[POV — Seongji Yuk]
Mujin Jin didn't slow down.
Not once.
The path inland from Cheonliang's shore was steep and cruel, carved through broken stone, dead trees, and sharp inclines that punished every misstep. Loose gravel slid underfoot, threatening to send them tumbling back toward the sea.
Mujin walked as if gravity didn't apply to him.
Seongji gritted his teeth and followed.
His lungs burned. His legs trembled. Every muscle screamed for rest—but he ignored it. Pain was familiar. Weakness was not an option.
Behind him, he could hear Ethan.
Not struggling.
Laughing.
That irritated him more than the terrain.
[POV — Ethan Cross]
This man was insane.
Ethan's legs felt like they were tearing apart from the inside. His breath came in ragged gasps, sweat and salt stinging his eyes. His body—this body—was weak. Malnourished. Untested.
And yet—
His pulse roared with excitement.
This was it.
No rules. No protection. No one pretending to care.
Just raw survival.
Mujin Jin stopped abruptly.
Ethan almost slammed straight into his back, barely skidding to a halt.
"Stop," Mujin said.
Seongji froze instantly.
Ethan staggered once—then caught himself, laughing under his breath.
Mujin turned.
"There's food," he said, pointing downhill toward a cluster of half-collapsed buildings swallowed by vines.
"There's shelter," he added, gesturing uphill toward a dense forest.
Seongji frowned. "Which one—"
"Choose," Mujin interrupted.
His glowing eye sharpened.
"But understand this first."
He stepped closer.
"I'm not raising you."
"I'm not protecting you."
"And I won't save you."
Silence swallowed the forest.
"If you fall behind," Mujin continued calmly,
"Cheonliang will kill you."
"And I won't interfere."
[POV — Ethan Cross]
Ethan laughed softly.
Seongji shot him a glare. "What's funny?"
Ethan wiped sweat from his brow. "Nothing. Just… this feels honest."
Mujin's eye flicked to him.
"…You enjoy edges," he said. "That'll either make you strong—or get you killed."
Ethan's grin sharpened. "Guess we'll find out."
[POV — Mujin Jin]
The boy with the smile unsettled him.
Not because of strength.
Because of pleasure.
Mujin had seen warriors, murderers, champions.
This one?
He smiled when hurt.
The other boy—Seongji—burned with rage and discipline. Solid foundation. Dangerous patience.
Both carried traces of the wild.
Mujin turned away.
"Decide," he said.
[POV — Seongji Yuk]
Food meant energy.
Shelter meant rest.
Cheonliang offered neither without cost.
Seongji scanned the forest. Too quiet. Predators hid where comfort existed.
"If we rest," Seongji said, "we get hunted."
Ethan tilted his head. "And if we eat, we get jumped."
Seongji glanced at him. "So?"
Ethan smiled. "So we fight either way."
Seongji exhaled through his nose.
"Up," he decided. "Shelter first."
Ethan shrugged. "Works for me."
They moved uphill.
Mujin followed—far enough to not help.
Close enough to watch.
[POV — Ethan Cross]
They didn't make it far.
The forest swallowed light fast. Branches clawed at their clothes, roots snagged their feet, and the smell of damp earth mixed with rot.
Then—
Footsteps.
Not theirs.
Ethan's eyes lit up.
Seongji stiffened. "Six. No—seven."
Too many.
Figures emerged from the trees—older boys, teens, scars etched into their skin like badges. Cheonliang locals.
Predators.
One of them smirked. "Look what washed up."
Another cracked his neck. "Kids think they can climb our mountain?"
Ethan leaned toward Seongji. "We running?"
Seongji shook his head. "No."
Good.
The first attacker charged.
[POV — Seongji Yuk]
Seongji moved first.
He stepped inside the punch, shoulder slamming into the attacker's chest. The impact drove the air out of him. Seongji followed instantly—knee to the stomach, elbow down on the spine.
The boy collapsed, gasping.
Pain shot up Seongji's arms.
He welcomed it.
Another swung wildly. Seongji blocked, bones rattling from the force. He twisted, hooked the arm, and slammed the attacker face-first into a tree.
Crack.
Wood or bone—he didn't check.
Then—
Ethan was beside him.
[POV — Ethan Cross]
The punch clipped his jaw.
Stars exploded behind Ethan's eyes.
He laughed.
He ducked the follow-up, grabbed the wrist, and twisted—hard. The joint screamed before the owner did. Ethan yanked the boy forward and smashed his forehead into Ethan's own.
Once.
Twice.
Blood sprayed.
A kick slammed into Ethan's ribs, launching him into the dirt. His body screamed in protest.
He rolled.
Stood.
Smiling.
"Again," he whispered.
[POV — Mujin Jin]
Mujin watched from the shadows.
No help.
No correction.
Only judgment.
They were sloppy. Weak. Their movements wasted.
But they didn't hesitate.
They didn't break.
They didn't beg.
That was enough.
For now.
[POV — Seongji Yuk & Ethan Cross]
The fight ended ugly.
Not clean.
Not fair.
The Cheonliang boys backed away—bleeding, shocked, furious. Not defeated… but unwilling to continue.
Seongji stood hunched, breath heavy.
Ethan wiped blood from his mouth, eyes bright.
They looked at each other.
No words.
Only understanding.
Respect.
Mujin stepped forward.
"You're alive," he said simply.
"That's lesson one."
He turned away.
"Rest if you can," he added.
"Tomorrow, it gets worse."
Ethan laughed.
Seongji clenched his fists.
Cheonliang had noticed them.