The outside of the temple was, quite literally, a scene of utter chaos.
And the inside of the temple was not much different.
It was a battleground where Protectors and Destroyers clashed and competed to push forward.
On top of that, monsters from the temple itself joined the fray.
Screams and cries of despair echoed from all directions.
"No, no! Enemies in front and behind…!"
"Shit! We shouldn't have herded them this way! Damn it… ugh!"
"Hy- Hyungwoo! W-wait!"
Countless players were dying.
Even the party of Galveon, who had been at the forefront, wasn't faring well.
"Sir Galveon! Enemies are approaching from the right!"
"Enemies in the rear! The Destroyers are pursuing us!"
"Damn it, we're surrounded…!"
Monsters in the front, Destroyers in the back.
Enemies attacking from both directions relentlessly targeted Galveon's party.
And then, something else—
Crunch!
"Gahh…!"
"It's a trap!"
The temple was filled with traps everywhere.
Galveon ground his teeth as he watched his subordinates die to those traps.
For a moment, a troubling thought crossed his mind.
"Could it be that I was wrong? Were we deceived?"
Was this so-called emergency quest itself a trap?
Why had the target hidden in a dungeon of all places?
And not just any dungeon—but the Temple of Frenzy, which looked like a hidden dungeon no matter how you looked at it.
"…Are we sure this is the target's location?"
"Yes, we received an update on the target's position just a short while ago. We've double-checked—this is the right place."
"And more importantly… there are monster corpses visible."
There were clear signs of someone who had passed through the temple corridor before them.
Monster corpses—some slashed by swords, others mutilated by sharp objects.
Not many in number, but the signs clearly indicated someone had fought them.
That made it even more suspicious.
"This place is full of traps and monsters. And yet they managed to reach the temple's depths barely triggering any of them?"
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense.
Which only made the idea of a trap more convincing.
Galveon wondered if he should abandon the mission and escape the temple while he still could.
But it was already too late.
Escaping from the hellish chaos inside the temple would be hard enough—
and the outside was likely swarming with players as well.
"Follow me! I'll clear the path!"
There was no choice but to push forward.
From Galveon's entire body, a golden divine aura erupted.
It was the power granted by the Lord of Light, whom he served.
That holy radiance imbued his allies nearby with strength.
—Kyaaahh!
"Graaaahhh!"
"Follow Sir Galveon! Don't fall behind!"
Galveon crushed the enemies with divine power as he advanced.
His subordinates followed close behind.
As the enemy's attacks intensified, their casualties grew,
but they couldn't stop.
They kept moving forward—
"I see the end!"
At last, they reached the deepest part of the temple.
A massive gate, already half-destroyed, as if someone had arrived before them.
KWA-RUUUM!
The great gate collapsed with a thunderous roar.
Beyond it lay a vast chamber.
Perhaps it was a space meant to revere some divine being—statue-like figures stood in various corners.
At the center stood a massive altar.
And on that altar—
"So you finally made it. I've been waiting quite a while."
There, a man sat.
An altar seemingly built to honor someone of great nobility.
Upon that sacred platform, the man sat with unnerving composure,
gazing crookedly toward them.
There was no expression on the face hidden behind the mask.
"Who are you?"
"You chased me all the way here, and now you're asking who I am?"
"You're the one…"
Galveon furrowed his brow, about to ask if this was the player who had reached the maximum growth threshold.
But then he noticed it—
the form of a dragon soul lingering around the man, Han Yuseong.
It was far weaker than his own golden dragon soul.
A soul that, no matter how you looked at it, was of a low grade.
'There's no way that's a high-tier dragon soul.'
At best, it was C-rank, maybe B-rank at most.
In either case, it was utterly insignificant compared to Galveon's golden dragon.
And yet, this man had achieved maximum growth with that dragon soul.
'What kind of absurd skills does he have to make that possible…?'
Whatever they were, they were worth stealing.
Galveon gripped the divine blade forged from holy light and locked his gaze on Han Yuseong.
"You've walked into a place with no escape. Whatever tricks you had, they end here.
Don't bother hoping you'll walk out of this alive."
The radiant blade shimmered with holy light, pointing directly at Han Yuseong.
