Chapter 31: The Forgotten Vault

The ground trembled.

Dust rained from the ceiling of the chamber as the sect's core members instinctively reached for their weapons. But Lee-oh raised a hand—calm, yet visibly strained—as the mark in his palm burned red-hot.

The system interface pulsed violently in front of his vision:

[World-Level Trial Initiated][Anchor Protocol Breached – First Vault Unlocked][Warning: The Founder's Legacy is Splintered]

"Legacy?" Lee-oh muttered, gripping his palm as if trying to suppress the energy.

Lady Rin turned to the others. "We must leave. If the vault has awakened, staying here is suicide."

But Daey-ib blocked her path.

"No. No more riddles. What is that vault?"

She hesitated—then finally spoke.

"It's where the original bearer tried to seal his failed Ascension."

A silence fell. Then Lee-oh's voice cut through it.

"You knew about this from the start."

"We all did," Kang Joon-oh admitted, adjusting his sleeve. "It was hidden history. Classified even among royals. The first system bearer's mind fragmented during the process. He tried to become more than mortal... and in doing so, nearly broke the world."

"The vault beneath your sect is one of three across the continent," General Namrok added grimly. "Yours is the Heart Vault. The central core."

Minister Siyeon nodded. "We believed it dormant—until your rise."

Lee-oh took a deep breath, the heat in his palm spreading up his arm. "Then what do I do? If I stop now, everything we've built collapses. But if I continue…"

"…you risk awakening the first bearer's will," Lady Rin finished.

Daey-ib stepped beside Lee-oh. "Then we seal the vault again."

But the system responded before anyone else could.

[Anchor Seal Irreversible – Trial Initiated][All Core Members Registered as Legacy Candidates]

"What does that mean?" Daey-ib asked, eyes darting.

Lee-oh's breath caught. "We've all been marked… as successors."

Suddenly, alarms blared across the sect grounds. Runes lit up across the walls. A blinding light shot up from the mine's depths—straight through the central tower. Everyone rushed to the balcony.

The entire mountain below was glowing.

Sect disciples screamed in panic. Merchants fled. Elders tried to stabilize the structure with magic, but it was too late.

From the light, a figure emerged—floating, faceless, cloaked in threads of time itself.

Not quite human.

Not quite divine.

The system let out one final prompt:

[Vault Avatar Activated – Trial of Will Commencing][Phase One: Collapse of False Masters]

And then—

The figure spoke, its voice echoing in every system-bearer's mind:

"Only one may ascend. The rest must fall."

Lee-oh turned to his core members.

They were glowing too.

Daey-ib stepped forward. "Lee-oh… you didn't just build a sect."

"You built a battlefield."