The Red Moon's Trial
“That’s……”
Until yesterday, the moon floating in the sky had been blue. Jin-ho Lee tensed as he stared at the ominous moon.
At that moment, a quest window appeared before his eyes.
Ding!
Main Quest — Halt the Disaster of the Hornd Continent!
The Hornd Continent periodically experiences the Red Moon, which strengthens monsters.
Dead monsters revive as undead.
Defeat the monsters and undead to overcome the trial.
Accumulate contribution points above the threshold to unlock passage to the 12th floor.
The moment he finished reading the quest, a low hum echoed through the air. The full moon visibly swelled in size, then began to change. A crimson hue spread across its surface like spilled blood, turning it a deep, light-devouring red. The surrounding landscape followed suit—green leaves and gray stones alike took on the same bloody tint. Strangely, the world did not grow darker.
“Main quest,” Jin-ho muttered, rereading the window. A spark of hope flickered in his chest; he had found a way to reach the 12th floor.
Then he felt countless presences closing in from every direction.
“What the—?”
“Grrrraaah……”
“Graaah……”
Monsters poured out from between the trees—hundreds of them, the very same creatures he had been slaughtering moments ago. Without hesitation, he drew his sword. Running was never an option.
“Krrraaah!”
“Hup!”
Slash!
Jin-ho cleaved through a zombie Blood Wolf that lunged at him. Its attacks were faster and sharper than before, yet his eyes gleamed with excitement. He severed the leg of another that targeted him, spun, and drove his blade into a zombie Hop Goblin that had crept up from behind.
‘Finally, a real fight. Everything until now was too weak. I was starting to miss the tutorial boss.’
He deflected claws with his shoulder guard and grinned. Exhaustion weighed on him, yet fresh strength surged through his limbs. Calmly, he beheaded the Hop Goblin and flowed into the next exchange. Monsters and swordsman tangled together. Teeth and claws tore at unprotected gaps in his armor, leaving cuts across his body. The air screamed with every swing. Corpses piled so high that footing vanished beneath his boots. More monsters kept coming, drawn by the noise.
“Haha!”
Jin-ho laughed like a child, eyes glittering like glass as he scanned the horde. He repositioned for better ground and kept cutting. Fighting spirit blazed from every inch of him.
“Crazy bastard. He’s not even thinking about running?”
Yoo Ji-sung watched through a floating screen as Jin-ho fought. Thirty minutes had already passed since the undead monsters had appeared. Even while gasping for breath, the killing intent on Jin-ho’s blade remained razor-sharp. Monster flesh flew; Jin-ho’s own blood splattered. Covered in sweat and gore, he roared and thrust his sword forward. Half the undead he had faced already lay headless and still.
“He fights damn well.”
Yoo Ji-sung clicked his tongue and moved. He had wanted to see Jin-ho beg for his life, then save him to create a debt. That was why he had ignored Kairas’s countless messages. But this could not continue.
‘Too damn proud.’
Left alone, Jin-ho would soon become monster food. Yoo Ji-sung gestured toward the charging horde.
Roots and soil erupted like spears, impaling monsters from groin to crown. Bodies hung limp, glistening with blood and debris. Not a single scream escaped them.
“Tch. If I had control over these monsters too, that’d be perfect. Their instincts come first, and all they know is hostility toward humans. Useless for anything else.”
Even after instantly killing the monsters, irritation remained on Yoo Ji-sung’s face. No more creatures approached him now. He dismissed the screen he had been watching and flinched when something small buzzed past his face.
“Ah! Shit!”
He scowled once he confirmed it was only an insect. At least the bugs kept their distance beyond a certain range.
“Whew… Good thing I sprayed that repellent before coming.”
The scent could not drive away monsters, but it handled ordinary insects just fine. Without it, he never would have made it this far. If he had not cared about how other Conquerors might see him, he would have come armed with something far more toxic.
Yoo Ji-sung stepped past the trees and finally laid eyes on Jin-ho directly.
“Idiot.”
Jin-ho’s movements had slowed, his body stiffening like a rusted doll. He was clearly preparing to retreat. Yoo Ji-sung gestured again, activating the ability he had honed as Tower administrator and strengthened as its master.
Thud! Thud! Splat!
“What—!”
Jin-ho recoiled as earthen spikes erupted around him. Impaled monsters twitched, then went limp, their torn bodies spraying blood and fragments in every direction. The monsters that had been focused on Jin-ho faltered in confusion. They tried to back away, but the spikes never missed. In moments, every monster surrounding him lay dead.
Jin-ho, now wary of his surroundings, spotted the figure standing beyond the corpses. His expression went blank.
