After two days of travel...
A damp wind blew past the Evernight Gate, its wood rotting and infested with termites. There stood a man in a pitch-black robe, motionless for hours. Gwi-Hyuk, the "Silent Shadow," stared at the path that ascended into the mountains with eyes as sharp as an eagle.
As the personal bodyguard assigned directly by the current sect leader and Moen Kang Yo's father, Gwi-Hyuk was the only one who knew that his master, Moen Kang Yo, had been harboring terrifying demonic talents. However, after Moen Kang Yo was banished to the meditation cave, even Gwi-Hyuk began to doubt whether his master's "frame" could withstand the burden of the poison and isolation.
Suddenly, his ears caught the sound of heavy metal scraping against stone.
Screw... Screw...
A figure emerged from the thin mist. It was Moen Kang Yo. However, something was amiss. His posture, usually hunched over with hatred, was now as straight as a newly planted stake. His gait was no longer that of a dying man, but rather that of a supervisor measuring the area with precision.
Gwi-Hyuk drew his sword slightly, only to sense the aura emanating from his master's body. His eyes widened. The aura was no longer wild, unstable energy, but the incredibly solid density of the 3rd level of the Structure Realm.
He immediately knelt down, bowing his head as deeply as possible. Although he couldn't speak, his loyalty was an unshakable foundation.
Yoe Choin stopped right in front of Gwi-Hyuk. Through a flash of Moen Kang Yo's memory, he recognized this mute man as the only "material" who still possessed high integrity in this sect.
"Stand up, Gwi-Hyuk,"
Choe said in a calm baritone.
"I've returned to make changes."
Choe turned his gaze toward the sect compound behind Gwi-Hyuk. His eyes, glowing blue like a blueprint, began to scan the area.
"Damn... this is truly a pathetic dump,"
Choin muttered, massaging his temples.
In his eyes, the sect's Main Gate was tilting 15 degrees due to the failure of the foundation. The roof of the outer pavilion was already full of holes, and the smell in the air was no longer the majestic scent of demon incense, but rather the musty stench of rotting wood and poor sanitation.
"Foreman, don't just comment on the building. Look at the people,"
Moen Kang Yo said from within his inner chamber.
Choin looked at the outer disciples lazing around. Some were gambling, some were sleeping in front of the dormitory, and some were wearing filthy clothes.
"You're right, Boss Demon. Their human resources are more destroyed than their infrastructure,"
Choin replied.
"They need a new 'SOP,' or this sect will collapse before the enemy strikes."
Kang Yo was confused...
"What is an SOP, you damn Foreman!!"
Kang Yo said, annoyed by the strange term.
"SOP is a sequence of steps for completing work consistently, effectively, and efficiently. Devil boss, in short. I'll make new rules here."
Choon muttered proudly.
On the other hand...
In a small, stuffy room in the logistics department, a woman with droopy eyes was banging her abacus on a wooden table in frustration. Han So-Wol, the "Iron Abacus," stared at a stack of ledgers, all covered in red ink.
"Another 'maintenance fund' withdrawn by Elder Gong for some unknown reason,"
she grumbled sarcastically.
"If this continues, next month we won't be able to buy rice, let alone energy crystals for practice."
So-Wol was fed up. She was a mathematician trapped in a cult run by thieves. To her, Evernight Gate was a burning building, and she was the only one trying to put it out with a glass of water.
Suddenly, a commotion sounded from the front gate. She heard the frightened cries of the outer disciples.
"What now? Are the debt collectors from the neighboring sect here again?"
So-Wol stood up, straightened her shabby robes, and stepped out, her face ready to curse anyone who interrupted her work.
"He... is still alive..."
Meanwhile, at the sect pavilion...
In the highest, well-maintained pavilion, Elder Gong was sipping expensive tea purchased with the sect's "roof repair" funds. He felt reassured, certain that Moen Kang Yo was already a corpse in the cave.
"The Empress will be pleased with this news,"
he muttered, rubbing his swollen belly.
"The only obstacle to my throne is gone."
CRASH!
The door to her room burst open. A disciple ran in, his face as pale as a corpse.
"Elder! Master... Young Master Moen Kang Yo... he's at the front gate!"
Clang!
The jade teacup in Gong's hand fell and shattered into pieces.
"What?! Impossible! The tracking unit hasn't reported back yet, how could he have gotten here alone?!"
Cold sweat began to break out on Gong's wrinkled forehead. He realized that if Kang Yo returned safely, the "audit" he dreaded most would soon begin.
"Prepare several bodyguards! Don't let him enter the main pavilion!"
Gong shouted frantically, but his voice sounded like a cornered mouse in the corner of a warehouse.
Yoe Choin stepped through the gate, each stomp on the cracked stone floor exerting a pressure that made the surrounding students tremble. Beside him, Gwi-Hyuk walked like a shadow ready to take anyone's life.
"Gwi-Hyuk,"
Choin called without turning around.
Gwi-Hyuk nodded slowly, showing his full attention.
"Starting today, block all access in and out of logistics. Not a single grain of rice is to leave the warehouse without my approval,"
instructed Choin in the authoritative tone of a foreman.
"We will begin an 'Internal Audit' of this sect's structure. And our first target..."
Choin gazed at Elder Gong's luxurious pavilion in the distance.
"...is to eradicate the termites that are eating away at the foundation of our own house."