The Seven Demon's Tamer

Yuji Fan, the supreme leader of the northern district—also known as the fan's settlement—prostrated towards Master Sung with such swiftness that Leo couldn't help but wonder if the man had practiced this exact movement in front of a mirror for years.

"You are welcome, Master," he greeted.

Master Sung nodded in acknowledgment, allowing Yuji to get back on his feet. The gesture was so casual it almost seemed dismissive—though Ryder suspected there was more calculation behind Master Sung's every movement than he let on.

All Master Sung's actions are always such that have meaning that could only be figured out when pressed on internally.

The others behind were dumbfounded, but not for the reason one might expect.

They weren't particularly surprised by the greeting and respect Yuji showed Master Sung—after witnessing the gate incident and the figures standing in parallel lines beside the carpet, they'd already gotten enough evidence that Master Sung commanded a level of respect and fear that bordered on worship.

What truly boggled their minds was how Yuji had gotten to them in the first place.

"Did anyone else see that?" Mara whispered, her voice barely audible as she leaned toward Brok. "One second he was sitting on that throne thing at the far end, and the next—"

"He was practically kissing Master Sung's boots," Leo finished, equally bewildered. His eyes kept darting between Yuji and the distant throne, as if trying to calculate. "That speed is the same as me at my fastest currently."

"Maybe he's got rocket boots," Brok muttered with wide eyes under his breath, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from Ryder.

He winced. Ryder's casual action nearly shattered his ribcage. If only he knew, he would have remained silent like he planned.

They all remembered Yuji was the supreme ruler of his district, yes, that was clear, so he was naturally expected to be stronger—a step above all the others in his domain. But not with such jaw-dropping capabilities.

The kind of speed they'd witnessed belonged in action movies, not in what was supposedly the "beginner's level" of an Eastern guild even though he was a red marked.

Well, eventually they scoffed at their own pondering. After all, it could be that Yuji's familiar possessed an affinity related to speed, or something similar. Maybe teleportation on a smaller scale, or enhanced reflexes.

"If I may ask, Master," Yuji inquired with the kind of respect that was still audible in his voice, keeping his head and gaze down as he spoke, "what brings you to honor us with your presence?"

"Oh, we have new members," Master Sung replied casually, "and I brought them here to introduce them to—let's call it an installation into the Fan's way of life."

Ryder raised his eyebrows from behind, the gesture so slight it was barely noticeable. Something about Master Sung's phrasing felt off, like there was more to this "installation".

Just as if Master Sung could read his thoughts—and Ryder was beginning to suspect the man had some sort of mind-reading ability—he turned towards him and clarified.

"Rest assured," Master Sung started, his tone carrying honesty. "I do not plan to admit you into the Fan's district."

"After all," he continued, "you are not a member of the Red Eastern guild. You're more like an... ally."

"I don't know that," Ryder nodded.

"You should be grateful for what I'm about to show you," Master Sung started. "I brought you here to see firsthand and know all about the Fan there is to know."

"The fans are taught basic martial arts," Master Sung continued, placing his hand on Yuji's shoulder casually, "and as you can see—" He gestured at the space Yuji had covered in the blink of an eye. "Yuji closed the distance between us using a feet technique."

"There isn't much to learn from here," Master Sung added dismissively, "given that the fans aren't taught advanced techniques or something significant like the Luo district members. But at least, you should know they are still quite capable."

Shifting his concentration from Ryder to Yuji, Master Sung smiled—that same smile that didn't quite reach his eyes—and spoke with the tone of someone making an official announcement.

"Behind me are the newest allies of the guild."

"You should treat them all with enough respect," Master Sung continued, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority, "like you would treat the Sen."

The comparison to the Sen—the highest rank in the guild hierarchy—caused a visible stir among the assembled Fans. Several of them exchanged quick glances, their disciplined facade breaking slightly, just enough to reveal their surprise.

Being told to treat strangers with the same respect as the guild's elite was clearly not something they were expecting.

Master Sung turned and began to walk away, his footsteps echoing in the sudden silence over the assembled crowd. But he halted just before reaching Ryder.

Placing his hands on Ryder's shoulder, Master Sung concluded.

"This young man over here," he announced, his voice carrying across the entire assembly, "is the first ever black mark summoner in the current age."

Audible gasps echoed out from all the composed fans that were lined up by both sides of the carpet. They had been—had returned to standing with their heads and shoulders up while maintaining poker faces after stuttering a bit early, but yet again, they had received a surprise that forced them to break composure.

