Chapter 1: The End of the Young Master.

Everyone has their own life goals.

Some live for their own benefit.

It might be considered selfish, but who can say anything about someone pursuing their own gain?

Others live for the sake of others.

An altruistic life, which can be seen as noble.

Some live for their own beliefs.

They search for unchanging truths.

So, what is my life’s goal?

I didn’t have any particular goal.

Except for my good looks, I was just an incompetent man with no skills.

However, there was someone I admired.

A 侠客 (xia ke).

Even if the way they act doesn’t align with conventional definitions, their words have trust, and they always fulfill their promises. They fight the strong to help the weak.

Isn’t it likely that every martial artist holds the ideal of a 侠 (xia) in their heart?

Since then, becoming a 侠客 (xia ke) became my life goal.

But I didn’t realize that to live as one, above all, power was necessary…

I didn’t realize that at the time.

Such a foolish thing.

To think I couldn’t even understand something so simple…

“Did you lose?”

I muttered quietly, in a tone devoid of emotion, as I looked at my son before me.

“To a little girl…”

It wasn’t a question.

It wasn’t to confirm the facts again.

It was just a statement of disappointment and anger, turned hollow.

The empty tone pierced his heart like a knife.

“…I’m sorry… Father…”

He forced out the words, his voice barely audible as his forehead was pressed to the ground.

He continued to apologize, his words full of pleading.

The man looked down emotionlessly at his son trembling on the floor.

“It’s fine. It was my fault for having expectations of you.”

His voice was cold, almost chilling,

But the son’s face lit up with a joyful expression.

“Really?”

Of course, it didn’t last long…

“Leave.”

“Huh?”

The son, as though he had misheard, asked in disbelief,

But the man spoke again.

With a certainty, as if to make sure his son understood.

“Get out. You are no longer my son.”

“Father?”

“And someone who is not my son has no place in the 陳家 (Chen family).”

In an instant, the son’s face was filled with despair.

**”Ah, Father, what do you mean by that?”**

“You are no longer my son.”

The man spoke with a sharp tone, as if his words were cutting through the air like a blade.

“Yes, live your life as the侠客 you like. I won’t say it again. From today, disappear from the Chen family.”

“Father! Father!!! Mother, please say something!”

“…Hah.”

A deep sigh escaped, but she said nothing.

She simply looked at her son with eyes full of sorrow.

The man stood up from his seat and walked toward the back of the room.

And once again, he spoke.

This time, with an even colder attitude, not sparing a glance at his son.

“I told you to disappear from my sight.”

It was the final judgment.

“Father!! Father! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

The son clung desperately to the man’s pants, but was forcefully shoved away, tumbling to the floor with a heavy thud.

“Ah, Father…”

His voice, full of sorrow, echoed through the room, but no one paid any attention.

“Take him out!”

“Yes!”

The servants moved quickly, restraining his arms.

“It’s the Master’s orders.”

“W-What do you mean by this? I am the eldest son and successor of the Chen family!”

The man’s furious roar echoed.

“Throw that idiot out right now! He is no longer part of the Chen family. Banish him immediately.”

“Yes! Understood!!”

“Let go! Let go of me, you bastards! Do you know who I am?!”

Crack!

“Ku… Kugh!!”

Thud!

Puh-uck!

“Ugh, Ah, Father…”

“Would it be better if you just did this peacefully? Why make this so exhausting?”

“Thanks to your bloodline, you’ve been living comfortably up until now… Take one more hit!”

“Tsk, tsk… I can’t believe someone like that can’t even defeat a servant… It’s hard to believe that such a person was my child.”

His voice, full of pain, echoed through the Chen family halls, but no one responded to his cries.

The man never looked back, disappearing into the inner room.

The mother did the same.

It was pitiful.

*****

“What… what did you say? Is it true?”

“I heard. The story that you were kicked out of the Chen family.”

She placed her teacup down with a loud clink as she spoke.

She had just heard a shocking piece of news.

And from her beloved fiancé, no less.

“You… you want to break off the engagement?”

The words that left her mouth were unbelievable.

“Yes, I’ve had a good introduction come my way. But I still thought it over a lot.”

She paused for a moment, then cleared her throat.

“The question is whether I really love you or not.”

**”What do you mean…”**

Could it be…

That you’re abandoning me just because I’m no longer the successor of the Chen family?

“You said you loved me the most. You promised you’d love me forever…?”

“That’s right. I said that back then. But…”

The way she chose her words, almost mocking me, made it clear I could already predict what would come next.

“Don’t… don’t say it!”

“I meant that I loved everything about you, including your family.”

The words I never wanted to hear from my beloved fiancé,

She took a sip of her tea before continuing.

“When you think about it, our engagement was because of the family pact, right? If it were anyone else, the result would have been the same.”

Her words, said so calmly as if everything was already over, were like knives stabbing at my heart.

