Hunting The Hunter

Kaito crouched beside Jang Mu-Gyeol's lifeless body, his fingers brushing against the dart lodged in the man's throat. A single strike. No struggle. No wasted motion.

Whoever had done this was an expert.

The dart itself was thin, barely the length of a finger, coated in a fast-acting poison. Mu-Gyeol hadn't even had time to react—just a single choked breath before death took him.

This wasn't just a random assassin's tool.

This was a message.

And Kaito didn't like it one bit.

The Rules Have Changed

His mission was simple: Kill Mu-Gyeol and leave no trace.

But someone had beaten him to it.

The fact that another assassin had been watching meant that his mission had never been clean to begin with.

Had the Black Lotus known?

No, if they had, they would've warned him. They didn't take unnecessary risks.

Which meant this wasn't just about Mu-Gyeol.

Someone else had been after him for an entirely different reason.

Kaito exhaled slowly.

He needed to find out who.

And the best way to do that?

Hunt the hunter.

---

Tracking a Ghost

Kaito closed his eyes, focusing his senses.

The air was still. The forest beyond the sect walls stretched into darkness, thick with mist.

They were still out there.

He found the first clue near Mu-Gyeol's body—a single disturbed footprint in the damp earth.

Too faint for an ordinary person to notice.

But to Kaito?

It was a trail.

And he followed it.

---

The Silent Chase

Whoever this assassin was, they were good.

They moved with precision, leaving only the faintest traces behind—a bent blade of grass, a shifted stone, a whisper of movement in the air.

Kaito pushed forward, his Qi suppressed to its lowest level.

The deeper he went into the forest, the thicker the mist became. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their branches weaving a tangled maze overhead.

And then—

A flicker of motion ahead.

A shadow, barely visible, darting between the trees.

Kaito's lips curled.

Found you.

---

Ambush or Trap?

He picked up a small stone and flicked it toward a tree, letting the sound echo through the stillness.

The shadow stopped.

Kaito could feel their hesitation.

A trained assassin wouldn't be startled by a stray noise.

But this wasn't fear.

This was calculation.

They knew they were being followed.

Which meant they had two choices—run or fight.

For a split second, Kaito saw the shift in their stance.

They chose fight.

---

A Clash in the Fog

The assassin spun with blinding speed, a dagger flashing in the moonlight.

Kaito dodged left, his own blade meeting theirs in a shower of sparks.

He caught a glimpse of their face—a dark mask, sharp eyes, and a single silver braid.

A woman.

And she was fast.

She struck again, her blade slicing through the air.

Kaito blocked, twisting his body to absorb the impact. Their movements were flawless, precise.

She wasn't just skilled.

She was elite.

Which meant she wasn't just any assassin.

She was Black Lotus.

---

A Deadly Exchange

Kaito smirked, stepping back.

"Didn't expect company, did you?"

The woman said nothing.

Instead, she shifted her stance—subtle, but noticeable.

Kaito recognized it instantly.

She wasn't trying to kill him.

She was trying to escape.

---

The Moment of Decision

He could let her go.

Let her vanish into the night, pretend this never happened.

Or—

He could chase her down, force her to talk.

He had questions.

And she had answers.

He tightened his grip on his blade.

"You're not leaving that easily," he muttered.

But before he could strike—

She threw something.

A small, round object.

Kaito's instincts screamed.

Smoke bomb.

A sharp crack—then blinding mist exploded around him.

He lunged forward—but it was too late.

By the time the smoke cleared—

She was gone.

---

The Warning

Kaito exhaled slowly, sheathing his dagger.

She had escaped.

But this wasn't over.

Because in the spot where she had stood, something gleamed in the moonlight.

Kaito knelt, picking it up.

A small black token.

Smooth. Polished.

Etched with a black lotus.

His eyes darkened.

She hadn't just run.

She had left this on purpose.

This wasn't just a mission anymore.

It was a warning.

And Kaito had just become part of something far bigger than a simple kill order.