A foul-smelling hidden room blanketed in darkness, proof that it had been untouched by humans for a long time.

“Kuak!’

I coughed from the dust which got into my mouth and nose. Still, I felt a sense of excitement.

Please let the thing I longed for be in here. As I looked carefully through the dark room, I spotted an ancient-looking wooden box. I approached it cautiously and touched the dust-covered box. As my fingers made contact, something popped out with the sound of rushing air.

Swish!

“Kuak!”

I backed away in surprise and made some distance with the box as I saw a snake pop out.

But strangely, this snake had white eyes, like a snowy field. When I looked at those pure white eyes, fear filled my body. Suddenly, the fact that there was not even a single rat in this room makes perfect sense.

The snake continued to threaten me with its hissing sound and flitting tongue. It was trying to stop me from getting to the box.

“Uh!”

I resorted to swinging the torch in my hand at the snake. Its heat, as well as the sparks that fly off of it, should scare the snake away.

Wheik!

But even as the torch in my hand moved, the snake did not budge. Instead, it continued to stare at me with its pure white eyes.

Does this snake not fear fire? I decided to use the sword at my waist instead, and as I reached for my sword.

Whoo!

However, perhaps feeling the threat, the snake bowed its body and quickly disappeared as it escaped somewhere.

“Haa.’

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Catching a snake wasn’t tough, but its snowy white eyes made me feel uneasy. Before the snake decided to come back, I quickly opened the box.

“Ah!”

There was something within it! A yellowed piece of paper that looked like it would tear at any moment with just a touch.

Well, it must have been here for around 600 years, but even though there had been a change in color, something seemed to have been done to treat the paper to keep the writing intact.

I felt like I might cry.

“Hmm.”

But I was not sure that this was what I was searching for. There was something odd about the content of the paper.

To know the true essence of the Sword Immortal I had come all this way… but was this really the treasured book?

Moreover, the paper contained creepy and strange patterns drawn with red ink, just like the writings of the Demonic Cult.

Well, my goal was to get rid of the blockages in my body. That way, I can return to being a child of a noble clan instead of remaining a spy.

Even if I was treated like trash back then, it was better than living like a spy now with fear and concern at every moment.

All I would have to do is call Elder Baek Wei-hyang and the head of Yellow Dragon Hall, Moyong Soo. But there was work to do before I did that.

I pulled something out of my arm. It was a pill about two inches in size, made through special methods.

“Tch.”

I am annoyed. There is a crack on the pill.

It must have been from when I slipped as I climbed the cliff.

Luckily, the pill did not shatter. I carefully folded the paper containing the sword technique and placed it inside the pill.

“Phew…”

I’m not sure if I can swallow this. Still, I opened my mouth and put the pill in, forcefully gulping it down as I regretted not bringing water with me. The scent of the pill almost made me puke.

“Kuak!”

It felt like eating dried, rotten old tree roots. The reason I chose to swallow it was simple. This was my countermeasure.

No matter how much I was told that I would be helped, as long as they were warriors, they would covet this.

Dri!

Soon after swallowing the pill, I headed to the back of the room and opened a stone door. I then went towards the cavity in the middle of the cave and knocked on the wall.

Knock! Knock! Knock knock knock!

It was a signal code to the Murim Alliance. The average warrior might not be able to hear such small knocks. Still, the signal would be audible to Elder Baek Wei-hyang, who was known to be one of the Five Great Warriors of the Murim Alliance, and the skilled Moyong Soo.

Not surprisingly, the two appeared shortly.

“Did you find it?”

A middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a handsome beard. He was Baek Wei-hyang, an elder of the Murim Alliance.

The young man standing next to him with sharp eyes was Moyong Soo, the eldest of his family.

At the sight of both of them, I smiled.

“Yes. Elder. It was here.”

The two people’s faces brightened at my words. There was nothing else here for them but that, the treasure of the heavens, and it was easy to know their feelings even without words.

Moyong Soo, the head of Yellow Dragon Hall, asked me.

“Where is it? The Record of the Sword Immortal?”

“Before that, make sure to keep the promise you made.”

A promise to remove the blockages in my body. I heard that Elder Baek Wei-hyang’s deep understanding of the body’s meridians can help restore a clear flow of qi to my body.

