I received news of my sister's death.

No tears came.

...

The light flickered. The floor of the training room was cold.

I looked down at my hand pressed against the ground. It wasn’t ordinary iron. The area around me was covered in a faint red sheen of metal.

It was *Diamond Unbreakable Steel*, the hardest metal in the world.

No matter how hard you strike it, it leaves no trace. Even with immense force, not a single scratch would appear on it.

But now, it was deeply dented. Not just in one place but distorted indiscriminately.

As if it had experienced overwhelming violence.

"The dog should bark. Bark with all its might at the enemy. Gatekeeper Jeok Woon. Go on, try barking once. Maybe if you go 'woof woof,' I’ll spare you."

A voice echoed from somewhere high above. The sound of a chair being scraped against the floor accompanied it.

I couldn’t answer. I stayed silent.

Before me stood a monster.

The difference in level between us wasn’t something that could be measured. It was insurmountable.

One?

Two?

No, trying to quantify the gap in numbers was meaningless.

Someone like me... I didn’t even have the right to speak first.

*The greatest of all time.*

*The most beautiful in the world.*

*One who can defeat a thousand.*

All these titles could only belong to the woman before me.

"At least you’re not completely blind. You’ve got some sense. If you had forced yourself to bark just now, I’d have ripped out your tongue."

"......."

"I despise mediocrity, Jeok Woon. Many have tried to deceive me. But few of them survived. Those who did barely clung to life or fled in disgrace. But you... you won’t even have that chance."

The sound of a chair being pushed back rang out. I dared not lift my gaze, staring only at the tips of her shoes.

She approached. Her delicate footsteps were the only thing visible, but...

It felt as though the weight of all the steel in the world bore down on me.

"Those who managed to escape with their lives deserved as much. People like the Flying Sword Yeoncheon or the Nine-Headed Dragon Sword Palsaksa—each had a name worth mentioning. But you, Jeok Woon, are just a gatekeeper. A lowly gatekeeper. At dawn, you guard the gate. At night, you do the same. Your role is to die first, to alert others to danger. That’s all."

"......."

"Your role is small, so your strength is also insignificant. I have no expectations of gatekeepers. Most of them die without even sounding the alarm. But even in death, their corpses make excellent messengers. Sooner or later, they land right in front of me."

"......."

"Jeok Woon. Pitiful gatekeeper. Your skills are laughable, fitting for your role. I’ll say this just once. Just once before I tear you apart. There won’t be a second."

She stopped before me. The tip of her foot lifted.

It propped up my chin, forcing me to look upward.

We locked eyes.

*The Heavenly Demon.*

The leader of the most dangerous sect in the world.

"Why is a dog of the righteous sect guarding my doorstep? Hmm? A spy from the Moorim Alliance."

...So, she knew all along.

I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know where to begin.

The weight of being the eldest in a poor family? The powerlessness of having to take on undesirable tasks no one else would? The despair of being used as a disposable pawn by the Moorim Alliance?

My head throbbed. I couldn’t think straight.

...But still.

I didn’t want to die.

"I came to gather information."

I forced my throat to work. I had to speak.

The being before me was no human but a beast. To survive, to avoid death, I had to talk.

"What kind of information?"

"All information regarding the Heavenly Demon Sect. Anything deemed valuable was sent to the Moorim Alliance through messenger birds."

"Good. I like concise answers. Let’s continue. Gatekeeper Jeok Woon. As a gatekeeper, your access to information must have been limited. You couldn’t have obtained much of value, could you?"

She was right. Being a gatekeeper proved that, even as a spy, my role was insignificant.

"That’s correct."

"And yet, you remained as a gatekeeper. Why?"

"Because it was the mission assigned to me."

The Heavenly Demon yawned.

