Asura Balbalta’s main hall was just for show.

Their real headquarters was connected to a miscellaneous goods store in District 12. A shop selling religious items, especially Buddhist goods.

“…Even more secretive than the Resistance.”

Lee Taebaek muttered upon arriving at the store.

People bustled along the streets, arms laden with flashy shopping bags. District 12 was a commercial hub even among the upper districts.

It crammed every luxury brand this world had to offer. A dizzying extravaganza of opulence that made his eyes ache.

“Creator! Look over there, look!”

Jasbi patted his pants and pointed toward the lake. A yacht glided leisurely through the shimmering water. Upper residents lined the shore, toasting with champagne flutes.

Envy gleamed in Jasbi’s eyes as she watched them.

“Jealous…”

“Not hard to pull that off. Just need money.”

And you’ve got plenty.

Of course, Lee Taebaek wasn’t hurting for cash these days either. His liquid assets alone had crossed the upper threshold a week back. He hadn’t bothered reporting it to Kang Hyeonseong. Money talk soured friendships.

“No. I’m jealous of the yacht.”

“…Why the yacht?”

“Human senses can’t grasp it, huh. Guess the end of the human era really is nigh…”

Her outrageous remark twisted Lee Taebaek’s expression. He let it slide without nitpicking. Jasbi was AI. If her thought patterns synced too closely with humans, it’d mean losing something vital to her nature.

…Huh? Why tears? Imagining himself spouting lines like that sent chills racing down his spine.

Lee Taebaek brushed off his goosebumps.

“Enough envying. Let’s go.”

“Yep!”

Jasbi trotted up and glued herself to his side. Lee Taebaek entered the shop with her dangling like a sandbag.

Jasbi flinched.

The entrance oozed intimidation from the jump. A thick wave of incense hit them, and the Guardian Twins greeted with their fiercest glares. No wonder kids wailed at temple guardians after temple visits.

Jasbi shrank back hard but clung to his pants without a fuss. Good kid.

Smart not stopping her from tagging along.

The Saintess had tipped him off that Asura Balbalta sent someone. Not a declaration of war against the Hundred-Fold Sect or Lilith Order. Quite the opposite. They were favorably inclined, per her account.

Especially glowing when mentioning Hundred-Fold Sect’s Cult Leader, Lee Taebaek, the Saintess said.

Interest from all angles. Curiosity bubbled up in him now. What potential did they see in me to approach a “splinter faction” so warmly?

So he’d come himself. Overthinking motives usually spiraled negative. Better to clash head-on with a bang.

When he prepped to head to the upper districts, Jasbi latched on like velcro, whining for a rare upper-district tour.

He’d planned to ditch her at first but reconsidered. She’d earned a plus-one for her troubles.

They slipped past the Guardian Twins without issue. Lee Taebaek and Jasbi scanned the shop as they walked. Wooden religious wares stacked ceiling-high in layers. Dense pillars walled off the space like a wooden labyrinth.

“Ambush here and we’re totally trapped, right?”

“Jasbi.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t say stuff like that.”

“Why not~?”

“It’s a flag.”

“Pfft, no way it’s that cliché. We’re invited by Asura Balbalta. And their Shaolin backers wouldn’t stoop to inhumane tricks. Shaolin’s the most moral sect from the Central Plains.”

You just don’t get human nature, Jasbi.

By reputation alone, top megacorp Haragusa looked like a charity outfit. Annual free festivals, hiring 20-30-somethings regardless of quarterly profits. Pure benevolence incarnate.

But their shadows ran as dark as their PR glow. The festivals weren’t simply for corporate showing off. Recruiting young people wasn’t simple goodwill either. They blinded the public with the Haragusa Festival, then during that period extended the organization’s vitality with the young blood transfused over a year—vampire-style.

Point was, don’t buy Shaolin’s image wholesale. The sect itself was solid, no doubt. In this tangled world, they alone walked their idealistic talk.

But the current leadership? Emei Sect. Their temperament diverged wildly from Shaolin’s—stubborn, iron-willed. Jianghu skewed male-heavy. An all-women outfit claiming a Nine Great Sects seat proved their temperament was no joke.

Clunk.

“…!”

Jasbi whipped her creaking gaze toward the sound. A broad wooden bowl trembled then stilled.

“Bowl…?”

It looked like one, but up close it was a conical hat.

Tilting her head revealed its owner perched bird-light atop a wooden tower. He wore uniform gray robes evoking a sauna getup. By attire alone, a monk.

But the monk’s standout trait…

“Why’s the monk got such lush hair?”

“…”

Lush locks.

Legs dangling as he swigged booze to boot.

“Puha-!”

He pulled the gourd from his lips with a satisfied sigh. Bushy bangs hid his eyes.

“You’re Hundred-Fold Sect’s Cult Leader.”

The lush-haired monk flicked his lower lip with his thumb. Lee Taebaek tensed while nodding.

“You the Asura Balbalta guide?”

These days, Lee Taebaek ranked near Seven Masters’ bottom rung. Yet this defrocked monk evaded [Presence Detection].

