The Alias Thief (1)

Beijing's inn.

In the bustling first-floor dining hall crowded with people, a man wearing a bamboo hat was having his meal.

He ended up overhearing the conversation of those eating and chatting beside him.

"Hey, did you hear that story?"

"What story?"

"Apparently, Eun Seo-ho, the young branch leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group, found the son of Old Man Mae who had run away from home."

"Oh, yeah! That's what I heard."

"They say the son had lost his memory and couldn't come back. To track him down and bring him home—talk about some real talent."

"More than that, isn't his heart just the kindest? If it were ordinary folks, they'd have just forced their way into the house."

"As expected of the Seonhyeopmirang!"

"You bet! That's why they call him the Swordsman Beauty!"

At their conversation, the lips of the man eating under his bamboo hat curved into a smile.

A beautiful man who performs righteous acts as a swordsman.

What a fantastic title!

'Next target: maybe Seonhyeopmirang?'

With that thought, he called the waiter.

"Check, please!"

"Yes, sir!"

After settling the bill, he headed upstairs to his room. Just then, a strand of hair hidden under his bamboo hat slipped out.

Someone who saw the blue-tipped ends remarked,

"That hair... no way, the Alias Thief?"

"The Alias Thief?"

"Why would the Alias Thief come here?"

Those who recognized him couldn't help but buzz with excitement.

He was a peak-level martial artist, impossible to mistake because of his hair color.

He was famous for his skills beyond his age, but even more so for another reason.

As his title "Alias Thief" suggested, he had a hobby of stealing other people's nicknames.

He had already stolen more than thirty such titles.

And this time, he had set his sights on Eun Seo-ho's Seonhyeopmirang.

Back in his room, he wrote dozens of proclamations and posted them around town that very night.

As usual, he rose at dawn, circulated his qi, finished training, and let out a breath.

"Whew, feels refreshing."

Training always left his body feeling light and clear.

There were various reasons, but maybe this refreshment was why he never skipped it.

As he finished training and headed to wash up, Palgap came running.

"Young master! Young masteeeer! Big trouble!"

"What's going on?"

What could make Palgap come charging in such a panic?

"Th-this! They say this was posted in front of our Beijing branch!"

I took the paper Palgap handed me and unfolded it.

And I was instantly dumbfounded.

Ha...

I let out a hollow laugh.

"What the hell? So he wants my Seonhyeopmirang title and is gonna steal it?"

"Seems like it."

"Sigh. Must have nothing better ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to do."

Oh yeah, a few days ago, Seo-hyang had said something fun was coming my way.

Is this it?

I handed it back to Palgap and said,

"Why bother with a whole contest? Honestly, Seonhyeopmirang is a burdensome title for me. I was just acting for my own benefit, but they call me Swordsman Beauty for real—it's embarrassing."

I sighed.

"But the Alliance Leader made it official..."

Palgap and the guards ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nodded in agreement.

"True, you've always been embarrassed whenever you heard Seonhyeopmirang."

"Plus, having that title means you can't act freely. And he wants to take it? Must enjoy needless hardship."

Of course, the fame of Seonhyeopmirang brought me plenty of benefits too.

It's burdensome to hold, but too valuable to just hand over.

Problem was, I had to leave soon to recruit instructors for the new martial hall we were building.

First stop: the Jegal Clan.

The hall's main goal was martial training, but it needed a grand overarching plan.

For that, we needed someone versed in both civil and military affairs.

Currently, the Jegal Clan produced the perfect candidates—strategists for the Murim Alliance for generations, and as one of the Eight Great Clans, their martial prowess was top-notch.

The issue: we were set to leave on the first.

Damn Alias Thief... terrible timing.

Could've posted those earlier if he was gonna do it.

The promised first day arrived.

The Alias Thief had investigated Eun Seo-ho in the meantime. Know thyself and thy enemy, win every battle.

From people's mouths, Eun Seo-ho's martial arts sounded impressive.

He was the successor to the Heavenly Flow Ice Sword, the ultimate technique of Gwk Hoon, the hero from the Blood Cult war over two hundred years ago.

And at peak realm, no less.

"Whew... But I've got plenty of real combat experience too."

Above all, he had immense confidence in his own arts.

The countless titles he'd stolen through duels proved it.

Thus prepared, he headed to the Eunhae Merchant Group's Beijing branch.

"What brings you here?"

The gatekeepers were polite, but their aura was no joke.

So he responded courteously.

"I am the Alias Thief! As stated in the proclamation, I've come for the contest over the Seonhyeopmirang title!"

His bold declaration drew killing intent from the gatekeepers.

"Hoo..."

But it vanished in an instant.

"Please wait a moment."

They rang a bell, summoned someone, and relayed the message inside.

Moments later, someone came out and asked,

"Are you the Alias Thief?"

"Yes."

"Follow me."

He was led to a pavilion.

A man stood in its courtyard.

The moment he saw the face, the Alias Thief couldn't help but admire it.

Even as a man, it was a handsome face.

"Young master, I've brought the Alias Thief hero."

"Good work."

The handsome man smiled and said,

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Eun Seo-ho, young branch leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group."

"Alias Thief Ugeok."

"I saw the proclamation. You want to take my Seonhyeopmirang title."

"That's right."