"How low. Your worth is pathetically low. Even among spies, you were probably a mere pawn. A proper spy would have infiltrated deeper into the sect. Like... the recently vanished Twin-Headed Snake, perhaps. Or the Seventh Demon of the Eight Demons who disappeared. Many from the sect suddenly left. Tell me, Jeok Woon, why was there an abrupt order to withdraw?"

"I don’t know."

"Then let me rephrase. Why didn’t you leave?"

"...Because I was supposed to stay behind until the very end. That was my role."

"Ah, a decoy. I see. A disposable pawn... that makes sense. There was no need to inform a pawn of the gravity of their mission."

The Heavenly Demon shrugged. Her fingers brushed against her lips before her gaze returned to me.

She wore a mischievous smile—not the expression of an omnipotent ruler but that of a trickster.

"One last question. Perhaps the final one. Don’t worry; since you’ve been so obedient, I’ll make it quick and painless."

"......"

"Gatekeeper Jeok Woon. Do you know where you are?"

"...The training room of the Sect Leader."

"Correct. My personal training room. It’s quite famous. People say that the Heavenly Demon Cheon So-so’s training room is entirely empty. There are no guards, nothing of note. It’s true. There’s nothing here but the remnants of my martial arts. I’m not bound by forms or techniques. I don’t revere secret manuals. I am the Heavenly Demon, and the Heavenly Demon Sect exists because of me."

"......."

"Dog of the righteous sect. Gatekeeper Jeok Woon. Why did you come to a place with nothing to gain? Don’t try to tell me you came here to see me. This training room wasn’t part of your plans, and it was supposed to remain unoccupied for some time. The chance of meeting me here was lower than the chance of starving to death. So why did you come?"

Her toe moved slightly, shaking my chin.

"Even a gatekeeper would know better than to say they were lost. If you dare utter that excuse, I’ll crush your jaw. You were searching this place. Was it to deny your status as a pawn? Or to steal any trace of my presence? If it’s the former, it’s meaningless. If the latter, you’re a fool. So, which is it?"

Which is it?

I closed my eyes. All I saw was darkness.

But even in darkness, there was always light. And that light terrified me.

The world was cruel.

The light always passed me by, never something I could grasp.

Always.

Even when my sister’s death was merely a line in a letter.

Was it because the alliance hadn’t sent enough money? Or had my parents squandered it? I didn’t know. All I knew was that my sister was dead, and I was left holding a letter full of excuses and apologies from my parents.

A suffocating family. A gambling father, a delusional mother obsessed with a strange cult. The only decent people in the family were me and my sister. But even she was frail and plagued by illness.

I needed money.

A lot of money.

So much that it would consume my entire life.

...

I knew the truth.

Being a gatekeeper for the Heavenly Demon Sect was the most disposable position for a righteous sect’s spy.

I was left behind as a shield, a pawn meant to die first.

Even if I escaped...

I would still chase the light, only to end up empty-handed.

...

Before me stood death. Nothing I said could sway it.

This was the Heavenly Demon. The absolute ruler of the Heavenly Demon Sect. A monster capable of snapping my neck with a flick of her finger.

And she wasn’t stupid. She had survived countless schemes. She was a supreme master who combined martial prowess and intelligence.

That was the Heavenly Demon.

...So.

Maybe now, for once, I could tell the truth.

My heart grew cold. Even the cold sweat running down my back began to dry.

As I grasped reality and faced the future ahead, my chest felt oddly calm.

I wanted to live.

And yet, I didn’t.

Realizing this, my words flowed.

"Those born with nothing can only die with nothing."

"...Hmm?"

"I didn’t want that."

The truth was, I always wanted to escape. From these wretched shackles.

From the endless cycle of negativity that bound me.

"I am the Red Cloud of Bicheon Village. That’s who I am, Sect Leader. I was born with nothing. I couldn’t even see sunlight on the day I was born, coming into the world under the clouds. I almost ended up as Black Cloud, but the setting sun saved me. That’s why I’m called Jeok Woon—Red Cloud."

