Prologue

Dark screen.

Rattle, rattle.

The harsh sound of carriage wheels pounds against my ears as my vision slowly brightens.

A clean white logo rises in the center of the screen and fades away.

"Kekeke!"

The first thing to greet the user is the sound of an unpleasant laugh. A hunchbacked man with yellow teeth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was grinning widely.

"Finally awake, huh? You were sleeping like a log! Keke!"

"..."

"Who are you?"

"..."

"Is this guy still out of it? Why aren't you saying anything?"

The man played to an empty room for a bit before shaking his head.

"Well, not that it matters. The more company we have on the road to the Yellow Springs, the merrier. Ain't that right, boys?"

"Yes! You're right, Boss Chisam!"

"That's the gospel truth, hehe!"

Rattle, rattle.

With the vibration of the carriage, the man, Hwang Chisam, opened his mouth again.

"It's a road to death, but this humble body will tell you some fun stories so you don't get bored! Keke!"

It begins. The infamous one.

"What sound does a Wudang Sect kid make when he trips on the road?"

"..."

"WU-THUD! Kekekeke!"

"Puhahaha! Oh my gut! Boss, that's fucking brilliant!"

"Ha, haha... as expected of our boss!"

One of the underlings was clearly forcing his laughter.

But Hwang Chisam's rampage wasn't over.

"What do you get when a Huashan Sect kid burns to death?"

"..."

"HUA-SH-ASHES! Kekekeke!"

"Kyahaha! I'm dying, boss!"

"Ah, I'm crying from laughing so hard!"

"Then, when a Dangga kid suddenly stumbles during a fight, what's the reason?"

"..."

"Keke! That's..."

Rattle, rattle.

The regular rhythm of the carriage echoed in my ears.

At the sound, Do Gwang opened his eyes.

'...I must have played too many games.'

After work, it's nothing but games. Now I'm even seeing them in my dreams.

He was a veteran who had sunk dozens of playthroughs and thousands of hours into this game. So, from then on, he could recite the entire flow with his eyes closed.

"Kekeke!"

Exactly as expected.

"Finally awake, huh? You were sleeping like a log?"

Hwang Chisam, revealing his yellow teeth without restraint, shoved his face right into Do Gwang's.

Every time I saw that face through the monitor, I thought it was a disgusting mug, but the rotting halitosis mixed into his breath was beyond imagination.

'Whoa, that smell is fucking foul.'

...Huh?

'Smell?'

Do Gwang flinched for a moment.

A Righteous Swordsman's Legend isn't a VR game. Yet, sight, sound, even smell—everything is so vivid. And so, Do Gwang...

'...It's a dream.'

Concluded it was a very vivid dream. It made sense, because even in this absurd situation, he felt extremely calm and composed.

But it was only natural.

His body housed a cheat-like trait, practically 'Divine Equanimity', granting immunity against mental interference.

But since no system window or alert message floated before his eyes...

'...This is one shitty dream.'

Do Gwang thought it was a vivid, smelly, dirty fever dream.

"Who are you?"

Do Gwang stared blankly ahead. Now this yellow-toothed bastard was going to start his painfully boring dad joke tirade.

"You look so refined, so why are you in the same cart as us bandits?"

'...Huh?'

It was different. Do Gwang's brow furrowed slightly. In the game, regardless of how you customized your character—ripped muscles or skin and bones—this bastard just blundered straight into the dad joke buildup.

A brief, unsettling doubt flickered through his mind.

'...Well, whatever. It's a dream.'

Weird dreams are just like that. Do Gwang coolly brushed it aside.

"Well, not that it matters. The more company we have on the road to the Yellow Springs, the merrier. Ain't that right, boys?"

"Yes! You're right, Boss Chisam!"

"That's the gospel truth, hehe!"

Now, just as Do Gwang remembered. Just like the opening cutscene of the game, the shitty situation would unfold.

'A dream...'

Do Gwang fell into other thoughts. Was it possible to do the things now that the game's system had prevented?

In this musty, cramped carriage. Not only the yellow-toothed Hwang Chisam and the bandits, but he himself was tightly bound with thick ropes, unable to move.

