The sun had barely risen when Kang Woo and Hajin stepped back onto the road.
The village was behind them — quiet again, pretending like it hadn't nearly cost them their lives.
Kang Woo didn't say a word. He walked with purpose. Sword strapped tight. Eyes scanning the horizon.
Hajin finally asked, "Hyung… where are we going today?"
Kang Woo glanced at the hand-drawn map Hajin had shown him the night before. A crude outline of hills and rivers.
"To the Valley," he said.
Hajin's face paled.
"You mean… the Valley of the Dead?"
Kang Woo nodded. "Shortcut to the Cloudmist range, right?"
"Yes, but—" Hajin hesitated. "That valley's filled with demonic beasts. Not all the time… but enough. Even bandits avoid it unless they're desperate."
Kang Woo's voice was calm. "We're desperate."
---
By midday, they reached the outer ridge — a high cliff overlooking a deep, fog-choked gorge. Dark trees lined the valley floor, and strange howls echoed from somewhere far below. Thick vines twisted around broken ruins and boulders.
At the valley's entrance stood a worn-out outpost. Faded red banners. A wooden gate. A few armored men playing dice under a crooked tent.
Kang Woo and Hajin approached cautiously.
One of the men — broad-shouldered with silver armor and a long spear — stepped forward.
"Halt. Identify yourselves," he barked.
Hajin stepped up first and bowed.
"Hajin Wu. Disciple-candidate of Cloudmist Sect."
The guard's eyes narrowed.
"And you?"
"Kang Woo," Kang Woo replied, gaze steady. "I'm… a traveler from the eastern coast. Escorting him to Cloudmist."
The man looked them over — their ragged clothes, cheap sword, dusty boots. Then gave a lazy smirk.
"You can pass," he said. "But the toll's 20 silver per head."
Kang Woo raised an eyebrow. "Toll?"
The guard pointed to a wooden sign nailed to a post:
> 'Valley Toll: 20s per person | Optional scout: 80s | No refunds for corpses.'
"You want safe passage, pay. If not, walk back to your death," the guard said. "The beasts don't ask questions."
Kang Woo reached into his robe and pulled out one gold niyang. The guard's eyes twitched.
"I need change," Kang Woo said calmly.
The guard quickly nodded. "Of course, sir."
He returned moments later, carefully counting the coins into a pouch.
"Also," Kang Woo added, "we'll take a scout."
The man waved to a nearby tent. A lean, sun-tanned man stepped out, wearing light armor and carrying two short blades.
"This is Joo Ma. He'll take you through the safe path."
Joo Ma gave a half-bow. "Keep close, don't talk, and if you hear wings in the fog… run."
Hajin swallowed hard.
Kang Woo smiled slightly. "Sounds like a good start."
With that, the three of them stepped into the fog-filled trench.
The Valley of the Dead — a shortcut to Cloudmist Sect.
Shorter, yes.
But filled with things that hungered for blood.
The deeper they went, the stranger the world became.
Mist curled like living fingers between the twisted trees. Bones — real bones — lay scattered along the path, some small like rabbits, others massive like horses. The silence was thick, broken only by the occasional rustle or far-off growl.
Kang Woo kept his hand near his sword. Hajin stayed close behind him. Their scout, Joo Ma, moved ahead like a ghost, crouched low and eyes sharp.
"Don't wander off the path," he whispered. "There's a Bloodhowl Pack that nests near the southern cliff. If they smell fear, it's over."
As if summoned by those words, the mist thickened.
Then —
A sound.
Not a growl. Not a roar.
A deep, throaty purr.
Kang Woo stopped.
"…You hear that?"
"Yeah," Hajin whispered. "That sounded… kinda cute?"
Suddenly, the trees up ahead split.
And out stepped a massive creature — at least three meters tall at the shoulder, covered in glossy black and silver fur.
Its golden eyes blinked slowly.
Whiskers twitched.
And its tail swayed like a whip.
"A... cat?" Kang Woo muttered.
The thing yawned, showing massive fangs — then walked right up to him.
Hajin backed up immediately, terrified. "That's a Shadowfang Panther! They rip through squads of cultivators! That thing could tear us in half!"
But the panther didn't pounce.
It sat.
Then — unbelievably — it leaned its head forward and nuzzled Kang Woo's side.
Puuuurrrrrrrrrr.
"…What the hell," Kang Woo muttered, frozen.
Joo Ma's jaw dropped. "This is… not normal. That thing doesn't purr. It devours."
The giant cat rubbed its head against Kang Woo's arm, knocking him off balance. Then it rolled onto its back with a deep rumbling growl — tail swishing, belly up.
It wanted belly rubs.
Kang Woo blinked, deadpan.
"I survived a black company job, lightning, poverty, and now this oversized murder-cat wants me to be its scratching post?"
Hajin peeked from behind a tree. "Hyung… I think it likes you."
The panther's eyes narrowed playfully.
"I'm not scratching its belly," Kang Woo muttered.
The panther let out a low whine.
Hajin giggled. "You kind of have to now."
"…Fine."
He reached down and scratched behind its ears.
The beast kicked one leg in delight, like a house cat. Its massive tail thumped against the trees.
Joo Ma shook his head in disbelief. "You… tamed it?"
"No," Kang Woo said flatly. "It tamed me."