"Master?"
Uijae looked around, confused, and realized to whom he had handed the Basiliskâs Fang. It was Lee Sayoung, standing lazily with his usual indifferent posture, still wearing the same clothes from the Memorial Dungeon.
âNo wayâ¦â
The sword in his hand wriggled like a fish out of water, seemingly confirming Uijaeâs suspicion.
---
**[Fangâs thoughts: Finally, Iâve found you, master!]**
**[Fangâs thoughts: This one who held me is boring and neglectful! Iâm going back!]**
---
But Sayoung, supposedly the swordâs true master, only gave a slight nod, unimpressed.
âWhat are you doing, hyung? You pulled it out, now drive it into that skull.â
âI, uhâ¦â
ââ¦Huh?â
---
**[Fangâs thoughts: â¦Master?]**
**[The Basiliskâs Fang looks shocked.]**
---
Uijae didnât need to hear the swordâs thoughts to understand. The sword, which had been so lively in his hand, suddenly went still as if the weight of the betrayal hit it. Its supposed master, the one it longed to reunite with, wasnât welcoming it with open arms. Instead, he was ordering Uijae to use it to crush the skull of a fellow creature. Even though Uijae didnât particularly like the sword, having shared dangerous moments together in the rift, he couldnât help but glance at it sympathetically. The once chatty blade was now eerily silent.
ââ¦You okay?â Uijae asked, his concern misdirected.
âI think you should be asking that to yourself,â Sayoung retorted.
âNo, I mean⦠the sword.â Uijae clarified. The Fang remained mute.
Despite the awkwardness, Sayoung was rightâescaping from this place took priority. Uijae gripped the Fang tighter, feeling a sense of déjà vu, but his determination didnât waver. This time, he had people to protect.
Yun Gaeul didnât have much time left. They needed to leave. Uijae glanced down at the bones beneath his feet, recognizing that they could be mixed with his fallen comrades. Butâ¦
ââ¦.â
Would he ever be able to return here?
Could he be abandoning them again, just like before?
This might be the last chance.
âYouâll come back, J.â
The confident voice came from Yun Gaeul. Uijae looked up to see her golden eyes glowing as she spoke.
âOur souls will remember the way back. Maybe not many times, but we can come back, just like I was able to find my way to you.â
ââ¦.â
âBut I know⦠you want to find them now.â
Gaeulâs head lowered as she fidgeted with her hands.
âIâm sorry we canât stay longer to help you search⦠I wish we had more time.â
Even though she assured him they could return, a small part of Uijae remained uneasy. The guilt of not being able to save his comrades would always haunt him. Howeverâ¦
ââ¦No, thanks to you, I know that my comrades are here.â
ââ¦.â
âIf it werenât for you, I wouldâve kept wandering around the West Sea Rift, doing nothing.â
Uijae caught Sayoungâs gaze, and with a slight grin, he nodded toward Gaeul.
âThank you.â
Gaeul nodded back, her lips pressed tightly together. She wiped her eyes roughly with her sleeve. Uijae took a deep breath, then leaped into the air.
With a *whoosh*, he landed lightly on the massive pile of bones. The giant snakeâs skull came into view, its open jaw filled with white ash. He saw the black mark in the center of the skull where he had once driven the Basiliskâs Fang through it.
âIt really is the same placeâ¦â
His heart raced. The memories of that battle, the quiet desolation afterwardâit all threatened to overwhelm him again. But there was no time to dwell. He had people to save.
Uijae gripped the Fang with both hands. He raised the sword high, then drove it deep into the blackened scar.
*Thunk*.
ââ¦.â
The air shifted. A quiet hum vibrated around them as the once-still atmosphere began to stir. Behind the Basiliskâs Fang, a white vortex appeared, swirling steadily.
âAh⦠it worked.â
A sigh of relief escaped Uijaeâs lips. He held onto the sword, exhaling deeply just as a sharp cry followed by a light thud rang out. Sayoung landed nearby, holding Gaeul under his arm, bundled in his coat. She covered her mouth with one hand, looking pale as she mumbled.
