The Amethyst Battle Tiger dropped 12 gold coins, 20 healing potions, and an astonishing five pieces of equipment. None of them were ordinary—two gleamed with a golden radiance, while the other three shimmered in silver. The golden items included a shield emblazoned with a roaring tiger and a serrated golden dagger, while the silver ones comprised a broad suit of armor and two identical pairs of battle boots.

  Tiger Soul Shield: Gold-tier item.

  Requirement: Level 20 Shield Guard.

  Status: Unidentified, unusable.

  Tiger Fang Blade: Gold-tier item.

  Requirement: Level 20 Assassin.

  Status: Unidentified, unusable.

  Battle Tiger Armor: Silver-tier item.

  Requirement: Level 20 melee class.

  Status: Unidentified, unusable.

  Battle Tiger Boots: Silver-tier item.

  Requirement: Level 20 melee class.

  Status: Unidentified, unusable.

  Discarding some of the less valuable items from his inventory, Ye Tianxie carefully stored the five dazzling gold and silver pieces in his backpack. The Amethyst Battle Tiger was a Level 20 lord-tier boss, so it was expected that its loot would also be around Level 20. However, any one of these three silver-tier or two gold-tier items was enough to stir up a huge sensation if made public.

  Turning over the Amethyst Battle Tiger’s body, Ye Tianxie spotted two scrolls of different sizes—one a dull gray, the other plain white. He picked up the gray one first. As he expected, it was an extremely rare, nearly impossible-to-obtain Skill Scroll!

  Skill Scroll – Berserker’s Will

  Requirement: None.

  Effect: Grants the skill "Berserker’s Will" upon use. When HP drops below 20%, the user can activate this ability, increasing physical and magical attack power as well as movement speed by 30%, but reducing defense by 50%. Consumes 30 MP, lasts for 30 seconds, and can be upgraded.

  Berserker’s Will… This was the very skill the Amethyst Battle Tiger had triggered when it was on the brink of death. However, this version was even stronger—not only was the activation requirement less restrictive compared to the tiger’s original 10% HP threshold, but it also allowed manual activation instead of being a passive trigger. A 30% boost to attack power and movement speed was something that even second- and third-tier class buffs struggled to match. Even more shocking… this was an upgradeable skill, meaning it would only become stronger over time.

  Ye Tianxie did not immediately use the skill scroll but stored it away before picking up the second scroll. The moment he held the white scroll, a crisp system notification rang in his ears:

  "Ding… Congratulations on completing the Abyss difficulty class advancement trial! You may now use the 'Abyss Trial Completion Certificate' to request the village chief to teleport you to the Lost Continent. Since you have cleared the highest difficulty trial, we will announce it publicly three times. Would you like to hide your name?"

  "Hide my name?" Ye Tianxie twitched at the suggestion. "I'd have to be crazy to do that! Also, three times isn’t enough—announce it five times! I want the entire world to know my name, Xie Tian!"

  The scroll in his hand was none other than the Abyss Trial Completion Certificate.

  The female system voice seemed to hesitate for a moment before falling silent, either at a loss for words or silently complying.

  System Announcement:

  "Ding… Player 'Buried God' and his team have successfully cleared the Nightmare difficulty class advancement trial, becoming the first team in Destiny to accomplish this feat. All team members—Buried God, Divine Shadow, Divine Falling Star… (12 members in total)—have received +4 Strength, +4 Vitality, +4 Agility, +4 Spirit, +1 Luck, +1 Charisma, a random class-appropriate Bronze-tier equipment piece, and an additional +20 Reputation."

  A huge uproar followed. The system-wide announcement sent waves through the entire Huaxia region, like a meteor crashing into a calm lake, causing shock and excitement among countless players.

  Divine Domain Alliance—a name well known and feared, representing immense power and influence. Once again, they had left all other players far behind. While many were still struggling repeatedly with the Hard difficulty trial, the Divine Domain Alliance already had a team that cleared Nightmare difficulty!

  Some were envious, others jealous, and many could only sigh in frustration. The overwhelming advantage held by such a powerful guild was something ordinary players could never hope to match. With their vast resources, best equipment, and elite teams, they alone had the capability to conquer Nightmare difficulty trials.

  Outside Novice Village #12000, twelve beams of white light flashed, and twelve figures materialized. There were both male and female members, perfectly balanced in roles and classes. Their equipment was dazzling—Bronze-tier gear was exceedingly rare, yet each of these twelve players wore at least two pieces. Most notably, the leader, a tall male warrior, had silver-tier bracers that made onlookers’ pupils contract in awe.

