A New World (Part 2)

The salary Seo Jun had managed to secure, however meager, was nowhere near enough to support a household of four: himself, his new stepmother Lady Seol, her pretty daughter Ju Wan, and her adorable son Ju Hwi. Ever since they had moved to Shuofang County two years ago, Lady Seol had worked tirelessly, taking in sewing work and helping at banquets to make up the shortfall. If not for the occasional help from his youngest uncle’s family—who had no children ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of their own and lived with some degree of comfort—the family would have gone hungry for long stretches.

Seo Jun swallowed the irritation rising in his chest and headed for the shabby storage shed attached to the house. With a long creak, the old hinges protested as the dim interior gradually brightened. Inside were neatly rolled bamboo slips stacked high along one wall, two spears polished to a soft sheen despite their age, a quiver filled with a bow and a generous supply of arrows, one long saber, and three daggers. Despite the shed’s humble appearance, everything within was meticulously maintained.

He pulled out the bow and gave the string a testing pluck.

“Open.”

Seo Jun opened his Inventory and stored one dagger for emergencies along with a large number of arrows. He also took the best-maintained spear, the quiver containing the bow and arrows, the long saber, and the remaining daggers before leaving the shed.

Once outside, he set the other weapons aside and gripped the spear firmly. With sharp, practiced movements he began thrusting—whistling through the air again and again. Standing in one corner of the yard, Seo Jun poured his full concentration into the drill.

I need to combine my original techniques with the Seo family spear art and create something new.

His body gradually picked up speed. The shadows of his spear multiplied, filling the space around him.

“Finally.”

A new message floated before Seo Jun’s eyes. During his days as a space mercenary he had mastered a wide variety of weapons, but most of those techniques had been built around overwhelming power and agility—devastating one-hit kills designed to bring down giants and colossal monsters.

Too much for this world. Too many openings.

His current physical abilities were roughly one-tenth of what they had been. Using his old combat style now would strain his body and prove inefficient. Moreover, he would soon face large-scale battles involving many soldiers. He needed to reorganize his fighting methods to suit the present era.

Simple. Fast.

Seo Jun was extracting the essential parts of the ancient Seo family martial techniques and his own original combat methods, then fusing them together. His innate trait, Acquisition, allowed him to learn anything at astonishing speed. Because its rank was so high, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠excelled at synthesizing multiple disciplines into something new—enabling him to create fresh skills rapidly.

This was the first result.

“Harder than I expected,” Seo Jun muttered, scratching his cheek with a wry expression. Although the first skill had appeared, his body was far weaker than he had anticipated. Even moving lightly by his old standards had left him noticeably fatigued.

“I need to adapt to this new body quickly and gather more Karma to raise my stats. This half-finished state is really annoying.”

As a user of the Karma System granted to all beings of Third Grade or higher across dimensions, Seo Jun could perform a “Tenfold Draw” once he accumulated one thousand Karma points. The draw offered many duds, occasional Stat Orbs, and rarely, new Skills or Traits.

“Haa… Time to learn the saber.”

After a few deep breaths to steady himself, Seo Jun picked up the long saber. His body moved like the wind, the blade slicing through the air and filling the space with sharp sounds.

Some time later, another message appeared in the now-silent yard.

“Once I learn archery, the basics for hunting should be complete.”

Wiping the sweat rolling down his face, Seo Jun sheathed the saber, slung the quiver over his shoulder, and tied it at his waist. The bowstring sang repeatedly as arrows flew. Each shot landed closer to the center of the target painted on the shed wall.

After achieving his goal, Seo Jun caught his breath.

“Status Window!”

“Oh my, Jun! What are you doing up so early?”

The voice reached him just as he was examining his status. Turning his head, Seo Jun saw his stepmother, Seol Ryeon, standing in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠front of the main house and calling to him.

She’s beautiful.

It was the first thought that came to mind. Having spent years as a mercenary surrounded by sensual, gorgeous, and seductive women, Seo Jun had expected little from the women of this era—dismissing them as old-fashioned. Yet the sight of Seol Ryeon approaching him carried neither flashiness nor ostentation. Instead, she radiated a warm, comforting gentleness and a pure, elegant charm that felt entirely fresh.

“Ah, I was training in martial arts. Did I wake you with all the noise?”

“Goodness! Look at all that sweat. You’ll catch a cold.”

Seeing Seo Jun drenched in sweat with steam rising from his body, Seol Ryeon quickly unwound the cloth from her neck and gently dabbed his forehead. His gaze naturally drifted downward. Skin as white ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as snow—rare in this remote borderland—delicate, refined features, full breasts, a slender waist, and generous hips. A mature, stunning woman stood before him, carefully wiping away his sweat with a face full of concern.

Gulp.

Despite his vast experience with women, Seo Jun instinctively swallowed. He shouldn’t be this nervous, yet here he was. It seemed that merging with the original Seo Jun had changed him somewhat.

Seol Ryeon came from the Seol clan of Hadong, a prominent local family of influence. Renowned for her beauty since childhood, she had received marriage proposals from many powerful households at a young age. She eventually wed a son of the Ju clan, another respected family in Yang County, Hadong. The couple lived happily and soon welcomed two lovely children.

But two years ago the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted. While helping his family escape, her husband was killed by the rebels. Both the Ju clan—her in-laws—and her own Seol clan were swept up in the chaos and wiped out overnight. Even confirming the survival of other relatives proved nearly impossible.

Seol Ryeon wandered from place to place with her two children, unable to find a safe haven. In a world turned upside down by war, she had to steel her heart if they were to survive. When the man who had once saved her from Yellow Turban pursuers—widower Seo Jeong—offered occasional help, she eventually sought shelter under his roof. Not long after, they remarried, and she became Seo Jun’s stepmother. Their wedding had taken place only a month before moving to Shuofang.

If the marriage had been delayed even a little longer and she had learned they were heading to Shuofang, she might never have married Seo Jeong at all.

“But why start martial training so suddenly at dawn?”

Seo Jun had always practiced, but never this early.

“I plan to start hunting from today.”

“Hunting?”

“Yes.”

“By yourself? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Seol Ryeon looked at him with deep worry. This region was notorious for frequent barbarian raids and bands of bandits. As she gazed at him, her cheeks flushed slightly and she turned her head away.

From the moment she first entered this house, she had thought him a remarkably handsome and impressive son. Though not her biological child, she had tried hard to embrace him with love. But lately he had grown even taller than his father—well over 190 centimeters—and his masculine charm was becoming impossible to ignore. It was getting harder to see him only as a son.