The letter lay on his desk, stamped in silver wax, carrying the weight of expectation heavier than steel.
> Seo Rin, you are hereby invited to the Silver Fang Guild's trial. Bring only those you trust.
His eyes lingered on the seal for a long moment. Guild politics, promises of power, trials meant to break the unworthy — all of it reeked of hidden motives. Still, it was a path he had to walk.
But before he could step forward, he needed to look back.
---
The Seo estate rose above the city like a forgotten relic of old wealth — a penthouse mansion of black glass and marble perched against the skyline. Tall gates opened silently as Rin approached, the household staff bowing deeply.
"Welcome home, young master," the head butler greeted, his voice steady, respectful.
They were not bound by contract or coin. They had stayed after his father's death, tending the house out of loyalty and memory. Their presence had been the only constant warmth in a life of silence.
Inside, the halls gleamed. Polished floors, chandeliers that caught the light like stars, portraits of ancestors watching silently. It was too clean, too quiet — a house that looked lived in but never felt alive.
He passed the garage on his way to the lower chambers. Rows of sleek cars gleamed under the fluorescent lights — sports cars, limousines, and a black armored SUV that could drive through a battlefield.
Rin smirked faintly. I really should get my license soon.
---
At the deepest level, behind reinforced doors marked with runes, lay his father's vault. The lock clicked open at Rin's touch — as though it had been waiting for him.
Inside, the air was heavy with dust and memory. Rows of weapons rested on pedestals, each humming faintly with dormant power.
The System flickered alive before his eyes.
---
[System Scan – Relic Weapons Identified]
Runebound Bracers (S-Rank): Absorbs a portion of incoming magic damage and redirects it as kinetic force. Once per day, may unleash stored energy in a single devastating strike.
Obsidian Fang Dagger (S-Rank, Unfinished): Forged from void-touched ore. Incomplete — unstable. Risk of backlash when used. Its edge can cut even reinforced barriers, but at a cost.
Ashen Mantle (S-Rank Armor): Indestructible fabric woven from phoenix down and shadow silk. Negates environmental damage (fire, frost, poison). Carries the echo of all who wore it.
Stormcall Talisman (S-Rank Accessory): Calls down a localized thunderstorm once per battle. Can amplify lightning-based skills and disrupt enemy mana concentration.
Broken Blade of Seo Jihan (Father's Sword): Once a Mythical weapon, now shattered. Retains fragments of its former glory. The edge hums faintly, as though yearning to be whole again.
---
Rin traced his hand across the broken blade. His chest tightened.
Did this blade fail you… or did you fail it?
He chose what he needed: the Runebound Bracers, the Ashen Mantle, and the Stormcall Talisman. Tools for survival, not glory.
On the far wall, carved into stone in his father's hand, were words that felt like a curse:
> "If you enter, do not expect to leave unchanged."
The weight of those words followed him out of the vault.
---
By dusk, Rin met with his closest allies in the academy courtyard. Min Jae-seok leaned casually against the gate, his sharp telepath's gaze flickering with unreadable thought. Hyun-woo carried his staff with the calm confidence of a mage, while So-yeon's eyes gleamed with a scout's restless energy.
They were the only ones he trusted.
The air rippled, and the dungeon gate unfurled before them — a swirling vortex of blood-red mist and spiraling runes. Its surface shimmered like water, promising both fortune and ruin.
System Notification blinked across his vision:
[Dungeon Instance: Crimson Crypts]
Rin stepped forward, blade at his side, the Codex whispering quietly in his soul.
Preparation ends here. Strength is the only language the Fang understands.
Together, the four entered the gate.
The air warped. The ground trembled.
And from within the crimson dark, the first echoes of something ancient stirred.
Codex Record – The Seo Estate
> "The Seo family mansion is less a home and more a monument. A glass-and-steel labyrinth rising above the city like a fortress of light. Inside, polished marble halls lead to vast living spaces, a private training gym, and facilities so advanced they blur the line between home and fortress. At its heart stands a statue — the father and mother of the Seo bloodline — guardians cast in stone, their shadows stretching long in the dusk. The world remembers them as heroes; the son remembers them as ghosts.
Legacy, it seems, is a mansion too large for a single soul to fill."