I felt slightly sorry as they trusted me, but as a spy, I had to ensure I got what I was promised. Elder Baek Wei-hyang then smiled.

“Hahaha. Right. That is true. We need to do it right.”

He then glanced at Moyong Soo. The man who is Head of the Yellow Dragon Hall then pulled out his sword from his waist, its blade covered in a purple glow.

Srng!

It was the Fame Dagger of the Moyong family. As he suddenly drew his sword, I backed away in shock.

“What are you doing?”

“If you won’t give it to me, you will die.”

Moyong Soo aimed the sword at me. If I didn’t move back right away, he would have stabbed me right then.

My heart was pounding in shock at this, but I, who have lived with such anxieties, won’t be so obedient to threats.

“If I give this, will the blood clots in the body be removed?”

“Well. Is there any reason for me to keep you alive?’

Ah, for real? I was going crazy here. These two were blinded by the Sword Immortal’s technique.

After obtaining the treasure, they planned to kill and annihilate my traces immediately.

“Are you going to break the decree that you must not indulge your personal feelings or greed for the mission of the Murim Alliance?”

Elder Baek Wei-hyang laughed at those words.

“No one will even know, so what is the use of that?”

“If I die…”

“What could be the problem if a spy dies? Rather, the lord will be praising us for handling the spy without causing trouble.”

Damn it!

This was why people cannot be trusted. They would show that they were simply forced to kill a spy in this manner and use it as their defense.

“What if I keep my mouth shut? Did you forget that not just you but there are other warriors sent here? This is a situation where you would go up against the whole alliance.”

People were already up searching the cliff, and they would soon figure out that there is a cave in here and that it held the treasure. At those words, Moyong Soo’s eyes fluttered in hesitation… but the elder Baek Wei-hyang remained unperturbed.

“It looks like you want to use your head, but it won’t work. And you know this isn’t a situation where anyone would openly fight.”

“…”

“The treasure is hidden in one of the many hidden rooms? Don’t try to overthink it. We can always just say you tried to deceive us and hide your body here.”

I was at a loss for words. I tried to think but was unable to. The reason was simple.

“Did you think this elder wouldn’t see through this?”

Baek Wei-hyang smiled.

Ah shit!

At this exact moment, my supreme disadvantage was that I am just a third-rate warrior with no internal qi.

Even if someone deliberately tried to investigate who had been in this room, they wouldn’t know me. It would be twice more difficult since an elder was involved.

“We can just rip him apart. Elder. Hehe.”

Moyong Soo smiled. Now, his appearance was more similar to a greedy man.

Nothing else to do!

Thud!

I knelt down and begged for my life.

“Please spare me. I will keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life. To kill a third-rate warrior like me….”

“You read it right?”

“Uh?”

“You read that, right? The sword technique.”

I couldn’t say anything. If I hadn’t read it, how would I know about the record being the right one? The most unfortunate thing was that there was absolutely nothing in the record that could even be called special.

“That is another reason you should die.”

“-But I…”

Puk!

It was a moment that my heart had always been worried about.

The sword of Moyong Soo pierced my chest. Right, these people never had any intention of saving me.

“Cough.”

Blood flowed down from my mouth, and I fell to the ground like a doll with its threads cut.

From the moment I was given this mission, the Murim Alliance and the others had decided my fate.

My body began to lose strength as my mind wandered. To die like this…

“Cut the stomach.”

Elder Baek Wei-hyang said casually. Did this guy think I was a pig that could have my stomach cut open so easily?

“Yes, Elder.”

Moyong Soo pulled his sword out of my chest and thrust it into my stomach.

“Kuak!”

I could hear the sound of something being crushed inside my stomach.

“This-.”

Moyong Soo seemed to know about the pill that I had swallowed. He, too, must have felt it, so he was trying to quickly bring the pill out of my stomach. He must be afraid that the acids in my stomach would destroy it.

It was then.

Wheik!

“Ugh!”

A strange thing was happening. Hot energy rose up in my stomach, and blue flames soared from inside.

Flustered, the man stepped back.

“What are you doing! Get it out of the stomach!”

“Y-yes!’

