Rift in the Void
Ye Hajun woke with bleary eyes, scrubbed his face dry with his hands, and rose from bed. Out of habit he opened the gallery first thing.
Not many posts went up yesterday.
After skimming the handful of new threads, he looked around and found himself in a spacious room. He had been sleeping on a high-quality bed. When he crossed the wide chamber and opened the door, a change of clothes was already waiting—someone must have left them while he slept.
So the servants really do come every morning. Didn’t expect them to take care of me too.
He changed into the clothes provided by the Namgung Clan and went downstairs. Namgung Gyeom was just accepting a travel bag from a servant, looking ready to head out.
“Classes are canceled today.”
“Huh?”
“Jeonggoe have appeared.”
Namgung Gyeom checked the contents of the bag as he continued.
“A Rift in the Void has opened.”
“Rift in the Void?”
“Think of it as a crack in the air that pours out Jeonggoe. They appear out of nowhere from time to time. Until you go inside and destroy whatever forms the core of the crack, the monsters keep spilling out without end—so the damage is severe.”
He drew his sword once to inspect it, then fastened it at his waist.
“Cheonmu Academy is also responsible for the defense of the Sichuan region, which is why cadets get sent out like this. Jeonggoe are too strong for ordinary people to handle, so the casualties pile up.”
“I see.”
While Ye Hajun was still wondering how to spend the sudden free time, someone shoved the door open and strode in.
“You ready?”
An empty left sleeve flapping, Doksu—Baek Mudan—appeared.
“Yes, all set.”
“Cadet Ye Hajun’s here too. Sleep well? First nights always make people tense, whatever the reason.”
He grinned, then seemed to remember something and changed tack.
“Come to think of it, today was supposed to be your first class, wasn’t it?”
“I just heard it was canceled.”
Baek Mudan considered for a moment, then spoke again.
“Want to come along? Call it field training.”
The sudden offer made Ye Hajun ask back,
“Is anyone allowed to go?”
“Not just anyone.”
Baek Mudan flicked his empty sleeve against Namgung Gyeom’s shoulder.
“This one’s going. You beat him in the sparring match, so there’s no reason you can’t. The whole point of Cheonmu Academy is spreading ways to deal with Jeonggoe. Other new cadets are coming too.”
Ye Hajun nodded.
“I’ll go as well.”
Riding behind Namgung Gyeom toward the place where the Rift had opened, Ye Hajun talked with the gallery spirits.
You couldn’t even take down that Black Shadow Ghost alone last time
You still can’t use Amgyeong yet...
These bastards kept needling him.
He was about to use his Juddak privileges to remind the gallery who was on top when Instructor Baek Mudan, riding ahead, came to a stop. Namgung Gyeom halted with him.
“We’re here.”
At Baek Mudan’s words Ye Hajun lifted his head—and knew at once that they had arrived.
“…So this is a Rift in the Void.”
A grotesque boundary cut the land in two: lush green vegetation on one side, rotting dead trees on the other. The earth itself had turned black, as if it no longer belonged to this world, and from a dark-crimson crack that had torn open the sky, Jeonggoe were raining down like a storm.
While Ye Hajun stood momentarily stunned by the overwhelming sight even at a distance, Baek Mudan spoke again.
“Good. We’ve reached the boundary, so send the horses back. Namgung Gyeom, go join up with Instructor Gal Soha’s group as planned.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Gyeom left as if the route were familiar, leaving only Baek Mudan and Ye Hajun.
Being alone with this guy still feels awkward…
Baek Mudan, who might already know he came from the Unorthodox path, still made Ye Hajun uneasy—until a savior appeared.
“Instructor Baek Mudan, correct? And… oh?”
“Hm? Han Yumae?”
Ye Hajun blinked at the sudden arrival of Han Yumae, then remembered what he had heard before they set out.
“So the other new cadet they mentioned was you.”
“You passed the entrance exam. I knew you would.”
Watching them greet each other, Baek Mudan asked,
“What’s this? You two already know each other?”
“We traveled together for a while on the way here.”
“Ah, that so? Then we can skip the introductions and get straight to it.”
He pointed toward the Rift.
“Either of you ever seen a Rift in the Void before?”
“No, sir.”
“This is my first time as well.”
“Doesn’t feel real, does it?”
Baek Mudan waved his empty left sleeve and gestured at their surroundings.
A forest so withered it looked ready to crumble into dust at a touch. The ground, blackened like ash, had lost all vitality and crumbled underfoot.
“Anyone got a guess why it’s like this?”
“No idea.”
“Then what drops when you kill a Jeonggoe?”
That much he knew.
“Yeongseok.” “Yeongseok, sir.”
“Right. And those Yeongseok are the core of the Jeonggoe. They’re pure lumps of internal force. Now—how do people normally obtain internal force?”
