The morning sun leaked through the thin cracks of the wooden window. Golden rays scattered across the small inn room, touching the face of Kim Taehun, who had spent the entire night sitting cross-legged on the floor, not meditating but… staring at the translucent blue interface flickering before his eyes.
> [SYSTEM REBOOTING... 92% COMPLETE.]
[STABILIZING HOST CORE... SUCCESS.]
[WELCOME BACK, KIM TAEHUN.]
He blinked.
"Welcome back? You were gone for two days," Taehun muttered, his voice a mix of annoyance and relief.
The System's voice this time was calm—deeper, more humanlike.
> [My temporary shutdown was required for self-repair. The synchronization between your soul and my function was incomplete.]
[But worry not. I am now fully operational.]
Taehun sighed and slumped backward, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fully operational, huh? Then can you explain why every time you 'repair,' I nearly pass out and dream about glowing chickens and dancing spirit beasts?"
> [Those are... side effects of incomplete dream synchronization.]
[However, your imagination is unusually strong for a mortal host.]
He glared at the blue screen. "Did you just call me a mortal host?"
> [Observation: You are currently mortal.]
[Correction: A rather underperforming mortal.]
"...I liked you better when you were broken," Taehun grumbled, standing up and stretching. His body felt lighter than before, though his cultivation hadn't advanced an inch. As ordered, he'd kept from breaking through—no Qi expansion, no realm ascension—just pure understanding of flow and form.
He'd been relearning how to live, not how to fly.
Morning Calm
Taehun washed up in a small basin, wearing the plain brown robe he'd bought from the village tailor the day before. He tied his hair back with a strip of cloth and stepped out into the early bustle of Crimson Petal Market, one of the busiest districts below the mountain sects.
The moment he arrived, his senses flooded with life.
Vendors shouted from every corner—old men selling spirit herbs, women trading glowing stones, and even a kid juggling roasted skewers of what looked suspiciously like "Spirit Chicken" meat. The air was alive with the mix of incense, sweat, and laughter.
> [Scanning environment...]
[Potentially dangerous: 2 pickpockets, 1 Qi cultivator pretending to be blind, and one unstable drunk man who might vomit on your robe in approximately 45 seconds.]
"Thanks for the weather forecast," Taehun said flatly.
> [Correction: That was a safety notice.]
He chuckled and weaved through the crowd. Every sound reminded him of Seoul—market noise, gossip, chaos. Only this time, people were bartering with spirit stones instead of cash, and the beggars were discussing Qi flow techniques instead of politics.
The Fortune Stall
"Fortune readings! Spiritual readings! Know your destiny for one silver coin!" a shrill voice called out.
A wrinkled old woman sat behind a wooden table draped with talismans and beads. Her blindfold fluttered slightly as she sensed Taehun's aura.
"You there, traveler! Your fate smells like... mischief and confusion."
Taehun stopped, one brow raised. "That's oddly specific."
> [Warning: Fraud probability—78%.]
"Yeah, I figured," he muttered.
"Still," the old woman said, smiling faintly, "you have a heavy destiny. Something ancient sleeps inside you... Something not of this world."
Taehun froze.
> [Her spiritual sensitivity is slightly above average. Shall I silence her memory?]
"What the hell? No! Don't 'silence' anyone!" he whispered, flailing his arms slightly. People around them gave him odd looks.
The old woman chuckled. "Talking to yourself? You really aren't from around here."
He swallowed. "...You have no idea."
The Stall of Ridiculous Deals
Further along the market, Taehun stopped at a stand covered in absurd trinkets: Qi-infused toothpicks, "spiritual" undergarments, and something labeled 'Heavenly Hair Oil – Used by Sect Masters!'
"Hey, brother! You look like a man of great taste!" shouted the merchant, a burly man with a suspicious grin. "Buy this oil! Apply once, and your hair will shimmer like the moon goddess herself!"
Taehun blinked. "Does it actually work?"
"Of course! Works on hair, beards, and sword sheaths!"
> [Detecting false marketing. Product contains 3% rat oil.]
