The rain fell quietly over the city.

Police sirens echoed in the distance, but inside the dark apartment, everything was silent.

A man sat on the floor.

Blood spread slowly across the wooden tiles.

His name was Kang Jinhyuk.

In front of him lay three bodies.

His expression was calm… almost bored.

“Is that all?” he muttered.

The thrill he once felt when killing someone had long disappeared. Every victim was the same. The same fear. The same begging.

Humans were predictable.

Footsteps suddenly echoed outside.

“POLICE! OPEN THE DOOR!”

Jinhyuk smiled faintly.

“So they finally came.”

He stood up and walked toward the window. The red and blue lights of police cars flashed below.

There was no escape.

But he never planned to escape anyway.

Life had already become boring.

The door burst open.

Armed officers rushed inside.

“DROP YOUR WEAPON!”

Jinhyuk slowly turned toward them, holding the knife loosely in his hand.

For a moment, the room was silent.

Then—

BANG.

Gunshots echoed.

Everything turned black.

Jinhyuk slowly opened his eyes.

“…Am I dead?”

But this was not heaven. And it definitely wasn’t hell.

He stood in an endless black space.

There was no ground. No sky. Only darkness.

Suddenly—

A voice echoed across the void.

Deep. Ancient. Powerful.

“Interesting.”

Jinhyuk turned around.

A man sat on a throne made of shadows.

His long black hair floated like smoke, and his eyes glowed crimson.

Even without moving, his presence crushed the surrounding space.

“Who are you?” Jinhyuk asked calmly.

The man smiled.

“I am the one humans fear and worship.”

“The ruler of the Demonic Path.”

“The one they call…”

“The Heavenly Demon.”

Jinhyuk stared at him silently.

Instead of fear… he felt curiosity.

The Heavenly Demon laughed.

“You died without regret.”

“You killed without guilt.”

“You are… quite entertaining.”

Jinhyuk crossed his arms.

“So what? Are you here to judge me?”

The Heavenly Demon leaned forward slightly.

“No.”

“I am bored.”

For thousands of years, the Heavenly Demon had watched the Murim world.

Heroes. Villains. Wars between sects.

But everything had become predictable.

Until he saw Kang Jinhyuk.

A human without empathy.

A perfect monster.

“So,” the Heavenly Demon said with a grin, “I will give you a new life.”

Suddenly the darkness trembled.

A strange energy surrounded Jinhyuk’s body.

“You will enter the world of Murim.”

“A world of martial artists… sects… and endless killing.”

Jinhyuk’s eyes slowly lit up with excitement.

“For what reason?”

The Heavenly Demon’s smile widened.

“Entertainment.”

A glowing symbol suddenly appeared on Jinhyuk’s chest.

“This is my gift.”

“Every time you kill someone strong…”

“You will absorb their memories, emotions, and martial arts.”

Jinhyuk chuckled quietly.

“That sounds fun.”

“But be careful.”

The Heavenly Demon’s voice became colder.

“The more minds you absorb…”

“The more unstable you will become.”

“Eventually, you may lose yourself.”

Jinhyuk didn’t hesitate.

“I don’t care.”

For the first time in years, his heart was beating faster.

The Heavenly Demon laughed loudly.

“Good.”

“Then let the game begin.”

The darkness shattered.

Jinhyuk felt his body falling endlessly.

Wind roared around him.

And then—

THUD.

He crashed onto the cold ground.

Pain shot through his body.

Jinhyuk slowly opened his eyes.

He was lying in the middle of a forest.

His body felt weak.

His clothes were old and torn.

But in the distance… he heard something.

The sound of swords clashing.

Martial artists fighting.

Jinhyuk slowly stood up.

A strange smile spread across his face.

“Murim, huh…”

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Let’s see how long you survive.”

Cold wind brushed against Kang Jinhyuk’s face.

He slowly pushed himself up from the ground.

His body felt strange.

Weak.

Much weaker than before.

He looked down at his hands. They were thinner… younger.

“So I really reincarnated.”