At the same time, Galveon whispered to his subordinates in a low voice:
"Be on alert. There could be something hidden here.
Be ready to strike the moment that bastard moves even a little."
"Yes, Sir Galveon."
There were no other enemies visible besides Han Yuseong.
But that didn't mean they could let their guard down.
This was a hidden dungeon—
surely, something was lurking here.
Galveon's judgment was spot-on.
"I'm glad… to finally meet the comrades who will share in my tribulation."
Without hesitation, Han Yuseong slashed his own palm with a blade.
Galveon, realizing what was happening, shouted urgently:
"Attack!"
The subordinates, already on standby, launched their assault in unison.
A barrage of ranged skills flew toward Han Yuseong—
But not a single one landed.
Fwoooosh! CRACK—!
A storm of blood and a wall of ice rose up, summoned by Han Yuseong.
Even so, Galveon had already charged in, closing the distance between them.
But—
he was too late.
Drip. Drip.
Drops of blood from Han Yuseong's palm fell onto the altar.
The altar, now soaked with that blood, began to emit a sinister glow—
RUMBLE!
The entire Temple of the Lord shook as if struck by a massive earthquake.
[The Temple of Frenzy has recognized the Pilgrim.]
[Pilgrim, to harness the power sealed within the temple, you must endure a grueling trial and prove your worth.]
A majestic voice echoed in everyone's ears.
As Galveon closed the distance, Han Yuseong raised his staff.
Immediately,
and his form seemed to melt into the darkness and vanish.
"Tch!"
Galveon's sword sliced through empty air, missing its target.
At that very moment—
[The trial begins. Monsters are being summoned...]
[The monsters sealed within the temple are converging on this location!]
Lights flared all around them—
and in an instant, hundreds of monsters flooded the area.
And that wasn't all.
Every monster still remaining within the Temple of the Lord
began converging toward this place,
driven by a single intent: to kill the one undergoing the trial.
But—
"Coward…! Show yourself!"
The very target of the trial, Han Yuseong,
was nowhere to be seen.
A stealth skill.
Judging by how cleanly he vanished—no trace, no aura—it must have been a stealth ability of considerable rank.
'He's either preparing to escape… or watching us.'
Han Yuseong's goal was clear:
Let Galveon and the pursuers get caught up fighting the monsters here,
observe the situation, and—depending on how things go—either flee or strike at the opportune moment.
Galveon had no intention of letting that happen.
ROAAAAAR!!
"The monsters are attacking!"
"You idiots! Forget the vanished one—kill the monsters!"
The problem was, the monsters were actively interfering.
Worse still, more monsters were pouring in from all directions.
Galveon and the other Protectors were now locked in fierce battle with the monstrous horde.
"Well played…"
[Hmm… a sworn vassal of the Lord of Light, is he?]
Han Yuseong observed from within the shadows.
He saw the divine lightning conjured by Galveon crash down upon the monsters.
He also noticed Galveon's golden dragon stirring beside him.
Power gathered in the dragon's mouth, shimmering in a radiant gold—
FWOOSH!
With a thunderous breath, it unleashed a brilliant wave of destruction.
It wasn't on the level of a living dragon's breath,
but it was powerful enough to wipe out a significant number of monsters in one strike.
[So… what now? Are you just going to watch?
If you wait long enough, they'll tire themselves out fighting the monsters.]
"Well, yeah… that is the easiest way."
The easiest method was to stay hidden.
Remain concealed in the shadows and simply wait as the monsters wiped out the players.
Whichever side survived, their numbers would be greatly reduced.
Then he could emerge at the end and finish off the remaining enemies.
But—
"That's no fun."
[I knew you'd say that.]
That wasn't Han Yuseong's style.
Why had he created this situation in the first place?
It was to shape the perfect battlefield for chaos.
That objective had already been achieved.
Now, all that was left—
was to fight amidst the chaos.
"Shall we begin, then?"
Han Yuseong gripped his sword.
* *
A brutal clash erupted—
Galveon and his group of Protectors versus the summoned monsters,
with the Destroyers arriving late and mixing into the fray as even more monsters surged in.
