The man shuddered violently and opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had wandered in that place. One by one, the children who had been with him were devoured by monsters and died. Fortunately, by that point he had already built up a fairly formidable level of skill, so he was able to resist to some extent—but it was still not enough.
From that day onward, every single day was hell, a brutal struggle for survival. The eyes of the children who had once looked like dolls became filled with venom, and the sharp killing intent in their bodies was buried deep within. These were things they were forced to acquire simply to stay alive.
The Three Talents Qigong, the Three Talents Sword Art, and the Three Talents Steps were astonishingly powerful martial arts. They developed far more explosively than they ever had while training in the fog-filled cave. Without those martial arts, the man himself likely would not have survived.
In the end, all of the children who had been with him died, and the man alone reached the very limits of the three martial arts.
"How much time has passed, exactly?"
The man shook his head. He could not calculate it. No—he had not even had the leisure to try. What he knew for certain was that more than ten years had passed.
For the first ten years after falling into hell, one of the children had counted the days, day after day. After that child died, there was no one left to keep track, so he could no longer remember—but at the very least, far more time than that had passed.
Even after he escaped from that place, an enormous amount of time went by. No one called him by his name anymore, to the point that he even forgot his own name…
The man began to retrace his memories little by little. Though a long time had passed, the names of his companions surfaced one by one. The things they used to talk about slowly came back to him. And then, naturally, the name they had called him by also resurfaced.
"Hyung-u… right. They called me Hyung-u."
The man gently closed his eyes again.
"Dan Hyung-u. My name was Dan Hyung-u."
The corners of his eyes and mouth moved ever so slightly. Recovering his name after so long made him feel unexpectedly good.
"For now, I should go and find them."
Dan Hyung-u muttered to himself. Talking to himself was one of the habits he had picked up while surviving alone. As he leapt into motion, Dan Hyung-u thought to himself that he should get rid of that habit soon.
Dan Hyung-u's body vanished as if it had been extinguished—disappearing as though no one had ever been there in the first place. Not even a trace of wind was left behind.
The Martial Alliance .
Three hundred years ago, it was formed as the central pillar of the orthodox martial world in response to the rise of the Blood Cult. At the time, all martial artists who pursued righteousness gathered under the leadership of Byeok Unhak, the Nine Dragons Divine Sword , who was praised as the greatest swordsman under heaven. Naturally, they formed an alliance.
Byeok Unhak became the first Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance and succeeded in stopping the Blood Calamity brought about by the Blood Cult. Though he met a glorious death while blocking the Blood Cult's final offensive, his convictions and sense of justice were so remarkable that they are still spoken of among martial artists to this day.
In any case, over the three hundred years that followed, both the world and its people changed greatly. Naturally, the Martial Alliance changed as well—there were even times when its influence all but vanished. But now, it once again wielded power throughout the world.
The current Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance, Dokgo Un of the Breaking Mountain Sword , had come from the Baekgeom Sect , a once insignificant third-rate sect. Through his own abilities, he raised the Baekgeom Sect's influence and eventually climbed all the way to the position of Alliance Leader. The things he endured and accomplished to be elevated as leader in a relatively peaceful era of the martial world were beyond what ordinary people could even imagine.
Dokgo Un gathered the elders of the Martial Alliance. There were a total of nine elders, following the custom that each of the Nine Great Sects provided one elder. As a result, there existed differences in influence between elders from powerful sects and those from weaker ones.
After assembling the nine elders, Dokgo Un took a sheet of paper from his robes and placed it on the table.
"Alliance Leader, what is that?"
One of the elders asked as he stared at the paper. He was Jeong Cheon, known as the Plum Blossom Sword , an elder from the Mount Hua Sect. Dokgo Un deliberately paused before answering. All of the elders' gazes fixed on his mouth.
"A treasure map."
At Dokgo Un's words, the elders tilted their heads in confusion. Simply saying "treasure map" without context meant nothing.
"A treasure map? Did some peerless martial art of the greatest under heaven appear? Or did you discover the tomb of the Shadowless Divine Thief?"
Jeong Cheon asked again. Dokgo Un gave him a faint smile and continued.
"It shows the location of Cheongija's final martial art."
At those words, the elders collectively held their breath. The phrase "Cheongija's final martial art" carried that much weight.
"Th-that is true?"
"Why would I gather the elders just to joke with you? It is a treasure map that points to the place containing Cheongija's last martial art. And it also includes diagrams of the mechanisms leading inside. From what I could tell skimming it, it seems Cheongija's secret weapons are there as well."
"Cheongija's secret weapons!"
The hall erupted into murmurs. No matter how old the elders were or how much cultivation they had accumulated, they could not remain unmoved by the name Cheongija.
"But isn't there something strange about this?"
As if something had just occurred to him, the Wudang Sect elder Yeonghoja spoke up.