At Baek Wei-hyang’s cry, he tried to come close again, but it was of no avail. All of a sudden, my entire body was engulfed in flames.

But it was strange.

This should have been painful, but it wasn’t. Was it because my body is dying?

“Shit! Why isn’t the fire going out!’

Moyong Soo cursed while I gradually could hear nothing.

As my thoughts considered my impending death, I began to regret everything. Why did I live my life like this?

As my eyes gradually were engulfed in blue flames, it turned white, and then something wet covered my body.

Did someone pour water to put out the flames? The sensation startled me, causing my body to jump.

“Ack!”

As soon as I got up, I remembered something wet covering my body, and I looked at my hands and feet.

I’m completely fine. Even my stomach had no visible wound. I couldn’t figure out what just happened.

“Kiduk.”

The sound of laughter.

When I looked up, I saw two boys in colorful silk robes, both about 15 years old, looking down at me and laughing.

“Idiot.”

“Dummy.”

These boys were looking down at me as they were cursing. The faces of the two boys in their red and blue clothing were very similar.

They were twins. As I saw them, I mumbled.

“… is this a dream?”

As he heard my words, the twin in blue shook his head and said.

“Even when we poured water on you, you didn’t wake up, eh? Yulang’s idiot.”

That was a name I haven’t heard in a long time.

The Idiot of Yulang, Yulang’s Idiot.

A nickname I was given ten years ago.

“Hic.”

I hiccuped. Even though I didn’t drink, I felt like I had a hangover. I couldn’t figure out what’s happening. The boy in blue then leaned down and grabbed my hair.

Clench!

“This Honam’s Swift Blade is speaking, and you won’t get up!”

At that moment, I felt like I was losing it.

“Song Jwa-baek? Song Woo-hyun?”

“Now, you seem to be getting your mind together. Why are you pretending to be drunk and trying to be sneaky?”

“Right. Right. Our Honam’s Swift Blade won the bet.”

Wow…

This was crazy.

This situation was absurd. The boy in blue is Song Jwa-baek, and the one in red is Song Woo-hyun. It felt like I was dreaming.

I could remember this moment that happened 10 years ago so vividly.

Clink!

Song Jaw-baek waved a red pouch in front of him and grinned.

“I prepared it in advance in case you wanted to speak. It will be handy for our work as the Honam’s Twin Swift Blades!”

“Right. It will be useful.”

Song Woo-hyun added to his brother’s words while I struggled to understand what was happening.

Obviously, I had been stabbed in the chest and stomach by Moyong Soo. Strange blue flames then spread through my body as I lost consciousness.

But when I opened my eyes, these two boys were in front of me instead. Except, last time, I never spoke to them at this moment.

Wait…

“What day is today?”

“What dog shit…”

“What is today!”

Song Jwa-baek was startled by my loud words and frowned.

“You must be drunk. It is the year of Dog.”

No.

If we say it is the year of the Dog, then this was 10 years in the past. This dream was too vivid.

And this wasn’t a dream or illusion either. The pain from my pulled hair was very much real.

“Really… the year of the Dog?”

“What is with you all of a sudden? Did you think it would be the year of the Pig? You drank so much that your head doesn’t work?”

The two looked at me as if they couldn’t understand me. But even these weird faces looked great to me.

“Uh. What are you doing? Are you crying?”

It was like he said. I had tears in my eyes that were blurring my vision. Overcome with emotion, I even hugged Song Jwa-baek, who was still holding my hair tightly.

“Ah, he has gone crazy!”

“He is!”

I was holding his head and hugging him, so he must be shocked, but it didn’t matter. I was feeling so good right now that I could fly. After being kidnapped by the Blood Sect and used as a spy, everything, including my death, was now just a lie.

I wanted to make a temple in the sky for this!

Pak!

Song Jwa-baek pushed me back, but my mouth continued to laugh.

“Hahahahaha!”

I was feeling good. The two looked at me like I had gone crazy as I lay down and continued laughing. But I didn’t care.

I had returned to the past. A past where I was called Yulang’s idiot, a past that I missed being in. I would never do anything that will lead to being captured by the Blood Sect again…

“… year of the Dog… ahhh!”

As I stopped laughing and began speaking seriously, the twins moved away from me in surprise.