So in the game, due to this forced restraint, he had to forcibly endure Hwang Chisam's dad jokes for nearly 10 minutes without being able to skip.

But.

'This is a dream...'

"It's a road to death, but this humble body will tell you some fun stories so you don't get bored! Keke!"

'...Yeah, it's a dream!'

Even in reality, he had to force a laugh at his shitty department head's company dinner jokes. That was his life.

So, not only in reality and games. Did he have to listen to garbage jokes even in his dreams?

The conclusion came quickly and cleanly.

Just snap this damn rope, and plant a shut-the-fuck-up punch right on that bastard's face!

The moment Do Gwang thought this and lightly channeled strength into his arms.

Snap-.

The thick ropes that had securely bound him snapped like old, rotten threads!

"Kekeke... What sound does a Wudang kid make when he trips on the ro... huh...?"

"Huh, huh?! Boss! This punk broke the ropes!"

"W, what the fuck?!"

Hwang Chisam and the bandits' eyes widened in panic.

'Oh....'

Do Gwang let out an admiring sigh. It was probably meant to restrain the bandits, who were minor martial artists themselves. It couldn't have been ordinary rope...

Yet it came undone so easily!

This is truly a delightful lucid dream!

But it was an inevitable result. Even though it was invisible to Do Gwang's eyes this time.

His body possessed a brutish strength capable of bearing Mount Tai and tearing through storms.

Anyway.

'It's a dream.'

Do Gwang rose from his seat without hesitation. He walked right up to Hwang Chisam.

He whispered quietly, as if cutting off the bastard's joke.

"The answer is..."

"K, keke...?"

Intimidated by Do Gwang's close proximity, Hwang Chisam froze, letting out a stupid sound. Do Gwang grinned and thrust his fist towards the bastard's stinking mouth.

"WU-THUD, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

CRUNCH-!

A dull yet crisp sound of flesh and bone being crushed!

"GUYAAAAAHK-!!!"

Yellow teeth scattered through the air along with a spray of blood.

CRAAAASH-!!

The carriage wall shattered like paper. At the same time, the yellow-toothed Hwang Chisam's body arced through the air outside the carriage, flying away beautifully.

'Oh....'

A pure exclamation of admiration escaped Do Gwang's lips.

'The impact... it's juicy.'

Yeah, it was juicy. Fucking satisfyingly juicy!

A heavy, thrilling impact he had never felt once in his life. A lucid dream this realistically vivid!

Wait, vivid...?

'...Could this actually be real?'

Do Gwang shook his head internally. Crushing a man's face and sending him flying, and feeling this insane ecstasy? He wasn't some serial killer psychopath. There was no way he could feel this exhilarating without any guilt.

That kind of feeling...

Only happens in games, or in dreams like this one.

'Yeah, it's definitely a dream.'

Do Gwang concluded rationally.

But...

This too, was thanks to another trait inherent in his body.

Anyway.

This is a dream, and in a dream, beating and breaking things as you please isn't a crime, right?

And so, Do Gwang immediately...

"What do you get when a Huashan Sect kid burns to death?"

He asked the henchman who was frozen solid, gaping at the hole Hwang Chisam had flown through.

"Huh...? Huh...?"

The bastard's pupils trembled like an aspen leaf. It was a natural reaction. His immediate boss, Hwang Chisam, who had been giggling idly just moments ago, had his head crushed in one blow and ejected outside.

"I, if you could just wait, hick...!"

The bastard frantically clasped his hands together, begging for his life.

"HUASH-ASHES!"

CRUNCH-!!

"KYAAAAH-!"

CRAAAASH-!

The opposite wall of the carriage exploded in succession. Minion #1 was also launched outside with a scream like a steamed train whistle.

'Whoa, that really is satisfying.'

The feeling in his hands was incredibly, extremely satisfying. Like all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his pent-up frustrations were being washed away. Do Gwang, with a light heart, immediately looked at the next bastard and opened his mouth.

"Next up, a Dangga kid..."

"E, eeeeek...! P, please spare me...!"

