When I opened my eyes in the morning, my throat felt dry, I wanted to eat a bowl of porridge, and after quenching my thirst, an indescribable sense of emptiness stung me. Then, after a while, I walked outside and started practicing the Six Harmonies Sword Technique, a habit that had become second nature.
Six Harmonies Sword Technique.
It is the most common sword technique in the martial world and is considered the most basic form, the Six Harmonies Mountain Opening, which involves twisting your body to the left and then drawing a diagonal line upward with a reverse motion. In simpler terms, it's just a diagonal slash. Even a child can learn it after a few tries.
What about a single section (η―) of the Six Harmonies Sword (ε εε), which includes the Six Harmonies Mountain Opening?
It consists of 32 movements and 8 forms. It typically takes a month for an average person to master the Six Harmonies Sword. Even for low-ranking guards in the market, it takes a month of practice to learn the Six Harmonies Sword.
Moreover, it is said that to use the movements flawlessly in combat, one needs at least five years of practical experience. To reach the level of a master, one must also have internal energy to support it, which can take over 40 years to achieve.
And I had been practicing martial arts for 45 years.
Yet, I was still far from reaching the level of a master, and I continued to practice the Six Harmonies Sword Technique in a dilapidated hut every day. In the martial world, my level, even if generously estimated, would be considered second-rate, and a very ordinary one at that.
How did I end up like this?
"......"
Whish, whish!
I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from swearing and swung my sword.
No matter how much I swear, my life won't change, so I just keep it to myself.
This was the minimal comfort I had learned from living a life of garbage for a long time.
Why don't I practice any sword techniques other than the Six Harmonies Sword Technique?
It's not that I don't practice; it's that I can't practice.
I only know the Six Harmonies Sword Technique and the Three Talents Heart Method (δΈζεΏζ³) for internal energy!
I stopped swinging my sword.
And after much thought, I couldn't help but swear.
"Shit..."
I was an aspiring martial arts master.
I wasn't born into a martial arts family, nor did I receive training from a renowned master. Despite having no innate talent for martial arts, I forced myself to work as a bodyguard for a security company and dedicated myself to martial arts for one reason.
I believed it was the only way I could succeed.
I am ugly. So ugly that women would frown and walk past me when I was young, and some even spat at me. Even among men, the hatred was no different, and a few handsome guys would make fun of me or pull down my pants.
My family wasn't well-off either, so I lived in poverty. When my parents died when I was twelve, I was raised by the village chief, who treated me like a servant. I had to live as a servant to the village chief's son. After becoming independent as a bodyguard for a security company, things improved a bit, but the psychological scars from that time remain.
So, as soon as I was old enough to wield a sword, I applied to become a bodyguard for a security company and worked there for decades. Since bodyguards are provided with basic martial arts, I thought that if I practiced hard, I could succeed. I believed that with the power of martial arts, I could make something of my life, despite being ugly, having no family name, and living a shit life.
Now, I realize it was an illusion.
The security company I worked for was destroyed just two years ago by a single first-rate master. The Blood Phosphorus Hand (θ‘ηζ), a famous figure in the region, attacked the company on behalf of another security company. The bodyguards were killed one by one by the Blood Phosphorus Hand, and although the company's leader eventually killed him, the damage was irreparable.
The leader declared the company's dissolution, and I was sent out into the world with the money I had earned. I use the term "sent out" because the money I had was only fifty silver coins, which was far from enough to live on until old age. In the end, I had to choose to become a tenant farmer and live like a commoner.
But I refused to accept this as my last resort in life.
I had been practicing martial arts for decades since my late teens. Although I only knew the Six Harmonies Sword Technique and the Three Talents Heart Method, I thought I might suddenly achieve great success and strike it rich! With this thought, I built a hut in the mountains and began practicing the sword without any clear goal.
"... Ahchoo!!"
