Chapter 170: The Fragment Trial
The day after Oliver arrived at the Academy.
I gathered everyone who would be participating in the Fragment Trial.
Including myself, there were a total of five people entering the Fragment.
Park Si-woo, Dan Cheon-woo, Helena, Eun-ha, and me.
Originally, Helena had been left out because of the Association's watcher.
But now that the Association's watcher was no longer necessary, there was no reason to exclude her.
I gathered everyone inside the prison I was using as my quarters.
It was finally time to go find Baek Hyun-joong.
The rotten roots within the Association had been removed, and the guards who would protect the soon-to-be-empty Academy were fully prepared.
Oliver Raiders had also accepted my proposal.
He had agreed to become the Academy's guardian.
As for the reason behind his sudden attack, we had already coordinated our story.
Of course, the Student Council members weren't pleased with it.
That didn't mean they couldn't accept it.
After all, there wasn't a single person who didn't know about Oliver's past.
More importantly, with the Sword Emperor personally backing him, no one else could say anything.
With that, the greatest forces capable of protecting my Academy had gathered.
Three Top-ranking Heroes.
Along with the Academy's countless instructors.
There was a reason even the government was worried about this military strength.
It wasn't even an exaggeration to say that, with our current forces, staging a coup wouldn't be particularly difficult.
It almost felt excessive.
But when I considered Pandemonium, even this wasn't enough.
Four High-ranking Executives, their leader, and countless Demons besides.
There was no telling when they would come marching in with their entire army.
Most importantly, before attempting the Fragment Trial, the greatest priority was buying time.
I looked at everyone sitting before me.
“Everyone's ready, right?”
They nodded with determined expressions.
Only Eun-ha tilted her head, apparently still unable to grasp the situation.
“To be honest, I don't know how long it'll take to clear the Fragment.”
“But you'd better steel yourselves.”
“It's going to be difficult enough to make you wish you were dead.”
At their current level, they simply didn't have the stats needed to challenge the Trial.
Originally, in <Become a Hero>, the Fragment Trial was something attempted during the late game.
Right before the final battle, when the characters had already reached their endgame builds—or were just one step away.
Although every player's progression differed somewhat, the minimum requirements for clearing the Fragment placed you at the very peak of a High-ranking Hero, barely touching the realm of a Top-ranking Hero.
But these guys had only just reached the level of High-ranking Heroes.
In other words, with their current abilities, clearing the Fragment was absolutely impossible.
Fortunately...
There was one special characteristic unique to the Fragment Trial.
Immortality.
Characters could not die while the Fragment Trial was in progress.
Because clearing it was mandatory for progressing the story, it was a convenience provided by the developers.
Though calling it a convenience was rather generous.
It was closer to hell.
What did that mean?
Once you entered a Fragment, you couldn't leave until the Trial had been cleared.
If you entered with insufficient stats, or failed because your control wasn't good enough, you would remain trapped inside forever, unable to clear the Fragment.
At that point, your only option was to abandon the character you had painstakingly raised and start over from scratch.
For players who had invested countless hours into building their characters, it was truly the worst-case scenario.
That was one of the reasons <Become a Hero> had earned its infamous reputation as one of the cruelest games ever made.
For me as well...
This was no different from a gamble.
I was essentially sealing myself away until these guys reached their final builds.
Even if we somehow managed to clear it, everything would be over if Pandemonium captured the Academy while we were gone.
That was why, troublesome as it had been, I had thoroughly prepared by eliminating the Association's rotten roots and gathering the Top-ranking Heroes at the Academy.
Securing as much time as possible was essential for the growth of the main characters.
And above all...
There was one reason I was willing to take this gamble.
There was a guaranteed method to clear it, even with insufficient stats.
Even if you failed the challenge, the experience you earned still carried over to your character.
In other words...
As long as you kept trying, even inadequate stats would eventually become enough.
In fact, I had once refused to abandon a character I had worked so hard to raise, repeatedly challenging the Trial until I finally cleared it.
That very character became the first one with whom I completed the game.
If I remembered correctly...
I had gone without sleep for two whole days.
I even remembered the nurse warning me that I would literally collapse if I kept it up.
Anyway...
The important thing was an unbreakable spirit.
I led everyone toward the place where the Fragment Trial lay dormant.
Everyone came with us.
The Sword Emperor, Oliver, Yoo Yi-seo, Seo Da-hee, and many others.
Even Chun Ga-eun, whom I hadn't seen much lately, accompanied us.
After all...
Once we entered, we wouldn't be seeing them again for quite some time.
The Fragment Trial lay deep beneath the Academy.
As the Sword Emperor gazed upon the place, deep regret surfaced across his face.
“This place...”
“So you've figured out where we are.”
“How could I ever forget?”
“This is where everything began... and where everything ended.”
There, a single sword and a single spear stood crossed, embedded in the ground.
This was where Baek Hyun-joong and the leader of Pandemonium had met their ends in the past.
In other words...
This was where the Gate had existed.
Of course, it no longer remained.
The barrier Baek Hyun-joong cast just before his death had completely concealed it.
Seeing the sword and spear embedded in the ground, Dan Cheon-woo's eyes sparkled.
“Grandfather...”
“Surely those weapons are...”
“Yes.”
“Those are Baek Hyun-joong's beloved weapons.”
Hearing the confirmation, everyone's eyes lit up.
I reached my hand toward the weapons.
Ding.
Along with the familiar notification sound, a blue message window appeared.
【You have discovered the Fragment, 'The Path Leading to the Gate'.】
【Would you like to enter?】
【Y/N】
After reading the message window, I looked behind me.
Everyone with whom I had formed bonds stood gathered there.
We exchanged our farewells.
After quietly watching them for a moment, I walked over to Chun Ga-eun.
