Chapter 2 – The Flames Behind the Shadows
A blinding flash tore through the quiet night sky as Lee Hwan activated his Teleportation Skill. In less than a second, his figure vanished from his villa's training chamber and reappeared at the rocky shoreline of Jeju Island.
The air was tense.
Storm clouds loomed above, and the wind carried the sharp scent of salt and fire—a sign that something unnatural had arrived before him.
Lee's golden eyes glowed faintly, scanning the area.
Suddenly, a faint shimmer in the distance caught his attention—a cloaking barrier. Without hesitation, he walked through it. As soon as he did, a ripple echoed across space. The spell was now deactivated.
Standing in the center of a shallow crater was a man clad in dark red robes. His aura was immense, swirling with fire-based elemental energy. A high-level Ranker, no doubt.
Lee narrowed his eyes.
"Rank 45… your face matches the UPA record," he said aloud, recognizing the man. "Jinro Hak, former vice-captain of the Ember Guild."
The man smiled, but there was something unhinged in his expression. "So the infamous Lee Hwan graces me with his presence."
Lee didn't respond with words. Instead, he stepped forward, his aura flaring up—silent and terrifying.
Jinro laughed and raised his hand. Flames burst from the ground in a twisting inferno, spiraling toward Lee. But Lee remained unmoved.
He punched forward. One simple punch—infused with Compressed Aura and the True Dragon Fist—ripped through the flames like they were made of paper. The shockwave alone flattened the surrounding landscape.
Jinro was fast. He dodged, barely, and countered with a stream of fire laced with spatial distortion—Fire Warp, a forbidden skill that bent fire and space together.
But Lee's eyes lit up with the glow of the True Dragon Eyes.
"I can see it," he muttered.
He stepped aside a millisecond before impact and kicked the ground.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Jinro.
Crack!
His punch connected with Jinro's ribs, sending the man crashing through two layers of bedrock before skidding to a halt on the shore.
Blood trickled from Jinro's mouth.
"Why?" Lee asked, walking toward him. "Why attack me? Who gave you the order?"
Jinro laughed, wiping blood from his lips. "You think I'd betray them just to save myself?"
Lee frowned.
"I don't need you alive to get information."
He slammed his palm into Jinro's chest, activating Mind Pierce, a rare interrogation skill that momentarily reads the surface thoughts of a weakened target.
Images flashed in Lee's mind.
A black throne. A burning crown. A fiery monarch laughing.
Then—a golden figure. A rank display.
[Monarch of Fire's Vessel – Rank 9]
Lee's eyes widened slightly. "You weren't working for Chronos…"
Jinro coughed. "No… he's not the one who fears you."
And with that—his chest glowed.
A hidden rune activated, pulsing with destructive mana.
Lee's senses screamed.
"Self-destruct spell—!"
BOOOOM!
The explosion lit up the coast like a miniature sun. It tore through the rock, the waves, and the very air. Smoke and fire choked the atmosphere.
But when the dust settled… Lee stood.
Bruised. But alive.
His aura shield had taken most of the hit.
He looked down where Jinro once lay. Nothing remained except fragments of scorched robes and a half-melted ranking watch.
He picked it up.
It still displayed Jinro's last recorded rank before his death: 45. But when Lee tapped the device, a hidden log was revealed.
It showed an older rank: 9.
"So… the Monarch of Fire's Vessel was defeated by me during the 9th Floor Trial… I didn't realize it then."
Lee clenched his jaw. "And that defeat dropped him all the way to 45th in the global rankings. A blow to his pride… and a stain on his guild's legacy."
Suddenly, everything made sense.
"This wasn't Chronos trying to maintain balance," Lee said to himself. "This was revenge. The Monarch of Fire couldn't accept losing his rank and reputation… so he sent one of his disciples to eliminate me before I got stronger."
He tossed the watch aside.
"And failed."
Lee turned away, his eyes cold. "That means I'll have to burn down more than just his pride next time."
Meanwhile, at the UPA Headquarters
The President stood in front of a large screen, watching satellite feeds of Jeju Island. The explosion had lit up the night sky, and energy sensors were still malfunctioning from the aftershock.
"That was Jinro Hak," the Vice President whispered. "He self-destructed."
The President's gaze was distant.
"And Lee survived it."
He turned to the holographic display, which now listed the global rankings.
A new entry had just been updated.
Lee Hwan – Rank 8
The President's expression hardened.
"He just moved up."
Back at the Villa
Lee landed back in his courtyard just before dawn. He walked through the garden, silent and thoughtful, then stepped into his private training room.
He sat cross-legged in the center, eyes closed, aura suppressed.
There was no satisfaction in his expression. No celebration.
Just focus.
"So, the Monarch of Fire wants war…? Good. I'll bring him flames hotter than he's ever known."