While Kael was locked in a deadly dance with the darkborne lord Seth inside the Blood Battle of Calvin Castle trial, the outside world had already erupted into chaos.
Ever since the Awakening of the Realms, every newly awakened had been granted access to countless Realms of Trials—as if the gods themselves had begun an invisible game that spanned the nations.
Countless people entered out of curiosity and the thrill of conquest.
Almost none were prepared for how brutal the trials truly were.
Just like Kael's first party—a ragtag band of a cocky blond, a pair of apprentice lovers, and greenhorns who had never seen real blood—this attitude was common across the realms. Most who stepped into a trial didn't last even fifteen minutes before being cut down, never getting anywhere near the first sigil checkpoint.
Tier 0 trials varied in form, but none were forgiving: some threw participants directly into the path of a lord-class monster, others hurled them into the midst of hundreds of frenzied beasts.
—And those who lasted the longest, survived only moments longer than the rest.
Across the continent, the lower ranks of the awakened were in uproar. If anyone were to rate these trials, they would receive an unprecedented classification: Hell Difficulty.
"Is this supposed to be a trial for humans? This is the devils' plaything!"
The bespectacled youth who had been beheaded by Seth spat the words when he returned to reality, his "tactical genius" façade completely shattered.
He was certain his strategic deductions had been sound—but the darkborne lord's sheer power was beyond reason.
When he turned his attention to the Cross-Realm Crystal Council—a newly built multinational communication platform jointly created by the World Council and the Church of the Gods—he found it flooded with complaints and laments from every territory.
The most eye-catching pinned announcement blazed in burning runes:
[Threefold Warning: DO NOT ENTER THE TRIALS! DO NOT ENTER THE TRIALS! DO NOT ENTER THE TRIALS!]
"Given the extreme brutality of the trials, all low-rank awakened are urged to stay out until more information is available. Do not waste your precious soul-flame lives."
Almost at the same time, every awakened's soul seal resonated with the Central Council's official warning.
Of course… not everyone listened.
For some, the scent of adventure was like blood to a hound.
The bespectacled youth continued scrolling through the crystal projection feed, quickly stumbling upon a string of bizarre "teammate complaint logs."
One entrant, by sheer coincidence, had been holding a kitchen cleaver when they entered a trial. To everyone's shock, it was brought into the illusion with him—and became the only foreign object to ever actually land a hit on a boss. It was shattered a moment later, of course, but the incident sparked a realization across the awakened:
Objects from reality could be carried into the trials—so long as their grade did not exceed the trial's rank.
This discovery instantly triggered a storm of wild speculation—
"What if I brought in a steel tower shield…?"
"How about a heavy crossbow?"
"Firearms? Forget it. Those have long been bound by the laws— even the weakest flintlock exceeds the Tier 0 limit."
Before long, the rules were summarized:
The item's grade cannot exceed the trial's rank.
You must be able to carry it and wield it steadily.
The restrictions were real, but the loophole was enough to give pioneers hope—after all, on this continent where steamsteel and magi-engraving coexisted, low-grade crossbows, shields, and battleaxes were everywhere.
As the news spread, powerful teams across the lands began adjusting their strategies.
The most notable was Squad Wind and Thunder—an elite party of four S-rank and one SS-rank awakened.
They gathered intel, forged specialized gear, and drew up airtight tactics before marching confidently into Blood Battle of Calvin Castle.
The Council's crystal network synchronized their progress for all to see—
Half an hour later – First attempt: They weathered Seth's initial killing strike, but the cost was heavy. Forced to split up to scout, they lost one member permanently, while the rest exited alive but shaken.
Second attempt – With a refined formation and upgraded gear, they fought as a tight unit, holding the line under crushing pressure. And yet, they still fell before Seth's fully restored darkborne body. Only two of the five made it out alive.
The forums erupted:
"Even Wind and Thunder couldn't do it—guess this dungeon needs five SS-ranks to clear!"
"Or maybe… an SSS has to walk the mortal world."
Several teams who had been eyeing Calvin Castle immediately abandoned the attempt, turning their sights to other trials.
Wind and Thunder, however, refused to be discouraged. In the Council's forum, they boldly declared: "Next run, we will break this trial."
Yet just as they were adjusting their lineup—
A voice like a great bronze bell thundered from deep within the soul marks of every awakened:
[World Announcement: Congratulations to Kael and his team for achieving the world's first clear of the Realm of Trials – Blood Battle of Calvin Castle!]
Wind and Thunder Squad: "…Huh?"
Every spectator: "???"
In front of his crystal projection feed, the bespectacled youth blinked.
"Someone first-cleared it? …And they have the same name as me?"
He was just about to make a sarcastic post when two more crisp system chimes rang out in his soul mark:
[Congratulations! You have cleared the Realm of Trials: Blood Battle of Calvin Castle. Evaluation – F. Rewards: +10 Growth, ×1 Strength Crystal.]
[As this was the world's first clear, you receive bonus rewards despite minimal contribution: ×1 Strength Crystal, ×1 Agility Crystal, ×1 Constitution Crystal, ×1 Mind Crystal.]
The young man stared for a long moment, then finally managed to squeeze out a single word:
"…Huh?"