Ryu

Ryu is an orphaned child taken in by the hero as a disciple of the new Hongmoon School. He starts off as a child of very few words, but turns into a passionate, quick study at the school; he disappears after Zulia attacks the school.

In the Act 9 storyline, the hero discovers that Ryu has been safe at Dasari Palace, but is now the enemy of the hero as the Stratus Imperator, and servant of Mushin.

Second Arc
Ryu was one of the many children kidnapped by the Ebondrake Cult held inside the Ebondrake Hideout in the Silverfrost Range. The hero comes to free all the captive children before defeating the resurrected Gwihan, who orchestrated the whole kidnapping. Tayjin and Namgun Sunjay come to return the children to their respective families in Zaiwei. Junghado, noticing that Ryu was an orphaned child with no family to go back to, has him brought to Snowforest Monastery to be looked after.

After the hero fights off the new Eight Masters who had come to kill young Jinsoyun, the hero takes Ryu, Jinsoyun, Bunyang, and Bunah up to Heaven's Reach to become the students of the new Hongmoon School. Ryu takes a very long time to open up and remains quiet even when addressed. But upon beginning training, he slowly becomes the best student at the Hongmoon School, proficient in swordsmanship.

He eagerly wakes up one morning to practice the training routines and laments the fact that he still needs a lot more work. He heads on down to the Duel Hall while the hero goes to wake the rest of the students. When the hero joins the students at the Duel Hall, Ryu worries that his technique still isn't perfect, despite all his practice. He excitedly watches as the hero does a demonstration. Ryu suggests sparring rather than practicing on Training Dummies, but worries that he may harm the other students because he realizes that he outmatches them. The hero spars against Ryu, easily defeating the latter. Ryu thanks the hero for indulging them, before Jinbin arrives with news that Jinsoyun is ill. Bunyang, Bunah, and Jinbin then travel to the Proving Grounds to collect an ancient Bulbari blossom to make medicine for Jinsoyun. Ryu asks the hero to go check on them, as he worries the creatures in the Proving Grounds may be too much for them to handle. When the medicine doesn't work, Ryu suggests they take Jinsoyun to Bamboo Village to see a doctor. As Bamboo Village is under attack by the Blackram Marauders, the hero goes to help the Bamboo Guard while Ryu carries Jinsoyun to the Healing House where she is taken care of by the village doctor, Gwak Jun. Dodan ensures that the children return to Heaven's Reach safely.

At Heaven's Reach however, Zulia attacks the school with her demonic fiends as the new Eight Masters make off with the sleeping Jinsoyun. Ryu assists the hero in fighting off the demons before Zulia comes and knocks him away to duel the hero. Ryu makes his way to the Duel Hall where Zulia summons an Ebon demon to fight the hero before disappearing. Just as the demon is about to attack the hero, Ryu jumps in the way, impaling himself on the demon's claws. Weakly calling out for the hero, the demon flings Ryu off of Heaven's Reach.

When the hero comes to at the Healing House in Bamboo Village, Dokdan admits he did not find any other bodies when he went to go find the hero and their students. Whether Ryu is alive or not is currently unknown.