The remaining bastard pissed himself on the spot, trembling violently. It was understandable. The vice-leader Hwang Chisam, known as the right arm of Heukpyochae. And the third-in-command, 'Blade Jo Gang', the left arm, who had just flown out the opposite side.

Both of these men were turned into mincemeat and blown away by a single light punch from this scholar-looking bastard who had been tied up in ropes!

For a low-level scrap of a minion like Minion #2, the fear was literally enough to make him faint.

'I, I'm gonna die...! I'm gonna get killed by this crazy fucking monster...!'

The bastard couldn't even breathe properly, tears leaking from his eyes.

But Do Gwang's fist, aimed at his jaw, stopped dead in the air.

'Wait...'

Hold on, come to think of it.

Wasn't this bastard just a pitiful corporate slave who was forcing a rotten smile to please Hwang Chisam?

Remembering the sorrows of a modern man laughing at his boss's jokes, Do Gwang felt a strange kinship and withdrew his fist.

And because the surroundings immediately became chaotic, Do Gwang had no choice but to stop his rampage.

Two large men had flown out of this cramped rear carriage like cannonballs, and both side walls had been completely trashed. Of course, the escort convoy couldn't just stay quiet.

NEIGHHH-!!!

The horses pulling the carriage were startled, rearing up and starting to freak out. The entire convoy, including the prisoner carriage carrying Do Gwang, screeched to a halt with a loud noise.

"Why doesn't a Zhuge Family kid ever get lost?"

"..."

"Because they just Zhuge-way! Kekeke!"

"What sound does a Peng Family guy make when he dies?"

"..."

"Pwaaang~ Kekeke! Kekekekeke!!!"

Only after forcibly enduring over 10 minutes of shitty dad jokes did they barely arrive at the village of Oga-hyeon, ruled by the Cheongseongpa.

"Oho... We're already here! Keke."

Hwang Chisam grinned, showing his yellow teeth as if disappointed.

"It was short, but fun, right? I have plenty more interesting stories, but I'll tell you the rest when we meet in the underworld! Keke!"

"Shut up, you dark path scum! Everyone get out!"

With a loud shout, the bandits of Heukpyochae began to be dragged out from not just the user's carriage, but several others.

And.

"Hm? Why is this person's attire so different?"

The eyes of Jin Hun, the second disciple of Cheongseongpa leading the convoy, fell upon the user.

"Who are you?"

Just as Jin Hun tilted his head and asked...

Before the user could even open his mouth, Jin Hun turned his head.

"Hey, Myeong Ho, junior disciple!"

"Yes, Jin Hun, senior brother!"

"Who is this guy? Looking at him, he doesn't seem like dark path scum, just a regular civilian?"

The face of the young man called Myeong Ho hardened.

"W, what do you mean! He was inside, so of course he's a bandit... uh... who are you?"

"What? You, surely...?"

"N, no! This bastard is definitely dark path scum! His clothes are different, but do you think I would mistakenly load an innocent civilian?! Hehe..."

"Hmph..."

Myeong Ho usually handled things clumsily, so Jin Hun didn't trust him. But there were too many eyes watching—not just from the Cheongseong disciples, but from the village itself. Cheongseong, one of the Nine Schools and One Clan, transporting an innocent civilian alongside dark path criminals?

The moment that rumor spread, it would tarnish the sect's reputation.

"Fine. Send this one to the government office too."

"Yes, senior brother!"

However, unlike the game.

The Cheongseongpa disciples escorting the Heukpyochae would never arrive at Oga-hyeon.

CRAAAASH-!

BANG-!

Because from the carriage at the very back, two of the Heukpyochae bastards had been launched out spectacularly, causing a huge ruckus.

"Wh, what is all this commotion?!"

Jin Hun, leading the convoy, urgently pulled on his reins and shouted.

"Gasp...!"

And as he took in the situation, his eyes were instantly dyed with shock. Both sides of the carriage were blown wide open like paper, completely wrecked, and the state of the bastards sprawled on the ground was gruesome. Anyone could see their bones were shattered, their bodies unrecognizably crushed into pulp, instantly killed on the spot.

"Grrrk... huuurk..."

Inside the half-destroyed rear carriage was one bandit, pissing himself, frothing at the mouth, and ultimately fainting.

