Early in the morning, Eom So-eum awoke and glanced at the space beside her. As expected, the Master was nowhere to be seen.

“Where could the Master have gone? Did he wake up earlier than me?”

Reluctant to leave the cozy warmth of her blanket, Eom So-eum lingered for a moment, shaking off the remnants of sleep before finally stepping out of the room.

She found the Master on the roof of the inn, asleep. His clothes were slightly damp from the night’s dew.

“Does he dislike sharing a room with me that much? Or… did he just want to see the stars?”

Eom So-eum debated whether to bring him inside to rest more comfortably but decided against it. She doubted the Master would go back to sleep once he woke up.

Instead, she settled at a table inside the inn, waiting for him to wake. As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, the innkeeper brought over a bowl of porridge she hadn’t ordered.

“I didn’t order this.” “It’s included with your stay, no charge. By the way, where’s your companion?”

Not wanting to admit he was sleeping on the roof, Eom So-eum gave a vague response.

“He’ll be up soon.” “Make sure to eat before it gets cold.”

“Yes.”

As she slowly ate the hot porridge, the innkeeper struck up a conversation.

“Are you from out of town?”

Eom So-eum was in the mood for some company. The Master, though perfect in many ways, was not much of a talker. Or perhaps it was just that Eom So-eum was a bit too chatty.

“Yes, how did you know?” “Most people who pass through here are regulars. Plus, your accent is different.”

Eom So-eum smiled at being called “miss.” It was a rare occurrence, as she had spent much of her life hidden away and was now a bit too old for the title.

“Are you heading west from here?” “That’s right.” “There are some bandits nearby, so it might be wise to carry a little extra money.”

The bandits posed no real threat to Eom So-eum and the Master, but she played along to keep the conversation light.

“Bandits?” “They’re not particularly vicious. They don’t kill or harass women, just take a small toll.” “Hmm.” “If two people pass, they might take a silver piece about the size of a thumbnail. But I see you have a sword. Are you a martial artist?” “I’ve learned a bit.” “In my experience, those who boast are usually novices, and the humble ones are the true masters. You must be quite skilled.”

Eom So-eum just chuckled, a silent confirmation. The innkeeper seemed impressed, though he would never truly know her abilities.

“Anyway, you probably won’t need any silver. They tend to avoid those with weapons.” “I see.”

The innkeeper seemed to be wrapping up the conversation but then hesitated before speaking again.

“Miss, could I ask a favor?” “What kind of favor?” “Could you hide your sword and, if the bandits appear, draw it to scare them off? Enough to make them reconsider their ways…”

It was an unusual request, not to defeat the bandits but to frighten them.

“Why?” “One of them is my nephew.” “Excuse me?” “I have no children of my own, so I planned to leave this inn to him. But he’s taken up with some friends and started banditry.”

The innkeeper sighed deeply.

“Do you remember how cheap the room was?” “Yes.”

In such a remote village, inns usually charged high prices to travelers. But this inn was half the price of others, and meals were nearly free. Breakfast was complimentary.

“I lowered the rates, worried that guests might be robbed by my nephew. The toll is more than the room cost, though it’s not quite enough…”

“Ah.”

“My nephew’s caught up in a foolish dream. He hasn’t even shed his winter clothes yet, so he shows no signs of coming to his senses. Please, give him a scare so he’ll return and learn the innkeeping trade. He’s got a thin face like his mother, so you’ll recognize him easily.”

Eom So-eum, with her naturally helpful nature and the skills to back it up, found the request intriguing.

“Alright. I’ll make sure your nephew returns to learn the business.”

The Master awoke a little later, his eyes still clouded from a deep sleep.

Eom So-eum asked him, “Do you want to rest a bit more before we leave?” “No, let’s go now.”

They set off together, and Eom So-eum relayed the innkeeper’s request to the Master. He chuckled and agreed.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

They hadn’t traveled far when, as expected, the bandits appeared.

“Hey, you two! Stop right there.”

There were only four of them, hardly a gang, and all were young. Only two had swords, the others wielded wooden clubs. Their inexperience was evident.

Eom So-eum scanned their faces. One of the club-wielders had a notably thin face. That must be the innkeeper’s nephew. A subtle smile played on her lips.

