The First Blood

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.”

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