On a night when the moon had risen.
A somewhat gaunt young man stood in the middle of the plains with his eyes closed.
Even as the winter wind howled fiercely.
The young man did not move in the slightest, quietly breathing with his eyes shut.
He was recalling the past.
Cheol Jiseon.
No—Jegal Jinseon had realized that he was different when he was just over ten years old.
It began one day.
The tips of Jegal Jinseon’s fingers started trembling.
Whenever he moved his arms, an inexplicable sense of dissonance tickled his entire body.
Because of that unknown discomfort, he could not sleep for months.
The gooseflesh and tension rising to his throat even made him skip meals, and his body gradually grew weaker.
What in the world was happening to him?
Jegal Jinseon agonized over it and endured for a long time.
But he could not discover the reason.
And after half a year had passed.
It happened.
Jegal Jinseon could no longer endure the uncomfortable dissonance.
In the end, he tore it apart with his hands.
From the moment he realized he could seize this.
He knew that something dangerous would happen if he did so.
That was why Jegal Jinseon had endured until now.
But perhaps he had reached his limit. In the end, he committed the act.
Jegal Jinseon’s hands were sensitive.
Whenever he waved his hand through the air.
He could feel an unknown, unpleasant texture.
There.
Jegal Jinseon could seize that place and tear it apart.
One might ask how he could tear apart empty air.
But Jegal Jinseon could do it.
He simply had to grab it and pull.
He did not know why it was possible, but Jegal Jinseon could do it.
If only—truly, if only—
If it had ended with nothing more than something he could do, it would have been fine.
Then.
—Ah, no!
Jegal Jinseon would never have had to witness the disaster.
—Father!
Amid the raging flames.
Buildings were swallowed by something.
Watching that gruesome process.
Jegal Jinseon had to scream while clinging to his sister.
The place being slowly devoured was the home where he had lived.
And his father had been inside.
It was a past he did not want to remember.
And yet, somehow, he had to keep it in his memory.
Otherwise, he would continue to recall his own sin.
The moment he tore open the air with his hands because he could no longer endure the dissonance.
The torn space expanded enormously in the blink of an eye.
What should have been a tiny crack.
Grew larger and larger.
Before long, it began gnawing away at its surroundings, turning into a monster.
The Demon Realm Gates people spoke of in the world.
The space evolved into a Demon Realm Gate.
Was that all?
As befitted a Demon Realm Gate, it also spewed out demon beasts.
And just as it had devoured Jegal Jinseon’s home and his father.
The Demon Realm Gate itself transformed into a monster and swallowed the surrounding space whole.
How could a human create a Demon Realm Gate, a disaster of nature?
He did not know.
This was the truth Jegal Jinseon continued to agonize over, desperately wishing to escape from it.
After killing his father with his own hands.
His mother no longer looked at Jegal Jinseon.
And his sister, who had held their screaming younger brother while watching their father die.
Had said to him while embracing his brother.
—Jinseon, you must never use your power.
Jegal Jinseon had nodded after crying for days.
But contrary to his sister’s desperate wish.
There were many days when Jegal Jinseon could not endure it.
He tried to bear the discomfort and dissonance.
But sometimes, there were days when he simply could not.
In terms of frequency.
It was roughly once a year.
A period when he could not endure without using his power.
When that time approached, Jegal Jinseon would seek out an uninhabited mountain or some other secluded area, use his power, and disappear.
Even if no one was around, creating a Demon Realm Gate and leaving it behind.
Was something that filled him with guilt.
But he could not do it anywhere near his sister.
Because even if he died, he wanted to protect his sister above all else.
His power was dangerous.
No matter how accustomed people had become to Demon Realm Gates, and no matter how much human loss had decreased in this day and age.
The fact that his power was dangerous remained unchanged.
Moreover.
The Demon Realm Gates that did not release demon beasts, but instead sucked in their surroundings and swallowed them into a demon realm.
Were at a level from which even a Peak Master could not easily escape.
That was why he had hidden it even more desperately.
Just as he hid his family name.
The moment it became known that the wielder of such power was a descendant of the Jegal Family.
Not only he, but even his sister might suffer terribly.