"What reason would Cheongija have had to create such things? And secret weapons, no less—what on earth was he thinking? I heard that Cheongija disappeared from the world ten years ago. Does this mean he was hiding all that time, creating things like this? There must be something concealed here."
Yeonghoja's words made sense. Even so, Dokgo Un shook his head.
"For now, pass the treasure map around and examine it yourselves."
At his words, the elders calmed their trembling hearts and carefully accepted the map. One by one, they scrutinized it closely.
"To leave arrangements meant to protect the world from calamity… that is astonishing. Still, I see no reason to accept this at face value."
Yeonghoja continued to voice his doubts, and the other elders nodded in agreement. They were tempted by talk of Cheongija's martial art and secret weapons, but something still felt unsettling—precisely because the one who made the map was Cheongija himself. He was a man whose actions were utterly unpredictable.
Seeing their reactions, Dokgo Un slowly swept his gaze around the hall and spoke.
"Then are you saying we should simply abandon this?"
"It's not abandonment—shouldn't we investigate first?"
Dokgo Un nodded.
"Of course, investigation comes first. But it would be troublesome if we are too slow. We may not be the only ones who possess this treasure map."
Dokgo Un's words sent a shock through the hall.
"W-what do you mean by that? Are you saying there may be another treasure map?"
"That is not certain. However, the recent movements of the Unorthodox Alliance and the Green Forest are anything but ordinary. We have received information that their elite warriors are secretly moving toward Mount Heng."
"Mount Heng?"
"The place indicated by that treasure map is Mount Heng."
At Dokgo Un's words, a chilling tension spread through the hall. Did this not mean that their enemies were already on the move to obtain the secret weapon, while the Martial Alliance alone had been standing still?
"Then we cannot afford to remain idle either."
As Jeong Cheon spoke up, Yeonghoja stepped in once more.
"But what if all of this is Cheongija's scheme? It could be intended to make the three forces clash and plunge the martial world into chaos."
At Yeonghoja's words, the elders frowned deeply. Yet the conclusion came quickly. If the Unorthodox Alliance and the Green Forest were moving, the Martial Alliance could not simply sit back.
The elders could only pray that, as written on the treasure map, Cheongija had truly left these arrangements with the safety of the martial world in mind.
"Secret weapons… just what on earth…"
Each of the elders shook their heads, their expressions heavy with worry. Regardless, that was how the Martial Alliance began to move.
From Wuhan, where the Martial Alliance was headquartered, to Mount Heng was a distance of a full thousand li. However, if masters skilled in lightness techniques ran without rest, it was a distance that could be covered in a single day. Of course, since they could not move recklessly, it required pushing themselves somewhat.
Even so, the Martial Alliance moved swiftly but not rashly. They advanced in secrecy, laying down many smokescreens to avoid drawing the attention of the Unorthodox Alliance or the Green Forest. Naturally, it was impossible to block all information entirely, so the flow was carefully managed.
This strategy came from Zhuge Jungcheon, the Martial Alliance's chief strategist. The Zhuge Clan was a family that wielded great influence within the Martial Alliance, having served as its strategists for generations. To act as strategist for an organization as large as the Martial Alliance required not only intelligence and insight, but above all, mastery of information. The Zhuge Clan understood this well.
To be well-versed in information meant knowing how to use it—and that meant being skilled not only at gathering information, but also at concealing it.
The reason the Martial Alliance currently stood far ahead of the Unorthodox Alliance and other groups was precisely because of the Zhuge Clan's abilities. Of course, Dokgo Un's generous support had played a crucial role in enabling the Zhuge Clan to build such formidable intelligence capabilities.
For the time being, the group that had departed from the Martial Alliance stopped in Changsha, observing how the situation unfolded. Staying at the Chwiun Pavilion in Changsha, they quietly monitored the movements of the Unorthodox Alliance and the Green Forest near Mount Heng.
As a result, the Chwiun Pavilion was enjoying a tremendous boom. With martial artists flocking in and drinking away the alcohol and meat, the owner's smile never left his face.
Even now, the first floor of the Chwiun Pavilion was packed with martial artists sitting in formation, drinking heavily.
The number of people mobilized by the Martial Alliance was considerable. Their task was not merely to investigate Cheongija's martial art, but also to keep the Unorthodox Alliance and the Green Forest in check, so they had no choice but to bring along powerful warriors.
And mixed in among them were members of the Jo Family.
"The Martial Alliance's presence really is impressive, isn't it? Right, Brother?"
At Jo Seolyeon's words, Jo In nodded.
"Yes, it really is. I never imagined the Alliance Leader himself would move."
"I know, right? Uncle thinks so too, doesn't he?"