"......."

"My family was poor. There wasn’t much to eat. Even when we held spoons, we’d just be eating dust. My father was a gambler, my mother was full of complaints. As the eldest son, I had one sister. A wretched family. Even my name was given by the

 village chief. That should tell you enough."

The Heavenly Demon’s foot swayed slightly.

"I didn’t ask to hear your miserable story, Jeok Woon."

"Born with nothing, I worked to have something. I learned the sword from a man who claimed to be a master martial artist. But he turned out to be a fraud. He charged three silver coins for the *Three Elements Sword Technique,* a skill so common it’s taught in market squares."

When I realized the truth, I wanted to punch his smug face.

But instead, I was beaten.

"Sect Leader. I learned the *Three Elements Sword Technique.* I don’t know any advanced footwork. All I learned was a sword form anyone could pick up after watching a few times. I couldn’t be a farmer because I had no land. I couldn’t work as a porter because I couldn’t leave my sister alone. The only way to make a living was through the blade. So, I farmed by day and trained by night. Only by the age of twenty did I manage to escape being a vagrant and become a gatekeeper for the Moorim Alliance."

"......."

"There are few gatekeepers in the Moorim Alliance, but they do get paid. Monthly wages. I sent every coin home. Yet I kept hearing that the money ran out quickly. I’d send it, it’d disappear. I’d send more, and it’d vanish again. After a while, I started questioning why I even picked up the sword. Pouring water into a broken jar—isn’t that insanity? I picked up the sword to earn money, but if I couldn’t even do that, then why wield it?"

I lowered my head to the ground.

Blood pooled on my forehead.

"I needed money. To earn money, I had to do anything and everything. So I worked. Besides gatekeeping, I did every odd job imaginable. People didn’t see me as a gatekeeper; they saw me as an errand boy. It didn’t matter. My sister had become the purpose of my life. As long as she was well, I thought everything would be fine."

"Hmm..."

"So even when I was dragged into spy work—something everyone else avoided—I didn’t care. The pay was slightly better. But a few days ago, I received an order to withdraw. Along with a letter."

I fumbled through my pocket, pulling out the letter.

A letter I hadn’t even written myself because I didn’t know how.

"It said my sister had died, and I was needed to cover the funeral costs."

"......."

"That’s why I came here. There’s no reason for me to go back, and I don’t want to. Even if a gatekeeper goes back, what else can they be but a gatekeeper? So I just... wanted to see."

To live.

And to die.

"How great the Heavenly Demon truly is. How different you are from me."

In that clash of contradictory emotions, I raised my head.

The Heavenly Demon’s foot left my chin.

What I was doing now was no different from asking to be killed. Even the act of moving might result in my head rolling.

But this was my only chance to say what I wanted.

Why didn’t I flee in the dead of night when the order to withdraw came? Why didn’t I cry the night my sister died? Why did I step into the Heavenly Demon’s training room, knowing no one would be there?

I rose to my feet.

"...How dare you."

The black-robed figure behind her barked. For a moment, I felt immense pressure. My veins twisted, and blood began pouring from every orifice.

Ah, I’m going to die. The sheer aura alone was tearing my body apart.

...But it’s okay.

My emotions had settled. Amid the chaos in my heart, a single thread of clarity emerged.

"Jeok Woon."

All my life...

I had wanted to escape those two syllables.

"...What?!"

I straightened my legs.

Lifted my gaze.

Aligned my shoulders.

Summoned strength into my twisting bones.

The knees I had half-bent fully locked into place. It wasn’t willpower; it was as if my very soul was fueling me.

I hated it.

I hated kneeling.

"How is this possible?! A mere third-rate martial artist resisting my aura...?!"

"...Sect... Leader."

Perhaps this would be the end of my life.

Why had I chosen this place as my grave?

"What does it feel like... to be born a predator?"

"......."