âY-youâre not supposed to touch the poisonâ¦â
âStand on your own now.â
âY-yesâ¦.â
Gaeul shakily stood on her own feet. The three of them stood silently before the swirling vortex. But they couldnât afford to hesitate any longer. Uijae gestured for them to move, pulling the Fang free and stepping into the vortex first.
---
â¦Cha Uijae opened his eyes.
A dark ceiling greeted him. He shot up in bed, blinking rapidly as his vision struggled to adjust to the dim room. Slowly, the shapes around him became clearerâhe was lying in a bed, in a dark room, with the lights off. A sharp pain pulsed in the back of his hand.
âWhat theâ¦?â
He glanced down to see an IV drip attached to his hand. Minggijeok must have patched him up. Gently, Uijae removed the IV and looked around. Beside him was another bed, obscured by a curtain. He pushed it aside and found Sayoung lying in it, an IV also in his hand.
ââ¦Sayoung.â
At the sound of his name, Sayoungâs delicate brow furrowed slightly. A small groan escaped him before he slowly blinked his eyes open.
ââ¦Where are we?â
âI donât know. It looks like some kind of hospital room?â
ââ¦Ugh.â
Sayoung winced, clutching his head.
âWait, is your head hurting? Let me get someone.â
Uijae rushed to open the door. The room beyond was oddly familiar. The space was barren, as though no one lived here. He saw a familiar couch in the living room. This was Sayoungâs house.
And thenâ¦
Uijaeâs gaze drifted to the large window, and what he saw left him speechless.
White ash was falling from the sky.
ââ¦Why?â
At that moment, a sharp *beep* sounded, breaking the silence. The source was a comm device in the living room.
---
**âGuildmaster, this is Seo Min-gi. Iâm leaving this message because itâs not something I can report to you directly. The situation outside isnât good. The black hole has turned white, and debris is falling from it continuously. On top of that, countless infected are roaming the streets, attacking both Awakeners and civilians indiscriminately. Itâs like they were waiting for this moment.**
---
Why?
---
**âThe Wave Guild has initiated emergency protocols, and Deputy Guildmaster Bae Won-woo is overseeing the evacuation of civilians and containment of the infected. This concludes my report.**
**ââ¦â¦**
---
After a long silence, a single sentence followed.
---
**âPlease return quickly, J⦠and Guildmaster.**
---
The device went silent. Uijae stood there, pressing his hand against the cold window, staring at the scene outside. This⦠this was the ruined world. This wasnât supposed to happen here. Something had gone terribly wrong. There had to be a trigger.
Suddenly, he felt a tremor in the air, as if something was stirring. Instinctively, Uijae reached into his inventory. The Basiliskâs Fang was vibrating.
He pulled it out, and immediately, the swordâs thoughts flooded his mind.
---
**[Fangâs thoughts: This is happening because the master is gone.]**
âWhat? What are you talking about?â
---
**[Fangâs thoughts: â¦Donât you know? Youâre such an idiot.]**
**[Fangâs thoughts: The master was holding back the collapse of the ruined world, preventing it from merging with yours.]**
---
Master.
If Uijae thought back to the fragments and the behavior of the sword, its original master had likely been none other than Lee Sayoungâthe one who wandered the ruined world alone.
---
**[Fangâs thoughts: The master was both the warden and the chain holding it together.]**
---
Holding it together. A chain. White ash continued to fall from the White Hole, along with remnants of the ruined world. The West Sea Rift, which had been connected to the ruined world, and the rapid increase in dungeon erosionâit all made sense if the dungeons had been consumed by the ruined world.
The Fangâs thoughts continued.
---
**[Fangâs thoughts: But now that the master is goneâ¦]**
---
The White Hole began to glow brightly. And then, slowly, something massive began to emerge from it.
---
**[Fangâs thoughts: The ruined world is coming.]**
---
A colossal whale, like the one they had seen in the ruined world, was breaking through the White Hole.