The Seoul apartment was a fragile beacon of warmth against the encroaching dread that Sung Jin-Woo felt in his bones. The System's latest directive pulsed like a heartbeat: [EX-Rank Trial: Face Agnorath's Prime Avatar in the Abyssal Nexus. Warning: X-Rank Presence Overwhelms.] The vision of Agnorath—X-rank, clutching a shard of the Cup of Reincarnation, his voice snarling, "Your bloodline is mine"—had seared itself into Jin-Woo's mind. His son, Su-Ho, now carried a growing shadow pet, a miniature Igris that flickered with void energy. His sister, Jin-Ah, was awakening mana, her E-rank power stirring under Hae-In's training. Agnorath's influence was no longer distant—it was personal, invasive, targeting the family Jin-Woo had reset the world to protect.
In the living room, Jin-Woo watched Su-Ho draw, the boy's crayon scribbles depicting shadowy figures that looked eerily like Igris. Hae-In sat beside him, her light mana a soft glow as she cleaned her sword, her eyes sharp with worry. Jin-Ah, fresh from a training session with Woo Jin-Chul, paced restlessly, her newfound mana buzzing like static. The air was thick with tension, the weight of the Void Nexus battle still fresh—Jin-Woo's X-rank power, with void integration and enhanced teleportation, felt potent but insufficient against Agnorath's growing shadow.
"Jin-Ah," Jin-Woo said, breaking the silence, "how's training going?"
She stopped pacing, her dark hair tied back, eyes gleaming with determination. "Jin-Chul's tough, but I'm getting it. I can summon a spark of mana now—nothing big, but it's something. Let me come with you to this Nexus."
Hae-In shook her head. "You're E-rank, Jin-Ah. The Abyssal Nexus is X-rank territory. Even I'm barely keeping up."
Jin-Ah's fists clenched. "I'm not helpless, Hae-In. Oppa, you said I could help."
Jin-Woo's heart twisted. Her stubbornness was his own, but the thought of her facing Agnorath's minions chilled him. "You will," he said, voice firm but gentle. "Train harder. When you hit C-rank, we'll talk. For now, stay with Su-Ho. He's… changing."
Su-Ho looked up, crayon in hand. "Dad, my shadow friend grew bigger! He talks to me sometimes."
Jin-Woo knelt, forcing a smile. "What's he say, buddy?"
"He says a big shadow's coming," Su-Ho said, innocent but eerie. "And he's mad."
Hae-In's grip tightened on her sword. Jin-Woo's Shadow Echo twitched, showing a glimpse of the Abyssal Nexus: a void-choked abyss, X-rank energy pulsing, and a figure—Agnorath's Prime Avatar, stronger than the Void Herald, radiating malice. The System's coordinates pointed to Jeju Island, a place scarred by past battles.
"We're moving out tonight," Jin-Woo said, standing. "Hae-In, Yoon-Ho, Thomas. The Nexus is no joke. Jin-Chul, can you guard Seoul?"
Jin-Chul's voice crackled through a phone on the table. "Got it. I've got teams on the fractures—SS and SSS-rank beasts popping up. Your mom's safe, Sung, but Jin-Ah's right. She's ready for more than you think."
Jin-Woo glanced at his sister, pride and fear mixing. "Keep her training. I'll call after the Nexus."
Jeju Island's shores were haunted by memories of the ant invasion years ago, but now a new wound scarred the land. The Abyssal Nexus portal glowed crimson in a volcanic cave, its energy so dense it warped the air. Jin-Woo, Hae-In, Yoon-Ho, and Thomas Andre stood before it, the ocean's roar a grim backdrop. Yoon-Ho's beast aura flickered, his eyes glowing white. Thomas, his massive frame tense, cracked his knuckles. Hae-In's light mana flared, her sword ready.
"This feels worse than Baekdu," Yoon-Ho said, sniffing the air. "Like the island's alive."
Jin-Woo's X-rank senses confirmed it: the portal pulsed with Agnorath's will, X-rank power suffocating. "The Prime Avatar's in there," he said. "Stronger than the last. We clear its guards, then hit it hard."
The System chimed: [EX-Rank Trial: Defeat Agnorath's Prime Avatar. Eliminate 25 SS/SSS-Rank Beasts. Warning: Abyssal Nexus Enhances Void Power.]
Jin-Woo summoned Igris, Beru, and Tusk, their forms radiating X-rank strength. "Stay close," he told his team. "This place will test us."