The forest around him was dark and silent. Tall trees stretched toward the sky like shadows.

Then—

CLANG!

The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest.

Swords.

People were fighting nearby.

Jinhyuk’s lips slowly curved into a smile.

“Perfect timing.”

He quietly moved toward the sound.

Soon, the trees opened into a small clearing.

Two groups of martial artists were fighting fiercely.

One side wore blue robes with a cloud symbol on their chests.

The other group wore black clothes and covered their faces.

Bandits.

A young man in blue robes shouted while blocking a sword.

“You bastards! This area belongs to the Azure Cloud Sect!”

One of the bandits laughed.

“Then protect it better!”

Their blades clashed again.

Jinhyuk hid behind a tree, silently watching.

The movements of the fighters were incredible. They moved faster than normal humans.

Their swords cut through the air with deadly precision.

“So this is Murim martial arts…”

His eyes sparkled with interest.

After several minutes of fighting, the situation became clear.

The Azure Cloud disciples were losing.

Two of them were already lying on the ground, bleeding.

The bandit leader stepped forward with a cruel grin.

“You disciples are too weak.”

With a powerful swing—

SLASH!

Another disciple fell.

Only one remained.

The young man breathing heavily dropped to one knee.

“Damn… it…”

The bandits surrounded him.

“Kill him,” the leader ordered.

The bandit raised his sword.

But before the blade could fall—

THUD.

A small stone suddenly struck the bandit’s head.

Everyone turned.

Standing at the edge of the clearing was Kang Jinhyuk.

He looked completely relaxed.

The bandits frowned.

“Who the hell are you?”

Jinhyuk shrugged.

“Just someone passing by.”

The bandit leader sneered.

“Then you chose the wrong place to pass.”

He pointed his sword.

“Kill him too.”

One bandit rushed toward Jinhyuk.

The bandit swung his sword wildly.

But Jinhyuk didn’t move.

At the last moment—

He stepped aside.

The blade cut only air.

Before the bandit could react—

CRACK.

Jinhyuk grabbed his arm and twisted it violently.

The bone snapped instantly.

“AAAAAH!”

The bandit screamed.

Jinhyuk calmly took the sword from his hand.

Then—

SLASH.

Blood sprayed across the ground.

The bandit’s body collapsed.

For a moment, the entire clearing went silent.

Then something strange happened.

A dark energy rose from the corpse and flowed into Jinhyuk’s body.

Suddenly—

Images exploded inside his mind.

Memories.

Fear.

Hatred.

Years of fighting.

Sword techniques.

Jinhyuk staggered slightly.

“…So this is the power.”

The Heavenly Demon’s gift.

He could feel the bandit’s sword movements inside his head.

It was like he had practiced them for years.

The bandit leader’s face twisted in anger.

“You bastard!”

“Kill him!”

Three bandits rushed forward at the same time.

But this time—

Jinhyuk moved first.

His body moved naturally.

Like instinct.

His sword flashed once.

Then twice.

Then three times.

SLASH.

SLASH.

SLASH.

Three bodies fell to the ground.

Blood soaked the grass.

The remaining bandits froze in fear.

“W-what the hell is he?!”

Jinhyuk slowly looked up.

His eyes were shining with excitement.

More dark energy flowed into his body.

More memories.

More emotions.

But something else was there too.

Voices.

Whispers inside his head.

For a brief moment, he felt the bandits’ fear… their anger… their hatred.

Jinhyuk laughed quietly.

“So this is the price…”

The bandit leader slowly stepped back.

“You… you’re a monster.”

Jinhyuk tilted his head.

“Monster?”

He smiled.

“I just got here.”

Then he raised his sword again.

The terrified screams of the bandits echoed through the forest.

And somewhere far away…

In the endless darkness…

The Heavenly Demon watched everything.

He laughed.

“Interesting.”

“Very interesting.”

The forest fell silent.

The last scream faded into nothing.

Blood dripped slowly from Jinhyuk’s sword.

