You underestimate people. (4)

A dreadful pain throbbed in his thigh. The blow he had allowed moments ago seemed to have penetrated deeper than he thought.

Dizziness intermittently clouded his vision. Whether it was from losing too much blood or from the poison seeping into his wounds, he couldn’t tell. His breath grew increasingly heavier.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

But he couldn’t stop now.

“Chase him!”

A harsh voice echoed not far away. The pursuers were relentless and merciless. The moment they caught him, he would suffer enough to beg for death.

It wasn’t the pain that scared him. What truly frightened him was the thought of ending his life in a place like this, achieving nothing and dying alone, waiting for death like a despicable bug. That, he couldn’t bear.

Ssssssk!

At that moment, sharp pain pierced his calf.

“Ugh!”

Losing his balance, the boy stumbled forward, tumbling to the ground with the momentum of his run. After several bounces and rolls, he finally lay sprawled out.

Whish!

With a short sound, a few figures descended in front of the boy.

“Yes, this guy…!”

Clad in blue uniforms, they glared at the boy with vicious and malicious eyes. Despite already being injured and lying on the ground, there was no pity in their gaze. Their eyes burned with such intensity that even the gaze of an executioner seemed gentler in comparison.

Yet, there was a legitimate reason behind their hatred towards the boy.

“How dare you… not only steal the precious treasures of the Hall [hall as a ‘sect’ used mostly in evil sects’ names], but also kill Bangju?”

“We will torture you to repay the grudge for Bangju’s death.”

The boy lying before them may appear naive and powerless at first glance, but in reality, he was a wicked demon feared even by snakes and scorpions.

He attacked Bangju, who had treated him with infinite kindness and bestowed grace upon him, saying he would make him his successor. But then he snatched Bangju’s hidden ultimate technique [진신절기] and ran away

And the number of lives he had taken during his escape had reached tens or even hundreds.

“Even a dumb dog knows what gratitude is. You, you worthless scoundrel! Bangju cherished you so much!”

“K-k-k-k-keuk.”

The boy, who had been lying down, chuckled and slowly raised his upper body.

“Gratitude, you say…”

Between the blood-soaked and disheveled hair, pale eyes emerged. Sinister madness emanated from them.

“Is there such a thing in this world?”

“What… what are you saying?”

“That old man, too, only raised me to use me as his pawn. If I didn’t have talent, would such ‘grace’ have come to me?”

“This bastard…”

“People are so strange. They never think about such things in their daily lives, but when they have to speak up, they act as if it’s something remarkable.”

The boy clenched his fists as if grasping the ground and slowly rose to his feet.

“You fool. Even if it was Bangju’s will, if you had calmly followed him in your progress, you could have become a renowned master. You squandered that opportunity yourself. And as a consequence, you will die miserably.”

“A renowned master… by becoming a disciple of such an old bastard?”

The boy burst into laughter at the absurdity of that statement. His laughter was mixed with biting mockery and self-deprecation. It didn’t seem like the laughter that would come from a young boy’s mouth.

A renowned master? What difference would it make to soar to fame in such backwater corners?

A life of utter insignificance, a fame of utter insignificance.

How worthless is a life spent scrambling for such things?

Perhaps some could find satisfaction in such things. But the boy, at least, was not one of them. A life unfulfilled was more dreadful than a miserable death.

“Not just Bangju! Everyone had hopes pinned on you. If only you…”

“Hopes? What for?”

The boy scoffed at the man.

“Will my greatness change your lives?”

“You, you…!”

“Do you think your worth changes because of that? It’s a useless life anyway.”

The man was now on the brink of foaming with rage. Then, a sharp voice cut through from the boy’s mouth.

“The Hall? Hopes? That’s why you live like this. The only thing you can trust is yourself! If you want to change, if you want to gain, the only one you should abuse is yourself. If an unqualified person tries to obtain something beyond their means, the only thing left is misery.”

“…”

“I don’t live like that. If I want something, I’ll obtain it with my own hands, and I’ll endure the sacrifices I have to make for it.”

A child’s ignorance or the arrogance of someone who doesn’t know the world… Could that boy be described in those words?

The boy’s voice carried venom that even those who had lived twice as long would find difficult to handle. It was impossible to guess its origin.

“…It was you.”

Then, a voice from a man resounded as if he was groaning in pain. Like he had finally realized something.

“You’re the one who killed Somunju [소문주 – some type of a commander?] of the Morning Peak Gate [조령문(朝嶺門)] and escaped with the treasures… You’re also the one who killed the concubine of the Evil Tyrant’s Hall [악호방(惡豪房)] and escaped after taking everything… It was all you.”

Upon hearing those words, everyone looked at the speaker in shock.

“So, all the incidents that occurred within the sects over the past few years…?”

“…It can’t be. They couldn’t have been that foolish, could they?”

“Did we fall victim to our own stupidity?”

At that, everyone fell silent.

No, they weren’t stupid. Absolutely not.

The Bright Path Hall [명도방(明道房)] had formidable reputation in Fuzhou. If their leader was truly foolish, how could he have attained such a position?

