When I came to my senses, I found myself shivering in the cold wind. Despite the straw that shielded me from the wind, a few coughs still escaped due to the morning breeze.
"......?!"
Whatâs going on?!
I was bewildered as the situation after losing consciousness was incomprehensible. I hastily looked down at my chest, but all the wounds were gone. More surprisingly, the clothes I was wearing were completely different, and my body size was entirely different.
I had shrunk.
I raised my upper body and looked around. Through the gaps in the straw, I could see the cold air currents, the smell of cow dung, and the eerie shadows of trees in the darkness. I sat there dazed for a while, but I knew this scene all too well.
'Am I dreaming?'
I know.
I know exactly what this situation is.
Itâs clearly when I was around 13, right after I lost my parents to a plague and was taken in by the village chiefâs family. Living as a servant, I slept in an empty shed near the stable. With trembling hands, I carefully cleared away the straw that shielded me from the wind.
I can see it.
The stable.
"AAAAAAH...!!"
I almost screamed.
There is only one word to describe this situation.
I have regressed to the past!
And not just any past, but to my childhood over 40 years ago!
'Can such a thing happen in this world?'
I was in a state of panic but decided to remain calm.
I decided to try moving my body. My arms and legs moved well, and the stiffness and cold of the early morning reminded me that this was real. It was too realistic to be an illusion.
I sat cross-legged and tried to circulate my energy through the Small Circulation (ĺ°ĺ¨ĺ¤Š).
To my surprise, I discovered something.
"Hmm...!! My internal energy is still intact."
Amazingly, even though I had returned to a childâs body, the internal energy I had cultivated over 50 years through the Three Treasures Heart Method was still there. While the basic effects of the cultivation method were still shallow, I was confident that this would greatly benefit my future life. I knew better than anyone that the difference between having and not having internal energy was like the difference between heaven and earth.
"Cough. Cough! Damn brats."
I coughed and cursed.
The targets of my curses were, of course, the village chief and his family.
They claimed to have taken me in and raised me, an orphan with no place to go, but I was treated like a servant from the moment I was entrusted to the village chiefâs family until I left three years later. The bullying by the village children never stopped, and I was often beaten up. The village chiefâs son would only laugh at my suffering, never offering any help.
This current situation is one of those times. My main job was to take care of three cows and clean up their dung, and I had to feed them as well. The place where I ate and slept was not a human dwelling but a shed converted from a stable, filled with the smell of cow dung. Living in such a place, it felt strange that I hadnât gone mad.
' Damn it. Itâs good to be alive, and itâs good to be back in the past, but why now...'
I found myself back in the hell of my life.
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.
My life only started to get on track when I became a low-level porter for a security company at 15 and then a low-level bodyguard at 18. From now on, I would have to endure at least five more years of hell. The thought of it made me so angry and afraid that my hands trembled.
For a while, I sat and reflected on my life.
Looking back, it was a life with no real good moments. After becoming a low-level bodyguard at 18, I managed to make a living, but the job was far from easy. I almost died fighting bandits, and a nobleman once slapped me in the face and humiliated me. Being a bodyguard meant physical labor, and I often drank to ease my tired body and fell asleep.
Why am I angry about my current state? Of course, itâs because my life as a child was even worse than my hard life as a low-level bodyguard! The thought of living through it again is worse than death. Even if my body is tired, at least as a bodyguard, I had the freedom to spend my own money, which was much better.
'What should I do now?'
I pondered for a long time.
And I came to a conclusion.
"Even if itâs just for a day, I need to confirm if this is really the past."
The next day, around three hours after dawn, I woke up and checked the stable. The cows hadnât been exposed to much cold, and none of them were sick. Although it had been decades since I last worked in a stable, I soon remembered how to do the tasks.
I stroked the nose of a large bull.
"Your name is Gold, right? I remember."
Thinking about it, I spent most of my time in the stable with the cows as my companions. I named this large bull Gold and took especially good care of him. Cows are gentle and kind by nature.
Gold seemed to understand me, blinking and rubbing his head against my hand.
I felt a slight warmth from this simple action.
' Better than humans.'
Over 50 years of life, I had come to know humans all too well. Living a life without family or friends, I had seen countless cruel and merciless people. When there was profit to be made, they would betray their friends without hesitation. It was only natural to think that mute animals were better than humans.
At that moment,
'Here it comes!'
I quickly dodged by stepping aside.
Swish!
"......"
"Uh...?"
A bewildered voice echoed. The person who had intended to douse me with water was surprised that I had easily avoided it. But even with the Three Treasures Heart Method being weak, 50 years of cultivation had given me far better senses and reflexes than an average person. Dodging a bucket of water was no big deal, even in a childâs body.
