Episode 2

When Yeonha heard that I had deliberately taken the blame just to be sent to the front lines, she looked a bit taken aback before turning away.

But something about her reaction felt off compared to how I remembered it, leaving me unsettled.

“What is it? What’s different this time?”

Back then, Yeonha had just kept comforting me as I cried endlessly…

Maybe this time, since I didn’t break down in tears, it felt different?

I was lost in thought when the second visitor I’d been waiting for finally arrived.

Tap!

Much sooner than I expected.

Startled by the silent landing of his shoes on the roof, I gasped.

“Father?!”

The second visitor was none other than my father, Sunwoo Jung.

He looked at me with a heavy expression.

“What’s going on? Even Father feels different from how I remember him.”

Had I changed that much?

The time he came, the way he looked at me—everything was so unlike the memories I had.

Back then, he had come with a resigned look, asking if I had any last requests.

I had pitifully begged him to just let me run away, and he had sighed, shook his head, and left without another word.

This heavy expression, this silent gaze—none of it matched the past.

As I stared at him tensely, he suddenly spoke in a grave voice.

“Is it true? You really were framed?”

My eyes widened in shock.

So he had heard what I told Yeonha earlier.

Had he been here all along?

And even back then?

Why?

Unable to answer, I just stared at his face.

He continued, his voice heavy.

“Jin, I knew you were hiding your talent and pretending to be a fool. But I never realized you wanted to break free from the family. If I had known sooner…”

Regret weighed deep in his expression.

It was so unexpected that I was caught off guard.

Then, from his lips came words I never imagined I’d hear.

“I’m sorry, Jin. Because of a worthless father like me, your life has become a mess.”

My mind spun into chaos.

What was this? What on earth was going on?

Father had completely neglected me all this time.

He never interfered with what I did, but he also never stopped my siblings and mother from tormenting me.

As a result, I was utterly isolated within the Sunwoo family, and I resented him deeply for it.

But what was this situation now?

Could it be…?

A picture I’d never considered before began to form in my mind.

Within the Sunwoo family, the maternal clans of my three brothers held immense influence.

Even Father, the head of the family, had to constantly negotiate with them.

So if Father had favored even one of us, he wouldn’t have been able to control the other maternal clans.

That meant he had to neglect all of us, and since I had no maternal clan backing me, no one could protect me.

Or maybe neglecting me was actually his way of protecting me?

“If that’s the case, could it be…?”

For the first time, the face of the father I had always resented and never longed for looked new to me today.

Of course, this was just a theory, and years of resentment didn’t vanish in an instant.

But the deep regret etched on Father’s face was an undeniable reality.

He asked again.

“Is there nothing you want to ask of me?”

Suddenly, I snapped back to attention.

No matter his true intentions, I couldn’t let this long-awaited chance slip away.

Swallowing hard, I spoke seriously.

“Could you let me enter the family’s private library? Just for one day.”

Father looked surprised.

“The library? For only one day?”

I carefully chose my words, speaking slowly and earnestly.

I had to convince him to let me in.

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve been neglecting my training and don’t even know our family’s martial arts. Before being sent to the front lines, I want to at least learn some of our family’s techniques.”

That was one of the biggest regrets from my past life.

After my brothers died or disappeared, I was pushed into becoming the head of the family, but because of my reckless past, I didn’t know any of the Sunwoo family’s martial arts.

So when I was sent to the Yunnan front, I had to painfully learn martial arts from scratch.

And I had to steal techniques from others to survive.

Those harsh, humiliating memories came flooding back.

I was treated like an outcast, ignored and shunned even by my comrades on the front lines.

If I could just master the Sunwoo family’s signature technique, the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, I could rise much faster than before.

At least I wouldn’t have to keep stealing others’ techniques behind their backs.

Father asked with a complicated look.

“You want to learn martial arts in just one day, by reading books?”

“I think it’s better than not trying at all.”

After a moment’s thought, he nodded.

“Very well. I will allow it.”

Yes!

I clenched my fist, almost shouting with joy.

Finally, I could fill the regrets of my past life.

But Father wasn’t finished.

“But—”

“Yes?”

I tensed at his sudden words, but what came next was even more unexpected.

“Learning the internal energy technique on your own is very dangerous. I will teach you myself. Sit cross-legged right now.”

“Y-Yes! Of course, Father!”

Though startled, I immediately sat cross-legged.

Warm energy flowed from Father’s palm resting on my back, guiding me.

“I will teach you Honwon Mugukgong. I will recite the secret incantations several times. Listen carefully and memorize them all. In the beginning, there was yin and yang, and chaos.”

Honwon Mugukgong?!

I was so shocked I almost shouted.

Honwon Mugukgong was a secret internal energy technique only the head and deputy head of the Sunwoo family could learn.

So Father was now passing down the family’s greatest secret technique to me.

It should have been an incredible joy, but somehow I felt strange.

Instead of excitement over the new martial art, the warmth from Father’s hand on my back felt even more moving.

So… warm.

The warmest feeling of family I had ever known.

---

The next day, I was allowed into the family’s private library.

My brothers had strongly opposed it, but Father dismissed their objections, saying that if I died helplessly at the hands of the Mindless, it would only disgrace the family’s honor.

So, for the first time in both my lives, I entered the family’s private martial arts library, cracking my knuckles with a sly grin.

“Heh heh heh.”

One day was enough?

Absolutely!

I wasn’t planning to learn the techniques today—I was going to memorize them.

Force them into my mind.

That was my greatest strength.

