Payback

Cheondo Taehak — the Heavenly Way Academy.

The highest, and only, educational institution under the United Human Government. One of the most critical facilities in Sector A.

The entrance exam could be attempted only twice in a lifetime. The bare minimum to apply was Qi Condensation 6th Stage — Mid-stage Peak. Even so, applicants numbered well over several million every year.

Only two thousand would pass. Odds of several thousand to one. A sacred ground where even bone-grinding effort and iron will meant nothing without talent — where those lacking it could not so much as set foot inside.

But if you forced your way through that narrow gate and earned a place, your entire future flipped in an instant.

Every professor on the faculty was a Great Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Great Completion, and only the most rigorously selected among them were permitted to stand at the lectern. The resources poured into the academy each year rivaled the combined wealth of three ordinary Golden Core sects.

Half of all Foundation Establishment cultivators who would go on to lead the United Government were produced right here.

If anyone should ask about the future of humanity, tell them to lift their heads and look to the heavens. There stands Cheondo Taehak — the cradle of the great cultivators who will devote themselves to mankind.

"The next Academy entrance exam is this June. Classes begin in September, so… roughly five months remain."

"…Then what should I do, Master?"

"At Nain's current realm, the official exam is impossible. So we'll aim for admission by recommendation. I still haven't used my recommendation slot, after all."

With that, Shiori began to walk at an unhurried pace. Geumhae stayed close behind her, following in silence. They left the laboratory and crossed the pure-white plain once more — and before long, the ground beneath their feet had transformed into a vast, fluttering talisman.

When Geumhae lifted her head, the sky had already bled into a blazing sunset red. Behind them, the Gate still pulsed — expanding and contracting, spreading like a crack through the world.

"Three days already, huh. I'll be off, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then. Still got a sea's worth of bastards left to kill."

Seo Seong-rak, who had been standing with his arms crossed in solemn dignity, reached out and ruffled Geumhae's hair. His palm — roughly the size of a car tire — swallowed her entire head.

"Grow up strong, and let's meet again beyond the Gate someday. When the time comes, I'll come find you myself."

That was all.

Before Geumhae could even open her mouth to say goodbye, Seo Seong-rak launched himself into the air, treading the grain of the sky as he shot away. He accelerated as if shaking off restlessness, until at last he tore through the void at hundreds of times the speed of sound and vanished beyond the horizon.

The residual wind of his sonic boom brushed past her hair. Brilliant white strands scattered into the air, baring the slender nape of her neck. Geumhae closed her eyes and savored the cool breeze.

Nain pouted inwardly. Or more precisely — on the sofa in the real world, she was thrashing her blanket in pure injustice, grinding her teeth with resentment.

"M-my realm…"

The spiritual energy that had filled her dantian to the brim had withered like a drought-stricken river. Even the star of spiritual energy that had spun with heavy gravity at her center had gone feeble, barely able to hold its own power.

Qi Condensation 1st Stage, 78%!

Geumhae hadn't simply taken the spiritual energy being produced. She had greedily drained even Nain's primordial true qi without restraint. The fragile second spiritual core had collapsed, and her realm had plummeted all the way to Qi Condensation 1st Stage.

At least I didn't take internal injuries even though the spiritual core broke. That's something.

When the Five Elements Ascending Spirit Fivefold Method etched into her body had collapsed along with the outflow of spiritual energy, the Five Spirits Ascension Guidance Canon had taken its place and crushed the chaos in her body with overwhelming superiority. Without that, she would have been left with wounds so horrific she couldn't have cultivated for months.

"I would have had to tear it down and rebuild anyway since my primary technique was replaced, but still…"

Her left pupil blazed with golden light. Unconcealable fury rippled through that eye.

"Hey, you! I know you can hear me! So why won't you answer?!"

"……"

Silence again. Watching Geumhae close her eyes and enjoy the breeze, Nain's irritation spiked — and she snatched up Pow, who had been fluttering around beside her for no good reason, and wrapped the scroll in her blanket.

Flutter? Flutter!

She had been sensing it for a while now. No matter how much self-awareness Geumhae had awakened, an avatar was still an avatar. All control still rested with Nain, and though the connection ran both ways, Nain clearly occupied the superior position.

Emotions Nain felt, Geumhae could feel. Emotions Geumhae felt, Nain could feel.

That was why Nain could thrash her arms through empty air in frustration and still not bring herself to truly scold Geumhae. The emotion she was feeling right now was… hard to define.

Was this the wonder of a being born with fully formed higher cognition, experiencing the breath of the world for the first time? The pure wonder of an unblemished child, blended in some ineffable way with the intelligence of an adult who simply observed the principles of existence. As a cultivator, Nain had no idea how she was supposed to define what Geumhae was feeling.

