The Birth of Madness

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.”

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