The waiting room was suffocating.
Wooin stood by the door, hands clenched, his body taut with anxiety. His mother was out of danger, the healers had said, but that didn't bring him peace. She had slipped into a coma, a deep, unnatural sleep, her body battered and bruised from the assault. The doctors told him that her body was strong enough to survive the worst, but her mind… That remained uncertain.
Every breath Wooin took felt like it cut through his chest. His world, which had once been confined to the rhythmic clang of the forge and the steady, comforting routine of life in the smithy, had collapsed in on itself in the span of a few hours. His mother, once the only stable force in his life, was now incapacitated. His sister, Haeji, was missing, taken by those shadowy figures.
For the first time in his life, Wooin felt powerless. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over, his eyes red and raw from the lack of sleep and the overwhelming weight of everything that had happened.
But then, as the healers gave him another update, something in him shifted. His eyes found the door to his mother's room, and a single thought burned through him: *Haeji is still out there*.
Wooin took a deep breath and stepped away from the door. His resolve, shaky but firm, reasserted itself. He had no time to wallow in self-pity. He had a mission—one that couldn't wait. His sister's life was on the line, and he couldn't afford to lose her too.
---
The barn, as the note had indicated, was situated just outside the city limits. It had once been used for storage, but over the years, it had fallen into disrepair, the wood creaking under the weight of years of neglect. As Wooin approached the location, the moon hung heavy in the sky, casting long shadows across the empty fields. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth, and the sound of his boots crunching on the gravel was the only noise to break the stillness.
When he reached the barn, he paused for a moment, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. He couldn't afford to be reckless. His sister was inside, and whoever had taken her wasn't going to make it easy for him to just walk in and take her back. He wasn't even sure what he was walking into—who these people were, what they wanted, or why they had taken her in the first place.
But there was no turning back now.
Wooin pushed the creaky door open, wincing at the sound of it echoing in the night air. The interior was dark, save for the slivers of moonlight that filtered through cracks in the wood. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust, but when they did, his blood froze.
In the center of the barn, his sister Haeji was tied to a chair, her arms bound tightly behind her back. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with terror, tears streaking down her cheeks.
Wooin's heart nearly shattered at the sight of her, but before he could take a step forward, a cold, metallic chill prickled at the back of his neck.
*No…*
He froze.
The faintest shift in the air warned him just before a low voice murmured from behind him, "Don't move."
His instincts screamed at him to react, but he had no time. With a smooth, deadly motion, a figure stepped out from the shadows, holding a dagger poised against Wooin's neck. The cold steel pressed against his skin, and a chill ran down his spine.
"One more step, and your head will roll," the figure said, his voice low, almost bored.
Wooin's body stiffened. He didn't move a muscle. He couldn't afford to make a mistake now—not when his sister was so close, so vulnerable.
The figure slowly stepped back, pulling the dagger away from Wooin's throat, and in an instant, ten more figures appeared from the shadows, their movements fluid and practiced. They all stood in a line, their faces obscured by dark masks, their weapons at the ready.
A chill swept over Wooin as the tension in the air thickened.
And then, the silence was broken.
A young man, dressed in an immaculate black suit, stepped into the barn. His posture was arrogant, his expression cool and detached. The other figures immediately dropped to one knee, their heads bowed in deference as they greeted him in unison.
"Young Master," they intoned.
Wooin's heart skipped a beat. He had been in enough shady circles to recognize the signs—the respect, the formality. This wasn't some random group of thugs. No, these men were part of something much larger.
The young man didn't even glance at Wooin. Instead, he casually took a seat in a chair that had been placed in the center of the barn, as if the entire situation was just another ordinary day for him. As he settled into the seat, the light from the moon caught his face, revealing a sharp, handsome profile—slightly older than Wooin, but with a level of confidence that suggested he was no stranger to power.
Wooin's mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening. Who was this boy? And why were his men treating him with such reverence?
Finally, the boy turned to look at Wooin, his eyes narrowed in curiosity. He smiled slightly, as if Wooin's presence was an amusing inconvenience.
"You're here," the boy said, his voice smooth, almost too calm.
Wooin clenched his fists. "Why did you kidnap my sister?" he demanded, his voice strained but steady.
The boy didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping against the armrests as though he were considering something important.
"Your sister?" the boy said, finally acknowledging Wooin's presence. "She's right where she belongs. Safe, for now. But you… You're here because of something else, aren't you?"
Wooin's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
The boy's smile deepened, an almost cruel gleam in his eyes. "The book," he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Wooin blinked. "Book? What book?" He shook his head, his thoughts still scattered. "I don't know anything about a book."
The boy laughed—low, condescending. "You're lying. You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Wooin's pulse quickened. The boy's words rang in his ears, and suddenly, everything clicked into place. Gyeo had mentioned something about a legacy—a book, a secret. Was this what the boy was after? Was this why they had taken his sister?
"You don't know what you're dealing with," Wooin growled, keeping his voice as sharp as possible. "I'm not here for any book."
The boy's expression shifted, no longer amused. He stood up, his eyes cold and calculating.
"Didn't Gyeo tell you about Hak Yon's legacy?" he asked, his voice lowering as if the name carried weight far beyond its simple syllables.
Wooin froze, his blood running cold. The name *Hak Yon* struck him like a lightning bolt. It felt like the world had shifted beneath his feet, and his vision wavered.
"What… What are you talking about?" Wooin's voice trembled despite his best efforts to remain composed.
The boy's smile returned, but it was darker this time, edged with something dangerous.
"Gyeo didn't tell you everything, did he? You see, Hak Yon wasn't just a legendary blacksmith," the boy said, his voice dripping with disdain. "He was also the greatest swordsman who ever lived. And Gyeo—well, he's been sitting on a secret for years now. A secret that can change the world."
Wooin's breath hitched. "Gyeo? My mentor? What do you mean?"
The boy's smile twisted into something more sinister. "Gyeo was once the head blacksmith of the SK Group. But he left. Half a year ago. And we've been trying to find out why ever since. We believe… He found it. Hak Yon's final resting place. And we're not leaving here without it."
Wooin's mind was spinning. *SK Group*? The head blacksmith of SK Group? He had no idea what any of this meant.
The boy continued, his voice dropping to a whisper, "You see, the SK Group is not just any guild. We, along with the other major guilds—the Reapers, the Hunter Association, and the Red Lotus—are the new powers that control this world. After the dungeon incidents, the old power structures crumbled. Now, we decide what happens."
Wooin's stomach twisted. *This is too much. I can't keep up.*
The boy's gaze hardened as he leaned forward. "We've known about Hak Yon's legacy for two years now, ever since the prophet revealed its existence. All the major guilds have been searching for it, but we've been out of luck. But we think Gyeo found it and decided to keep it for himself. And now, after weeks of investigationwe found out that Gyeo had taken in a disciple,so he must have told you about the location of his resting place ."
Wooin stood frozen, his mind still struggling to make sense of the words that kept crashing against him.