[You have received a reward for clearing Hell Difficulty Namido!]
A message appeared before his eyes.
A reward was granted to Han Yuseong.
[You receive 1,000 coins!]
[You have acquired the Blessing of Trials as a first-clear reward!]
[You have acquired the skill 'Unyielding Will (S)'!]
[A unique-grade weapon and armor are provided for you!]
There were a total of four rewards.
Among them, what caught Han Yuseong's attention was the "Blessing."
[Blessing of Trials (Legendary)]
All stats +10
EXP gain +20%, Skill EXP gain +20%
All skill damage +20%
Novice skill damage +100%
In this world, there is something called a "Blessing."
It is a kind of buff granted by beings known as Star Lords to their contracted Flame Bearers, providing enhanced stats or special effects.
But there is a way to obtain it without a contract with a lord.
By conquering towers that appear throughout the world.
There are towers that have appeared — and will continue to appear — along with the Lords.
If you are the first to conquer such towers, you can receive blessings.
Sometimes, these blessings were even better than those granted by the Lords.
The Blessing of Trials was one such example.
"100%? That's pretty generous."
Perhaps because the time spent as a Novice is limited, the effect was quite explosive.
[Unyielding Will (S)]
Type: Passive
You possess an unyielding will that does not falter in any situation.
When your life is on the line, all your stats increase significantly.
Regeneration speed +30%.
The passive skill awarded as a reward was equally impressive.
Rather than being limited to specific aspects like health or mana regeneration, it was a kind of superior version.
For someone like Han Yuseong, who would frequently face strong enemies or throw himself into deadly situations, it was the perfect skill.
"Hah, now I get why that guy always got stronger when he was about to die."
He recalled the Flamebearer who had first cleared Hell Difficulty in his previous life.
It must have been a foreign player named Randolph.
Wasn't he the guy who took over his country and enslaved the entire population?
"Lastly, the items."
Magical items floated in the air, glowing with light.
They were unique-grade equipment given as rewards, but Han Yuseong didn't reach for them immediately.
The reason was simple.
[You have defeated a mighty foe, the one-eyed Mouger, and successfully cleared the Tower of Trials that no one else had conquered!]
[You have fulfilled the activation conditions for the unique ability, 'War God'.]
[The grades of the rewarded items have been upgraded!]
[Additionally, your Fighting Spirit has increased by +5!]
Since everything would be enhanced by the War God ability anyway,
Han Yuseong checked the upgraded items.
[Bone Crusher (Epic)]
Slot: Weapon (Gauntlet)
Attack Power: 55
Strength +3, Martial Arts skill damage +20%
Makes it easier to break an opponent's bones.
[Nameless Robe (Epic)]
Slot: Armor (Martial Arts Robe)
Defense: 27
Agility +3, Speed +10%
Can briefly become invisible while moving.
No need to even say it — these were incredibly useful items.
One of the additional bonuses granted by the War God ability is the enhancement of rewards that should have been given in their base form. That's what had just activated.
Han Yuseong smiled as he equipped the gauntlet.
"I bet I'm the only one starting with this kind of gear at level 1."
In his previous life, the highest difficulty Han Yuseong had cleared was Hard.
The rewards had been decent then, but not to this extent.
With gear like this, he could probably grow rapidly without hitting any walls — at least for a while.
"Alright then."
Han Yuseong lifted his head.
He had been feeling countless gazes for a while now.
As he looked up, he saw an uncountable number of eyes floating in the air.
Eyes, each glowing with a different light.
[The Star Lords wish to form a contract with you.]
[The Star Lord 'Bringer of the Gale' proposes a condition.]
[The Star Lord 'Watcher of Thunder' wishes to speak with you.]
[The Star Lord 'Ravenous Maw' is trying to reach you…]
The messages poured in endlessly.
The contents differed slightly, but the message was simple:
They wanted to form a contract. Name your terms. Do it now.
The sheer volume and urgency of the messages made their desperation clear.
But Han Yuseong had no intention of contracting with any of them.
'There's nothing to gain from making deals with Lords looking to cash in quick.'
Among the Star Lords, there exists a concept called Rank.
And the way to determine a Lord's rank is simple:
'Whether they have a Title or not.'
The Righteous Lord Icarus, who had once contracted with the Beast Guardian,
had the title "Righteous" — a moniker that denoted status.
These monikers (or "epithets") are given only to high-ranking Star Lords.
Such titled Lords possess both high standing and formidable power.
'The ones here are all without titles.'
Only low-ranking beings referred to merely as "Star Lords."
Han Yuseong could, if he chose, form contracts with all kinds of Star Lords — and only those with titles.
There was no need for him to make deals with the Star Lords loitering here, trying to lure in clueless beginners.
And more importantly:
'How can you trust those greedy bastards?'
He knew all too well that Lords were not to be trusted.
They were the kind who would do anything for "coins."
As he adjusted his robe, he began walking forward.
Countless eyes followed his every step.
[The Star Lords await your response.]
"I refuse."
The eyes that had been following Han Yuseong widened in shock.
Messages popped up one after another, trying desperately to stop him,
but Han Yuseong ignored them all and stood in front of the tutorial's exit.
"The only Lord I'll ever form a contract with—"
Players who form contracts with Lords are called "Vowers."
A Vower receives power and various benefits from a Star Lord,
but in return, must obey that Lord's commands.
And a Lord gives nothing to a Vower who disobeys.
It's like the relationship between a master and a slave.
