Chapter 19
Chapter 19
A question flashed through Joo Do-gyeom's mind.
'...What?'
A follow-up message appeared.
『Prove your qualification.』
And then—
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from thin air around the apple tree.
The fire instantly took shape.
Swords.
Giant white-hot flaming swords.
Not just one.
Dozens.
Flaming swords of various shapes began orbiting the tree, each tracing its own path—some slow, some fast, even some moving counterclockwise.
Simultaneously, system messages flooded in.
『Trial: Circling Blades of Fire has been activated.』
『Evade the rotating flaming swords and reach the base of the tree.』
『If you reach it without being grazed even once, an additional reward will be granted.』
Do-gyeom's eyes narrowed.
'What is this?'
A completely new mechanic—one he'd never seen, experienced, or even heard about from others.
Yet here it was, unfolding before his eyes.
An unknown trial that didn't exist in the future.
The reason became clear when he recalled the system's earlier message.
'First Trial-taker... So this is what the first hunter to enter Eden Garden faced?'
He didn't know who that was.
That information had never surfaced, even at the end.
Frankly, it was easier to assume they'd died before reaching this point.
Amid this completely unexpected situation—
Do-gyeom quickly regained his composure.
What point was there in questioning circumstances already set in motion?
More importantly, this was normal.
Dungeons and the system were fundamentally unknowable mysteries.
Assuming regression meant knowing everything was pure arrogance.
If anything, this felt familiar.
Most dungeon threats in his past life had been like this—emerging suddenly, without reason, following no logic.
There was no reason he couldn't adapt.
Besides, the Eighth Dungeon Commandment stated:
'Dungeons always reward players in proportion to their achievements.'
An extra trial meant an extra reward.
For Do-gyeom, who wanted every possible advantage, this was ideal.
That left one question:
'How do I get through?'
Dozens of rotating blades formed an impenetrable web.
He had to pass without a single graze.
Even setting aside additional rewards, one mistake could mean fatal injury or death.
But his deliberation didn't last long.
The solution was simple.
Use Clear Sight Art to read all trajectories, then combine Shadowless Divine Step and Lightning Flash Step to pierce through.
A smile tugged at his lips.
He didn't know why.
Perhaps because facing danger brought back vivid battlefield memories?
Or was this another facet of his madness?
The thought vanished.
As Do-gyeom crouched to dash forward—
He suddenly froze.
'...Wait.'
Just a second.
A lightning-bolt realization struck.
'Those flaming swords...'
Do I really have to dodge them?
The system message clearly instructed evasion.
And system messages always gave the correct answer.
But that didn't mean alternative solutions didn't exist.
System rules could be broken.
Hadn't his entire path proven that?
The battle against the Corpse Eater—meant to be cleared by fleeing.
The Corpse Giant—designed to be avoided.
Both were supposedly impossible by system standards.
So why would this be different?
It wasn't.
Crimson energy seeped into Do-gyeom's eyes.
Mandatory Death Eye.
The power to kill anything in existence fixed upon the dancing flames.
And then he saw it.
Above each burning blade—
Vivid red dots materialized.
Even flames woven from divine power bore the unerring mark of death.
A shiver ran down his spine.
'So this is...'
Heaven-Slaying Star—the absolute power to kill anything.
'Simple.'
Do-gyeom adjusted his grip on Daeboo.
Then walked straight in.
No dodging.
As the first flaming sword descended, he swung the massive axe to meet it.
Shiiiing!
Not metallic clashing, nor explosive impact—
A crystalline sound, like shattering glass, echoed across the plains.
The flaming sword struck squarely on its red dot disintegrated into embers.
Dead.
Fire, divine power, trial—
Before Heaven-Slaying Star, such distinctions meant nothing.
Do-gyeom didn't stop.
Shiiiing! Shiiing!
Advancing steadily, he cleaved through every obstacle—slashing, crushing, splitting.
With each step, another flaming sword vanished from existence.
Through the heart of a trial designed for desperate evasion—
He simply destroyed his way forward.
Only devastation remained.
Finally, as the last sword scattered like stars across the night sky—
『......』
The system fell silent.
An unusually long pause.
Then—
『Trial subversion confirmed.』
『...This method was not anticipated.』
『Requesting judgment review.』
『Review complete. No precedent. No calculation basis.』
『Reward threshold exceeded. Requesting higher authority approval.』
『...Request in progress.』
'...?'
Since when was the system this chatty?
Was it his imagination, or did it sound flustered?
Messages continued pouring in.
『Additional condition "reach without a single contact" confirmed.』
(Technically true—he'd destroyed them all instead of dodging.)
『User Joo Do-gyeom has demonstrated unprecedented gameplay in Eden Garden dungeon.』
『Overwhelming.』
『In addition to standard trial rewards, a special reward will be granted.』
『Significantly increased Magic Stone clearance reward.』
『Two random stats will receive massive boosts.』
『Agility Rank Up: E+ => D-』
『Stamina Rank Up: D => D+』
『Title acquired: "First Trial-taker"』
『Special perk granted for Universal Chef profession.』
『Skill acquired: Panacea Stew (Lv.1)』
A waterfall of rewards.
