The bell's cry did not stop.
It rang again and again, the sound cutting through the early morning like a blade. In the distance, faint shouts rose from the city walls, and the camp stirred in confusion. Some of the beggars stumbled from their shelters, rubbing sleep from their eyes, while others were already gathering their meager belongings and running.
Jin Seol had heard this sound before—years later in his past life, when the war first reached the southern border. But now, it was here early.
He grabbed his bundle and moved quickly toward the source of the commotion.
A caravan guard pushed past him, muttering under his breath. "Northern banners. Cavalry sighted on the far ridge. Command's calling everyone in."
The war in his previous life had lasted three months, a grinding conflict between the Northern Confederacy and the Southern Alliance. Officially, it was about disputed trade routes and territory. In truth, it was a struggle for dominance over the grain-rich riverlands and the steel mines that could arm a hundred armies. The Northern Confederacy had cavalry that could run down any infantry force, while the Southern Alliance held fortified cities and access to the rivers.
In his past life, the Alliance had been unprepared for the sudden northern assault. Cities burned. Merchants were ruined. Families scattered. The Confederacy's plan was simple: strike fast, overwhelm, and cripple the South's supply lines before they could muster a defense.
And they had nearly succeeded.
Jin's mind sharpened. This time, the war's arrival was earlier, which meant all the timelines had shifted.
⸻
The training clearing lay behind him, unused. He had planned to spend the morning drilling stances and refining his strikes, but martial arts without qi was like swinging a dull blade—it lacked the power to match true masters.
He flexed his hands. Qi will come in time. For now… I fight for experience.
Experience was a weapon in itself. No stance, no technique mattered if you froze the moment a blade came for your throat. He needed to sharpen his instincts in the chaos of real combat, to relearn the rhythm of life and death before the true monsters of the battlefield appeared.
And he had another weapon at his disposal.
From his pack, he drew the compact crossbow—a design he had recreated from memory. It lacked the elegance of a sword but made up for it with range and precision. In his first life, such weapons had only appeared much later in the war. Now, he had one before the fighting had even begun.
⸻
The streets leading toward the city gates were already a churn of bodies—soldiers arming themselves, blacksmiths hammering out spearheads, merchants shouting over the noise as they tried to secure last-minute sales before the chaos shut down trade entirely.
Jin listened to the hurried conversations as he passed.
"They say the northern horsemen are less than two days away."
"Two? The riders who saw them barely made it back alive!"
"Command wants every able man and woman at the forward post. Even the beggars are being taken in."
So the recruitment would begin almost immediately. Perfect. That meant he could get on the front lines without drawing too much attention to himself.
But before that, he needed to prepare—supplies, information, and a few… arrangements.
⸻
The sign for So Taek's Trading House swung in the morning wind. Jin pushed open the door to find the merchant hunched over a ledger, a thin trail of smoke curling from the incense at his side.
"You're early," So Taek said without looking up.
(Jin knew that so taek would know he was coming )
"the war is coming fast"jin replied
"I'll need supplies," Jin continued. "Rations. Ammunition. And contacts in the quartermaster's office."
So Taek leaned back in his chair, studying him with interest. "You're planning to fight?"
"I'm planning to survive," Jin said. "And to make sure I'm in the right place when the tide turns."
A slow smile spread across So Taek's face. "Then we have business to discuss."