[AT Team: This series will launch with the new website under the new crowdfunding unlock system. We have 70 chapters stockpiled. We’ll upload at least the first 30 chapters in the coming 10 days. We’ve uploaded this chapter early as a placeholder. The team concluded that it would be better to upload only one chapter as the first few chapters are best read in sequence.]
[Active: I’ve read the first 60 chapters… I haven’t read such a hard stomping in while…]
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Chapter 1
I looked up, only to witness a night with a full moon. ‘How ironic’, I thought.
It looked just the same as the one on the Earth.
Soon, the sound of light steps came from approximately 300 meters away. At that, I strained my ears. There seemed to be more than one person, based on the sound of the footsteps.
At least two… No, three. And it didn’t seem like they were the only ones.
I exhaled harshly. The white mist from my mouth shone in the moonlight just before it disappeared.
In all actuality, the scene looked better than I expected. As I calmly continued to observe the full moon, I heard a voice.
“You seem to be relaxed,” he said. His voice sounded deep and authoritative.
I turned to him. The old man looked just like someone from a fairytale, with a magnificent sword hanging in his waist. There was also a pair of a young man and woman standing next to him. Upon seeing this, I laughed.
“I thought we were supposed to meet privately?” I asked him.
“Indeed. I accepted your proposal.”
“Then, what are these kids? And those at the back?”
The old man smirked. “You know I can’t trust you. Am I supposed to think you are a credible man?”
“Tsk-tsk! Act your age, old man! You know it’s not right to ignore a promise, especially when it’s between person to person.”
The old man placed his arms behind him as he considered his response. Then, he spoke out. “Well said. Yes, a promise between person to person. Yet, you are not a person. You are more like a wretched beast.”
It was hard to believe that such words came out from the mouth of the continent’s strongest swordsman.
He was described as polite, humble, and a person with a great personality. Clearly, they were wrong.
“I can see why people say not to trust the rumors.”
There was no need to wait. I stood up and brushed off the dirt on my clothes.
Then, I grabbed my sword.
While I was ready, the old man asked.
“Say, you conquered the eastern continent with just a single blade?”
I did not answer.
Well, it didn’t feel right to praise myself. I would rather take praise from other people.
Suddenly, the old man yelled out in frustration.
“Why do you follow the witch’s order? With such power, you could have done much more!”
That was another baseless rumor. How on earth did it spread out?
“Who told you that I am following her orders?”
“Is it not true?”
“It isn’t. She is my lapdog.”
“….Lapdog?”
“Well, that’s an expression from my world. There’s no need for you to understand.”
“You are not just a wretched beast, but also a crack-brained maniac.”
It did not hurt my feelings. It was something I had already been told before.
Why couldn’t my enemies say something stronger to offend me, huh? I wanted to say this out loud, but instead, I decided to tell him about something else.
“Well, my dear witch said, she read a message from the sky.”
“Message from the sky?”
“It’s more like a prophecy. That’s all I can say.”
I could tell that he thought it was just an absurd story from the old man’s reaction.
The old man, the strongest man on the western continent, the emperor, burst out laughing. Yet, I ignored his reaction and continued speaking.
“She told me that she could send me back to my home.”
“……Your home?”
“To do so, she asked me to do a certain task. She got down on her knees and begged me to kill you. Your death will lead to peace on both eastern and western continents.”
“I suppose that is the reason why you sent me a letter?”
“Yes.”
I wanted to fight him fair and square, an honorable duel between him and me.
So I sent the request, and he accepted.
However, only I kept my promise of coming alone.
The old man had brought two apprentices and hundreds of soldiers with him.
Tsk-tsk, didn’t his mom teach him to keep his promises?
There was nothing else I could say. I silently grabbed my sword and prepared for the incoming attacks.
This was a sword that had accompanied me through ten years. As I gripped it, the blade’s color slowly changed to pure black.
“So, this is the black aura. I heard a lot of rumors about it.”
I ignored the old man’s words and got ready for the fight. “No hard feelings on you. In fact, for swordsmen like us, it is weird to talk about one’s emotions. Well? I advise you to get ready.”
The old man laughed. “It is sad to know that the one called ‘Heavenly Devil’ and ‘Legendary swordsman’ is such a foolish person.”
At this, he raised his hands.
Simultaneously, the hidden troops behind him came out.
Approximately a hundred, no, perhaps two hundred.
All of them were masters. They were those who overcame the limits of being human by undergoing extreme processes such as breaking down and rebuilding their bones and muscles to become stronger.
Usually, each master had the equivalent power of ten thousand regular troops, and the emperor brought hundreds of them.
“Isn’t this too cowardly for someone known as the emperor?” I asked.
The old man grinned. “Is that an issue?”
I shook my head. It did not matter. As they ran, I took out a piece of cigarette and lit it.
Once again, I inhaled and exhaled. Previously, my white fog from my breath covered the full moon. However, black smoke covered the moon this time.
