RTS 01

Prologue. Life and Death as a Sword

The world was in chaos.

Mountains and rivers were stained with blood, and the stench of rotting corpses filled the air.

I forged swords.
I didn’t care where the swords I made were used. It was a world where you had to do anything to survive.

It was a summer day when the world was parched by a long drought.

A warrior with a terrifying aura of killing intent came to see me.
He was the one who had brutally murdered my wife and son. As he set my smithy ablaze, he said:

“Because of a sword you forged, my sect was wiped out to the last man.”

My body was run through by a sword, yet I watched it all to the very end.

Whoooooosh!

The crimson flames consumed the bodies of my wife and son, then engulfed me.

I prayed to the heavens.
I could not die like this.
I vowed to do anything for a chance at revenge!

I was reborn.
However, I was not reborn a human, but as a sword.

It was astonishing, but in a world that had already gone mad, it didn’t matter what I became, as long as I could get my revenge.

My first master was a third-rate warrior, lost to wine and gambling. He died within three years.

About twenty years passed.
After passing through many hands, I finally met a master worthy of the name for the first time.
Renowned for his “Chivalrous Deeds,” my master could not tolerate injustice.
In his hands, I severed the heads of countless evildoers.

A strange thing happened.
The more blood I was drenched in, the more an inexplicable power seemed to accumulate somewhere within my cold steel body.

Ah!
Finally, I met him.
The original culprit—the one who killed my son and wife, who burned me alive—was right before my eyes.

My master struck him down. Gasping his last breaths, the dying man recognized me.

“That sword is……”

—Yes, it’s me. You wretched bastard who deserves to be torn apart!

Ziiiiing!

A sword cry resonated.
It was the first moment something within me communicated with the world.

The landscape of the world changed dozens of times.

As if by fate, I met Dokgo Jin.
He was barely twelve years old when he gripped me tightly and made a vow:

“I will not forgive those who killed my family. If I must become the greatest under heaven to get my revenge, then I shall do so!”

I was convinced he was a usable fellow.

From the “Plum Blossom Sword Sage” and the “Alliance Leader of the Martial World” to the “Blood Sect Leader” and the “Demon Sect Leader”…
Having nurtured many masters over the years, I resolved that this time, I would definitely make this one the greatest under heaven.

Thirty years later.
Dokgo Jin became the greatest under heaven.
Well, with me teaching him, how could he not succeed?
Though… his talent was somewhat exceptional, I suppose.

The steadfast Dokgo Jin still had not given up on his revenge.
That day, he was consulting with fellow righteous heroes of the jianghu, searching for the murderers.

Suddenly, heaven and earth shook, and Dokgo Jin vomited a bowlful of blood.
But instead of checking on him, the righteous heroes backed away.

Only then did Dokgo Jin realize the true enemy had been closest to him all along.
However, trapped in an ancient, supreme formation, there seemed to be no way for him to survive, let alone take revenge.

It was strange.
I thought I had forgotten it all, but a fire of rage blazed within me.
How could I let the greatest under heaven, whom I had nurtured, die so meaninglessly?
Moreover, as one who understood the pain of losing family better than anyone, I could not endure this moment.

Ziiiiing!

A sword cry resonated.
I gathered all my power and broke free from Dokgo Jin’s grasp.

Kwaaaang!

I cleaved heaven and earth, shattering the supreme formation.

Swish! Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh!

I severed, one by one, the heads of the original culprits hiding behind the masks of righteousness.

“How can this be…?”

Dokgo Jin finally realized I was no ordinary sword.

“Thanks to you, I could take my revenge. I am truly grateful.”

—You have some shame, at least.

For the first time in my life as a sword, I acknowledged Dokgo Jin as a friend.
That day, to the dozens of titles that adorned my name, “Heaven-Shaking Divine Sword” was added.

Another thirty years later.

Dokgo Jin, with not many days left to live, bid farewell to his family and took me somewhere.
It was the very place where I had first met Dokgo Jin long ago.
A memorial hall I had never seen before stood there.

