10:01 PM – The Moment She Decided
The Lich's skeletal fingers curled inward.
The dungeon trembled.
The last remaining undead knights clutched their spectral weapons, preparing for another onslaught.
But—the Silver-Haired Woman moved first.
She darted forward, not toward the undead, not toward the group—
But straight for the throne.
Kyung-min barely had time to react. "Wait—!"
Her black cloak billowed behind her, silver hair catching the dim green light of the dungeon as she raced through the battlefield.
Seok-hoon's eyes widened. "What the hell is she—"
She was fast. Faster than before.
As if this was what she had been waiting for all along.
Her feet barely touched the ground, movements razor-sharp as she wove between the remaining spectral warriors, dodging grasping skeletal hands and swinging phantom blades with impossible precision.
Tae-sik slashed through an approaching ghoul and turned, shouting, "OI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING!?"
She didn't answer.
She was already above them.
Leaping.
Her body twisted mid-air, her dagger flashing as she descended like a blade cutting through the sky—
Right toward the Lich's Throne.
10:02 PM – The Throne Breaks
Her blade sank into the black stone.
Crack.
The throne shuddered.
An unnatural wail burst from the walls of the dungeon, echoing through the entire chamber like the death cry of something far older than the Lich itself.
The ground split apart.
The Lich's burning green eyes widened.
And then—
The throne exploded.
10:03 PM – The Death of an Undying King
A pulse of violent, green necrotic energy erupted outward, sending shockwaves through the room. The force nearly knocked the others off their feet, the sheer weight of the dying magic pressing into their bones like a final curse.
Kyung-min was forced backward, shielding his eyes from the blinding burst of light.
Seok-hoon dug his heels into the stone floor. "What the hell—"
The undead knights and ghouls collapsed instantly, their bodies disintegrating into ash, their forms no longer bound to existence.
The cursed berserkers let out howls of agony as their forms cracked apart, fading into dust as the spell that kept them alive was severed.
The Lich's body convulsed.
The sickly green glow in its hollow sockets flickered.
Then, for the first time—
It screamed.
The mournful, unnatural wail of something that was never meant to die.
The remaining necrotic energy shattered like glass, dissipating into thin air.
And just like that—
The Lich was gone.
The greatest foe they had ever faced—erased.
10:05 PM – The System Notification
A system notification rang in all of their ears.
🔹 [Final Trial Completed – The Undying King Has Fallen.]
🔹 [Your party has leveled up!]
[+5 Level Ups Received!]
🔹 [A New Treasure Has Appeared.]
The battle was over.
But no one spoke.
Because floating where the throne had once stood—
Was something else.
10:07 PM – The Final Reward
It hovered just above the shattered remains of the throne.
A single floating core.
It pulsed with a sickly green glow, its form shifting, flickering between tangible and ethereal.
Something about it felt—wrong.
Unstable.
Like it wasn't supposed to exist.
Seok-hoon's breathing steadied. "What… is that?"
Min-jun adjusted his glasses, scanning the object with a deep frown. "It doesn't have a name."
Kyung-min's eyes narrowed.
Then—the Silver-Haired Woman moved again.
Without hesitation, she reached forward—her fingers brushing against the floating relic.
🔹 [???]
🔹 Tier: Unique (Growth, Soulbound)
🔹 Effect: ???
Ji-hye exhaled sharply. "What the hell is that description?"
Min-jun's frown deepened. "It's not an item… at least, not one the system recognizes."
Tae-sik's lips curled in frustration. "Whatever. It's ours now."
The moment she touched it—
It pulsed violently.
The relic let out a low hum, vibrating in her grasp—before suddenly—
It shot backward.
Straight into Kyung-min.
10:10 PM – The Chosen Vessel
The impact wasn't physical.
It wasn't like getting struck by a weapon.
It was like something intangible had passed through him, burning through his chest, searing itself into the very core of his being.
Kyung-min staggered backward, gasping.
His vision blurred. His body felt—heavy.
Like something deep inside of him was waking up.
And for a moment—
Everything was silent.
Then—
A new system notification appeared.
🔹 [Soulbound Assimilation in Progress.]
🔹 [The ??? has chosen its vessel.]
🔹 [You cannot reject the process.]
🔹 [Complete the ritual to begin Awakening.]
Kyung-min's heart pounded.
Seok-hoon took a sharp step forward, his voice cold. "What did you do?"
Kyung-min didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Because for the first time since the apocalypse began—
The system had made a choice.
And it had chosen him.