Unchanged Fate: Where Did It All Go Wrong?
Unchanged fate. Just where the hell did it go wrong?
Was it because I had knowledge of the original story but didn't actively intervene? Or because I felt relieved that Wiji Cheon was dead and thought I could live a normal life? There were countless ways to speculate about the cause of how things had turned out like this. But one thing was certain: even though Wiji Cheon—the mastermind behind every single incident—had died, the original story was still trying to unfold exactly as written.
"Ugh..."
I grimaced at the stinging pain shooting through my back and lifted my head just enough to look around. That was a close call. If I hadn't been wearing the lead-lined robe I usually wore for training, I would have been completely incapacitated.
I glanced sideways at the arrow that had failed to pierce me and fallen to the ground, then carefully scanned my surroundings. The bastard who shot this arrow is probably somewhere nearby.
For now, the priority was to hide my body somewhere out of that person's sight. And in my memory, there was only one such place.
The secret training ground of the Dokgo Clan.
Treating Sister Gyeong-a's injuries could wait until after I had secured our safety. Having finished assessing the situation, I carefully removed my lead robe while still lying prone, draped it over the collapsed Sister Gyeong-a, then quickly hoisted her onto my back. Using the light body technique I had learned from Dokgo Rin, I sprinted forward with everything I had.
Swish!
Even while carrying one person, my body moved as lightly as a feather. For the past two years I had intensively trained in light body techniques alongside the Mist Spirit Thread—a martial art that handled steel wires—so I was confident in at least one thing: escaping.
Apparently they hadn't expected the guy who got hit by an arrow and collapsed to get up and run away, because I could sense someone urgently chasing after us from behind. But the Dokgo Clan was my home turf. Unless they had investigated the family's layout beforehand, chasing me through this vast place would be nearly impossible.
After leaping over a wall twice a person's height, I ran across the rooftops and glanced back to see two men dressed entirely in black pursuing me.
Looks like I won't be able to shake them off easily.
Their martial prowess was probably far higher than mine. But a difference in skill didn't necessarily mean I couldn't win.
I jumped down from the roof into a narrow alley and set up Thousand Silk threads reinforced with qi in all directions. They were simple traps that wouldn't be noticed unless someone was paying close attention.
Install and run. I was sprinting so hard my soles were sweating, not daring to look back, when I felt something collide with the Thousand Silk I'd set up. They must have been chasing us frantically and charged straight into it without noticing.
I immediately yanked hard on the Thousand Silk connected to my fingers. The tension suddenly went taut before loosening again. The guy caught in my trap had probably been turned into unrecognizable pieces of flesh by now.
...It couldn't be helped.
The world of Murim was fundamentally one of survival of the fittest. If I didn't kill my opponent, I would be the one to die. This was a place where a modern person's common sense simply didn't apply.
Shaking off the discomfort of my first kill, I severed the Thousand Silk connected to my fingers and began running forward again, focusing only on what was ahead. Since their comrade had died due to letting their guard down, the remaining one would surely come after us with everything they had.
At last, the long coming-of-age ceremony had ended. Fiddling with the hairpin her mother, Tang Mi-ryeong, had personally placed in her hair as the final part of the ritual, Dokgo Rin looked around and soon realized that Chilbok was nowhere to be seen.
Where did he go?
She had definitely confirmed that he was watching her perform the coming-of-age ceremony from among the servants up until midway through. But now he was nowhere to be found inside the shrine.
The moment she tried to take a step to look for Chilbok, Dokgo Hyeok—the eldest son of the Dokgo Clan and her oldest brother—spoke to her.
"Happy birthday, Rin."
His wife, Chae Yun-seol, stood beside him as well.
"Congratulations, young miss."
"Thank you, eldest brother, sister-in-law."
To be honest, dealing with the two of them was bothersome, but if her mother saw her giving a half-hearted greeting, she would definitely scold her severely. So she had no choice but to exchange the customary pleasantries with Dokgo Hyeok and his wife. Then her second brother, Dokgo Seok, approached them, fanning himself with his usual playful demeanor.
"Our little Rin is already having her coming-of-age ceremony. I can't believe that little chestnut of a girl has grown up so much."
"...Either congratulate me or tease me. Pick one."
