Six months had passed since Jiho's second birthday.
Six whole months of playing, pretending, sword-swinging, and baby-politicking.
And by now, Jiho was convinced of one undeniable truth:
"I am, without a doubt, the cutest existence in this entire village. Possibly the world. The way those aunties giggle and squeeze my cheeks like mochi? I should start charging."
But Jiho wasn't just coasting on his looks. Every day, he practiced with his wooden sword like it was a legendary blade passed down for generations. In reality, it was slightly chipped, a bit splintered, and often used to swat flies.
Still, Jiho poured his heart into it.
"Goku trained with rocks and water. Zoro with trees and cliffs. I've got dirt, bugs, and a stick. That's practically the same thing."
Today, Jiho had played a little longer than usual with the other village toddlers, mostly to maintain the illusion that he was "just a normal kid."
"Playtime is part of deep-cover training. I'm the secret boss baby of this village, after all."
But just as he was about to head home, he saw something that made him pause.
Across the path, three little girls—maybe five or six years old—were surrounding a quiet, timid girl and teasing her. Pulling her braids, mocking her clothes, being little demons in pink skirts.
Jiho blinked.
"Ah. The classic setup."
"Save the girl. She becomes attached. Fast forward ten years—bam, first love, childhood promise, maybe she becomes a yandere or something. And then some young master shows up saying, 'She's mine.' Then I kill him and the sect behind him. Do I really want to sign up for this questline?"
He looked left. He looked right.
"Nope. I'm a two-year-old with no cultivation. I can barely reach their shoulders. I'll take the long way home, thanks."
Jiho silently turned down a different path, escaping what he now called:
"Unnecessary Romantic Side Quest: Avoided."
When he got home, the sky was painted in hues of orange and purple. His father, Han Daesik, was already sharpening a blade outside the hut, the rhythmic scrape of stone on metal echoing across the small field.
"Why so late today, Jiho?" Daesik asked.
"I was playing sword fight with the other kids," Jiho replied innocently.
Technically true. Mostly pretending to trip so no one guessed he knew how to spin the sword like Zoro.
"Father," Jiho said eagerly, "Weren't you going to teach me about the mountains and the world outside? You said you traveled a lot when you were younger."
Daesik exchanged a glance with Soeun, who brought out steaming bowls of stew and rice. The smell of fried onions and herbs filled the hut.
"Sit, boy," Daesik said warmly. "Let me tell you what lies beyond our little patch of grass."
"You see, this country we live in is called the Green Kingdom," Daesik began, taking a sip of soup. "Named so because of the endless forests that stretch through its heart. We're at the edge of it, near the western wilderness."
Jiho nodded, eyes wide, though his mind was already spinning.
"Green Kingdom. Got it. Start of the map unlocked."
"There are a total of nine kingdoms and two mighty empires: the Vermilion Empire in the east and the Azure Empire in the north. Those two rule over half the continent."
Jiho's mind was already drawing mental maps like an isekai cartographer.
"So that's why the village feels so disconnected. We're tucked in the far edge of the world."
"But more important than kings and castles," Daesik said, his tone darkening slightly, "are the martial powers."
"There are Six Great Martial Families and Nine Great Sects—warriors and clans so strong, even kings think twice before offending them. Some control cities. Others guard spiritual mountains or ancient tombs."
Jiho's eyes sparkled.
"Classic Murim setup. If one of those sects doesn't try to recruit me someday, I'll sue fate."
"And then there are the cultivators," Daesik added. "They don't care for fame or power. They hide in secret places—chasing immortality and breaking the heavens."
Jiho leaned forward. "Have you ever seen one?"
"No," Daesik said. "But I've heard whispers. There's said to be one near here… a place called the Green Wood Sect. They cultivate the power of nature itself—trees, roots, even flowers that can cut through steel."
Jiho whistled in his head.
"Green Wood Sect… sounds like a potential mid-tier sect. Probably full of robed weirdos with long eyebrows."
"But," Daesik said, smiling again, "that's enough lore for today. Tomorrow, I'll take you around the edge of the mountains and teach you the terrain. But we won't go deep. Not yet."
Jiho nodded excitedly.
"Finally. Terrain knowledge. The foundation of every martial MC. I'll remember every rock and rabbit trail."
Later That Night
Jiho remembered something important—something he had overheard days ago while wandering near the markets.
Some village women had been gossiping about a party of villagers who never returned from the mountains last winter. And that party had included the same team Daesik was originally meant to lead.
"That's right. I overheard them say… only a few days after that team went out, their bodies were found torn apart in the forest. They said the monsters were unusually violent… but it wasn't just that. Some said the corpses didn't look like they were killed by beasts… it looked more like… clawed weapons."
"If I hadn't convinced Father to stay behind that day… he would've been one of them."
Jiho looked over at his father, still smiling as he ate and talked with Soeun. The man had no idea that the path he didn't take had been one of death.
"It was just a gut feeling back then. But now I'm sure… something was off on these mountains. Something beyond simple beasts. And someone was pulling the strings."
"I've seen it in too many novels. When random monsters start acting out of character, it means trouble. The slow kind. The snowball kind."
Jiho took a bite of his porridge and sighed internally.
"Sigh… It really was the right choice. Staying out of trouble and keeping Dad alive? Worth every fake tear I cried that day."
As he lay under his handmade blanket, clutching his wooden sword like a treasure, Jiho stared at the ceiling of the hut.
"So there are martial families, sects, kingdoms, and cultivators. The monsters are getting restless. People are dying mysteriously."
"And I'm just two. The real journey hasn't even started yet."
He grinned.
"One more year. Then I get the key to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."
"Just 6 damn more months."
End of Chapter 9