The sky above the Black Fang training grounds was painted crimsond.
The forest valley below buzzed with tension. Wooden dummies, hidden traps, and makeshift fortifications filled the field like a war playground.
Kang Jinhyuk stood at the ridge, crimson scarf fluttering in the cold wind. His sharp eyes scanned the terrain below where recruits...his recruits...waited for orders.
He inhaled deeply.
Today wasn't a game. It was another step toward the world that destroyed his life.
[Black Fang Training Grounds – Tactical Simulation No. 9]
Jeok-Ma's voice roared across the valley.
Capture the supply base! One hour limit! No mercy...no excuses!
A horn echoed. Chaos followed.
Squad Alpha, move through the left ridge, Jinhyuk commanded calmly, his tone cutting through the noise.
Squad Beta, bait them from the front. Sae-Ryeo, you're with me.
Dan Sae-Ryeo grinned, adjusting her twin blades. Finally, something fun. Try not to make me do all the killing again.
Jinhyuk smirked. You can take the glory. I'll take the results.
She laughed, Tch, typical cold genius.
They moved through the woods, silent and sharp. Jinhyuk's team crouched behind fallen logs, every breath measured.
He analyzed enemy patterns...their movements, the sound of footsteps, the rhythm of shouts.
Too scattered. Too loud. Predictable.
A glint of steel flashed between branches.
Trap ahead.
He raised a hand. Stop.
One of the younger recruits whispered, Captain, we can take them by surprise.
Do that, Jinhyuk said without turning. And you'll walk into an ambush.
He pointed at a faint shimmer between trees an almost invisible tripwire.
Lesson one, he murmured, the dead don't get second chances.
He picked up a stone and flicked it.
Click—BOOM!!
The forest shook as hidden powder exploded, sending smoke and dirt flying.
The recruits froze, eyes wide.
Sae-Ryeo gave him a playful smirk. Show-off.
He replied quietly, Show-off lives longer.
The ambush began.
Figures in black masks mocked the enemies and rushed from the mist. Wooden swords and dull steel clashed in a storm of motion.
Jinhyuk moved first.
His body flowed like liquid shadow. His blade struck—not wildly—but with surgical precision. Every motion was calculated, efficient, merciless.
Step, twist, deflect, counter.
The rhythm of violence felt… natural now.
Behind him, Sae-Ryeo danced through the chaos, laughing as her twin blades blurred through the air. You're getting faster, Jinhyuk!
Or you're getting slower, he said, parrying a blow and striking the attacker's ribs.
Ha... Don't get cocky.!! She ducked under a swinging blade and kicked the attacker into a tree.
The sound of clashing weapons filled the forest like drums of war echoing from another lifetime.
When the dust settled, half the opposing squad was down. The rest retreated toward the simulated base.
Jinhyuk's recruits cheered.
But he didn't. His expression stayed cold, distant.
Don't celebrate yet, he said. That was only the bait.
He pointed ahead. The real commander's behind the ridge. And he's waiting for us to rush in.
Sae-Ryeo's grin faded slightly. You're sure?
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed. I've seen this formation before. It's the same pattern the Murim Alliance used… the day my family died.
The air turned heavy. Even Sae-Ryeo didn't respond for a moment.
Then she whispered, Then let's break their pattern.
[Fifteen Minutes Later]
Jinhyuk's strategy unfolded like a deadly chess game.
He split his forces: half making noise and false movements, half circling through the ravine. Smoke bombs filled the air, covering their tracks.
Signal the second wave, Jinhyuk ordered.
A crimson flare shot upward.
The enemy commander's forces shifted toward the noise, exactly as planned.
That's when Jinhyuk's shadow squad struck from behind.
In the confusion, Jinhyuk himself slipped into the commander's tent, silent as a ghost.
A mock duel followed swift and brutal. His wooden blade pressed against the opponent's throat before the man even realized he'd lost.
Target captured, Jinhyuk said coldly.
A horn sounded, the sign of completion. Victory..!!
The recruits cheered again, this time louder.
Sae-Ryeo clapped her hands and walked up to him. You didn't even break a sweat. That was brutal.
Jinhyuk sheathed his sword. Brutality wins wars. But it kills something else too.
She frowned. And what's that?
He looked down at his trembling hand, the faint glow of energy still pulsing beneath his skin.
Conscience.
Sae-Ryeo tilted her head. You talk like you're already carrying too much weight for one man.
He gave a dry laugh. Maybe I am.
That night, the camp was alive with noise. Bandits drank, boasted, and laughed around bonfires.
Jinhyuk sat apart, staring into the flames. His reflection shimmered in the firelight, eyes sharp, tired, and almost foreign.
Every fight sharpens the blade… but dulls the heart.
He thought about the two recruits who almost died earlier. If it were real war, they'd be corpses.
If it were the Murim battlefield, that failure would cost hundreds more.
Sae-Ryeo approached, carrying two cups of rice wine.
Still thinking?
He took the cup, not looking up. Always.
She sat beside him, legs crossed. You can't save everyone, you know.
I know.
But you still try.
Silence. Only the crackling of fire answered.
She smiled faintly. That's what makes you dangerous, Jinhyuk. Not your sword. Not your mind. It's that you still care.
He exhaled slowly. Caring gets people killed.
She shrugged. So does apathy. Choose your poison.
He glanced at her...her teasing eyes, the scar on her cheek, the unshakable flame in her gaze.
Then he smirked. You really enjoy challenging me, don't you?
Someone has to remind you you're still human.
When she left, Jinhyuk looked toward the moonlit forest.
The wind carried faint whispers Jeok-Ma's voice again, like a haunting echo.
To destroy the Murim elite, you must think like them. To think like them, you must become what they fear.
He clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white.
If becoming what they fear is the only way to bring them down… then so be it.
But deep inside, a different voice whispered one quieter, stubborn, human.
Don't lose yourself, Jinhyuk.
He stood, the firelight catching the edge of his blade.
Vengeance will be my path, he murmured, but not my prison.
His shadow stretched across the ground...long, cold, and resolute. The training today was only a test.
The real war was coming. And when it did, Kang Jinhyuk would be ready to face not only his enemies…
but the monster waiting within himself.