And standing in the middle of it all was a young man with a blood-stained fist.

He looked delicate, like a gigolo. The spitting image of a young master from some prestigious family.

But why? Why was a young master like that riding in a prisoner cart?

No, more than that, how did a delicate-looking bastard like that crush a man in a single blow? That wasn't a feat of martial arts. That was pure violence, incarnate.

Jin Hun's mind went completely blank. The other Cheongseong disciples were also frozen like mute eunuchs.

Meanwhile, Do Gwang's mood was sour as he looked at them.

'Ah, it's the Cheongseongpa bastards....'

As did other players. Do Gwang held not a single strand of good will for the Cheongseongpa leading this convoy. In the game's story, the protagonist starts with amnesia. The Cheongseongpa escort idiots don't know why the protagonist was stuffed into the cart either. But they try to kill the protagonist for the pathetic reasons of 'He was in the cart with the bandits' or 'We have to cover up our own mistake.'

"A, and just who might you be, sir...?"

Jin Hun asked, his voice trembling. It was definitely a different turn of events from the game. No wonder. He was causing havoc inside the carriage, smashing people into bloody messes. It was only natural.

He appeared to be treating him with courtesy, calling him 'sir', but Jin Hun and the other Cheongseong disciples all had their hands firmly gripping their sword hilts, ready to draw at any moment.

So, logically thinking. It would be right to make up a plausible excuse here and resolve it through conversation, avoiding unnecessary bloodshed.

But.

'Why the hell would I do that?'

He had already caused havoc in the carriage and neatly killed two bastards. Why? Because this was his dream to do as he pleased.

So, there was absolutely no reason to bother talking to them.

"Hmm..."

Do Gwang stroked his chin, leisurely scanning the Cheongseongpa disciples including Jin Hun.

"...Found you."

Do Gwang's low mutter broke the silence, clearly piercing the ears of the Cheongseongpa disciples. The target of Do Gwang's gaze was the third disciple, Myeong Ho, who had been sheepishly trying to hide in the back.

'The piece of shit who frames the protagonist as a bandit and hands him over to the authorities just because he doesn't want to get scolded by his senior brother.'

In the game, depending on the route, he was a bastard you could kill later. But due to the game's system, in the very first opening, you couldn't kill both the dark path mongrel Hwang Chisam and the orthodox sect dog Myeong Ho at the same time.

But.

This is a dream.

'Then... I'll just have to smash both their heads in.'

Having concluded this, Do Gwang's eyes turned towards the intact wooden railing of the carriage he had been sitting in.

'...It'll work.'

Before his mind could even process how to do it, an instinctive, strange conviction took over his body.

The moment Do Gwang grabbed the thick wooden railing with one hand and lightly applied force...

CRACK-!!!

The massive wooden pillar, the backbone of the carriage, was ripped out whole as if it were a snapped piece of straw!

"Wh, what the fuck!"

"W, what is that?!"

Curses burst from the mouths of the Cheongseong disciples.

SHIIING-!!

Startled, they all drew their swords at once.

"Disciple brothers! Be careful, he's no ordinary man!!"

Jin Hun shouted urgently. This outing to the martial world was originally just a light walk to give the second and third disciples some real combat experience. The Heukpyochae might have a flashy name, but at best, they were a ragtag bunch of third-rate gutter trash led by a chieftain barely at second-rate level. They were on their way back after easily subduing them.

But why. Where. Did this off-the-scale crazy bastard suddenly come from?

'He's a master... no, a monster in human form...!'

Jin Hun was horrified. The wood used for the carriage's frame was ironwood, as hard as steel. There was no way it could be torn out and swung around so lightly!

But somehow.

'I must protect my disciples!'

Just as Jin Hun thought this and tried to properly assume a stance...

Before he could even react properly...

Do Gwang lifted the massive ironwood pillar, split the air, and brought it straight down...

WHOOOOSH---!!!

Towards Myeong Ho.

KABOOOOOOOM---!!!

"KYAAAAAAAH!!!!"

Along with a deathly scream, only a deep, bloody crater remained where Myeong Ho had been standing.