  "Haha! We did it!" The apprentice archer Divine Falling Star, wielding a bronze bow, shouted in excitement. The entire squad wore expressions of triumph. They had failed countless times in the Nightmare trial, but through sheer strength, superior preparation, teamwork, and some luck, they had finally succeeded.

  "Hmph, in the end, we were still the first to clear Nightmare mode. I bet the leader of Heavenly Wings, Tianzi, is looking pretty upset right now," sneered the towering shield user Divine Skywall, one of the two Shield Guards in the squad. He had taken on the brunt of the damage throughout the trial, acting as the team's immovable wall. His name was well known among all Huaxia players—he had been the strongest Guardian in Godslayer, and now, he remained a pillar of the Divine Domain Alliance.

  Buried God glanced toward the novice village with a calm smirk. "Good work… but don’t get complacent. Tianzi has Kill Without Mercy backing him up. He’ll likely clear Nightmare difficulty soon. For now, take the rest of the afternoon to finish any unfinished business in the village. Then, we’ll head to the main city and class-advance as quickly as possible. We must establish our dominance in the Lost Continent before Heavenly Wings does!"

  For him, Heavenly Wings was his strongest, and perhaps only, true rival.

  In the south, "Son of the Gods", and in the north, "Tianzi"—two of Huaxia’s most powerful figures. Their rivalry, both in reality and in gaming, had never ceased. Over time, it had only intensified. Rumors swirled that their conflict wasn’t just about controlling their respective guilds… but also because of a woman.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  A woman named Liu Qiyue.

  "Master, latest reports just in… Canglang’s team was completely wiped in Hard mode's fifth stage ten minutes ago. Tianzi and Kill Without Mercy attempted Abyss difficulty two hours ago but were wiped in thirty minutes. After regrouping, they’ve now entered Nightmare mode," Divine Shadow reported to Buried God.

  "Hmph." Buried God sneered. "Fools. Abyss difficulty is impossible to clear…"

  "Ding… System Announcement! Player 'Xie Tian' has successfully cleared the Abyss difficulty class advancement trial, becoming the first player in Destiny to do so!"

  "He has earned +5 Strength, +5 Vitality, +5 Agility, +5 Spirit, +1 Luck, +1 Charisma, +1 Insight, and +100 Reputation. He has also received the first-ever 'Novice Village Hero’s Medal' in the Huaxia region, and his name will forever be recorded in Destiny’s history!"

  Silence.

  A deathly, suffocating silence.

  For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The entire Huaxia region fell into an eerie, unnatural stillness. Every player, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, sat in stunned disbelief, listening to the system notification that had echoed five times in their ears.

  Abyss!?

  The Abyss difficulty trial!?

  Someone… actually cleared the Abyss difficulty class advancement trial!?

  "This... this is impossible." Divine Domain Falling Star's face was filled with shock and disbelief. The repeated system announcement made him question his own hearing. "We’re the strongest team, with the best equipment, yet we’ve never even made it past the third stage of the Abyss trial. There’s no way a stronger team exists! This 'Xie Tian' guy…."

  Wait…

  Xie Tian…

  Just one person!?

  It was as if a colossal lid had been slammed down over them, suffocating everyone in the overwhelming shock. Realization dawned, and the twelve members of Divine Domain fell into a dead silence once more. No one spoke. The system announcement had mentioned only one name—Xie Tian.

  That meant he had done it alone.

  He had single-handedly conquered the Abyss difficulty trial.

  "Impossible… impossible…" Divine Domain Falling Star muttered in a daze, shaking his head. "There’s absolutely no way… Even if he somehow cleared the Abyss trial, there’s no way he did it alone. He must have had a full twelve-member party, and the others must have died at the final stage… There's no way a single person could do it…."

  Every single one of them had personally experienced how terrifying the Abyss trial was. They had attempted it time and time again, only to fail repeatedly. Their best attempt? They had barely survived the second stage, losing six members along the way. And in the third stage? They had lasted mere minutes before being wiped out completely.

  They had the best equipment, the most complete supplies, the strongest teamwork, and the highest stats. They were, without a doubt, the strongest novice team.

  Yet even with all that, they couldn’t clear the Abyss trial.

  How could one person possibly succeed where they had failed?

