[Chapter 1]
The child was an orphan.
Abandoned so early, he didn't even have a name.
Not until he met the mortician, Bu Janyang, who specialized in funerals for those who died away from home.
"I thought you were hiding in the snow..."
A winter with fierce north winds blowing.
Bu Janyang looked at the child huddled under a snow-covered tree and held out his hand.
"Won't you come with me?"
The child, sitting with a vacant gaze, extended a hand, frozen white like the flesh of a fish.
And so, the child took Bu Janyang's surname and was given the name Eunseol.
* * *
Pyeongan Funeral House.
It was a small funeral house that mainly handled the burials of those with no known relatives or who had died away from home, reported by the Mortuary Office.
Inside the Pyeongan Funeral House.
On the wooden Mortician's Table, the body of a middle-aged man was laid out.
And before it stood a white-haired old man and a young boy, facing each other.
They were the mortician who ran the Pyeongan Funeral House, Bu Janyang, and Bu Eunseol.
"Hmm."
Bu Eunseol was examining the corpse on the Mortician's Table with a very serious gaze.
"Seol-ah."
"Yes."
Bu Eunseol, who was carefully examining the body, widened his eyes.
With skin as white as snow and black pupils, he had a face that could be mistaken for a girl's if his thick eyebrows were shaped like half-moons.
"Now, tell me what you see."
"Let me look one more time."
But unlike his beautiful features, Bu Eunseol's voice was cold and low.
A low, dry voice, like the biting wind of midwinter.
"Mm."
Bu Eunseol hummed, carefully observing the corpse as he spoke.
"He seems to be a martial artist."
"A martial artist?"
"Yes. Seeing his well-balanced muscles, it looks like he has trained in martial arts since childhood."
Bu Janyang, with a smile on his face, feigned surprise and blinked.
"Why do you say that? His body is thin and there are no calluses on his hands."
Bu Janyang shook his head and pointed to the corpse's hands.
"Swordsmen who practice the sword always have calluses on their palms. But this man has no such marks."
Swordsmen who train with the sword every day grip the hilt tightly, naturally forming calluses on their palms.
But the corpse before them had hands as soft as a woman's, with no trace of calluses.
"In the Martial World, there are hand techniques like the Jade-Breaking Hand and the Heavenly Steel Palm. If you learn a special hand technique, the calluses on your hands disappear."
"Does that mean he's a master of the sword who also learned a special hand technique?"
"No."
Bu Eunseol shook his head confidently.
"This person did not learn any hand techniques."
"Then why does a man who uses a sword not have the features of a swordsman?"
"Because this person is a master of the Earth-Planted Swift Sword."
"Oh? Why is that?"
Smiling slightly, Bu Eunseol pointed to the middle-aged man's left thigh.
"This man's left leg has abnormally developed muscles, like a master of leg techniques."
"Couldn't he just be a master of leg techniques?"
"No. This is definitely from learning the Earth-Planted Swift Sword, which can only be performed by firmly planting the lower body into the ground."
Bu Eunseol pointed to the muscles on the left leg of the middle-aged man lying on the Mortician's Table.
"If he were a master of leg techniques, the muscles around his hips and the front of his thighs, which add power to kicks, would be developed."
Bu Eunseol pointed to the sole of the corpse's foot and its calf.
"But for this man, only the muscle on the front of his left calf is most developed. This is proof that he learned the Earth-Planted Swift Sword."
"Hahaha."
Bu Janyang patted Bu Eunseol's head, looking proud.
"There's nothing more for this old man to teach you."
It was always like this.
The old man and the boy would always talk about the cause of death and what the fatal wound was while cleaning the bodies.
"So even a master of the Earth-Planted Swift Sword couldn't avoid the Shadow Needle."
Bu Janyang pointed to the area around the corpse's neck.
There, a wound was spread wide open like the wings of a butterfly.
"They must have timed the Shadow Needle for when he was performing his swift sword, severing the carotid artery in an instant. There were probably two enemies. And both were masters of hidden weapons."
Bu Janyang clicked his tongue and said quietly.
"To use a swift sword that kills in one strike, you must always be wary of the final move."
Bu Janyang began to carefully clean the body while chatting with Bu Eunseol.
"Oh my, this time it's a crime of passion."
The one on the Mortician's Table this time was the corpse of a young man whose face had been brutally disfigured.