Within the hall stood two tombstones.

—Tomb of Dokgo Jin
—Tomb of the Heaven-Shaking Divine Sword

I had met many fellows over the years, but Dokgo Jin was truly special.

—What are you trying to do?

“You’ve suffered much. The day I can no longer be with you draws near, so I thought it time for a proper farewell.”

—As you please?

“I’ve lived my whole life indebted to you. I cannot shamelessly ask you to watch over my descendants as well. Moreover, it is unjust to imprison a sword spirit like you within mere metal.”

—So what will you do?

“The reason I kept my distance from you in my final years was for this day. I wasn’t sure if I could complete the Great Art before dying, but by heavenly fortune, I can perform it now. How could I not be joyous?”

I couldn’t grasp what he was trying to do at all.

“I pray you find happiness.”

—What are you even saying? What use is talking of happiness to a mere sword… Huh?

That was the moment.
Dokgo Jin transferred his lifetime of cultivated energy and his innate true qi into me.

My vision turned white.
And then, everything vanished.

Episode 1.

The Sword Spirit Lives Again

The sky was sword-red.
It reminded me of the day, long ago, when I was dying amidst the flames engulfing my smithy.
Is this hell?

My vision blurred.
Then, darkness descended.

Plip-plip-plip-plop-plop-plop!

Rain fell.
It poured down as if a hole had been torn in the heavens, a mad deluge.
Countless raindrops felt like they were pounding my entire body.
Where in the world am I?

“He’s alive! Squad Leader Seven, Guhwangwi (Nine-Return Ghost) is alive!”
“Is it true?”
“A blade pierced his side, but it seems to have missed his vitals.”

A clamor arose.
The pungent smell of blood, the scent of wet earth, and the odor of soaked cloth stabbed at my nose.

“The battle ended three days ago… Unbelievable!”
“Revival Pills! Bring them. Quickly!”

Really, so noisy.

Suddenly, something was forced into my mouth.
Gasp!
My entire body grew hot, as if thrown into a fire.

“Color is returning to his face.”
“Looking at his grimace, sensation seems to be returning.”
“He might open his eyes soon.”
“We should call him Ten-Return Ghost now, not Nine. Stretcher! Move him to a stretcher, now!”

Guhwangwi?
What is going on?

A warrior who would do anything for money is called a nangin (ronin).
The atmosphere in the Iron Blood Gang, a branch composed of these nangin, was currently like that of a funeral home.

“Squad Leader Seven, Guhwangwi, has returned.”

It was the report of the First Squad Leader.
The Iron Blood Gang Leader, “Dark Sky Great Blade” Seolgyeong, opened his eyes wide.

“Wasn’t Squad Seven annihilated?”
“The forest area all caught fire, and then the rain came… We thought they’d been swept away by the rough currents of the Nine Dragons Gorge. But we found Squad Leader Seven about ten ri away.”

Seolgyeong’s gaze flickered slightly.

“Don’t tell me the Jaeun Sect Leader was there?”

Mentioning the target of this operation, the First Squad Leader bowed his head deeply.

“Correct.”
“Unbelievable. Chasing the fleeing Jaeun Sect Leader, then taking down an opponent several levels above him?”
Seolgyeong clicked his tongue and breathed a sigh of relief. If by any chance the Jaeun Sect Leader had survived and escaped, the fact of the Iron Blood Gang’s involvement in this battle could have been revealed.
“One of his arms must have been severed, at least?”
“About that… He sustained a stab wound to the abdomen, but he seemed like he could recover soon.”

Seolgyeong’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

“What did you say?”

Seolgyeong went to the shabby lodging where Squad Seven had stayed.
Coincidentally, Maebang, the “Danxiao Sword” and the Iron Blood Gang’s sole physician, was just leaving the room.
Seolgyeong asked the man, whose face looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

“How is Guhwangwi?”
“It seems we could call him Ten-Return Ghost now. But… something’s strange.”
“What is it?”
“He was rambling, asking where this place was, why he was here… but now he’s back to normal, as usual.”
“He faced death; it’s natural to be disoriented. What’s the big deal?”
Seolgyeong passed by Maebang, who still wore a dubious look, and entered the room.

