CFZ

The first thing I noticed was the sound of my own heartbeat.
Thump—!
It felt the same as usual, yet the vibrations seemed heavier.

I unconsciously clutched my chest.
The man’s back appeared ordinary at first glance.
But the longer I stared, the more something about him bothered me.

Thump—! Thump—!
The pounding grew stronger, loud enough to feel even without focusing.
“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped me.
“Of course. It was too easy.”
Things had been going too smoothly—almost suspiciously so.

I should’ve known my life was never meant to be simple.
I clenched my chest harder and furrowed my brow.
Thump—!

The sound kept growing louder, and something deep within me began to stir.
Vrrrr—!
An inaudible hum rang through my ears—something only I could hear.

“Hoo...”
I held my breath, desperate to keep any sound from escaping.
Even my heavy breathing might alert him.
—“The Divine Dragon Commander?”

—“Is that the new Divine Dragon Commander…?”
—“What about the Martial Tournament, then?”
The commander was supposed to be the winner of the tournament.

So who the hell was this man?
As murmurs of doubt rippled through the crowd, the Sword Saint spoke up to explain.
“I understand your surprise. But trust me—this new Divine Dragon Commander is an extraordinary figure.”

No identity.
No proper explanation.
Just a vague request for trust.

It was hardly reassuring—and the crowd’s reactions made that clear.
Doubt, suspicion, and—oddly enough—anticipation.
“What’s with that excitement?”

Was it just blind faith in the title of Divine Dragon Commander?
While the Sword Saint continued speaking, I tuned him out.
I was too focused on the so-called commander.

Thump—!
The pounding in my chest wouldn’t stop.
A primal sense of unease prickled at me.

And then I felt it—faint but unmistakable.
Blood Qi.
The same ominous energy that had clung to Jang Seon-yeon and Namgung Cheonjun after they were tainted by the Blood Demon.

The faint traces of Blood Qi were radiating from this man.
It was subtle—so faint that it could’ve been missed entirely.
But I could feel it.

Because—
“That same Blood Qi flows through me, too.”
Ever since I inherited the dragon’s body, the Blood Qi had merged with me.

Though it was now more my energy than the Blood Demon’s, it let me sense similar auras.
“This guy has Blood Qi.”
The so-called Divine Dragon Commander carried the Blood Demon’s energy.

Which meant—
“He’s one of them.”
Not just a possibility—it was almost a certainty.

There was no other explanation for that aura.
And that raised another question.
“Who is he?”

Who was this masked man?
What kind of person could show up out of nowhere and be declared the Divine Dragon Commander?
“I can’t tell just from his body.”

His steps and posture suggested he was a swordsman.
And someone of his caliber should be recognizable at a glance.
But—

“I can’t see his face.”
The mask concealed his identity completely.
“Should I try to sense him?”

I considered using my Qi perception to probe through the mask.
But—
“Too risky.”

That mask wasn’t ordinary.
It was likely enchanted, similar to the one I had used to disguise myself as the Heavenly Demon.
Even if it wasn’t, using Qi to probe him now could expose me.

“Someone at his level would notice immediately.”
I couldn’t afford to take that gamble.
For now, the only thing I was certain of was—

“He’s connected to the Blood Demon.”
I already knew the Blood Demon’s influence had reached the Murim Alliance.
Frankly, it was more surprising that it had taken this long for someone like this ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) to appear.

“Maybe this is a good thing.”
It might seem odd to think that, but—
“At least now, I have something to work with.”

If no one had shown up, I’d be stuck wondering what the Blood Demon was plotting.
But now?
“There’s a target to focus on.”

His presence was both a complication and an opportunity.
“It’s confirmed—the Blood Demon’s faction has infiltrated the Alliance.”
And they were acting with clear intent.

“Good. This makes it easier to plan my next move.”
“...Hoo.”
I took a slow breath to calm myself.

This was one of the reasons I’d agreed to take on the position of division leader.
“The problem is—”
I knew he was connected to the Blood Demon.

But what was his goal?
And—
“How much does he know about me?”

The Blood Demon’s faction was already aware of my existence.
They had likely briefed him on the situation.
“Is this his move against me?”

Maybe his appearance today wasn’t a coincidence.
Maybe it was deliberate.
Thump—.

 
Thump—.
The pounding in my chest continued, matching the storm of thoughts racing through my mind.

“If a crisis like this arises again…”
The Sword Saint’s voice droned on, but I wasn’t listening.
My eyes were locked onto the Divine Dragon Commander.