“Ji-sung-ssi?”
“It’s been a while, Jin-ho-ssi.”
Yoo Ji-sung waved casually, then immediately resumed manipulating the earth. More spikes burst forth. Drawing on countless hours of recorded footage and prior experience, he matched Jin-ho’s rhythm perfectly.
Boom!
“Kyaaak!?”
“Krrrng!?”
Yoo Ji-sung thrust out his hand. The ground rippled, throwing monsters off balance. With the battlefield stabilized, Jin-ho could focus entirely on the enemies before him. He adapted to the shifting terrain at once, using the momentum and the rising spikes as cover while he carved through the horde.
‘That guy’s seriously insane. He adapted that fast?’
Yoo Ji-sung staggered, head spinning from mana depletion. Even with reduced stats, the high-output consumption had taken a toll on his body. He frowned. In his original state, this would not have exhausted him. It felt like returning to his early days as an administrator, struggling with insufficient stats. Only because he was now the Tower’s master could he even attempt this.
Despite the dizziness, he kept scanning the battlefield. A hollow laugh escaped him when he counted the monsters Jin-ho had slain.
‘If his level were just five higher, he could have finished this alone. Even with his current stats, he should have been able to escape.’
He had ordered the villagers and chief to send Jin-ho to the most dangerous area. Yet the man had exceeded every expectation, wearing down his own stamina and creating crises. Yoo Ji-sung had planned to save him afterward and bind him with debt, but the scheme had failed.
‘I could force a mistake to create a debt, but Kairas would never let that slide. For today, I’ll just fight alongside him. That’ll have to be enough.’
Jin-ho, unaware of these thoughts, fought harder now that an ally had appeared. His sword strikes targeting joints remained flawless. He amplified the effect of every technique far beyond normal limits—an undeniable irregular.
Slash!
Jin-ho dodged a monster’s strike by a hair’s breadth and drove his blade into its neck, twisting. Even in a life-or-death struggle, he was perfectly adapting to fighting the undead.
‘At this rate, he’ll reach the 20th floor in no time.’
Yoo Ji-sung finished his assessment. There was nothing more to see. He gestured once more.
“More monsters will come after hearing the noise! I’ll clear a path—join me! I’m almost out of mana! One chance only!”
“Understood!”
Spikes extended toward Jin-ho like a road being carved through the forest. Each new spike made Yoo Ji-sung’s vision spin. He bit his lip hard, blood welling as he forced his focus to hold. Jin-ho raced along the path and reached him. His gaze was filled with disbelief.
‘How did he get here? And alone?’
“What are you doing?! Run!”
Yoo Ji-sung snapped Jin-ho out of his daze. They sprinted through the forest, yet Jin-ho could not stop glancing at the man beside him. He knew he was different from other Conquerors—his family had prepared for this exact moment. With skill, mindset, and a trained body alone, he had entered the Tower like someone using a cheat code. That was why he could venture into places other Conquerors could not even approach. Yet Yoo Ji-sung had come here alone, just like him. That alone marked him as extraordinary.
‘He’s even reading my movements. He handled the horde as if fighting individuals. Perfect coordination.’
Could the family sword style really be read that easily? The thought came and went. If it were true, his clan could never have maintained its supremacy through swordsmanship.
‘I sense hostility, but he’s clearly exceptional. Probably the descendant of some hidden clan, prepared for this era just like ours……’
Slash!
Jin-ho swung his sword while pondering. Monsters still pursued them. Countless creatures burst from the blurring scenery. Yoo Ji-sung impaled each one with unerring spikes. Even while exhausted, his accuracy was terrifying.
‘His head must be spinning from mana depletion, yet he maintains that level of focus? Using magic instead of a sword, and still hitting every target perfectly. How is that possible?’
Magic was fundamentally different from a sword, which was an extension of the body. Yoo Ji-sung’s magic especially so—it seemed to set coordinates rather than launch pre-formed spells. The environment changed constantly, requiring constant recalculation of those coordinates. Yet none of his attacks ever missed.
‘I won’t lose!’
Jin-ho felt competitive fire ignite and cut down another monster. The two of them alternated strikes, neither willing to fall behind. Jin-ho’s sword moved even faster.
‘Why the hell is this guy trying so hard?’
Yoo Ji-sung wondered, but Jin-ho only poured more strength into his swings. They ran until the forest finally fell behind them. Yoo Ji-sung pointed ahead.
“Hah… hah… I see people over there.”
“Judging by the flag, they’re from Marin Village.”
The group had already spotted them and was approaching. Armed men bearing the Marin flag—the village vigilantes.