Abandoned Underground Gym – South Gupo
It reeked of sweat, metal, and old blood.
The ring had no ropes, just chain-link borders. The floor was cracked concrete, stained with memories. Above, a broken fan squeaked with every slow turn, casting flickering shadows across two figures crouched by a folding table.
Eli leaned forward, reviewing a scrawled map with cigarette burns and blood drops on its corners. Samuel stood behind him, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.
"They moved again," Samuel said, pointing at three circles on the South map. "This one shut down. This one too. But here—"
A red marker line.
"Two new camps. Same logo, same formation. Drift's tightening. Gilwoo hasn't shown yet, but they're reacting to you."
Eli tapped one of the circles. "This the one where the runner vanished?"
Samuel nodded.
"You think they're baiting me?"
"I think they're bleeding their leash. They're begging for a direct hit."
Eli stood, jacket flaring slightly. His knuckles cracked in rhythm.
"Then let's give them something to choke on."
Drift Territory – Rain-Soaked Construction Yard
The air was thick with the scent of diesel and concrete.
Eli walked alone, his shadow long under a single floodlight. Rain fell steadily, tracing his jawline, slicking the ground beneath his boots. A faint clang echoed—a metal pipe being dropped. No birds. No wind.
He stopped near a half-built pillar. Turned slowly.
Do Gwan stepped forward.
A mountain in human skin. Cropped hair. Broken nose. Duct-taped wrists. He cracked his neck.
"No one comes here alone unless they want to die."
Eli grinned. "Good thing I came to kill."
Gwan charged—
No delay. No theatrics. Just a freight train of fury.
Eli sidestepped.
WHAM. Gwan's fist broke through the pillar behind him.
Eli retaliated—knee to the liver, but it felt like hitting brick.
"You punch like a bitch!" Gwan roared.
"Yeah?" Eli stepped in, feinted left—Godkiller Step—and landed a straight jab to the jaw. Fast. Clean. But Gwan absorbed it, laughing through bloodied teeth.
Then—another figure.
Min Seok.
Leaner. Lighter. Fast hands, gloved in knuckle-wraps.
He struck from the side—Eli barely dodged.
Two-on-one.
Eli's smile widened.
"Now we're talking."
The next ten seconds were chaos.
Gwan swung heavy, earth-shaking punches. Seok danced around him, slicing in with liver shots, trying to destabilize Eli's center.
Eli took a few. Felt his breath shorten. Ribs tighten.
But he watched.
Analyzed.
Overwriting rhythm.
Step. Twist. Shift.
He timed it.
Seok launched a spinning backfist.
Full Counter.
Eli ducked, intercepted mid-swing—palm to elbow, twisted hard—SNAP. Seok screamed as his arm bent wrong.
Then Eli kicked his knee out. Down.
Gwan roared, charging in blind.
Eli didn't move.
At the last second, he grabbed Seok's limp body—used it as a shield.
THUD. Gwan hit his own partner. Both staggered.
Eli spun behind them—Death Fall combo. Shifted Gwan's footing, leaned weight, dropped momentum—then slammed his heel into Gwan's temple.
THUNK.
Silence.
Both Drift lieutenants crumpled. Breathing. But done.
Eli knelt. Picked up a rusted pipe.
On it, he carved three words:
"Gilwoo. Your turn."
Abandoned Subway Tunnel – That Night
Samuel stood alone beneath flickering lights. Rats scurried in the dark. An old terminal buzzed weakly nearby.
"...I didn't think you'd show," said a voice.
Jinwoo, slight frame, hoodie drawn up. A nervous twitch in his fingers.
"You said someone's asking about Ghost Blade."
Jinwoo nodded quickly. "From Incheon. They hacked my old server. Looking for logs, names. I scrubbed what I could but... they're looking."
Samuel's jaw tightened.
"They mentioned you?"
"No. But they left a message in the logs."
He handed over a burner phone. One message flashed on screen:
"Still watching. Still waiting. Hello, Samuel."
Samuel closed the phone, eyes cold.
"Get out of Busan. Now."
Jinwoo fled.
Samuel stared at the dark. The ghosts were stirring.
Rooftop Convenience Store – Scar Chain's Watch
Jaeyoon sat with Hayeon overlooking the pier.
"He's drawing them in one by one," Hayeon murmured.
"Worse," Jaeyoon replied. "He's winning by making them react."
Below, people moved like ants. Unaware.
"You think Drift's leader will move soon?"
Jaeyoon tapped his fingers once.
"If he doesn't, he'll lose the south by the end of the month."
Drift's Hidden War Room – Docks
CRT screen flickering.
On it: grainy footage of Eli's fight. Slow motion. Paused on his smile.
A figure stood in the dark.
Broad shoulders. Quiet rage.
Gilwoo.
He whispered:
"He thinks he's the storm..."
Fist clenched.
"Let's remind him what the ocean feels like."