"The resentment must have reached its peak. That's why there's a wound like this."
Bu Janyang and Bu Eunseol began to prepare the body with care.
Grumble.
When they finally finished placing the body in the coffin, a loud noise rumbled from Bu Eunseol's stomach, as if signaling the end of their work.
"Hahaha. Your belly clock is always accurate."
As Bu Eunseol lowered his head in embarrassment, Bu Janyang looked up at the sun hanging high in the sky.
"Shall we go eat at an inn for a change tonight?"
"No. Let's just have noodles. I'll cook them deliciously for you."
As Bu Eunseol calmly shook his head, Bu Janyang's expression darkened.
Morticians who prepare the bodies of those who die away from home.
They are the lowest of all morticians, treated worse than butchers.
On top of that, the foul stench of death from the corpses never leaves their bodies.
People point fingers at them, calling them unlucky, and they are often turned away at the doors of inns.
Knowing this, Bu Eunseol rarely went outside the Pyeongan Funeral House.
"Alright. Let's do that."
The old man and the boy sat on a wooden bench and began to eat their noodles.
Though the only side dish was pickled radish, Bu Eunseol ate it deliciously and happily.
It was a warm meal he never dared to dream of during his days as an orphan.
And there was his grandfather, Bu Janyang, who gave him an even warmer gaze.
"What are you staring at?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
No matter what, Bu Eunseol was happy.
He hoped that these days would continue on and on, that this life would last for a long, long time.
* * *
Deep in the night.
A small lamp was lit in the single room of the Pyeongan Funeral House.
Bu Janyang was sitting at a wooden table reading a book, while Bu Eunseol was fast asleep in a corner of the room.
"That's wrong."
"Huh?"
"It wasn't stabbed from behind. It's certain that the weapon was held in place and then pushed."
Even in his dreams, Bu Eunseol was preparing bodies and analyzing the cause of death.
"This boy. He's a truly heaven-sent mortician."
Bu Janyang smiled warmly as he watched him.
He was a grandson so precious to him.
In truth, he had never been married, nor had he ever had a child.
But after taking in Bu Eunseol, he came to know the true taste of life.
The happiness called warmth.
Swoosh.
Just then, he heard the sound of wind blowing from afar.
But Bu Janyang, with his sharp hearing, guessed that it was the sound of air being torn, produced by an incredibly fast lightness skill.
"..."
Bu Janyang stood up, his face turning cold and hard.
Those who have good intentions do not visit, and those who visit do not have good intentions.
"Hoo."
Bu Janyang blew out the lamp and quietly left the room.
He opened the main gate and slowly stepped outside.
Whooosh.
As a bleak wind blew, the dark sky seemed to dye itself an even deeper shade of black.
Bu Janyang stood tall in front of the gate, his eyes closed.
He seemed lost in deep thought, but he was actually using the peak-level Air-Strike Eavesdropping to meticulously search the area within three hundred jang.
"So that's what it was."
Bu Janyang opened his eyes again, his face grim as he muttered.
He then went back into the room and woke Bu Eunseol.
"Seol-ah."
"Yes. Yes?"
"Shall we play the corpse game today as well?"
"At this time of night?"
Bu Janyang spoke in a gentle voice to Bu Eunseol, who was rubbing his eyes.
"This corpse game is a little different. You must not come out until the sun rises."
"Until the sun rises?"
"Yes. If you succeed this time, I'll get you the Ceremonial Robe and Peachwood Sword you've been pestering me for."
"Ceremonial Robe and Peachwood Sword?"
Bu Eunseol's eyes shot open.
Because he was still young, there were no Ceremonial Robes or Peachwood Swords that fit him, so he always pestered Bu Janyang.
But Bu Janyang had always refused, saying he wasn't old enough to use a Ceremonial Robe and Peachwood Sword yet.
"I'll do it right away."
Excited, Bu Eunseol was about to get into one of the standing coffins, but Bu Janyang waved his hand.
"This time, you'll get into the Iron Coffin."
"The Iron Coffin?"
The Iron Coffin was, as the name suggested, a coffin made of iron.
Long ago, when Bu Eunseol had asked about the Iron Coffin's purpose, Bu Janyang had said this.
"This is the coffin I will use when I die."
"I don't want to. The Iron Coffin is..."
Feeling that something was wrong, Bu Eunseol shook his head, but Bu Janyang gave a benevolent smile.
