The global outcry was deafening. The public, now fully aware of the S-rank guilds' corruption and incompetence, demanded their immediate dissolution. Protests swelled, independent Awakeners openly challenged guild authority, and even some mid-tier guilds began to splinter, seeking new affiliations. Lee Jin-ho and Jung Ho-jun, once untouchable figures, were pariahs, their every public appearance met with jeers and fury.
In their shared desperation, the two grandmasters, despite their bitter animosity, forged a fragile, volatile alliance. Their goal: crush Dream Weaver. Not just to restore their power, but to erase the living testament to their downfall.
"They're coming," Min-jun stated, his voice calm, standing before his team in their subway sanctuary. His "Tactical Flow Foresight" had been running continuously, mapping the converging forces of Lionheart and Golden Lion. "A combined assault. They've pooled their resources, their elite units, even their S-rank Awakeners. Their desperation makes them predictable."
He pointed to a section of the city on the holographic map – the vast, abandoned Jinsung Industrial Complex. A sprawling wasteland of rusted factories and derelict warehouses, crisscrossed by old rail lines. "This will be our battlefield. It's a high-mana zone, crisscrossed with dormant mana ley lines, perfect for subtle manipulation. And it's isolated enough to contain the fallout."
Kim Min-jun (Awakener System's New Category)
* Rank: A (System struggling to keep up, but functionally S-rank)
* Level: 70
* Strength: 120
* Agility: 200 (Reached peak human agility, pushing beyond)
* Stamina: 130
* Mana: 200 (Immense reserves and recovery)
* Unique Skill: Lucid Dream Training (System Anomaly / True Awakening Rank) - "System Integration" (A-Rank) - allows for limited, real-time manipulation of other Awakeners' System interfaces (e.g., causing momentary skill glitches, displaying false warnings). "Mana Core Resonance" can now induce significant, temporary environmental mana fluctuations within a large area. "Mana Replication" can generate complex, sentient mana constructs (minor golem-like entities, defensive mana barriers). "Tactical Flow Foresight" provides full strategic and tactical prescience, allowing for battlefield control on a massive scale. Current Focus: Large-Scale Combat Orchestration, Awakener System Rewrite, Global Mana Network Harmonization.
They spent the next day turning Jinsung Industrial Complex into a death trap. Chul-soo, using his enhanced strength and new "Tremor Field," fortified strategic choke points and rigged crumbling structures for controlled demolition. Ji-won created a network of highly realistic, multi-layered illusions throughout the complex – phantom allies, illusory collapsed sections, and disorienting sensory distortions designed to sow confusion. So-yeon pre-charged mana traps, using her "Mana Overcharge" to imbue them with immense kinetic potential, while readying herself for constant, high-level healing.
Professor Kim, remotely, kept a constant vigil on the S-rank guilds' approach, feeding Min-jun real-time updates on their formations and tactics.
The combined force of Lionheart and Golden Lion, a dark tide of elite Awakeners, poured into the complex at dusk. Grandmaster Lee Jin-ho, a towering figure wielding a colossal mana-infused hammer, led Lionheart. Grandmaster Jung Ho-jun, his eyes burning with vengeful fury, commanded Golden Lion, his movements swift and predatory.
"Dream Weaver! Show yourselves, you cowards!" Lee Jin-ho's roar echoed through the industrial wasteland, amplified by a mana-user.
Min-jun's voice, calm and amplified by Ji-won's illusions, resonated back. "Welcome, Grandmasters. Your arrogance has brought you to your own grave."
The battle began. The S-rank guilds charged, their combined might overwhelming. But they weren't fighting mere Awakeners; they were fighting a meticulously woven strategy.
As Lionheart's vanguard slammed into Chul-soo's fortified position, his "Steel Shield" became an unyielding bastion. He met their charge with devastating concussive force, using "Tremor Field" to disorient them. So-yeon, moving like a phantom, flowed between Chul-soo and the incoming attacks, her "Minor Regeneration" immediately mending any damage, her "Mana Overcharge" pushing Chul-soo's defensive capabilities beyond their limits.
Golden Lion's ranged unit, led by Seo Jin-ah, unleashed a barrage of mana blasts. But Ji-won's illusions distorted their aim, making them hit phantom targets or even their own allies. A sudden, terrifyingly real illusion of a massive steel press crashing down sent a section of Golden Lion's mages scrambling in panic.