And then—
Swish—!
‘…!’

The commander’s gaze suddenly shifted toward me.
For a brief moment, our eyes met.
Though the mask obscured his face, I could feel it.

A fleeting instant—and then he looked away.
But even in that brief contact, something stirred within me.
“What was that?”

Those eyes—
Even through the mask, they felt oddly familiar.
“Where have I seen them before?”

   ******************
   
Immediately after the mourning ceremony—
As people began to scatter, countless whispers spread through the crowd.

“The legend of the Murim Alliance—Strategist Muk Yeon has returned.”
The Sword Saint’s partner during the Alliance’s golden age.
Though now in his later years, Muk Yeon, hailed as a living legend, had come out of retirement upon hearing of the Alliance’s crisis.

The rumors had been floating around, but his appearance at the ceremony confirmed the truth.
Naturally, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
And why wouldn’t it be?

Muk Yeon was the man who led the Alliance to decisive victories—
During the first war with the unorthodox factions, including the battle against Go-Ryong Heiba Blade.
And countless other wars afterward.

He had always found ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
A living testament to an undefeated legacy.
The Alliance had been strong because of the Sword Saint.

But it had never fallen because of Muk Yeon.
This was the mantra engraved in Zhongyuan during the Alliance’s prime.
So when Muk Yeon stepped down from his position alongside the Sword Saint’s retirement, many had voiced their concerns.

Concerns that, as it turned out, were justified.
“And things really did fall apart, didn’t they?”
The Murim Alliance had slowly begun to decline.

The next leader, Nakgeom Jang Cheon, was competent enough—
Decent at politics and administration.
But he was merely adequate compared to the dazzling brilliance of his predecessors.

To be fair, sustaining what had been built during the Alliance’s peak was never going to be easy.
“Nakgeom wasn’t bad. Just unlucky.”
The gradual weakening of the Alliance wasn’t entirely his fault.

Still—
“He couldn’t keep up with the messes left behind.”
Whether it was unresolved issues from the Sword Saint’s era, Nakgeom’s own missteps, or simply bad timing—

The Alliance began to falter, with one crisis after another snowballing into its current state.
Could the Sword Saint have done better had he stayed?
“Probably not.”

It wasn’t his fault either—there was only so much one man could do.
Eventually, Nakgeom stepped down, and the Sword Saint’s successor took over.
“And this guy got the worst luck of all.”

The current leader, the Sword Saint, inherited not only the mess left by Nakgeom—
But also everything that was about to go wrong.
Including—

“Me.”
I had no plans of making his life any easier.
I was going to create even more chaos moving forward.

At this rate, the Sword Saint would either go down as the most hardworking or the most incompetent leader in Alliance history.
And honestly, whispers of the latter were already circulating.
But in this mess—

“Muk Yeon will sway public sentiment.”
A legendary figure’s return was a perfect rallying point.
To the people, Muk Yeon represented hope.

Hope that he could bring order back to the chaos.
And most of them truly believed it.
“Did Muk Yeon plan this himself?”

I didn’t know him well enough to say for sure, but it seemed likely.
Someone aware of their own value would absolutely use it to their advantage.
And on top of that—

“I heard the Star King will lead the Star Dragon Unit to fight the unorthodox sects.”
Rumors had already spread.
About how I—the Star King—saved Henan and was now preparing for war against the unorthodox sects.

Muk Yeon’s presence was already fanning the flames.
And my involvement just poured fuel onto the fire.
The narrative was clear—

“The unorthodox sects caused this disaster.”
The Star King not only saved Henan but would now lead the charge against them.
In other words, the real enemy was the unorthodox sects—not the Murim Alliance.

It was a carefully crafted message.
“And it’s working.”
This cheap trick was proving far too effective.

By tying Muk Yeon’s return to my appointment, they’d shifted public perception almost instantly.
“The enemy is the unorthodox sects.”
People who had been criticizing the Alliance began redirecting their anger.

Some voices still resisted, insisting the Alliance was at fault.
But—
“So you’re defending those unorthodox bastards?!”

“Damn it! None of this would’ve happened if they hadn’t attacked us first!”
Ideological divides formed.
Factional splits emerged.

And I couldn’t help but admire it.
“These political players really don’t mess around.”
What’s the easiest way to deflect criticism in politics?

Not by redirecting attacks elsewhere—
“By making people turn on each other.”
Pit them against one another.

Keep the blame away from yourself.
“Propaganda’s terrifyingly simple.”
That’s all it was—propaganda.