I looked directly at the person who had tried to douse me with water. As soon as I saw him, anger surged up, and my blood boiled. I clenched my fists tightly and gritted my teeth to suppress my rage.
"Whatâs the matter, young master?"
Despite my anger, my voice remained calm.
The 'young master' stood awkwardly, cleared his throat, and replied.
"Hmph! Hmph! I accidentally spilled water while trying to moisten the ground in front of the stable this morning."
"Yes."
I nodded, even though I knew it was a ridiculous excuse.
I wanted to get up and beat the 'young master' right then and there, but I held back. Having experienced numerous group dynamics, I had learned over the years how to suppress the anger that surged up from within. To calmly assess and organize the situation of being sent back to the past, I couldnât let my anger get the best of me.
The young master, a chubby, pockmarked boy.
He is the [son of the village chief].
His name is Jin Man-jae (éčŹć). Despite his grandiose name, he had no talent and was just like me. He was around my age. Despite that, he enjoyed showing off and bullying me, and I had heard that as an adult, he squandered the village chiefâs wealth on women and drinking.
"Ugh~"
Jin Man-jae began to walk around the stable, looking for something to criticize. Finding nothing, he turned to me with a confrontational tone.
"You, clean up all the dung in the stable before I return from school."
"What?"
"Do it! Do you think you can refuse?"
It was an unexpected act of bullying.
I was so angry that I forgot what to say.
'This bastard?'
I wanted to beat Jin Man-jae to a pulp right then and there, go to the kitchen, grab a kitchen knife, and slaughter the village chiefâs family. It was a realistic possibility, and my hands trembled. But recalling that such bullying was a daily occurrence, I calmed myself and spoke calmly.
"Donât worry, Iâll do it."
"......?"
My unusually calm tone made Jin Man-jae pause, sensing something off. But being a child, he didnât think much of it and snorted, disappearing somewhere. As soon as Jin Man-jae was out of sight, I spat on the ground.
Spit!
"Damn brat... Weâll see about that."
If I gain power in the future, I plan to avenge the humiliation of the past three years. The thought of slaughtering the entire village chiefâs family or making Jin Man-jae a cripple was thrilling.
However, now is not the time.
I had thought a lot about it yesterday.
I concluded that I should 'temporarily' maintain my life in the village chiefâs household. While it might be easier to run away, I had no means of survival. It was better to continue a life where I at least had food and a place to sleep.
Instead, I decided to avoid the impulsive choice of joining a security company.
'I canât be a bodyguard again.'
Even if I joined a security company and became a bodyguard, they would only teach me the Six Directions Sword Technique and the Three Treasures Heart Method.
It would be better to find a way to learn higher-level martial arts and succeed.
In my previous life, I had thought about this, but the urgency of escaping the village chiefâs household and my lack of ability led me to give up. Being hired as a low-level bodyguard was a stroke of luck.
But now, things are different.
I have 50 years of internal energy from the Three Treasures Heart Method and can wield a sword at a second-rate level. I could easily slaughter an average adult male with a kitchen knife right now.
I would be killed instantly by a first-rate martial artist, but I am stronger than a third-rate martial artist.
'If I show this achievement to martial artists, they will take me as a disciple.'
Becoming a disciple of a renowned martial artist!
This would solve my survival issues and allow me to live the life of a martial artist I had always dreamed of. I realized this was the best option given my current situation and smiled with satisfaction.
At the same time, I felt the need to gather information while living in this stable. I couldnât start planning without knowing where martial artists live and how they move.
"Damn... I should clean up the cow dung first."
I grumbled, picked up a rake and a shovel, and entered the stable. The ground was covered with cow dung, emitting a foul smell. Since the cows defecated randomly, it was impossible to clean up every day, so I cleaned every three days. Jin Man-jae had ordered me to clean up despite it not being the right time.
While cleaning the cow dung would protect the cowsâ health, it was clearly an act of bullying, and I couldnât view it positively. Moreover, Jin Man-jae would surely take credit with the village chief.
"Ugh..."
While cleaning the cow dung, the smell was so strong that I felt dizzy and had to go to the bushes to vomit. My stomach was empty, but the smell of stomach acid tickled my nose. I sat on a tree stump, resting and looking up at the blue sky.
"......!!"
At that moment, a sudden realization struck me.
My mouth trembled.
"Y-Yes! Thatâs it!!"
I am a fool.
Why did I consider a difficult path when an easier one was available?
Millennium Snow Ginseng (ĺĺš´éŞč)!
The legendary elixir that grants the power to dominate the world came to mind.