Min-jun was everywhere and nowhere. His agility, bordering on teleportation, allowed him to dart through the chaotic battlefield, seemingly vanishing and reappearing. He didn't engage in prolonged duels. His goal was disruption, not destruction. He used "Mana Signature Replication" to mimic A-rank Awakeners' mana signatures, causing their own mana sensors to go haywire, identifying allies as enemies. He activated Min-jun's pre-set mana traps, unleashing bursts of kinetic force that sent Awakeners flying or collapsing crumbling structures onto enemy formations.
He engaged Lee Jin-ho, the Lionheart Grandmaster, for a fleeting moment. Lee Jin-ho's hammer, imbued with earth mana, swung with terrifying force. Min-jun, using "Tactical Flow Foresight," not only dodged, but subtly shifted the mana ley lines around Jin-ho using "Mana Core Resonance," causing the ground beneath him to momentarily give way, throwing his balance. Before Jin-ho could recover, Min-jun's replicated "Mana Blades," sharp and shimmering, struck at vulnerable mana nodes, forcing the Grandmaster to activate his defensive skills prematurely.
"What is this?!" Jin-ho roared, infuriated by his disoriented senses and the phantom attacks. "His mana signature is shifting! He's an F-rank!"
Jung Ho-jun, a blur of axe-wielding fury, hunted Min-jun relentlessly, but Min-jun always seemed to be one step ahead, leading him into Ji-won's most disorienting illusions or Chul-soo's concussive traps.
Then came Min-jun's decisive blow. Using "System Integration," he didn't just target their Awakeners; he targeted their very System interfaces. For a terrifying minute, every Awakener from Lionheart and Golden Lion saw their own skill panels glitching, their mana meters fluctuating wildly, their ranks temporarily displaying as "F-rank" or "Anomaly." It was a psychological attack, shattering their confidence, making them question their own powers.
As panic spread, Min-jun acted. He used "Mana Core Resonance" to induce a localized mana surge, causing a long-dormant portal generator within the complex to flicker to life. The portal shimmered, leading to a secure, high-security Awakener Association containment facility – a place filled with evidence of S-rank guild corruption, secured by Professor Kim's hidden agents.
"Grandmasters!" Min-jun's amplified voice boomed, his figure appearing directly above the portal, illuminated by its eerie glow. "Your reign of corruption ends now! Choose: surrender and face justice, or be consumed by the chaos you created!"
Lee Jin-ho and Jung Ho-jun, witnessing their forces in disarray, their own minds reeling from the System glitches, finally saw the truth. This was not an F-rank. This was a force entirely beyond their comprehension. Their S-rank lieutenants were falling, not to brute force, but to cunning, precision, and an almost supernatural manipulation of reality itself.
Seeing their broken forces, their prestige shattered, their secrets exposed, the two Grandmasters, defeated not by strength but by absolute strategic dominance, finally surrendered. Lee Jin-ho slammed his hammer to the ground, a gesture of capitulation. Jung Ho-jun, his axe clattering, slowly raised his hands.
The news choppers, alerted by Professor Kim's network, captured the moment. The defeated S-rank grandmasters, surrounded by their bewildered, demoralized forces, kneeling before the enigmatic F-rank guild, Dream Weaver.
The Awakened world erupted. This was not just a victory; it was an execution of the old order. The Awakener Association, now under immense public pressure, was forced to act. Investigations were launched, guild licenses were suspended, and key figures arrested based on the evidence Min-jun had subtly amplified through the Awakener System.
Kim Min-jun (System's New Category: Weaver)
* Rank: S (System confirms dominant power)
* Level: 80
* Strength: 130
* Agility: 220 (Beyond comprehension, almost intangible)
* Stamina: 140
* Mana: 250 (Limitless potential)
* Unique Skill: Lucid Dream Training (System Anomaly / Weaver Rank) - "System Integration" (S-Rank) - allows for direct, comprehensive manipulation of the Awakener System's core protocols, including global rank adjustments, skill re-calibration, and resource allocation. "Mana Core Resonance" can now permanently stabilize up to S-rank dungeon cores, and can create stable, private dimensional gateways. "Mana Replication" can generate complex, sentient mana constructs capable of autonomous action and mimicking any known skill. "Tactical Flow Foresight" provides absolute, real-time control over all variables within a large-scale conflict. New Focus: Global Mana Network Harmonization, Awakener System Reform, Era Redefinition.
The battle for dominance was over. Dream Weaver, a guild born from obscurity and rebellion, now stood as the undisputed new power in the Awakened world. Min-jun, the F-rank who defied the System, had not just ascended; he had redefined it. The old world had fallen, and under the watchful eye of the Weaver, a new era, shaped by understanding, control, and a profound responsibility, was about to begin.