And yet, he needed power.
While concealing himself, hiding his power, and enduring.
That was also the reason he had foolishly asked Cheol Hwan-oh for a favor and come to the Divine Dragon Hall.
He needed power to protect them.
‘But I have no talent.’
Jegal Jinseon knew better than anyone that he had no talent for martial arts, not enough to raise his own strength by himself.
That was why he needed a different kind of power.
His mother had desperately tried to stop him.
His sister had also adamantly opposed him, warning him of the danger.
Even so, Jegal Jinseon had insisted on coming here under the name Cheol Jiseon.
‘This year’s Divine Dragon Hall is the greatest in history.’
The Era of Falling Stars, an age that produced countless geniuses.
And now was the point when the greatest number of those Falling Stars had gathered.
The pillars of the orthodox faction, known as the Four Great Families.
Every blood relative of those families had gathered.
Bloodlines said to have been born of prestigious clans.
And descendants of renowned sects.
Moreover.
Most of the Six Dragons and Three Peaks were said to have gathered as well.
They were the vanguard of the younger generation and those believed destined to lead the Central Plains in the future.
The Central Plains of the future was there in its entirety.
‘I have to go.’
To protect himself and his sister.
To reclaim the family name that had been his father’s dream.
To change their tainted history and take it back.
This was the path toward accomplishing that.
Rather than his physically frail sister.
It was right for him to go, since he could at least take care of himself in an emergency, even if it was dangerous.
The time when he would lose control had not yet arrived.
And the point at which its timing could be calculated was.
When the hall briefly closed and the students returned to their respective families before coming back.
He would be able to release the power he had accumulated when that time came.
That was how he had calculated things at the beginning.
The problem was.
Although Jegal Jinseon knew that calculations often failed to match expectations.
He had not truly taken that fact to heart.
One thing Jegal Jinseon had overlooked was this.
Going to the Divine Dragon Hall did not make it easy to build connections.
The relationships they had already formed before entering the hall were one issue.
But the greater problem was that Jegal Jinseon was not exceptional enough to push his way in and claim a place among them.
Nor did he possess the martial prowess needed to earn their recognition beyond his value as a person.
He admitted that he had a fairly extraordinary mind.
But there had been few opportunities to display it.
In the end, these people were martial artists.
This was an era in which outwardly displayed martial prowess was the answer.
He could open a demon realm with his hand?
It was certainly an absurd power at first glance.
But he could not control it well.
And it was an ominous ability, a power akin to a double-edged sword.
From the orthodox faction’s perspective, it was fortunate enough if he was not marked for execution.
If it were even revealed that his family name was Jegal…
It would hardly be strange if his head were cut off.
‘…Am I actually in an incredibly dangerous situation?’
He realized the truth.
It was during the first test, when his passion had cooled upon colliding with reality.
When he realized that his martial prowess was despairingly poor.
And that he could not squeeze his way into the circles of the prestigious clans.
Only then did Jegal Jinseon understand how bleak his situation was.
There was no answer.
He had entered the den of the enemy, a place filled with blades.
Yet not a single method at his disposal worked.
He had clenched his teeth and struggled desperately, and somehow managed to pass the second test.
But the third test was the problem.
A ridiculous test in which he had to steal an opponent’s sash.
Or find a sash attached to a demon beast.
Jegal Jinseon was certain.
He truly would not be able to pass this test.
‘…’
It was a despairing sense of reality.
He had thought himself this weak.
But he belatedly realized that he had never known because he had never properly faced a younger-generation martial artist his own age.
‘…I’m screwed.’
His only peer had been his sister.
He had not even found it easy to carry on a normal conversation with others.
And with his martial prowess so unimpressive.
What connections could he possibly make?
The cruel reality stabbed madly into Jegal Jinseon’s heart.
‘…But I can’t give up.’
Even so, he could not give up.
He had to grit his teeth.
At the same time, Jegal Jinseon began racking his brain.
He had to pass the third test.
‘Since I can’t use my power, should I set a trap?’
He ruled out the option of seeking out and hunting younger-generation martial artists.
It would be better to use the terrain to set a trap and hunt demon beasts instead.
