The ruins of the 9th Ward were silent.
Not abandoned—erased. Buildings melted into stone. Roads twisted into spirals. The air itself felt wrong, like time had forgotten how to move.
Minwoo stood at the edge of the crater, Nexus Blade pulsing faintly. Kinro hovered beside him, his human form flickering with dragon heat.
Minwoo nodded. "Then let's read it."
They stepped into the crater.
The Dungeon Gate
At the center of the ruins stood a jagged monolith—twenty feet tall, carved with runes that bled light. The Knight Guild had tried to breach it. Failed. Lost a squad. But the moment Minwoo approached, the runes shifted.
A symbol appeared.
Kinro growled. "That's Jin's mark."
The gate opened.
Inside the SS-Rank Dungeon
The descent was steep—stone stairs spiraling into darkness. No torches. No light. Just whispers.
Minwoo heard them.
Kinro's eyes glowed gold. "This place is alive."
They reached the bottom.
A chamber opened before them—massive, circular, filled with floating shards of memory. Each shard showed a scene:
• Jin fighting a Sovereign.
• Saejin hiding Minwoo under the table.
• A young Minwoo holding a broken blade.
Then the center shard pulsed.
It showed Jin—older, bloodied, standing before a sealed door.
He turned.
Minwoo stepped forward.
The shard shattered.
A new door appeared.
Kinro's voice was low. "That's not a dungeon door. That's a vault."
Minwoo raised the Nexus Blade.