Baek Sun-Ho stood barefoot in the cracked courtyard of the Dustcloud Sect, observing a squirrel steal steamed buns from the sect's offering altar.
"Even the squirrels aren't afraid of this place," he murmured. "Truly, a fearsome reputation."
Yeon So-Ri handed him a worn-out training uniform with a smell that defied logic and law.
"Put this on," she said. "The candidates are gathering in the Southern Platform. Elder Ho-Dong will be there, and if he thinks you're mocking the sect dress code again, you're back on latrine duty."
Baek Sun-Ho held up the robe and gave her a flat look. "This is one laundry cycle away from becoming smoke."
"It suits your soul," she shot back.
Despite the sniping, she adjusted his collar for him and shoved a small paper talisman into his sleeve. "A minor protective charm. Might block a punch. Once."
He blinked. "You actually prepared this?"
"I don't believe in miracles," she said, walking ahead. "But I do believe in not letting my only friend get beaten into fertilizer."
> Useful, loyal, and slightly terrifying.
She'll be important.
---
Southern Platform – Trial Grounds
Ten candidates stood in a ragged line, all from the lower-tier sects. Each wore robes patched more than stitched. Most were stiff with anxiety, eyes darting to the elders who sat in judgment on the raised platform ahead.
Among them, Baek Sun-Ho smiled brightly. Not with pride, but because he'd already identified three future problems and one opportunity.
Problem One:
A heavy-set candidate from the Ironskin Sect with arms like barrels and a gaze fixed on dominance. Too obvious. Too angry. He'd break himself if provoked.
Problem Two:
A lithe boy from the Whispering Dagger Clan, twirling a hidden blade in his sleeve with an assassin's grace. Dangerous, but reliant on surprise. Sun-Ho was already planning how to bait him into wasting it.
Problem Three:
A girl from the Jade Lily Hall. Cold eyes. Arrogant posture. Definitely a plant from a mid-tier clan aiming to "suggest" leadership without being technically elite. A snake in sheep's silks.
Opportunity:
Baek Sun-Ho.
Because unlike them, he had a secret:
> He remembered how the game was built.
The alliance still said the powerful couldn't lead, but after centuries, the strong had learned to control from the shadows. Candidates were pawns placed by major clans in small sects, given just enough backing to win… and then obey.
But no one backed Baek Sun-Ho.
Which made him... dangerous.
---
The Trial Begins
Elder Ho-Dong, a man who looked like he'd been carved out of wrinkled cabbage, stood and addressed them.
"Today's trial is simple: survive ten minutes inside the Fogged Arena. Inside, your opponents will be randomized, illusions may occur, and spiritual interference is guaranteed."
Baek Sun-Ho's grin widened.
Fog. Confusion. Randomization?
> "Luck. My oldest friend."
Each candidate would go in alone. Sun-Ho's turn came seventh.
---
Inside the Fogged Arena
As mist closed around him, Baek Sun-Ho crouched low, waiting for the illusion to form. A shape emerged—a bull-headed martial beast with red eyes and two swords.
> "Classic Murim scare tactic," he muttered. "Big. Loud. Full of holes."
The beast roared and charged. Sun-Ho didn't fight back.
He ran sideways, slapped a glowing stone embedded in the wall, and ducked.
The beast vanished in a burst of light.
The illusion cracked.
Sun-Ho stood up, dusted himself off, and smirked.
> "Some traps are meant to be dodged. Some… reset."
He walked the rest of the trial, triggering false illusions and triggering the arena's failsafes with knowledge no candidate should know. At the final step, he accidentally tripped over a floor rune—and fell forward just as an invisible arrow passed where his head had been.
"…Luck," he whispered, sweating. "Never doubted you."
---
Outside the Arena
When he emerged, not a scratch on him, even the elders paused.
Yeon So-Ri waited at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed.
"You survived. Smoothly. That's suspicious."
"I am a man of deep preparation," he said with a wink.
"You didn't even know what socks were this morning."
Just then, a commotion broke out near the platform. The Jade Lily Hall girl was throwing a fit—apparently, she'd nearly been cut by one of the arena's illusions.
It was meant to scare.
But hers had drawn blood.
Yeon So-Ri leaned in. "That shouldn't happen. The arena is illusion-based."
Baek Sun-Ho's eyes narrowed.
"Unless someone tampered with it."
The crowd murmured. The elder conferred with their aides.
Sun-Ho looked out over the platform and, just for a moment, thought he saw a familiar silhouette in the shadows.
> A face he remembered from the battlefield.
A traitor, now... immortal?
His smirk faded.
> "Looks like we've got work to do, So-Ri."
She cracked her knuckles. "Good. I hate boring politics."
---
[End of Chapter 2]