The massive panther followed them.
Like a puppy.
A three-meter-tall, fanged, muscle-wrapped, ancient predator of nightmares — acting like a loyal dog.
It padded beside Kang Woo, head occasionally nudging his arm, purring loud enough to shake leaves from the trees.
Joo Ma, the scout, kept glancing back, pale. "I've been through this valley twenty-seven times… I've never seen anything like this."
Hajin walked proudly beside his hyung, grinning. "Hyung's amazing. First gold niyang outta nowhere, now a demon beast pet? He must have the Tamer's Constitution!"
"I'm not a damn tamer," Kang Woo growled. "This thing just has poor judgment."
"Still counts," Hajin said with a smug nod.
The fog began to lift.
By mid-afternoon, the trees parted to reveal a sprawling stone stairway that climbed the mountainside. At its peak — barely visible through drifting clouds — stood the majestic silhouette of Cloudmist Sect.
It was massive.
Dozens of tall pagodas stacked across plateaus. Waterfalls streamed down from sacred springs. Cranes flew in lazy circles above curved rooftops. The air shimmered with spiritual energy.
A place of cultivation, discipline, and martial pride.
Kang Woo stared up.
"…Alright. Looks legit."
As they approached the main gate, four guards in sky-blue robes stepped forward. Their spears gleamed with inscriptions. A fifth, clearly a senior, held a scroll.
"Name and sect invitation," he demanded, eyeing Hajin first.
"Hajin Wu. I was accepted three moons ago under Outer Disciple category," Hajin replied, producing a talisman with the Cloudmist emblem.
The elder nodded, then turned to Kang Woo. "And you?"
"I'm his escort," Kang Woo said. "Name's Kang Woo. I'm… not from any sect."
The guards looked at each other, then at the giant panther behind him.
"…Is that yours?"
Kang Woo glanced at the creature, now sitting obediently with its tongue out.
"Not mine," he replied. "It just follows me."
The senior guard raised a brow. "You… tamed a Shadowfang Panther?"
"No."
"Then why isn't it eating you?"
"I ask myself that every minute."
The guards whispered among themselves. "Should we… allow it in?"
The senior sighed. "We can't let a demonic beast through the gates. It violates—"
Then the panther growled.
Not aggressively.
Just… in protest.
Loudly.
Its tail slammed the stone ground once.
The senior broke into a cold sweat. "O-on second thought… we'll prepare a stable just outside the inner court."
Kang Woo muttered, "Tamer my ass…"
The gates opened slowly, revealing the ascending stone path toward the Sect proper.
Hajin looked up, awe in his eyes.
"We made it, hyung… We actually made it."
Kang Woo's gaze followed the rising steps.
A new life. A new world.
A new war.
> "Let's see what kind of monsters this sect creates."
And with that, they took their first step into Cloudmist Sect.