The morning wind stirred the courtyard.
Wheee...
Leaves danced around Baek Sun-Ho's feet as he swept the broken tiles with a cracked broom. Dustcloud Sect tradition, apparently.
"Didn't you just become the official candidate?" Yeon So-Ri asked from the steps, arms folded.
"I did."
"Then why are you sweeping the courtyard?"
Baek Sun-Ho jabbed the broom into a pile of leaves.
Shf-shf-shf.
"Because the sect is broke, the elders are lazy, and the squirrels still steal the incense. Leadership comes second to leaf duty."
She snorted. "Inspirational."
---
A Crumbling Sect
Dustcloud Sect was nestled on a worn-out cliffside, built on cracked stone and older regret. Its buildings sagged, its roofs wept in the rain, and its disciples could barely afford socks.
Krrrrk.
The outer gate groaned as two junior disciples hauled in a crate of supplies.
"Senior Sun-Ho!" one of them called, "The village sent more cabbage heads and—uh—something that might be tofu!"
Baek Sun-Ho raised a hand.
"Leave them by the well. Don't let the chickens peck them first this time."
"Too late," the other boy mumbled.
Cluck-cluck! Peck! Peck!
He sighed.
> One day I led armies. Now I lead cabbages and chickens.
---
A Visit from the West
As he sat beneath the plum tree again, Yeon So-Ri dropped beside him with a scroll in hand.
Paf.
"This came through the old hawk tower line. Message from the Western Council."
Baek Sun-Ho frowned.
"Didn't that hawk tower collapse six years ago?"
"It did. The message was tied to a pigeon. The pigeon was… very persistent."
He unrolled the scroll. Thick parchment. Gold edge. Burned seal.
Fsshhh.
"A summoning scroll," he said quietly. "Signed by a Marshal of the Murim Alliance."
Yeon So-Ri's eyes narrowed.
"Dustcloud Sect hasn't received official recognition in a generation. Why now?"
"Because I just became a candidate," Sun-Ho muttered. "And someone somewhere just lost a bet."
---
The Unseen War
He read aloud:
> To the Dustcloud Sect Candidate,
You are summoned to attend the Proving Assembly in five days' time.
Failure to appear is disqualification. Martial escort en route.
Yeon So-Ri whistled.
Fweeew.
"So... they want to test you in public, in front of the Alliance?"
"No," Sun-Ho said, rolling the scroll tight again.
"They want to test whether I'll die before I get there."
---
That Night – A New Arrival
The torches around the sect walls flickered.
Fffwmp. Fffwmp.
A figure moved under the moonlight. Not cloaked. Not hiding. Just... walking.
Baek Sun-Ho was already standing on the wall, robe fluttering in the night breeze.
Whsssshh.
The figure stopped at the outer gate. Tall. Calm. Eyes glowing faintly beneath his hood.
"Traveler," Sun-Ho called out. "This is Dustcloud Sect. We don't get many visitors."
The man removed his hood.
Ffffap.
Beneath it, his face was blank.
Literally. Smooth skin. No mouth. No nose.
Just a single glowing symbol where the forehead should be:
A burning circle of ink—the Mark of Silent Division.
Yeon So-Ri appeared beside him, daggers already in her hands.
"You know what that is?" she whispered.
Baek Sun-Ho didn't answer right away.
The figure raised his hand—and pointed directly at him.
"I do," Sun-Ho murmured.
"It's an assassin. From one of the Five Inner Shadow Halls."
She gripped her weapons tighter.
"And what do they want?"
He took a step forward.
Tap.
Stone met sandal.
"They want to make sure I don't live long enough to challenge anyone."
---
[End of Chapter 4 ]