“This feels really off,” I muttered.

“What do you mean by that?” Seungju asked, puzzled.

“Just talking to myself. Don’t worry about it.”

Even as I spoke, the middle-aged man continued to argue with Seungju, his tone sharp and accusatory.

“Weren’t we supposed to make important decisions together as a group? But once again, the monks are acting unilaterally. ‘Leave it to the Awakened,’ you say, as if the rest of us don’t matter. Do you even care what the people think?”

“These individuals aren’t what you think they are,” Seungju said, trying to pacify him. “They’re Awakened travelers from another region.”

“Awakened?” the man repeated, his focus shifting toward us. Then, to my dismay, his finger pointed directly at me. “Hey, you there, old man!”