Silence consumed the cliffside.
Even the corrupted humanoids stopped whispering.
They remained kneeling around the armored man in complete stillness, their distorted bodies lowered toward him almost reverently while the crimson lines spreading across the underground structure pulsed softly beneath the darkening sky.
Ayan's grip tightened around his sword.
Because now—
For the first time since entering this nightmare—
He was looking at something truly intelligent.
Not an unstable creature.
Not a corrupted beast.
Not a fragmented consciousness speaking through layered voices.
A person.
Or at least—
Something that still resembled one perfectly.
The man standing before the underground entrance looked no older than thirty. His black hair fell neatly around sharp features untouched by corruption or instability, and aside from the glowing crimson eyes and the strange armor fused directly into parts of his body—
He could have passed for ordinary.
That alone felt deeply wrong.
The silver-ranked adventurers clearly felt it too.
The spear wielder's expression hardened sharply.
"…What are you?"
The crimson-eyed man slowly turned his gaze toward him.
Calm.
Almost curious.
Then—
"I asked first."
His eyes shifted back toward Ayan.
"…You are progressing faster than projected."
Ayan felt cold unease crawl beneath his skin.
Not because of the words themselves.
But because of how naturally the man spoke.
Like they were continuing a conversation already started long ago.
Ayan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…You know me."
The man smiled faintly.
"…Not personally."
"…Yet."
The crimson light surrounding the underground structure flickered softly.
Ayan's thoughts sharpened immediately.
This thing—
This person—
Was connected directly to the network.
Not controlled by it.
Integrated with it.
And judging from the creatures kneeling nearby—
High within its hierarchy.
The red-haired archer aimed another arrow instantly.
"Talk later."
The arrow shot directly toward the man's head.
Fast.
Precise.
The crimson-eyed man didn't move.
The arrow stopped midair.
Not blocked.
Frozen.
The surrounding space distorted faintly around it before the arrow slowly turned—
And pointed back toward the archer herself.
Her eyes widened sharply.
"…What—"
The arrow fired backward instantly.
BOOM.
She barely avoided it, the projectile exploding through the stone pillar behind her violently.
The man lowered his hand casually.
"…Hostility remains predictable."
The spear wielder immediately moved.
Fast.
His spear pierced forward with impressive force aimed directly toward the man's throat.
But before impact—
Black tendrils erupted from the ground beneath him.
The corrupted humanoids moved simultaneously.
The spear wielder cursed as he twisted away from the tendrils wrapping toward his legs while the dual-blade fighter rushed forward from the side, blades flashing toward the crimson-eyed man's torso.
This time—
The man moved.
Smoothly.
Effortlessly.
He caught one blade barehanded.
Then drove his other hand directly into the fighter's stomach.
CRACK.
The sound alone made Ayan's chest tighten.
The dual-blade fighter was launched backward violently, blood spraying from his mouth as his body crashed across the stone ground.
Too strong.
Way too strong.
And unlike the creatures before—
His movements were perfect.
Controlled.
Refined.
The crimson-eyed man slowly looked down at the blood on his hand before glancing toward the injured adventurer almost thoughtfully.
"…Fragile."
Aelira stepped forward immediately.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The man's faint smile disappeared for the first time.
His crimson eyes narrowed slightly toward her.
"…Irregular existence."
Aelira's expression remained cold.
"…Network vessel."
A faint silence followed.
Then surprisingly—
The man laughed quietly.
Not mockingly.
Genuinely amused.
"…So you remember us."
Us.
Ayan noticed that immediately.
Aelira's gaze sharpened.
"…You abandoned humanity."
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…No."
His glowing eyes shifted briefly toward the corrupted humanoids kneeling around him.
"…We improved it."
Ayan felt disgust rise instantly.
Because now—
The truth stood directly in front of him.
This was one of the Earth visitors.
One of the people who joined the system willingly.
And somehow—
He still believed what he was doing was right.
The spear wielder helped the injured dual-blade fighter backward while glaring sharply toward the man.
"…You turned people into monsters."
The crimson-eyed man looked genuinely confused for half a second.
"…Monsters?"
His gaze slowly moved across the battlefield.
"…You still think evolution follows comfort."
The corrupted humanoids surrounding him slowly stood again.
"…Humanity was always incomplete."
"…Fear."
"…Emotion."
"…Conflict."
His glowing eyes returned toward Ayan directly.
"…Weakness."
Ayan's expression hardened immediately.
"…And you think becoming this fixes that?"
The man smiled faintly again.
"…It already has."
The ground beneath the cliffside pulsed violently.
Ayan immediately felt it.
The network.
Not just underground anymore.
Moving.
Responding.
The crimson-eyed man stepped forward slowly.
"…You felt it too, didn't you?"
His voice softened slightly.
"…The connection."
Ayan's grip tightened unconsciously.
Because yes—
He had.
The visions.
The instinctive recognition.
The crystal reacting to him.
The network already touching his thoughts.
The man noticed the hesitation immediately.
"…You understand faster than the previous candidates."
Ayan's eyes narrowed sharply.
"…Candidates for what?"
The man's faint smile widened slightly.
"…Integration."
The corrupted humanoids around the battlefield all whispered together.
"…Integration…"
"…Integration…"
"…Integration…"
The sound crawled beneath Ayan's skin.
The crimson-eyed man extended one hand toward him calmly.
"…Join us willingly."
The silver-ranked adventurers immediately reacted.
"What kind of insane—"
But the man ignored them completely.
His eyes remained fixed entirely on Ayan.
"…You already know the truth."
"…This world cannot survive naturally anymore."
"…The network is inevitable."
Ayan's thoughts raced.
Because part of what the man said matched the visions.
The system truly believed itself necessary.
Not evil.
Necessary.
That made it infinitely more dangerous.
The man took another step forward.
"…You've already begun synchronizing."
Ayan's chest tightened slightly.
"…No."
The answer came instantly.
Firmly.
The man's expression didn't change.
"…Denial is expected during early convergence."
Ayan slowly raised his sword.
"…I'm not becoming part of your system."
For the first time—
The crimson-eyed man's smile faded completely.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Then his voice lowered slightly.
"…That answer has repeated before."
Ayan's heartbeat slowed.
Because suddenly—
He understood exactly what that meant.
The previous anomaly.
The one before him.
They resisted too.
At first.
The man looked at him almost regretfully.
"…And yet eventually…"
The crimson light beneath the cliffside intensified violently.
"…Everyone chooses survival."
The entire underground structure trembled.
The corrupted humanoids surged forward simultaneously.
And the crimson-eyed man—
Finally moved to attack.