Darkness no longer felt foreign.
Seo Joon had grown used to the void, to the absence of warmth and light ever since the collapse. Yet, as his eyes slowly fluttered open, what greeted him wasn't the desolate crater of the fallen Guildhall but a foreign sky — deep violet, swirling with streaks of shimmering silver.
He was lying on hard stone, surrounded by a field of broken swords and ancient, decayed banners. A whispering wind carried the scent of blood and ash.
[Welcome to the Second Floor.]
[Trial Objective: Protect the Innocent. Time Limit: 3 Hours.]
A translucent screen hovered before him, letters carved from light. Beneath it, smaller text glowed:
Innocents Remaining: 12/12.
Enemies Approaching: 00:01:54
He barely had time to breathe before movement stirred beside him. A girl—no, a young woman—stood shakily, her clothes torn, eyes scanning the battlefield with frightened determination.
Her aura was faint, but her posture was ready.
"Are you... awake?" she asked, voice quiet but steady.
Seo Joon nodded, standing. The weight of fatigue clung to his limbs, but his core burned with something unfamiliar—power. Residual energy from the collapse? Or something… older?
"Cha Yu-ri," she said, offering her name like a shield. "I don't know how we got here, but I won't let anyone else die. Not again."
Joon felt it then — the presence of others. Behind crumbling walls and shattered towers, more figures moved, dazed and scared. Children, the elderly, a wounded man clutching his ribs. This was no battlefield — it was a slaughter waiting to happen.
He glanced at the floating timer.
00:00:37
Yu-ri had already moved, placing herself between the survivors and the open plains. Her hands glowed faintly — low-tier reinforcement magic. Weak but brave.
Seo Joon stepped forward, ignoring the protests in his body.
[Would you like to assume the role of "Guardian"?]
[Accepting this title will bind you to the fate of the Innocents.]
He didn't hesitate.
[Title Accepted: Guardian of the Nameless.]
[Stats Amplified Temporarily. New Skill Acquired: "Unseen Bulwark."]
The wind shifted.
From beyond the hills, shadows emerged — misshapen beasts of bone and smoke, their limbs dragging across the earth like weapons of war.
Yu-ri tensed. "We'll never hold them off..."
Joon stepped beside her, calm, gaze locked on the approaching death. "We don't need to hold them off."
He raised his hand. The air trembled.
"We end them before they reach us."