Chapter 1
“Ah, the weather’s real nice today.”
Lee Ji-cheol leisurely chewed on a stalk of grass as he looked out over the peaceful marketplace.
The harsh cold had finally passed, and in the early days of spring, fresh buds were starting to sprout. The gentle spring breeze felt pleasantly refreshing.
“If only every day could be this peaceful…”
Squelch—
A wet, sticky sound came from behind him.
Lee Ji-cheol turned his head, stiffening.
“Payment.”
A man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, had his black hat pulled low and rudely gestured with his chin toward the item he’d placed in front of him.
On the desk lay a blood-soaked bundle of cloth. The squelching sound had clearly come from all that blood.
“Don’t tell me… you already caught the ‘Death Sound Sickle’?”
“Take a look for yourself.”
Plugging his nose, Lee Ji-cheol carefully opened the cloth. Inside was only the face of a brutal criminal who hadn’t even managed to close his eyes in death.
“…Lovely.”
Why is it that every single criminal this guy brings in is never in one piece?
“How long will it take?”
“The facial features match the wanted poster, so the bounty should be ready in three days. But I’m pretty sure I told you to bring him in alive.”
“His tongue was too long—it annoyed me. If you wanted him alive, you shouldn’t have hired me.”
“Goddamn it. Fine, it’s my fault, you bastard.”
Lee Ji-cheol grumbled as he wiped the bloodstained desk clean, annoyed by the brazen man before him.
‘Peaceful, my ass.’
Whenever this guy showed up, the whole day turned into a disaster. He was a walking omen of misfortune.
Still, there was no one better at catching dangerous criminals.
“Looks like you struggled a bit this time. You’re actually injured for once.”
Lee Ji-cheol glanced at the man slouched in the chair.
As usual, he was dressed shabbily, but now there were sword marks and faint traces of blood around his waist and arms.
This guy hadn’t been injured even once in the past few years, so it was strangely concerning.
“…He was stronger than expected.”
“Oh? Did you actually just say someone was strong? That’s rare.”
“I’m not the best under heaven. In this vast world, there are bound to be people stronger than me. But I still won, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, by cleanly severing his neck.”
Having finished cleaning, Lee Ji-cheol looked back at the man.
“Anyway, go see a physician. I don’t want a corpse rotting in my inn.”
“Who are you calling a corpse? This is nothing—a bit of spit and I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t be stupid. Just go. I’ll cover it if they put it on credit.”
“…Whoa. Since when did you, the strict innkeeper, allow credit?”
“Then forget it, dumbass.”
“Thank you kindly.”
Watching the man smirk shamelessly, Lee Ji-cheol clicked his tongue.
“Seriously, he’s got the looks, but that damn mouth ruins everything.”
What good are looks when he’s got a twisted personality, a mouth that provokes everyone, and a merciless hand?
No wonder he’s still single.
Come to think of it, has he ever even had a girlfriend?
‘Wait, is he even good-looking right now?’
With his face completely hidden under that black hat, wearing a cloak that looked more like a rag, and a patchy beard, it was hard to imagine he’d ever been handsome.
“Now that I think about it…”
Suddenly recalling something, Lee Ji-cheol rummaged through his desk drawer and pulled out a letter.
“You got a letter. Dok Go-ryong. That’s your name, right?”
The man called Dok Go-ryong froze for a moment, and then emitted a sharp, killing aura.
“…Didn’t I tell you not to call me by that name?”
“It’s written on the letter. What do you expect me to do?”
Lee Ji-cheol clicked his tongue and tossed the letter to him.
Dok Go-ryong suppressed his killing intent and examined the letter with a curious expression. His real name was definitely written on it.
“I was surprised too. A letter addressed with your real name, not your alias. But why did it come to my inn? I told you to get your own place.”
“I’m always drifting from one place to another. What would I need a house for?”
“You always have an excuse. So who’s the sender? I thought you said you weren’t in contact with anyone.”
“I’m not. No one should even know I’m here…”
He murmured as he casually unfolded the letter—but then he suddenly stopped talking.
His face turned grave as he read.
“…When did this arrive?”
“Let me see… It came not long after you left for your last job. So, about four days ago? Wait! What’s going on?!”
Dok Go-ryong quickly packed his belongings and rushed out of the room.
“I can’t take any more jobs for a while. Don’t wait for me—pass them to someone else.”
“What?! Hey! You’re just gonna leave like this?! You bastard!”
Lee Ji-cheol ran after him, but Dok Go-ryong had already disappeared.
Deep in the mountains, far from the nearest village, there stood a small cottage.
On the wooden porch, a small girl lay collapsed.
‘I’m so hungry…’
She had no strength left in her body. Her eyes stung, and her vision spun and turned yellow.
Grrrgle—
“Mom… I think I’ll be joining you soon…”
The girl’s name was Eun Sowol. She was five years old.
Traumatized by her mother’s death, she had recently recovered the memories of her past life.
In her previous life, she had been an ordinary university student in South Korea—until she died in a car accident.
With those memories now back, she realized this world she was born into was a martial arts world.
However, since birth, she had lived deep in the mountains with her parents and had no idea how the outside world worked, or even which martial arts world this was.
Right now, her greatest wish was—
“Please… Someone… give me something to eat…”
To be saved from starvation.
Her vision was fading fast, and just before passing out, she remembered her mother’s final words.
“Sweetheart… I’m sorry… But I’ll never leave you alone. I’ve sent a letter to that person. He’ll come here, I promise.”
She didn’t know who “that person” was.
“Mom… You were wrong… He’s not coming…”
It had already been three days since her mother passed away. But not a single person—or even an animal—had come by.
Screw martial arts stories. At this rate, she was going to die a second time.
On the verge of losing consciousness, she staggered to the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards.
“…Of course there’s nothing.”
Naturally, there was no food left.
The little she had was already gone, slowly eaten over the past few days. Now, not even bugs remained in the empty kitchen.
Leaning against the kitchen doorframe, barely holding herself up, she spotted something approaching from afar.
“Is it time already…? Am I seeing things now?”
But Eun Sowol no longer had the strength to stay awake.
She collapsed forward.
And just as she hit the ground, the distant figure rushed forward and caught her in time.
‘A person…’
