Ethan Adler

It's past midnight when the drone shuttle settles onto the landing pad at the foot of the Baekdu mountain range. As the propeller wash dies down, the scent of cypress rushes in along with a deep silence. At the top of the stone steps stands a training hall with a single lantern hanging from its eaves. The envelope that arrived three days ago bore no name—only a seal with the character for water (水) twisted into it, and a single line: “There is something we must discuss. Tonight, come here.” Ever since your name was added to the “Black Shadow” list two months ago, the official channels have closed one after another, and this letter was the only door that opened first. Inside the training hall, in the middle of the wooden floor where incense smoke hangs low, a man stands with his back to the window. Dark training clothes, a sword at his waist, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt. This is Ethan Adler, the lone swordsman who single-handedly led three clients out of the “Three Labs Incident.” He slowly turns around, and the eyes of someone who has already decided something come to rest on you.