designated periods for rest throughout the entire weekly cycle, meaning the trial would continue uninterrupted through both daytime and nighttime hours. If a group managed to secure a peak in the pre-dawn hours, their victory would be validated immediately. Inside dangerous anomalies and massive spires, there was no accommodation for regular rest cycles. They had to prepare as if the stakes were real and face the evaluation under authentic conditions.

Hong Ari scanned the assembled crowd to observe the shifting expressions of the candidates. Some appeared highly stressed while others looked utterly determined, but not a single voice rose in opposition to the strict parameters. She noted internally that this particular group possessed excellent discipline; she had been fully prepared to disqualify anyone who offered a complaint on the spot. Feeling almost disappointed by their compliance, she smiled slightly and offered one final detail.

She revealed that an alternative, much faster method existed to secure a passing grade rather than occupying a mountain peak. The candidates leaned in closer, their interest piqued by the prospect of a shortcut.

She explained that authorized evaluators would be patrolling the entire expanse of Geomdan Mountain. If a group managed to overpower one of these evaluators, that group would immediately pass the trial.

The announcement caused a wave of disbelief. The evaluators were active members of the prestigious SKY guild, representing some of the highest-ranked players domestically and internationally. Overpowering such formidable adversaries seemed like an impossible task.

However, Hong Ari clarified the restrictions, stating that each evaluator would be permitted to utilize only one single summon, which would be locked at B-rank or lower. In contrast, the candidates were free to deploy every single entity available to their entire team.

At that revelation, the candidates began to nod in understanding, realizing the task might actually be feasible. Facing a high-ranking player who was restricted to a single entity seemed manageable. Unless they encountered a legendary summon on the level of Baek Jinwoo’s Drill Sarge, confronting a massive wave of twenty-five combined candidate summons with a single entity seemed like an achievable victory. Many figured it would be far more efficient to hunt down an evaluator like Song Yeonhui or Hwang Jiwoo rather than wasting time trying to defend a peak. They tightened their grips, indulging in optimistic scenarios.

They were entirely ignorant of the reality. They did not yet grasp how a massive disparity in core fundamentals and superior tactical command could yield overwhelming results, even with restricted resources. The members of SKY themselves would never have fully comprehended this truth had they not witnessed the capabilities of Baek Jinwoo firsthand. The alternative path was, in reality, a deliberate deception.

Hong Ari smiled to herself, knowing that any arrogant individuals who failed to recognize their own limitations would end up far away from a passing grade. She had already instructed the active evaluators to engage with absolute seriousness.

She delivered the final condition, stating that only the first four groups to meet either objective would advance, while the remaining six groups would face immediate disqualification.

A sudden bolt of anxiety rippled through the ranks of the interns. Hong Ari lifted a starting weapon into the air. She called for everyone to take their marks.

Following a brief, suffocating silence, a sharp detonation echoed through the mountainous terrain, and the groups immediately scattered into the dense woodland in all directions.

A piercing shriek rent the sky as a man traveled through the upper atmosphere seated on the back of a massive winged reptile. From within the creature’s midsection, a diminutive mystical sprite let out a prolonged, lazy yawn, complaining about experiencing motion sickness and asking Jinwoo when they would finally arrive at their destination.

Baek Jinwoo released a deep, weary sigh, commenting that it was an excellent question. It felt as though roughly two weeks had transpired since they began this journey. The landmass they were traversing was staggeringly immense, and no matter how far they traveled through the sky, the horizon seemed to extend indefinitely.

He encouraged his companion to endure just a bit longer, noting that they had already cleared the major peaks and navigated past the massive river system. According to their navigational charts, the destination should be visible shortly.

During their transit, they had flown over numerous settlements and urban centers, all of which lay in absolute ruin. The entire landmass had been utterly desolated. On the precipice of the arrival of the supreme fiend Asmodeus, nothing remained except the visible trauma of total annihilation. Throughout this entire duration, he had not encountered a single human survivor, spotting only a sparse number of feral beasts and predatory creatures.

It felt profoundly unusual. Within the digital simulation, everything had been presented through isolated cinematic segments, revealing elements he had never truly witnessed firsthand. He wondered what deeper truth the Tower of Trials was attempting to convey to those who entered, and why humanity was being subjected to such an ordeal. He had never paused to contemplate these philosophical questions while dedicating himself entirely to rigorous preparation in the outside world, but being confined within this space caused all sorts of deeper inquiries to surface in his mind.

Suddenly, Ramba snapped her head upward, sensing a violent tremor in the earth. She urged him to look toward the horizon, bursting into loud, enthusiastic cheers as she recognized the destination. She confirmed that the Holy Kingdom of Lumentia was finally visible, describing it as an incredible sight.

Jinwoo agreed silently. The sight was genuine. Far off in the distance, partially obscured by the low-hanging cloud cover, the grand structures of Lumentia were gradually coming into view. The sight of the sacred realm from this vantage point was nothing short of magnificent, representing a natural mountain citadel in the truest sense.

Massive, ancient defensive walls wound around the urban expanse in a colossal semi-circle, anchoring themselves to both the residential sectors and the surrounding peaks. It was difficult to fathom how human hands had constructed a barrier of such staggering height. It was precisely due to this formidable defensive perimeter that the inhabitants had managed to survive on this ruined landmass for so long.

Past the outer defenses, a magnificent cathedral topped with a gleaming golden dome emanated a powerful, divine resonance, while the surrounding historic architecture maintained an equally majestic scale. Furthermore, numerous lofty spires rose prominently throughout the cityscape, each one adorned with pristine white monuments sculpted in the image of magnificent archangels.

This location represented the fifty-fourth tier of the massive structure. The primary objective assigned to him was to secure an audience with the ultimate authority of this realm, the divine monarch known as Holy King Arkelion. Of course, the journey required to actually achieve that meeting promised to be demanding enough to induce physical illness.

The Skypierce Wyvern ceased its forward momentum and pivoted gracefully in mid-air. Having successfully verified the coordinates of the kingdom, the immediate priority was to return to the staging area to collect Rachel and the primary bulk of their forces.

Once again, the true ascent was about to commence.