They stepped through, reality twisting into the Abyssal Nexus—a labyrinth of void-crusted caverns, walls pulsing with purple veins, the air thick with screams of distant worlds. The sky was a void storm, lightning cracking with X-rank energy. Jin-Woo's shadows stirred, resisting the realm's pull. Hae-In's light mana burned brighter, countering the oppression, while Yoon-Ho's beast form growled, claws flexing.
The first wave hit—a swarm of fifteen SS-rank shades, humanoid voids with scythes. Jin-Woo unleashed Shadow Dominion, his infinite army surging—knights, dragons, giants, now moving with tactical precision. Hae-In's sword danced, light slicing through shades, while Yoon-Ho tore through ranks, his tiger form a blur. Thomas tanked, fists shattering void armor. Jin-Woo teleported with Shadow Step, Shadow Blades piercing cores. [Beasts Eliminated: 10/25.]
The shades merged into five SSS-rank specters, their screams psychic daggers. Jin-Woo's Shadow Echo countered, showing their movements in slow motion. He directed his army, binding specters with shadows. Hae-In's light weakened them, and Yoon-Ho's claws shredded their cores. Thomas took a hit, blood dripping, but roared through it. [Beasts Eliminated: 15/25.]
The second wave was relentless: ten SSS-rank leviathans, serpentine voids with jaws of black flame. They resisted shadows, dissolving Jin-Woo's army. He summoned Tusk's firestorms, weakening their scales, while Hae-In flanked, her light burning flames. Yoon-Ho grappled a leviathan, his beast form straining. Jin-Woo used Ruler's Authority to crush two, teleporting to strike cores. [Beasts Eliminated: 25/25.]
The Nexus shook, caverns collapsing. The Prime Avatar emerged—a colossal figure of void and crystal, X-rank, its face a mask of shifting shadows, eyes glowing with Agnorath's malice. "Monarch," it boomed, voice shaking the realm, "you climb, but Agnorath owns you."
Jin-Woo gripped his daggers, shadows coiling. "He'll have to try harder."
The battle was chaos. The avatar wielded a void spear, each thrust tearing reality. Jin-Woo dodged with Shadow Step, countering with Shadow Blades. Hae-In's light clashed, weakening its aura, while Yoon-Ho and Thomas flanked, their attacks barely scratching it. The avatar's spear grazed Jin-Woo, void energy burning his chest. His Shadow Echo revealed its core—a pulsing void heart, guarded by shifting crystal.
"Target the heart!" Jin-Woo shouted. He summoned his full army—five hundred shadows—swarming the avatar. It retaliated, void waves dissolving hundreds. Hae-In took a hit, blood staining her armor. Yoon-Ho's beast form faltered, and Thomas staggered, his fists bloodied. Jin-Woo's rage surged, his X-rank power peaking. He used Shadow Dominion to bind the avatar, shadows wrapping its limbs. Hae-In struck, her light cracking the crystal. Jin-Woo teleported, driving his blade into the heart. Void energy exploded, shaking the Nexus. [Prime Avatar Defeated. EX-Rank Trial Complete. Reward: EX-Rank Unlocked.]
The realm collapsed, expelling them to Jeju's cave. Jin-Woo's body surged with EX-rank power—multiverse weave, linking timelines for boosts. But he was battered, void scars burning. Hae-In leaned on him, bleeding. Yoon-Ho and Thomas were worse, barely standing.
"We're alive," Thomas gasped, grinning. "But that was insane."
Hae-In coughed. "Agnorath's not messing around. What's next?"
The System chimed: [XX-Rank Trial: Face Agnorath's Shadow Council in the Eternal Nexus. Warning: X-Rank Presence Peaks.]
Back in Seoul, Jin-Ah met them, her mana now C-rank. "I'm ready, oppa," she said, eyes fierce. Su-Ho hugged Jin-Woo, his shadow pet now a full-sized Igris, speaking: "Master's bloodline strengthens."
Jin-Woo's Shadow Echo triggered: Agnorath, X-rank, stood from his throne, shard glowing. "Your family fuels me," he sneered.
Cliffhanger: As Jin-Woo prepares to train Jin-Ah, his Shadow Echo shows Agnorath summoning his Shadow Council—three X-rank entities, each holding a piece of Jin-Woo's past. The System flashes: [Warning: Bloodline Corruption Accelerates.]