He started moving toward Jeong, step by step.
Just then, the cat returned. She was slightly injured, her breathing uneven, and her fur had shifted completely into a deep black color.
Cat "just what is this guy?" the cat said grimly. "He looks like a normal human, but his strength isn't normal at all. And Jeong—most importantly—other than you, only a few element users can hear and understand what I'm saying."
Jeong's eyes widened. "That means…?"
"No," the cat interrupted. "He's not an element user. He's an ordinary human. That's what makes this terrifying. How did he become this powerful?"
"There's no time to think about that right now," Jeong said, clenching his fists. "First, we have to stop him."
The cat nodded and suddenly dashed off, deliberately revealing herself to draw attention.The stranger's gaze followed her, his lips curling slightly.
While the cat distracted him, Jeong slipped away into the shadows, crouching behind the trees, forcing his mind to work fast.
"This plan is risky," the cat muttered under her breath as she moved.
Still, they followed through.
The stranger began searching for them, scanning the area slowly, confidently—like a predator certain of its prey.
He spoke calmly, "Hiding won't help."
Suddenly, he lunged forward—
—but stopped.
Boom.
His feet slammed down onto something soft and elastic. The ground beneath him stretched unnaturally, snapping him in place.
A rubber trap.
For a moment, he couldn't move at all.
The cat burst out laughing. "Oi, drunk idiot, don't jump around so much. I'm honestly amazed—so strong, yet you can't do anything against plain old Earth rubber."
Jeong stepped out too, laughing in the weirdest, most awkward way alongside her.
The stranger narrowed his eyes. "I didn't expect you to predict this far ahead."
Jeong scratched his head. "Yeah… about that."
A brief flashback crossed his mind.
Jeong earlier: "I've got one plan. We surprise-attack him with a wire. Maybe he'll get knocked out for a second."
Cat: "I've never seen a god as stupid and illiterate as you."
Jeong: "Did you say something?"
Cat: "No. But your plan is trash. I have a better one. We throw a ball first to distract him. Then we attack together. If he survives, I'll spread my power into a net and trap him."
Jeong: "That's even worse. Even a nine-year-old could think of something better."
Cat, furious: "What did you just say?"
Jeong, sighing: "Fine. We'll go with your plan."
Back to the present.
The stranger stared at them in disbelief. "I can't believe I got caught in such a pathetic plan."
Jeong laughed loudly. "I told you. This plan was garbage."
The cat's fur bristled. "Don't forget, moron—this 'garbage plan' is the reason you're stuck. Keep talking, and I'll end you right here too."
Jeong smirked.
Somewhere behind them, the rubber trap creaked… as if it might not hold forever.
Jeong and the random man both made strange expressions at the same time, their faces twisting instinctively toward the cat.
The cat was still clearly annoyed.
The random man remained trapped, unnaturally calm—
but there was a wild edge in his eyes that didn't match his stillness.
"You two bitches," he spat, lips curling.
"You can't do a damn thing to me."
The cat snapped back instantly, claws flexing.
A sharp meow escaped her, more like a threat than a sound.
Jeong watched closely.
Even trapped… his presence is heavy, Jeong thought.
His strength is still several times greater than mine.
The cat bristled.
"Meow, Jeong. He's talking too much. Let's end him right now."
The man suddenly roared, veins bulging.
"Touch me and see, you loud-mouthed black cat!"
Jeong rubbed his temple, genuinely confused.
"Will you two stop fighting for one second?"
Silence—brief, tense.
Jeong's gaze shifted back to the man.
That strange feeling returned.
Familiar. Uncomfortable. Almost like déjà vu.
"…Do you know me?" Jeong asked slowly.
"What's your name?"
The man scoffed, arrogance dripping from his voice.
"I don't know who you are. And I don't care who you think you are."
The cat tilted her head, unimpressed.
"But I know exactly what you are. A certified idiot."
She burst into an oddly unsettling laugh.
The man snapped back instantly.
"What did you say, mangy cat?!"
Before either of them could move—
The rubber trap pulsed once.
The man's energy suddenly dropped, as if something had drained it out of him. His eyes widened in brief confusion before his body went slack.
He collapsed.
Unconscious.
And then—
The world shattered.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Jeong felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. No sound. No wind. Just endless black stretching in every direction.
A familiar pressure filled the space.
A voice echoed through the void, calm and ancient.
"It's been a long time, Ryn."
The cat froze.
In an instant, her black form shifted—shrinking, softening—turning into a small, harmless-looking creature with a cute expression.
"Ah—Master," she said quickly.
Jeong's breath caught.
"…Tavros?"
His heart pounded.
Why now? he thought.
And why summon us like this… all of a sudden?
The darkness remained silent.
Watching.
After that, Tavros appeared.
Jeong immediately lowered himself, sitting down respectfully, his head slightly bowed.
Tavros spoke calmly, his voice carrying weight.
"It's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it?"
Jeong nodded.
"Yes… almost four months."
"Ahem. Ahem."
The cat cleared her throat loudly. "Master, I'm here too, you know."
Tavros paused, then looked down as if noticing her for the first time.
"Oh. You were there? I didn't see you."
The cat's ears drooped. She turned her face away, clearly offended.
Tavros let out a short, awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"…Right. My mistake."
Then his expression shifted slightly as he gestured toward her.
"Jeong, meet Ara," Tavros said. "I was the one who sent her to you."
Jeong glanced at the cat—Ara—then looked back at Tavros.
"That aside… tell me this first," he said seriously.
"Why did you suddenly summon us here?"
Tavros's face hardened. The casual tone vanished.
"He was sent to kill you," Tavros said.
"On Kael Veyra's orders… through his puppet, Astrael."
The moment those words landed—
The color drained from Jeong's face.