[Global Host Population: 923,129]
Thousands of kilometers away from Luis's nightmare jungle, another tale was unfolding under the cold sky of Korea. Snow drifted across a shattered battlefield as a lone figure approached a towering silver pillar, pulsing with runes—its hum resonating like a divine heartbeat.
It was the Pillar of Challenge – Silver Class.
The man approaching it moved like a phantom—silent, efficient, composed.
Host: Jhin Won
Class: Shadow Master
Level: 10
God: Eoduin, the Pale Moon of the Forgotten Night
Jhin was clad in layered black armor, his face half-covered by a flowing shadow scarf. Twin daggers hung at his hips like sleeping fangs. Each step he took left no sound, no trace.
His god's voice echoed within him. Calm. Smooth. Slightly smug.
Eoduin: "This is no trial for you, Jhin. With your mastery of shadow formation, it's child's play."
Jhin, eyes sharp: "A lot of confidence for a god who's never won a single Royale."
Eoduin: "I was partnered with fools before. Poets, dreamers, influencers. You? You bend my power with the grace of a master sculptor."
Jhin: "Well. I do enjoy carving my victories."
He raised his hand, and five shadowy versions of himself slipped out of his form, flickering around the arena with silent intent.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Formation]
Summons up to 5 clones with 50% of Jhin's stats
User may teleport to any clone instantly
[Passive: Cloakstep]
While near shadows, Jhin's movement speed increases by 15% and his footfalls are completely silent.
[Active: Death Spiral]
Rapid multi-slash technique. Each hit from Jhin or a clone builds a Shadow Mark. At 5 stacks, the enemy is momentarily stunned and takes massive bonus damage.
Then the sky cracked.
A blinding silver beam erupted from the pillar. Every host within 100 kilometers looked skyward in awe and dread.
A humanoid construct plummeted from the heavens. Towering at 20 feet, its body was forged from living silver, glowing runes etched across its limbs. It landed with an earth-shattering crash, sending a shockwave through the valley.
[CHALLENGE GUARDIAN: ARGOLIS, THE FORGED RECKONER – SILVER CLASS – LEVEL 15]
Jhin didn't flinch.
"Big. Loud. Easy to humiliate."
Argolis swung first—an arm as large as a car, cleaving through trees and air. But Jhin was already gone.
Teleport. Slash. Vanish. Repeat.
He appeared behind the golem in a flicker, his daggers sinking into its metallic joints. A second Jhin struck from the side. A third from above.
Argolis roared, spinning with impossible speed, sending out a shockwave—but the real Jhin had already relocated, standing atop the pillar, watching calmly.
Eoduin: "You're playing with him."
Jhin: "No. I'm teaching him despair."
He blurred again, swapping with another shadow, slicing through a glowing rune on the guardian's back. Sparks erupted. Argolis staggered.
It tried to crush him with both hands—Jhin flickered just beneath, leaving a clone to absorb the impact.
Suddenly, Jhin and his clones surrounded the guardian in a perfect circle.
[Skill Activated: Death Spiral]
They launched in with blinding speed. Daggers danced. Every hit stacked shadow energy, dark glyphs blooming over Argolis's silver chest. The fifth strike hit.
A thunderclap of shadow burst.
Argolis froze—then staggered, stunned.
Jhin reappeared above, spinning into a dive. His real blades flashed like crescent moons.
Eoduin: "This… this is why you are different. You don't just win. You erase doubt."
Jhin, softly: "Doubt belongs to the dead."
He drove both daggers deep into the guardian's glowing chest.
The silver titan cracked. Light spilled from within like molten starlight. A breathless second passed—then Argolis exploded in a supernova of disintegrating runes.
Silence.
From the rubble, a single item hovered.
[Silver-Class Item Acquired: Whispersteps – Boots of the Moon Thief]
Defense: +30
Resistance: +10%
Movement Speed: +20%
Passive Skill: Ghost Step – Grants invisibility for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Jhin examined the boots, then slipped them on without ceremony.
Jhin: "That was underwhelming."
Eoduin: "Because you are finally fighting creatures beneath you."
Jhin stared into the snowfall. "Then raise the stakes."
Eoduin chuckled darkly. "Don't worry. The next one will scream louder."