I didn’t care that anyone was paying attention to what I was doing, even if they thought I was going crazy. The important thing is…

“Fuccckk!”

The two boys moved their hands to the sword on their waists and cursed at me. Either way, I looked around and got up.

It was late at night, and there didn’t seem to be any customers around. It was so late that even dawn was still far away.

“Damn it! Asong! Asong!?”

I could hear the people on this floor doing their tasks outside. At the sound of my cry, a man with droopy eyes who looked to be in his early thirties walked in, barely aware.

“Young master. Everyone is awake. Oh my. Were you hit by the lightning?”

He is the servant who followed me even when I was kicked out of my home. He was the only faithful aide I had, one who served me despite being called an idiot and a fool.

“Sorry. What about my things?”

“It is on the second floor.”

As soon as I heard that, I began to run up to the second floor in a hurry. As I do, the twins tried to stop me.

“Brat. Did you go crazy for real?”

“Right. Have you really gone crazy?”

I don’t have the time to deal with them right now!

“Ha… Damn it… you… you might think I am crazy, but you better pack your bags and run away from this inn right now. Otherwise, we will be living like dogs for the rest of our lives.”

I was about to say they could even live, but these people were different from me. In any case, I was saving both their lives.

“Just run.”

“What is he saying? This brat isn’t up yet? We are Honam’s Twin Swift Blades…”

Puk!

“Kuak!”

Then I broke his nose.

“Brother!”

Song Woo-hyun, who was next to his twin, tried to draw his sword. I jumped back and kicked him on the leg. He fell to the floor from the blow, and I hit his stomach with my elbow.

“Kuak.”

Groans of pain came out from the two of them.

“Y… young master.”

The servant looked at me with wide eyes. What made it stranger is that despite coming from a prestigious martial arts family, I was a kid who should be incapable of doing what I just did.

Surprisingly, I defeated the twins who learned martial arts. Well, it wasn’t something to be proud of.

Even if I was just a third-rate warrior, I learned the basic martial arts moves in the Blood sect. Even though my body wasn’t in its best state like it was back then, I could easily take down idiots like these two.

“Yo… you bastard… when did you learn martial arts?”

Song Jwa-baek grabbed his nose, which was bleeding, and asked.

“Shut it. If you want to live like humans, run!”

After saying those words, I quickly made my way up the stairs. The twins who saw me hastily running were unsure of what was happening. I ran up to the second floor and wandered around, searching for my things.

“Left side!”

Asong shouted from the first floor. It was 10 years in the past, so I could barely remember where my room was. Following Asong’s words, I ran to the room and saw a dagger with a blue thread around it, alongside a bag of my things on the bed.

“Ah…”

I felt a twinge of emotion at the sight of the dagger, which I hadn’t seen in a long time. I could have just run away, but I needed to pick up this dagger which was my mother’s keepsake.

It was a pity that I lost everything on this day.

Hurry up and run.

Shh!

I grabbed the dagger, and at that moment, I was startled by a sudden sound that made me drop the dagger.

Kyaaaaal!

“Kuak!”

My heart was pounding loudly at these bizarre sounds. I looked at the dagger as if it was a monster. I wondered if it was a coincidence and picked it back up.

-Kyaaaak!

“Ah!”

I felt a surge of shock as I picked up my mother’s dagger and put it down again. This wasn’t a ghost’s song, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Uh.”

Goosebumps and cold sweat broke out on my body. I hesitated to pick it up since I might hear that sound again.

Kik!

Just in case, I tore the bed sheets and then used them to cover the dagger. Once it was covered, I picked it up and heard no sound.

I was not sure what was happening, but it felt like this is how I should carry it. I quickly ran down the stairs and saw that the twins were still there.

“I said run away!”

“My nosebleed didn’t stop! And what are you saying! Why do we have to run!?”

Song Jwa-baek asked me, unable to understand. Anyway, I was too busy trying to save my own hide. I didn’t have time to care for these people.

“Enough. Do whatever you want.”

“What?”

“Let’s go, Asong. We need to hurry…”

Before I could finish my words, a scream came from outside the inn.

“Kuak!”

…!