"Hmm, your brother feels like doing both."
Dokgo Seok chuckled as he said that.
"......"
Dokgo Rin looked at Dokgo Seok standing before her with a sullen expression. At first she hadn't trusted the kindness he showed on the surface because she thought he had sold her out. But after observing him from up close for two years, she had concluded that he wasn't the kind of trash who would sell out his own sister.
In fact, when she thought about it, there hadn't been any clear evidence. It might have just been nonsense that Wiji Cheon had spouted to provoke her.
Having organized her thoughts, she let out a small sigh and said.
"Anyway, thank you for the congratulations, brother."
Dokgo Seok made a surprised face and asked Dokgo Hyeok.
"Elder brother, did the sun rise in the west today?"
"As if."
"But our Rin just thanked me?"
Looking at her again with a serious expression, Dokgo Seok asked.
"Did your puberty end as a commemoration of your coming-of-age ceremony?"
"...Can I seriously hit you once, brother?"
"I'll pass. Your fists seem pretty painful."
Saying that while raising both hands, Dokgo Seok continued to grin, apparently in a good mood. It seemed he was happy to have received thanks from her.
How simple.
Seeing that, Dokgo Rin's heart softened a little. She told them she would change out of her uncomfortable clothes before dinner and left the shrine a step ahead of the others.
Where on earth did Chilbok go?
He probably hadn't gone far, but not having him in her sight made her a bit anxious. Although Chilbok himself underestimated his own appeal, he was actually incredibly popular. It wasn't once or twice that she had witnessed other maids looking at Chilbok with strange gazes.
In her heart she wanted to keep him by her side at all times, but she knew he needed his freedom too, so she didn't interfere more than necessary. If she did that and Chilbok became disappointed and left her, she would never be able to endure it.
In the end, Dokgo Rin gave up on searching for Chilbok first and decided to change her clothes in her room in the annex.
Wearing a black martial uniform embroidered with a silver dragon and a white outer robe over it, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair, which had originally been black but now showed a faint green tint when it caught the light, and her two eyes that shone even in the dark like those of a raptor.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that uranium flowed through Dokgo Rin's body instead of blood right now. This was all thanks to the Spirit Jade Mind Condensation that her maternal grandfather, the Poison King Tang Ho-chang, had created in his later years. It was because of this martial art that she had been able to steadily build up resistance without being poisoned by the uranium she continuously consumed.
If I train for about one more year, I'll be able to complete my inner core.
At that point she wouldn't have to worry about Chilbok being exposed to radiation anymore. Then they could have the physical relationship they had been avoiding until now. She would even be able to get pregnant.
After adjusting her clothes while looking in the mirror one last time before leaving the room, she opened the door to head back to the shrine.
And she realized it.
That the light that had been brightly illuminating the annex just moments ago wasn't from lanterns, but from a blazing crimson inferno.
At the horribly unreal scene, Dokgo Rin's mind went blank without her realizing it.
...Why?
And she recalled the words of the fortune-telling old man she had met while passing through the village not long ago.
"You will likely face a great trial in the near future, young lady. Even if you prepare in your own way, it won't hold much meaning. A predetermined future isn't something that can be changed so easily."
Was the great trial that person spoke of this very moment?
In her memories from before her regression, the ones who had attacked the Dokgo Clan were Wiji Cheon and men in black who appeared to be his subordinates. But this time, even without Wiji Cheon, the same thing was happening again. If so, did that mean the one who had orchestrated the attack on the Dokgo Clan wasn't actually Wiji Cheon, but a third party?
Who could it be? Why?
But now wasn't the time to ponder such things. Even as she hesitated like this, the members of the clan inside were being slaughtered by the black-clad assailants.
Father, mother, and my two brothers are at the shrine.
Moreover, if it was anyone, her father Dokgo Jin—one of the Ten Great Masters of the World—wouldn't die easily. Especially since the enemy didn't have Wiji Cheon, a master of the Transcendent realm, with them this time.
In that case, what she needed to do right now was to find Chilbok, who was somewhere in the Dokgo Clan, and protect him.
Please, hold on and don't die, Chilbok.
Praying earnestly like that, Dokgo Rin leaped onto the tallest building in the vicinity to secure a better view of her surroundings.