What Should I Do About This...

A month.

It's a short time if you think about it, and a long time if you think about it another way. It was enough to come to terms with the fact that I had died and woke up in another body. As well as enough time to adapt to this new body and environment.

"...Well, go ahead and make your excuses."

"What do you mean?"

When I asked with a blank stare, the eyebrows of the middle-aged man sitting in front of me twitched noticeably. He was Baek Mu-hyeon, the father of this body and the head of the Baek Academy.

"Are you really asking because you don't know?"

"Yes. I don't understand."

At my bold reply, Baek Mu-hyeon pressed the side of his head in exasperation. I sat upright, staring at him intently. I was confident. At least I didn't have any memories of doing anything wrong enough to need an excuse...

"Earlier, Mr. Jang from the clothing store came by. He said that his second son returned home in a dreadful state."

"..."

"Do you have nothing to say for yourself?"

"What's the matter?"

I raised my voice, shamelessly, "To learn martial arts, you must naturally be prepared to endure hardship and make sacrifices. Only then will the time, money, and effort invested by the parents into their children won't be wasted. Instead of complaining, they should bring some fine silk as an offering..."

"You little-!"

Thwack!

In an instant, stars seemed to burst before my eyes, and my head started ringing. It didn't hurt much, but it was undeniably unpleasant.

'Ugh. I can see it, but I can't avoid it.'

Even if I had the ability to avoid it, it would have been better for my well-being not to.

If I didn't want to see my father with veins bulging in anger.

"What are you talking about!? Having children who aren't even ten years old do such strenuous training!? Be grateful!? Where in the world is there a master who makes students do such unreasonable training?"

Baek Mu-hyeon, with his face flushed red in anger, waved his teaching staff threateningly in the air, as if he were about to strike me with it.

'But this is something we did every day in the Blood Cult....'

Even what I did was reduced to half of the original training.

And unlike before in the Blood Cult, I didn't pull out their nails for collapsing in the middle of training, nor did I threaten those who sat down with the prospect of no dinner that evening. It's just that, after hearing those snot-nosed kids annoy me so much that I decided to teach them more properly, like they wanted. 

'And now, they go running to their parents to tattle because it was too hard? Kids these days…'

"Are you even listening to me?"

"In the old days… Yes, I'm listening."

As I nodded nonchalantly while still lost in my own thoughts, Baek Mu-heon stared at me with an incredulous expression.

"I can see my words going in one ear and out the other! Ever since you survived death, I have no idea what's going on in your head. Sometimes, I wonder if you're really my son…"

This guy's got some sharp instincts.

I bowed my head respectfully to this body's father, who was sighing deeply.

"I was short-sighted. I will make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Suryeong."

Suddenly, he called my name with a serious expression.

Baek Su-ryeong.

That's the name of this body's original owner. A body just about twenty-seven years of age.

A man with no notable reputation, running a small martial arts school in a rural village under an unimpressive father. Just teaching the local snot-nosed kids without any real skills to speak of.

A life far removed from the masters who dominate the martial world. Not even as a third-rate martial artist.

"Yes?"

Baek Mu-heon's expression darkened slightly at my straightforward reply. After a brief hesitation, he continued speaking.

"I know you've been spacing out often since you woke up. You must have your own worries. After all, you did go through something major recently…"

A month ago, Baek Su-ryeong nearly died.

Well, to be precise, Baek Su-ryeong did die, and I woke up in his body.

"If there's something bothering you, feel free to speak openly. After all, I'm still your only blood relative."

His only blood relative.

That's precisely why I couldn't be honest with him.

'Your son, Baek Su-ryeong, is dead.'

Baek Su-ryeong was born weak.

It's said that he was born with a rare and unnamed condition called Jeolmaek Syndrome

{note: described as a rare and debilitating ailment that severely affects the flow of internal energy, usually causes the person to be weak, have low stamina and susceptibility to illness}

His mother, who was also frail, passed away a few years after giving birth to him.

In a desperate attempt to save his infant son, Baek Mu-heon sought out every renowned physician he could find and fed him countless medicinal herbs, but…

'It was all in vain.'

In the end, Baek Mu-heon moved to the countryside, where the water and air were better, and established a small martial arts school to provide a healthier environment for his weak son.

Despite that,

"You still won't give up won't you?"

"..."

Despite his condition, which prevented him from learning proper internal energy techniques, Baek Suryong practiced physically every day and sought every possible way to cure his illness. A few months ago, Baek Suryong finally obtained a manual for internal energy techniques.

'Idiot dived straight into demonic arts.'

Demonic arts.

Not all demonic arts are dangerous or have severe side effects, but the one Baek Suryong dabbled in was among the worst. Ultimately, Baek Suryong overexerted himself with the techniques, coughed up blood, and collapsed.

...No, he died. It was a death he had resigned himself to.

[I would rather struggle and die than live my whole life giving up on my dream.]

There was a bloodstained will left behind where Baek Suryong fell, with those words written. Afterward, I woke up in his body, and a month has passed. Awakening in a strange body, I pretended to have lost my memory and slowly learned about the life of the previous owner of this body.

"Still... not giving up?"

"..."

When I didn't answer, Baek Muheon's expression darkened. He must have wondered why his only son, having narrowly escaped death, still could not let go of his futile dreams. I slowly opened my mouth.

"I'm not sure."

