Amid the wreckage, in a sea of corpses, there was a vague figure holding a body in his arms, staring into the void.
Suddenly, salty liquid fell from his eyes, and he screamed:
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHGH!"
"Why… why? All of this is because of me! Because I wasn't strong enough!"
"I must change it! I must change it, no matter the cost!"
Suddenly, he heard a mocking laugh.
He lifted his head and looked with hatred toward the figure standing at a distance. He drew his sword and charged at him.
"I'll kill you!"
The other man laughed. "Hahaha, try if you can."
He tried to cut the man's neck, but the man dodged every strike. No matter how hard he tried, the man blocked all of his attacks.
Finally, the man counterattacked, his sword piercing the young man's body. He fell to the ground, glaring with hatred and resentment.
"I'll make you regret it… ugh… I won't rest until I kill you, no matter the cost…"
=====
"Haaah… hah…"
'What is this nightmare?'
A man woke up from his dream, drenched in sweat. He looked at his trembling hands.
'The same nightmare repeated so many times… I always feel like I must never forget it…'
He sighed. "Never mind… I'll go take a shower."
He stood up, walked toward the bathroom, unbuttoned his white shirt, and took it off. Looking into the mirror, he saw a man in his twenties, with Asian features, black hair, and black eyes. The reflection showed eyes empty of emotion.
His reflection also revealed an old scarred body.
He continued his shower, then sat by the window of his small apartment, watching the sunrise as his memories surfaced.
His name was **Song Won Jo**, a man who lived in Korea. For some reason, no one ever liked him — not even his own family. His parents couldn't accept his existence. Every time his father came home from work, he would beat him, torture him with a hot knife, and make him beg for mercy. Song never understood why his father did that, until eventually, his face lost all trace of emotion — he no longer even knew how to smile, ever since he was five years old.
He was also very intelligent — a genius capable of achieving perfect grades in any subject, even in sports, and could learn combat moves at a remarkable speed.
His classmates disliked him regardless of his many attempts to make friends. He never understood why they hated him, and eventually, he gave up.
One day, when he was fifteen, he returned home and found his father extremely angry — maybe he had been fired from his job; Song didn't know why.
But he sensed something different about his father's anger that day — it wasn't like usual.
He tried to hide, but it was too late. His father grabbed a knife and shouted hysterically:
"All of this is because of you! If it weren't for you, you cursed monster!"
He lunged at him, missing his heart and stabbing Song's arm instead.
Song managed to run and hide in his room, locking the door quickly as loud banging started. His heart was racing.
"Open it, you monster!"
"I should've killed you long ago!"
"Because of you, my wife died! Because of your cursed luck!"
"My life is hell because of you!"
Bang! Bang!
"Open it now!"
Song's body trembled, and he started crying.
'It wasn't my fault… she died in an accident.'
'You both hated me even before the accident.'
'Everyone I meet hates me, even though I've done nothing wrong…'
Bang! Bang!
"Open it or I'll break it down, you damned thing!"
Terrified, he crawled under the bed, searching, and pulled out an old phone he had hidden after finding it near a trash bin. His hands shaking, he called the police.
"H-help! Please, help me! My father is trying to kill me!"
Bang! Bang!
"Open the door, you monster! I'll kill you today!"
Song's hand was bleeding from the stab wound, his whole body trembling with fear.
("Hello? Hello? Don't be afraid, tell me your address quickly.")
Song gave the address, his voice trembling.
("Okay, we're coming. Don't be afraid.")
"Open the door!" *Boom! Boom!*
Song sat hugging his knees, shaking. He didn't even seem to care about the bleeding wound anymore. After what felt like forever, he heard commotion behind the tightly locked door.
Finally, the police arrived and arrested his father. They entered the room and began trying to calm Song down.
"Don't be afraid, we're here."
"He won't hurt you anymore."
Even though the officers tried to comfort him, Song could sense their discomfort — the same feeling of rejection.
His face darkened with sadness.
'…Even the police who came to help me feel disgusted by me… why?'
His father was sent to prison for abuse and attempted murder. Song Won Jo was taken to the hospital for treatment. He was fifteen at the time.
After being discharged, he used the money he got from selling the house — which he inherited after his father's imprisonment — and found a cheap apartment. He lived there, away from people.
When he was a child, he had wanted to socialize, to make friends, but for some reason, everyone he met disliked him — even just by looking at him. Eventually, he gave up hope and stopped trying. He also stopped wanting to be around people.
He stayed in his room, reading novels to escape his harsh reality.
One day, he decided to write his own story — titled **"The Search for Hope."**
It was about a boy named **Kai**, who grew up in a loving family in a peaceful mountain village. He loved learning swordsmanship.
One day, the village was attacked by bandits who looted and killed everyone, including Kai's parents.
He miraculously survived at the age of ten. While wandering, he was found by a group of mercenaries who took him in and taught him how to slay monsters that had been emerging from dungeons on Earth for the past 500 years.
After four years as a mercenary, Kai decided to enroll in **Hope Academy** — and there, his adventures, or perhaps his tragedies, began.
For some reason, *The Search for Hope* became famous very quickly.
Anyway, Song Won Jo left his room, expressionless as ever.
He went out to buy vegetables and some essentials to cook for himself. He stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the speeding cars to stop at the red light.
Suddenly, he heard noise behind him and turned around to see what was happening.
A group of friends were fighting — pushing each other — and during the scuffle, he was shoved off the curb and fell onto the road.
He looked up, shocked, as a speeding truck rushed toward him.
'Hah… what? Looks like my miserable life ends here…'