Five bodies lay scattered across the clearing.

The bandit leader was the last one left.

He had fallen to his knees, trembling.

“P-please… spare me…”

Jinhyuk stood in front of him, expression blank.

“Spare you?”

The bandit nodded desperately.

“I-I can give you money… information… anything—”

Before he could finish—

SLASH.

His head rolled across the ground.

Silence.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

A massive surge of dark energy burst from the corpse and rushed into Jinhyuk’s body.

“…!”

His eyes widened.

This time, it was different.

Stronger.

Heavier.

More chaotic.

Memories flooded his mind like a storm.

Years of killing.

Brutality.

Fear.

But also—

Something else.

A faint, strange sensation.

Warm… yet violent.

Jinhyuk staggered back, gripping his chest.

His breathing became uneven.

“What is this…?”

Inside his body, something was moving.

Flowing.

Like an invisible current.

Then suddenly—

He understood.

“…Qi.”

Internal energy.

The foundation of all martial arts in Murim.

The bandit leader had possessed a small amount of it.

And now—

It belonged to him.

Jinhyuk slowly raised his hand.

He focused.

The strange energy inside him began to gather.

It moved through his body, following invisible paths.

His veins trembled.

His muscles tightened.

Then—

BOOM.

A small burst of force exploded from his palm, sending dust and leaves flying.

Jinhyuk stared at his hand.

Then he smiled.

“So this is how they do it.”

Power.

Real power.

Not guns. Not knives.

Something deeper.

Something far more dangerous.

Behind him—

“…W-what are you?”

A weak voice trembled.

Jinhyuk turned around.

The young disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect was still alive.

He was staring at Jinhyuk with pure horror.

His entire body was shaking.

Jinhyuk walked toward him slowly.

Step by step.

The disciple tried to crawl back.

“S-stay away…”

His voice broke.

“You… you’re not human…”

Jinhyuk stopped in front of him.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then—

“Human?”

He chuckled softly.

“I was.”

The disciple’s face turned pale.

“You killed them all… without hesitation…”

“Even the ones begging for their lives…”

Jinhyuk crouched down to his level.

“And?”

The disciple froze.

Jinhyuk’s eyes were calm.

Too calm.

“Did you expect me to feel something?”

The disciple couldn’t answer.

Because deep down…

He knew the truth.

This man in front of him…

felt nothing.

Jinhyuk tilted his head slightly.

“You’re from the Azure Cloud Sect, right?”

The disciple nodded slowly.

Jinhyuk stood up.

“Good.”

The disciple blinked in confusion.

“Y-you’re… not going to kill me?”

Jinhyuk turned his back.

“If I kill you, no one will know what happened here.”

He paused.

Then said quietly—

“And that would be boring.”

The disciple’s eyes widened.

Jinhyuk began walking away.

“Go back.”

“Tell your sect what you saw.”

“Tell them…”

His voice carried a strange excitement.

“…that something interesting has appeared in Murim.”

The disciple trembled.

“A-are you insane…?”

Jinhyuk stopped for a moment.

Then laughed.

A low, unsettling laugh.

“Probably.”

He continued walking into the forest.

But as he moved further away—

His expression slowly changed.

The smile faded.

His steps slowed.

“…Tch.”

He pressed his hand against his head.

The voices were back.

Faint.

Whispering.

Fragments of the people he had killed.

Their fear.

Their anger.

Their pain.

For a brief moment—

His vision blurred.

His body swayed.

“…So it starts already.”

The side effect.

The Heavenly Demon wasn’t lying.

If he kept absorbing more minds…

He would eventually lose himself.

Jinhyuk lowered his hand.

And then—

He smiled again.

But this time…

It was different.

Wilder.

Unstable.

“Good.”

His eyes shone with madness.

“Let’s see which breaks first…”

“Me…”

“Or this world.”

Far away, in the depths of an unknown mountain—

A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.

A man sat upon a dark throne.

Watching.

Smiling.

“The seed has sprouted.”

“The game…”

“…has begun.”