CHAPTER 84: FIRST TRIAL PHASE[1]

In the next instant, he reappeared within a large, dark space—empty, silent, and hollow.

The air felt heavier here, almost like something unseen was watching him.

Behind him, the glowing portal that had brought him in fizzled, then vanished entirely with a faint crackle of energy.

The silence didn’t last long.

Ding!

A series of notifications lit up in front of him.

[Profession Required: Assassin]

[Profession Confirmed!]

[Talent Detected: Gluttony (SSS-rank)]

[Talent Detected: Ironblood Fighter (B-rank)]

[ERROR!]

Riley blinked, his brow twitching slightly.

’It picked up Ironblood Fighter too?’ he thought, a bit surprised by this.

Since the effect of his Ironblood fighter was more passive compared to gluttony, he had almost forgotten he even had it.

However, he hadn’t expected the system to pick up on it also.

A faint frown crossed his face, especially at the last notification.

’Well... I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,’ he thought slowly.

Having more than one talent was unheard of.

It simply didn’t happen. Players were granted one talent—just one—and that alone defined the rest of their playstyle.

Since the system noticed he had two instead of one, it was no wonder it registered an error.

Still—

Riley exhaled, his expression calm once more.

’It should still be able to proceed smoothly,’ he thought.

As if responding to his expectation, the screen shifted again.

[Talent Confirmed!]

[You have an SSS-rank Talent!]

[You have a B-rank Talent!]

[Setting Profession Trial to appropriate difficulty...]

[...]

A few seconds passed.

Then—

[You can now commence the Trial!]

[Note: You only have two chances for each Trial!]

[Profession Trial can only be attempted once. In case of failure, there is no re-do.]

[Are you ready to commence your Profession Trial?]

[Yes/No]

Riley’s smirk slowly returned.

He took a single step forward, lifting his gaze.

"Yes," he muttered, eyes gleaming. "Of course."

[Beginning Profession Trial...]

[Welcome Player, to your Profession Trial.]

Another notification blinked into view, and Riley’s lips curled into a sharp grin.

’Finally,’ he thought, straightening his back slightly as his surroundings darkened. ’Let’s see what this world has planned for me now.’

Click!

Click!

Mechanical sounds echoed faintly through the darkness, like gears grinding and locks unfastening in the distance.

The air shifted, then all at once, the darkness around him peeled away.

Woosh!

Light poured in from above, and the entire field changed.

Riley’s feet now stood on coarse green grass, swaying gently beneath a dull grey sky.

The air was moist, heavy with a faint earthy scent. The clouds overhead were thick, unmoving.

It was midday, yet there was no sun in sight.

The entire terrain reminded him of the eastern part of the Novice Village.

They had similar grasses on their fields, except the ones here were a bit drier. Even the faint rolling of the hills in the background looked familiar.

Click! Click! Click!

More clicking noises echoed around him.

Riley’s head turned—and his eyes narrowed.

Figures began to rise up from the grassy field.

One after the other, tall humanoid shapes pulled themselves upright, each one nearly two meters tall.

They were pitch black in color, like statues carved from dark stone.

Each had the full shape of a human—arms, legs, torso, even a neck—but no eyes, mouth or facial features.

Their smooth faces stared back at him like a blank slate, making them look really creepy.

He tried counting them, but gave up after crossing the number twenty, realising there were dozens of them around him.

Swish!

Weapons suddenly shimmered into view in their hands, glowing faintly before solidifying into form.

Some held long, gleaming swords.

Others gripped short daggers or raised bows across their shoulders.

A few even held heavy maces and axes, standing a bit taller than the rest.

Then, without warning—

Their bodies shifted, and their statue frames hardened.

They then began to move, jogging side by side in almost perfect synch.

Riley’s eyes darkened slightly, his brows drawing together.

’What sort of trial is this...?’ he thought, his eyes drifting above each of the ’statues’ head.

[Test Figure]

[Level: —]

[H/P: 4000]

They had a similar set of tabs to monster, except their level wasn’t displayed.

All he could see was their name "Test Figure" and their health points, which were even more than that of the village boss monster!

That meant, each of the figures around him was stronger than an Elite Boss!

Riley cracked his knuckles once, then slowly flexed his fingers, his face calm—but his gaze sharp as steel.

’Is this because of my SSS-rank talent...?’ he thought.

Riley’s eyes remained narrowed, fixed on the swarm of blank-faced Test Figures all around him.

He shifted slightly, letting out a low exhale.

This Profession Trial... it was nothing like what he remembered from his past life.

Back then, the trial had been more simple and straightforward.

It had tested only two things.

First, his strength.

The system had spawned a dummy target in front of him, and told him to hit it as hard as he could.

That was it, just a single swing to measure his raw physical power.

After that, it had tested his speed, by giving him a target and a time limit to reach the end.

However, there had been no traps, neither were they any enemies attacking him along the way.

When it was all over, the system had evaluated his performance and awarded him a C-rank class called Resilient Swordsman.

It had come with a minor boost to his physical stats—nothing dramatic—and a passive effect that gave him a five percent increased chance to land a critical hit with sword-based attacks.

But this...?

This trial was something else entirely.

And yet...

His lips suddenly curled into a grin.

Then, under his breath, he muttered, "Doesn’t that make it better...?"

His eyes gleamed.

"If it’s this hard... it just means I’ll be getting a really powerful class. I wonder what it’s going to be."

As if on cue, another notification appeared before him.

[Profession Trial Phase 1]

[Task: Defeat all the opponents around you, and make sure your health doesn’t go below 50%]

[Chances Remaining: 2]

Riley’s grin widened.

"Hah... now that’s interesting."

His eyes sparkled with excitement, the fire in them burning brighter now.

"So all I have to do is defeat these guys," he thought, muscles already tightening as he sank into a ready stance. "Fine by me!"

His heart began to pound—not from fear, but exhilaration.