Chapter 1 - I Possessed Someone
I Possessed Someone
Translator : Elizabeth
I lay sprawled out on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.
'What on earth is this?'
My outstretched hands and arms were incredibly short. I was clad in tattered rags that had lost their color from the rain, and my body was skin and bones.
Turning my head slightly, I saw rows of wooden houses lined up along a dirt road. Some houses had tiled roofs, and people walked about wearing loose robes or short tunics. Quite a few had swords or jade pendants hanging from their waists.
It was, quite literally, an ancient Chinese-style setting.
Last night, I passed out after drinking my fill, and when I woke up, I was here.
Gurgle...
'Son of a...'
More importantly, I was hungry. Whatever the situation was, I realized I might actually starve to death at this rate.
I had no choice but to start begging.
After wandering around for a few days, I barely managed to survive on a single potato a day.
About a week into roaming from place to place, I could finally guess what kind of world this was.
This... no matter how I looked at it, this was a martial arts world, right?
People swinging swords everywhere. Chinese-style buildings straight out of a Wuxia novel. On top of that, beggar kids picking fights every single day.
No matter how much I thought about it, these were definitely Wuxia clichés.
Still, I couldn't be too sure, so I first headed into a deserted forest.
I sat on the ground, crossed my legs, and straightened my back.
I steadied my breathing and focused on the area below my navel.
Inhale.
Hold.
Exhale.
Un-gi-jo-sik (Meditation for Circulating Qi). It was the essential meditation required to accumulate internal energy.
However, for the first few days, I felt absolutely nothing.
Is this actually not a martial arts world? I started to have my doubts.
But then, about a week later...
The moment I inhaled, a spot deep in my lower abdomen grew faintly warm.
"...It’s there."
It was incredibly faint, but it existed. This was the Danjeon—the space where internal energy accumulates. If this wasn't a martial arts world, there was no way I would feel this sensation.
In that moment, I was certain.
This was definitely a Wuxia world.
My heart pounded.
I loved Wuxia.
Stories full of manly romance, blood, and the thick scent of sweat! There was no way I wouldn't love it.
My younger sister used to give me crap, asking why the hell I watched that stuff, but that’s just because she’s a girl and doesn't get it.
A true man’s soul belongs to Wuxia.
From that day on, I trained like a madman. I ran, I endured, I breathed, and I ran again.
I carved wood into a training sword, swung it, and whenever I had a spare moment, I continued my meditation.
As I did, my awareness of Qi became clearer and clearer.
The flow of energy, which I had been unsure of at first, began to be felt distinctly.
"You know that beggar kid lately?"
"Oh, that guy? I heard he sits cross-legged in the forest every night."
"Think he's possessed by something?"
Sometimes people whispered about me, but I didn't care.
One year passed.
"Hey, Mumyeong! Out hunting again today?"
Mumyeong (Nameless).
It was the name people called me like a nickname, since I didn't have one.
"Yeah. Well, want me to share some boar with you again today?"
"Aigo, that’d be great! I’ll buy it at a better price than that weasel next door, so make sure you bring it to me!"
"If you try to rip me off like last time, I'm cutting ties immediately."
"I get it! That was a mistake back then!"
Over the course of a year, I became quite close with the villagers.
In this tiny, backwater corner of the world, there was no one who didn't know me.
My limbs had grown quite a bit, and I had matured enough to hunt a wild boar—which usually took several grown men to catch—all by myself.
Then, another year passed.
"Mumyeong, I heard you cut down the bandit leader!"
The village chief came to find me and grabbed my hands.
"Thank you, truly. How could such small hands have cut down those ruffians alone? I shall never forget this debt of gratitude."
The villagers, who used to treat me like a lowly orphan, now treated me like a hero.
In reality, I was just camping when those bandits suddenly ambushed me, so I just gave them a beating...
Well, since things turned out well, I just acted cool and took the generous reward.
Five more years passed.
I sat by the river, quietly calming my breath.
Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
I no longer had to force myself to find the Danjeon. The Qi was already flowing naturally within me.
What had started as a tiny spark had now grown considerably in size.
And so, when I closed my eyes, I could see it.
The texture of the Qi flowing on my breath. The minute vibrations spreading along my muscles. The heat lingering at my fingertips.
I opened my palm and lightly thrust it into the air.
As I released my internal energy, an invisible pressure lightly pushed the surface of the river.
Splash!
The calm water rippled instantly, spreading out in a circle.