“Through qi circulation breathing?”
“Think bigger. When you circulate qi, where are you pulling that internal force from before you store it in the dantian?”
“The air.”
“Exactly—from nature. Starting to get it?”
“Ah.”
Both Ye Hajun and Han Yumae nodded at the same moment, understanding dawning.
“So the Jeonggoe are absorbing the natural internal force that originally exists in the world…?”
“Is that it?”
“That’s the working theory. Nobody knows for certain yet, but in places where a Rift has opened, qi circulation stops gathering any internal force at all, and living things vanish.”
“I see.”
“That’s also why we try to close a Rift as fast as possible. The longer it stays open, the bigger the long-term loss for martial artists.”
He pointed again at the tear hanging in the sky.
“So Jeonggoe keep pouring out of that hole up there. How do we shut it?”
“Maybe it closes on its own after enough time?”
“No. If we leave it alone it just keeps expanding.”
Ye Hajun had already heard this part from Namgung Gyeom.
“I was told you go inside and destroy whatever forms the core.”
“Correct. Once you enter, it connects to a subspace that looks a lot like this landscape. Inside you’ll usually find either an extremely powerful Jeonggoe called a Jeonggoe Matriarch, or something known as the Eye of the Rift. Whichever appears, destroying one of them closes the crack.”
“So we have to go inside?”
Han Yumae tightened her grip on her sword hilt. Baek Mudan shook his head.
“We don’t expect that much from cadets. When a Rift opens we usually divide into three groups: the assault team that goes inside, the primary defense line that stops the Jeonggoe pouring out, and a reserve defense line in case the primary is breached.”
“And we’re the reserve?”
“That’s right. The assault team is normally made up of academy instructors or the great clans and major sects responsible for the region. Cadet Han Yumae—being called the future of Mount Hua—might get a chance someday. Hopefully that day never comes.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Once the explanation was finished, Baek Mudan looked around.
“Normally I’d be on the primary line, but I pulled reserve duty for a bit so the new cadets could see this. Seeing is believing—no amount of classroom talk beats watching it yourself.”
“I understand.”
“Though using that as an excuse to slack off on the reserve line is pretty nice too.”
He grinned.
“Anyway, we’ll roam around and lightly clean up any Jeonggoe that slip past the primary line. Cadet Ye Hajun said he’s faced a Black Shadow Ghost before. What about you, Cadet Han?”
“Besides Black Shadow Ghosts, I’ve also fought White Bone Ghosts, Blue Dog Ghosts, and Sand Spot Ghosts.”
Baek Mudan’s expression hardened at her answer.
“So Jeonggoe are increasing in Shaanxi as well… You’ve faced quite a variety.”
“Working with the Zhongnan Sect to defend the borders of Shanxi and Henan is our sect’s duty.”
“You’ve had it rough. Cadet Ye Hajun, those names all new to you?”
“Yes, pretty much.”
“Every type of Jeonggoe has different traits. For example, White Bone Ghosts are the opposite of Black Shadow Ghosts—their surfaces are mineral-hard and…”
Baek Mudan’s words trailed off. Following his gaze, Ye Hajun and Han Yumae turned their heads toward the Rift.
The Rift is… growing?
He had said it would expand if not closed early. Seeing it happen with his own eyes, Ye Hajun spoke.
“That’s why we have to close them quickly.”
“No… this feels like an exception. A crack that opened only a short while ago doesn’t usually grow this fast. And besides…”
Watching the Rift stretch blatantly in their direction, cold sweat ran down Baek Mudan’s back.
I’ve never seen a shape like this. At this rate the entire defensive line surrounding the Rift will be rendered useless.
His decision was instant.
“You two head southwest and join Instructor Gal Soha’s group. I’ll—”
He meant to share the situation and rebuild the line at once, but a hair-raising sound cut him off.
Thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud-thud.
Jeonggoe were raining from the sky like a downpour. The ones that hit the ground writhed, rose, and in moments had completely encircled Ye Hajun and the others.
Baek Mudan let out a long breath.
“…Looks like we’ll have to break through.”
Seeing Baek Mudan and Han Yumae draw their swords as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Ye Hajun crouched down on the spot. Baek Mudan glanced at him.
“Regretting tagging along, Cadet Ye Hajun?”
“No. Just…”
He scraped up a handful of dirt, rubbed it between his palms, then dusted them off—finishing the old pre-battle ritual—and stood again.
“I regret not eating breakfast first.”
Baek Mudan barked a short laugh.
“Never skip a meal. I’ll buy you one when we get back—how’s that sound?”
“Something expensive okay?”
“Drinks on me too. So…”
Baek Mudan swung the blade he had drawn and shouted,
“Let’s not die today.”