Baek Siheon barely had the chance to breathe.
One moment, Ulfric the World-Breaker was standing calmly with hands behind his back.
The next—
BOOM!
A fist of celestial-tempered muscle rocketed toward Siheon's head.
He dodged by pure instinct, the shockwave blasting a crater into the ground where he'd been standing.
Siheon stumbled back.
"What the hell—?!"
Ulfric cracked his neck, an amused grin on his face.
"Training."
Another step.
"Real training."
Before Siheon could process it—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Ulfric unleashed a barrage of punches faster than thunder.
Siheon dodged, parried, rolled—pure survival instincts taking over.
The ground split behind him from each missed punch, shockwaves tearing the environment apart.
〈Celestial Ascension System: WARNING — Vital capacity exceeding normal output.〉
〈Demonic Sovereign System: Push further. BREAK HIM.〉
Siheon felt power flooding his limbs—two opposite systems trying to override the other.
His eyes flickered gold—then black—then gold again.
Ulfric laughed, delighted.
"GOOD! Let it out, boy!"
Another punch flew at Siheon.
This time instead of dodging—
He caught it.
LILITH SENSES IT
Far away, in the Celestial Bureau, Lilith stopped mid-conversation.
Her eyes widened.
"That glow… that imbalance…"
Eric swallowed. "What is it now?"
A chilling smile spread across her face.
"My precious chaos seed… is growing."
BACK TO THE TRAINING
Ulfric's fist trembled inside Siheon's grip.
Siheon's voice was breathless, cracking with new power.
"Stop— testing me… like I'm going to break."
Ulfric grinned wider, eyes bright with approval.
"If you broke, you wouldn't be worth teaching."
He lifted his leg—
Siheon's instincts screamed.
He jumped—just before the ground exploded beneath Ulfric's kick.
A NEW PRESENCE ENTERS
"Holy—what happened here? Did a meteor crash or what?"
A voice echoed from the ridge above the training grounds.
Siheon and Ulfric both turned.
A young man with sun-bleached hair, a dark jacket, and dual daggers on his waist hopped down from the cliffside.
His eyes gleamed with mischief, intelligence—and several bad decisions.
He walked over like he was arriving at a picnic instead of a shattered battlefield.
"Baek Siheon, right?"
Siheon blinked.
"Uh… yes?"
The man bowed with exaggerated elegance.
"Lucian Vale. A-Rank Hunter.
Seraphina's teammate, dungeon support unit, annoyance specialist, and… your future friend—whether you like it or not."
Siheon stared.
Ulfric groaned.
"You again."
Lucian pointed at Ulfric.
"Don't listen to muscle-mountain over there. I was supposed to check on the rookie and make sure he didn't die."
He gestured around at the giant craters.
"Clearly… I'm late."
Siheon raised a tired hand.
"Wait… you were with Seraphina's unit?"
Lucian nodded proudly.
"Yep. I was the one yelling through the comms during the dimensional collapse. Remember the part where someone screamed, 'WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!' ?"
Siheon slowly remembered.
"…That was you?"
Lucian gave a thumbs-up.
"Great lungs, I know."
Even Ulfric snorted at that.
But then Lucian grew serious.
"I sensed your output spike from kilometers away.
You're not human-level anymore, Siheon."
He walked closer, studying Siheon carefully.
"Something is growing inside you… and it isn't normal."
Siheon's heart skipped.
〈Celestial Ascension System: Deny disclosure.〉
〈Demonic Sovereign System: Reveal everything. Let them fear.〉
Siheon exhaled—annoyed, exhausted, and confused.
Lucian crossed his arms.
"Relax. I'm not here to pry. I'm here to help Seraphina keep you alive."
Ulfric nodded approvingly.
"He talks too much… but he's sharp. Keep him close."
Lucian smirked.
"Old man, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
But Ulfric's expression turned stern again as he faced Siheon.
"Your training isn't over.
You awakened a fraction of what you carry."
His gaze sharpened, heavy with ancient authority.
"And if you don't master that chaos inside you…
you won't survive what's coming."
Lucian's expression darkened too.
"…Because something big just shifted in the Celestial Realm."
Siheon felt his chest tighten.
Lilith's whisper echoed through his mind—
"My little king…"
He shivered.
The real war wasn't far.