A boat carrying passengers was crossing the river.

Kwonma and I stood on the windy deck, looking out at the river. We were gradually moving farther from the main sect.

There are people uneasy about a defection. What if he causes some accident? Or what if this changes his life for the worse? All because of me?

But Kwonma’s defection didn’t feel worrying at all. Was it because of the sincerity he showed in life? Or maybe because I thought that very sincerity was suppressing Kwonma’s true nature?

It was then.

A yarn ball rolled under Kwonma’s feet.

A little kid ran up and stopped, looking scared at the large figure of Kwonma. Kwonma picked up the ball and handed it to me.

“Please give it yourself.”

“Would he cry?”

“He won’t.”

Despite Kwonma offering the ball to the kid, the child hesitated to approach, so Kwonma rolled the ball toward him.

Kid, today is the day you got a ball from Kwonma.

The child took the ball, bowed, then ran toward his parents. Watching this, Kwonma suddenly asked,

“Did I say I was going somewhere enjoyable?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think I’d enjoy?”

“Shall we bet?”

“A bet?”

“If you enjoy it after you arrive, I win. If not, I lose.”

“What if I say I’m not enjoying it even if I am?”

“You wouldn’t do that, right?”

“If it’s a bet, what do we wager?”

“Pride.”

It was the same when jumping off the waterfall.

Then Kwonma looked at me with a strange expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Don’t you want to bet your Je Sam-gwon?”

“I do.”

“Then why don’t you suggest it?”

“The first and second rights I got so easily because you showed mercy. I have a conscience; I can’t do that again.”

It was both sincere and a way to score points with him.

“Now, put a man’s pride on the line!”

I thrust my fist toward him.

“What’s this? Want to fight?”

“When warriors make a promise, they clash weapons, right? We fist fighters should clash fists.”

“I won’t clash fists with a baby hand.”

I looked at Kwonma’s hand, then at my fist.

“Frustratingly, I can’t deny that.”

Kwonma turned toward the river.

Far away, the sun began setting over the river.

“Good.”

It was the first time he said something was good while looking at the scenery. Kwonma gazed at the river, and I leaned against the railing, back to the sunset, watching him.

“I heard you traveled a lot when you were young.”

“I didn’t stick to the sect.”

“You also went out a lot with your father?”

“Did the sect leader say that?”

I answered quietly, “Yes,” though it wasn’t from my father. I learned that investigating the Ma Jons before reincarnation. The place we’re going to now was also discovered that way.

“Do you still meet your father often?”

“Hardly. That time at the tavern was the first in a long while.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing. Can relationships always stay warm?”

“True.”

I turned my body as well. The sunset that colored Kwonma now cast light on my face.

Would this lazy moment be remembered as one of our warmest moments?

Two days later, Geom Mugeuk and Kwonma were entering a busy marketplace. If the Beast Faction’s territory was Murim Alliance’s domain, this place was Sado Alliance’s.

Along the way, Kwonma’s expression shifted strangely — sometimes stiff, sometimes passionate.

They arrived at a shabby warehouse on the outskirts.

Geom Mugeuk handed money to the guard at the entrance. After taking the money, the guard led them inside. Among stacked cargo was a passage down to a basement.

After descending the stairs, a large iron door awaited. Opening it, a hot wave of heat and cheering greeted them.

In the center was a large fighting ring where two shirtless men were punching and grappling bare-fisted.

“This is an underground fighting arena.”

There are various underground arenas in Jungwon. Some use internal energy, others weapons. And some, like this one, are pure fistfights with no energy or weapons.

“You can pay an entry fee to watch the matches or even bet on the winner. Most come here to gamble.”

“How did you find this place?”

“I’m interested in all things Murim. Since this is a pure fistfight arena, I thought Kwonma would like it and brought him here.”

A tremor appeared in Kwonma’s eyes.

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

Then Kwonma said something surprising.

“When I was young, I was a fighter here.”

“Huh?”

Geom Mugeuk was startled — or at least pretended to be. In truth, he already knew Kwonma was from here.

“Here, you mean?”

“Yes. I was right here.”

Kwonma’s life wasn’t smooth.

“How did you come to be affiliated with the main sect?”

“The people from the main sect spotted me here and recruited me.”

Geom Mugeuk didn’t know much past that. Probably before mastering real martial arts, but still, someone with the potential to become Kwonma wouldn’t lose skill anywhere.

“Were you undefeated here as well?”

Kwonma asked back,

“I’m not undefeated now, am I?”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if I fought the sect leader, I wouldn’t win. Same with the Murim Alliance leader and Sado Alliance leader. Even without calling out the many reclusive masters like grains of sand, I can’t confidently say I’d win against you alone, right?”

“Well, I’m a baby hand.”

“That baby hand’s Black Demon Sword is scary.”

Geom Mugeuk suddenly thought maybe Kwonma hated being called undefeated.

“No one knows. If it truly comes down to life or death, who knows? Kwonma might even beat his father.”

Kwonma’s gaze turned back to the fighting ring. Watching the beaten martial artists, he said,

“If I fought the sect leader, that’s how it would go. Even if the sect leader didn’t draw his sword.”

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

“True. That guy would beat his own son like that.”

Kwonma nodded seriously at Geom Mugeuk’s words.

In truth, Geom Mugeuk didn’t know how Kwonma felt about this place. Maybe he hated it, maybe he never wanted to return.

