The Spear God, Jin Ryeong.
That was the name the world used to praise me.
They said my spear could pierce the heavens, divide the seas, and slay the Demon Lord who had turned the Central Plains into a living hell.
And they were right.
Crunch.
My spear, forged from dark star iron, shattered the Demon Lord's final barrier. It pierced his heart, pinning the calamitous being to his throne of bones.
"You... arrived... too late..."
The Demon Lord mocked me with his dying breath.
"The world... is already... ashes."
I didn't answer. I twisted the spear.
He was right. I was the strongest, but I was also the latest.
I looked down at my hands. They were trembling. Not from fear, but from the exhaustion of a hundred-year war.
I had dominated the martial world. I had attained the very peak of the Spear. I had grown to be a god among mortals.
But what was the point?
The Baek Family was annihilated thirty years ago.
The woman who had given a starving orphan a rice ball, the only person who had ever smiled at me without hidden intent—Baek Seol-hwa.
She died while I was secluded in a cave, swinging a stick, obsessed with becoming the 'strongest'.
By the time I came out, boasting my invincible martial arts, her head was already hanging on the city gates.
I conquered the world to avenge her, but revenge is just pouring water into a cracked jar. It never fills the emptiness.
"You look like a man who has lost everything, despite having everything."
I turned my head.
Sitting amidst the ruins of the Demon Palace was an old man reading a book.
"The Keeper of the Akashic Records?"
"You recognize me. Interesting."
"I killed your brother. The Guardian of the East."
"He was an annoying fellow. You did me a favor."
The old man closed his book.
"Jin Ryeong. Your karma is heavy. You saved the world, but you failed to save your world."
"Save the riddles."
"I offer a trade. The merit of saving humanity in exchange for a second chance."
My eyes narrowed.
"Regression?"
"Yes. But you cannot take your power with you. The 'Spear God' will cease to exist. You will return to the gutter you crawled out of."
"Does it matter?"
I pulled my spear from the Demon Lord's corpse and threw it aside.
"I never wanted to be a God. I just wanted to be there when the gates opened."
"If you go back, what will you do? Will you train faster? Become a genius again?"
"No."
I looked at the ashes of the world.
"In my past life, I was a wandering martial artist. I roamed the world seeking strength while she was in danger. This time..."
I clenched my fist.
"I will stand by her door. From the very beginning."
"A Guard? You, the Spear God, would demean yourself to be a mere gatekeeper?"
"If it means she lives, I will be a dog. I will be a ghost. I will be the bloodstain on the floor."
The old man smiled. It was a terrifying smile.
"Then go. The ink of history is wet once more."
The world dissolved into white.
"Get up, you trash!"
A rough kick landed on my ribs.
"Ugh."
Pain.
It was a sensation I hadn't felt in decades. My body of the Diamond Indestructible Bone was gone.
I opened my eyes.
The sky was gray. The smell of wet earth and unwashed bodies filled my nose.
I was lying in a line of beggars and rugged men outside a massive stone wall.
"If you're here for the recruitment, stand up straight! The Captain is coming!"
I looked at my hands.
Skinny. Malnourished. Covered in grime.
I touched my dantian. Empty. A barren wasteland without a drop of inner energy.
I had returned.
I looked up at the gate. The sign hanging above it made my heart stop.
[Baek Family Residence]
I remembered this day.
It was twenty years before the Great War. The day the Baek Family recruited new servants and guards.
In my past life, I sat here, looked at this gate, and turned away. I had thought, 'A man should not be a servant. I will go to Mount Hua and learn real martial arts.'
That arrogance cost me everything.
"Next!"
A burly man with a thick beard shouted. He was the Vice-Captain of the Guards, a man named Go Chil. I remembered him. He died early, running away during the first raid.
I stepped forward.
"Name?"
"Jin."
"Just Jin?"
"I have no family name."
Go Chil sneered. He looked me up and down.
"Skin and bones. We need guards, not scarecrows. Can you even lift a sword?"
The men behind me snickered.
"Go to the kitchens, kid. Maybe they need someone to scrub pots."
I didn't get angry.
Compared to the killing intent of the Demon Lord, his ridicule was like a gentle breeze.
"I am applying for the Guard position."
"Hah! You have guts. Or maybe you're just stupid."
Go Chil pointed to a weapon rack nearby.
"Fine. Since we're short on hands, I'll give you a chance. Pick a weapon. If you can last ten breaths against me, you're hired."
"Ten breaths?"
"Too long? Fine, five breaths."
"No."
I walked to the weapon rack.
I ignored the shiny swords and the heavy sabers.
I reached into the back, pulling out a wooden practice spear. It was warped and splintered.
"One breath is enough."
"What?"
"I said, one breath."
The crowd went silent. Then, laughter erupted.
"This beggar is crazy!"
"He thinks he's a master!"
Go Chil's face turned red. He drew his wooden practice sword.
"You arrogant little rat. I was going to go easy on you, but now I'll break your legs and throw you out."
He took a stance. It was the 'Stone Breaking Stance'—a basic, forceful technique relying on brute strength.
I stood loosely. I held the spear with one hand, the tip dragging on the ground.
I had no inner energy. My muscles were weak. My stamina was pathetic.
But my eyes could see the flow of the wind. My mind remembered the weight of the world.
"Come," I whispered.
"Die!"
Go Chil lunged.
It was fast for a third-rate martial artist. But to me?
It was a painting standing still.
He put too much weight on his front foot. His shoulder telegraphed the strike. His grip was too tight.
I didn't need strength to defeat him. I needed leverage.
As his sword came down to smash my shoulder, I stepped into his range.
Tap.
I lightly kicked his front shin.
"Uk?"
His balance broke.
At the same time, I brought the butt of the spear up, hooking it under his wrist.
Thwack.
His sword flew into the air.
And before he could scream, the tip of my wooden spear was already resting against his throat.
Silence.
The laughter died instantly.
Go Chil stood frozen, sweat dripping down his forehead. He hadn't even seen me move.
One breath.
Exactly as I said.
I lowered the spear and bowed politely.
"I got lucky. You slipped."
It was a blatant lie. Everyone saw it. But it was a lie that saved his face.
Go Chil swallowed hard. He looked at me with fear, realizing that if this were a real battle, his throat would have a hole in it.
"You... you passed."
"Thank you."
I placed the spear back on the rack.
"Assign him to the Outer Wall! Night shift!" Go Chil barked, trying to regain his authority, sending me to the worst possible post.
"Understood."
I didn't mind.
The Outer Wall was the first line of defense. It was the perfect place to kill intruders before they could disturb Her sleep.
I received a rough cotton uniform and a wooden token.
I walked through the gates of the Baek Family Residence.
The air inside was different. It smelled of refined incense and blooming flowers.
I stopped and looked toward the Inner Court, hidden behind high walls and luxury gardens.
She was in there.
Living, breathing, and unaware that the world would end in twenty years.
I didn't try to go see her.
I was currently a lowly guard with a suspicious background. Trying to approach the Lady now would only get me killed or exiled.
I needed to build trust. I needed to root out the traitors within the family. I needed to sharpen this weak body back into a weapon.
I patted the rough uniform.
"This suits me better than the robes of a God."
Tonight, for the first time in thirty years, I would stand guard.
And woe betide any rat that tries to cross my wall.