According to Sangmin, the Duke was known for being a strict leader, having high expectations of her team members. If she said she wouldn't look at him until he stabilized his powers, then Seungho really needed to do just that.
"Sangmin-ssi is correct. She is unlikely to change her mind. She knows exactly how things need to be in her team. Plus Duke-nim is at the top. You have to trust her judgment."
Park Sooyoung had seemed willing to help.
"What can I do then?"
"My recommendation is to show up tomorrow morning early, ready to crunch. Do simple exercises to build stamina and strength."
"Perhaps I could try climbing again."
"Nope. Unless you want to destroy your body before it is ready. You need to learn patience."
Bae Ara contributed little to the conversation, just enough to make the Duke's life easier. She occasionally eyed Seungho monitoring the situation, clearly glued to the Duke's side.
After he was ordered to get rest from their trainer, Cha Hojin, Seungho had left.
Cha-trainer-nim was a solid man in his forties with close-cropped hair and a fighter's broken nose that had healed slightly crooked. That before he had become a hunter. He rarely raised his voice, which somehow made his quiet commands more absolute. The team moved when he spoke.
He had been training hunters for five years, and Seungho had heard whispers that Trainer-nim himself had once been a candidate for the Duke's inner circle before an injury ended that path.
Do the years add up for this story?
Now he shaped others for it. He watched Seungho with a patience that felt like careful assessment.
***
At home, Seungho noted he hadn't input his training specifications, just the time and location. No explanations and no option.
What is with these people always wanting to test you?
"Arghh"
What is the test going to be like tomorrow?
Then another thought hijacked Seungho's emotions, all of a sudden.
And the fog. The way I knew where to land.
He had seen the fog swirl where the monstrous bird's wings had moved. He had aimed to land on the quiet spot in between the two points. Where he thought its back would be, the part that didn't move. But he didn't see the giant bird.
At the time, it had felt like luck. A desperate guess that somehow worked. Now, replaying it in his mind, he knew it wasn't.
Actually, I read the fog. It told me where to look for the bird. The monster. What to do.
He sat up. His hands were shaking. Not from fear, but from knowing. The same feeling he'd had pressing his palms against the observation panels, when something stirred. The voice of the old man had talked to him.
Seungho had a gut feeling about them. In the past he hadn't paid attention to that sensation, and he had ended up enveloped in a fog without a way out.
Take note, Seungho. This means something. Even if you don't get it now, you will get it later.
They're not simulations. They're something else. Yes. What are those rooms?
He got up and pressed his palm against the wall of his apartment. Just walls. Objects that didn't leave an impression on anyone.
He pulled his hand back. Stared at it.
The key is the walls of those rooms. I am sure of it.
***
Seungho slept surprisingly well that night given all that had happened the previous day. He arrived early for training. Perhaps it was because he was well rested, but he felt more hopeful. He could see the use in pouring his efforts into learning the basics. But there was still a worry, small but persistent, eating at him.
He wanted to see if he could talk to the Duke. He had to at least try.
The lobby was busier than usual. A number of people wearing business attire were being escorted to the executive elevator. Seungho found himself surrounded by sharp suits.
And for the first time, Seungho noted people didn't move like hunters. These moved like executives. Like people who gave orders.
He spotted Sangmin standing near the entrance, his spine straight, expression neutral. He wasn't wearing his training gear. Instead he looked polished in a dark suit, tie, shoes that shone under the artificial lights even in broad daylight. He bowed in front of the executives passing by.
Why Sangmin? He was way too low-level to have him greeting executives. Sangmin seemed particularly humble. Comfortable being obedient.
A much older man with silver hair and an expensive dark suit passed in front of Sangmin. He briefly smirked. Sangmin immediately fixed his cuffs.
Seungho thought the gesture was code for something, like they had known each other for a long time. The same calm authority Sangmin wore when he was trying to be serious.
A young woman beside the old geezer. Same eyes, same stillness. Her hair was pinned back and her suit was tailored. She scanned the lobby once, didn't acknowledge anyone—not worth her time. Like father, like daughter. That much was obvious.
Seungho watched from across the lobby, pressed against the wall near the elevator, trying to pass unnoticed. He observed the strange scene from afar.
Sangmin followed them to the elevator where they joined the other group of executives. He bowed again. The doors closed. He didn't take go up.
