The air was thick with tension.
The sun was rising swiftly, its golden light stretching across the land, yet the riverside remained cool, wrapped in the lingering chill of dawn. Seo Reun exhaled slowly, feeling the damp air against his skin.
He had considered returning to the river, letting the water wash away the remnants of this unwanted encounter after he successfully get back his possession back but now, that thought was gone. As the sun climbed higher, the river would soon turn cold, its surface losing the warmth of the night.
Seo Reun stood still, his expression unreadable, the weight of countless stares pressing down on him. It was always the same, people staring, their curiosity bordering on obsession. His eyes.
The archer woman, still partially paralyzed, fought to keep her head up. Despite the lingering stiffness in her limbs, she forced herself to stare at him, her gaze locked onto his eyes.
There was something about him, something that made her breath hitch, something unsettling yet mesmerizing. Her own eyes widened, filled with both curiosity and amazement, and she didn't even blink.
It wasn't just his skill, nor his fearlessness. It was the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, as if the world itself was beneath him.
The man in the wide-brimmed hat had stood, and others had reacted in kind, some with open mouths, others exchanging hushed whispers. A few reached for their weapons out of instinct.
Then the hammer man swung his weapon. Once. Twice.
A slow, deliberate motion meant as a warning.
Seo Reun understood the message.
They were not going to let him leave easily.
They wanted his belongings.
They wanted his eyes.
He had encountered greed before, but this was something else, barbaric, unsettling. Was the world outside always this cruel? He had barely begun his journey, and already, he was met with those who wished to steal, maim, or kill.
A part of him found it troubling.
The other part found it laughable.
A sharp movement.
One of the bandits lunged.
He was young, with half-shorn hair, his grip tightening around a spear as he rushed forward.
"Ya...!!!" His expression was twisted with desperation, not for victory, but for survival, a desperate means to save the woman that was paralyzed, and perhaps he thought taking the first strike would buy her time to regain her composure.
"Asinine."
Seo Reun sidestepped effortlessly, the spear's sharp tip whistling past him.
In the same breath, he lifted his left leg, striking the spear's shaft. The force knocked it upward, throwing off the bandit's balance. Before his opponent could react, Seo Reun pivoted, his other foot lashing out sharp and precise against the man's wrist.
The spear flew from his grasp, spinning into the air.
Seo Reun didn't give him time to recover.
A sharp, merciless palm strike under the chin.
A second, brutal blow to the nose.
The bandit's head snapped back, blood spraying into the cold air. He choked, clutching his throat as his knees hit the dirt. His breathing was ragged, his face turning red as he struggled for air. Seo Reun had struck a delicate point, seizing his breath in an instant.
Seo Reun did not spare him a second glance.
His attention was already elsewhere.
"My possessions. Now."
His voice rang out, sharp and commanding. The weight of it sent a ripple through the gathered thieves.
The teenage boys still clutching his things flinched. The one holding his sword hesitated, his gaze darting toward the man in the hat, pleading for guidance.
Seo Reun stepped forward.
The man on the ground, still gasping for breath, made a weak attempt to grab at his leg. Seo Reun's response was swift, a backward kick, heel connecting with his face. A dull crack echoed through the clearing.
"Ridiculous."
He didn't even need to turn around to know another attack was coming.
The man in the hat stepped forward, emerging from the shadows and into the open, moving with an air of quiet dominance, like a being that had just descended to the earth.
His rough, dark outer robe billowed slightly with each step, its tattered edges whispering against the ground. There was no hesitation in his stride, only unwavering purpose, as if the very earth beneath him knew to yield to his presence.
For the first time, the two stood only feet apart, the sun casting no shadows between them.
"Now you're dead," a woman among them murmured, her voice quiet yet sharp, carrying just enough weight for Seo Reun to hear.
There was no mockery in her tone, no exaggeration, just a cold certainty, as if she were already watching his final moments unfold before her eyes.
The man tilted his hat up slightly.
He was must taller than Seo Reun, his frame wrapped in dark fabric. A jagged scar cut across his forehead, running over one closed eye. His remaining eye, sharp and calculating, studied Seo Reun with an unsettling intensity.
A sword rested on his back, untouched.
His lips curled into something like amusement, his short beard giving him a rugged, unrefined look.
"You're trained," he observed, his voice oddly friendly. "And fearless and you have an eye colour I have never seen."
A pause.
"I want you to join us."
The reaction was immediate.
The bandits stiffened, some exchanging glances of disbelief.
This wasn't how things were done.
Their group did not seek recruits. Those who wished to join often begged for the privilege, and even then, they had to prove their worth usually by surviving and only join if two of their own perished.
