The Seoul apartment was a fragile sanctuary, its warmth clashing with the storm brewing in Sung Jin-Woo's mind. The System's latest directive pulsed like a warning drum: [X-Rank Trial: Enter Agnorath's Void Nexus. Warning: Agnorath's Presence Strengthens.] The vision of Agnorath—X-rank, clutching a shard of the Cup of Reincarnation, sneering about breaking all worlds—had shaken Jin-Woo more than he'd admit. His SSS-rank power, with an infinite shadow army and enhanced Shadow Dominion, felt like a drop against the void's ocean. Agnorath wasn't just a threat; he was a force rewriting the rules of existence, and his influence was creeping into Jin-Woo's bloodline—Su-Ho's shadow pet, Jin-Ah's awakening mana.
Jin-Woo stood in the living room, watching Su-Ho play with toy soldiers, oblivious to the tiny shadow Igris that had vanished but left a mark. Cha Hae-In sat nearby, cleaning her sword, her eyes flicking to Jin-Woo with unspoken worry. Jin-Ah, sprawled on the couch with a textbook, kept stealing glances, her resolve to join the fight burning brighter. The air was thick with unspoken truths, and Jin-Woo knew he couldn't shield them forever.
"Jin-Ah," he said, breaking the silence. "We start training tomorrow. You've got mana, but it's raw. Hae-In will guide you."
Jin-Ah's eyes lit up, her textbook forgotten. "Finally! What's my rank? S? SS?"
Hae-In smirked. "Slow down, rookie. You're barely E-rank. We'll get you there."
Jin-Woo's heart ached. Jin-Ah's enthusiasm mirrored his own in the early days, but the stakes were higher now. Agnorath's Void Nexus wasn't a dungeon—it was a dimension where X-rank power reigned. He needed his team ready, and that meant pulling in more allies.
His phone buzzed—Woo Jin-Chul. "Sung, we've got problems. More fractures in Busan, Incheon, and Jeju. SS-rank beasts spotted. Gun-Hee's pulling strings to keep it quiet, but the public's getting antsy. You back from Baekdu?"
"Yeah," Jin-Woo said. "Closed the SSS-rank trial. Agnorath's avatar was X-rank. His real form's stronger, and he's targeting my family."
Jin-Chul cursed. "I'm sending Yoon-Ho to Seoul. Thomas Andre's on a plane from the States. You need a plan, Sung. This is global now."
"Get them to my place tonight," Jin-Woo said. "And Jin-Chul… check on my mom. If Agnorath's reaching for Su-Ho and Jin-Ah, she's not safe."
"On it," Jin-Chul said, hanging up.
Hae-In stood, sheathing her sword. "Void Nexus sounds bad. You're not going in alone, right?"
Jin-Woo met her gaze, her strength grounding him. "You, Yoon-Ho, maybe Thomas. But Jin-Ah stays back until she's ready."
Jin-Ah pouted. "I can help now!"
"You will," Jin-Woo said, voice firm. "But not yet. Agnorath's playing a long game, and I need you alive."
Su-Ho looked up, clutching a toy. "Dad, are you fighting bad guys again?"
Jin-Woo knelt, ruffling his son's hair. "Just keeping the world safe, buddy." The boy's eyes flickered purple for a split second, and Jin-Woo's stomach twisted. Agnorath's influence was growing.
By evening, the apartment was a war room. Baek Yoon-Ho arrived, his beast aura filling the space, followed by Thomas Andre, whose massive frame barely fit through the door. Jin-Chul joined via video call, his precinct's screens showing fracture maps. Jin-Ah hovered, absorbing every word, while Hae-In kept Su-Ho distracted with a puzzle.
Jin-Woo laid it out: the Void Nexus, Agnorath's X-rank power, the escalating fractures. "The System's pushing me to X-rank," he said. "But Agnorath's already there, maybe higher. His beasts are SS to SSS-rank now, and his avatar mentioned breaking worlds. We need to hit the Nexus, find his plans, and stop him before he reaches Seoul."
Thomas cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Sounds like a party. What's this Nexus like?"
Jin-Woo's Shadow Echo flickered, showing a glimpse: a labyrinth of void spires, pulsing with X-rank energy, beasts roaming like living shadows. "It's his stronghold," he said. "Worse than the Core Realm. Expect heavy resistance."
Yoon-Ho leaned forward. "And this Agnorath guy? What's his deal?"
"He's ancient," Jin-Woo said, recalling visions. "Tied to the Cup of Reincarnation. He wants to evolve to Transcendence rank, but something's stopping him. He's using me—my evolutions—as a key."
Hae-In frowned. "Using you? How?"
Jin-Woo hesitated. "My power… it's tied to the System, which he might've created. Every rank I climb, he gets closer to his goal. But I don't have a choice. If I stop, the fractures will tear everything apart."
Jin-Chul's voice crackled through the call. "I've got teams monitoring fractures, but we're outmatched. Sung, you're our best shot. What do you need?"
