Ji-Han was next to be re-accessed. All eyes turned. And was expecting to see better results because he entered has E rank.
He stepped forward. The same boy once mocked. Is now standing, waiting to be evaluated, and everyone was expecting a better result from him.
"He entered as an E rank."
"He made the top 4."
"…he should have improved."
He took a deep breath and stood before the evaluation pillar.
"…let's see."
"Begin evaluation."
The pillar activated, and light surged upward.
Ji-Han raised his hand and struck the pillar with his skill IMPACT STRIKE, and raised his barrier.
The system scanned, measure and calculated. The numbers began to rise higher and higher. The others leaned forward.
"…that's not E rank."
"… it…it's still rising?"
Then the result flashed.
[RESULT: YOON JI-HAN]
RANK: C-RANK
Silence filled the room. Then the explosion of reactions.
"C-RANK?!"
"He jumped that far?!"
"That's insane growth!"
Applause followed louder than expected.
"…he actually did it."
His friends were happy for him.
"It worth it." They applaud.
For a moment, he didn't move, and a small breath escaped him.
"…I made it."
Though not strong yet and not at the top, he knew he was no longer weak. From the side, Yoon Se-ah watched quietly and was happy for him.
"You did it."
As he stepped to meet his friends, the black interface system appeared.
DING
[HIDDEN STATUS – ASTRON SYSTEM]
[RANK: D (INTERNAL)][SYNCHRONIZATION: 25%]
Ji-Han blinked.
"Still D?"
For a moment, he was confused, but then he smiled slightly.
"…that's fine."
Because he understood he was not that weakling of before.
The President, who was watching from the screen, clenched his fist in his chair in excitement.
"…I knew you would heed my words."
"…I hope you become stronger. Still waiting." He let out a boasting smile.
The mission began immediately after the evaluation. All awakened participants were group into teams of five, balanced, and carefully assigned.
Ji-Han stood quietly as names were called.
"Team 7"
His name appeared.
"…Yoon Ji-Han."
"…Yoon Se-ah."
"…Kim Tae-min."
"…Jung Hae-in."
"…Choi Sung-kyu."
Ji-Han glanced at his team mates.
Kim Tae-min – C-rank Spear User. Fast, aggressive.
Jung Hae-in – D-rank Healer. Calm, supportive.
Choi Sung-kyu – C-rank Shield Tank. Defensive specialist.
And Yoon Se-ah. Silent as always.
"…let's clean it," Tae-min said confidently.
Ji-Han nodded slightly.
So they entered the dungeon; it was dark, and everything seemed normal, like the F-rank dungeon they had cleared. Monsters appeared, and it was easily handled.
Tae-min pierced through enemies swiftly.
Sung-kyu blocked attacks with ease.
Se-ah eliminated targets silently.
Ji-Han supported—
Barrier steady.
Movement precise.
"Clear pace is good," Hae-in said.
Minutes passed.
Then, they reached the core chamber.
"Dungeon boss ahead," Tae-min muttered.
They prepared.
But, the air changed. It was heavy and distorted.
Ji-Han froze.
"Something's wrong."
Se-ah's eyes narrowed.
"…this isn't normal."
Then…..
CRACK
The space itself split open. And another gate was formed. Silence fell among them.
"…a second gate?" Sung-kyu whispered
"That's impossible." Hae-in said
Ji-Han stared.
"…no… It's not just a gate."
A deeper darkness seeped through.
Tae-min clenched his spear
"…do we go back?"
Everyone was silent for a second.
Then se-ah spoke.
"No."
All eyes turned to her
"Let's give it a try. If it's too dangerous, we exit."
"Alright, we'll go in together," Ji-Han spoke slightly.
They nodded and entered.
The moment they stepped in, the gate closed, and the pressure was overwhelming.
"This doesn't look like a D dungeon." Sung-kyu gasped.
The monsters appeared. It was different, stronger, and faster.
"…C or B rank… at least." Tae-min said, barely dodging an attack.
They fought desperately.
Ji-Han's barriers shield cracked, but still held on. And se-ah moved like a shadow, taking down enemies silently and faster.
Hae-in struggled to keep up with healing constantly. They struggled, but they continue pushing forward. They cleared the monsters and were looking tired. Until a presence descended heavy and absolute.
A figure emerged, tall, dark, and crowned with horns. Its eyes were burning like abyssal fire.
The air froze.
"…no way," Tae-min whispered and was trembling.
"…that… that's not a boss, is it?" Hae-in trembled.
Ji-Han and Se-ah were under pressure, but couldn't fall into despair. Because they knew they would die at the slightest mistake.
Then it spoke.
"Humans"
The voice echoed like thunder.
"Dare interrupt my sleep."
Ji-Han and se-ah trembled.
"…this presence."
DING. DING. DING.
His system went wild.
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
The black interface flickered violently.
[EXTREME ENTITY DETECTED]
[THREAT LEVEL: UNMEASURABLE]
Then it revealed its name.
[12TH DEMON KING – VALTHERION, LORD OF FRACTURED ABYSS]
Despair fell instantly, and Sung-kyu dropped to one knee. Even Se-ah stopped as her instinct were screaming.
Ji-Han clenched his fist.
"…what is this?"
The system continued.
[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE RETREAT]
[SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: < 3%]
A cold sweat ran down his face.
"…3%…"
But his eyes hardened.
"…no."
He activated his skill.
"…Observation."
[OBSERVATION (LV1) ACTIVATED]
His vision sharpened, and he tried analyzing it to check its weakness, but then.
The system glitched.
[TARGET ANALYSIS FAILED]
[DATA EXCEEDS PROCESSING LIMIT]
[UNABLE TO MEASURE EXISTENCE]
Ji-Han froze. For the first time, he felt real fear even after he became stronger.
Ji-Han was afraid, but couldn't stand it that he was this afraid.
"I won't bow to being weak." He gnashing
Unmoving, he stood under the pressure and moved towards VALTHERION.
Se-ah glanced at him.
"What is he doing?"
Then he moved, placing a stellar barrier on him, reducing the pressure, which activated the artifact (Astral guard). A second layer, denser and heavier were wrapped around him. The pressure force weakened further and Ji-Han's eyes shaperned.
"…I can move."
The barrier and the artifact resonated for a brief moment. They overlapped and merged.
The system reacted instantly.
[NEW CONDITION DETECTED]
[SKILL INTERACTION: STELLAR BARRIER + ASTRAL GUARD]
[FUSION DISCOVERED]
The energy around him shifted from a simple defense to something deeper and more refined.
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: STELLAR AEGIS (LV1)]
[description: celestial barrier formed through the fusion of the user's innate barrier ability and a core-linked artifact]
[effect; Generates a multi-layered barrier infused with celestial energy, automatically adjusts density based on impact strength, absorbs a portion of incoming damage, and reduces external pressure effect.]
A barrier formed differently from before. Layered, densed and alive. It didn't just block, it endured and adapted.
Ji-Han exhaled slowly
"…so this is"
He went to his team and placed barrier protection on them so they could have free movement.