Chapter 63

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 63

Chapter Title: Crimson Sea Precipice

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The key factors for snowballing your advantage boil down to two main things.

Bonus stats and gear.

If you've geared these out properly, the upcoming selection process won't be much trouble at all.

The first thing I felt upon entering the trial was the fierce wind whipping around us. Then came the salty tang stinging my nostrils.

As my vision cleared, what stretched out before me was a breathtaking expanse of cliffs, sheer drops vanishing into the distance without end.

"......"

They were so towering that clouds draped over the upper reaches like a veil across the peaks.

Splash!

Glancing down, I saw a savage shoreline where waves crashed relentlessly. Crimson rocks stood firm against the onslaught, the seawater surging in to smash and shatter upon them.

The backlash churned the waters into eerie whirlpools—ku-ku-ku-kuwa—with a sound that sent chills down the spine.

Was it because of the red rocks? Or some other reason? The sea looked for all the world like it was made of blood.

Invincibility doesn't just mean immunity to attacks.

More precisely, it's a preparation period before diving into the trial. When starting on a cliff like this, it includes zero-gravity effects too.

It's to prevent instant death from falling right on entry.

That single minute is also a ruthless declaration: quickly assess the situation and hurl yourself into battle.

3, 2, 1….

I immediately latched onto the most promising spot on the terrain.

The countdown hit zero, and without hesitation, crushing gravity slammed down.

An invisible force clung to my body like a drowned ghost, desperately trying to drag me down into the abyss below.

I gripped the rock with my fingers, pouring strength into them.

"Eh? Wh-what is this place?"

And then my party members started arriving.

"Ha-na! Find a good spot to hang on and grab hold! Be careful not to fall!"

"Ah? Y-yes!"

"You guys too—hurry and find spots to cling to!"

It was understandable to panic at this sudden cliffside start,

but the Saintess—whose habit was to spam heals when anxious—snapped to attention and scrambled to cling to the wall. Seeing us, the others quickly found solid holds.

The moment we were all secured, something plummeted from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sky.

"Aaaahhh!"

It shot past us in an instant, followed by a delayed scream echoing out.

Splash!

"Eek."

"Another one fell."

"Mom, what do I do? Sob sob."

… Waves thick with blood spray.

That's when I realized there were way more people around us than I'd thought.

'Not just more—there's a ton.'

At least four hundred clung to the majestic cliff like barnacles, packed tight. And that number kept growing.

"Wh-what the hell is this?"

"Where are we?!"

People were pouring in real-time. A lot of them.

No way this many came from just one rest area—multiple ones must've merged here.

"Leader! What do we do?!"

"Uh, well… F-first, ju-just grab the wall and hang on!"

Flustered folks scrambling about.

They demanded leadership from their party leaders, but who could've anticipated starting in this absurd terrain?

Even the commanders looked shell-shocked, fumbling.

Such parties kept tumbling in. And….

"Aaaah! H-help…!"

Splash!

Nearly one every ten seconds, people kept falling.

The silver lining—if you could call it that—was the cliff's slant: it steepened outward toward the sea higher up, so no risk of collisions sending everyone tumbling together.

'Fittingly the most vicious of the second-trial bunch.'

This place's objective: scale the cliff.

Most trials involve fleeing or hunting monsters, fights tied heavily to success. This one? Just climb to the goal, and you're done. A rare breed.

This type shows up more mid-to-late, scarce early on, so most players jumped in unprepared.

"Aaaah!"

And met their end.

'With such a steep incline, gear for it would've helped, but…'

Most hadn't even packed gear—instead, hauling useless junk. Arms trembled under the weight of overstuffed bags and weapons.

But what truly despaired them was something else.

1,000 meters.

Over a full kilometer straight up.

From here, the goal was nowhere in sight.

"You crazy bastards! Even walking flat ground for 1km is a slog, and you want us to climb it?!"

Even with midway rest spots, it was brutal. Hellish, even.

"N-no. Uwaaaah!"

"Can't die like this… Agh!"

Despair sapped their strength, and they plummeted into the gorge.

Splash!

Some miraculously dodged rocks and survived the fall.

"Agh! H-help! It hurts! So much pain!"

But that was worse.

The man's body—fine just moments ago—shredded apart in seconds, staining the waves red.

Splash! Splash!

Palm-sized fish leaped and devoured the screaming man alive.

His thrashing arms froze, shuddered, and sank.

The whole thing: 1-2 seconds.

Time from scream to silence. Faces paled along the cliff.

"F-fuck."

"…Falling means death. Can't fall. No falling…."

Amid the terrified crowd, I eyed those fish.

'Voraqua, huh.'

Sea fish that swarm like piranhas, pouncing en masse on anything splashing in.

Strong ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠jaws pulverize bones; voracious appetites.

'The trial's hopeless by design, but this? Zero mercy.'

Up: 1,000m crawl.

Down: instant fish food.

'Everyone's frozen stiff. Sitting ducks ain't good.'

Sure enough, a woman beside me—already here—trembled clinging to the wall, then yelped and dropped with a final "Ah?"