"Finally..."
A laugh escaped my lips.
At last.
I had finally made it this far!
It was time to leave this rural village.
Real masters.
Real martial arts.
Real fights.
The stage for men!
It was finally time to step into the Gangho (The Martial World) I had dreamed of—to step into the wider world.
'Mount Hua Sect? Is that too cliché? Then maybe a hidden master concept in the Beggars' Union? That’s good too.'
As I busily packed my things, I imagined what I would do once I entered the Gangho.
I decided that the hidden master concept was definitely the way to go.
"Alright, let's start with the Beggars' Union."
However, something unexpected happened.
"The Gangho? What's that?"
When I asked the village chief about the whereabouts of the Gangho, he stared at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
It was the same when I asked others.
"Is that something you eat?"
"The Gangho? Never heard of it."
Huh?
What is this?
Ah, no. It's a rural village, so it makes sense they wouldn't know. No, wait, is it even possible not to know?
Anyway, I set out on a journey to find the Gangho.
I had judged that staying here any longer wouldn't allow me to raise my level further.
And so, living as a wanderer, I hunted giant bears and rescued carriages being ambushed by bandits.
Though I couldn't find the Gangho, I was enjoying my life as a chivalrous hero in my own way.
Finally, it was ten years since I had possessed this body.
As usual, I had finished a casual hunt and was heading to a nearby village to sell my catch.
"Are you the one they call Mumyeong?"
"Huh? Yeah, that's me."
A magnificent carriage stopped in front of me.
A golden dragon was painted on the side of the carriage, and no matter how I looked at it, it appeared to be real gold.
"It is an Imperial Command. Mumyeong, as of this moment, you are now a member of the Imperial Army. Get in the carriage."
What the hell?
An Imperial Command out of nowhere?
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
Do these guys have no common sense? The martial world and the Imperial Court are like polar opposites that can never overlap.
There's a reason why the "Non-interference between Government and Martial Arts" (Gwan-mu-bul-ga-chim) is a golden rule in Wuxia settings.
Naturally, I was going to refuse.
However...
"Your—Your Majesty! You must not reveal your noble personage like this!"
"Shh. Be quiet. How could I simply pass by something this interesting?"
"B-but!"
"I will not say it twice. I wish to see that man with my own eyes."
Dressed in a shabby robe, with a bamboo hat covering his eyes. Long white hair and a beard.
Looking at him, he didn't look like a high-ranking official at all.
But, "Your Majesty"?
Why would the King of the country come looking for me?
"Did you say your name was Mumyeong?"
"...Ah, yes."
"Your speech is coarse, and your attitude is somewhat rude."
He chuckled.
"But I heard you hunted a Black Tiger?"
Black Tiger? Was he talking about that black tiger I hunted a few days ago? I remember being disappointed because it was just a black-colored tiger with nothing special about it.
"Are you talking about that tiger that was just black in color?"
When I asked, the old man's eyes trembled.
"...Are you saying the Black Tiger is just an ordinary beast? Ha, what a hilarious joke. The Black Tiger is no mere beast. It is a Spirit Creature that feeds on human blood and fear. Mumyeong, you hunted a Spirit Creature all by yourself—one that wouldn't easily fall even against dozens of soldiers."
That weakling was a Spirit Creature?
It was an unbelievable story.
When I remained silent, the old man's gaze deepened.
"Your origins are certainly humble, yet you even possess the virtue of modesty."
It’s not modesty, it’s the truth. And I just lost my words.
"Mumyeong, I need a sword."
The old man finally spoke.
"A sword, you say?"
"Correct. Not for the Imperial Court... but a sword for myself. One that does not belong to the army, is not bound by law, and exists solely for me."
He continued slowly.
"Those with status follow their clans, and those with power follow profit. But you have nothing. No background, no roots, and nowhere to return to."
Strength filled his voice.
"That is why only you can become my sword. Become my eyes and my hands, and pull out the sprouts of the traitors swarming the Imperial Court."
I had no idea what the hell he was talking about.
I managed to open my mouth.
"...Can I possibly refuse?"
Please say yes.
I just wanted to learn martial arts in the Gangho. I wanted to shed blood and sweat on the stage of men!
"Haha, do you perhaps not know the meaning of an Imperial Command?"
"I mean, I do know."
"Hahaha."
The old man's gaze seemed to say, 'Then why aren't you getting in the carriage?'
Only then did I realize.
Shit.
I'm screwed.