CFZ

Another day had passed.
I saw the morning sun rise after staying up all night, but I hadn’t slept at all.
Not that I particularly needed to sleep in my current condition. I also had training to do during the night.

Was it to relive the realization I’d experienced during sparring?
That was part of it, but the real reason was that I needed to grow accustomed to my heightened Qi sense.
“Hm.”

I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my hands.
I had gone through countless processes until dawn, but the conclusion was the same.
“It’s not something I can fix in just a day or two.”

While my Qi sense and firepower had improved, the issue was adaptation.
I was trying to get used to it as much as possible, but—
‘This will be a problem in actual combat.’

There was too much I could feel, too much firing off inside me.
I needed to keep checking how to control it in real battles.
‘Facing someone weaker won’t be an issue.’

But if I came across someone on my level or stronger, the problem would be clear.
Of course, reaching this point, I doubted there were many stronger than me.
‘The likelihood of that happening doesn’t matter.’

The probability wasn’t the point.
‘What matters is that the possibility exists.’
As long as the possibility wasn’t zero, I had to account for it—over and over.
For now, they might not be my enemies, but one day, they could be.

‘If I don’t prepare properly, this will turn into a dagger aimed at me.’
Not a dagger to stab my enemies—
But one that would stab me instead.

Every second, I had to think about that.
Whooosh—!!
I retracted my Qi and furrowed my brow.

‘Seven days until Jegal Eui-cheon arrives in Hanam.’
He should’ve been here in four days, but Cheol Ji-seon mentioned something came up.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have called him if I didn’t have to, but there were too many matters requiring his brain.

Not to mention the favor the Divine Doctor had asked of me.
‘And I need to call in the others too.’
I also needed the help of the people Jegal Eui-cheon had stationed here.

“Sigh….”
With all the trouble I’d caused, I wondered what Jegal Eui-cheon would say when he arrived.
He probably wouldn’t say much, but he’d definitely give me a look full of resentment.

Or maybe he’d even refuse outright?
That wasn’t entirely impossible either.
If it came to that—

‘…I’ll have to use Moyong Hee-ah.’
I had plenty of excuses to use, so I’d make it work somehow.
‘Seven days.’

The timeline had extended from four days to seven.
Was I frustrated that the delay disrupted my plans?
Not at all.

‘I bought myself time.’
If anything, it gave me more time to stir up trouble before he arrived.
Jegal Eui-cheon and Cheol Ji-seon would probably be ready to explode when they found out.

I moved, imagining their reactions.
“Let’s go.”
Continuing training felt pointless at this stage.

Morning was already approaching, so it was time to move.
I tossed aside my sweat-soaked training robes and turned my head.
“Hey.”

“Ugh…?”
When I called out, someone flinched and trembled near the trees.
“Get up.”

“Ugh…. Is it over…?”
“Yeah. We need to go now, so get up.”
Wiping away the drool she’d spilled in her sleep was Bong Soon.

I looked at her with a slightly exasperated expression and continued.
“Let’s go. If we wait any longer, we’ll be late.”
“…Mmh.”

“….”
Whether she was wiping away drool or washing her face with it, I wasn’t sure.
I turned my head to avoid looking at her any longer, as I could already feel my eyes filling with contempt.

Honestly, she wasn’t exactly someone I wanted to be seen with, but—
I didn’t have a choice.
‘…Starting today.’

Starting today, Bong Soon had a role to play.
Something I had been preparing for a long time.
A dagger aimed at the Martial Alliance.

Even with changes in timing and circumstances, her role wouldn’t change.
Because of that, Bong Soon had to follow me into the Martial Alliance starting today.

   ******************
   

After a quick wash, I arrived at the Martial Alliance.
“We greet the Star King.”
“Yes. It’s a pleasure.”

Entering was no more difficult than before.
I was immediately guided to my destination.
Last time, I had to go deep inside for the main conference room.

This time, the location was closer to the entrance—a space even ordinary people could access if necessary.
The moment I arrived and took in the scene, I had to suppress my laughter.
‘These people, really?’

The space looked familiar.
It didn’t take long to realize it was the very same arena where the martial tournament had been held.
‘So they’re recycling it like this.’

It seemed they hadn’t shut it down but were simply maintaining it.
Given the chaos that erupted last time, I’d assumed they’d have dismantled it completely.
‘Guess it’s too much of a waste, so they’re planning to reuse it.’

Well, it made sense.
The martial tournament had been a disaster, and even though they tried to cover it up by using me and the Divine Dragon Unit to secure the situation, some sponsors had undoubtedly withdrawn support.
With funds running tight, they probably wanted to make use of whatever they could.

‘Unbelievable.’
It was somewhat irritating, but I didn’t care enough to make an issue out of it.
For now, I simply followed the guide and took my seat.

The location was right in front of the dueling platform used in the martial tournament.
Tables and chairs had been arranged, and a canopy was set up to block the sunlight.
I sat in the central seat, which was clearly meant for someone of high rank.

Looking around, I greeted those beside me.
“Good morning. How have you been?”
“...”

