The city glittered under a sea of neon, the night sky split by the cold gleam of a thousand skyscrapers.

At the very top of the tallest one stood a woman, red hair flickering like a flame in the dark. She exhaled deeply, her sigh carried away by the wind.
“Honestly… always causing trouble.”

Her voice held irritation as she thought of that troublesome comrade. The woman in the black tailored suit held a crimson bow in one hand.

Thwip! Thwip!

Arrows streaked through the night—each one finding its mark with uncanny precision, piercing through the skulls of the wandering spirits that infested the city below.

Flames erupted where they fell, cleansing the streets in silence.
Her expression remained cold as she scanned the streets for more targets, her red eyes glowing faintly.

Area cleared.

The moment she confirmed no further movement, she sprinted through the air, leaping from one rooftop to the next. Normally, this was Baekho’s domain—but that white tiger couldn’t handle the work for now. So, she’d taken on the task herself.

‘Of course. Figures.’

Her brow furrowed in annoyance. Few among them were truly diligent.
The Azure Dragon had long since thrown himself into human life, enjoying reincarnation and leaving everything to his subordinates. The Black Tortoise secluded himself in his lair, sending mere projections to do his work.

It kept things stable enough—but still, it grated on her.

‘They’re all too soft. No sense of duty or responsibility, seriously?’

Thwip!

Another arrow split the air, nailing a wraith that had just tried to devour a drunk man. Her arrows never missed, and her range was vast—anywhere her eyes could see was within reach. With a single shot from her vantage point, she could purge any corruption within the city.

Still… her thoughts returned to that woman.

‘What is she thinking? Giving everything she has to a human—one who can’t even sense qi properly?’

It made no sense. The most rational and stoic among the Four Gods was suddenly making an emotional decision.
If she were to say that out loud, she could already hear that woman’s teasing voice in reply:
“Ho? I never thought you, of all people, would talk about being emotional.”

Just imagining it made her grit her teeth.

‘Fine then. I’ll see for myself what kind of man he is. The one who made her act like this.’

With that resolve, she turned her gaze downward, the last arrow gleaming faintly in her hand.

Thwip!

The arrow flew, purging the final lingering specter. The night air grew calm.

‘That should do for tonight.’

Satisfied, she lowered her bow. At her word, the shadows of the sky shifted—birds, countless of them, swooping back toward her.
A great eagle owl perched gently on her arm, hooting softly.

“Good work,” she murmured, stroking its head. With a low call, the owl and the other birds dispersed, melting back into the darkness.

Adjusting her crimson tie, she leapt down from the skyscraper, landing soundlessly on the pavement below.

She wouldn’t go see him yet—not until he’d finished his training. Seeing his clumsy beginnings would only irritate her.
But afterward… when the training was done—then, she would see for herself what kind of man Baekho’s chosen truly was.

“First, you must learn to feel qi. Do you even know what qi is?”

Baekho’s soft voice filled the penthouse, her hand absently stroking the white hound curled in her lap. Across from her sat Moonsu, visibly tense.

“Uh… something that, uh, flows through the body?”

His hesitant answer made her chuckle lightly, touching her chin as she spoke.
“Not entirely wrong. Qi flows through all living things—great or small. Every being in this world possesses it.”

She, as one who governed Metal among the Five Elements, ruled over all beasts with fur. It was why every animal in this place sat so obediently around her.

Moonsu didn’t understand yet. But someday, he would feel it for himself.

“To sense it, you must first understand,” she said gently. “Now then—let the real training begin. Have a good trip.”

“…Huh?”

Tap.

Before he could react, she flicked her long pipe against his forehead. His vision blurred.
As he fell into darkness, the last thing he saw was her faint smile.

“When you wake… I hope you’ll be different.”

She had no time to waste on slow teaching. The Vermilion Bird had only given her three days.
And three days was far too little.

‘Where… am I?’

When he opened his eyes, Moonsu was surrounded by a blindingly white void.
There was nothing. Just silence and light.

‘Understand yourself,’ she’d said.

But what did that mean?

He sat down, frowning. He couldn’t move forward until he understood something.

‘Qi… what does it even mean to feel it?’

He closed his eyes, sinking into stillness. Slowly, he turned his thoughts inward—toward himself, toward what might exist within.

There was nothing else to do here anyway.

‘I wonder how he’s doing.’

Back in the real world, Baekho sat beside the bed where Moonsu lay unconscious. She brushed his hair softly, her gaze calm.

The place she’d sent him to was an illusory realm—a space designed for self-understanding.
To feel qi, one must comprehend it.
To comprehend it, one must look within.

He had an advantage, at least—the faint strand of her qi flowing through him since their bond had formed. It would help him sense qi more easily than most humans.

She wasn’t worried.
It was only a matter of time.

The only regret… was time itself.

‘If only I had more than three days.’

There was so much she wanted to teach him. But she couldn’t afford to linger on the basics.
He needed to feel qi today, so that the remaining time could be spent learning to summon divine relics.

If he took too long on the fundamentals, his future would be bleak indeed.

‘Something’s… moving.’

Moonsu’s breathing quickened. Deep within himself, he could feel it—a powerful current, something dense and alive, stirring faintly inside him.

The more he focused, the clearer it became.

That force—strong, vibrant, and unmistakably real.

‘This… is qi?’

Then what about the faint currents he could sense around him? Could those be qi as well?

He opened his eyes.

And froze.

The world wasn’t empty anymore.
Where before there had been only white void, now waves of light and energy flowed everywhere, filling the air like rippling water.

‘So this place… was made of qi all along.’

He could feel it now—his qi, and this world’s qi, resonating as one. Instinct told him what to do.

He reached out.

Calmly, he began to draw the world’s energy inward, letting it merge into himself.

“…I see. Not bad.”

The voice made him look up.

Baekho stood over him, smiling faintly.
He blinked, realizing he was back in the penthouse, lying on the bed.

“The first task is complete,” she said softly.

And with that, relief washed over him.

He’d done it.
He’d actually felt qi.

The tension left his body, and exhaustion took its place. Before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep where he lay.

“…Goodness. Well, he’s earned it,” she murmured, tucking the blanket over him.

To sense qi on his first try, and even unravel the illusion world on his own—he’d exceeded every expectation.

‘Truly… impressive.’

She smiled faintly, gazing down at the boy who was now her representative.

For now, her promising young successor deserved a bit of rest.