The Jade Ghost of the Jegal Family - Chapter 2

“Heavenly being?”

-Yes, a heavenly being. Before my life ended… I prayed to the heavens over and over again. I couldn’t die like this. I begged for just one more chance.

So-baek’s voice began to tremble, filled with a surge of complex emotions.

-But the heavens did not answer my prayers. My danjeon* had already collapsed, and the pain continued. Death was certain.

*”He didn’t die though,” thought Hyun-woo.

So-baek didn’t know, but Hyun-woo, who had read “The Battle of Blood Cult,” knew that Jin So-baek wouldn’t die here today.

“But he will live a life more miserable than death,” Hyun-woo thought.

A martial artist without internal energy in the underworld lives in a hellish existence. So-baek’s coming days would be like living in hell.

-So before I died, I prayed to the heavens: If you cannot save me because my sins are too great to be redeemed, at least send someone who can fulfill my wish. Relieve my grudge.

The moment Hyun-woo heard So-baek’s words, he realized So-baek had some serious misunderstandings.

-Though the heavens didn’t save a sinner like me, it seems they didn’t refuse my request either. To have sent a heavenly being like you.

There was now a sense of relief in So-baek’s voice.

Hyun-woo pondered for a moment before carefully speaking.

“Maybe it’s not… what you think?”

-No chance. My broken danjeon returned as it was, and at the same time, you entered my body.

So-baek asked confidently.

-If not the will of the heavens, how can you explain this?

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Hyun-woo played along with So-baek’s misunderstanding.

Honestly speaking, such a misunderstanding wasn’t bad for Hyun-woo at all. In fact, it was quite beneficial. In “The Battle of Blood Cult,” where every character dies easily, even a small help was crucial to survive.

Besides, it wasn’t just a random character’s help, but the aid of someone who was supposed to be the original owner of this body and a genius martial artist from Hwa Un-jong family.

To survive in Hwa Un-jong family and get stronger, to make better use of this body, Hyun-woo needed his help.

“I didn’t deceive him, it’s what he thinks. There’s no need to correct it, is there?”

Technically, it wasn’t deceit.

“I’ll fulfill his grudge, and he helps me survive and eventually kill the protagonist. That works.”

If things went that way, both Hyun-woo and So-baek would end up benefiting.

“You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,” as they say.

“Alright, sounds good.”

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Hyun-woo proposed to So-baek.

“If you help me in the future, I’ll fulfill your request. How about it?”

-Good. If you fulfill my request, I’ll help with whatever the heavenly being desires.

“Great. Let’s do that.”

Getting So-baek’s cooperation more smoothly than he had anticipated, Hyun-woo asked him with relief.

“What is your request?”

-I ask the heavenly being for only two things. To relieve my grudge and to fulfill my wish.

“Then tell me about your grudge first.”

Hyun-woo anticipated that So-baek’s grudge would be about revenge.

He was a character with vengeance in his heart, enough to sell his self-created, peerless martial arts to Dugoh-mugeuk, leader of the Blood Cult, just to avenge himself against the lord of the martial alliance.

-My grudge is to take revenge on the noble house A-jong and Jin-heuk-gae who backed them.

As expected, So-baek said exactly what Hyun-woo had anticipated.

And that was how Hyun-woo, who had entered an unfamiliar world called Jungwon, received his first mission of revenge.

* * *

Anyone who has read even a single martial arts novel would have heard of the “Five Great Clans.”

In the world of “The Battle of Blood Cult,” there’s something similar even in the black path, known as the Black Houses of the Three Domains.

But technically, it is quite different from the Five Great Clans.

The clans consist of blood relatives with the same surname, but the Black Houses are composed of individuals with no shared blood, only adopting a unified surname.

The beginning was envy towards the white path.

The black martial artists, jealous of the Five Great Clans expanding power based on strong family ties, formed their own houses.

However, the black path could not imitate the white path faithfully.

To quickly expand, they granted surnames to talented individuals among many orphans rather than keeping blood ties, and to grow swiftly, they fostered internal competition with clear rewards and harsh penalties.

And so, within just fifty years, the black path saw the rise of the massive Black Houses of Three Domains.

Hwa Un-jong family is one of them.

-In other words, everyone in the Hwa Un-jong family is an orphan, not related by blood, gathered under the head, and they are competitors.

“I see.”

Listening to Jin So-baek’s voice, a character popped into Hyun-woo’s mind.

“The head was Jin Won-pyeong, known as the King of All Warriors, right?”

The head of the Hwa Un-jong family, Jin Won-pyeong, occupies one of the five king positions in the black path and is a formidable martial artist known as the King of All Warriors, as he can handle any weapon.

“He’s also famous for being exceptionally good with the bow.”

Jin Won-pyeong wasn’t a particularly significant character, but Hyun-woo remembered him distinctly.

The bow, rarely used in martial arts, and especially the unique martial arts owing to using it in “The Battle of Blood Cult,” which no one else used, and being the sole inheritor of the martial art of a Divine Bow.

“Shooting Ha O-munju from five kilometers away was really impressive.”

Imagining the scene of Jin Won-pyeong shooting an arrow in his mind, Hyun-woo thought,

“The martial arts of Jin Won-pyeong’s Divine Bow might be exactly what I need and suits me well.”

“So, what’s your current position in the Hwa Un-jong family?”

-I am a candidate for the heir to the head.

“The heir to the head?”