It was not to reassure Baek Muheon, but a sincere response.

 'Is there any meaning in me becoming a martial warrior again?'

In my past life, I had encountered life-and-death situations daily in the Blood Sect, surviving by any means. Everything from mastering martial arts to killing people, to becoming an instructor researching and teaching martial arts after injuring my dantian was all for survival. But what about now?

'Is there a need to become a martial artist?'

In my mind now, I have five supreme divine arts. However, being a martial artist inevitably means facing many life-threatening dangers. 

'Do I want to live like that again?'

For someone who walked along the edge every day until death, it wasn't exactly what I wanted.

 'Living a peaceful life, teaching young children and taking it easy, doesn't sound too bad.'

This village was truly a peaceful and quiet countryside.

Even so, I couldn't say, "I have no interest in the martial world."

My answer seemed unexpected to Baek Muheon.

He widened his eyes and asked again, "...You said you're not sure?"

"That's right."

Though life is comfortable here as if I were on a vacation, who knows what will happen later.

It's a new life.

There's no need to make hasty decisions.

"I'll think more about what I want to do in the future."

"..."

Baek Muheon looked at me with a complex expression, as if relieved yet still saddened by his son's apparent reluctance to give up his dreams.

I met his gaze without avoiding it.

"...Understood."

In the end, he nodded heavily. "Since your body is still recovering, let me know immediately if there's any problem."

"Don't worry, I will."

"And, if you're going to make the kids practice martial arts, it'd be better to give them a ball to throw and kick instead."

"...But as I was saying, learning martial arts requires a mindset and effort to cut through bone and flesh..."

"Do you think this is some Shaolin temple? At this rate, we'll lose the few students we have."

Baek Muheon waved his hand dismissively as if he didn't want to hear it. I smacked my lips and stood up from my seat.

"Well then, I'll be going."

"Alright."

As I turned and left the room, I heard a sigh and Baek Muheon's murmured words.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could do more for you..."

Pretending not to hear, I walked quickly back to my room.

✧

Back in my room, I took off my outer clothes and stood in front of the mirror. It was a daily routine to check my physical condition.

'This kid really never experienced any hardship huh.'

I had inherited my father's tall stature, with long graceful limbs. Although I was thin for a man, my face was quite handsome.

Since waking up, I had been exercising regularly, and now my physical condition was not bad at all.

'If only I could fix the damaged meridians and the blocked flow of qi I'd have the perfect body for martial arts.'

The problem lay within the body.

Not only was the body incapable of properly channeling internal energy due to the severed meridians, but the aftermath of the demonic arts had also filled the blood vessels with contaminated energy.

Fortunately, after a month of recuperation, this was the best improvement.

I couldn't help but click my tongue at the condition of my decaying internal organs.

"Tsk. Even a third-rate martial artist would be better off."

Currently, even being considered a third-rate martial artist was generous. At least a third-rate martial artist could use some of their internal energy.

Moreover, if left unchecked, this body would die within three years.

'Is this a coincidence or fate... To have the Celestial Yin Severed Meridian, of all things.'

I knew the name of the defect that Baek Suryong suffered from: 

Celestial Yin Severed Meridian 

Even the most renowned doctors in the world had rarely heard of it, and those who had were powerless to do anything about it. It was a terrible curse.

Those born with the Celestial Yin Severed Meridian usually didn't live past thirty.

I clicked my tongue while looking at the young man in the mirror.

'It seems you were destined not to live long. Did you know that and still struggle in vain?'

Perhaps Baek Suryong, sensing instinctively that his life was nearing its end, resorted to a desperate gamble.

But that gamble had failed, and instead, my soul had entered this body

'I will use this body well from now on.'

The dead are dead, and the living must live. Fortunately, I knew the method to treat the Celestial Yin Severed Meridian.

Heaven Defying Divine Art.

A supreme martial art passed down only to the head of the Blood Demon Sect, and among the five martial arts in my mind, this one is the most exceptional.

In the secret manual of Heaven Defying Divine Art that I found in the Blood Demon Sect's library, it was written as follows:

Celestial Yin Severed Meridian is a body cursed by the heavens,Heaven Defying Divine Art is a martial art that defies the heavens.When these two meet, the Severed Meridian becomes a Divine Meridian, and one shall gain the power to shatter the heavens.

Although it sounds grand, the essence is that the Celestial Yin Severed Meridian is the best constitution for practicing the Heaven Defying Divine Art. After all, the first Blood Demon of the sect had the Celestial Yin Severed Meridian.

'Could there be a connection between using the Heaven Defying Divine Art before death and waking up in this body?'

It was merely a guess, and I couldn't know for sure. What mattered was that I had the martial art and knowledge to transform the Celestial Yin Meridian into a Divine Meridian.

But there was one problem…

Tsk.

"I'm broke."

Learning the Heaven Defying Divine Art requires a substantial amount of money.

Not just a lot, but an enormous amount.

It's not only about obtaining well-known elixirs and finding outstanding doctors from the Central Plains but also about acquiring various materials used in high-level techniques.

Even a renowned family from a region might struggle to find all the necessary things.

My father, who runs a small martial arts school in the countryside, certainly doesn't have that kind of money.

"What should I do…"

It was at that moment, when the handsome face in the mirror was furrowed with worry.

"Master!"

A scream-like shout came from outside.