novelraw Chapter 2 : Chapter 2
Chapter 2 : Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The World of Martial Arts (2)
Three days before the wedding between Jin Yun and Sama Seorin.
At the entrance of the Black Blood Clan, Jin Yun and Jin Cheon were seeing off a middle-aged man. His hair, streaked with white, was neatly tied back, and though the traces of time were evident upon him, his appearance remained as refined as jade. Dressed in a clean black Martial Robe and wearing a faint smile, he resembled an aloof Daoist sage.
The lord of the Black Blood Clan, and the father of Jin Yun and Jin Cheon, Jin Doha, spoke in a gentle voice.
“I called you here to bid you farewell before my departure.”
He was about to head personally to the Demonic Cult in order to bring back Jin Yun’s bride.
“Yun-ah. I have great expectations of you. Not only the Demonic Cult, but also the Black Blood Clan—I trust you will lead them well.”
Despite the softness of his tone, Jiwon, who knew his true nature, felt a chill and lowered his head.
“…Thank you.”
When he glanced at Jin Cheon, he found him glaring with resentment.
They had only just begun to mend the rift between them, yet because of Jin Doha, everything had returned to nothing.
‘What a bastard.’
It had always been this way in the novel.
He would deliberately praise Jin Yun in front of Jin Cheon, provoking rivalry. Having done this since their childhood, how could the resentment between the brothers not run deep?
‘Even in the early part of the story, the reason the protagonist fell into ruin was because of that man.’
Because on the first night with Sama Seorin, he would suffer energy extraction and lose all the Inner Energy he had accumulated.
Of course, Jin Doha knew this as well—and despite that, he had sold Jin Yun to the Demonic Cult.
‘And yet he speaks of expectations and leadership. Seeing him in person makes it even more repulsive.’
His mood was thoroughly foul, yet when he shifted his thoughts, a faint smile crept onto his lips.
‘Well, that is exactly why it will be all the more satisfying.’
Suppressing the twitch of his lips at the thought of striking back, he watched as Jin Doha slowly boarded the carriage.
“Then I shall be off. Take charge of the clan for the time being.”
As the carriage departed from the Black Blood Clan, Jin Cheon, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
“…So you were mocking me after all.”
There was nothing Jiwon could say except something vague.
“There will surely come a day when you understand my sincerity.”
“You wretch! Even until the very end…!”
Jin Cheon’s face twisted, but he could not finish his words and instead turned away.
Watching his departing figure, Jiwon did not feel particularly at ease either. Unlike before, when he had been filled with killing intent, his expression now clearly showed he had been wounded.
“…Sigh. Why do I have to deal with the mess that author left behind?”
Letting out a deep sigh, Jiwon shook his head and turned toward his room.
In any case, now that Jin Doha had left, the time had come for him to leave the Black Blood Clan as well.
Of course, he had no intention of leaving empty-handed.
***
“Move, move quickly!”
“Hey! Not there! Move it over here!!”
The training ground bustled with activity as numerous martial artists and servants hurried about.
Though it was quite late at night, preparations for the wedding ceremony were in full swing.
Amid the noisy commotion, a single shadow moved in secrecy.
SWISH—. SWISH—.
A man in a black Martial Robe slipped past everyone’s attention.
Jiwon arrived at the largest main building and entered through a window.
TAP—.
Stepping through the dark, empty interior, he eventually infiltrated the lord’s chamber on the top floor.
‘So he has been indulging in quite the extravagance.’
Contrary to his sage-like exterior, the spacious chamber was filled with luxurious wooden furniture and expensive ornaments, revealing his ambition.
Step. Step.
With unhurried strides, Jiwon approached the desk and slowly bent down.
‘It should be around here.’
After feeling along the floor for a while—
Click.
A hidden mechanism pressed inward.
RUMBLE—.
With a slight tremor, the bookshelf slid aside, revealing a concealed space.
Inside lay numerous gold ingots shaped like boats, gleaming under the faint moonlight. These were called Golden Child, each worth approximately four million won.
‘Excellent.’
Rising with quiet satisfaction, he stuffed them all into the large sack he had prepared.
Whether in reality, fantasy, or the martial world, the more money one had, the better.
“Heh. If you must resent someone, resent the Omniscient Author’s Viewpoint.”
Although this secret vault was supposedly known only to Jin Doha, Jiwon, who had read the novel, naturally knew of it as well.
In any case, Jin Doha had sold Jin Yun to the Demonic Cult, so he had no right to feel wronged.
Thanks to that, Jiwon was able to sweep all the gold into his sack with great delight.
‘It is quite heavy.’
Having looted the secret vault, he slung the now-weighty sack over his shoulder with a satisfied expression.
“Hup.”
As he exited the building, the Black Blood Clan remained as bustling as ever.
Carefully moving toward the wall, he leapt.
WHOOSH—! THUD.
Clearing the high wall with ease, he began descending the mountain.
Step. Step.
‘Is this the first step in altering the story?’
Stepping over fallen leaves, a faint smile spread across his lips.
With this, he would not lose his Inner Energy, nor would Sama Seorin absorb it to achieve a ‘Harmony of Yin and Yang.’
‘Originally…’
After losing all his Inner Energy and being treated as worthless, Jin Yun would descend to a village, drink himself senseless, and attempt to die.
However, a merchant would comfort him as he lay collapsed on the ground and give him money to buy some noodles. Touched by the merchant’s purposeless kindness and a warm bowl of noodles, Jin Yun would resolve to live anew.
‘Then, after living as a laborer for a year, he would rise as a low-ranking warrior of the Martial Alliance. That was the beginning of Heavenly Demon’s Successor.’
He, too, needed to enter the Martial Alliance in a year. Only then could he insert himself into the main story and wreak havoc.