She never figured it out before hitting the sea. Simple reason: strength gave out.

"Th-this is dangerous! Let's climb!"

"Yeah, hanging here's death either way! Or climbing… Ugh… N-no…!"

The guy who'd just spat that plunged too. Same cause: fatigue slip.

Varied reasons for others.

"Help! You there—please…! Help me, and I'll sleep with you once! No, anytime! Just… Aaaah!"

Weaklings begging nearby, lips flapping desperately—then gone.

"P-please, drop this already… It's slipping a bit! You heavy-ass thing! U-uwaaah!"

Vowed no first-trial mistakes, overpacked bags—weight sapped strength, down they went.

"Phew, aged a decade. Why drop us in this shithole."

Amusingly, queen-bee types dumping gear on guys survived.

Some quick-assessed during invincibility, chucked packs into sea, barely clung on.

Not many, though.

"H-honey! Help me!"

And tragic farces everywhere.

Woman wailing at boyfriend.

"......"

Man ignoring, silently climbing solo at life's fork.

"H-honey…?"

Today's lesson for that couple: harsh reality and tragedy are bedfellows.

'Anyway, most too panicked to even assign stats.'

"Hey, put points in stats! It'll help!"

Smarter leaders advised, but in panic, deep thought? Nah.

Scanning with Full Appraisal, I shook my head.

'All-in strength? Tsk, strength alone won't last.'

Stamina would've bought more time.

No leisure for that, though.

"Whew, glad we lightened our packs before coming."

"Tell me about it. Dodged a bullet."

Our party? All chill.

We'd minimized food, pre-packed weapons externally—stats solid too.

Saintess's lowest stamina at 31? Case closed.

'Bought stamina-gear just for this.'

Even amid chaos, their trusting gazes met mine.

Han So-hee and Shin Seo-yeon eyed me with faint suspicion too.

"But climbing this won't be easy. Min-jun, should I put points in strength?"

Issue: strength.

Saintess and Isera at 16, 15—weak.

"No, stick to your usual allocations."

No need wasting points on this trial.

Saintess has heals—no strength woes. Shin Seo-yeon copies mine via Binding—safe. 'Han So-hee goes without saying.'

Her Sword Empress burns mana to boost other stats by half her intellect—plenty of strength.

Bunny suit effect pushed hers to 66.

Just 2 shy of my all-strength build.

"Assign stats as usual and hold position somehow."

"Until when?"

"Isn't plain rock-climbing like everyone else better?"

I shook my head at Han So-hee's call.

Climbing tires. Party lacks experience.

'One slip could doom us.'

Hanging? Simple for anyone.

Low error risk—safe stall. Stats ample; no issue.

"Hold in place. I'll handle it."

Terrified but trusting, they nodded. As they shifted—

Mocking laughter from above.

"Heh heh. Retards. Think hanging changes shit?"

50m up, lounging on a jutting rock: guys sneering down.

One pointed, cackling.

"More lost lambs picking the wrong zone!"

"Kekeke, see how long those bitches last."

Mocking not just us—all the desperate climbers dying left and right.

Tight space, but they flaunted flat-ground survival.

"Hey, another dropping. Heh heh. Pathetic fall pose."

They reveled in deaths, tossing filthy lines freely.

"Hey, hot milf—mixed race? Gorgeous. Ditch the cling—spread 'em, I'll help. My power saves you and your pals."

Demonstrating: guy plastered lizard-like, scuttling the wall.

Ah, confidence from unique ability.

Makes sense.

"Piss off."

Han So-hee scowled, drawing the line cold.

"Hmph, playing hard. Reject me? Fish food anyway. Let's see how long. Hehe! Another drops!"

"One more bitch added!"

Trash talk aside—

"Argh, dying here, and these assholes keep yapping! Shut it!"

Sudden fireball arced, exploding over my head.

Kwaaaah!

Direct hits charred them black, plummeting to sea.

'Seo-yeon's always bold and fiery—love it. No need for me.'

Wall-climbing toward the guys, I veered slightly. Unlike heal-spamming Saintess, Isera wouldn't last.

Sure enough, tiny Isera grunted, struggling.

"Min-jun! Too far for heals!"

"Figured. On my way."

High strength, agility, experience propelled me up. Tough, but easier than lava-dripping cliffs.

"Kiddo."

"Coming?" She peeked—eyes lit, hopped down to my shoulders piggyback-style.

"Oppa! Oppa-oppa-oppa!"

"Yeah yeah."

Squishing my head, beaming kiddo.

Tiny frame—no weight at all.

"Dickhead, carry me too!"

"No whining. Wait."

Alright, Isera's secured. Prep next.

"I'm dying here!"

"Hold a bit—promise no more cicada-clinging."

"For real?"

This cliff, light load, strength/stamina over 20? Cleared easy.

Midway rest ledges.

'Average human 10s. Two trials' bonuses? Mere 20. Agility/magic builds? Doomed.'

Trap trial, pure and simple.

No issue for our stats, though.

'But why sweat if easier path exists?'

So I pulled from inventory the ace to end this mess one-shot.

"Eh, oppa—that's?"

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