Chapter 27: A Strange Encounter

On the fourth day after the battle, Jinyoung decided to pay a visit to the White Flame Guild headquarters. His interaction with Seo Minah had been brief, but she intrigued him. In his past life, Minah had become a powerful force—one of the strongest hunters the world had ever seen. Yet, she had been betrayed by her closest allies, leaving her broken and defeated.

Not this time, Jinyoung thought. He wasn’t just going to protect her future—he was going to ensure she reached her full potential.

When he arrived at the guild, the air felt charged with energy. The White Flame Guild was in the middle of an intense training session, and the sound of swords clashing, spells being cast, and commands being shouted filled the area. Minah stood at the center, sparring with several high-ranking guild members.

Her fiery aura blazed around her, her flame sword cutting through the air with precision and speed. She moved with an ease that belied her strength, her every step calculated, her attacks devastating. Even though she was still early in her rise to power, the potential was clear—she was destined for greatness.

But as Jinyoung watched, he felt something odd—a faint disturbance in the air, a flicker in the mana flow around the guild. His All-Knowing Eye activated instinctively, scanning the surroundings for anything unusual.

And then he saw it.

At the edge of the training grounds, standing just beyond the shadows of the trees, was a figure. At first glance, it seemed like just another observer, but the longer Jinyoung focused, the more he realized that something was wrong.

The figure didn’t belong.

It wasn’t just an ordinary person—it was another entity, cloaked in temporal distortion. Time itself warped around them, the faint ripple of their presence sending chills down Jinyoung’s spine.

Without warning, the figure disappeared, vanishing into thin air as if it had never been there.

Jinyoung clenched his fists. They’re watching.

Chapter 28: Preparing for the Coming Storm

Later that evening, Jinyoung found himself alone in the guild’s training hall. He had excused himself from the others, claiming he needed time to reflect on the day’s events. But in reality, he was here to prepare.

He couldn’t afford to let his powers remain stagnant. The Dawn of the Summoner and Space Manipulation had proven useful, but against entities that could manipulate time, he needed something more.

As he stood in the center of the hall, Jinyoung activated his Space Manipulation, pulling various weapons and magical artifacts from his personal dimension. He had collected them from previous dungeons, and now it was time to see what they were truly capable of.

But as he began experimenting with the artifacts, trying to fuse their abilities into his fighting style, the whispers returned.

They were faint at first, like the wind moving through leaves, but soon they grew louder, more insistent.

“He knows too much.”

“The timeline must be corrected.”

Jinyoung froze. The voices weren’t just inside his head—they were real, coming from somewhere within the hall.

Suddenly, the air around him warped, and reality twisted as though someone had grabbed the threads of time and pulled them tight. A figure stepped through the distortion—this one different from the entity he had faced before. It was younger, dressed in sleek black robes that shimmered with the energy of cosmic time.

"You shouldn’t be here," the figure said, their voice cold and distant.

Jinyoung’s heart raced. "Who are you?"

The figure didn’t answer. Instead, they raised a hand, and time around Jinyoung froze. The world became still—except for him.

"Time doesn’t belong to you, Jinyoung," the figure said, stepping closer. "You are an anomaly. A mistake."

Jinyoung struggled against the temporal freeze, but it was no use. The figure’s control over time was far stronger than anything he had faced before. This wasn’t just a test—this was an execution.

The figure’s eyes glowed with a soft blue light. "The dungeons were never meant to be conquered by humans. They were designed to test your limits. But you… you’ve upset the balance. You were never meant to survive."

Jinyoung gritted his teeth, fighting against the pressure that held him still. His mind raced, searching for a way out.

Then, in a split second, he felt it—a gap in the figure’s control over time, a brief moment where the flow returned to normal.

With every ounce of strength, Jinyoung broke free from the freeze, his body blurring as he activated Ultra Instinct. He dashed toward the figure, his sword raised, aiming for their core.

SLASH!

But before his blade could connect, the figure vanished, leaving behind only a faint ripple in the air. Time snapped back to normal, and the training hall returned to its usual state.

Jinyoung stood there, panting heavily, his mind racing. This entity had been stronger than the last—and smarter. They were learning from his abilities, adapting to his moves.

They weren’t just trying to stop him. They were trying to erase him.

Chapter 29: The Warning

The next day, Jinyoung found himself deep in thought as he made his way back to the academy. The figure’s words echoed in his mind, and the weight of their warning pressed heavily on him.

You are an anomaly. A mistake.

The entities weren’t just targeting him because of his power. They saw him as a threat to the balance of time itself. His return to the past had altered something—triggered a chain of events that the ancient entities could no longer control.

But what was the true purpose of the dungeons? Why were they testing humanity’s strength? And why did these entities want to stop humans from passing the trials?

Jinyoung didn’t have the answers yet, but he knew one thing: if he wanted to survive, he had to stay ahead of the entities.

As he entered the academy grounds, he noticed a familiar figure standing by the entrance.

Seo Yuna.

She was waiting for him, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Jinyoung’s heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. Yuna had always been sharp—she had seen through his abilities from the start, and now, more than ever, she was curious.

"Jinyoung," she called out, her voice calm but firm. "We need to talk."

Jinyoung nodded, walking over to her. "What’s going on?"

Yuna’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Something’s been happening, hasn’t it? I’ve noticed the way you’ve been acting—how you’re avoiding certain things. And yesterday… I saw something. A presence. Near the guild."

Jinyoung’s breath caught. Had she seen the temporal entity?

"You’re hiding something," Yuna continued, her voice growing colder. "And it’s not just about your power. It’s something bigger."

Jinyoung hesitated. He couldn’t reveal everything—not yet. But Yuna wasn’t going to let this go.

"Look," Jinyoung said carefully, "there’s something dangerous coming. It’s related to the dungeons—and it’s bigger than anything the academy or the guilds can handle."

Yuna studied him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face for answers. Finally, she sighed. "If you’re right, then we need to prepare. Whatever it is, it’s not just coming for you. It’s coming for all of us."

Jinyoung nodded. She was right. The entities weren’t just targeting him—they were targeting humanity. The dungeons weren’t just a test of power. They were something else entirely.

And Jinyoung was going to uncover the truth—no matter the cost.