“...”
No one answered.
Seated beside me were the Gold Dragon Captain, Twin Crescent Swords, and the Iron Dragon Captain, Silver Wolf Sword.

None of the other captains seemed to be present, leaving only these two.
Neither of them even glanced at me in response to my greeting.
Clicking my tongue lightly, I spoke again.

“Tch. A newcomer is being polite, and you’re this cold? What kind of workplace is this? No wonder no one wants to stay here.”
What a ridiculous display of hazing.
How was someone as delicate as me supposed to feel welcome?

Thunk.
I propped my legs up on the table and leaned back in my chair, making myself as comfortable ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) as possible.
The expressions of the two captains immediately soured.

“What are you looking at?”
When I met their stares and asked bluntly, Twin Crescent Swords finally spoke with a deeply uncomfortable expression.
“…Star King. What do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“There are many eyes watching. Acting like this—”
“So what?”

“…What?”
My brazen attitude left him speechless.
Sure, there were a lot of eyes on me.

Only two captains had shown up, but other Martial Alliance members were present too.
I spotted vice-captain-level figures and group leaders among them—likely acting as proxies for absent captains.
Not to mention, some of them seemed to be from Muk Yeon’s command team, meaning this gathering included high-ranking officials.

‘And so what?’
I didn’t care in the slightest.
What did it matter how these people viewed me?

“So what? What do you expect me to do about it?”
“You…!”
Twin Crescent Swords’s brow furrowed deeply, clearly agitated.

“Star King, do you even understand the significance of this place? As a member of the Martial Alliance—”
“What’s so special about it?”
“…You’re really…!”

“What’s so grand about this place that I need to be worried about appearances? Besides—”
I smirked and added,
“Being a member of the Martial Alliance? Wow, what an honor.”

As if there was nothing else worth being proud of.
“And to be clear, isn’t this a space where I can do whatever I want? That’s what I heard from the strategist.”
I tilted my head slightly and continued.

“The Gold Dragon Captain and the others here are just observers, aren’t they? So let’s not waste energy on pointless arguments. I skipped breakfast and I’m tired.”
“Observers?!”
Twin Crescent Swords’s eyes flared with anger.

He looked like he was ready to strike at any moment.
“Oh? You gonna hit me?”
“You think just because you’ve got talent, you can act so arrogantly? Do you really believe you deserve the position of captain in the Alliance?!”

“The way you keep talking, it’s starting to sound like you’re the one who begged me to take this position.”
I barely held back a laugh.
“Captain? Who said I wanted this? I only agreed because you begged so desperately. Anyone listening might think I got down on my knees and pleaded for it.”

“You—!”
“Ugh, shut up….”
His shouting was giving me a headache, so I waved my hand to cut him off.

“If you don’t like it, leave.”
“What…?”
“Didn’t you hear me? If you don’t like it, walk out that door.”

I pointed at the entrance I had used earlier.
“Or—”
I redirected my finger to the dueling platform.

“Stop whining and fight me.”
“...”
“What? Are you scared?”

“You…!”
Twin Crescent Swords shot up from his seat, but—
“Gold Dragon Captain.”

“…!”
“Calm yourself.”
It was Silver Wolf Sword, the Iron Dragon Captain, who stopped him.

“But Iron Dragon Captain, he—”
“As you said, there are many eyes watching. And besides—”
Silver Wolf Sword gave him a sharp look.

“We didn’t come here to fight today.”
“...”
His calm but firm words forced Twin Crescent Swords to suppress his anger.

I narrowed my eyes slightly as I watched.
‘These bastards.’
There was something off about his tone, despite how it seemed like he was diffusing the situation.

It wasn’t his words—it was the flow of Qi.
While they were talking, I could feel their Qi exchanging through soundless transmission.
‘They’re using sound transmission.’

As martial artists of the Hwagyeong level, they could converse in secret while speaking aloud.
Sitting between them, I could sense it clearly.
‘So they’ve got something planned.’

I’d thought it was odd that two captains showed up in person for this.
Looks like they came prepared.
‘Hmm.’

I sank deeper into my chair.
‘Alright, let’s see what they’ve got.’
Since they’d gone to all this trouble, I might as well enjoy the show.

As I was organizing my thoughts—
“…Star King is seated. May we allow the applicants to enter?”
“Yes. Proceed.”

I nodded.
And then—
“Enter!”

Creak—!!
A massive set of doors, different from the one I’d entered through, swung open.
Countless figures began pouring in.

Whooosh—!!
A strong gust of wind accompanied their entrance.
The heavy atmosphere and mingled Qi in the air hinted at the presence of many skilled martial artists.

As expected, the ones entering were all warriors.
About a hundred in total.
A considerable number.

Following the guide’s instructions, they slowly gathered around the dueling platform.
As I observed them—
“Thank you for coming.”

The guide began explaining why they had assembled.
“Starting now—”
A gathering of this many warriors could only mean one thing.

“We will begin the entrance trials for the Star Dragon Unit.”
I was here to recruit members for the unit I would lead.