Kwon Taehyuk’s consciousness began when he woke up three days ago.
As he stared up at an unfamiliar wooden ceiling, his last memories resurfaced with sharp clarity.
He had followed Cha Seohu to the Circle Guild’s executive office, and to confirm and rescue the survivors, he’d stepped into the unidentified rift.
Right after the hallucination where the rift entrance looked abnormally enormous, his consciousness had cut off—and when he woke up again, it was now.
‘...So it’s a space created by the rift again. Like last time.’
Kwon Taehyuk didn’t panic. Keeping a calm expression, he got up.
That was when he realized his clothes were different. A pure white... Eastern-style outfit, open enough that the middle of his chest was clearly exposed.
The white garment, made of rough, thin cloth, was a little worn.
But what was even more surprising than that was his hair.
Hair he always kept neatly cut and maintained was now hanging down so long it fell past his chest and nearly touched his stomach.
Kwon Taehyuk unconsciously narrowed his brow—and at that moment—
“You’re up?”
A strange voice reached him.
When he turned his head, a man with an irritated expression was looking down at him with his arms crossed.
“If you’re awake, hurry up and get ready and come out. There’s morning training.”
With that, the man turned and left the room immediately.
Only then did Kwon Taehyuk realize he wasn’t alone. Men in similar clothes were groggily waking up beside him.
He couldn’t understand a single thing, but he didn’t flail around or say something stupid. He wasn’t dumb enough to draw attention for no reason.
With quick instincts, Kwon Taehyuk moved the way everyone else did. He struggled for a moment tying his long hair with a black cord, but he managed it.
After changing into clothes that looked like a martial robe, he picked up a wooden practice sword displayed outside the building and headed where the others were going.
“We’ll begin morning training.”
The person standing in front with a stern expression was the same man who’d woken him earlier.
A man around his age. And for some reason, the look he kept giving Kwon Taehyuk was especially hostile.
Kwon Taehyuk ignored that glare without feeling much of anything. Having become an S-rank Hunter at a young age and taken the position of guildmaster, he’d received that kind of look countless times in his life already.
When Kwon Taehyuk openly ignored him, the man glared even harder and muttered under his breath in a displeased tone.
“Hmph. Bringing in some nobody whose background you don’t even know...”
A normal person wouldn’t have heard it, but as an S-rank dealer with outstanding physical abilities, Kwon Taehyuk caught it easily.
‘Background.’
That was one piece of information about this space.
Kwon Taehyuk had woken up here, and for whatever reason, the people here didn’t treat him as strange or recognize him as an outsider. One trainee among about twenty. That was Kwon Taehyuk’s position right now.
‘...For now, endure. Here.’
He couldn’t just bolt without knowing what this place was.
If being a trainee here was the role assigned to him, then for now, the right move was to stay quiet and grasp the situation.
And Cha Seohu—Kwon Taehyuk knew him—would definitely be moving personally to find the scattered team members.
So to keep things from getting crossed, it was better for one side to stay put.
Having made his decision, Kwon Taehyuk looked up at the sky with a complicated feeling.
Please... let nothing happen.
As always, the very first worry that came to him was Cha Seohu’s safety.
By the second day, the other trainees’ looks toward Kwon Taehyuk had changed in a lot of ways.
On the first day it had been shock, and by the second day it had turned into recognition—“So that’s why the Sect Leader brought him in.” Since an S-rank dealer’s body was fundamentally different from a normal person’s, it was a °• N o v e l i g h t •° natural result.
The man who’d been complaining about bringing in some nobody whose background no one knew seemed to hate that shift in mood even more, glaring at Kwon Taehyuk with eyes like knives.
‘Sect Leader.’
In the two days he’d been here, the only places he’d gone were the sleeping quarters, the training grounds, and the dining hall, so he still hadn’t met whoever the Sect Leader was.
But judging by the nuance and the whispered talk, there was clearly someone who commanded this place.
“Senior Brother. The Sect Leader is calling for you.”
A younger trainee cautiously approached the man who’d been glaring at Kwon Taehyuk with such intensity even during training, and passed on the message.
“Hmph.”
For some reason, the man snorted at Kwon Taehyuk, then left with a smug look.
The moment he was gone, trainees who’d been pretending to train in earnest lowered their wooden swords and started whispering.
“The Sect Leader urgently called the senior brothers... it’s because of that, right?”
“Yesterday, that old beggar from the Beggars’ Union came by and tipped them off. Said a group that looks like remnants of the Demonic Cult started appearing in the martial world.”
“They say they turned Shaolin into a wasteland and fled. That’s just a rumor, right? There’s no way Shaolin would get taken down that easily.”
Voices mixed with curiosity and unease drifted over.