"Time," Jin-Woo said. "Train Jin-Ah, protect Su-Ho and my mom. I'll take Hae-In, Yoon-Ho, and Thomas to the Nexus. If we don't come back in 24 hours, assume the worst."
Jin-Ah's eyes widened. "Oppa, you're coming back. Promise."
He forced a smile. "Always."
The Void Nexus portal was hidden in an abandoned temple near Busan, its crimson glow pulsing through cracked stone. The air was heavy, mana so dense it made Yoon-Ho's beast form flicker involuntarily. Jin-Woo's SSS-rank senses mapped the rift: a labyrinthine dimension, crawling with SS and SSS-rank beasts, led by a new X-rank minion—not Agnorath himself, but a "Void Herald" serving him.
The System chimed: [X-Rank Trial: Defeat the Void Herald. Eliminate 20 SS/SSS-Rank Beasts. Warning: Void Nexus Amplifies X-Rank Power.]
Jin-Woo summoned Igris, Beru, and Tusk, their forms radiating power. "Stay tight," he told his team. "This place will try to break us."
They stepped through, reality warping into the Void Nexus—a sprawling maze of black crystal spires, void rivers glowing purple, and a sky of endless storms. The air was alive, whispering Agnorath's name like a chant. Jin-Woo's shadows stirred, uneasy, as if the realm itself rejected them.
The first wave hit—a swarm of ten SS-rank wraiths, ghostly forms with void claws. Jin-Woo unleashed Shadow Dominion, his infinite army surging—knights, ogres, dragons. Hae-In's light sword flashed, burning through wraiths, while Yoon-Ho's tiger form tore through their ranks. Thomas tanked, his fists shattering crystal ground to slow the swarm. Jin-Woo moved like a storm, Shadow Blades slicing cores. [Beasts Eliminated: 5/20.]
The wraiths adapted, merging into a single SSS-rank specter. Its psychic scream staggered Yoon-Ho, blood dripping from his ears. Jin-Woo countered with Shadow Echo, slowing time to predict its strikes. He and Hae-In tag-teamed, her light weakening it, his shadows binding it. Thomas landed a bone-crushing punch, and Jin-Woo finished it with a Ruler's Authority crush. [Beasts Eliminated: 6/20.]
The second wave was fiercer: ten SSS-rank golems, their bodies forged of void crystal. They resisted shadows, dissolving Jin-Woo's army with each strike. He summoned Tusk's firestorms, weakening their cores, while Hae-In and Yoon-Ho flanked. Thomas took hits, his durability holding. Jin-Woo used Shadow Echo to find weak points, teleporting to shatter cores. [Beasts Eliminated: 15/20.]
The final five were SSS-rank chimeras—hybrids of beast and void, each unique. One breathed void flames, burning Thomas's arm. Another's claws grazed Hae-In, leaving a void scar. Jin-Woo's rage flared, his Shadow Dominion expanding to trap them. He absorbed a chimera's essence with Shadow Echo, seeing Agnorath's throne again—closer, X-rank power suffocating. [Beasts Eliminated: 20/20.]
The Void Herald emerged—a knight of void and bone, X-rank, wielding a scythe that warped space. "Monarch," it hissed, "Agnorath molds you. Submit."
"Tell him to come himself," Jin-Woo spat, daggers drawn.
The battle was chaos. The Herald's scythe tore through shadows, its void aura draining Jin-Woo's mana. Hae-In's light clashed, weakening it, while Yoon-Ho and Thomas flanked, their attacks barely denting its armor. Jin-Woo's Shadow Echo revealed its core—a pulsing void heart. He teleported, dodging scythe swings, and used Ruler's Authority to pin it. Hae-In struck, her sword cracking the core. Jin-Woo drove his blade in, void energy exploding. [Void Herald Defeated. X-Rank Trial Complete. Reward: X-Rank Unlocked.]
The Nexus trembled, expelling them to the temple. Jin-Woo's body surged with X-rank power—void integration, teleportation enhanced. But he was battered, blood mixing with void scars. Hae-In and Yoon-Ho were worse, Thomas barely standing.
"We survived," Thomas gasped, grinning. "But damn, that was rough."
Hae-In leaned on Jin-Woo. "Agnorath's not playing. What's next?"
The System chimed: [EX-Rank Trial: Face Agnorath's Prime Avatar in the Abyssal Nexus. Warning: X-Rank Presence Overwhelms.]
Back in Seoul, Jin-Ah greeted them, her mana stronger. "I trained with Jin-Chul," she said. "I'm ready to help."
Jin-Woo hugged her, fear and pride mixing. Su-Ho ran in, eyes glowing purple. "Dad, I saw you fighting in my dream!"
Cliffhanger: Jin-Woo's Shadow Echo triggers: Agnorath, X-rank, steps from his throne, holding the Cup shard. "Your bloodline is mine," he sneers, as Su-Ho's shadow pet reappears, growing larger.