a new world under an old sky

Jin-Won gazed at the distorted horizon as the city changed before his eyes. The towers he once recognized had transformed into unfamiliar structures, and the bridges stretched unnaturally as if reshaping the very landscape. But what unsettled him the most was the floating castle looming above, watching them as if waiting for something.

"This… isn't normal," Jin-Won muttered, watching the surreal scene unfold.

Hori, still struggling to process what was happening, waved his hand in front of the still-floating system screen beside him. "World merging… Does that mean our world and that temple's world are becoming one?"

Jin-Won's phone rang again, and he instinctively put it on speaker.

"Jin-Won!" Si-Yeon's voice was filled with panic. "People in the streets are noticing the changes! Some think it's just an illusion or mass hysteria, but… others are starting to see the system screens like us!"

Jin-Won's eyes narrowed. "So we're not the only ones affected…"

A new notification flashed before them, as if the system itself had chosen this moment to make an announcement.

[ Global Announcement: The "World Merging Event" has officially begun. Rules will be revealed soon. Prepare to survive. ]

Hori froze in place. "Prepare to survive?! No, no, no—that's never a good phrase!"

At that moment, the ground trembled beneath them. Cracks of glowing blue light spread through the streets, releasing an eerie energy. And from those cracks, creatures unlike anything they had ever seen began to emerge—beings with glowing eyes and twisted bodies, nightmares brought to life.

Lyria's voice came through the phone, filled with urgency. "It's not just visual changes! There are… monsters appearing in our world!"

Jin-Won gripped his sword without hesitation. This was no longer just a mystery.

"Then we fight," he said, his gaze steady as he faced the unknown future.

Hori let out a nervous laugh. "You know, I wished for a boring day… but this? This is way more exciting than I bargained for!"

As the sky above them continued to shift, the world they once knew was reshaping itself into something entirely new.

—To be continued...