The battlefield was a blood-soaked mess where friend and foe were nearly impossible to distinguish.
"Break through! Kill every monster blocking the way!"
"We have to chase the target before he escapes!"
"Damn it—how the hell are we supposed to get through this?!"
The interior of the temple was pure chaos.
Even Galveon, who had been chasing Han Yuseong, could no longer advance.
He was forced to engage the onslaught of monsters instead.
Grinding his teeth as he cleaved through them, he muttered:
"At this rate… we're just playing into his hands."
The situation was far too chaotic to track down their target, Han Yuseong.
There was no helping it—they would have to preserve their strength for now.
If they held their forces together, Han Yuseong would likely be discouraged from attacking and instead try to flee.
That wouldn't be the worst outcome.
'Either way, this is a hidden dungeon. Just securing the rewards from here would be worth it.'
If Han Yuseong escaped, they could simply hunt him down later outside.
With that judgment, Galveon cast buffs on himself and stepped forward into battle.
If he wanted to minimize his party's losses, he would have to lead the charge.
But there was one critical thing Galveon misjudged—
Han Yuseong had no intention of fleeing.
Nor did he plan to merely watch from the shadows.
KWA-BOOOM!
"What the—? The ground?!"
"GRAAAHH!!"
Han Yuseong's blade, charged with devastating power, slammed into the earth.
With a blast of scorching energy, a violent explosion ripped outward—
engulfing friend and foe alike.
Screams of agony filled the air, from both Protectors and monsters.
And then—
from beneath the enemy's feet, shadows surged upward.
"What the…?!"
The shadows that surged up from the ground instantly bound the enemies in place.
A wide-area skill:
For a brief moment, the enemies froze in their tracks—
and into the gap between those frozen foes, a sharp gust of wind sliced in.
It was Han Yuseong.
His mask emitted a sinister glow,
and a wave of bitter cold followed immediately after.
FWOOSH!
"Grrraahhh…!"
An overwhelming chill erupted from Han Yuseong at the center, freezing enemies in place.
At the same time, jagged ice crystals pierced through their bodies.
And thanks to a random amplification effect from the Mask of Chaos, the spell's range and power increased dramatically.
But he didn't stop there—
he followed up by preparing to fire off a wave of sword energy—
CRAAACK—!!
"So you showed yourself after all."
A golden barrier flared to life, intercepting the blade wave mid-flight.
The clash sent ripples through the air, and the sword energy dissipated—
but the shield held firm.
Standing before him was Galveon, his expression frozen and cold.
From him, golden divine power surged like a blazing tide.
"Perfect timing."
Galveon's class was Paladin—
but unlike the typical Paladin who focused on protection and defense,
his skills were heavily tilted toward offense.
Rather than shielding his allies, he preferred to enhance himself,
choosing to lead the charge and slay enemies with his own hands.
"You all hold off the monsters. As for this bastard…"
BOOM!
Galveon stepped forward.
"I'll kill him."
That confidence—possible only because he didn't believe for a second he would lose.
From Han Yuseong's body, a red aura erupted like a storm of swirling demonic energy.
[You are facing an opponent too strong to defeat at your current level.]
[Due to the effect of the War God's Blessing, the buff 'Giant Killing' is now active.]
[+20 to all stats, +30% to sword and fist damage, +15% movement speed.]
The War God's buff had activated.
And just from the scale of that buff, it was clear how strong Galveon was.
In this period of the game world, Galveon was likely around level 100—
twice Han Yuseong's level.
"Realistically, this guy is an opponent I shouldn't be able to beat, even with buffs."
Even with Yuseong's unusually high stats for a level-50 player, and even with the War God's buff,
the level gap was massive.
Not to mention—
a player like Galveon had likely gained additional stat bonuses through overcoming trials and challenges,
and probably benefited from the patronage of a god as well.
But this was no ordinary battlefield—
this was the Trial of the Gods, the
'If I use the dragon soul… it's possible.'
Han Yuseong gripped his sword as crimson flames surged around him.
A deep, natural smile formed on his lips—
the kind of smile worn by someone eager for a thrilling fight,
a warrior's grin, full of battle-lust.