Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 224
>Chapter Title: The Fourth Early Pass
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And at that moment, in front of the stele at Hayden Castle.
“What are you all doing right now!? Hurry up and publish the articles!”
“The rumors are already spreading like wildfire on the community boards. Right now! Get over here!”
“Wow, look at all these people. Must be over a hundred.”
“Hundreds more are still pouring in, and you’re worried about a hundred? This is insane.”
The area was buzzing with excitement over the unprecedented third early pass in Godose history.
And for good reason—it was the first achievement of its kind.
Not just among players, but including NPCs, it was the first such feat since the Sword Emperor. There was no way word wouldn’t spread.
On top of that, the one who achieved it was none other than Kaiser.
“What the hell is Kaiser even doing? How does he cause a stir every single day?”
“First, he kidnaps the hidden raid boss in Pratel, then single-handedly wrecks half the Hero Guild, and now he’s the first to achieve the third early pass on the Great Lion King’s trial? Is this guy even human?”
“Damn it, ever since Kaiser, I haven’t had a single day off without overtime.”
“Whether it’s Kassin or whatever, please just behave for once. I want to go on a date.”
“Oh yeah? And that’s why you’ve got a girlfriend? This guy’s hopeless. Kaiser, keep it up! I’ll sacrifice my freedom for you!”
“You bastard!”
With Kaiser being the hottest figure right now, media outlets, reporters, and guild reps had no choice but to scramble.
That wasn’t all.
“Hey, folks! This is Hayden Castle, where Kaiser entered to take the Great Lion King’s trial. I rushed over after hearing some shocking news…”
“Yes, my lovely viewers. Your Meng Hyo-rin is here~ And today, I’ve got some amazing news! It’s about Kaiser, no less…”
Kaiser-related streams now drew explosive viewership, so streamers flocked here too.
In the cramped space before the stele, now teeming chaotically with crowds.
Many watched the unprecedented scene with thrilled expressions, speculating wildly.
“It’s been about 40 minutes now, right? At this rate, he might clear it in under two hours.”
“Nah, even if the limit trial randomizes to match the challenger, they say stage 9 and up are ridiculously tough. Two-hour clear? No way.”
“Why not? The Sword Emperor did it in two hours. Kaiser’s catching up to that record—could happen.”
“…You think? If he does, that’d be legendary.”
“Whatever, I just hope he comes out soon. Snag one interview quote, and today’s a win.”
“Ah! I want Kaiser’s autograph!”
“Fuck you, Kaiser! My overtime!!”
Amid the chatter about records, legends, and all that, some sincerely hoped to avoid overtime.
That’s when everyone was excitedly babbling away.
Flash—
“Eek!?”
“W-What!?”
A brilliant light suddenly erupted, startling those up front into stumbling back.
Silence fell.
The stele they gazed at had changed.
Instead of silver, a radiant golden light now bathed it.
“No way… Fourth early pass…?”
“Is this even an early pass? At this point, it’s not early—it’s a full clear.”
“What the hell is going on… Huh!?”
“Whoa!?”
But that wasn’t the end.
The golden light illuminating everything abruptly dimmed, then began spewing pitch-black energy.
It happened so fast that latecomers missed the gold entirely.
“Huh? What’s with the stele color?”
“…Black?”
“Never seen that color before.”
“Someone said gold appeared? Where’d the gold go, and what’s with the black?”
“No, more importantly, isn’t it supposed to go red after gold? Never heard of this color…”
An ominous black like deepest void.
A light never seen since the Great Lion King’s trial began.
Reporters, scouts, industry folks, streamers, and casual onlookers—all froze in shock.
“…Is this good? Or bad?”
“Something’s gone wrong, right? How does this happen?”
“And of all colors, pitch black—super ominous.”
“Damn, no live stream? I’m dying of curiosity here.”
As heads filled with questions over the stele’s never-before-seen state.
“…No way, a new hidden piece?”
Someone muttered.
The voice rang strangely clear, making everyone jolt to a stop.
“…Huh?”
“Hidden piece…?”
“What?”
But only for a moment.
Realization hit fast, action faster.
“No way, it’s a new hidden piece!”
“Damn it, move!! If we’re late, we’re sleeping at the office!!”
“Brothers and sisters!!!! Looks like our big bro Kaiser’s done it again!!!!”
The first anomaly in the Great Lion King’s trial had begun.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very moment…
[Hidden Stage, Trial of the Forgotten King, opens.]
[Warning! Overwhelming gap in power. You may lose your life.]
‘What the hell is this?’
Do-hyun, oblivious to the outside chaos, was utterly bewildered.
Hidden conditions? Hidden stage? What?
He knew hidden stages existed.
‘…But that’s supposed to open after perfect scores on all trials, right?’
Not like this.
Perfect scores? He’d never even heard of deleting all trials.
Above all, the hidden stage’s content was totally different.
Rumble—
-Woah, what’s that? Look at the size.
-Liza, liza….
-Like a door of the giants.
The known hidden stage cleared by the Sword Emperor was the King’s Trial.
A stage where the presumed Lion King issued the test.