The leader, unaware of his fate, spoke with bravado.

“To pass here, you must pay a toll to the Black Tiger Gang.”

The name “Black Tiger Gang” was so grandiose that Eom So-eum almost laughed.

At that moment, she sensed a surge of killing intent. It was thick and unmistakable, emanating not from the bandits but from beside her.

The bandits, oblivious, continued their rehearsed lines.

”…Normally, it’s two silver pieces, but since you don’t seem to have much, we’ll make it one…”

Eom So-eum turned to her companion and called out, “Master!”

But the Master’s eyes were unfocused, as if he hadn’t heard her.

He pointed at the young bandit who had been speaking.

In an instant, a hole appeared in the bandit’s head, and something unidentifiable sprayed from the back of his skull.

“What…?”

The three remaining bandits, standing behind their leader, were too stunned to comprehend what had happened, covered in the spray from their leader’s head.

Eom So-eum shouted again, “Master!”

But the Master didn’t stop. Instead, he urgently yelled at Eom So-eum, “Hide, now!”

“Master! It’s me, Eom So-eum! Chief Protector Eom So-eum!”

But the Master couldn’t process her words. He was lost in his own world, unable to hear her.

He launched himself at the bandits with terrifying speed, his killing intent palpable. The young, untrained bandits had no chance.

In a blur, the Master tore through them, leaving a gruesome scene in his wake. Eom So-eum could do nothing to stop him.

In mere moments, the area around the Master was littered with the remains of the bandits.

Eom So-eum, realizing words were futile, acted. She wrapped her arms around the Master, holding him tightly despite his initial struggle.

She felt his body tremble in her embrace. Gradually, the warmth of her touch, the familiarity of her presence, calmed him.

The Master’s frantic energy subsided, his voice and the killing intent fading away.

He slowly realized that there was no longer any threat.

Time passed, and the world around them seemed to settle.

The leader wrapped his arms around Eom Soul’s waist. Though Eom Soul felt a bit tense, he was relieved to find that the touch was gentle, not the grasp of a madman.

With a soft touch, the leader patted Eom Soul’s back before slowly pushing him away. Eom Soul also released the leader and stepped back.

Kneeling, Eom Soul met the leader’s gaze. His eyes were as calm as ever, yet there was something different about him, something Eom Soul had never seen before.

Gently, Eom Soul wiped the sweat and blood from the leader’s face with his sleeve and asked, “Are you back with us now?”

”…Seems like it.”

The leader let out a deep sigh, pressing his temples as he spoke. “I must have shown you something unpleasant.”

”…What happened?” Eom Soul inquired.

“Well, how should I put it?” The leader paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing. “It’s hard to explain. It’s like the lines between dreams and reality, memory and reality, imagination and reality have all blurred… I still don’t quite understand.”

Eom Soul’s heart sank. Madness. How could their strongest pillar, the leader, crumble under such madness?

“Is it because of the internal injuries from the forbidden technique? Or did you absorb the elixir too quickly? Or is it the martial arts you’ve mastered?” Eom Soul asked, his voice tinged with worry.

“I don’t know. It could be any one of those reasons, or perhaps all of them,” the leader replied.

He staggered to his feet, glancing to the side where the head of a young man lay, his face gone. With the help of the chief protector, the leader gathered the bodies of the four fallen.

They buried the four, but the moon still hung high in the sky.

Returning to the inn was not an option. They had to move on. Eom Soul turned to the leader and asked, “We won’t stay like this forever, will we?”

The leader pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “Fortunately, there’s a promising solution.”

“What is it?” Eom Soul asked eagerly.

“I don’t remember the details, but there was a manual among the ones I had, detailing a way to mitigate the side effects of dark arts.”

“Do you remember the contents?” Eom Soul pressed.

The leader shook his head. “No. At the time, it was too complex for me to understand, so I never learned it. But now, I think I can.”

Rising to his feet, the leader extended his hand to Eom Soul. “Let’s return to Mount Tian. We need to hurry before my condition worsens.”

Eom Soul took the leader’s hand and stood up, ready to embark on their journey.