Rain drizzled softly across the school rooftop. The kind of rain that didn't bother bringing an umbrella for, but still got your socks wet.
Chun Ma stood alone, facing the gray clouds like they owed him an explanation.
The system had spoken again that morning:
⎛System Notification⎠
Training Progress: 6%
Disciples: 4 / Potential – Weak but Acceptable
Spiritual Vein Resonance Detected
He didn't quite understand the last part. But it didn't matter.
He had a sect to rebuild.
And four lost lambs to turn into wolves.
Downstairs, Woo-jin leaned against the window, chewing a stick of dried squid.
"Why is he always on the roof?" he asked. "Is this a k-drama thing? Bro thinks he's the main character."
Hana crossed her arms. "He said he was sensing the qi of the sky."
"…The what now?"
"Qi. Energy. Whatever."
Seo-jin nodded from his laptop. "I googled it. It's a martial arts term. Ancient breathing energy stuff."
Hye-rin leaned on her desk. "And he's trying to teach us that? I joined because I thought we were forming a secret fight club, not doing yoga in the janitor's closet."
"First rule of fight club," Woo-jin muttered, "is stop listening to the rooftop guy."
They all paused.
Yet none of them had left the group.
---
That afternoon, Chun Ma called them to the same dusty storage room again.
It still smelled like old balls and despair, but he stood there with all the confidence of a grandmaster on a mountain peak.
"You came," he said calmly.
Woo-jin dropped his backpack with a thud. "Yeah, yeah. I skipped club for this. You said today's lesson was combat?"
"Correct," Chun Ma replied. "We begin sparring. You will learn how to flow with energy… and conquer your own hesitation."
"Bro. I hesitated just getting out of bed."
Chun Ma ignored him.
He drew a chalk circle on the floor and motioned Hana and Woo-jin forward.
"Inside. Both of you."
They looked at each other.
"Are we actually fighting?" Hana asked. "Like… real fighting?"
"No," Chun Ma said. "You are learning. The difference between reacting and acting. Between instinct and intention. Begin."
Woo-jin threw a lazy jab. Hana sidestepped.
To them, it felt like a weird improv class.
To Chun Ma, it was the foundation of true combat.
He watched every motion like a hawk. Adjusted stances. Snapped instructions.
"Lower your center of gravity!"
"Don't look at the fist—feel the elbow!"
"Strike with purpose, not panic!"
Seo-jin sat in the corner, quietly typing notes like this was some odd research project.
Hye-rin eventually stepped in and took Woo-jin's place. Her movements were sharper. More focused.
Chun Ma smiled.
She had potential.
She didn't know it, of course. None of them did.
To everyone else, they were just goofing off with a dramatic new friend. But to Chun Ma, they were disciples standing at the edge of awakening.
After training, they sprawled out on the gym mats, breathing hard.
Woo-jin wiped sweat from his face with his sleeve. "You know, I still don't know what we're training for."
Chun Ma sat calmly, legs crossed.
"You are training to survive the coming storm."
"What storm?"
"The kind you don't see until it's already inside you."
"…Okay, no offense, but you sound like a webtoon character."
Hana chuckled.
"He really does. I keep expecting dramatic background music to start playing."
Chun Ma opened his eyes slowly.
"You joke now. But in time, you will see the truth."
"Is the truth also wearing glasses and skipping gym class?" Woo-jin mumbled.
Seo-jin raised his hand. "Quick question. If this is a sect, are we getting matching uniforms?"
"No," Chun Ma said.
"Shame," Hye-rin said. "I'd look amazing in black and red."
Later that night, Chun Ma sat on his rooftop again.
The city buzzed around him. People shouting down alleys. Sirens in the distance. Neon lights flickering on cheap signs.
So loud.
So unaware.
He closed his eyes. The system appeared again.
⎛System Notification⎠
Spiritual Response Detected: +0.8%
Disciples Still Unaware of Their Path
Warning: Host Will Face Isolation Until Resonance Grows
He exhaled.
He was used to being alone.
In the old world, he had no equals. In this world, he had no believers.
But he would not stop.
He would plant the seed of strength.
Even if the world thought he was crazy.