Yet, here was their leader, offering an invitation freely.
"Boss Woo..." one of the bandits called softly, his voice hesitant, almost like a quiet reminder that things weren't usually done this way.
Seo Reun barely blinked.
"Asinine." He spat the word. "I just want my possessions and to leave."
A chill ran down Woo's spine as he looked down at the teenage boy.
It wasn't just the words, but the way the boy spoke them.
Not like a desperate traveler. Not like a rogue.
Like a king addressing a subject.
Woo had never encountered someone like him before.
For the first time in a long while, he felt... unsure.
The hesitation was fleeting.
Woo moved.
Seo Reun saw the shift, the subtle tell before an attack.
The elbow strike came fast, but Seo Reun was faster. He tilted his head, the blow missing by mere inches.
Neither moved for a moment.
It was a standoff.
Woo slowly lowered his arm. Seo Reun straightened.
"Who are you?" Woo asked, his voice serious now.
Seo Reun's gaze did not waver.
"Who I am is none of your business." His tone was sharp. "You're beginning to irritate me. Give me my possessions. Now."
His gaze flickered to the teenage boys.
They hesitated but began to step forward.
"Yang!"
Woo's voice cut through the air.
"Yes, Boss Woo?"
The hammer-wielding man answered immediately.
Woo smiled, though there was a twitch in his fingers, an itch to act, to put this boy in his place.
He had never been challenged so openly. Everyone their group had ever attacked had begged for mercy, some even throwing themselves to the ground, groveling for their lives. Yet the boy before him neither cowered nor showed the slightest hint of desperation.
Dressed in nothing but his loincloth, he should have looked ridiculous, humiliated, even. But not a single one of them could see him that way. There was something about him, something in the way he stood, unshaken, as if he belonged nowhere and yet owned every space he stepped into.
"You'll get your possessions," he said. "If you win a fight with him." He referred to the man he called Yang as he unsheathed his sword.
Seo Reun's expression darkened.
He could end this now. Fight them all, take what was his, and leave.
But if he did, the boys would bolt.
And the one-eyed man, Woo, wouldn't be an easy opponent.
The air was frigid, seeping into his bones, but he had no time to waste.
"Here!"
Woo tossed him his sword.
Seo Reun caught it effortlessly, weighing the weapon in his grasp.
His gaze locked onto Yang, the hammer man.
He had expected to fight against brute strength, against an opponent wielding raw force.
But then he noticed...
Yang wasn't just carrying the hammer.
In his left hand, he held a sword.
A dual-wielding warrior.
Interesting.
The other bandits had dragged their injured away, clearing a space in the brightlight.
Now, all eyes were on them.
A deep breath.
A single heartbeat.
The fight was about to begin.
The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and steel. The air between Seo Reun and Yang grew heavy with anticipation. Around them, the bandits whispered among themselves, some shifting uneasily. The fight they were about to witness would not be an ordinary one.
Yang, a towering man built like a fortress, rolled his shoulders, his grip tightening on the massive hammer in his right hand. His left hand, equally strong, held a broad, slightly curved sword, an unconventional combination, one meant to crush and the other to cut in unpredictable ways.
Seo Reun, much smaller in frame, rolled his neck, feeling the sharp chill seep into his skin. His fingers flexed around the sword Woo had tossed him. It was heavier than his usual training weapon, but a blade was a blade. He could make it work.
Yang grinned, his teeth flashing beneath his thick beard. "You ready, boy?"
Seo Reun said nothing, only shifted his stance.
Then, like a thunderclap, the fight began.
Yang lunged, bringing his hammer down in a devastating arc. The sheer force of it cracked the earth, a large stone where Seo Reun had been standing a moment before. Wet dust exploded into the air as Seo Reun twisted, sidestepping the impact with a sharp pivot. He aimed a quick slash at Yang's side, but the large man swung his sword horizontally, forcing Seo Reun to leap back.
Yang wasted no time. His hammer came at him again, sweeping from the side like a battering bull. Seo Reun bent backward, barely avoiding the weapon as it passed inches from his face. The wind pressure alone was enough to make his hair whip wildly.
The bandits gasped.
Seo Reun didn't retreat, he surged forward. His sword flashed toward Yang's unguarded ribs, but at the last second, Yang twisted his hammer, using the handle to block the strike. Sparks flew as steel met steel.
"You're quick," Yang admitted, his grin widening.
Seo Reun didn't respond. He had already ducked low, aiming a kick at Yang's knee. The impact made the giant stumble slightly, and Seo Reun used that opening to slash at his arm.