The Hwa Un-jong family divides ranks largely into five levels by power.

First is the head.

Second are the elders.

Third are the five unit leaders who manage the martial force units and the young head.

Fourth are the ten vice-unit leaders and the head’s four disciples.

Fifth are the members of the martial force units.

And below them are trainees who haven’t been granted anything.

These trainees are those with potential, meaning they haven’t yet acquired the skills to go into actual combat.

The Hwa Un-jong family fosters these trainees through harsh group training and various tests.

It’s to make use of them for the family when fighting breaks out every other day on the treacherous underworld grounds.

– In Hwa Un-jong family, ranks are divided as Hwa Un. The head has five clouds, while unit members have one cloud.

Hearing that, Hyun-woo looked down at his black uniform.

As he expected, there wasn’t any Hwa Un on Hyun-woo’s uniform.

In other words,

So-baek was at the lowest trainee level within the Hwa Un-jong family.

“Being the head’s disciple means you’re a candidate for the young head?”

-That’s correct. The four disciples are competitors vying for the young head position.

Not just anyone with skill can become the young head. To become the young head, one must first be a disciple of the head.

The title of the head’s disciple, despite its grand name, mainly indicates someone with potential, neither a rank nor a title.

In short, the head’s disciple merely indicates a top talent recognized for potential without formal rank or position.

“You’re the candidate for the fourth disciple then.”

-That’s right. There are five candidates, including me.

“Were there no fourth disciples before?”

-There was. It was a fellow named Jin Ma-hyeon. But it’s vacant now, and his spot is currently being contested.

“What happened to Jin Ma-hyeon?”

To that question, So-baek replied calmly.

-He was torn limb from limb and died. In the black path, such things are frequent.

“…….”

Hearing So-baek calmly mention a gruesome death like being torn limb from limb sent shivers down Hyun-woo’s spine.

“This novel is crazy.”

The reason to become stronger as soon as possible was once again ingrained in him deeply.

-The man who attacked me through A-jong is also a disciple candidate for the head, albeit at a lower rank than me.

“Is being the head’s disciple really advantageous?”

Even as the head’s disciple, it’s merely the fourth rank.

In the mind of someone from the modern world, it would seem faster and better to start as a vice-unit leader and become a unit leader.

-The head’s disciple has the sole opportunity to learn the martial arts of the head.

“……!”

The martial arts of Jin Won-pyeong, known as the King of All Warriors, one of the five kings of the black path.

Clearly, Jin Won-pyeong’s martial arts were far superior to a hollow title, like unit leader.

“Moreover, Jin Won-pyeong inherited the martial arts of the Divine Bow.”

Jin So-baek is a fist-wielding warrior. He has decent enough martial arts and even creates his own peerless martial art eventually.

But Hyun-woo isn’t a fighter. He never fought before and isn’t confident in it.

“I’m best with a bow. And I’ve already confirmed its power.”

He had killed two second-rate martial artists who had learned internal techniques without having any internal energy.

If an ordinary bow holds such power, its strength would undoubtedly be remarkable when proper archery is mastered.

“This is thrilling already.”

Thinking about holding a bow again, Hyun-woo couldn’t help but smile.

Hyun-woo, having made a firm resolution, turned his gaze towards his own hands covered with calluses.

“I should learn martial arts too, I suppose.”

In this perilous world where people die at every corner, having at least one insurance martial art was essential.

So, Hyun-woo planned on learning martial arts anyway. This body, Jin So-baek’s, is already familiar with it, and you never know what the future may hold.

Tap-

As he thought this over, Hyun-woo stopped walking.

Seeing the shadow cast on the ground, he raised his head.

Raising his head so much that the back of it almost touched his back, he caught sight of the grand estate of the Hwa Un-jong family.

“Very dark. It won’t be visible at night.”

The estate of the Hwa Un-jong family appeared to be a pitch-black shadow, with clouds painted in red here and there.

“Bigger than I thought it would be.”

Looking at the gatekeepers guarding the entrance and the glimpses of the estate’s interior, Hyun-woo saw what appeared to be traditional halls and training grounds, often imagined when reading martial arts stories.

“It all starts now.”

Reciting his future plans mentally, Hyun-woo warmed up his body.

“First, become the head’s disciple and get the manual of the martial art of the Divine Bow.”

The immediate task for achieving this aim began with accomplishing Jin So-baek’s revenge.

“But simple revenge isn’t enough. It’s insufficient.”

Hyun-woo had to live with the body of a fifteen-year-old boy named Jin So-baek, whether he liked it or not.

Not in the romantic and chivalrous white path but in the black path filled with manipulations and schemes.

“You’ll be finished if they underestimate you in the black path.”

The black path isn’t like the white path. There’s no one upholding the ideals or issuing pardons with kindness.

When you mess with someone, you pay the price.

Otherwise, you become someone who can be messed with.

“Remember, this is the black path.”

Hwa Un-jong family had over a hundred martial artists, unrelated by blood but forced to take the same surname.

In this jungle full of predators, only one way exists to avoid such pain and survive.

Becoming strong enough to the point no one can dare belittle you, and showing that strength.

“So let’s really show them black path-style.”

With a slightly haughty expression, lifting one corner of his mouth, Hyun-woo stepped into the estate.

And at that moment.

-That’s him. That guy. Heavenly being!

Jin So-baek started shouting loudly in Hyun-woo’s mind.