Crunch.

“Ugh….”

Muk Yeon groaned as the pressure around his neck intensified.

His feet no longer touched the ground.

Suspended in midair, strangled by an iron grip, he felt the searing pain and suffocation creeping in—but far worse was the overwhelming sense of helplessness.

He could do nothing.

All he could muster was a trembling breath and the faintest of whimpers.

“Hnnngh…kuh….”

The room felt frigid earlier—autumn’s chill lingering in the air despite the faint glow of the lantern.

But now?

Now it burned.

Sweat pooled on Muk Yeon’s forehead.

The once-cold air had vanished, replaced by suffocating heat.

And …