As a child, I was called a prodigy for my memory, and after being sent to the front lines, I had to develop it even further to survive.

Since I didn’t know any martial arts, I had to watch my comrades’ techniques briefly and imitate them.

Later, Commander Seolpung admired my ability and gave it a name.

“Scene Memory Technique.”

I was basically a human copy machine, able to recall every leaf in a forest after just one glance.

So I could confidently say,

“Everyone here today is destined to end up in my head. So just give up quietly, and I promise I’ll use you well. Heh heh heh!”

The family’s private library was a small room lined wall to wall with bookshelves, mostly filled with martial arts manuals.

Just thinking about absorbing all those techniques made me feel full even without eating.

Of course, I didn’t expect every book to be useful.

Some were basic manuals like the Three Calamities Sword Technique or the Six Harmonies Fist, and others were health exercises like the Ogumhee.

“But so what? It’s a million times better than having nothing to learn like last time.”

I started by carefully reading the Honwon Mugukgong I’d learned from Father and the family’s signature Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, three times each to avoid mixing up the order.

Though I could memorize perfectly, my understanding of the Honwon Mugukgong, which I’d already learned, was far better than the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, which I didn’t understand at all.

Honestly, I couldn’t make heads or tails of the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords.

“Trying to learn martial arts from just vague pictures and words is ridiculous. In martial arts novels, people become masters just by reading secret manuals alone.”

Martial arts novels were just that—fiction.

Still, I kept stuffing the techniques into my mind.

Even if I didn’t understand them now, I believed they’d help me someday.

Time flowed like water.

After reading about half the books three times each, it was already afternoon.

By then, my head throbbed unbearably, and my body was completely exhausted.

“I feel like I’m going to die. I can’t push any further.”

Unable to endure the mental overload, I stepped out of the library to get some fresh air.

As I stood up, the world spun around me.

Staggering out the door, I finally collapsed right there on the grassy patch in front of the study.

“Ugh, I’m gonna die!”

I lay flat on my back, staring blankly up at the sky.

For a moment, I felt like I might pull through. Then the thought hit me—half the work was still left—and my head started pounding again.

Suddenly, a tempting thought crept in.

‘Maybe I should just quit here.’

After all, what good would it do to keep reading? I barely understood half of it anyway.

Wouldn’t mastering the Honwon Muguk Gong and learning the basics of the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords be enough of an achievement?

These tempting thoughts swirled through my mind.

That’s when I heard voices.

“Hmph! Figures! What’s a nobody like that trying to learn martial arts for?”

“Exactly. Some pig just lounging around like it’s nothing—guess some things never change.”

I looked up and saw my three brothers.

They were escorting two stunning young ladies through the garden.

Naturally, my gaze drifted toward them.

Both were breathtakingly beautiful.

One had her bangs hanging low, casting a shadow over her eyes and giving off a slightly gloomy vibe. But the other—just a quick glance was enough to make your eyes snap wide open—was absolutely stunning.

I swallowed hard and found myself comparing her to the most beautiful woman I knew.

‘She could easily hold her own against Lady Tang.’

Tang Ye-eun, one of the thirteen leaders of the Flying Dragon Sect, was a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Though she was the youngest among many siblings and sent to the front lines, she distinguished herself with exceptional assassination skills, divine techniques, and poison arts. Not to mention her swordsmanship, which was so extraordinary it earned her the nickname “Tang Clan Sword Peak.”

She was a woman who combined martial prowess and beauty, recognized as a future leader of the martial world and honored with the title of Phoenix.

And now, here was someone whose beauty rivaled hers. I couldn’t help but be momentarily captivated.

But apparently, my brothers didn’t like that one bit.

My eldest, Sunwoo Seong, narrowed his eyes and shouted at me.

“You filthy pig! How dare you look at Lady Jegal like that?! We apologize for his disrespect, Lady Jegal.”

Lady Jegal?

Could it be… Lady Jegal Seo-yul, the Heavenly Sword Peak?

I’d heard rumors about a sword prodigy emerging from the Jegal clan—known more for their influence and wisdom than martial arts—who was gaining recognition.

‘They say the Jegal clan has been sending her around various martial houses to gain experience… So that’s why she’s here with us?’

I vaguely remembered hearing that the Jegal clan would be visiting around this time, but I hadn’t paid much attention.

Still, I quickly averted my gaze.

I knew exactly what men were like around beautiful women.

Especially my brothers—immature as they were—I had no doubt they’d do something foolish just to impress.

It seemed wise to head back to the study as soon as possible.

Then, the woman who I assumed was Lady Jegal Seo-yul asked,

“And who is that?”

My heart dropped.

Lady, please!

Don’t even think about showing interest in me!

My brothers rushed to answer.

“That’s my shameful third brother.”

“As you can see, he’s more pig than man.”

“He was given special time by Father to learn martial arts before heading to the Great Demon Sect front tomorrow, and this is what he’s doing.”

She looked surprised.

“You’re going to the Great Demon Sect front?”

Then, with curious eyes, she looked back at me.

‘Oh no, Lady, please!’

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Sure enough, my brothers’ expressions darkened, and they started glaring at me like they wanted to tear me apart.

“She’s not someone you should be interested in.”

“Exactly. As you can see, he’s just a pig.”

“He’s going to the front because he committed crimes and has to pay the price.”

“Ah…”

She nodded as if she understood, but her gaze never left me.

That seemed to annoy my youngest brother, Sunwoo Gi, who frowned and then suddenly gave a sly smile as he started approaching me.