As soon as I heard the scream, I felt like my heart was going to drop. The joy from returning to 10 years in the past immediately disappeared.

Even if I came back, wasn’t this the moment I wanted to avoid? Did I return just to get captured again?

“W-what is this?”

I looked at the twins, who were scared, and said.

“…. Blood Cult.”

“Uh!”

The two twins looked terrified at my words. The worst of the Unorthodox Sects which had a vicious name that could make anyone piss themselves just hearing it.

There is no way these two didn’t understand what this meant.

“Damn it…”

A desperate voice.

Out of all the days, why today?

That moment in the year of the Dog.

The day I was kidnapped by the Blood Cult.

“Blood Cult? What nonsense are you saying?”

“R-right. That’s nonsense.”

“Yah! Shut it and follow me! The Blood Cult was cut off by the Murim Alliance a long time ago!”

This was a known fact to everyone. The Murim Alliance defeated the Blood Cult 20 years ago due to political strife, and the sect lost its leader.

However, thanks to their notoriety, the mention of their name still caused fear in the people of Murim.

“And how do you know the sound outside is from the Blood Cult?”

Of course, I knew. It was something I had already experienced once. Saying that it’s not surprising that they thought I’m speaking nonsense.

“Kuak!”

“Ugh!”

Song Jwa-baek’s face went stiff, perhaps not wanting to believe it. The screams from outside were telling them that something terrible was happening.

Kwang!

The doors on the inn’s first floor opened, and people in their rooms began to run out. They, too, seemed to have heard the screams. People were guessing that something was happening and were rushing down.

There was no time for this.

“Asong. Follow me!”

“Yes… yes! Young master!”

He followed me, but the place I was heading to isn’t the inn’s exit. Song Jwa-baek then shouted.

“Yah! Idiot! What will you do going there?”

They wouldn’t believe me even if I explained it, so I went ahead without answering anything.

“Dummy. You will die.”

Song Jwa-baek laughed before he and his younger twin went and followed the rest of the people from the inn. Anyway, in this situation, no one could take care of another. Everyone had to survive on their own.

“Young master. Aren’t we supposed to run that way?”

I shook my head.

“We are late. They are all around the town. How can we run from them?”

The probability of escaping from the Blood Cult’s hands with my damaged dantian and Asong, who had no knowledge of martial arts, was very low. If only I had regressed just half an hour earlier, I might have had a better chance.

“T-then what do we do?”

“We need to hide.”

“Uh? Where can we? There’s only the bathrooms and stables in the backyard.”

I didn’t answer as he mumbled.

“Ah… that.”

Unfortunately, his guess was correct. The place we were going to hide in is none other than there. In the backyard, there was a bathroom and a stable, and it was full of an assortment of colorful smells.

“Young master is it-.”

“It isn’t fine, but we need to do this.”

The only way of survival was by hiding from the vicious Blood Cult. I was convinced that there aws no other way than to hide.

They were all human and wouldn’t like to touch dirty things.

Kik!

Asong opened the door and looked in with disgust in his eyes. It was like he was seeing hell.

“Y-Young master. The stench of poop down there is tough. Do we have to hide here? What if we stop breathing?”

I looked around at his question. The bamboo around us caught my eye. I took an axe and cut one off before handing it to Asong.

“Bite onto one end and breathe through the mouth. You will survive.”

“Uh? But the bamboo is this thick?”

The bamboo was too thick, and Asong must open his mouth widely. I looked at him and asked.

“Are we in a position to choose between what we want now? Don’t you know that a poop-filled place is better than hell? Asong. You don’t know how cruel they are. All your limbs will be cut off…”

“Eik!’

Asong was frightened at those words. It was dirty and tough, but this was the only way to survive. Asong entered the bathroom’s pit.

“What is with this shit?”

“I will come inside too, don’t worry, the smell will stop after we clean up.”

“Uh? Young master, have you ever entered poop before?”

Enter?

I almost died of the shit smell I had to endure for an hour. But I didn’t have time to answer Asong as I also had to hide.

“Asong. Hold one. That is the only way we can live.’

“Uh? Huk!”

Pak!

I pushed the man inside.

“Young master!”

Plop!

Once all the shit was sorted, I quickly took a step back.

‘Sorry.’