She looked noticeably thinner than before.
“How did the search go?”
“By the time we arrived, the place she had been living was already burned to the ground.”
“We couldn't find the girl anywhere.”
“......”
The moment I returned to the Academy, I had asked Chun Ga-eun to bring Wol-ah back.
The reason she hadn't shown herself for quite some time was because she had been searching for Wol-ah.
But to think they hadn't found her.
Had Pandemonium attacked first?
She was a child I'd grown attached to after spending so much time together.
And one whom the Heavenly Demon had cherished just as much as I did.
My clenched fist tightened.
Then Chun Ga-eun spoke again.
“...I don't know if this will make you feel any better.”
“But we found something else.”
She reached into her coat pocket and took something out.
It was a feather.
A pure white feather.
“This is...?”
“It was lying there by itself inside the burned house.”
The moment I accepted it, my eyes widened.
The unpleasant sensation I felt simply from touching it.
It was the power of the Angels.
“Why is this here?”
Wol-ah was the only Angel remaining in this world.
Could it be...
That she had awakened her power as an Angel once again?
I shook my head.
I couldn't afford to clutter my thoughts with unnecessary matters before something so important.
Still...
I became certain of one thing.
Wol-ah was alive.
If a feather had remained inside the burned house...
That meant Wol-ah had been there until the very end.
Feeling considerably relieved, I bid farewell to everyone else, including Ria and Joo Sa-rang.
“Sword Emperor.”
“I leave the Academy in your hands.”
“Hmph. You're certainly making this old man work.”
“You're still far too healthy to retire.”
“Hahaha! As expected, you really do have a way with words.”
“I'm only telling the truth.”
After saying our farewells, we approached Baek Hyun-joong's beloved weapons together.
The blue message appeared once again.
【Would you like to enter?】
【Y/N】
Just before pressing Y...
We looked at one another.
No words were exchanged.
Yet I understood exactly what everyone was thinking.
The crushing weight of the world's fate resting upon our shoulders.
This was something we absolutely had to accomplish.
Before the final battle...
Every one of us had to return stronger.
With that resolve...
We stepped into the Fragment.
The light radiating from Baek Hyun-joong's beloved weapons completely engulfed my vision.
When I opened my eyes...
All I saw was endless darkness.
It felt as though I were standing atop a black mirror.
A faint light beyond the horizon barely illuminated our surroundings.
The scenery looked like a sunrise painted entirely in black and white.
This was the first stage of the Fragment Trial.
Around me, Park Si-woo and the others curiously looked around.
I gathered everyone together.
The three Trials were each designed for one of the main playable characters.
And the first Trial belonged to Park Si-woo.
In <Become a Hero>, he was the only character without flaws.
Unlike the others, who each carried their own deficiencies, he was portrayed as a pure and noble Hero.
Yet for players...
Park Si-woo was always something of a mixed blessing.
Despite possessing the greatest potential of any character, very few people could draw out his full strength.
Infinite possibilities.
Countless growth paths.
An enormous number of item and skill combinations.
There was no single correct answer for building Park Si-woo.
But there were an overwhelming number of wrong ones.
And the Trial prepared for him...
Was the Trial of Potential.
Within this Trial, you had to fight against Park Si-woo's countless possibilities.
In simpler terms...
You had to battle the shadow of Park Si-woo with endgame stats and every single skill fully mastered.
Incidentally...
This was the easiest of the three Trials.
Since it was a five-versus-one battle, most players cleared it without much trouble.
Of course...
That didn't apply to us, who were by far the weakest group ever to challenge it.
But looking at it another way...
This place was the ultimate training ground.
Because it projected Park Si-woo's possibilities, his appearance changed every time you failed.
At first, it might be Park Si-woo who had mastered the sword to its absolute limit.
The next time, it could be a shadow who had mastered the spear.
Or the bow.
In other words...
Analyzing attack patterns was impossible.
Only improving your control and increasing your stats could overcome it.
The experience gained here would be invaluable for everyone.
Then...
A pillar of white light erupted beyond the distant horizon.
The Trial had begun.
Someone slowly emerged from the pillar of light.
Its entire body resembled a white mannequin.
Park Si-woo and the others also noticed its appearance.
Their expressions turned serious as they immediately assumed battle stances.
The white clone held a bow in its hand.
Seeing that, I smiled.
“This couldn't be a better first opponent to teach you just how merciless the Trial really is.”
The white clone drew its bowstring.
An arrow naturally formed upon the otherwise empty bow.
The arrow shot toward us without making a sound.
Its speed was absolutely terrifying.
I swung my sword and shattered it.
The others barely managed to dodge by twisting their bodies aside.
Still wearing expressions as though they had narrowly escaped death, they drew their weapons and charged toward the white clone.
Park Si-woo, Dan Cheon-woo, and Helena seemed to instinctively realize their opponent was no ordinary enemy.
They immediately formed a battle formation.
Watching them, I was slightly surprised.
This wasn't something accomplished by people with little experience.
Their movements flowed together seamlessly, each standing in the perfect position without interfering with the others.
Their fighting spirit had improved considerably as well.
However...
They made one mistake.
An attack from a true powerhouse wasn't over until it was truly over.
You could never let your guard down.
Sometimes, an attack you believed you had already dealt with would strike from an unexpected angle.
Four streaks of light suddenly appeared in midair.
They were the very arrows the others had barely dodged moments earlier.
An archer who had reached the pinnacle...
Never stopped attacking.
Sensing the overwhelming force approaching from behind, they tried to block the arrows this time.
But...
The power contained within them was simply too great.
Apparently, they were arrows whose destructive power increased the farther they traveled.
The arrows imbued with the Power of the Star pierced straight through their hearts.
That...
Was our first death.