Han Yuseong had no intention of becoming that.
"—is a Lord I can leash with my own hands."
A player who commands a Lord.
That was the vision Han Yuseong had in mind.
And —
he also knew exactly how to make it happen.
Whoosh!
As he pushed open the gate to the exit, a radiant light enveloped Han Yuseong's body.
***
Exactly two hours after Han Yuseong left the Tower of Trials,
a message appeared in the field of vision of every player in the game:
[A player has conquered the Tower of Trials.]
[An unknown individual has cleared Hell Difficulty for the first time.]
The Tower of Trials.
A message declared that someone had cleared the Hell difficulty — something even the most famous players in the current world had failed to do.
Players who first saw the message couldn't believe their eyes.
"Cleared Hell difficulty? That insane difficulty?"
"No way. Is it even possible to beat that at level 1?"
"How the hell do you get through a tutorial with orcs and lizardmen…?"
The horrors of Hell difficulty were well known.
Rough outlines of the monsters that appeared were already public knowledge.
But the one thing no one knew was the identity of the final boss monster —
because every challenger had failed before even reaching it.
Yet now, someone had cleared Hell difficulty.
"What the hell was the final boss monster?!"
"If someone cleared Hell difficulty… could we recruit them right now?"
"They hid their identity? That makes no sense… Wait, are they insane?"
The unbelievable news caused a stir throughout the player community.
All the speculating players soon reached a single conclusion:
"Find out who it is! Now!"
"Figure out which madman it was and get the Hell difficulty strategy from them. Before any other guilds do — as fast as possible!"
They had to find the person who cleared it.
Players began moving frantically.
And the one who had actually cleared the infamous Hell difficulty — the person everyone was desperate to find —
"Tch, damn that Mouger bastard… why's his skull so freakin' sturdy…"
— was muttering under his breath while healing his shattered fist.
***
A single day was enough to recover his broken hand.
Han Yuseong looked up at the sky from the wooden bench in the center of the village.
In the piercingly clear blue sky, countless messages floated.
[If you want rare rewards, gather at the bell tower! I, the Lord of Silence, have prepared a challenge just for you! Entry fee: 300 coins!]
[A new challenge will appear at the Independence Gate! If you have the guts to take on a monster wave, bring your coins! A Lord awaits you!]
[Put your coins on the line and win more coins! Five players have already claimed their prize!]
[I, the Star Lord of Valor, am recruiting brave Vowers!]
That sky looked just like it was plastered with advertisements.
And who had put up those ads?
The answer was simple: the Star Lords.
Why had the Star Lords filled the sky with such ads?
That answer was just as simple:
"To collect coins."
Coins —
a form of currency that appeared alongside the trials of the gods.
They looked like plain, snow-white coins at a glance, but they could be used for all sorts of things:
to buy items, use within trials, or even to pay the entry fee for special challenges.
"So you're telling me these Star Lords are obsessed with coins to the point of madness."
Coins could also be offered to the Star Lord you were contracted with.
They were the reason Star Lords were active in this world —
because coins could only be obtained in worlds selected as trial grounds.
So why were the Star Lords so obsessed with coins?
"To gain more power."
The exact mechanics were unclear,
but it was known that Lords could use coins to strengthen themselves.
As they accumulated power, they would eventually be granted a title,
and if they continued to grow stronger, they could even transcend beyond being a Lord.
That was why they turned this world into a battlefield —
just like Machiros had done in his past life.
"They're no different from those twisted corporate bastards…"
Han Yuseong let out a bitter laugh.
This was exactly why he despised the Star Lords.
Sure, a few of them weren't so bad —
but most were blinded by their obsession with coins.
The kind who would destroy entire worlds just to collect more coins.
The ones Lee Suho had sided with were exactly that kind.
"Alright then… what should I deal with first?"
First and foremost, he needed to build power.
Lee Suho had awakened in 2022, the year the divine trials began.
Even now, in the current timeline, he was probably still an active and well-known player.
Han Yuseong, on the other hand, had awakened in 2024, putting him two years behind.
"If I can take down Lee Suho, I can disrupt Icarus too."
It was only natural to think that way.
Lee Suho played a major role in Icarus's schemes succeeding.
And one more thing:
"It was around this time that the Star Lord Hunt began, wasn't it?"
If he used one of the Star Lords destined to be hunted properly,
Han Yuseong might be able to acquire a Lord that he could truly put a leash on — one that he could control.
Han Yuseong didn't trust Star Lords.
"But… I still need one."
In his past life, Han Yuseong had gone without a Star Lord after obtaining the power of the War God.
That was essentially placing a handicap on himself —
because without a Star Lord, he often couldn't receive proper rewards.
Not to mention, he was hit with all sorts of penalties during trials as well.
"To grow stronger — and more than anything, to stop Machiros."
He needed a Lord he could use.
If he could fulfill a number of conditions, it should be possible to create such a Star Lord.
In any case, that too was something only possible if he had power first.
"I'll start by clearing the challenges I couldn't beat in my past life."
Han Yuseong had been a player for a long time.
He remembered all the special challenges that offered powerful and unique rewards.
And now, he had 1,000 coins — more than enough to cover any entry fee.
Considering that most players only got about 100 coins from clearing the Tower of Trials,
this was an absolutely staggering amount.
"Alright, it's been a while… maybe I'll stop by the library."
Something had just come to mind —
a special challenge perfectly suited to someone who had just awakened as a player.