On top of that, it boasted a staggering 200000 Health! But despite everything, the difficulty hadn't increased compared to the previous battle—if anything, it had actually decreased. It wasn't just because Gray had grown stronger; it was also because Aiden had obtained an additional divine class since then. For a boss with high resistance to physical damage like this one, there was only a single purpose left: to serve as a punching bag. "Attack!" Following Aiden's command, Gray charged toward the Watcher without the slightest hesitation. … At Spawnpoint 6666, outside the Trial Temple, StormHalo and several others sat outside the hall, waiting idly. "The Abyss Trial seems to be quite a challenge. It's been over half an hour, yet NightTiger hasn't returned. He must've run into something troublesome." ZeroFlux glanced at the time, looking thoughtful. StormHalo shrugged. "It's the greatest difficulty, after all. Let's wait another five minutes. If there's still no news, I'll enter the Abyss Trial myself. "Time is precious. We can't just sit here waiting forever. Who knows? Maybe it takes hours to clear the trial." "That's true…" ZeroFlux agreed. I guess the Abyss Trial is going to be tricky… They'd had similar experiences in the past—spending long stretches of time painstakingly chipping away at the boss, bit by bit. It was a torturous process, exhausting both physically and mentally. Ding! The sharp ring of an urgent notification blared in StormHalo's ear. ZeroFlux smirked. "Who's messaging you so urgently? Is it your girlfriend, demanding to know why you haven't been spending any time with her?""Knock it off! It's from the guild. Something must have happened." StormHalo scolded, laughing lightly. Then, he checked the message. … Moments later, ZeroFlux watched the color drain from StormHalo's face. He hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?" "NightTiger… died in the Abyss Trial." StormHalo's voice came out hoarse. "So… he failed?" ZeroFlux frowned, confused. "Okay, the Abyss Trial is tough, but that doesn't explain why you look like you've seen a ghost." "No. I mean… he died. In real life." StormHalo's expression was extremely grim. "What? That's impossible!" ZeroFlux leaped to his feet, his expression changing dramatically. "You're saying he failed the trial… and actually died in real life?" "Yeah." StormHalo nodded heavily. "According to his colleagues, he died thirty minutes ago. It looked as though he'd been mauled to death by some sort of creature; his body was ripped open, and his guts were spilling everywhere."They sent him to the hospital immediately, but they couldn't save him." "If that's true…" ZeroFlux shook his head in disbelief, stunned by the news. "That means he died right after entering the Abyss Trial." He was struggling to even process what he was hearing. How could something like this happen? There was never any doubt about NightTiger's strength or abilities, yet even someone as strong as him… had died in the Abyss Trial? "Then… how did Nighthale clear the Abyss Trial? The gap is insane…" A hollow emptiness washed over ZeroFlux. Just the thought that he'd been considering entering the Abyss Trial himself sent a cold chill down his back. "I don't know." StormHalo paused for a moment before continuing, "But I'm certain of one thing: At our current level, entering the Abyss Trial would be a death wish. "Besides… I don't think it's that simple. With NightTiger's level, no one should've been able to drag him down that badly. "Perhaps Nighthale managed to exploit some kind of loophole when he cleared the Abyss Trial, but… replicating such a miracle is practically impossible, even for him." ZeroFlux gave a bitter laugh. "Who knows? Maybe he really is just that strong. Maybe he's playing on a whole different level than us." "That's unlikely. Either way, we need to figure out how NightTiger died." StormHalo took a deep breath. "I'm logging off. I won't be attempting the Abyss Trial anytime soon, but do as you wish." "I'm not entering the Abyss Trial either." ZeroFlux shook his head. "After what happened to NightTiger, I doubt anybody would be stupid enough to risk their life." Having reached an agreement, they prepared to leave the game. At that moment, the crisp mechanical tone of the system abruptly rang out. Ding! 'System announcement: Player 'Nighthale' from Grendola has successfully cleared the Level 20 Abyss Trial, becoming the first player in history to pass the trial. He is awarded the Legendary item: the Stone of Dominion.''Grendola's warzone points increased by one.' Both ZeroFlux and StormHalo stared at each other blankly, the announcement echoing endlessly in their ears. For a moment, they didn't even know how to react to the news. As top-ranked players, they had weathered countless storms. The news would have shocked them at any other time, maybe even caused some surprise or doubt. But it would never have driven them to such despair. However, NightTiger had just died. They had been convinced the trial was impossible to complete—only for reality to slap them hard across the face in the next second. "He actually cleared the Level 20 Abyss Trial…" StormHalo exhaled a long and shaky breath, a complicated look in his eyes. "What kind of skill… and game sense does he have?"