Guhwangwi was sitting propped up on a bed with only a thin sheet, his face pale.
His torso, from neck to navel—save for the abdomen tightly wrapped in bandages—was covered in scars, telling the story of Guhwangwi’s past.

“Welcome back safely.”

Guhwangwi replied with an expressionless face.

“Wrong.”

He was a man of few words, each utterance clipped short, so his tone was the same as usual. But the word “wrong” sounded somehow extraordinary.

“Why is that? Have I ever misjudged you before?”
Sixteen years had passed since he became the Iron Blood Gang Leader. His life, and the Gang itself, were built on following orders from above and fulfilling his role in countless operations.
“Me?”
“If not that, then something must be happening above you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Black Banner Gang, who were deployed on the mission with us, helped the Jaeun Sect Leader escape.”

The Black Banner Gang was a nangin branch like the Iron Blood Gang.
And both branches belonged to the Huncheon Society, one of the three major nangin forces of the jianghu.

“How could that be…?”

Guhwangwi stared fixedly at Seolgyeong’s bewildered eyes. His face was filled with certainty, as if he could see the future clearly.

“I need to survive.”

Seolgyeong gritted his teeth.

“I’ll need to make a decision before sunset.”

Slam!
Seolgyeong hurriedly left the room.

Guhwangwi stared at the door for a while, then smiled a bitter smile.
‘Guhwangwi, the Iron Blood Gang… Careless, and I could die a dog’s death.’

—I pray you find happiness.
—What are you even saying? What use is talking of happiness to a mere sword… Huh?

The final conversation with Dokgo Jin was still vivid in my ears.
It was still unbelievable, but it was certain: after living hundreds of years as a sword, I had become human again.

‘Guhwangwi.’
This body’s life had been as lonely and wretched as my sword-life existence of mere metal.
Memories of hundreds of years as a sword, and the twenty-eight years of Guhwangwi’s life, were now both housed in this single body.
A half-journey’s worth of internal energy.
A body covered in scars and wounds.
With this, I should be able to at least get by.

But the status of Iron Blood Gang Squad Leader Seven was no walk in the park.
Thanks to the Gang Leader, Guhwangwi had been able to prevent his only younger sister from being sold into slavery.
In return, his sole dream, living as the Gang Leader’s blade, was to someday see his sister, even if only from afar.
Holding onto that one thought, Guhwangwi—with the body of a rootless, third-rate warrior—clung desperately to life at countless crossroads between life and death.

But even that had reached its limit.
‘And then I took possession of that body.’
Inheriting the memories of Guhwangwi etched in his mind, I resolved.
I must live.
For my sake, and for Guhwangwi’s sake.

I sat down in the lotus position.
In this body’s condition, I wouldn’t make it ten ri before my side burst open and I’d be seeing my own intestines.
I needed to heal this stab wound as quickly as possible.
Countless martial arts from my life as a sword flashed through my mind.

Back in his office, Seolgyeong rummaged through the documents piled on his desk.
After clearing away the heap of papers listing the names of subordinates killed in the recent battle for a long while, a single dispatch came into view.

—Jaeun Sect: Extermination.
Fifth day of the third month, first period. Hour of the Rat.
Advance payment of five hundred seventy taels of silver.
—Ma Haeryeong, Leader of the Huncheon Society

The Huncheon Society was a far superior entity to the Iron Blood Gang.
For the Iron Blood Gang, surviving under the Society’s shadow, it was an impossible mission to refuse.
Defying the Society Leader’s order would mean fewer places where the Gang’s nangin could be employed, and ultimately, they wouldn’t be able to sustain the subordinates who lived by the sword.

Upon accepting the request, they collected information on the Jaeun Sect.
But there was nothing special about the Jaeun Sect.
In cases like this, nine times out of ten there’s a hidden reason.
Though the situation was suspicious, they couldn’t back out of an already accepted request.

