As Jie returned from the brink of death, a quiet wave of relief swept through the shattered room.
The tension that had choked the air moments earlier loosened slightly, leaving behind the heavy exhaustion of survival.
Master K sat heavily on the stone floor, cradling the unconscious boy in his arms.
The hardened martial artist—whose name alone had once shaken arenas—gently wiped a smear of blood from Jie's forehead with trembling fingers.
For a moment, the old master looked incredibly frail and tired.
"Silly child…" Master K murmured softly, his voice thick with restrained emotion.
"I told you to practice your stance… not stand in front of a blade for this old man."
The words were light, but the guilt beneath them was heavy enough to crush stone.
Across the ruined chamber, Kai watched silently. Relief flickered inside him for a brief second before it vanished, swallowed by a much darker thought.
Anna's lifeless eyes flashed in his memory—the warmth of her blood still clinging to the Harpe. His jaw tightened as cold fury began to rise.
[SKILL: ZERO KELVIN – ACTIVATED]
Frost crept along Kai's neck, spreading across his skin like a sudden winter. His gaze hardened into something sharp, cold, and utterly merciless as he locked eyes onto the Masked Man.
"Why are you here?" Kai demanded, stepping forward.
His voice trembled. Not with fear—but with the strain of holding back something violent.
"No… that's not the real question." Kai's fists clenched. "Why are you helping me? You killed her."
Each word felt like a blade.
"You treat people like numbers. Like pieces on a board."
The Masked Man did not respond. He simply turned away, walking calmly across the chamber to stop near the empty pedestal where the Statue had once stood. His gloved fingers brushed across the bare stone, as if confirming a suspicion.
Kai's anger exploded. "ANSWER ME!"
He raised his hand to strike.
SHING.
A flash of movement. Kai froze. The tip of a golden blade hovered mere millimeters from his chin, forcing his pupils to shrink.
The Masked Man hadn't teleported.
Kai had simply been too slow to see him move.
"Remain silent," the Masked Man said calmly. His voice carried no anger. No threat. Just absolute certainty.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he flipped the weapon in his hand, letting it spin once through the air.
"Catch."
Kai barely managed to grab the heavy sword by the hilt. The moment his fingers wrapped around it, the weapon vibrated violently, sending a deep metallic hum resonating through his bones.
It felt ancient. Awake. Powerful.
"This sword is—" the Masked Man began.
Static violently hijacked Kai's mind. Reality glitched. The sound did not reach his ears. It was not silence; it was systemic corruption, as if the universe itself had deleted the word before it could fully exist.
Kai blinked, disoriented. "What?"
Seeing the confusion on Kai's face, the Masked Man tilted his head slightly.
The System is censoring me. Interesting.
"Forget the name," he corrected calmly. "Names are irrelevant. Understand only its function."
He pointed toward the dark stairway leading to the fifth floor.
"Use that sword to slash the Heart of the Source. And do not hesitate. No matter what situation you face."
Kai looked down at the divine executioner in his hands, disgust twisting his expression. He wants me to save Nyra. He wants me to cut the Seed. He raised his eyes again, his grip tightening on the hilt.
"Why give this to me? I still don't trust you."
The Masked Man shrugged lightly.
"Trust is not required. Results are." He pointed again toward the fifth floor.
"The consciousness sarcophagus awaits. Time is ticking, Anomaly."
Kai turned to leave, but before he could step away, the Masked Man spoke again.
"Take Master K with you. He will be a great help."
Kai stopped and slowly turned back. His eyes drifted toward the battered old master and the frightened disciples beside him.
"Why them?" Kai asked quietly, his voice cracking with dry exhaustion.
"They've already faced enough despair today. Why force them into more? He should rest."
For a moment, heavy silence filled the chamber.
Then, Master K gently laid Jie down on the ground. The old master stood up slowly, adjusting his torn gi. When he lifted his head again, something fundamental had changed.
His aura erupted outward—not the violent red corruption that had plagued him earlier, but something far purer. White Qi. Clean, steady, and unyielding.
"My apologies, young Kai," Master K said calmly, the weakness from earlier entirely vanished from his voice.
"I have shown you a shameful side of myself today. But do not forget something."
He turned toward the massive stone wall blocking the most direct path to the ritual chamber and placed a single palm flat against the stone.
"I am Level 60. And I am an Errant."
[SKILL: TURBO SHIFT – RESONANCE]
HUMMMMM—
The air began to vibrate violently. It wasn't blunt force; it was pure frequency. The stone wall trembled, but it did not crack.
Instead, the molecules holding it together began to lose cohesion. The very bonds of matter unraveled.
FWOOSH.
The entire wall collapsed instantly, turning not into rubble, but into a cascade of fine, powdery sand.
Kai stared in stunned silence. So this… is the power of a Grandmaster.
Master K turned back toward him and bowed slightly.
"I owe a debt. To the Dungeon. And to you."
He turned to his two conscious disciples, his tone returning to absolute command.
"Carry Jie to the lower floors. Wait for the police. Do not look back."
The disciples nodded quickly and hurried away, supporting their injured brother between them.
Soon, only Kai and Master K remained. Before them stretched the dark tunnel leading to the final floor. A cold wind whispered from the depths.
Kai glanced back. "Aren't you coming with us?"
The Masked Man stood alone in the center of the ruined chamber, silent and still.
His gaze was fixed on the deepest corner of the room, where the shadows had grown unnaturally thick—almost alive.
"Go," the Masked Man whispered. For the first time, something strange entered his voice: Sorrow. Then, his eyes hardened into glacial focus.
"There is someone I must meet. Someone who has been watching us… for a very long time."
Suddenly, the shadows pulsed.
"GO!"
The explosive urgency in his voice snapped Kai back to reality. Kai took a deep breath. He tightened his grip on the golden blade in his right hand, raised his Dark Sword in the left, and nodded.
"Let's go, Master K."
Without another word, the two of them sprinted into the darkness, their footsteps fading rapidly into the abyss.
Absolute silence returned to the chamber. The Masked Man adjusted his coat slowly, smoothing the fabric.
Then, he spoke to the empty room. Or rather, to the shadows.
"You can come out now."
The Masked Man watched the shadows carefully.
So… you finally decided to show yourself.