Even high rankers like Apostle of Destruction, the Empress, or Sword Saint weren’t exempt.
Trials varied slightly per person, but none mentioned a massive door like this.
At this point, even Do-hyun had to realize.
‘A new hidden stage…’
He’d unlocked a different hidden stage, a separate route from theirs.
The hidden stage for perfect scores on all trials,
And the one for deleting all trials.
‘…The latter’s gotta be better, right?’
Both hidden pieces, no comparison possible, so it was ambiguous.
But with the original hidden stage now irrelevant, this one had to be superior.
‘Plus, it’s the first one—gotta be good, right?’
As he spun positive thoughts to shake off the unease.
Ding—
[Truth’s Eye activates.]
Truth’s Eye triggered out of nowhere.
Instinctively scanning the massive door, Do-hyun’s eyes widened.
‘Red!’
Red light leaked from beyond the door.
Faint, but crystal clear.
‘A fragment of fate? Or another hidden piece?’
Maybe a quest item like Brion’s.
Whatever it was, it appeared with the door—definitely a hidden piece.
He wanted to rush in, but couldn’t.
Whoosh—
-…An ominous aura, my lord.
-Ugh, feels wrong. Goosebumps.
-Liza…!!
A chilling, foreboding energy poured from there.
Any living being would instinctively recoil.
Aura of the dead.
Even in VR, its vividness raised hackles.
[Cheonbyeon transforms into ‘Nightmare Scythe of Horrors.’]
Do-hyun gripped Cheonbyeon.
‘Focus.’
Curious about the red light, but now was time to concentrate.
Creak— creeeak—
The massive door inched open.
The ominous energy swelled, Charlie and Jihad already battle-ready.
-We’ll help too, my lord.
-My children, awaken.
Groooar— groooar—
Jihad summoning undead, Charlie drawing sword—Do-hyun prepped skills.
His judgment: go all-out from the start.
…Tap, tap.
Legion Leader Pain, summoned, assessed the aura instantly, positioning the legion without orders.
Worthy of a former race king.
‘Good. Hit hard right away.’
When the gap’s huge, first strike wins.
Plan to ambush as it emerged—but shattered instantly.
Screeech—
[Forgotten King, ‘?? King’s Rotten Flesh,’ reveals itself.]
As the door opened, a knight’s silhouette appeared.
[Encountered Eternal Knight.]
[An Eternal Knight using the body of a knight who reached the pinnacle.]
[Despite early stage, can use some of its living power.]
[Warning! You may lose your life.]
Messages flooded Do-hyun.
“Fuck….”
Curses spilled out.
Speak of the devil—the Eternal Knight appeared just mentioning it.
But Do-hyun’s shock wasn’t just that.
‘Use living power? How is that early stage!’
Even partial, it wasn’t entry-level.
This was mid-tier Eternal Knight at least.
Not low, mid-tier—two stages above entry. Balance breaker.
Flash—
Shield and sword icons floated above it and Do-hyun.
‘…This?’
He knew it well.
The effect from his duel with Berze.
[Forgotten King, ‘?? King’s Rotten Flesh,’ uses Guardian God’s Blessing.]
[You are designated as target.]
[Only you can damage the target.]
[During combat, target’s defense, magic resist, HP greatly increase; skill cooldowns -20%.]
[Target immune to knockback while blessed.]
Guardian God’s Blessing.
Activated on Do-hyun.
-My god….
-Whoa, this is bullshit!
-Li, liza!
Tap, tap—
Pain’s legion, Charlie, Eliza—all useless now.
Only Do-hyun vs. it, a duel of blood.
“Unbelievable.”
Do-hyun sighed at the forced one-on-one he never saw coming.
Thought things were going smooth for once—big mistake.
Step, step.
‘Yeah, figures. Wasn’t expecting easy anyway.’
Facing the red undead knight approaching calmly, reeking disgustingly, Do-hyun tsked and aimed Cheonbyeon.
[Guardian God’s Blessing activates.]
[Forgotten King, ?? King’s Rotten Flesh designated as target.]
[Thunder Dragon Descent activates.]
—!!
Shield and sword icons overlapped above them.
Then, a blue thunder dragon crashed down.
BOOM—!
Crackle— crackle—
“Tough bastard.”
Do-hyun grinned at its unmoving red eyes, staring after direct hit.
In a duel, counter with your own.
Not done.
[Cheonbyeon transforms into ‘Brilliant Taksinel’s Blue Sword.’]
[Striking activates.]
[Cheonbyeon: Darkness Cloak applied.]
[Ice Stream activates.]
Buffs piled, final one.
[Fierce Strike Slash activates.]
[Fierce Strike aura envelops the sword.]
Grinning at the faint aura on the blade, Do-hyun took stance.
“Let’s do this.”
As if understanding, it moved—Do-hyun thrust forward too.
BOOM!
Heavy clash echoed.
Neither should’ve withstood, but neither budged; strikes continued.
[Guardian God’s Blessing prevents knockback.]
Blessing nullified mutual knockback.
No retreat.
A duel ending only in death had begun.