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Chapter 1: The Transfer

Seo Jun-Hyuk felt as though he was one with the trash he knelt beside, desperately trying to keep his hand from shaking. He hated how weak he felt in that moment, unable to do anything against the group of five towering over him. He didn’t dare look up as a fist drove into his stomach, biting his lip to stifle the sob that threatened to escape.

“I told you!” Choi-Seok bellowed, his voice echoing in the narrow alley. “30,000 Won. By Friday. Or don’t even think about showing your face here again.”

Jun-Hyuk clenched his fists, biting back the retort that burned on his tongue. He knew exactly why Choi-Seok had picked him. The eldest son of a struggling restaurant owner wasn’t exactly swimming in cash, but he was just enough of a pushover to make an easy target. 

“I can’t,” Jun-Hyuk croaked. There was no way 30,000 Won was reasonable. He barely earned 10,000 Won a week from his parents, and he had no time to work a part-time job—not when he had to help at their small family restaurant.

Choi-Seok glanced at the others around him before grabbing Jun-Hyuk by the collar of his uniform. His eyes narrowed as he scowled, and Jun-Hyuk was assaulted by the rancid stench of his breath. Once again, Choi-Seok pummeled him with fists.

“Did I say this was a request, you fucker?” Choi-Seok growled. He turned to the others, sneering. “Hey, I think this fucker wants a beating.”

Jun-Hyuk barely had time to shield his head before the barrage of kicks and punches began. In that moment, he would have abandoned all the pride he had left and begged anyone for help—almost anyone.

As though life were mocking him, his eyes drifted towards the end of the alley, where he spotted the one person in the world he never wanted to see him in such a pathetic state. Han Ji-Min stood frozen, her long black hair tied neatly in a bun as she stared in shock at the scene. She immediately tugged on the sleeve of her older brother, Ji-Hoon, who was standing beside her.

“Hey, first years! Stop making a scene and scatter!” Ji-Hoon shouted.

In the hierarchy of their delinquent-run school, Ji-Hoon was ranked fourth overall in fighting ability. Choi-Seok and his crew didn’t dare make a scene, and, one by one, they scattered in the opposite direction. But it wasn’t just them. Jun-Hyuk couldn’t bear to meet Ji-Min’s gaze. His legs moved on their own, carrying him across the concrete, each step a desperate attempt to escape the humiliation. He didn’t even realize he’d left his backpack behind. He could hear her calling after him, but he couldn’t bear to turn around. His glasses were gone from his face, and everything before him blurred into indistinct shapes.

Is she following me?

God, I hate how pathetic—

Jun-Hyuk’s foot caught on something—a crack in the pavement or maybe a loose board. He didn’t know. His momentum sent him careening forward, and the impact with the wall was jarring. A sharp burst of pain spread across his forehead, and then the world tilted. Darkness encroached on his vision, but before it claimed him, he thought he felt something cold and heavy—a strange pull at the center of his chest. The sound of his rapid breaths faded into a faint hum, right before blackness swallowed him whole. He had only one fleeting thought, if only he was stronger. Then he wouldn’t have made such a fool out of himself.

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***

The first thing Jun-Hyuk noticed when he awoke was the scent—a sweet, aromatic blend, something like cherry blossoms and tangerines, but not quite. It was unique, entirely unlike anything he had ever encountered. He forced his heavy eyelids open, a groan escaping his lips as his body protested the movement. The pain wasn’t where he’d expected it; it wasn’t in his head from the blackout or dizziness. No, this pain was a deep, harsh throbbing emanating from his stomach, as though a blade had been driven through it. The agony radiated through his entire torso. It felt wrong—different from the bruises and cuts he’d suffered earlier.

He shifted, attempting to push himself upright, but his surroundings only deepened his confusion. The room was unfamiliar—strange, almost surreal. The walls were adorned with faded red and gold tapestries, intricately woven with images of flames soaring around a mountain top. But what disturbed him most about the unfamiliar setting was the window. Pearl-adorned blue curtains whipped peacefully in the wind, starkly contrasting the blood-red sky outside. He could also make out what appeared to be a huge, dark planet, floating ominously among scattered clouds.

Jun-Hyuk might have assumed he was dead or in a coma, trapped in some bizarre dream, if not for the pain. Could he have somehow ended up in a webtoon? But no… that was fiction. It didn’t happen in real life.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing a tall girl dressed in blue, the fabric sprinkled with gold. Her face instantly lit up the moment she saw him. In her hand, she carried a tray with a steaming cup of liquid.

“Feng Lei! You’re awake!” She squealed happily, a look of relief flooding over her face.

Jun-Hyuk blinked hard, trying to force clarity into the blurred edges of his vision. The name struck him like a slap. “Feng what?” he croaked, his voice unfamiliar—rougher, deeper, like it belonged to someone else.

He instinctively touched his throat, his fingers trembling. “What is this… What’s happening to me?” His words were barely above a whisper. His eyes darted to the girl, scanning her face for some clue, some sign that this was just an elaborate joke. But her expression wasn’t mocking—it was worried, almost frantic, and it only made his fear grow.

She stepped closer, carefully placing the tray on the table beside him. Her gaze swept over his face, lingering on the bruises and cuts. “You must’ve hit your head harder than I thought during that fight. Even you couldn’t have been ready for a beast like that…” She trailed off, her expression clouding for a moment. “Level Four monsters aren’t supposed to roam this far south. Not beyond the grand layer. What if…” She shook her head quickly, as though banishing a dark thought.

Monster? Did the strange girl just say monsters? And there are levels as well? He was starting to rethink his earlier dismissal of this being a webtoon. 

Jun-Hyuk wanted to cry. Why was he in a world with monsters? He had just wanted to be stronger, not dead.

But worse than that…

“Why do I have a Chinese name?” he sputtered. “I’m Korean.”

The girl shook her head sympathetically. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to say, Feng Lei, but I think you’re going to need more rest. You’re talking nonsense. I only hope you get better soon. Our troops are struggling without you.”

Jun-Hyuk’s mind was racing with a thousand questions—what kind of world was this? Why was the sky blood-red? Was this some twisted prank? Maybe there was a hidden camera somewhere, because there was no way Ji-Hyuk, who couldn’t even stand up to a high school bully, was going to fight any strange creatures.

But all of his thoughts were silenced as a shadow passed over the window. He turned just in time to see a grotesque creature—half wolf, half moth—soaring toward the mansion at an alarming speed.

His breath caught in his throat as he realized, with terrifying clarity: This was no dream.

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