Blue laid back against the thin mattress, still turning the pendant around his neck over and over in his fingers. The others had filed intoJinhu's room as soon as he returned from the vault, each of them grinning like idiots.

  Ilho leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smirking. “So you really picked that?”

  Jinhu poked the pendant with a finger. “That looks like something you’d get from a street vendor, not a treasure vault.”

  Hanjo, hands folded primly, sighed. “Amitabha. Our commander has a keen sense for… questionable artifacts, it seems.”

  Blue huffed. “Shut up.”

  Ryul, perched at the end of the bed, tried to hide a grin. “He’s right, hyung. You could have picked a sword, a spear, anything. Instead you chose something that looks like it’s about to fall apart.”

  Blue shot him a glare, but couldn’t quite fight down the laugh bubbling up. “It’s fine. I have my reasons.”

  Jinhu elbowed Ilho. "Did we pick the wrong person as the leader of our group. You guys call me dumb. But i wouldn't have chosen a worthless charm from a vault full of crazy looking weapons."

  Blue scoffed. "I didn't ask to lead, you guys forced me. You are the ones who took a step back and pointed at me when Wu Jin said we need a leader!"

  "Amitabha." Hanjo exclaimed. "I'm sure Buddha lead him to that pendant."

  Suddenly —

  BANG!

  The door exploded inward, smashing against the wall hard enough to rattle the ceiling beams.

  Mu Jang stomped through the wreckage, eyes flashing. Hanjo, Ryul, and Ryu nearly jumped out of their skins, eyes wide like startled puppies.

  Ilho burst into laughter. Blue snorted, while Jinhu flinched and then scowled.

  “Dammit!” Jinhu barked. “You could knock, you animal!”

  Behind Mu Jang, Sa Gwan stepped through the splinters with a long-suffering sigh. “Brutes know nothing of knocking,” he muttered.

  Wu Jin followed, hands folded calmly behind his back, stepping over the debris like it was a normal evening.

  “We want to go over tomorrow’s mission,” Wu Jin said flatly. “Sit.”

  Mu Jang threw a cloth bag into the middle of the floor. It landed with a satisfying thump, bursting open to reveal steaming dumplings.

  “Eat,” he grunted. “Food is needed if you want to listen to boring details.”

  Jinhu immediately stuffed two dumplings into his mouth, nearly choking. “Aren’t we just going to stomp some monsters?” he mumbled around the food. “What’s there to talk about?”

  Ilho and Ryu rolled their eyes in perfect unison.

  Hanjo pressed his palms together solemnly. “Amitabha,” he sighed. “My rival is strong of muscle, severely lacking in brains.”

  Everyone laughed, even Blue.

  Wu Jin cracked the faintest grin before schooling his face. “Listen up,” he said. “Yes, you’ll stomp monsters if you find them, but your primary mission is to help Tang So-Yeon locate her missing scouts. According to her, no bodies were found, no word sent back, no clue if they’re alive or dead. These were not ordinary scouts.”

  Ilho frowned. “So what are we looking for, then?”

  “Anything,” Sa Gwan answered. “Tracks, camps, signs of a struggle. Anything at all. And if you encounter a gate, do not enter it. Mark its location and report back. We’ll take it from there.”

  Mu Jang folded his arms. “Silent Edge does not clear gates. That’s the Alliance’s job.”

  A voice cut through the doorway — cold, sharp, commanding.

  “That’s right,” So-Yeon said, stepping inside with quiet confidence. “The Alliance hoards everyone who has a system. Only they can close gates. We can only maintain control over the area around them.”

  Her gaze locked directly on Blue.

  Ryul stood quickly, scowling. “What are you doing here?”

  Blue reached out and pulled Ryul back down. “Let her talk.”

  So-Yeon ignored Ryul, stepping closer. “I came to check if you were ready,” she said, eyes still pinned to Blue. “And to discuss tomorrow’s mission with your sect leader.”

  She let her eyes travel over him, assessing. “How are you feeling?”

  Blue lifted his still-bandaged arm. “I’m fine, thanks to the elixir you gave me.”

  So-Yeon’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “Good. Murim doesn’t care if you’re injured. It has no sympathy for the weak.”

  Ryul scowled at her.

  So-Yeon shifted her attention to the rest of them. “We leave at dawn,” she declared. “Rest up. This is not a game, and I will not lose any more of my men because children decide to stay up all night chatting.”