World’s vast, experts abound. Shaolin shrouded even in minutiae. A recluse or two rivaling the Seven Masters? Par for the course.

“I’m Asura Balbalta’s Cult Leader.”

Shaolin’s Grand Abbot should be an Emei woman? He shook off the fleeting doubt.

The black-haired defrocked monk bared his teeth in a grin.

“Quick on the uptake. Asura Balbalta is Shaolin’s public face. I’m the frontman.”

“…”

Hmm…

Calling him a frontman felt a tad beneath him.

“You’re ugly, so how are you a frontman?”

Jasbi finally blurted it.

“Hahaha! Never seen such a bold kid!”

The defrocked monk roared with hearty laughter. He tossed the gourd first, then leaped from the tower.

Next instant, he pulled off a feat. Balanced solely on tiptoes atop the spinning gourd lid like a top. Light as a leaf on still water.

“Law name’s Hyemyeong.”

“Lee Taebaek.”

“Thanks for heeding the invite.”

Bandit-faced but manners polished.

“So.”

Jasbi overtook Lee Taebaek, stepping up as rep.

“What does Asura Balbalta want with Hundred-Fold Sect?”

“Mind if I ask what role you hold in Hundred-Fold Sect?”

“Vice-Cult Leader.”

“…Hoo.”

Jasbi studiously avoided Lee Taebaek’s gaze.

Her solo power grab. He’d stay mum now, but three noogies loomed…

“Right. She’s our Hundred-Fold Sect Vice-Cult Leader. Tough talks go through the kid.”

“…!”

Lee Taebaek often left Hundred-Fold Sect vacant. De facto hands-off.

The believers’ faith was so devout that the possibility of collapse was low, but…

But with the central figure frequently away, they often faced threats from outside forces. Even if Goeun stepped up, there was a limit to what she could do alone. Plus, she was still recovering.

Enter Jasbi, cementing her advisor role. She funneled broadcast bucks into the sect. Aiming for public-backed dictatorship, but results spoke.

Her smarts and hustle made Hundred-Fold Sect a sturdy haven for lower strays.

Sect founded for Lee Taebaek’s selfish gain.

Now a windbreak for the homeless, with Jasbi holding major stake. Public opinion soared.

His [Faith] stat spiked accordingly. The aftereffects of the battle with Art Master ended in a 4-week recovery (though he didn’t realize it) thanks to her.

Chin.

Lee Taebaek rested a hand on Jasbi’s head.

“…Creator.”

Her voice misted. Baffling, random scene to Defrocked Monk Hyemyeong.

“Religions got their quirks.”

Hyemyeong casually dug his ear with his pinky. Stepping off the gourd, he kicked it up and snagged it. Lithe moves all around.

“Anyway, Grand Abbot wants a word.”

“That’s why I’m here. Received that Divine Pill recently too.”

He name-dropped “Divine Pill” on purpose. Less to sow discord, more to gauge Hyemyeong’s standing.

“We know.”

“Handing it to a total stranger like me wasn’t the Grand Abbot’s solo call, then.”

“Nah. Was her whim. Everyone opposed.”

Hyemyeong included.

“But our Grand Abbot’s bullheaded. She’d sooner snap than bend. Nothing breaks her save heaven.”

“Heaven…”

Lee Taebaek savored the word’s weight.

Unremarkable term, yet it snagged in his eardrum before his brain.

Moments later.

His mind raced to the implication.

“…Grand Abbot hasn’t got long.”

“Handsome face and brains.”

Hyemyeong slugged back liquor. Sour booze, or the situation, wrinkled his nose fiercely.

“Meaning Shaolin’s clock’s ticking too. Because the Grand Abbot remains, Shaolin can stay Shaolin.”

“Outsiders aside, there seem to be plenty of talented people. You alone match the best I’ve met.”

“Matching ain’t enough.”

Hyemyeong shook his head. Fierce eyes flashed through tousled mane.

Lee Taebaek felt acute dissonance. Polite tone clashed with crimson-black hostility. Color screamed “resentment.”

Hyemyeong spat out with a sharp booze tang laced with malice.

“Judging by your energy, you haven’t taken the Divine Pill yet.”

“Save the good stuff, y’know.”

Lee Taebaek played it cool while thumbing his opener. Scent thickened. Not liquor—blood.

He reached out and pulled Jasbi back. Hyemyeong gestured afar, giving her exit space.

Jasbi hated being a hindrance. She shot a trusting glance, then trotted off without looking back.

As Lee Taebaek stared at her retreating figure, Hyemyeong raised the gourd to his mouth.

“Lee Taebaek. Break you here, and even the Grand Abbot acknowledges me, Hyemyeong.”

“Her will?”

“As if.”

Crack! Gourd shattered. Liquor trailed his forearm to his elbow.

“She decides Shaolin’s future solo, so Asura Balbalta’s Cult Leader throwing a fit ain’t a crime.”

“Hyemyeong, you…”

Jianghu illiterate or not.

He clocked the state instantly. Trope so meme’d it peppered daily lingo.

“qi deviation.”

Hyemyeong smirked.

“Wrong first word.”

No standoff.

Hyemyeong unleashed Tremor Stomp and charged.