As Dae finished recounting his story, he turned away, lifting a hand to wipe the tears clinging stubbornly to his eyes.
Dom watched him quietly, his expression heavy with empathy. "Damn, Dae… I'm really sorry."
Dae shook his head. "It's not like it had anything to do with you… but…" He turns back, offering a weak, tired smile. "Thank you."
Dom nodded, his expression easing just a little.
Dae sat upright on his bed, releasing a long, weary sigh. "After I buried them," he says, running a hand through his hair, "…I took our emergency funds and left."
His eyes glazed over as his thoughts drifted backward.
"I wandered for a while, trying to figure out what to do… until the money started running out. About two weeks after I left, I took a job as a pig farmer."
Dom's face immediately twisted in disgust.
Dae let out a short laugh when he saw it. "Yes. It was absolutely repulsive. I hated every second of it."
The humor faded just as quickly, replaced by something sharp and simmering.
"Why did my family—good people who did nothing wrong—have to die?" Dae muttered. "Why should that… ingrate… get to live a normal life while I suffer like this?"
Dom raised a brow, struck by the raw venom in his words.
"Those thoughts consumed me every day," Dae continued. "A week later, I couldn't take it anymore."
He stared at the ceiling, his anger still lingering beneath the surface.
"I couldn't abandon my family's pride… my grandfather's legacy… or let that man walk away after what he did."
Another slow breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Luckily, my father wasn't a genius swordsman like my grandfather. He took his time recording and analyzing the Thunder Sword Style in a book, trying to improve himself."
"So that's what you're always reading at night," Dom said.
Dae nodded. "That diary contains all 121 forms—including the ones my grandfather invented. I took on odd jobs to survive while training… until I met an old family friend who took me in. My goal was simple: get stronger while searching for him."
He folded his arms, frowning. "But as a young orphan with no influence or family name, finding him was impossible. So I chose the one profession that could give a nobody like me power and reach."
"The Knights," Dom said.
Dae nodded.
"But didn't your grandfather say he had enemies?" Dom asked. "Won't they come after you?"
"Just like you, I leave my last name blank on official documents," Dae replies, briefly glancing at Sam, still unconscious. "And you're the only other person I've ever told this to."
He shrugged. "Eventually, once I draw enough attention, they'll find me anyway. I'm still using the same fighting style, after all."
His eyes darkened.
"But as long as it brings me closer to him, I don't care who comes after me."
The ominous weight in his voice made Dom hesitate.
Dae noticed and scoffed, turning away. "Are you going to judge me, too? Tell me to let go of revenge and follow my grandfather's last wish?"
Dom paused, thinking. "No."
Dae turned, genuinely surprised.
Dom looked up at the ceiling. "We've both killed during Academy training, right?"
Dae nodded.
"Since I was a kid," Dom continued, "I've believed some people are just… better off dead. After hearing about this Akito guy? Yeah. He qualifies."
"He does," Dae muttered.
Dom shrugged. "And as you said, your past isn't mine. Hell, if something like that happened to Pops, I'd probably feel the same. I don't have the right to judge you."
Silence fell.
Dom turned to find Dae staring at him in disbelief.
"What?" Dom asked.
"I always thought of you as an impulsive muscle-brain," Dae said slowly. "Didn't expect you to be this level-headed."
Dom's brow twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I didn't mean it like that," Dae said, barely holding back a laugh.
Dom glared—then suddenly froze.
"Wait." He looked down, thinking hard. "Lightning swordsman… Hyeon Family… Blade King… the Great Fall…"
His eyes widened. "Your grandfather wouldn't happen to be—"
Dae nodded. "My Grandfather was Hyeon Jin. Head Captain of the Royal Knight's Second Division and former Monarch."
Dom's jaw dropped. "Are you fucking serious?! He was the Emperor's right-hand man!"
Sam groaned faintly in his sleep.
Dae sighed, rubbing his temples. "Why don't you just announce it to the whole world?"
"So you're telling me you're descended from one of the greatest knights ever?" Dom whispered, awestruck.
Dae shrugged. "Believe it or not."
Dom frowned. "It actually explains a lot. Your techniques even match the old records. But… didn't the Blade King only use one sword?"
"Yes," Dae said, staring at his hands. "All Hyeon swordsmen do. I wanted to surpass them, so I created my own style."
Dom grinned. "Let me guess—two swords sounded twice as strong?"