Standing amidst it all, Do-gyeom's smile widened.
Magic Stones, stat boosts, profession perks—not a single reward to scoff at.
The unexpected windfall pleased him even more.
But one thing particularly caught his attention.
'A title? Already?'
In his memories, titles were hidden system elements only discovered years later.
Though difficult to obtain, their effects were powerful—granting abilities outside standard systems.
'This was worth breaking properly.'
He immediately opened his status window.
Below his name, a new line appeared:
『Title: First Trial-taker』
Details unfolded when he focused:
『Title: First Trial-taker
Detects hidden "Trials" worldwide and grants qualification to attempt them.
Title rank increases with each Trial completed.』
"......"
Do-gyeom read it twice.
His conclusion:
'...Impressive.'
No direct stat increases.
No new skills.
No immediate power boost.
But perfect.
As he'd learned, being a regressor didn't mean omniscience—he was just one man.
This title helped patch that informational weakness.
His experience proved:
'Trials make hunters grow.'
Moreover, clearing more Trials would upgrade this very title.
'I like it.'
As he finished that thought—
Another message arrived.
『Higher authority approval complete.』
『Qualification confirmed.』
『Path to the Tree of Life has opened.』
Do-gyeom's eyes widened.
The rewards still weren't over?
"...What?"
The exclamation slipped out loud.
The Tree of Life.
A being from legend.
Eden Garden's center supposedly held two trees.
The Tree of Knowledge.
And the Tree of Life—granting immortality to those who ate its fruit.
Just ancient scripture, of course.
In Do-gyeom's future, Eden Garden had been an ordinary dungeon with nothing noteworthy beyond Adam's Apples.
No one had ever mentioned finding the Tree of Life.
Yet—
Groooan!
With a deep vibration, the air behind the apple tree split apart.
Like heat haze shimmering, space parted to reveal a narrow path.
What the flaming swords guarded—
Hadn't been the apple tree at all.
'This path.'
After a brief pause, Do-gyeom stepped forward.
No hesitation.
He'd proven his worth.
The door had opened.
Inside the path: utter silence.
No wind, no insects—as if all worldly noise stayed at the entrance.
At its end stood a single tree.
Do-gyeom instinctively halted.
It was small—barely taller than a man.
Sparse branches held shockingly few leaves.
It looked like a withered ancient tree on death's doorstep.
Yet—
'...This is withered?'
The presence radiating from this pathetic tree was anything but small.
Like seeing a decrepit master whose outer frailty belied inner strength.
If this tree were healthy—
Would it rival the Witch of Gluttony? The Earth Dragon?
Or even the Demon King of Annihilation?
It might have felt like something greater than any despair he'd faced.
Not through senses.
Just... knowing.
One existence recognizing another.
The Tree of Life.
It was real.
Then—
『Reached the Tree of Life.』
『Trial reward granted: Leaf of the World Tree (1)』
『Additional condition reward: Leaf of the World Tree (1)』
Rustle.
With the messages, the sparse branches trembled slightly.
Two of its precious few leaves detached and floated down.
Do-gyeom reached out as if entranced.
On his palm—
Two tender green leaves emitted a faint warmth.
Simultaneously, knowledge flowed into his mind.
'Leaf of the World Tree. Any wound, any brink of death...'
Completely reverses it once.
Even a destroyed heart.
Even a crushed brain.
Upon contact, the body returns to its living state.
A relic of resurrection.
This knowledge sparked an immediate connection:
'Death Reprieve.'
His unique skill delaying death for ten minutes.
Now paired with an item that could undo any fatal damage within that window.
'...Now I have two lives.'
Wait—two leaves meant three, right?
The absurd thought drew a chuckle.
In his past life's hellish battlefields—
How many more could he have saved with these?
A pointless hypothetical.
Do-gyeom shelved the thought and stored the leaves deep in his inventory.
Oh—one belated realization:
'Wait. If I'd drunk the Blessing of Abundance earlier, would the leaves have doubled...?'
No way.
He urgently checked the leaves' info.
『Leaf of the World Tree - Grade: Unmeasurable』
Not ungraded.
A divine relic beyond grading entirely.
'...Of course not.'
Sighing in relief, Do-gyeom turned back to examine the tree.
That's when he noticed.
At the barest tip of a branch—
A single tiny, tightly clenched bud.
A fruit.
Not yet ripe.
As if acknowledging his notice, the system messaged:
『The fruit of the Tree of Life is not yet ripe.』
『Prove your qualification.』
"......"
The fruit of the Tree of Life.
Legend claimed it granted immortality.
Do-gyeom studied the small bud, then smirked.
'One thing at a time.'
Greed begets ruin.
For now, two leaves were enough.
As he turned—
Groooan.
The path began closing behind him.
By the time Do-gyeom exited, the rift in space had sealed.
As if nothing had happened.
Only peaceful plains and a single apple tree remained.