Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Iron Mask Challenges the Promotion Exam
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Level limit of 100.
As long as your infamy wasn't high enough to bar you from entering villages or cities, anyone could attempt it.
The four trials of the Expert Gateways, designed for those aiming to advance into the mid-tier ranks.
The format itself was straightforward.
Simply receive a quest from the guards stationed at the gateways.
Then pick one of the four trials and complete it.
The catch was that the difficulty was extremely high.
Achieve the required fame level.
Complete dozens of sub-quests.
Defeat numerous named monsters, and so on.
Not only were these tough in low-tier areas, but they also took a considerable amount of time.
Exhausting conditions, every one of them.
That was probably why.
Those worn out by such requirements often turned their eyes to the fourth option.
The fourth condition, located in the Trial Arena.
Commonly known as the Promotion Exam.
The method was incredibly simple.
Just once.
Pass the exam, and you could immediately advance to the mid-tier area. A very straightforward setup.
At first, most challengers flocked to the Promotion Exam.
But sadly, that didn't last long.
The content within was far from simple.
The Promotion Exam, which judged an adventurer's capabilities.
Its difficulty was double that of the other conditions.
Moreover, since it allowed a direct jump to the mid-tier area in one go, once chosen, you couldn't switch to another condition midway.
In other words, you had to prove your worth solely through the Promotion Exam.
Held at regular intervals, the Promotion Exam.
If you failed, you'd spend the entire week twiddling your thumbs while watching other players.
Also, you didn't take the exam alone.
Players who applied for promotion.
You had to compete against them to complete the exam.
The loser was eliminated. It was all or nothing.
That was why only those with considerable skill or ability typically signed up for the Promotion Exam. And right now, another challenger had appeared.
But...
"...Wait, that iron mask!"
"No way?!"
The new challenger's appearance was anything but ordinary.
That particularly familiar iron mask.
At the sight, the eyes of the players in the temple widened in an instant.
Kaum's hero.
At the same time, Jermi's hero as well—the top Rookie powerhouse.
The Iron Mask himself had appeared in the Trial Arena.
'Iron Face!'
'Seeing the Iron Mask in person!'
'No, more than that—he's challenging the Promotion Exam right away?'
An unbelievable scene.
And his confidence was extraordinary.
But considering his achievements so far, it wasn't baseless bravado.
"Understood, adventurer. Ah, your title is private. Would you like to register under a pseudonym?"
"Iron Mask, please."
"Yes, registering you as such."
A brief exchange.
The priest managing the Trial Arena gestured into the air.
A new name was engraved on the central Trial Stele.
Iron Mask.
The moment he was added to the list of Promotion Exam participants.
'Iron Mask.'
'...He's joining this week's Promotion Exam!'
That single fact sent shivers through the players' bodies.
Just recently, Roxie had passed the Promotion Exam.
She had broken the top record against other powerhouses and proudly advanced to the mid-tier area. Now, following Roxie, the Iron Mask was challenging the Promotion Exam.
Competition this week was even fiercer than before.
Dozens of names were already etched on the stele.
Among them were several Rookies touted as top contenders for victory.
And now, the Iron Mask had added his name to the list.
How could the attention not focus on him?
Rookie #2 Petra.
Rookie #4 Black.
Even rising star Karen, who had surged recently.
Big names were already on the stele.
The Promotion Exam, expected to be more intense than ever, had its landscape flipped in an instant.
By the Iron Mask.
By that one man.
"Please return to this Trial Arena before the Promotion Exam begins."
The Iron Mask nodded at the priest's words.
Thump thump!
Fixed gazes.
Pounding hearts.
Bathed in the players' high expectations, the Iron Mask turned away.
And promptly left the Trial Arena.
"Wait a second!"
"Iron Mask, any thoughts on joining a guild?!"
"Hey, add me as a friend...!"
A crowd trailing behind him.
Players rushed forward, desperate for even a word.
But only for a moment.
Swoosh!
After passing the entrance corner.
The Iron Mask's figure had vanished completely.