There was no other way to relive this life apart from this. Don’t be sad and curse me. I was coming too.

“Damn it.”

What’s this? I couldn’t just step in. My mind was telling me not to.

‘Should I force myself in?’

He wanted to go in after Asong, but the pit was too narrow for the two of them. He just wanted to save his helper, and now he’s the one in trouble.

‘What do I do now?’

As I looked around, I saw the stable.

Heeing!

A horse in the stable was screaming, and I approached it. I guess it was noticing that something was wrong. The guests in the Inn already ran away on horses, and they left one here.

I took down the leash that it was attached to and let the horse go. If there were no horses, then the men of the Blood Cult would have no reason to search the stable. There was also a high pile of hay inside.

‘Enough to bring attention.’

I hoped that no one would come here. It’s unlikely with the third-rate and second-rate warriors, but first-rate warriors tended to have amazing hearing abilities. If they realized where I’m hiding, I would die.

I hoped it wouldn’t happen. I went into the stable, covered myself with the straw, and touched the dagger wrapped in cloth. I became troubled.

If I’m caught, shouldn’t I put up a fight? However, just like when I touched the dagger before, I felt a scream through my heart. But my life could be at stake now, and it was ridiculous to be afraid of a weapon.

In the end, after much deliberation, I removed the cloth from the dagger.

And the moment I touched the dagger…

-Kiiick!

‘Shit! What the hell is this!’

I forced myself to hold on despite the shock.

-Don’t touch me. I hate it.

‘…!?’

I doubted my ears for a second. There was a voice telling me not to touch it…

‘Did that come from the dagger?’

I was shocked and confused, but then I heard it again.

-No! You, you can hear me?

The dagger was really talking! To be precise, its words were ringing in my head and not my ears. Similar to a hallucination?

‘How can this be?’

And then the absurdity continued.

-No way. How can this happen…

The dagger was in shock too.

-A human can hear me?

Okay. I was going crazy. That was what I was feeling.

Was it possible for a dagger that wasn’t alive to speak?

-What? Is there a law saying that daggers shouldn’t speak? Oh my god. Then do I need to constantly make clack clack sounds like swords?

I was getting nervous. It felt like I was really losing it. My nervous thinking might mean I wouldn’t be able to do my best now.

-Wow… turning a dagger’s words into hallucinations.

My head was going numb from the situation. Trying to figure out how to deal with this kind of situation for the first time left me shocked and perplexed.

It was then that I heard…

Step!

I could hear footsteps. I held my breath and sighed softly. I could hear the steps, and if I could hear them, then their owners could not be skilled.

-Yah! Yah! Answer me!

The sound of the dagger kept resonating in my head. I was nervous. I might either die or go crazy.

‘This is an illusion, hallucination. Go away, just go away.’

-… Go away? Do you think I am a ghost who grants things?

‘Ah!’

Now I knew. This was not a hallucination. Then I heard something else.

Whoo!

My mouth felt dry. Unlike the wind, the sound of footsteps was getting closer. The stable was empty, so I thought no one would come to check, but this was unexpected.

‘Damn it.’

-Your heartbeat is louder, afraid?

‘Shut it!’

I was about to die from the anxiety, but the dagger’s voice distracted me. The sound of footsteps kept getting closer, and I held onto the dagger tightly.

If the person tried to touch the hay, I would slit their throat right away.

Step.

The sound of footsteps approaching was right in front of me, and soon I could hear the sound of the haystack being touched.

Pak!

As soon as I got up, I saw a man in a mask. The masked man who suddenly saw me jumped back, but it was too late.

Anticipating his movement, I moved the dagger to stab his neck.

Whoop!

“Kuak!”

The masked man died in an instant without a huge scream. It was no exaggeration that this was a surprise attack, something he did when he was a spy. Its success was only possible because the man was only a third-rate warrior.

-Right. On a fictitious day, I thought the young man was just an idiot and only drinks alcohol, but you are pretty good. It has been a while since I tasted blood.

The voice of the dagger continued to comment in my head. I grabbed the collar of the dead man who was about to fall. This was to reduce the noise as much as possible.

If this guy had come this far, there was a high chance the other people would be inside the inn.