To think that I wasn’t special to her…

“Still, the person you’ll meet now is the heir to the martial alliance, right? You should be proud of it. It’s called an honorable death, right?”

“Y-You can’t be serious… Do you know how much I’ve…?”

“You don’t look like someone worthy of being a hero. You said you wanted to be a侠客… Isn’t that right?”

My fiancé,

No, my ex-fiancé, smiled brightly.

The sarcasm in that smile was enough to tear my heart to pieces.

“I’m planning to return to my family now.”

“Take care. Don’t catch a cold.”

And with that, I was thrown out of the door in a pitiful state.

“This can’t be happening…”

And from that day, strange rumors started spreading.

The rumor that the disowned young master of the Chen family, in a fit of rage, had raped a woman.

“It wasn’t me. I’ve never even seen that woman!”

“Ugh…!”

“Are you still trying to deny it? The victim’s tears are the evidence!”

“You really are a cruel one…”

“Beast of a child… Just tell the truth already!!”

I was beaten for a long time while being told to confess the truth, but I couldn’t admit to something I didn’t do.

“You’re a vicious one…”

Eventually, I was released since there was no solid evidence, but the looks I received from others were far from kind.

“Why… why is this happening to me?”

A bitter taste of blood lingered in my mouth.

I had asked for help from my comrades, but…

One person…

“Jin Sojin came? No, I won’t meet with her.”

“Soyoung! Wait…!”

“Don’t ever show yourself to me again. You trash.”

Two people…

“Ah, So… Sojin…”

“Seola, I need to ask you for something.”

“I’m sorry! Don’t pretend to know me anymore.”

Three people…

“Jooha, just wait for a moment!”

…It was all pointless.

I blankly watched the figure fading away indifferently.

It was pitiful.

‘What kind of life have I lived?’

I couldn’t believe it.

I walked aimlessly down the street, my steps weak.

It was all I could do.

It was too shocking.

Is the family so important? Why does no one believe me?

“….”

It was so pitiful.

When the inn came into view, someone called out to me.

“Young master, what are you doing here? It’s cold, please come this way.”

The beggars I had taken in when I was young.

“You seem down. How about having a drink with us, young master?”

“Young master, cheer up.”

“That’s right. On days like this, the best thing is a cup of tea!”

The ones who just wanted to live decently,

I silently watched the beggars.

“Yeah, maybe my martial arts skills are a little lacking. But that’s not what’s important.”

I still have ‘侠’ (the spirit of a hero) in me.

“Tonight, we’ll treat you, young master! Come this way!”

“Thanks.”

I didn’t know it then.

That following them was a mistake.

“Young master… do you think you can survive in this harsh martial world being so naïve?”

“You’ll probably just keep helping people like a fool, and end up getting stabbed in some back alley. Whether you die now or later, it’s the same life, isn’t it?”

“If that’s the case, then just die for us. That’s what ‘侠’ means, right?”

“How… How can you do this to me?”

“What are you doing? Kill him quickly.”

“Young master, don’t worry about us… We were paid a hefty sum to deal with you.”

He pulled out a gold bar from his pocket.

“W-What? Who? Who’s doing this to me?”

“Who do you think? I’d love to tell you as a gift for your journey to the underworld, but I can’t do that.”

“Think carefully. The road to the afterlife is rough, so you’ll have plenty of time to think.”

This couldn’t be happening.

Why?

Why is this happening to me?

A deep regret swept through every corner of my body.

I didn’t realize something so simple.

I lacked strength.

“Stop!”

“Catch him quickly!!”

I stumbled while running away and fell off the cliff, but fortunately, I survived.

Well, it’s hard to say I survived in the usual sense…

The smell of blood stings my nose, and the intense pain with every movement hits me hard.

“Ugh….!”

With my skills, I can’t climb back up the cliff, and I’ll either starve to death here or die from blood loss.

It’s a painful life, but…

…Anyway, I’m still alive.

“Haah… Cough!”

As if it was inevitable, I coughed up blood.

When I looked up, I saw a small altar inside the cave.

For now,

I should sit there and rest.

“I really am an idiot.”

Barely lifting my body, I mock myself in a low voice.

Does someone like me even deserve to live?

The idea of being a hero is such a laughable thing.

It was ridiculous how I was abandoned even by the people I trusted.

A thirst for revenge rose inside me, but I was weak, a fool who couldn’t do anything.

I no longer want to live.

Then, I noticed a strange inscription.

“‘탈혼경’ (Breaking Soul Scripture)?”

It was the phrase carved into the altar.

It was a slim chance, but at this point, it didn’t matter—I was probably done for.

I had nothing more to lose, nothing to regret.

Following the words in the inscription, the altar slowly started turning a dark red.

“……”

This must be the end.

At the moment when a suspicious light flickered, the last thought I had was that I hoped they would regret it, just like I did.

The red light faded,

and the body that had been lying still slowly rose up.

“Is this real…?”