The Murim Alliance’s tactics were no different from the ones I used.
“What a shame.”
I’d expected this outcome, but I had hoped things would burn a little longer to make my next steps easier.

Instead—
“And then there’s the Divine Dragon Commander.”
The final touch.

“The Alliance is clearly preparing for something.”
“The revival of the Divine Dragon Unit… Could this really bring back peace?”
“If they can perform even half as well as the old Divine Dragon Unit...”

The focus shifted again.
The uproar surrounding the attack was being drowned out by talks of hope and rebuilding.
I sighed.

Not out of frustration—
“I should’ve done more research.”
It was disappointment in myself.

“I could’ve been more prepared.”
I should’ve investigated Muk Yeon further.
Maybe even planned ways to remove him before he reappeared.

And—
“I should’ve studied the Divine Dragon Unit more.”
I knew the Sword Saint had planned to revive it through the Martial Tournament.

I should’ve anticipated its symbolic power.
I wasn’t completely unprepared, but clearly, it hadn’t been enough.
“Tsk.”

Was it a critical failure?
Not quite.
But it was a painful misstep.

“Or maybe…”
Perhaps this wasn’t the real issue.
There was a more fundamental problem.

“I don’t have enough power.”
No matter what challenges arose—
I simply didn’t have the strength to handle them all.

Grind.
I clenched my teeth.
‘Still too weak.’

Fighting the white-ranked beast had already made that painfully clear.
Today only reinforced the realization.
I’d regained my former level of mastery years earlier than in my previous life.

My body was stronger, my techniques more refined.
And yet—it wasn’t enough.
“This won’t do.”

The goal ahead was far too high to stop here.
And today proved that even more.
“I need to be stronger.”

Reaching the lower ranks of the Top Ten Experts?
Not even close.
I had to push further—much further.

Some might hear that and scoff, calling it arrogance.
“At least the Three Lords.”
That’s where I needed to stand.

Only then would I have a real shot.
Grip.
Muttering those words, I circulated my Qi through my body.

Every rotation brought a jolt of pain.
The internal injuries were healing, but they hadn’t disappeared yet.
I could feel it as I rose to my feet.

“Alright.”
Once the ceremony ended, I offered quick courtesies and retreated to my quarters.
I had to investigate the Divine Dragon Commander and his ties to the Blood Demon.

But more than that—
I needed to fix my condition.
And thankfully, I already had a method prepared.

I entered the storage room in my quarters.
Gazing at the stash inside, I stepped forward and reached out.
“…Let’s see.”

Rustle.
Pulling away the cloth covering it, I revealed a pile of items beneath.
Large, red-hued stones—

Dozens of them.
The magic stones extracted from the red-ranked beasts during the last attack.
To most people, they were nothing more than remnants of the monsters.

But to me?
Each one was as effective as a rare elixir.
Compared to something like the Dokcheon Pill, these stones were infinitely more cost-effective.

And I had dozens of them stacked here.
Of course—
“They’re not enough.”

After strengthening my Qi channels, low-grade stones like these barely made a difference.
At most, they’d replenish the energy I’d already used up.
But that didn’t matter.

“They’re just appetizers.”
The red stones were a warm-up.
They weren’t my real target.

Amidst the pile, there was one stone that stood out.
Larger than the others.
Its color was different, too—

White.
The magic stone from the white-ranked beast.
The clean, pristine stone carried a presence that dwarfed the others.

It was a trace of the monster I’d slain and had preserved carefully ever since.
Its energy couldn’t even be compared to the others.
I reached out toward it—

And paused.
The sheer density of the energy made me hesitate.
Days had passed since the battle, and I’d been keeping this stone untouched.

Not because I didn’t want to use it, but because—
“My body wasn’t ready.”
The energy within this stone was massive.

Absorbing it required stability—something I hadn’t regained yet.
Ideally, I would’ve rested for two weeks before attempting it.
But—

“I don’t have time.”
The situation had changed.
I had no choice but to rush.

“It won’t break my limits or anything.”
At best, it would speed up my recovery.
Even if I couldn’t absorb all its energy, it would still mend my internal injuries.

And with the Divine Dragon Commander lingering in my mind—
Now was the time to act.
Decision made, I extended my hand again.

Tap.
My fingers touched the stone.
Its surface was cold against my skin.

Vrrrr—!
I activated the Absorption Art .
And in that moment—

BOOM—!
A torrent of energy surged into my heart.