Baek Mu-Gi vanished.
No sound. No flash. Not even a ripple of Qi.
One blink, and he was gone.
Mae-Bi blinked twice, scanning the air.
That... was high-level Veil Step. Not even a trace.
[System prompt: User inquiry detected.]
"Can I learn that?" he thought instantly.
[Affirmative. Veil Step (Advanced) can be unlocked. User currently using 3% of System capacity.]
Mae-Bi froze.
"...Wait. Three percent?!"
[Correct.]
He shouted before he could stop himself:
"What?! I've only been using THREE PERCENT?!"
Footsteps.
"Whoa—why are you yelling like a crazy person?" Jin jogged over, wide-eyed. "Don't tell me that commander guy already broke your brain."
Mae-Bi forced a laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Nah, just... deep in thought."
Jin squinted at him. "Uh-huh. Deep thoughts like how you suddenly mastered Veil Step, broke through a stage, and beat the hell out of Rak and Yuri in front of the whole division?"
Mae-Bi kept smiling, but he knew Jin was paying attention.
He had to be careful now.
It had only been two days since he regressed, but everything about him had changed.
His posture. His gaze. The weight in his words.
Even Jin was starting to notice.
But Jin didn't know the truth.
He didn't know how the old Mae-Bi had lived a life of pathetic obedience, how he'd killed for the cult without question, without honor, without reason.
Didn't know how he died in the mud, bleeding and broken, wondering if any of it had ever meant anything.
Didn't know how, right before death, Jin himself had asked him:
"Is this really what our lives were for?"
He didn't know the answer had haunted Mae-Bi ever since.
But this time—
This time, it would be different.
"I just realized," Mae-Bi said quietly, "that I need to take things seriously."
Jin blinked.
"...Damn. That's not like you at all."
He crossed his arms.
"Well, guess I should step up too. Just don't start acting all mysterious and broody. You've got a scary face. And when you don't smile? Ugh. You look like a constipated old man."
Mae-Bi narrowed his eyes. "You just ruined my cool moment."
"Good. Somebody had to."
They laughed short, honest. The kind that only comes from people who've survived together.
Then Jin clapped his hands. "Oh right—you're meeting him, right? The Lord?"
Mae-Bi nodded.
"Hyeolgeom Gunju," he said. "Time to officially report in as Fifth Squad Leader."
Jin paled. "Oof. That's scary pressure. I'd rather fight Rak again than stand in front of that monster."
Mae-Bi looked toward the direction of the inner compound.
His smile faded.
"I'm used to pressure," he said. "But standing in front of him..."
His fingers curled slightly.
"...it's like walking into the eye of a storm."
Jin folded his arms and nodded like a child trying to act wise.
"We should seriously be careful what we say around the Lord. One wrong word and boom — centipede pops our heart like a melon."
Mae-Bi smirked. "You're not wrong."
He turned — and caught the sideways glances from the rest of the Fifth Division.
Murmuring. Whispering. Smirking.
So it begins, he thought.
In his past life, this group had been a disaster.
Poor coordination. No respect. Jeong Rak's arrogance poisoned the whole unit. They collapsed as a team and were eventually replaced. Mae-Bi only rose to commander after surviving hell and guiding the next generation by the time he was forty.
But this time, he thought, I'll shape them myself.
He stepped toward them calmly.
"Alright. As you've seen, I'm the new commander of the Fifth Division," he said, loud enough for all to hear. "And that title deserves respect."
They didn't react.
Some glanced at each other.
Others rolled their eyes.
A few even laughed.
"Tsk, kids," Mae-Bi muttered. "Children of today really don't know fear."
"What did he just say?"
"Is Mae-Bi seriously talking down to us now?"
A tall boy with a scar across his cheek leapt forward, landing hard in front of Mae-Bi and glaring down at him.
He smirked. "You might've beaten Rak and Yuri — still not sure how — but you think you can take on all of us?"
Jin stepped forward immediately. "Hey, back off! That's the Fifth Commander you're talking to, bastard!"
The boy ignored him, leaned forward, and tapped Mae-Bi's forehead.
"Why don't you step down before you embarrass yourself?"
Mae-Bi looked up slowly.
His voice was calm.
"Step back."
The boy laughed. "What?"
CRACK.
The next moment, his head snapped sideways.
Mae-Bi's punch landed square across his jaw — clean, fast, brutal.
The boy collapsed to the ground, groaning.
"Did he just punch him?!"
"Is he crazy?!"
Mae-Bi didn't stop.
His killing intent flooded out in a wave — cold, suffocating, sharp enough to pierce bone.
He looked over the rest of them.
"I guess I'll have to beat some discipline into you brats."
One girl growled. "Damn it! Everyone, hit him together!"
Four others leapt with her, circling Mae-Bi with practiced steps — their Qi masked, footsteps silent.
Veil Step. Low-grade. Sloppy.
[System Active. Analyzing movement... complete.]
One boy lunged at his back.
Mae-Bi pivoted, caught his arm mid-air, and flipped him to the ground with a crack.
"Clench your fists."
"Huh—?"
BAM. BAM. BAM.
Three brutal punches echoed through the courtyard.
Blood hit the dirt.
The rest froze in place, eyes wide.