Lee Hyun walked slowly.
A small dining table.
A simple pot.
Hot rice.
Kimchi and duck meat.
The familiar smell lifted his spirits.
His younger sister sat on the other side of the table.
His grandmother rested near the apartment's small window.
It was his home.
It didn't need to be luxurious because it was his.
Korea.
For a moment, Lee Hyun simply stood there in silence.
His sister complained while eating.
"I almost fell asleep at school today."
"You stay up too late."
"It was because of the group project."
"Hm."
She immediately puffed out her cheeks.
"You weren't even listening."
"I was."
"Then what did I say?"
"..."
Lee Hyun calmly picked up his glass of water.
"That you should go to bed earlier."
"You definitely weren't listening."
His grandmother began laughing softly.
The sound was weak.
But warm.
Familiar.
For a moment...
Everything felt absurdly normal.
As if no tragedy had ever happened.
As if he had never died.
Then—
The ground shook violently.
KRRRRRRMMMMMMMM—
The dishes fell.
The lights flickered.
Alarms began echoing outside.
His sister jumped to her feet in panic.
"An earthquake?!"
The window rattled violently.
Then another tremor came.
Much worse.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!
Lee Hyun immediately rushed to the window.
And froze.
The sky was... torn apart.
A massive black rift stretched across the heavens above the city like a scar carved into reality itself.
Something gigantic moved within it.
Legs.
Enormous spider-like legs slowly pushed through the opening, tearing the surrounding space even further apart.
Buildings trembled.
The entire world seemed to scream.
The air felt heavy.
Wrong.
As if reality itself was breaking.
Then—
A small golden light appeared.
First one.
Then dozens.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
They emerged from:
the earth,
the cities,
the people,
humanity itself.
The golden light began rising toward the heavens.
And then—
The monstrous presence retreated.
The gigantic legs trembled.
The rift slowly began to close.
As if something was driving that existence away.
Lee Hyun felt an overwhelming chill run down his spine.
That light...
It felt alive.
Then everything turned white.
And he opened his eyes.
"..."
The simple ceiling of the dormitory came into view.
The sun had not fully risen yet.
Lee Hyun stared at the ceiling for several seconds.
"What a strange dream..."
He frowned slightly.
It felt like he had forgotten something important.
But the harder he tried to remember...
The more confused the memories became.
In the end, he simply sighed.
"Whatever."
His brain was probably just mixing old memories with the new world.
He quickly got out of bed.
Today was important.
The selection of the Vital Gu.
There was no time to waste thinking about weird dreams.
A short while later, Lee Hyun was already walking briskly through the streets of the Huang Clan.
The morning air was still cold.
Some disciples yawned as they walked in the same direction.
Others seemed too nervous to talk.
When he arrived at the main hall...
He noticed something strange.
The instructor had not arrived yet.
The disciples slowly gathered while a clan servant recorded attendance.
The sun continued climbing higher.
And there was still no sign of the old man.
Murmurs began spreading.
"Did he forget?"
"Did something happen?"
"Maybe he's preparing the Gu?"
Lee Hyun calmly crossed his arms.
"Or maybe he's just sleeping."
A familiar voice appeared beside him.
"You arrived early."
Liling appeared carrying a small water flask.
Her bluish-white hair shimmered softly beneath the morning sunlight.
Lee Hyun replied:
"It's important to arrive early for things involving money."
She let out a small laugh.
"You really can turn any topic into money."
"Money is an excellent topic."
She stepped a little closer.
"You look tired."
"I had a strange dream."
"A nightmare?"
"...Maybe."
Her curiosity immediately surfaced.
"About what?"
Lee Hyun remained silent for a few moments.
Then simply answered:
"I don't remember."
The dream already felt distant.
Like sand slipping through his fingers.
Liling tilted her head slightly before changing the subject.
"What about your parents?"
The question came naturally.
But the atmosphere changed immediately.
Lee Hyun answered without expression:
"They died."
"..."
She instantly looked regretful.
"S-sorry..."
"No need."
His voice remained calm.
"I got over it a long time ago."
She stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then asked more quietly:
"Do you have anyone else?"
Lee Hyun looked toward the sky for a moment.
"I had a grandmother and a sister."
"..."
"But they're gone."
"They're not here anymore."
He wasn't lying.
But he wasn't telling the whole truth either.
Liling lowered her gaze slightly.
The atmosphere grew heavy for a few moments.
Then Lee Hyun spoke calmly.
"But you don't need to feel bad."
He turned toward her.
"If you want to comfort me, I'll accept some primeval stones."
"..."
She blinked.
Lee Hyun clearly didn't seem serious.
Or at least that's what he thought.
Because a few moments later...
She actually placed three primeval stones into his hand.
"..."
Lee Hyun stared at the stones.
Then looked at her.
"...You actually gave me money."
"You looked sad."
"Money helps a lot."
"You're a terrible person."
"But now I'm a terrible person with three primeval stones."
Liling tried to hold back her laughter.
She failed completely.
It was at that exact moment that a tired voice echoed behind them.
"Silence."
The disciples immediately straightened their posture.
The old instructor had finally arrived.
Almost around lunchtime.
Some students looked indignant.
But obviously none of them dared complain.
The old man walked slowly as though absolutely nothing was wrong.
Then calmly said:
"A black cat crossed my path."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Absolute silence.
The old man continued:
"So I had to walk around the entire clan wall."
Everyone:
...
...
...
The instructor even added:
"The bad luck would have been severe."
Lee Hyun nearly widened his eyes.
"That excuse is ridiculous..."
But the worst part was:
Nobody could challenge it.
Because he was a Rank 3 Gu Master.
The disciples simply pretended to accept it.
Even though everyone clearly knew it was a lie.
The old man ignored the strange looks completely.
"Now that everyone is here."
He slowly turned toward the massive hall behind him.
"Today, you will choose your first Gu."
The doors slowly began to open.
And immediately—
The primeval essence in the air became much denser.
The disciples' eyes lit up.
Anxiety.
Excitement.
Nervousness.
Everything mixed together.
Lee Hyun watched as the hall slowly opened.
And for some reason...
He felt the same sensation as someone choosing a starter Pokémon.
Except far more dangerous.
Far riskier.
Far more valuable.
And, of course, probably capable of blowing people up in thousands of different ways.
Not that Pokémon were exactly safe either.