The Iron Blood Gang, along with the Black Banner Gang and the Wind Cloud Gang who received the same mission, carried out the operation.
The Jaeun Sect disciples’ resistance was fiercer than expected, but ultimately the three gangs achieved victory.
Yet it was a tarnished victory.
The Jaeun Sect Leader’s body could not be found.
From then on, the three gangs had to wage a second war to track down the Sect Leader.

“We thought we’d lost him, but the Jaeun Sect Leader died, so it was a done deal. So why would the Black Banner Gang help him escape?”

As Guhwangwi said, something was clearly happening.
Seolgyeong tucked Leader Ma Haeryeong’s dispatch into his sleeve and headed for Guhwangwi’s lodging.

Just as he was about to enter the entrance of Squad Seven’s lodging, where not even a hint of presence could be felt due to all members being dead, it happened.

“Enemies!”
“Ambush!”
“Block them!”

Seolgyeong immediately drew the great blade from his waist.
Right at that moment,
Swisssh!
With a sharp sound, an arrow flew toward his face.
Urgently twisting his head to avoid the arrow, he surveyed the training grounds adjacent to Squad Seven’s lodging.

Three figures in black clothes and masks were surging over the wall.
Subordinates guarding the training grounds stepped back, drawing their swords.
Seolgyeong tore into the ground with a kick and shot forward.
His raised great blade split the sky in two.

“Keuheok!”
One of the black-clad, masked figures fell.
Startled by the enemy’s ambush and forced into a numerical disadvantage, a subordinate clashed swords with one of the two remaining black-clad figures and shouted.
“Gang Leader! What is this?”
“Kill them first!”

In an instant, the sound of clashing metal rang out.
After cutting down one more black-clad figure, Seolgyeong looked back.
Damn it!
The subordinate tangled with a black-clad figure was vomiting blood.
Seolgyeong met the pain-filled eyes of the subordinate. The subordinate squeezed out all his strength to speak.

“My family… I entrust them…”
“Of course.”
Seolgyeong spoke emphatically and brought his blade down hard on the subordinate’s neck.
It was a gift of death, replacing pain.
Clang! Chang! Chang!
The cold metallic sounds of weapons grew gradually louder.
Screams and groans erupted from all directions.

Who was it? Why?
Countless people held grudges against the Iron Blood Gang, a group sold for silver.
But those who would dare to ambush the Gang’s hidden residence didn’t readily come to mind.

“I told you to watch your backs!”

Shouting, Seolgyeong took five steps in a single breath, shot forward, and swept his great blade horizontally.
Ka-kang!
The sword of an enemy aiming for Maebang’s back snapped in two and soared into the sky.
The great blade slipped through the gap and cleanly severed the enemy’s neck.

“Huh… Hoo.”
The situation was as bad as Maebang’s rough breathing.
Their subordinates, pushed back by the enemy’s ambush, were being cornered.
To make matters worse, fire arrows began to fly in, setting several buildings ablaze.
The enemy’s final attack to erase the Iron Blood Gang swept in like a wave.
‘Today must be the death anniversary.’

Right at that moment.

“Planning to die here?”

Seolgyeong turned his head to look back, his gaze flickering.
Guhwangwi, who should have been bedridden from his injuries, was standing there.
His waist was laden with three sabers and two swords. Guhwangwi’s gaze turned sharp.
At the same time, he drew one saber like lightning and shouted toward Seolgyeong.

“Duck!”

The blade flew.
It came at a speed and angle that could split a skull.
Seolgyeong instinctively ducked.
Thwack!
The sound of tearing flesh right beside him.
The moment he looked back, a black-clad, masked figure with a blade embedded in his crown was collapsing.

“Holy….”
An exclamation—or perhaps a curse—leaked from Maebang’s mouth.

Seolgyeong pulled the blade stuck in the black-clad figure’s head and held it.
Guhwangwi stared straight at Seolgyeong.
An icy gaze.
Killing intent blooming along with the smell of blood.
It was a wordless urging.
Seolgyeong made a decision.