Seungho knew that look on Sangmin's face. He had worn it himself, every time his mother's name appeared on his phone. Every time his sister's success was mentioned. Every time someone asked why he wasn't more like them.
Seungho approached. "Are you okay?"
Sangmin didn't look at him. "Of course."
"Who are they?" Seungho pointed at the elevator.
Sangmin was quiet for a moment. "A meeting of executives. The ones who fund the Duke's team."
"You looked like you knew them."
"Yes. My father and sister were among them."
"Oh. I see..."
Sangmin gave an accusing stare.
Alarmed, Seungho blurted out, "I didn't mean anything by it," as if Sangmin had misunderstood him.
Sangmin turned around and, without looking at Seungho, said, "I can't go just yet to training. I will see you later."
So comparing my stats to his wouldn't make much sense after all.
He sighed deeply. His shoulders lowered.
I hope Sangmin is not mad at me. Great. I am already screwing up my friendship.
Seungho then noticed brainfog rising quickly like a wall.
He thought of Jiyoon and Minjae.
No. Not this time. I will fix this.
He gripped his right fist, vowing he would do things differently, like he had promised himself he would by going to the ex-hunters' fights.
It was time for training. He walked briskly to the Training Grounds.
The Duke's team was already waiting. Everyone, including Sangmin.
Seungho aimed straight for the Duke. She just walked into the training room without waiting. Bae Ara rolled her eyes for Seungho to notice.
One by one, they entered the room in accordance with their position within the team. Seungho would be last, as the newest member to join.
When Seungho got close to the door, Trainer-nim shot an arm out, blocking him.
"Not today."
Argh. The same words as the Duke. She does dominate everyone.
Seungho frowned. "What am I to do?"
"I hear you already know what basic stat training entails. Make yourself stronger. You need to stabilize your body first and foremost. And it is an order."
Cha-trainer-nim held his gaze for a moment longer than necessary. That was his way—he said little, but what he said carried weight. He had been watching Seungho since the failed climb, and Seungho had the uncomfortable feeling that Trainer-nim had already measured something about him that Seungho himself hadn't yet figured out.
The trainer entered the room and closed the door behind him.
Seungho stood there for a minute, frowning like a child. He couldn't help it. Then inhaled deeply, and decided today was the day he was going to do things differently. Because he had understood something fundamentally true. He didn't know the rules of this world yet. Until he did, he would have to do exactly like everybody else.
He checked his screen.
.
[ TRAINING SCHEDULE ]
[ STRENGTH TRAINING: BELL COURSE ]
[ DURATION: 2 HOURS ]
[ OBJECTIVE: STRIKE TARGETS | PRECISION > POWER.]
.
The trainer had set it for him. He took the corridor to the side to reach the training room, following the map on the screen.
As he walked, he noticed something attached to the wall.
Has this always been here?
A new poster. Large and minimalistic. Official. Mounted on the wall near the main entrance, where everyone would see it.
.
THE CASTLE RACE
THE NEXT FRONTIER
UNITED EARTH COALITION
.
He stopped. Looked at it.
Get to the Castle. Time to take humanity back. Freedom.
He didn't remember seeing it yesterday. Maybe it was new. Maybe he just hadn't noticed. But the UEC logo at the bottom—he had seen that before. On contracts. On the building's cornerstone. Everywhere, actually, once he started looking. It had just never felt like it meant something.
Now it did.
He kept walking.
On the way, he saw Sanghyun with a group of trainees. Another group he hadn't really noticed before.
He wanted to say hi, but maybe Sanghyun wasn't in the mood, given what happened at the ceremony. He had acted strange, disappointed probably, since his appointment as trainer.
Stay focused.
A laugh from a female trainee. Someone else joined in.
"Is he the guy who will get kicked out of the Duke's team?"
"Yes. What did he expect? How arrogant. He probably paid his way in."
"You need to focus on your work, not waste time gossiping," said Sanghyun calmly. "Now, enter."
Why does everyone seem ok with trainees making up stupid theories...
When Seungho was close to his training room, Sanghyun dropped to the floor, seemingly tying his shoes.
"The bells. Focus on striking the bells. Don't just do it—picture the strike."
Seungho stopped, baffled. He didn't know what to say.
Sanghyun got up and looked at him. "You can thank me later."
He didn't smile, but Seungho could tell he meant it.
Seungho nodded once and entered the Bell Course.
From dark, the simulation turned on into a long road.