"Wha-what? Where'd he go?"
"Logged out outside?"
"Idiot, logging out takes time!"
"Then maybe he went outside... Nah, doesn't seem like it."
"What the heck..."
The Iron Mask, gone from right before their eyes.
The players chasing him felt like they'd witnessed a mirage.
The news that the Iron Mask had entered the Promotion Exam spread quickly.
To the low-tier areas.
And even to the mid-tier areas.
Countless players' attention zeroed in on the Promotion Exam.
It was inevitable.
This wasn't just any Rookie—it was the Iron Mask.
Goblins and Half-Goblins had even tried to scout him recently.
His reputation had skyrocketed as a result.
A talent coveted by mid-sized guilds.
Now he was jumping into the fray of powerhouses. Expectations were sky-high.
Especially since the Promotion Exam allowed real-time spectating, drawing even more interest.
Not just low-tier players—mid-tier ones could watch too.
Mid-tier guilds could spectate for scouting, surveillance, and more.
And the first to make a move was the mid-sized guild, White Lotus.
"Right now, everyone's talking about the Iron Mask. I hear White Lotus is preparing to recruit him this time—is that true?"
"Of course."
White Lotus's guild master.
Hyacinth herself confirmed their intent to recruit the Iron Mask in an interview.
"The Iron Mask is one of the Rookies we've had our eye on for a while. If he advances to the mid-tier area, we'll recruit him by any means necessary."
"Whoa, that's some confidence!"
"That's why I'm really looking forward to this Promotion Exam. Curious to see what he'll show us."
"Ahh, yeah. That's the big draw..."
And even the competitors in the exam.
Various news was flying around, while analyses of the Iron Mask poured in from all sides.
The Promotion Exam, dominated by monsters.
Players had to rack up as many points as possible by fighting them.
Those points decided victory or defeat at the end.
In other words, your score just needed to be higher than your rival players'.
Varied monster types.
Endless monster waves.
Named and boss monsters emerging within.
Pure skill alone couldn't secure a high score.
The Iron Mask's class was presumed to be thief-type.
He'd never shown PvP-useful skills so far.
And most crucially, he wasn't taking the exam solo.
"It was 2-player parties, right?"
"Yeah, 2v2 competition."
"Then his partner matters too. Not just solo monster fighting."
"Probably."
Who would be the Iron Mask's partner?
That was another hot topic.
Meanwhile.
The Iron Mask who vanished before players' eyes.
In truth, he hadn't logged out or left the temple exterior.
On the contrary, he'd arrived at a luxurious mansion.
The interior of the Dimension Fortress.
"Ahh, so comfy."
The Iron Mask.
Luke sat on the luxury sofa, catching his breath.
The Trial Arena.
It was already packed with low-tier players who'd heard the news.
Without the Dimension Fortress, things would've gotten messy.
"Poko."
"Yeah, yeah."
Luke stroked Poko on his lap, deep in thought.
Promotion Exam.
A gateway he couldn't have dreamed of before.
A second-year gamer, but his first time in the Promotion Exam.
So his knowledge of the content was mostly hearsay.
Four participants total.
Paired into teams of two, competing against each other.
Victory determined by points earned during the exam.
Of course, dying midway or failing to defend the base meant instant elimination, regardless of score.
The team with the higher final score won promotion.
Something like that.
'Wanna wrap it up quick and move on...'
This was different from before.
A trial against monsters, not humans.
And they had to defend their base amid the oncoming hordes.
'Who'll be my rival.'
And who his partner would be was key too.
Numerous variables.
To minimize them, he'd need proper preparation.
For that, items effective against hordes of monsters came first.
Funds were ample.
All that was left was to invest.
'Was gonna restock and head out anyway.'
Not just for this exam.
For the future too.
His Great Thief class, a thief-type.
It had shortcomings in multi-target combat.
Plus, non-humanoid monsters were largely unfamiliar.
Time to patch those up and advance to mid-tier.
Luke rose from his seat with that resolve.
'Alright, shopping time.'