The Alias Thief drew his sword.

Shing.

But Eun Seo-ho looked puzzled.

"Why draw your sword?"

"Well..."

"You came to steal Seonhyeopmirang from me, right? So why the sword? I don't get it."

"Isn't it obvious? To steal a title, you settle it with a martial duel!"

"Sigh."

Eun Seo-ho let out a deep sigh.

"Seems like a misunderstanding. How do you think I earned Seonhyeopmirang?"

"By saving countless people at the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Assembly, so the Alliance Leader bestowed it, right?"

"Sure, but I'd been called that even before. Do you know about the plague in Yichang, Hubei, about six years ago?"

"Not details, but I know roughly."

"Our Eunhae Merchant Group ran widespread relief efforts, and I went there myself. Luckily, the plague subsided quickly, and most patients recovered. Out of gratitude, they started calling me Seonhyeopmirang."

Eun Seo-ho continued,

"In other words, I didn't earn Seonhyeopmirang through martial arts. So doesn't contesting it with a duel feel off?"

"..."

Only then did the Alias Thief realize his mistake.

All the previous title-holders were martial artists with combat-related nicknames.

So he'd assumed the same here.

"Thus, to honor Seonhyeopmirang, we should settle it with righteous acts, don't you think?"

"You're right."

"Then let's discuss the contest rules."

They agreed: each performs righteous deeds, and whoever helps the most wins.

Palgap whispered to Eun Seo-ho,

"Even if he wins and takes Seonhyeopmirang, with that face, wouldn't he be embarrassed calling himself Swordsman Beauty?"

"Shh! Quiet. You'll hurt his feelings."

But the Alias Thief had already heard.

The contest hadn't even started, yet he already felt defeated.

I glanced cautiously at the Alias Thief.

He looked deeply hurt by Palgap's words.

"A-are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Cheer up. If Seonhyeopmirang feels burdensome, you could just go with Seonhyeop-rang."

At my words, the Alias Thief looked to the sky and sighed deeply.

Palgap grumbled at me,

"You're worse, young master."

"What'd I do?"

I just stated the facts.

I cleared my throat.

"Ahem. Anyway, we have business and must leave today. How about traveling together? That way it's fair. And we'll encounter chances for righteous acts on the road."

...

...

...

Moments later.

Ready to depart, I headed to the wagons.

Seo-hyang would stay at the Beijing branch again.

She had her own Ju-gang horse, but with the outsider Alias Thief joining, better safe.

Mainly, we needed help assisting Jeong Ho hyung's duties.

Couldn't pull her away when she was already helping me.

"Travel safely."

"Yes, I will."

Jeong Ho hyung saw me off.

"No causing trouble."

"Wh-when have I ever?"

"Put your hand on your heart and say it."

"..."

Speechless, I turned to gaze at distant mountains.

"Anyway, if things go as planned, you won't be back for a while."

"Take care of things."

"Don't worry."

This trip was pre-approved with the Emperor and Crown Prince, so Jeong Ho hyung would handle the sailboat matters.

"And protect that Seonhyeopmirang title."

"Huh?"

"I like it personally."

I chuckled at his words, turned, and set off for the Jegal Clan.

Before leaving Beijing, the Alias Thief waiting at the city gate joined our group.

I'd invited him to settle the contest quickly.

With so much on my plate, better clear this nuisance fast.

As expected, it wouldn't drag on.

Sunset came.

Time for an inn.

I said to the Alias Thief,

"Since I suggested traveling together, I'll cover your inn fees."

He shook his head.

"No need. I've got money. I'll handle my own."

"Got it. We'll stay here tonight."

He looked up at the inn and nodded.

"Understood."

We stopped in front, and a waiter rushed out.

"Welcome! Leave your horses with me and come inside."

"Thanks."

We entered, took rooms, and headed to ours.

I was about to flop onto the bed, but Palgap stopped me and shoved me toward the bath.

"I washed! Can I lie down now?"

"Yes, rest easy."

I lay on the bed.

Ahh, nice!

I used to stay here often before, but riding Ju-gang horses meant no need lately.

Today, traveling at normal speed, we ended up here.

Lying there, I recalled the Alias Thief's story from my past life.

His martial arts were unique.

>

From a one-man succession sect, his sword created powerful illusions.

Ordinary illusions lack substance, but his felt real.

His specialty: clone illusion technique.

The clones had killing intent and aura, hard to distinguish true from false.

Thus, he stole many titles.

But fame led to his fitting end.

About three years from now, he loses a title duel and dies.

His arts die with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him.

I don't know why he started stealing names, but he lived on the edge.

Bloodlust or confidence—who knows. But thinking of his master, he shouldn't live that way.

Moments later.

My group and I went down to the dining hall.

It was lively, people enjoying their meals.

"Hahaha!"

"This is delicious!"

"Tastes even better since it's free."

Free?

The waiter saw me and said,

"Guests, sit and order. That gentleman is covering dinner tonight."

Where he pointed, the Alias Thief sat smugly.

I approached and asked,

"You treated everyone to free food?"

"Yes."

He grinned leisurely.

"Too bad, I took the lead this time. Look—they're praising me! Hahaha!"

The boisterous Alias Thief.

I was dumbfounded.

Is this guy an idiot?