“If you do not want to see that, why not send me back now?”
He glanced up at the dark sky, but unfortunately, nothing happened.
“…All right. Let us give it a try.”
With a slightly irritated expression, he began heading boldly toward Henan Province, where the Martial Alliance was located.
***
“Lamb skewers for sale! Chicken skewers too!”
“Shoes for sale! Leather! Cloth! All kinds available!”
Along a wide road lined with Chinese-style buildings, the lively cries of street vendors echoed endlessly as they called out to passersby and carriages.
“Wow…”
Jiwon could not help but let out a quiet exclamation at the sight before him.
Reading about it in text and witnessing it with his own eyes were entirely different experiences.
This place was Tianshui City in Gansu Province.
Entering his first city, he slowly walked along the road, taking in the surroundings.
Then, a low sound echoed from his stomach.
Grrr—
“…Ha.”
No matter how monstrous his body might be, hunger still came.
Strangely, that brought him a sense of reassurance as he entered what appeared to be a restaurant.
Murmur, murmur.
Inside, quite a number of customers were eating.
“Welcome!”
A man who appeared to be in his mid-forties approached and bowed.
‘Oh. A server, is it?’
Feeling an odd sense of delight at the presence of a server—an essential element of the martial world—the man guided him with a smile.
“I will show you to a seat!”
“Yes.”
Nodding at the cheerful voice, he followed behind.
Once seated by the window, the man asked again,
“What would you like to have?”
“Noodles, please.”
“Right away!”
At Jiwon’s immediate reply, the server bowed and left.
Noodles were Jin Yun’s favorite food, and in the novel, they were often described as being eaten with great relish, so he decided to try them.
“Please enjoy your meal!”
Before long, the server brought out a steaming bowl.
Seeing the noodles with his own eyes, they appeared rather ordinary—noodles in broth, topped with slices of meat.
SLURP—.
Lifting his chopsticks, Jiwon took a hopeful bite.
Chew. Swallow.
His evaluation was simple.
“…This is completely bland.”
It was so tasteless that it was almost shocking.
He suddenly found himself missing the spicy, salty flavors and artificial seasonings of his original world.
“Damn it.”
Feeling an unexpected wave of homesickness, he muttered a quiet curse.
In a sour mood, Jiwon hastily finished the noodles and left the restaurant.
‘By now…’
They must have discovered his disappearance. Just like in the original story, it was time to abandon Jin Yun’s identity.
In that case, the first thing he needed was a Hopa—an identification tag.
‘Let me see.’
Stopping briefly, he looked around.
After about thirty minutes, he spotted a sly-looking man deftly picking the pocket of a passerby.
‘Perfect.’
With a faint smile, he followed the pickpocket.
After walking for some time, the man entered a deserted alley, and Jiwon followed.
WHOOOSH!
A fist suddenly tore through the air, aiming straight for his face.
However, Jiwon’s senses had already reached a superhuman level, and the attack appeared slow to him. He did not even bother to dodge.
THUD!
“Argh!”
The pickpocket’s fist struck his face, yet the one who screamed was the attacker.
It was as though he had struck solid stone—his hand bones shattered instantly.
With his Inner Energy exceeding sixty years, a natural protective aura had formed around Jiwon. There was no way a mere pickpocket could break through it, yet Jiwon deliberately staggered as if in pain.
“Aaagh! My face!”
“W-What…?”
“You struck my face out of nowhere. It is only fair if I retaliate, is it not?”
Slowly, Jiwon raised his fist.
The pickpocket’s face turned pale.
He had struck first, yet his own hand had been destroyed. If that man were to hit him, it would surely be the end of his life.
“M-My lord! Please spare me just this once! I did not recognize greatness when I saw it!”
As the man prostrated himself and spoke in a very typical manner, Jiwon let out a small chuckle and crouched down.
“I wish to buy a Hopa. If you guide me, I will let this pass.”
“A-A Hopa?”
Though momentarily puzzled by the unexpected request, the man soon nodded.
“Understood. That much is easy enough…”
Since it was not a difficult task, he obediently took the lead.
Following the pickpocket, Jiwon smiled to himself.
‘As expected, this was the correct choice.’
Those involved in illicit dealings always knew the underworld best.
After some time, they arrived at a shabby, single-story building.
“This is a pawnshop, but they also sell things like Hopae. Then I shall take my leave…”
The man began to retreat cautiously, but Jiwon paid him no mind and entered the pawnshop.
The interior was just as shabby as the exterior.
Inside stood an old man whose age was impossible to determine, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked over.
“…Welcome.”
“Yes.”
Nodding, Jiwon approached and spoke.
“I would like to purchase a Hopa.”
“Hm.”
The old man frowned slightly as he examined Jiwon from head to toe, then rummaged through a shelf.
Soon, he placed two Hopae on the table.
“For someone of your age, these two would be suitable.”
The Hopae sold here belonged to individuals whose deaths had not been reported to the authorities.
Thus, not only the gender but also the age had to match.
“This one is Cheon Siu, and this one is Jiwon. Which will you choose?”
“…What?”
Hearing his own name from the old man’s mouth, Jiwon could not help but be startled.
For it to be coincidence seemed far too contrived.
‘…Ah. Too troublesome to manage multiple names, is it?’
It was obvious—they intended to standardize everything under the name ‘Jiwon.’
Glancing briefly at the ceiling, he picked up the Hopa bearing his own name. Then, with a fierce grin, he exerted force.
‘To hell with that!’
CRACK!
“W-What are you doing…?”
“I will take both.”
Interrupting the old man, Jiwon accepted a worn slip of paper.
“Mm. The registered information is written here, so memorize it in case you are questioned.”
“Yes.”
Taking both the Hopae and the note, he paid the price and left the pawnshop without hesitation.