Kalyven, Lost District
Surrounded by decaying buildings, there they stood.
Byeol and Rook faced each other head-on, eyes locked, both fully aware that what stood before them was fierce competition.
Rook, unlike ordinary people, had one eye of each color: one a glowing electric cyan blue, the other a light emerald green with a subtle turquoise tint.
Intrigued by his appearance, Byeol asked:
-Name?
-Rook!
-I'm a ranker, and I'm challenging you to a fight. I'm pretty sure you're going to make me a lot of money. - Rook said.
- Haneul, can you find him? Can you see him on the Holo?"
(Holo: a device that replaced all screen-based digital devices in the world of Mirai.)
Rook – Young prodigy Ranker.
Recently promoted to the Top 100 after dismantling a human trafficking network tied to several high-profile Visionaries - a feat that would take most people years. In just two months, he earned fame, fear… and the respect of his peers.
-Hmm… not bad.
-Yeah. In just two months. - Haneul added.
As soon as they finished their search, small drones began appearing from all directions; some kept their distance while three moved in closer to Rook.
At the same time, Rook pulled a small baton from his back. With a single motion, it expanded, revealing a compact, dark carbon staff - sleek and deadly.
- If you accept, i'm ready.
Byeol glanced sideways at Haneul.
He looked hesitant, deep in thought, but eventually nodded in agreement and added:
-But somewhere else.
Byeol's expression twisted into something unsettling - a fusion of a cynical smile and a psychotic gaze. He had longed for a challenge like this. One that would truly show him how strong he had become.
Seeing that look, Rook felt a flicker of unease, his confidence slightly shaken.
-Lead the way. - Rook said, storing his staff.
The drones recorded everything - from different distances, different angles - analyzing both the environment and the individuals within it.
Byeol and Haneul turned and began walking. Rook followed at a distance, silent.
The tension in the air was almost tangible. None of them looked back. None hesitated. They walked like they already knew how this would end.
The chosen location was an abandoned building, on one of the upper floors of a former company.
Broken windows. Rusted metal stairs. Neon lights painted the floor red.
Byeol and Haneul had trained there many times. The open space was perfect for the kind of fight ahead.
Upon reaching the top floor, Haneul leaned against a pillar, crossed his arms, and murmured:
- Go!
Rook moved without hesitation.
He pulled another baton from his back - this time transforming into a lightweight carbon bow in the blink of an eye.
A flaming arrow shot forward violently, tearing through the air.
Byeol, standing at a distance, didn't even blink.
He leaned slightly to the side, letting the arrow pass just inches from his neck.
It slammed into a wall behind him, destroying it.
In that moment, Byeol understood - he needed to close the distance. In close combat, he would have the advantage, limiting Rook's ability to use the bow.
Within seconds, he was on top of him.
Rook barely had time to release the bow, which snapped back onto his back via a magnetic retractable cable.
Byeol's fists moved like hidden blades - fluid, yet brutal. A rapid exchange of blows followed, forcing Rook onto the defensive. Several strikes broke through his guard, though none landed decisively.
He was forced to retreat, creating distance. As soon as he did, he drew his other staff and prepared for another clash.
This time, he defended better - but Byeol's speed kept increasing.
Suddenly, after landing a punch, Byeol feigned pulling his arm back, allowing himself to be struck by Rook's staff - not effectively.
He seized the opportunity, grabbing and immobilizing Rook's arm.
In a split second, he caught him off guard, locking him in place while leaving his torso exposed.
Byeol shifted his weight forward and drove a crushing body shot into Rook's ribs - right into the liver.
Rook dropped to his knees instantly.
Still holding his arm, Byeol looked down at him with cold superiority, preparing to strike the same spot again - this time with a kick.
There was no other choice.
Rook activated his ocular powers.
The drones hovered at his command, but once his Spiritual Vision activated, he could control them through his nervous system - like extensions of his own body.
The moment Byeol struck him, Rook understood the gap between them.
He activated his eyes, positioning the drones around them. As Byeol moved in for the kick, Rook issued a command - the drones fired.
Byeol sensed it instantly and chose to evade rather than finish the strike.
Rook turned to him.
- Get ready, Byeol. The real fight starts now.
His eyes began to glow - one blue, one green.
Byeol felt it.
Respect.
This time, Rook wouldn't let him get close so easily. The drones opened fire while he rearmed himself with the bow.
Byeol had no choice but to retreat. He was surrounded.
Multiple eyes. Multiple angles. Zero blind spots.
It was like fighting a hive mind - surgical precision, machine-like focus. Rook controlled the space… and every movement Byeol made.
He wasn't just muscle.
He was analysis. Structure. Strategy.
With the drones active, his Spiritual Vision fully awakened.
Lights flickered across his face, forming something like a living circuit between his vision and theirs -processing everything at once.
He began reading Byeol's body. Predicting patterns. Anticipating movement.
Now Rook was a siege tower - arrows flying with hypnotic fluidity, drones applying constant pressure.
Byeol tried to close the distance - but was pushed back every time.
And then -
An opening.
Near a pillar, Byeol instinctively dodged toward it.
Rook had already predicted it.
He ordered the drones to fire head-on, forcing Byeol's attention forward. At the same time, he fired an arrow at the ground - not to hit him, but to force him back toward the pillar.
The explosion sent smoke and debris into the air.
In that brief moment of obscured vision, Rook moved silently around the opposite side, using the pillar as cover - vanishing completely from Byeol's sight.
The drones kept firing, pushing Byeol back - step by step -until he reached the exact spot.
Then -
In one fluid motion, Rook grabbed the pillar, swung his body around it, and emerged from Byeol's blind spot - driving a brutal kick into his ribs.
The scenario flipped.
Rook stood above. Byeol lay on the ground - breathing heavily, dirty, injured.
But Rook wasn't like Byeol.
He was a hunter.
And he knew this was the moment.
Leaping upward with spinning momentum, he prepared an explosive arrow -
and fired it at the ground near Byeol.
The explosion was massive.
Haneul, who had remained calm throughout the fight, narrowed his eyes.
Had Byeol been seriously injured?
Then -
The smoke cleared.
Byeol stepped out.
Wounded. Clothes torn. Breath unstable.
One step. Two. Three.
His eyes glowed - a cold, absolute white.
His Dimensional Vision had activated.
Rook felt it instantly.
Pressure.
Killing intent.
Byeol was going all out.
And then -
In the blink of an eye -
Byeol vanished.
Alarms triggered. The drones flickered.
He reappeared behind Rook - ready to slam his face into the ground like he had done to the gang leader in the bar.
But Rook was different.
Sharp.
Instinctively, he turned - activating the destructive arrow already drawn.
At point-blank range -
It hit Byeol's chest.
There was almost no escape at that distance.
The ground shook.
Smoke.
A deafening blast.
Both were thrown apart.
Rook, barely conscious, covered in burns, gasped for air.
He thought it was over.
His ocular power faded.
But -
A shadow emerged from the smoke.
Byeol walked out of the ashes.
Staggering.
His upper clothes burned away.
Fury burned in his eyes.
Then slowly -
The pure white began to darken at the edges.
Until -
His sclera turned completely black…
…and his iris and pupil turned white.
He had entered a state of absolute rage.
Without a word, he appeared beside Rook, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him into the air.
Their blood mixed in his hand.
It was a heavy scene.
Everything pointed to one outcome -
Rook's death.
Then -
A voice.
A hand grabbing Byeol's arm.
"Enough!"