After two years of practice, I was so exhausted that I couldn't swing my sword anymore and was huddled in a corner of the hut, shivering. It was too cold to bear.
'Is... is it a cold?'
It's frustrating.
In martial arts novels, masters live in seclusion in the mountains and train with robust health, right? But I soon realized it was a given. For two years, I survived by hunting nearby animals and eating roots and mushrooms, and at my age, it was inevitable that my body would give out.
A cold is dangerous. It's not just a simple illness; I have no way to recover my strength and fight it off. If I continue like this, I will end up as a common corpse in the mountains. Realizing this, I quickly packed my belongings and prepared to leave the mountains.
As I was putting my belongings into a cloth bag, I suddenly started crying.
"Ahhchoo! Cough... Cough... Sob...."
Even as I was feverish from the cold, a wave of sorrow overwhelmed me.
How did I end up like this?
When I left the mountains, wasn't it to achieve great success and dominate the world?
But it's absurd to be leaving the mountains to survive a cold due to malnutrition and lack of strength.
Still, I had to live, so I wiped away my tears, put the bag on my back, and started down the mountain. It would take about two hours to reach the village, so I cautiously began to navigate the rugged undergrowth.
After walking for a while,
"Ugh, ughh!!"
Thud
Suddenly, I felt the ground give way, and my body was being pulled down. I quickly grabbed a branch to stop myself and saw that it was a cliff over three meters deep.
Fear overwhelmed me. If I were a master, I could easily land from a three-meter drop, but I am not. My internal energy is barely enough to fight off a cold, so if I fall, I will surely die or become crippled. I quickly threw my bag down to avoid falling immediately.
The sound of my belongings breaking echoed. But at least I avoided immediate death. I carefully moved my hands and feet along the cliff to find a foothold. After several attempts, I managed to find a place to stand and let go of the branch.
Now I had to either go down or climb up. I imagined which would be easier, but I thought going down would be better. The cliff had more footholds and contours, and if I fell while climbing, it would be disastrous. I moved with all my strength, forgetting about my cold.
Shiver, shiver
Finally, after sweating profusely, I managed to find a place to stand properly. As I caught my breath, I noticed a cave next to the cliff. It was clearly man-made, so I was curious and moved toward it. I had no choice but to explore it, as I couldn't hang on the cliff for the rest of my life.
Inside the cliff, it felt like I was alive again. I wanted to collapse and sleep, but I had to check what the cave was. So, I decided to walk further into the cave. The cave was quite deep, and I had to feel my way along the wall.
Thud
I hit my head on a stalactite and fell to the ground, suppressing a scream. Then, I noticed a light in the distance and started crawling toward it.
The light was coming from a room with a glowing pearl embedded in the wall. It was clearly an artificial place! I was so excited when I saw it.
"Hooray!"
Is this a fortuitous encounter (ε₯ηΆ)?
Is this something that only happens in novels?
I was so happy that I felt a hot surge in my throat. I started moving closer to the pearl.
At that moment,
Swoosh - Thud
"......"
What happened?
I felt a terrible pain and my vision blurred. I realized what had happened after a moment of memory loss. A metal spike had flown from the front and pierced my stomach. With my insides punctured, the pain was unbearable.
Blood gushed out. Blood spurted from my mouth.
"Ugh, ughh... Ughhh..."
I knelt down, waiting for the inevitable death.
I deeply regretted it. If I hadn't entered the cave, I wouldn't have died...
It's obvious that there would be a trap to protect the fortuitous encounter...
Why is my life so stupid and unlucky?
... Am I dying?
Am I really dying like this?
"Ugh... Ughh..."
No, that can't be.
Even if I die, I have to know what's in that box before I go!
I used my last strength to crawl toward the box. The copper box was easy to open, even in my dying state. Or rather, it was designed to open with just a touch.
"This... this is..."
As I reached into the box with my right hand, I grabbed a book (ε).
At the same time, I felt my consciousness fading due to excessive blood loss.