“We’re not the ones who are foolish. It’s him! He’s the one who’s cunning beyond measure. Cunning enough to deceive and outwit everyone in such a short span of time.”

The men gritted their teeth. Someone muttered with a face of disdain.

“Worse than a dog.”

“Tsk tsk…”

The boy wiped the blood trickling down his face slowly. The crimson blood, like exaggerated makeup on a theater actor, streaked along the corners of his mouth. At first glance, he seemed like a madman laughing heartily with his mouth wide open.

Just that expression alone completely transformed the boy’s demeanor. What once appeared innocent and gentle now resembled the face of a sinister demon.

“Is that truly my fault?”

“What nonsense are you spouting again…!”

“Do you think you can understand? What I’m thinking right now. How I’m looking at you at this moment.”

The man’s face contorted in confusion. He couldn’t grasp what the malicious brat was trying to say.

“You wouldn’t know. Of course, you wouldn’t. You couldn’t possibly understand. Things like another’s heart, another’s intentions, are beyond your comprehension. You could stand there, seething with hatred, and yet never truly understand.”

The men’s eyes flickered briefly. The boy let out a smirk.

“But why did you believe in a stranger so blindly, with such audacity? And why do you rage now, claiming betrayal? Do you think the trust you gave must be reciprocated? That failing to do so gives you the right to blame and curse the other?”

“What nonsense is this…”

“If that’s the case, it’s utterly ridiculous.”

Perhaps this wasn’t mere mockery but genuine curiosity.

The boy couldn’t comprehend it. Those who relied on others, those who placed expectations on others, even those who believed others would act according to their desires…

In the boy’s eyes, it was akin to throwing oneself into a deep well with no bottom in sight, relying on baseless optimism and blind faith, not knowing what monsters lay within the abyss.

They might see him as a madman, but to the boy, it was the world itself that was insane, filled with those who were not in their right minds.

To him, such a world was both repulsive and incredibly beautiful, shining brightly. That’s why he wanted to grasp it in his hands, this world filled with things he could never possess.

“Whatever you say doesn’t matter. We will make you pay for what you’ve done.”

“And who are you to do that?”

“I admit your gut, but little one, you know too little of the world. And because of you, others will come to know just how cruel and thorough the vengeance of the Bright Path Hall can be!”

Upon hearing this, the boy laughed.

Of course, his physical condition was dire. Amidst this, other pursuers were also closing in from afar. Yet, the boy felt neither loneliness nor solitude.

“That’s why those with twisted minds…”

“What did you say?”

“You said it yourself. The one who stole the secrets of Morning Peak Gate and the one who stole the treasures of Evil Tyrant’s Hall… they’re both me.”

Upon hearing those words, the others flinched.

“So, what do you think I did with those? Sold them off for some change?”

“Just, just get that guy…”

“Do you understand now? I didn’t escape because I feared the likes of you. It’s because I didn’t want my name to spread further from here. You should have known!”

From the boy’s eyes, a fierce madness emanated.

A scream, fueled by malice, echoed from somewhere.

A feeling of death that pierces the skin could be felt from far away.

It seemed as though the whole world was swirling with malevolence, solely focused on capturing and killing that one person.

But it didn’t matter. The world was like this from the beginning. Besides, he didn’t want the world to be any different.

The moment this filthy world submits and lays beneath his feet, he will fully grasp the reason for his existence in this world. Even if he walks that path and ends up torn to shreds, leaving not even a single trace of his flesh behind, there will be no regrets.

Just one laugh, and then off to hell.

“Come at me!”

As he faces the charging enemies, the boy, with a glint in his eye, laughed.

‘I will claim it all.’

All those things he couldn’t obtain.

❀ ❀ ❀

Slowly opening his eyes, Jang Ilso gazed lazily out the window.

‘It’s a rare occurrence.’

Dreams were not something he often indulged in, especially not the miserable ones from the past.

Lost in thought, Jang Ilso suddenly found himself pondering.

Had he obtained what he sought?

No, not yet. He had not acquired anything.

Neither the power that others coveted so bitterly, nor the exalted reputation, nor even the wealth that would never run out even if he spent it his whole life, seemed significant.

None of those were truly what he had desired to attain.

But Jang Ilso was certain. If he persisted on this path, soon everything would fall into his hands. What came after…

“…Well.”

Jang Ilso murmured with a bored expression.

“As for what comes after, that’s not for me to know. Isn’t that right?”

Most people didn’t understand.

For some, it wasn’t the life they would gain by achieving their goals, but rather the fact of achieving the purpose itself that was far more important.

Perhaps someone struggling in hellish circumstances right now would understand that.

Just as Jang Ilso of the past had.

And perhaps he would feel everything the past Jang Ilso had felt.

Jang Ilso had forsaken everything and survived. But could he really?

“Either way, it’s fine.”

A seemingly compassionate smile flickered briefly. But his red lips twisted eerily, exuding a sinister aura.

“It’s not bad that you’re coming this way either.”

Perhaps Jang Ilso would gain something after all.

The one and only in the world. The only one who could truly understand him.