And third-rate warriors moved in groups.

‘Ha.’

The plan was in tatters. I didn’t know I would die instead of being kidnapped by the Blood Cult. Since this had happened, I had no choice but to risk my life and try to escape.

Shhh!

I wiped the blood on the dagger on the clothes of the masked man. The dagger was rusty as it hadn’t been maintained for a long time.

‘Of course.’

The blade and the tip looked blunt, so I had to use a lot of force when stabbing. It would be challenging to use this without sharpening it.

-How can someone who knows that neglect me?

The dagger complains to me, but I don’t respond.

‘Tch.’

I saw a black-clothed man walking from the inn. He had to be in one team with the man I killed.

I put down the corpse and left the stable while trying to hide my presence. I tried to move as much as possible without being noticed.

‘Shit. I made a mistake.’

I should have searched the body and taken another weapon from him, but I was too nervous and didn’t do it. Now I had to use this possessed dagger.

-Again! Again!

‘Shut it!’

It would be better to kill this new one and take his weapon, but I was close to losing focus.

“You. Is there anything there?”

‘No!’

The moment I saw the leg near the opening, I kicked it as hard as I could, and at that moment, something unexpected happened. The leg that I aimed for slipped back.

‘Oh!’

He then kicked my leg in response. A loud cracking sound from the contact made me groan in pain.

“Kuak!”

“I asked why you were hiding, and you came out instead to prove it.”

A masked man came into view as he spoke in a relaxed tone

‘This..’

When I saw him, I was surprised.

I thought this man would be a low-ranked one like before, but…

‘Brown belt.’

He had a brown color band around his waist, which meant he was at a higher level. Unlike the third-rate warriors who could only use techniques, this man could utilize internal qi.

And with a body that had received training in everything, how could he be taken down with a simple surprise attack?

‘What do I do?’

I was confused as he spoke.

“Look at you, you don’t seem to even know about qi, but you are quite confident. You know how to survive.”

None of these compliments were appreciated. Being born a child of a warrior family and not learning their techniques was a disgrace, and because of that, I had to live as a spy.

“I think I can put you in the secondary level.”

‘Secondary?’

The words reminded me of the past. In that past life, when I was taken by the Blood Cult, I was ranked similarly.

They judged me to be of the lowest level then.

“I will give you a chance. Kid, you cannot get out of here. If you want to live, surrender now.”

“You aren’t going to kill me.”

“How do you know that?”

“There is no reason to rate me if you wanted to kill me.”

They were planning to kidnap people from the start.

“You are a smart one. If you use your body as well as your brain, then you could be an upper-level product.”

His eyes turned sharp.

Pat!

The man rushed at me as he didn’t want to talk anymore. There was nothing more to do. If I didn’t want to be kidnapped, I had to either die or run.

Pak!

He aimed a kick at my head. Unable to get up in time, I jumped backward with a bounce.

Pak!

“This suits you.”

He smiled and swung his sword as if he was just playing around. The sarcasm and killing intent dripping from his words and actions were all directed toward me.

‘Damn it.’

Then a voice echoed in my head.

-Turn your upper body slightly to the left and stab him in the arm.

Without even thinking about it, I turned around and avoided his attack. In this state, I aimed the dagger in my right hand toward his exposed arm.

“Uh!”

He tried to avoid it, but the dagger managed to stab him slightly. Since the blade was dull, I couldn’t make a proper stab.

-What are you doing! Get up!

I quickly stood up and took my stance, holding the dagger to stay alert.

“This bastard!”

The masked man was slowly becoming more enraged with me.

-One step left. A wide one.

I spread my left leg wide as told.

Shh!

The masked man barely passed by as I moved, avoiding his attack with minimal movement.

“No!”

-Stab the thigh!

In this position, I stabbed at his thigh and managed to put the right amount of force as the dagger went in.

Puck!

“Kuak!”

-Push with your body!

And then I head butted him, and the man fell back, losing his balance. After that, I didn’t have to do much else. I just used the dagger to cut his throat.

“Kuak!”

The masked man whose throat I slit trembled and died soon after.

I did what I was told, but I was still in shock at how I had come out on top. Then, in my head came the triumphant voice of the dagger.

-You owe me your life now.