The three of them stood at the edge of a canyon, the wind howling through jagged rocks below. The village elder had warned them that the bounty target was no ordinary beast — and the bones littering the canyon floor confirmed it.
A Shadowfang Wyvern. Fierce, cunning — and worth a fortune.
Seol-Yeong's grip tightened around his sword. Beside him, Seo Yoon-Hee's eyes gleamed with focus, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. Tian Hyeon cracked his knuckles, the air around him trembling faintly with the weight of his suppressed power.
"You two have a plan?" Hyeon asked, his voice light despite the danger.
"Don't die," Seol-Yeong answered.
Hyeon grinned. "I like it."
The wyvern struck without warning, a black blur of scales and teeth. Seol-Yeong moved first — his sword flashed, and the air itself split with the force of his strike. The beast shrieked, but it wasn't wounded. Not yet.
Yoon-Hee was already moving — her speed a blur as she struck from the wyvern's flank, her dagger leaving thin lines of frost on its scales.
And then Hyeon stepped forward.
"Celestial Tyrant's Edict: Heaven-Shattering Fist!"
The canyon echoed with the sound of impact as his punch met the wyvern's claw — and the monster was driven back. Dust and stone erupted in waves, and for the first time, the wyvern hesitated.
Seol-Yeong's eyes flicked toward Hyeon. He couldn't deny it — the boy was strong. Strong enough to earn his place.
But strength alone wouldn't be enough.
"Focus," Seol-Yeong snapped. "We take it down together."
The battle raged — and as the dust settled, the three of them stood victorious. Bloodied, exhausted… but alive.
And the world was beginning to take notice.
—