"Don't worry. This old grandfather is just testing you so I can buy you a Ceremonial Robe and a Peachwood Sword."
"Really?"
"Of course. When have I ever broken a promise to you?"
As he gently stroked his head, Bu Eunseol grinned and nodded.
"I understand!"
Clang.
As Bu Janyang watched Bu Eunseol get into the Iron Coffin, his eyes grew dim.
'The boy.'
Swoosh.
Just then, the sound of tearing air was heard again, and the smile on Bu Janyang's face hardened.
Step, step.
With a cold expression, he went out the main gate and stood tall like a village guardian post.
How much time had passed?
"Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Janyang."
Just then, a low voice reached Bu Janyang's ears.
"Finally, I've caught you by the tail."
When Bu Janyang opened his eyes, a Man in Black Robes was approaching, his body held ramrod straight.
It was a truly astounding lightness skill.
"The Seven-Finger Demon Blade."
Bu Janyang let out a deep sigh.
"It's a name I haven't heard in a long time."
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Janyang.
The Greatest Demonic Swordsman.
A martial arts fanatic who cut off three of his own fingers to perfect his tyrannical saber technique.
A Great Killing Star who sought out and mercilessly slaughtered countless Great Righteous Masters of the Righteous Faction, and even the reclusive Top Masters from Previous Generations.
This member of the Demonic Faction, who had made the Martial World tremble in fear, had risen to the position of Vice Lord of the Demon Palace, which could be called the Martial Alliance of the demonic world.
He was a master who had achieved all the glory a martial artist could possibly achieve.
"Did you want to live that badly?"
The Man in Black Robes looked at Bu Janyang and gave a cold smile.
"To refuse the position of Vice Lord of the Demon Palace and disappear... hiding like a rat while working as a mortician that even vagrants shun. It's enough to make a dog laugh."
"Hahaha."
Bu Janyang let out a low laugh and shook his head.
"The reason this old man works as a mortician is to atone for the wrongs I've committed in the past."
"Atone?"
"For those who died at my hands in the name of protecting the peace of the Martial World."
As Bu Janyang continued to speak, his eyes were filled with desolation.
"But the Martial Alliance has once again... created someone like me."
Bu Janyang could guess that the Man in Black Robes was doing exactly what he himself had done in the past.
"Well, it would be troublesome if I were still alive. Since I'm what you could call the greatest shame of the Righteous Faction."
"If you know that, then take your own life."
"In the end, you too will be thrown away like me. Miserably."
"You worry about the strangest things."
The Man in Black Robes said with a confident face.
"Do you think I'll be reduced to a tool for slaughtering masters, like you?"
"The end is the same for a spy who hides his true identity and wanders the Martial World slaughtering masters. Isn't that right?"
In truth, Bu Janyang wasn't a mad Killing Star who slaughtered masters, but a Double Agent that the Martial Alliance had cultivated with all its strength.
"The Martial Alliance has long created double agents like you and me. To slaughter the members of the Righteous Faction who were thorns in their side. To manipulate the Righteous Faction to their liking and reign over the Martial World."
"You really talk a lot."
"I say this because I have walked the same path before you."
The Man in Black Robes scoffed and said.
"Are you asking me to treat you like a senior?"
"Of course not. There's no hierarchy in spying."
Bu Janyang gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"I'm just advising you to stop this kind of work, even now."
"That's so thoughtful it brings tears to my eyes."
The Man in Black Robes shook his head and took out a command token from his waist.
"Bu Janyang. Just because you went through that, don't think others will suffer the same fate."
The token the man held out shimmered with five colors, and the characters for 'Star Guard' were engraved on it.
It was a token indicating he was from the Star Guard, one of the Seven Great Battle Units of the Martial Alliance.
"I am different from you. I haven't hidden my identity; I'm officially registered with the Martial Alliance. From now on, I will walk the path of success."
The Man in Black Robes wore a smile full of ambition.
"If I take care of you, I'll at least receive the position of Vice Leader... perhaps even Hall Master."
"I see."
Bu Janyang let out a ragged breath.
"You really are different from me."
The Man in Black Robes was truly a different person from him.
Raised by the Martial Alliance, he wasn't just following its orders; he was baring his fangs to devour the Martial Alliance itself.
"If you understand, then please die gracefully."
-End of Chapter 1-