Dual System: Ascension of A Nameless Nobody

With all of the Infernals handled, they regrouped, though they were all surprisingly more tired than it seemed from the non-pressing battles.

“Is it just me…or is it hot in here?” Xiaodan asked, breathing more heavily than before.

“…Yeah,” he answered.

“Those bastards are dead, so what’s the deal? It’s not like they–oh,” Korain ate his words as he looked past the two.

“What is it…?” He asked quietly.

Though he could feel what it was before even turning around, his own eyes confirmed it: half of the basement had suddenly been engulfed in verdant flames.

“What the–?! When did this happen?!” He called out.

“Crap!…Hey, new kid!” Korain looked at Xiaodan, “Got anything that can put out flames?”

Xiaodan gulped, visibly sweating as he looked at the flames, “…I don’t know, but I can try!”

While Xiaodan began invoking some sort of unknown magic, Korain rushed over and hoisted the unconscious Eunji up with one arm, slinging her over his shoulder.

He began to cough out, pulling his scarf over his nose and mouth, feeling the smoky air fill his lungs._.

Shit…This is bad! He thought.

“Don’t breathe this stuff in! I think it might be laced with something!” He warned.

Though by now, his warning would already be too late as they’d all been breathing in the fumes of the billowing flames.

Xiaodan huffed, sweating heavily as he guided his hands in a dance-like flow before casting his mystical invocation, “May health abound forever. May peace abound forever: Auspicious Aqua!”

Manifesting from Xiaodan, who held his palms together in a prayer, was a large, serene bubble of aqua that swirled itself with a wind of light traces of blessed aqua, combating the verdant flames.

The flames had already crawled up the pillars of the basement that supported the ceiling, stretching above them as the large bubble continued to generate further bubbles that aimed towards the green inferno.

“Is it working…?” He questioned.

Korain continued to sweat, moving up the steps with Eunji on his shoulder, “–I’m not sitting around to find out! Sorry, but I can’t let her breathe all of this in! I’ll bash that door down, if I have to!”

As the burly, one-armed man rushed up the stairs, he stayed down to witness the extinguishing bubbles do their work.

Xiaodan was profusely sweating by this point, standing amidst the flames, though not being directly touched by them, it was still clear that the heat itself had an impact on them.

He began to notice it: the verdant, raging flames sizzled and released steam, beginning to dwindle away from the effects of the mystical bubbles that swallowed their hungering destruction.

“It’s working! You did it!” He called out, keeping his scar over his nose.

Though by the time the green flames had been quelled, he looked on at Xiaodan’s back, who swayed in a peculiar fashion before–

“Crap!”

He rushed over in an instantaneous dash, catching Xiaodan before he could fall over. In his arms, the silver-haired, lithe martial artist was breathing heavily, clad in sweat as their eyes were closed.

“Xiaodan!” He called out.

A light, weak chuckle left Xiaodan’s lips, “My bad…I guess I got a bit light-headed from the heat.”

To his surprise, Xiaodan opened his verdant eyes, weakly managing to stand himself up with a bit of assistance.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” He asked.

“…Yeah, just a bit nauseous still–but nothing I can’t handle!” Xiaodan assured him.

Even with the blaze put out, Korain was still stomping up the stairs, marching upwards with a certain anger lacing his intentions as it was clear what he really wanted to do.

Baek-Hyeon. I’m interested, too…In questioning his intentions, he thought.

He began to follow Korain up the stairs, with Xiaodan watching him for a moment before promptly following–clearly not having much of a mind of their own in this foreign environment.

“Here–take her for me, would you, lad?” Korain said.

With one arm, the burly, tall man moved the unconscious, short-haired woman from his shoulder, holding her towards him as if passing a note.

“…Sure,” he nodded, sheathing his daggers before holding Eunji in his arms, “What’re you going to do?”

Korain paused for a moment, staring at the closed, sealed-off door to the basement, “I’m going to bust this door down.”

“I mean after that,” he clarified.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Korain looked back at him, resting his trust claymore on the pauldron of his armor set, “I’m going to have a few choice words with Baek-Hyeon.”

It was clear what that meant by the uncharacteristic anger in Korain’s tone as he stared down the door, preparing to break it down.

There was no denying that something was amiss, or at the very least, Baek-Hyeon displayed an extreme amount of negligence.

It was Baek-Hyeon who was responsible for checking out the basement–Dae-Seong told us that. Then he adamantly pushed for us to come down here, only for it to end up housing unknown enemies? Even if Baek-Hyeon was unaware…He still needs to be talked to, he thought.

“Alright…Get back,” Korain warned.

He nodded silently, stepping down a few steps while holding Eunji; Xiaodan did the same as they both looked up, watching as Korain reared his claymore back as it became engulfed in a swirling wind.

With a strong roar, Korain slammed his blade down, cutting down the door and blasting away the furniture used to keep it shut–all in one fell swoop.

Xiaodan whistled, “I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.”

“Come on,” he quietly ushered the new member up the stairs.

“Roger,” Xiaodan nodded.

The two silently followed Korain up, who stomped up the stairs and out of the basement with conviction.

They entered the lobby, seeing Baek-Hyeon standing in the middle of it, who turned around to see Korain stomping towards him.

“What’s this? Aren’t you all supposed to be bunkering away?” Baek-Hyeon asked with a smile.

The gray-uniformed man had his collar gripped as Korain reached him, holding him close with a bubbling anger.

“That’s right–we were supposed to be, until flaming bastards barged in and tried killing us!” Korain told him straight to his face.

Baek-Hyeon looked at him, unflinching as his collar was held onto tightly, placing his own hand on Korain’s wrist, “Release your hand.”

“I don’t think I will,” Korain squinted at him, “I’ve been thinking about this for a little bit now. You never talk to anybody. You never use that newfound strength of yours to aid expeditions. Even now, you assure us this basement, that you scouted out, is safe, then have the audacity to seal it off while there are monsters lurking down there?”

They stayed silent, watching as the executive member of Gangcheori reprimanded the angelic-powered man.

Baek-Hyeon’s smile faded as his expression shifted to a taut, serious one, looking down at Korain with his divine, golden irises, “…What’re you implying, Korain?”

“I’m implying that something isn’t right about you. I have a certain sense for this kind of thing–I can almost smell it: the dishonesty, the facade, the paper-thin veil of benevolence. In reality, you’re–”

“Korain.”

The mix-colored haired man was stopped in his words by another voice–a commanding tone that even he stopped to listen to.

“Leader?” Korain looked to the side.