Judging from the contents of the third test.
It seemed to be a test that also evaluated how one hunted demon beasts.
This was something he had a fair amount of confidence in.
‘…Good.’
The moment he was about to find a suitable area.
So that he could immediately prepare a trap.
“Hmm?”
As Jegal Jinseon pushed through the grass.
Someone entered his field of vision.
‘A person…?’
Tension shot up Jegal Jinseon’s spine.
What terrible luck. He had run into someone so soon.
Should he prepare for battle? Could he win?
There was a high chance he could not.
At least, fortunately…
‘…He’s lying down?’
The other person was lying on the ground despite being in the middle of the test.
He was breathing slowly with his eyes closed.
Somehow, it seemed as though he were sleeping.
He was sleeping in a situation like this?
‘What kind of person is he?’
He was certainly not in his right mind.
‘…Then is this an opportunity?’
Perhaps because of this sudden discovery.
Jegal Jinseon, who had been planning to set a trap and hunt a demon beast.
Seemed to think of it as an unexpected stroke of luck.
He approached the other person.
As it happened, the other person was wearing the sash he wanted.
Carefully concealing his presence, Jegal Jinseon.
Approached until he was right in front of the other person and reached out his hand.
If there was one thing the excited Jegal Jinseon had failed to consider.
It was the question of whether someone capable of openly lying down and sleeping in a bloody test ground like this.
Could really be weak.
Crack!
Just before his fingertips touched the other person.
Jegal Jinseon’s field of vision abruptly flipped upside down.
Before he could even perceive what had happened, a hand had seized him by the neck.
—What are you?
The voice sounded awkward, as though the speaker had only just entered puberty.
Within that uncomfortable voice was a chilling emotion.
Jegal Jinseon began trembling without realizing it.
The gaze was almost…
‘A-a demon beast…’
It was unnervingly similar to the eyes of the demon beasts he had encountered.
—What are you, I asked.
—I-I’m sorry…
Crushed by fear, he could barely speak.
He had touched the wrong person.
He might die if he made one wrong move.
So human eyes could be that terrifying…
Ah, could he be a human wearing a demon beast’s hide?
He knew it was a strange thought.
But that was how frightening he was.
This was Jegal Jinseon’s first impression of Gu Yangcheon.
Gu Yangcheon questioned Jegal Jinseon as though interrogating him.
Once he had obtained all the information he wanted.
He briefly wore a satisfied expression before speaking to Jegal Jinseon.
He said that they should become friends from now on.
Faced with the sudden change in circumstances.
Jegal Jinseon could not even react properly.
The man who had been glaring at him and grilling him as though he meant to kill him.
Had suddenly asked him to become his friend. It was only natural that he was dumbfounded.
The funny thing was.
This man was the youngest Peak Master in recent years.
He was also the True Dragon, said to rank among the highest of the Six Dragons and Three Peaks.
And as if to prove he intended to keep his word, he even helped Jegal Jinseon pass the third test.
At the time, Jegal Jinseon had thought.
Gu Yangcheon intended to treat him like a slave under the name of friendship.
The Divine Dragon Hall did not allow servants to enter alongside their masters, so he clearly intended to use Jegal Jinseon as a servant.
There was no one as vicious as the rumors claimed.
That was what he had concluded.
But the True Dragon he encountered at close range was somewhat different from the man of his imagination.
His words and eyes were fierce.
But he did not berate people for no reason… No, there were times when he did berate people like that.
Still, whenever he considered someone one of his own, he seemed intent on taking care of them.
He would sometimes go around personally checking on what his companions were doing.
When it came to people badmouthing him, he would merely scowl and spit out a curse.
But the moment he heard someone insulting one of his companions.
He would routinely crush the offender utterly, displaying nothing short of the return of an evil spirit.
He was far kinder than the rumors suggested…
Well, perhaps not kind.
But he seemed like a decent person.
However.
There was one more thing Jegal Jinseon came to realize while watching Gu Yangcheon.
He was kept at Gu Yangcheon’s side and called a friend, yet—
‘I am not inside him.’
He was not, in truth, one of Gu Yangcheon’s companions.
That was how it felt.