But still, he brought him here because now he was Kwonma — he had risen from the bottom to the pinnacle of fist fighting.

Maybe he wanted to come once more. To feel that burning heat again.

Standing among the crowd, Geom Mugeuk and Kwonma watched the matches.

The atmosphere was so heated that even this intimidating Kwonma was ignored by everyone nearby.

Geom Mugeuk could tell: these people weren’t caught up in the fight but in gambling, shouting for the outcome only.

After watching a match, Kwonma casually said,

“The left one will win.”

Whose judgment could be wrong?

The left fighter won.

The matches continued without pause. After one ended, a few men quickly wiped away sweat and blood from the ring.

Meanwhile, others brought large boards showing fighters’ records and recent performance, displaying them to the crowd. People placed bets based on that.

All of this happened instantly. As if time was money, the matches continued relentlessly, not letting the crowd’s excitement fade.

Kwonma correctly predicted the next match as well. Truly, Kwonma was a prophet.

“We might get rich here and leave.”

Despite his words, Geom Mugeuk didn’t bet a single penny.

“Shall we bet for fun?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Honestly, I regret it. I brought you to feel the heat of fighting, but the gambling heat seems stronger.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s honest words, Kwonma smiled bitterly.

“It was like that then, too. Here... it’s always like that.”

Then Kwonma focused on a young man.

“That kid’s eyes are good.”

Geom Mugeuk sensed Kwonma was projecting his own childhood onto the boy.

“Fine. I’ll bet all my fortune on that kid.”

Geom Mugeuk joked, and Kwonma encouraged,

“Bet. You’ll definitely win.”

“No thanks.”

But the kid Kwonma believed in lost the match. Kwonma’s expression tightened slightly.

“If I’d bet as you said, I’d have lost everything. We almost ended up homeless today!”

Was it that Kwonma misjudged their skills? No. It was match-fixing.

“Shall we see the owner?”

Kwonma could have scolded the owner sharply.

“Fixing has nothing to do with the arena. The arena tries hard to catch fixers. They make huge money without fixing, so why cause trouble?”

It meant fixing was attempted from outside.

“Memories should just remain memories. Sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry for?”

“I brought you to enjoy the fights but worried I spoiled your mood.”

“It’s fine.”

“Times have changed a lot. Pure fights like before seem gone.”

Kwonma smiled strangely and said,

“Why do you think there was no fixing then?”

“There was?”

“Of course. It changed my life.”

Kwonma’s gaze shifted to the young man leaving the ring as memories surfaced naturally.

“One day during my winning streak, the local black market leader came at night with his men. They told me to lose the next match. If I lost during my winning streak, they’d make huge money. They offered me a lot of money.”

“What did you do?”

“I refused.”

“They wouldn’t just let that go.”

Kwonma nodded, closing his eyes, vividly recalling that moment like yesterday.

The moment he threw punches and dodged attacks from the black market thugs.

His accompanying men knocked many down but couldn’t defeat the leader. The leader was formally trained; Kwonma wasn’t yet. He was thoroughly subdued.

“Listen, or you die.”

“You stupid black market bastard! If you’re a man, don’t use energy, fight me in the ring!”

“Words don’t work.”

The leader grabbed Kwonma’s clothes.

He slashed Kwonma’s chest ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) longwise with a dagger. Kwonma clenched his teeth, trying not to scream.

“Since I’m going to lose anyway, it might as well hurt a little.”

Eventually, Kwonma couldn’t stand the pain and screamed.

“Alright. I’ll lose the next match.”

“If you had done that sooner, you wouldn’t be hurt. Whenever you think stupid thoughts, look at this scar.”

The leader smiled and left.

After hearing this, Geom Mugeuk asked,

“So what happened then?”

“What happened? I won the next match spectacularly, making that bastard lose all his fortune.”

Geom Mugeuk laughed loudly. Yeah, this was Kwonma.

“Awesome!”

“Not awesome, reckless and fearless then. Much more fearless than now, a thousand times stronger.”

Kwonma opened his chest, showing me again.

“I got these scars that way. Not from a grand master, but from a petty black market thug whose name I don’t even remember now. Scars I didn’t get fighting Murim Alliance elders.”

I thought Kwonma never told anyone about these scars. Not physical but emotional scars.

“Aren’t those scars more proud?”

“Proud?”

“When fighting Murim Alliance elders, you were probably more scared but endured it, right?”

“You may want to put it nicely, but for me, it’s just shame I want to erase.”

“Don’t say that. I actually like those scars more. From now on, whenever I see those scars, I’ll think of the young Kwonma who stood tall without a shred of internal energy. Much cooler scars than those left by Murim Alliance or Sado Alliance leaders.”

Kwonma was briefly stunned. He never thought or heard that before. Seeing those scars always made him feel bad, but maybe from today, the discomfort would lessen.

Geom Mugeuk knew that what was necessary to heal emotional wounds was someone else’s words. Rather than thinking a hundred or a thousand times alone, hearing such words once truly begins the healing.

“Show me those scars often.”

Kwonma felt warmth deep inside and didn’t know what to say, only looking silently at Geom Mugeuk.

Not knowing his thoughts, Geom Mugeuk asked again,

“Tell me what happened next. So that black market thug came to kill you.”

Kwonma nodded, recalling the day his fate changed.

“That night, he came with all his men to find me.”