Darkness.
Not silence.
But a quiet place between moments.
James stood there again.
The same dream.
The same endless black space.
And the five figures.
Their shapes were still indistinct, cloaked in shadows that twisted like smoke. Their presence alone felt ancient, far older than anything James had seen in the system.
They stood around him like observers.
Judges.
Or guardians.
This time—
One of them stepped forward.
The darkness around that figure peeled away slowly.
A familiar face appeared.
Martis.
But not the Martis James knew.
This version stood taller.
More imposing.
His aura was heavier, darker, more regal.
For a moment, his red eyes met James'.
And just as James tried to speak—
The dream shattered.
---
Back to Reality
The angel floated high above the battlefield.
The three reward pillars had already faded.
He clapped lightly once again, gaining everyone's attention.
"Now that the tutorial boss has been defeated…"
His tone sounded almost casual.
"…it is time for the next phase."
Players looked up nervously.
The angel continued.
"Since the two worlds—Earth and Odenha—have merged, your civilizations will now share a new planet."
Murmurs spread across the battlefield.
"A world capable of sustaining all of you."
He smiled gently.
"Your old homes are irrelevant now."
The sentence landed like a stone.
Some players clenched their fists.
Others simply stared.
The angel raised a finger.
"You will have one day."
"Exactly until midnight."
His eyes gleamed.
"After that… the real beginning will start."
The smile on his face widened slightly.
"And this time…"
He spread his arms.
"…no angel will appear to guide you."
The air grew heavy.
Then—
He flicked his hand.
A system message appeared across the sky.
[Planetary Transition Initiated.
All players will be transported.
All deceased players will be resurrected.
Resurrected players will return at Level 1.]
Light spread across the battlefield.
Bodies of the fallen began glowing.
One by one—
The dead stood up again.
Alive.
But weakened.
Confused voices filled the air.
Then—
The world shifted.
Space twisted.
And everyone disappeared.
---
A New Planet
Players reappeared across an entirely different landscape.
No buildings.
No cities.
No technology.
Just forests.
Mountains.
Open plains.
Rivers.
A world untouched.
It was like being thrown back to the very beginning of civilization.
And everyone had been scattered.
Separated.
James' eyes slowly opened.
Grass brushed against his cheek.
His body still ached faintly from the earlier impact.
He sat up slowly.
"…Where am I?"
The last thing he remembered was the fox's energy blast.
He scanned the surroundings.
Tall grass.
Dense trees.
No battlefield.
No players.
No fox.
James exhaled slowly.
And he quickly deduced—
'The fox must have been killed.'
'Then the angel transported everyone.'
He didn't waste time.
"Summon."
Two figures appeared.
Sampon stretched lazily as he materialized.
Martis appeared beside him immediately.
The moment Martis saw James—
His expression shifted.
"You're awake."
There was clear concern in his voice.
"Are you okay?"
James blinked.
Martis almost never showed that kind of tone.
Realizing it—
Martis quickly straightened his posture and forced his usual cold expression back.
James noticed.
But pretended he didn't.
"I'm fine," James said casually.
He then looked between them.
"What happened after I got hit?"
Sampon grinned slightly.
"Well…"
And just like always—
Sampon began telling the story.
He explained everything.
The fox being restrained.
Vishal cutting two tails.
Vinni cutting the last one.
Gob killing the fox.
The angel giving rewards.
And finally—
The planetary transfer.
James listened carefully.
When Sampon finished, James asked quietly,
"So… where are we now?"
Sampon shrugged.
"A new planet."
James froze.
"…A new planet?"
"Yes."
"No Earth?"
"No cities."
"No internet."
Sampon smiled lazily.
"Just a fresh planet and a lot of humans."
James stared blankly for a moment.
Then rubbed his face slowly.
"That's… insane."
But suddenly—
He remembered something.
The dream.
He looked at Martis.
"I saw something again."
Martis' eyes narrowed slightly.
"In my dream."
James described it briefly.
The five figures.
And the one who stepped forward.
Martis.
For the first time—
Martis' eyes widened.
Just slightly.
But then—
His expression returned to normal instantly.
"It's nothing," he said calmly.
James stared at him for a moment.
But didn't push further.
The dream felt important.
Yet Martis clearly didn't want to discuss it.
Before James could ask anything else—
His system rang.
A familiar notification appeared.
[Random Summon Available.]
James blinked.
Then slowly smiled.
"Well…"
He looked at Martis and Sampon.
"Looks like we're getting a new teammate."