  Wu Jin stepped forward, meeting her cold tone with a matching one. “I will handle my sect, Matriarch,” he said. “You handle yours.”

  So-Yeon’s eyes narrowed, but she dipped her head once. “Very well.”

  She turned on her heel and left as sharply as she had come. Silence hung for a breath.

  Then Wu Jin’s voice filled the quiet.

  “Tomorrow is Rogue Edge’s first official mission,” he said. “Get some rest. Make us proud. And come back alive.”

  The boys looked around at each other — nerves, excitement, fear all tangled in their faces.

  Blue took a deep breath, rolling the pendant between his fingers again, and nodded.

  “Yeah,” he said softly. “Come back alive.”

  The courtyard of Silent Edge was still shrouded in predawn gloom. A thin chill clung to the air, swirling around the six boys as they stood side by side, weapons strapped and packs ready. The faint glow of paper lanterns lit their faces, highlighting the tension and excitement.

  Jinhu stretched his arms, cracking his shoulders. Then he looked at Ryul and Ryu with a baffled frown.

  “One of you needs to change your damn name,” he complained, pointing at them both. “Ryul, Ryu — it’s too early in the morning for my brain to keep track of which one of you is talking. I get confused.”

  Ryu crossed his arms, eyes hard. “I will not shame my grandfather by changing my name,” he declared. Then he side-eyed Ryul. “We can fight for it, if you like.”

  Ryul let out a long sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “It’s way too early for that,” he grumbled. “Call me what hyung used to call me as a kid. Ry-Ry. That should help.”

  Jinhu blinked. “Ry-Ry?”

  Ryul shrugged. “Yeah. Easier than having you burn out what few brain cells you’ve got trying to sort us out.”

  Ilho snickered. “Good idea. If he tries to think too hard, we might lose him forever.”

  Hanjo, hands folded like a monk in prayer, nodded solemnly. “Amitabha,” he said. “Ry-Ry it is.”

  Blue couldn’t help laughing, the moment of normalcy grounding him before the coming mission.

  In the distance, footsteps approached — steady, cold, purposeful.

  Tang So-Yeon stepped through the courtyard gates, clad in full uniform, a sword slung across her back, her hair tied high and tight. A group of her men followed close behind, disciplined and silent.

  She stopped in front of the boys, eyes sharp as blades.

  “Ready?”

  Blue nodded, squaring his shoulders.

  So-Yeon studied him for a moment, her expression impossible to read.

  “Good,” she said finally. “We move.”

  The courtyard came alive as boots scraped stone, gear shifted, and Silent Edge’s Rogue squad fell in behind their matriarch. The first true mission of their new lives had begun.

  So-Yeon, Sa Gwan, and Mu Jang led the formation at a steady, purposeful pace. Behind them marched Rogue Edge — Blue, Jinhu, Ilho, Ryul, Hanjo, and Ryu — alongside the Tang scouts assigned to support the mission. The dawn mist clung to their boots as they crossed into the foothills, pressing onward for nearly two hours until the Black Pines rose before them like a wall of ancient, shadowed spears.

  So-Yeon raised a hand, halting the group. Her voice carried crisp and commanding.

  “From here, we spread out. Stay in your groups,” she ordered, scanning every face, her gaze lingering on Blue a heartbeat longer than the others. “If you encounter a gate, launch the red flare. Blue flare if you come across monsters you can't handle. White flare if you find any trace of our scouts.”

  She paused, letting the words settle in.

  “We regroup here at dusk. Be careful. Watch each other’s backs. Do not wander off alone — I will not lose more of my people to these woods.”

  Mu Jang cracked his knuckles, grinning at the three recruits nearest him. “Jinhu, Hanjo, Ryu — you’re with me. North sector. Try not to slow me down.”

  Jinhu sighed dramatically. “Yes, master.”

  Sa Gwan stepped forward, his cloak shifting around powerful shoulders. “Ilho, Blue, Ry-ry — you’re with me. We’ll sweep the eastern flank. Stay sharp.”

  Ryul nodded, checking his gear.

  So-Yeon gestured toward her own Tang men. “My team will cover the west. Remember the flares. And keep your heads.”

  They began to split off, boots crunching across pine needles, the deep hush of the Black Pines swallowing their sounds almost instantly. As Blue dashed away using Flowing Steel movement style, unaware that movement would garner more attention from So-Yeon than he could ask for.