"…F-fine. Whatever. It's not like you did it on purpose…"

"……"

Still no answer. So Nain simply closed her eyes and felt the star of her spiritual core, redesigned according to the principles of the Five Spirits Ascension Guidance Canon.

Nain's star and Geumhae's star. They resembled each other, yet differed in the finest details — a perfect twin-star form, endlessly rotating as they reflected one another.

One soul. Two selves. Two bodies. Spiritual energy circulated along an invisible channel, passing through both Nain and Geumhae.

My current realm is Qi Condensation 1st Stage, but the effect on my body is equivalent to having two spiritual cores.

It was the same as a vertical leap in cultivation efficiency. Compared to her Five Spirits Root days, she was at least ten times faster. And with two bodies, her talisman-drawing speed would clearly double as well.

The joy was short-lived. Beyond the left-side vision linked to Geumhae, Nain saw her master Shiori — walking ahead — slowly turn her head. The newly fitted earring-type terminal on her ear was glowing with pure white light.

"Nain. I had wanted to keep you glued to my side for the remaining five months and train you thoroughly… but my schedule simply will not allow it."

Geumhae, who had been enjoying the breeze, quietly opened her eyes and looked at Shiori.

"The first two months will be free cultivation. I'll entrust you with the golden slip of the Five Spirits Ascension Guidance Canon — master it completely in that time. And for the three months after that…"

Shiori's eyes curved into a cool, sharp arc.

"I will make you into someone worthy of my name."

The giant talisman suddenly accelerated.

Mach 10 — a speed even Yuryong Daesu, the guardian cultivator of the Korean peninsula's watchtower, would be unable to sense.

"Nain. Where do you live?"

"The outer district of Future Special City."

"You'll be exhausted from the trials, so go home and rest first. As for the banquet… I'll speak with Seol-hwa."

"…Thank you."

Geumhae bowed her head. With a soft snap, Shiori opened her fan and hid the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠peculiar curve of her lips.

From the Gate to Future Special City took less than ten minutes.

Beep. Beep.

Nain, who had been drawing talismans in her cultivation room, turned her head at the sound of the door lock. She had been listening to their conversation, but the moment Geumhae stepped down from the giant talisman, she had cut the sensory link.

She's back already.

She carefully set down her brush and pushed the finished talisman into a corner against the wall. Then she scooped up Pow, who had been lying on the cultivation room bed, and headed out to the living room.

Click. The front door opened.

The pure-white figure stepping inside and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Nain emerging into the living room — their gazes tangled in midair. Beneath the faint glow of the sensor light, Geumhae stood quietly, her white hair falling neatly about her shoulders.

Whoa… was the atmosphere always like this?

This was her own body — one she had grown thoroughly familiar with over the past few months of staring into mirrors. She had thought the appearance, at least, was completely second nature by now.

Step. Step.

Geumhae slipped off her shoes and approached Nain without a word. Nain found herself backing away without meaning to.

It was a cold, inorganic presence — more like Decia or their mother Eun Seol-hwa than Nain herself. Line the three of them up side by side and Nain would be the one who stuck out.

"No — wait, hang on!"

Thud.

Still retreating, Nain bumped into the wall and froze. Geumhae stood directly in front of her, looking her straight in the face.

They were the same height, yet somehow Nain felt like she ought to be looking up.

"…Uh, um…"

She had sworn that the moment that door opened, she would give Geumhae a thorough scolding. And yet somehow she was the one being crushed, the one under pressure. Against her will, a surge of wounded feeling threatened to well up.

Nain desperately forced it down.

Crying in front of her own avatar out of sheer self-pity — that would be a catastrophe of the highest order. She was fighting to swallow the tears, her eyes already reddening, when Geumhae — who had been quietly looking down at her — took one more silent step forward.

"Huh…?"

Geumhae quietly stretched out both arms and pulled Nain in by the waist. Then she leaned in and nuzzled her face against Nain's chest. Buried in the embrace, face pressed to Nain's front, Geumhae murmured:

"Sister. I'm home."

Nain froze solid in Geumhae's arms.

No — wait. Suddenly a wave of irritation and fury came crashing back in full force.

She reached out and grabbed a fistful of white hair. Geumhae looked up with an innocent face, but Nain was past caring. She yanked as if she meant to pull the hair right out.

"Kya — ah!"

Nain climbed right on top of her. Geumhae pinned underneath, Nain astride her — and with every trace of tears evaporated, Nain smiled a beatific smile.

"Just because you grew a little self-awareness, you think you can mess with me like this?"

"Y-yes?"

"If you're an avatar, act like an avatar — take this!"

She unleashed every technique she had honed through months of tormenting Pow. She tickled under the arms and along the waist, rummaging over the entire body ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as if kneading cotton candy. Whether they shared the same sensitive spots or not, Geumhae's composed face — which had held out for a brief moment — finally crumbled.

"Hyeek — Sister! S-stop!"

Geumhae's delicate shrieks rang through the living room.