I smoked slowly.
The old man waited for me as if he was allowing me the last cigarette. Upon seeing this, I puffed two more times and then flicked it away.
Now, I wouldn’t ever smoke again. I wasn’t thinking about dying. I wouldn’t die unless I chose to. That was my belief and determination.
Ever since I grabbed my sword, I never lost. I was an undefeated swordsman.
“Bring it on,” I beckoned them.
The old man raised his hands, and hundreds of masters rushed towards me. On that very day, the only emperor who unified the western continent died.
Well, at least he got two hundred masters to accompany him in the afterlife.
* * *
While I was lying down, a young lady with long silky hair and an astonishingly beautiful face came over.
She had quite a small face, filled with beautiful eyes, a sharp nose, and fascinating lips.
In my country, people called this a natural beauty. If there were a celebrity with a face just like her, that person would be a global star for sure.
Her name was Yeo-Hwa. They also called her the witch.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“What do you think?”
“You look fine.”
Hearing that made me crack up. Even as I did so, however, her eyes were filled with undeniable worry. I really was fine, though.
I had been recovering for a week, and that was more than enough.
Then, she asked. “Do you have to go?”
I stared at her silently.
With a desperate voice, she pleaded.
“How about starting a new life with me? I will always be here for….”
As I shook my head, she stopped speaking. There was no need to listen to what she had to say.
I had already heard it a lot of times.
“Have I ever told you about my brother?” I asked her instead, changing the topic.
“Yes. Perhaps a hundred times already.”
Despite that, I continued what I was about to say. “My parents divorced when I was ten years old.”
“Master followed your mother and your younger brother.”
“Correct. It was the right thing to do. My dad was a jackass. He was always drunk and always hit me. My bad characteristics were inherited from my dad, you know?”
Yeo-Hwa smiled awkwardly.
“Well, I fought with my brother, as all other brothers do.”
“Master, you told me that you never lost.”
“Indeed. Of course, it was not beating him up just because I wanted to. I just taught him a lesson when he was doing something wrong. But when he turned fifteen, he said he wanted to study art.”
Yeo-Hwa was listening to every single word carefully. She knew that such moments wouldn’t come again.
This would be our last conversation.
“Did he draw well? Of course, he did. But as I said, we were living with our mom. It was hard for a single mom to raise two kids. We barely had a meal. We were supposed to get support from the government, but some corrupt officials were taking money that was supposed to be ours. Can you believe it?”
I paused, breathing heavily before I continued. “And even in that circumstance, he told me that he wanted to continue art. I was angry about it. It was as if he didn’t realize our reality and only wanted to pursue his dream. At first, I thought he would give up soon. But he never did. I still remember that day, 5th of May, 2019.”
In my country, the 5th of May was a day for children. It was a day that all families should be happy, but such was not the case for us.
It was a day when everyone in our family cried.
“He hid the fact that he was drawing. He drew our mother’s portrait and gave this to her. I was furious. I continuously asked him to give up, but he never did. I quit high school and worked hard to help my mother. Meanwhile, he kept drawing. I know that artists have an unsustainable future. So I beat him up. I hit him as if I was a mad man.”
“….”
“I’m not trying to justify my action, but I never expressed this amount of anger before. It stacked up and exploded. Then, I realized his arm was twisted in a weird way. I recognized it too late.”
“…”
“He said he liked to draw. While drawing, he said he could forget our hard reality. Yet, I took it away from him. I denied his future. I laughed at his dreams.”
More importantly, the relationship between my brother and me had fallen out, and it was my fault.
I shook my head for a while; then, I stood up silently.
“That is why I must go. I must apologize and do anything to make it up to him.”
That was not the only reason. Ultimately…
“I miss him.”
More than anything else. I did not say it, but Yeo-Hwa nodded. Her eyes had begun to mist over.
I slowly wore my clothes, then I whispered. “Stay safe.”
It was a sign. Without any further speech, Yeo-Hwa took out a small stone and handed it to me. It was the dimensional stone, the mystical stone I found from the dragon’s nest.
“I have already selected the destination.”
“The place where I was born?”
“Earth. The place that Master….”
She paused for a bit before she smiled.
“Darling frequently said. Yes, it is the place.”
“You normally call me a Master, but now… darling?”
“…I have always wanted to call you that way…”
I stood up. I knew that saying goodbye would be hard for both of us. It was better to be simple and quick.
“Are you going now?”
“Yes. I heard that it is better to say goodbye as quickly as possible. Farewell, my friend. I hope you meet a guy that’s as nice as me.”
Yeo-Hwa, knowing that she could not stop me, closed her eyes. Because of this, she attempted to show me a smile for the last time.
“You have done well, sir. Please, be happy at your home.”
I nodded and exerted aura in the dimensional stone.
With a large rumble, I returned to the Earth.
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