"Rat—?! You're selling rat oil?!"
The merchant smiled. "It's… premium rat."
Taehun's face fell. "I swear, I reincarnated into a world full of scammers."
He tossed the bottle back and continued walking.
By noon, he found a small tavern near the edge of the market called The Drunken Spirit. The smell of roasted meat and ale filled the air as laughter and arguments collided like thunder.
He sat down and ordered a bowl of stew. The table next to him was rowdy—four cultivators boasting about their "recent demon hunt." Their leader, a tall man with messy silver hair and a carefree grin, raised his mug high.
"To success! And to the weaklings we scared off!"
Taehun rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Heroic."
He quietly ate, ignoring the commotion—until the silver-haired man suddenly slammed his mug down and looked his way.
"You there," the man said, pointing at Taehun with a grin. "You've been listening to us all this time."
"...No," Taehun replied flatly.
"Then why do you look so bored?"
"Because I am bored."
The entire table went silent for a moment—then burst into laughter.
The silver-haired man chuckled, walking over and sitting across from Taehun without invitation. "You've got guts, stranger. Most people flinch when cultivators talk."
"I've met louder," Taehun said, sipping his stew.
> [Analyzing... Unknown energy detected. Strong. Rank estimated: Core Formation or above.]
"...System," Taehun whispered under his breath, "don't tell me I just mouthed off to a boss-level cultivator?"
> [Affirmative.]
"Perfect."
Friendly but Dangerous
The man grinned wider. "Name's Ren Haejin. You?"
"Taehun," he replied cautiously. "Just a traveler."
"Traveler, huh? You've got an odd accent. Where are you from?"
Taehun shrugged. "Far east."
Haejin leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Really? You don't carry any sect mark. No clan emblem, no talisman seal… nothing."
Taehun gave a nervous laugh. "You're observant."
"Of course," Haejin said cheerfully, then leaned back with a lazy smile. "So tell me, traveler..."
The tavern noise dimmed around them. Even the flickering lantern seemed to hesitate.
Taehun felt something—a subtle pressure, invisible yet heavy, radiating from Haejin. His instincts screamed danger.
Haejin's voice softened, almost friendly, yet it carried a sharp edge.
"You're not from here, right?..."
The System Reacts
The System's tone turned cold.
> [Alert: Host aura detected by external cultivator. Evasive protocol recommended.]
Taehun didn't move. His heart pounded as sweat rolled down his neck.
"...What do you mean?" he asked, forcing a smile.
But Haejin's grin didn't fade. "Just curious. You feel... misplaced. Like your Qi doesn't belong to this realm."
Taehun's spoon trembled slightly. He laughed weakly. "Maybe it's because I'm tired?"
Haejin chuckled, eyes glinting with amusement. "Maybe."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Around them, laughter and chatter resumed as if nothing had happened—but something unseen had shifted.
That night, back in his inn room, Taehun paced nervously. The System's voice echoed in his head.
> [I have fully regained control of all subsystems.]
[However, the cultivator encountered possesses trace awareness of interdimensional Qi signatures.]
[He could identify your reincarnation origin.]
"Meaning?"
> [Meaning—he might know you're not native to this world.]
Taehun slumped on the bed, exhausted. "Great. First a malfunctioning system, now a stalker with god-level intuition."
> [Correction: Possible ally. Or executioner. Both probabilities exist.]
He groaned. "Why do you sound so calm about this?"
> [Because I do not panic. You, however, are sweating excessively.]
"Shut up."
> [Acknowledged.]
Taehun lay back, staring at the ceiling. Despite the fear, despite the uncertainty, a strange calm washed over him. He'd survived another day. He hadn't broken through any realm yet, but he'd lived. He'd laughed. He'd eaten stew that wasn't too bad.
And tomorrow—
Tomorrow would be training again.
"Hey, System," he muttered. "You think I'll ever actually fit into this world?"
The System paused before replying softly,
> [That is... up to you, Kim Taehun.]
The sound of the wind outside filled the room. The lantern flickered once, twice—then went out.