  "You’re wrong." Divine Domain Skywall shook his head grimly. "For teams that enter the trial together, as long as even one member survives and clears it, the entire team is considered victorious. But the system announcement only mentioned one name. That means… he really did it alone."

  All traces of excitement disappeared from their faces.

  Just moments ago, they had been basking in their pride, celebrating their triumph over Nightmare difficulty. But in less than a minute, that pride had been mercilessly shattered.

  Compared to a single person clearing the Abyss difficulty trial—a feat so impossible it seemed more like legend than reality—their so-called "glory" now seemed utterly insignificant.

  "No way! Could it be a game exploit…?" Divine Domain Falling Star muttered in a daze. "Even the weakest monsters in the Abyss trial are one-star elites. We had to be extremely careful just to deal with one of them, but he supposedly defeated twelve in an instant? And then there were two-star elites, three-star elites, and even more terrifying enemies beyond them… How could one person possibly survive that? And why have we never heard of this ‘Xie Tian’ before?"

  "Destiny doesn’t have exploits," Divine Domain Skywall said coldly.

  Buried God remained silent for a long time, his expression unreadable. Finally, he turned and spoke.

  "Everyone, return to your own tasks. Shadow, find out everything there is to know about this 'Xie Tian' as soon as possible. I’m sure Tianzi will be very interested in him as well."

  "Yes, young master," Divine Domain Shadow responded before vanishing into the crowd.

  Novice Village #60001.

  The moment the system announcement rang out, a team struggling in the Hard difficulty trial came to an abrupt halt. Like every other player, they stood frozen, listening to the notification with stunned expressions.

  Among them, the five leading members stood at the front, their faces shifting between pale and flushed in utter disbelief.

  "Xie Tian… Xie Tian… It’s him!" A trainee archer’s face turned ashen as he recognized the name. He was none other than the unfortunate archer from the Maple Alliance, the one who had been humiliated by Ye Tianxie twice.

  Maple Ironwall’s expression darkened. As one of the leaders of the Maple Alliance, he had never forgotten his grudge against Xie Tian. He had sworn that as soon as they reached the main city and gathered their forces, he would track Xie Tian down and make him pay.

  But now, he suddenly realized how naive he had been.

  One person had cleared the Abyss difficulty trial—the same trial where full twelve-man teams couldn’t even pass the third stage.

  What did that mean!?

  A miracle? A legend? A myth?

  Was this really someone they still wanted to provoke?

  Maple Ironwall hesitated. Then, picking up his communicator, he contacted the leader of the Maple Alliance—Maple Gale.

  At the end of the trial grounds.

  As the system announcement echoed for the fifth and final time, Ye Tianxie nodded in satisfaction. Five times. The system had been obedient.

  Just then, a small, round medal the size of his palm gently floated down from the sky, hovering before him.

  It was a dull bronze color—nothing flashy, no dazzling glow, no intricate engravings. Both its front and back bore only two simple characters:

  "Brave One."

  Ye Tianxie picked up the medal, closing his fingers around it completely.

  Medals. No matter which virtual world, they were always the rarest, most invaluable type of equipment. The fact that they had no equip limit alone made them unbelievably scarce.

  Symbol of the Brave – Only those who have cleared the Abyss difficulty trial may obtain and equip this medal.

  Effect: Prestige +100.

  Untradeable. Undroppable. Unstealable. If discarded, it will be permanently lost.

  "...That's it?"

  Ye Tianxie stared at the medal, dumbfounded.

  Apart from the +100 Prestige, there were no other stats.

  This was the Abyss trial—a difficulty level deemed impossible to clear. The reward should have been something game-breaking. Yet, this Brave One Medal looked like the most underwhelming prize imaginable. It didn’t even compare to the Bronze-tier equipment awarded for clearing Nightmare difficulty.

  In Destiny, Prestige was an extremely difficult stat to increase. It could only be gained through significant achievements, completing special quests, or killing powerful bosses. Even completing a high-level quest would rarely award more than five Prestige points, and only defeating lord-tier bosses or higher would grant Prestige.

  So, 100 Prestige was actually an enormous amount.

  But Prestige mainly mattered for forming guilds, alliances, and other player factions. To someone like Ye Tianxie—who preferred to play solo—it was practically useless.

  Still…

  Ye Tianxie tightened his grip around the medal, deep in thought.

  Was Prestige really all it gave?

  It didn’t seem likely. There had to be something hidden, something that hadn’t been revealed yet.

  …Hopefully.