That was what his gaze said.
When had he noticed?
The moment Divine Star came looking for him?
Or sometime after that?
No.
To be precise, it had been from the very beginning.
Because that was how Gu Yangcheon had looked at him from the start.
Around the time they first met.
That was what he had meant when he said those eyes resembled a monster’s.
The eyes of a monster that had placed its prey before it
and stared at it for a long while.
Eyes that, since it could kill at any time,
were contemplating how best to seize and devour its prey.
The look in Gu Yangcheon’s eyes as he gazed at him had resembled that.
Beyond the demonic realm he had torn open,
the eyes of the monster he had once encountered had looked the same.
That was why he had said it.
‘Because you intend to kill me.’
During his conversation with Gu Yangcheon, he had tossed out those words
in an attempt to turn his prediction into certainty.
And then.
After confirming the look in Gu Yangcheon’s eyes as he gazed at him,
Jegal Jinseon became certain.
Interest.
That was the emotion contained in Gu Yangcheon’s eyes for that instant.
‘…I’m sure of it.’
At that moment, Jegal Jinseon realized that Gu Yangcheon truly had intended to kill him.
Why?
If he intended to kill him, then why?
What had he done?
Could it be that Gu Yangcheon also knew he belonged to the Jegal clan?
If he intended to kill him, how did he plan to do it?
He could not do so within the official grounds.
Did he really intend to kill him?
Was it merely his imagination?
If not this, had he truly been right to go to Divine Star?
As countless thoughts flashed through his mind,
Jegal Jinseon answered Gu Yangcheon’s question.
—I can… open the Demon Realm Gate.
The words were nearly a confession.
He could not read the flow of events at all,
and faced with the aura he sensed from Gu Yangcheon,
he had uttered those words instinctively, wanting to live.
Looking back now, even if Gu Yangcheon had made up his mind to kill him,
Jegal Jinseon knew that doing so would not be easy.
Yet even if he were placed in that situation again,
he felt he would make the same choice.
There was something different about Gu Yangcheon.
Something that set him apart from the other later-generation talents.
Was that why the figures known as the Hidden Dragon and the Sword Dragon,
the Snow Phoenix and the Poison Phoenix,
were at Gu Yangcheon’s side?
“It’s difficult….”
His head throbbed.
Was this really the right thing to do?
He had acted first, but he had not the slightest certainty.
The reason Jegal Jinseon was so confused
was not only because he could not predict Gu Yangcheon’s reaction.
It was also because of what Gu Yangcheon had said with a smile
after hearing about his power.
—So… from now on, rather than Divine Star—
—No. There’s no need for that.
After rejecting Divine Star’s offer,
Jegal Jinseon had declared his intention to go to Gu Yangcheon. In response, Gu Yangcheon had smiled brightly and waved his hand.
—…Huh?
Upon hearing that he could open the Demon Realm Gate,
Gu Yangcheon had not asked how he could do such a thing,
nor had he questioned whether he truly possessed such power.
As though he had known from the beginning,
Gu Yangcheon had said to Jegal Jinseon—or rather, Cheol Jiseon—
—Finish what you were doing.
—…What?
—Stay beside that bastard from the Jang family and do everything he tells you to do.
—What does that mean…? I—
—Yes, I know you want to come over to my side. I’ll spare you… no, I’ll hear you out, so—
The smile on Gu Yangcheon’s face was frightening.
Perhaps because he could faintly sense what that smile meant.
—Stay beside that bastard and do whatever he tells you. That’s your job.
Gu Yangcheon had clearly said those words
to Cheol Jiseon, who did not understand.
‘Why?’
Cheol Jiseon still could not understand what he meant.
Do what he was told?
He was telling him to cooperate with Divine Star’s intention to eliminate Gu Yangcheon.
That was his job?
‘What in the world does that mean?’
At the incomprehensible tremor running through him,
Cheol Jiseon clenched his fists.
Had he really done the right thing by telling Gu Yangcheon?
He was still caught between doubt and indecision.
Even so, he had already let the words leave his mouth.
He could not take back his choice.
Just then.
Rustle.
He sensed someone’s presence beyond the grass.