Night cloaked the sect in silence.
Raon's patrol route had become muscle memory, but tonight, the air was colder.
**Qi fluctuations near the storage pavilion. Coordinates, oh right, you don't do numbers. Just follow the creepy feeling.**
"You're lucky I trust that tone."
He followed the faint disturbance through winding corridors until he reached the Qi storage chamber, a sealed cave that held the sect's energy crystals. The door was slightly open.
Inside, the glow of blue crystals flickered unnaturally. Someone was kneeling by the center pillar, hand pressed against the energy array.
Raon's eyes narrowed. A disciples robe, but the Qi radiating from them was dark, pulsing irregularly.
"Stop."
The figure froze. Then turned.
Their eyes glowed faint red under the dim light.
"So," the stranger said softly, "even the guards have learned to sense us now."
**Yep. That's definetely evil energy, 10 out of 10 on the cliché meter.**
"Who are you?" Raon said
The figure smiled. "No one you'll live long enough to report."
They attacked first.
Raon barely dodged the initial strike a burst of corrupted Qi slicing through the ground.
He countered with Mirror Water Technique, the floor beneath him rippling like liquid as he redirected the energy. His sword hummed faintly with blue light.
Every movement was precise, quiet.
The corrupted Qi felt like nails scraping across his senses, like a broken rythm.
**Matching pattern: Heavenly Demonic Alliance Qi signature. You've officially met the neighbors.**
"Perfect timing," Raon muttered, parrying a heavy blow.
The spy lunged again, overloading their Qi to break through Raon's guard.
Raon dropped low, guiding his own Qi downward, then twisted, redirecting the enemy's energy into the floor.
The backlash hit the spy directly in the chest, sending them crashing into the wall.
Panting, Raon stepped closer. "Why target us?"
The spy chuckled weakly. "Because you're already dying... you just don't know it."
Their Qi flared violently.
**Self-destruction detected. Suggest immediate evacuation.**
"Damn it."
Raon dove back as the explosion ripped through the chamber, blue shards scattering like shattered pearls.
When the smoke cleared, he was bleeding but alive.
The spy was gone, nothing left but a charred robe and faint traces of corrupted Qi.
He barely had time to breathe before Jin arrived, sword drawn. "Raon! What happened?"
Raon forced a tired grin. "Caught someone trying to steal our light."
Jin's expression darkened. "Was it..."
"Don't know. Didn't ask politely enough."
Raon staggered, nearly collapsing. Jin grabbed his arm. "You need medical attention."
Raon shook his head. "No one needs to know I was here. Say you caught them. The sect will listen to you, not a guard."
Jin hesitated. "That's not right."
Raon smiled faintly. "Neither is dying for attention. Just do it."
Jin's grip tightened, but he nodded. "Understood."
As Raon walked away into the night, the System spoke quietly:
**You realize you just gave away credit for saving the sect again, right?**
"Credit's useless if you're not alive to spend it."
**You're weirdly noble for someone who complains so much.**
"It's a hobby."
The wind carried the faint sound of running water through the silent halls.
Raon stopped, closing his eyes.
For the first time, he heard it, the natural rhythm of the sect's Qi flow.
And beneath it, something else... a darker current.
**You hear it too, huh?**
"Yeah, we're not done yet."