"I was born prey. One of the many pillars holding up the predators. My life has always been third-rate. My beginning was, and my end will likely be the same. That’s why I wanted to know. What does it feel like to be born a predator?"

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

"I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t born prey."

"...I see."

"Jeok Woon. Gatekeeper Jeok Woon. A dog of the righteous sect who spent his life guarding others’ gates."

She whispered softly.

"You’ve seen it now. For a brief moment, you glimpsed the gaze of a predator. You ended your life as you desired. So now—what are you thinking?"

"...Nothing much."

It hadn’t been mere moments since I entered the Heavenly Demon’s training room.

It had been hours.

I had forgotten my hunger, staring at the traces she left behind.

Even a third-rate martial artist like me could recognize the delicate remnants. The raw strength. The howling beyond limits.

The struggle. The claws. The fangs. Everything of the predator.

The desperate roar of one who ruled.

...It was.

"I’m just dreaming."

"Of what?"

So far removed from my wretched life...

It was a dream of such raw, tantalizing struggle.

I wanted it.

That gaze.

That state of being.

As a martial artist...

I wanted to stand at a height no one could look down upon.

"Before you arrived..."

I smiled faintly. Blood trickled from my mouth, my nose, even my ears. But I didn’t care.

I just smiled.

I knew this would be the last time.

"...I wish I could’ve swung my sword a few more times."

"...Pfft."

The Heavenly Demon chuckled. Her laughter grew, her shoulders shaking.

She erupted into full-blown laughter. Her voice filled the training room, reverberating long after it ceased.

"You’re a lunatic! I like you! Gatekeeper Jeok Woon!"

"......."

"Recently, many people have suddenly left the sect. I don’t know why they fled, but something must have happened in the Moorim Alliance."

"......"

"I am one against a thousand. But even I am just one. Do you know why I remain here in Mount Cheon? Because while we are strong, we are few. They are weak, but they are many. Even if I could defeat a thousand, there’s only one of me. We are outnumbered. Not just by the righteous sects but overwhelmingly by the unorthodox sects as well."

The Heavenly Demon raised a finger.

"But still. I won’t tolerate it. Even if I like Mount Cheon, I can’t sit by and watch while the righteous sects bark in fear of me."

"......."

"Those who deceived me and remained close. To me, they are all traitors. And the Heavenly Demon spares no traitor. This will serve as both a warning to the righteous sects and a testament to my terror."

She reached out and stroked my chin.

"Jeok Woon. Gatekeeper Jeok Woon. A dog who spent his life guarding others’ gates, only to face death."

"......"

"I liked your last words. So consider this: you died here. Though alive, you are now dead. What remains here is a stray dog. And it so happens I need a suitable dog to plant among the righteous sects. Someone audacious, twisted. A spy with a verified identity. Wouldn’t such a tool be perfect for me?"

"......"

"I’ll say this once. Just once. I don’t like repeating myself. Remember this: whatever I command, obey it no matter what."

Her pressure vanished. My body, drained of strength, crumpled to the floor.

The gaze that once bore down on me became one I now looked up to. The girl who continued stroking my chin spoke.

"Gatekeeper Jeok Woon."

The Heavenly Demon smiled at me.

"Become my dog. Become my blade, and kill those who betrayed me. Return to the Moorim Alliance as a double agent under my will. Then, you will become a predator. Though you weren’t born one..."

Her seductive lips moved.

"I will complete you."

She leaned closer. I felt her lips press against mine.

...A kiss?

From the Heavenly Demon?

When she pulled away, a string of saliva stretched between us. She grinned wickedly.

"I am the Heavenly Demon, Jeok Woon. Red Cloud. You may have resented your name, but now you can take pride in it. For beneath the sky where I roam, you will always be. Though it may not be the peak of the heavens..."

I stared at her in a daze.

And I knew.

"Those who once called themselves geniuses will never look down on you again."

This scene—I would never forget it for the rest of my life.