Sama Cheol listened to the two of them and smiled faintly. The head of the Hanam Escort Agency, he had come all this way at the request of Jo Ilhyeon, the head of the Jo Family. Using his authority, Jo Ilhyeon had arranged for Jo In and Jo Seolyeon to take part in this expedition to Mount Heng. Obtaining the Alliance Leader's permission had been no trouble at all. After all, he was the one who had handed over the treasure map to the Martial Alliance without any conditions.
The Hanam Escort Agency was one of the Jo Family's businesses. Jo Ilhyeon had asked Sama Cheol to look after the two children, and Sama Cheol had readily agreed. Jo In and Jo Seolyeon were precious to him as well.
"In my view, we'll be departing for Mount Heng soon. Since warriors of the Unorthodox Alliance are nearby, you must be especially careful. Do you understand?"
At Sama Cheol's words, Jo Seolyeon stuck out her tongue with a cute expression.
"Brother In is strong enough already. And Uncle will protect us too, right? Hehe."
At her behavior, Sama Cheol burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! That girl… In any case, take my words to heart. There are times when things happen in this world that no one could ever foresee."
"Yes. I'll remember that, Uncle."
Jo Seolyeon replied obediently with a gentle smile. When such a pretty young girl smiled, it felt as though the entire tavern brightened. Sama Cheol could only smile back. No matter what she did, she was adorable—it was almost a problem.
"Huh? Uncle, look at that person over there."
As Jo Seolyeon spoke in a small voice, Sama Cheol and Jo In turned to where her gaze was directed. Standing there was a man who had just entered the Chwiun Pavilion. As soon as he came inside, he looked around, searching for an empty seat.
Before long, a server hurried over and guided him to a vacant table. Jo Seolyeon watched the entire scene, her eyes sparkling.
"He's carrying a sword without a scabbard."
As she said, the sword at the man's waist was emitting a cold, sharp aura.
"The sword itself looks quite impressive."
Sama Cheol nodded as he spoke. But that was all. His curiosity about the man did not go any further.
"Why would he carry a sword without a scabbard?"
At Jo Seolyeon's question, Sama Cheol shook his head.
"Who knows."
"Maybe he doesn't even want to waste time drawing it? Looks like he put a lot of thought into it."
At her words, Jo In shook his head and corrected her.
"That's not quite right. Drawing a sword is important. The moment a sword leaves its scabbard, you can gain much greater speed and power."
Jo Seolyeon's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Jo In nodded with a faint smile. Her expression was simply too cute. Hearing Jo In's explanation, Jo Seolyeon turned to Sama Cheol with a surprised look. When Sama Cheol nodded as well, she finally turned back to look at the man sitting some distance away.
"Then… could it be that he doesn't have money to make a scabbard?"
At that, Jo In and Sama Cheol both let out small chuckles. And so, the warm and lighthearted moment passed.
Dan Hyung-u sat awkwardly in a corner seat, staring intently at the bowl of thin noodles placed on the table before him. He had no idea how long it had been since he last saw proper food. Everything he had eaten until now had been things no ordinary person could chew or swallow unless they completely ignored taste. Even then, he had not eaten much. Later on, he had barely needed to eat at all to keep moving.
With some effort, Dan Hyung-u moved his chopsticks, lifted the noodles, and placed them in his mouth.
Slide.
They seemed to melt.
The Chwiun Pavilion's cooking was certainly good, but it wasn't so extraordinary as to justify what he was feeling. And yet, to Dan Hyung-u, it truly was.
What he had eaten before had been so tough that an ordinary person would never have been able to chew or swallow it. But these noodles felt as though they dissolved the moment they entered his mouth. As he ate, Dan Hyung-u's eyes widened slightly. Before long, he finished the entire bowl in one go.
He ate with such relish that the people around him stared in a daze. Some even ended up ordering a bowl of noodles themselves.
"Delicious."
Muttering softly, Dan Hyung-u rose from his seat. Immediately, a server scurried over.
"Did you enjoy your meal? That'll be five pun."
At the server's words, Dan Hyung-u looked at him blankly. The server frowned at his reaction, then glanced at the sharp sword hanging from Dan Hyung-u's waist.
Dan Hyung-u looked at the server for a moment longer, then nodded.
"I see. Money."
Dan Hyung-u's eyes trembled slightly. A new word had surfaced in his mind, and that alone made him happy. It was a word he had long forgotten.
But while it brought Dan Hyung-u a small sense of joy, it did not do the same for the server. The server glanced nervously toward the owner. The owner shook his head firmly. The people filling the Chwiun Pavilion right now were none other than warriors of the Martial Alliance. An organization that claimed to represent righteousness would never allow someone to eat without paying—and there was no way they would let a mere server take the fall.
Seeming to reach the same conclusion, the server hardened his tone.
"Sir, this is unacceptable. If you've eaten, you must pay."
His voice was loud enough that everyone on the first floor could hear it.