“No, it doesn’t seem like a rumor. They say Mount Song is in an uproar right now. Everyone’s desperate to catch those damned demonic leaders.”
“I was carrying tea yesterday when that old beggar was talking with the Sect Leader, and I overheard it. They said the ones who touched Shaolin—just their appearance alone is bizarre and wicked.”
“Wicked-looking? Aren’t Demonic Cult bastards supposed to be ugly in the first place?”
“Are you saying there was a witch mixed in?”
“No. They said even though he’s a man, his eyes overflow like he’s mastered some kind of soul-stealing technique. And the auras the other three give off aren’t normal either.”
Listening quietly, Kwon Taehyuk let out a small sigh.
That was one hundred percent Cha Seohu’s group. It couldn’t not be. Especially a “wicked-looking man” going around causing huge incidents like that...
Recalling all the trouble “Cover” had caused in the past, Kwon Taehyuk rubbed his face with dry hands.
At least now he knew what they were doing, but the way to go meet them was still far off. Kwon Taehyuk didn’t even know where this “Shaolin” place was in the first place.
Should he gather more information first? Would Cha Seohu—who was being chased—be able to hold out until then? At least the other three were with him, so that was some relief.
Kwon Taehyuk wrestled with complicated thoughts. Watching the sky as the sun started to set, he made a decision.
‘Tomorrow. The moment there’s an opening, I’ll leave this place.’
But that plan didn’t get to continue.
Early dawn. A sinister chill hung in the air, and Kwon Taehyuk—eyes closed, pretending to sleep—was dragged out by the man who disliked him and taken down the mountain.
After coming down, Kwon Taehyuk stared at the black shadow visible in the far sky with a complicated gaze.
He’d seen Cha Sahyeon’s skill many times. There was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.
The moment he realized it was something Cha Sahyeon had done, Cha Seohu’s face came to mind—how he’d calmly said, without a hint of hesitation, “He’s my younger brother,” even as everyone else feared Cha Sahyeon.
“What are you spacing out for?”
An irritated voice snapped.
Seeing Kwon Taehyuk’s gaze fixed on the black clouds spreading from Xinjiang, the man crossed his arms and sneered.
“Yeah, I guess a scene like that is new to a guy like you. Of course you’d be shocked.”
Even though it was obviously new to him too, the man acted smug and went on.
“The Sect Leader said demonic bastards showed up in the city. It’s information from less than an hour ago, so they shouldn’t have been able to leave yet.”
Kwon Taehyuk’s eyes snapped to the man.
Demonic bastards. The word the trainees had been using for Demonic Cult people—meaning Cha Seohu and his companions.
“So we find them.”
When Kwon Taehyuk asked in a low voice, the man flinched his shoulders, then forced himself to look unaffected as he issued orders.
“Why ask something so obvious? You take that alley, we’ll search this area. If you get reckless trying to earn credit with that half-baked skill of yours, you won’t even have bones left to collect. The moment you catch their tail, send a signal. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Letting the warning go in one ear and out the other, Kwon Taehyuk turned immediately and started moving.
No matter what, he had to find Cha Seohu first.
So Kwon Taehyuk began searching through the city at a run—
And by coincidence, when he’d looped through the city once and returned to a place not far from where he’d started—
He spotted Cha Seohu in front of a shop that had been smashed into a wreck.
Even as he ran, Kwon Taehyuk instinctively scanned the surroundings first.
Thankfully, Ryu Sunghyun, Kwon Seoyul, and Hyun Dowoon were with Cha Seohu. Facing them were the man who’d sent Kwon Taehyuk the other way, along with two others.
When Kwon Taehyuk saw the man’s drawn sword pointed toward Cha Seohu, his pupils constricted.
And on top of that, it was midday—so Cha Seohu couldn’t even transform into “Cover.” That fragile, civilian body.
Kwon Taehyuk didn’t wait another second. He used his skill. For the first time since entering this space, blades appeared from his inventory and sliced through the air.
Kakang!
From all around, screams—almost like gasps of admiration—burst out. One of the four flying blades roughly knocked aside the man’s sword.
“W-what... what is...?!”
The man’s eyes bulged, and the other two stood there with their mouths hanging open.
Kwon Taehyuk landed lightly in front of Cha Seohu, then hurriedly turned back.
“Cha Seohu, are you all right?”
Cha Seohu’s face—someone he’d finally found again—was close.
Had he been terrified? Scared? Had he maybe been worried about Kwon Taehyuk?
With those thoughts, Kwon Taehyuk met Cha Seohu’s eyes—
And saw a momentary sparkle in his black pupils.
“Wow.”
Cha Seohu opened his mouth.
“You really are Wudang.”
“...Excuse me?”

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