Dae laughed. "You're actually right." He smiled as he remembered his younger self. "As a child, I truly believed that wielding two swords would make me stronger." He laughed.
"Of course, I quickly realized that using two swords was even harder, especially since I had to modify every single sword form to suit my dual-wielding."
He paused, his gaze fixed on his hands. "But I made it my own," he adds proudly. "Now it's my trademark."
"That's insane," Dom said, beaming. "Maybe I should use swords, too. I'll use three."
"Where would you even keep the third?" Dae scoffed.
Dom grabbed three flowers from a nearby vase—one between his teeth, two in his hands. "Three Sword Style, Form Four… Something Slash."
Petals scattered everywhere as he swung his arms around.
"That's impractical," Dae deadpanned.
"You're impractical," Dom shot back.
Dae laughed, the tension finally gone.
Dom smiled softly. This is the first time Dae had laughed so casually. "I'm just glad you finally opened up."
Dae flinched.
"If I knew near-death experiences worked that well, I'd have tried it years ago," Dom joked.
"I regret this already," Dae muttered, lying down and pulling the blanket over his head.
"Good night, Dominic," he said.
"Dom."
Dae peeked out, confused.
Dom grinned. "Only my real friends get to use my nickname."
Dae turned away without answering—but his smile betrayed him.
Meanwhile, hours later…
Under the cover of night at the final Academy exam venue, Johan walked through the quiet, eerie forest with a cigarette resting between his fingers. Sandra followed closely beside him, holding a lit lantern that cast long, wavering shadows across the trees.
"Not to complain, sir…" Sandra said as she scanned their surroundings, her voice low. "…but we've been searching for hours and still haven't found anything."
"Our students barely escaped death because of a mistake we could've prevented," Johan replied, casting her a sideways glance. "I think a little nighttime stroll is the least we owe them."
"I cross-checked the catalog ten times already," she said as they pushed through a cluster of bushes. "…and according to the surveillance logs, the Reflezard wasn't among the registered beasts. There's no way it could've slipped in unnoticed."
Johan slowed, then stopped. He reached out and pushed aside a low-hanging branch, his eyes narrowing at something several feet ahead.
"There we go," he muttered, stepping forward.
Sandra followed—and froze.
At the center of a patch of grass lay a circular distortion in the soil, the earth hardened and twisted into a faintly spiraling pattern.
"A teleportation circle," she said, recognition flashing across her face.
Johan removed the cigarette from his mouth, exhaled a slow stream of smoke, and crouched beside the mark. He brushed his fingers across the hardened ground.
"With no surveillance in this sector, there'd be no way to track the beast's movement," he said. He tapped the circle once. "And judging by the location… and the timing…"
He straightened and pointed toward a specific section of the forest. "…it was brought in during the exam. Not before it started."
Sandra's jaw tightened. "Who would do something like this?"
Johan crushed the cigarette beneath his boot, his gaze never leaving the circle. "I have a pretty good guess."
She caught the look on his face and inhaled sharply. "You don't mean—"
"This land belongs to the Capital," Johan said, turning toward her. "Which means the Council still holds jurisdiction. Even with our request in place, they could sneak a beast in without us knowing."
Sandra's expression twisted with anger. "But I thought they wanted more knights. A Reflezard is an extremely dangerous beast—many more recruits could've died."
Johan folded his arms. "I don't think they sent it to wipe out the recruits," he said calmly. "…They were targeting one specific student."
She raised a brow. "Who would they want dead badly enough to risk thinning this year's class?"
Johan hummed thoughtfully and surveyed the forest once more.
The timing of the summoning.
The precise sector chosen.
The fact that Reflezards instinctively hunt those with high mana reserves.
And above all—his past dealings with the Council.
Once the pieces clicked into place, only one name surfaced.
Sandra noticed the shift in his expression and knew immediately that he had his answer.
"Who was their target, sir?" she asked.
Johan remained silent for a moment. Then he turned away.
"It doesn't matter," he said quietly. "What's done is done."
Sandra frowned, frustration clear on her face, while Johan continued staring at the circle.
"Tell the others to call off the search," he added. "And bring in spatial specialists. I want this circle analyzed."
She nodded and reached into her jacket, pulling out a thick circular device. With a twist, it unfolded into a small mirror-like surface that shimmered before forming the image of another soldier.
As Sandra relayed the order, Johan lingered a moment longer, his gaze fixed on the disturbed earth.
"You'd better watch yourself, kid," he murmured under his breath.
Then he turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving the circle behind.