A thin line of blood appeared.
Yang's smile faltered.
The hammer swung again, faster than before. Seo Reun barely dodged as it tore through the space where his head had been. Yang's raw power was overwhelming, and a single direct hit would break bones.
Seo Reun needed to end this quickly.
He feinted left, drawing Yang's sword in that direction, then pivoted sharply to the right. He slashed downward, aiming for Yang's exposed shoulder.
But Yang anticipated it.
With inhuman speed, he shifted his grip, bringing his sword up just in time to parry. The impact sent a shock up Seo Reun's arm. Before he could recover, Yang's hammer came from below in an upward swing.
Seo Reun had no choice, he threw himself backward, landing in a crouch as the hammer passed inches from his chest.
"Impressive," Woo murmured, watching the exchange with keen interest.
Yang exhaled heavily, his amusement fading. "You're more trouble than you're worth."
He shifted his stance. Something changed.
Seo Reun noticed it instantly, the air around Yang grew heavier, his movements more deliberate. The reckless brute force was gone. Now, he was calculating.
Then he attacked.
A whirlwind of steel and crushing force rained down on Seo Reun. The hammer and sword moved in perfect synchronization, trapping him in a deadly dance. Seo Reun parried, twisted, dodged, barely keeping up. His sword arm burned from the repeated clashes, and the ground beneath his feet cracked from Yang's relentless strikes.
Then...it happened.
Seo Reun mistimed a dodge.
The hammer clipped his shoulder, sending him flying. He rolled across the dirt, feeling pain explode through his body. He barely managed to stop himself from tumbling too far.
A sharp sting ran through his arm. Blood dripped from a fresh wound.
Yang exhaled, lowering his hammer. "That's it?"
Seo Reun rose to his feet, his movements slow but deliberate. His eyes darkened, deep and unreadable like a water buffalo roused from its slumber, disturbed and enraged.
A flicker of frustration crossed his face. He shouldn't have struggled in this fight. This should have ended swiftly, decisively. Yet here he was, forced to exert more effort than necessary. That alone irritated him.
His fingers curled slightly, steadying his breath, his anger now simmering just beneath the surface. If they thought they had seen the extent of him, they were sorely mistaken. His grip on the sword tightened. His breathing steadied. The pain didn't matter. The cold no longer mattered.
If he had fought the way he was taught, the man before him would have died ten times over.
Seo Reun had been trained to go straight for the kill, swift, precise, and merciless. Struggling in a fight was never an option; hesitation was a flaw he had never been allowed to have. Yet here he was, wounded because he had ignored his instincts, choosing restraint over efficiency.
The dull ache of his injury irritated him more than the pain itself. It was a reminder, a warning. He had indulged them long enough.
He adjusted his stance.
A shift in his posture. A shift in his aura.
For the first time, the bandits fell silent.
Even Yang hesitated.
Then Seo Reun moved.
A blur. A ghost.
Before Yang could react, Seo Reun was inside his guard.
His sword flickered, too fast to follow.
A clean, precise strike.
The hammer dropped to the ground.
A second slash.
Yang's sword flew from his hand.
A third strike, Seo Reun's palm slammed against Yang's chest, sending the massive man stumbling back.
Silence.
Seo Reun exhaled slowly, his sword hovering at Yang's throat.
Yang's chest rose and fell heavily. Blood dripped from thin cuts on his arms, his face, his torso. Nothing deep. Nothing fatal.
But he had lost.
A long pause. Then...
Yang chuckled. A low, rumbling sound that echoed in the quiet.
"You win, you win."
Woo's single eye gleamed with something unreadable. He stepped forward, raising a hand. The two teenage boys scrambled forward, placing Seo Reun's belongings on the ground before him, even his robes was neatly folded.
"Take them," Woo said. "You earned it."
Seo Reun dropped the sword letting it for like a discarded item, he grabbed his possessions, and without another word, turned his back on them.
The bandits watched him go, some with awe, some with fear.
Yang wiped the blood from his cheek, grinning. "That was fun."
Woo, still watching Seo Reun's retreating figure, murmured, "That boy... he's something else. He would have killed you but hesitated throughout the whole fight."
Yang's eyes widened in shock, and the others mirrored his reaction. A heavy silence fell over the group as the realization sank in.
Woo was never wrong. His instincts were razor-sharp, his judgment absolute. He had led them through countless battles, crushing enemies without fail. If he deemed someone beneath him, they were. If he declared someone strong, they were a threat.
And just like that, Seo Reun disappeared into the cold morning, leaving behind whispers of a legend in the making.