Chapter 21: The White Flame Guild and a New Ally

Despite the dean’s warning, Jinyoung couldn’t afford to stop. There was still so much he didn’t know—about the dungeons, about the ancient entities, and about his place in the coming war.

He had also made a decision: it was time to seek out Seo Minah and the White Flame Guild. If anyone could help him navigate the storm that was coming, it was Minah. In his previous life, she had become one of the most powerful and respected guild leaders in the world. But she had also been betrayed by those closest to her.

This time, Jinyoung intended to stop that betrayal before it happened. He needed her strength, and more importantly, he needed her trust.

But the moment he stepped into the White Flame Guild’s headquarters, he was greeted by a sight that took him by surprise—Minah, standing at the center of the training hall, wielding her iconic flame sword with lethal precision. Her movements were swift, each strike a blur of fiery power, and the heat from her mana radiated throughout the room.

Jinyoung watched silently, admiring her skill. In this life, Minah was still building her reputation, but her potential was undeniable.

When Minah finished her training and noticed Jinyoung, she raised an eyebrow. "You must be the one my sister’s been talking about," she said, her voice measured. "The prodigy from the academy."

Jinyoung bowed slightly, keeping his tone respectful. "I’ve heard a lot about you too."

Minah crossed her arms, studying him. "If you’re here to join the White Flame Guild, you’ll have to prove yourself first. We don’t take just anyone."

Jinyoung smiled faintly. "I wouldn’t expect anything less."

Chapter 22: A New Threat

Jinyoung stood at the edge of the White Flame Guild’s training grounds, his mind still replaying the brief conversation he had with Seo Minah. Her fiery resolve reminded him of the formidable warrior she would become in the future—a future where betrayal would destroy her. But for now, she was still a rising star, and Jinyoung had to tread carefully. Building her trust would be crucial to protecting her and the White Flame Guild from the dangers he knew were coming.

As he turned to leave, the air around him shifted. It was subtle at first, a faint ripple of mana that seemed out of place. Jinyoung paused, his All-Knowing Eye flickering to life. Something was wrong.

The ripple grew stronger, warping the space around him. The training grounds blurred, and Jinyoung’s vision darkened, as though the world itself was being twisted.

"Marked one."

The voice, cold and distant, echoed in his mind. Jinyoung’s heart raced as the ground beneath his feet vanished, replaced by a swirling void of shadow and light.

Before he could react, he was standing in a different place—a vast, endless expanse of dark clouds and fragmented time, where the sky was a broken mosaic of past and future events. Images of battles, dungeons, and monstrous beings flickered around him like shattered reflections.

In the distance, a figure stood waiting.

Jinyoung’s breath caught as he took in the sight of the figure. Clad in black armor that gleamed with an eerie, ethereal light, the person looked almost human—except for the way time itself seemed to bend around them. Their face was hidden beneath a hood, but their presence was overwhelming, radiating power and malevolence.

"You’ve progressed too quickly, marked one," the figure said, their voice distorted, like many voices speaking at once. "It wasn’t supposed to happen this way."

Jinyoung’s hand instinctively moved to his sword, but something stopped him—an invisible force holding him in place.

"Who are you?" Jinyoung demanded, his voice steady despite the rising tension. "What do you want?"

The figure took a slow step forward, and with each movement, the air around them rippled with the distortion of time. "I am the one sent to correct your course. Humanity was never meant to pass the trials. Your existence… threatens everything."

Jinyoung’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "Sent by who?"

The figure’s hood shifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of a pale, inhuman face. Their eyes, swirling with cosmic light, met Jinyoung’s gaze, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"The ones who control the dungeons," the figure said, their tone dark and foreboding. "You think you’re rising to power, but you’re nothing more than a pawn. The dungeons are not your path to freedom—they are your prison. And I am here to ensure you remain trapped."

Before Jinyoung could respond, the figure raised their hand, and the world around them collapsed.

Chapter 23: The Temporal Duel

Jinyoung found himself thrown backward through time and space, the world spinning wildly as the fabric of reality unraveled around him. His vision blurred, and his body felt weightless, as if caught in a maelstrom of time. He couldn’t tell if seconds or centuries had passed in the blink of an eye.

When the spinning finally stopped, Jinyoung crashed into solid ground, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. He groaned, pushing himself to his feet, only to find himself standing in a familiar place.

It was the first dungeon he had ever entered after returning to the past—the one where he had fought the National Disaster-Class Monster. The dungeon’s dark corridors stretched endlessly in every direction, and the oppressive atmosphere pressed down on him like a weight.

But something was different.

The walls were cracked and distorted, as if time itself had fractured the dungeon’s structure. Mana pulsed erratically, and the air was thick with the scent of burnt ozone. And standing at the far end of the dungeon was the figure—the entity from the void.

They stood still, their black armor glowing faintly, their eyes locked onto Jinyoung.

"You’re not human," Jinyoung said, his voice low and cold. "You’re something else. Sent to manipulate me. To manipulate time."

The figure tilted their head slightly. "Correct. I was born from the cosmic forces that oversee the dungeons. My task is to reset the timeline. To erase anomalies like you. The system was never meant to choose you."

Jinyoung gripped his sword tighter, feeling the tension rise within him. The All-Knowing Eye activated, scanning the figure for weaknesses, but everything about this enemy felt wrong—as if time itself protected them from being fully analyzed.

"What do you want from me?" Jinyoung demanded.

The figure’s voice was quiet but dangerous. "Your failure."

Without warning, the figure launched forward, their hand glowing with temporal energy. Time itself seemed to slow as they moved, distorting the space between them and Jinyoung. Jinyoung barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side as a blade of energy sliced through the air where he had been standing.

BOOM!

The force of the attack shattered the dungeon wall behind him, sending debris flying in every direction. Jinyoung’s heart raced as he scrambled to his feet, narrowly avoiding a follow-up strike that sent a pulse of energy coursing through the floor.

He summoned his shadow beast with Dawn of the Summoner, the creature materializing in front of him with a guttural growl. The beast charged at the figure, its claws extending toward the enemy’s chest.

But the figure raised a hand, and with a flick of their wrist, time seemed to bend. The shadow beast froze mid-strike, its body suspended in the air as though trapped in a temporal prison.

"Did you think your power would be enough?" the figure asked, their voice dripping with disdain.

Jinyoung cursed under his breath. This wasn’t just a battle of strength—it was a battle against time itself.