Standing before their own guild leader, the fear and respect they have towards him was so much that even the most stubborn wouldn't even move in his presence, but the news they were receiving were coming like a barrage of physical blows.

Unlike the rumors circulating around the world about Master Sung's capabilities—rumors that ranged from the literal to the absolutely ridiculous—they had experienced his power firsthand.

They had seen Master Sung fighting, defending his guild during times of crisis and attacks from enemy guilds. They had witnessed him single-handedly turn the tide of battles.

In their world, anything he said was treated as absolute truth, believed without question and followed without hesitation. But right now, he had just said something that anyone else in the world would have scoffed at, even if it had been announced on international television broadcasts: the appearance of the only black mark summoner in the current age.

The claim was practically almost impossible to believe, and their struggle with it was written clearly across their faces. There had been multiple instances over the years when such statements had been made in news reports and online feeds.

Over and over again, for many years, news of the appearance of a black mark summoner had circulated through various media channels, but none of it had ever been proven true.

People often created such news for fame, for attention, for the brief moment of popularity due to their claims. At this point, nearly no one would believe such an announcement, no matter who it came from—except, apparently, when it came directly from Master Sung's mouth.

The fact that a new black mark summoner had supposedly appeared had only triggered interest from the civilians in the United Kingdom, particularly England. It had attracted curious civilians primarily due to the fact that news feeds had stated the black mark summoner named Ryder came from the country.

Most people treated it like celebrity gossip—interesting for a moment, then quickly forgotten.

As for the others in the world, they had seen too many fake news stories exactly like this one, so it was probably just another rumor; that was what they had assumed, and who could blame them?

It wasn't actually their fault for such assumptions. Even the residents of England had thought the same thing, dismissing it as another media fake news.

If not for the fact that several unexplained disasters had begun to occur in correlation with the rumors—strange extraordinary events around Ludlow and some other areas that couldn't be easily explained away—some of them might never have started to believe.

Most people had already reached the conclusion that a black mark summoner simply could not exist in the modern age. The reasoning was sound, based on decades of documented attempts: all the black-marked individuals who had attempted familiar binding in the astral shadow plane had lost their souls in the process. Not some of them, not most of them—all of them.

Everyone in the summoning community had already given up on the possibility that a black mark summoner could exist in their lifetime. The very idea had been tossed off to historical textbooks alongside other impossible achievements from ancient eras.

But upon hearing such a claim from Master Sung—Master Sung, whose word was literally law within these walls—they found themselves at a complete loss. How could they possibly process this information?

They could believe any word from Master Sung's mouth about literally any topic. If he told them the sky was green, they would look up and see green. If he said water flowed uphill, they would find a way to make it happen. But this... this challenged their minds for the first time.

The usually composed Red Eastern guild members began to whisper into each other's ears, their disciplined silence breaking down into urgent, hushed conversations.

"Did he really just say—"

"Black mark summoner? But that's—"

"—impossible, everyone knows they can't—"

"—Master Sung wouldn't lie, but—"

Eventually, Yuji made the first decisive move, cutting through the growing murmur of confusion with the kind of leadership that had probably earned him his position in the first place.

"Your word is absolute, Master Sung," Yuji spoke with conviction that seemed to surprise even himself, "and I believe every single word you utter. I'll ensure to spread this news to every fan in this district immediately."

Turning to one of the fans assembled beside the red carpet they were standing on, he ordered.

"Sound the alarm bell," he commanded. "All fans must gather here at once to hear this information we have received from Master Sung."

With a short smile that contained clear satisfaction, Master Sung and the others prepared to exit the building. But before they could take more than a few steps, he paused, as if struck by a sudden thought.

"I would have loved to walk all the way to our next destination," he said, "but the alarm bell has already been sounded, and there will be quite a lot of fans approaching this building within mere minutes."

Yuji Fan quickly fell in prostration. "I'm so sorry Master, I can..."

"It's fine," Master Sung cut him off before continuing.

"I don't particularly like to cause unnecessary commotion," Master Sung continued, "so we'll be using a portal instead."

As soon as Master Sung ended his statement, Yuji stretched his hand forward and from thin air, sparks materialized into a red swirling portal.

The portal was smaller than the one they'd used to reach the guild headquarters, but it radiated the same sense of controlled power. Watching it form, Ryder found himself wondering how many times Yuji had used this affinity, and whether he ever got tired of being the guild's personal transportation service.

"We'll be going to the next district, the Luo district and you'll be learning some advanced techniques there, the kind that can make a brown mark summoner battle a red marked and win."

As Master Sung concluded this last statement, he turned his gaze towards Mara.