Preface
An extreme sense of fatigue and drowsiness fell upon me, and I was unable to open my eyes.
Even after mustering all my strength, I could only open my eyes halfway. Try as I might, I could not open them any further.
‘Ah…..’
My throat was parched and my lips were as dry as the sand. I could barely move my lips to form any audible or coherent sounds. The only sounds that I could muster were similar to feeble moans.
“Elder….. If you….. Leave like this…..”
My vision started to become cloudy, and I could no longer see anything properly. It also felt like someone was calling out to me, but my ears could no longer hear properly, as they started to become deaf.
‘I am…..’
Joo Seo-Cheon. I kept muttering my name, as my life started to flash right before my very eyes. The first distinct memory that came to my mind were the early days of my childhood, where I was playing around at the orphanage and I was fortunate enough to catch the attention of my Master, who later brought me to become a pupil of the Mount Hua Sect.
I was very fortunate indeed. The Mount Hua Sect was one of the first original sects that were part of the Just Faction. It was the First Sect out of the Nine Great Sects,that made up that faction and were well known for their prestigious sword styles. For someone like me, who was an orphan, having the opportunity to become a pupil of the Mount Hua Sect was a blessing that was hard to come by.
I eventually became a disciple to my Master, and before I knew it, I became one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect.
‘I was just fortunate.’
The title of being one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect was not something to be taken lightly. As the Mount Hua Sect was part of one of the Great Factions, there was no other position that held greater authority asides from being the Sect Leader. Becoming one of the Five Great Elders was not an easy task. And because of this reason, this position garnered a lot of respect and adoration from the other disciples within the Mount Hua Sect.
Needless to say, possessing exceptional mastery in Martial Arts was a given, but you also needed to have a great amount of wisdom, as well as a high amount of respect within the sect. Simply put, you needed to prove to the sect that you had the skills, in order to bring about respect from them.
Although having a high family status, or having lots of experience was important… But much like anywhere else in the world, there were always some “exceptions” that were made.
And I was one of those exceptions.
‘I really did not think that someone like me would become one of the Great Elders.’
I was just fortunate enough to enter the Mount Hua Sect. I did not possess any exceptional skills nor did I accomplish anything great. This did not mean I was incompetent or that I was a complete fool. I was just like most other disciples. I was just a normal and average disciple.
I have never really pushed myself to the limit or poured my blood, sweat, and tears to a specific task, so I had always believed attaining anything other than being a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect was an ambitious dream.
Although I never had this desire in the first place.
But being an orphan that was fortunate enough to be taken in by a Master, I have always wanted to repay my Master’s gratitude. And so, I made sure to never slack off from my duties, or laze around. But even still, the life I led was a very “average” life.
So then how did someone like me become one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect?
The answer to that statement is, because it was an era filled with distress.
For hundreds of years, there was an endless amount of treacherous and brutal battles. There were so many battles, that it was befitting to call these years the “Warring Age”. The neverending cycle from the start of the war, to the ceasefire, and the eventual end of the war was uncountable.
The Mount Hua Sect could not avoid this cycle of war, and countless disciples lost their lives. Even the Sect Leaders, Great Elders, and the Senior Disciples could not escape this fate, as three generations of Sect Leaders, two generations of Great Elders, and one generation of Senior Disciples have all perished.
After the final war ended, they were unable to find people who were qualified to become the Great Elders once more. Because I wasn’t a complete fool or completely lacked any skills, I, Joo Seo-Cheon, was able to inherit the position of a Great Elder.
Rising to the position of being one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect was not entirely about having a high family status, but this did not mean this was not important. If you became one of the Great Elders by possessing exceptional mastery in Martial Arts, but lacked the experience and also came from a lower family status, there was a lot of opposition and contention within the sect. Due to these reasons, it was inevitable for disciples who had a high family status to become the Great Elders. But once again, I was an exception, who was fortunate once more to attain this position.
Although I was one of the Great Elders, there wasn’t any significant change in my life. It was most likely due to the fact that the Warring Age had ended. There weren’t any dangerous events that had threatened or endangered my life.
From time to time, I would just assist the Sect Leader or the other Great Elders, and I ended up living a relatively comfortable life within the Mount Hua Sect.
Although the other Great Elders would often time partake in fostering and mentoring the junior disciples, I did not do any of that.
I also did not receive a disciple of my own.
Everyone knew I was not capable or suited to take and mentor a disciple of my own.
‘And I only recently attained the Unrestrained Realm…’
It was only during the latter part of my life that I started to become more interested in Martial Arts. This was all because I became a Great Elder. By being a Great Elder, I was allowed to access and read numerous Martial Arts manuals within the Mount Hua Sect.
And due to these reasons, I was able to eventually climb to the Unrestrained Realm but alas, it was too late. It was most likely because I instinctively felt that my end was near, that I started to feel the need to practice my Martial Arts earnestly.
‘At least my life wasn’t a total waste…’
Looking back at my life, I led a very pathetic life. I never truly got to experience love like everybody else. Since I spent my entire life learning about the ways of the Sword, I never truly got to hold a woman’s hand either. At some point in my life, I wanted to make a name for myself within the Murim World, but I was always inadequate to do just that.
I have lived through one of the worst eras of the Murim World. Numerous legends and tales arose, as there were countless Heroes and Villains that rose and fell. But my name would not be included nor found in these tales.
‘Ah…..’
I could feel my strength draining away, and I wondered if this was the end.
The people who were around my deathbed were all people I never knew or associated myself with. They were only there out of courtesy, as I, who was one of the Five Great Elders, was going to pass away soon. Asides from the fact that we were from the same sect, they had no direct ties to me.
A part of me wished that I had a family who cared about me, as I lived a long and lonely life.
I started to think about my kind and affectionate Master, as I started to envision the strong and proud Heroes during the Warring Age.
And before I knew it, these glorious Heroes started to fade further and further away, to the point where I could no longer reach out to them.
‘I guess….. I……’
My consciousness started to fade into neverending darkness.
‘I also wanted to live my life like them…….’
Translated by Raining Black
Edited by Casio & MarieOanna
Preface
An extreme sense of fatigue and drowsiness fell upon me, and I was unable to open my eyes.
Even after mustering all my strength, I could only open my eyes halfway. Try as I might, I could not open them any further.
‘Ah…..’
My throat was parched and my lips were as dry as the sand. I could barely move my lips to form any audible or coherent sounds. The only sounds that I could muster were similar to feeble moans.
“Elder….. If you….. Leave like this…..”
My vision started to become cloudy, and I could no longer see anything properly. It also felt like someone was calling out to me, but my ears could no longer hear properly, as they started to become deaf.
‘I am…..’
Joo Seo-Cheon. I kept muttering my name, as my life started to flash right before my very eyes. The first distinct memory that came to my mind were the early days of my childhood, where I was playing around at the orphanage and I was fortunate enough to catch the attention of my Master, who later brought me to become a pupil of the Mount Hua Sect.
I was very fortunate indeed. The Mount Hua Sect was one of the first original sects that were part of the Just Faction. It was the First Sect out of the Nine Great Sects,that made up that faction and were well known for their prestigious sword styles. For someone like me, who was an orphan, having the opportunity to become a pupil of the Mount Hua Sect was a blessing that was hard to come by.
I eventually became a disciple to my Master, and before I knew it, I became one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect.
‘I was just fortunate.’
The title of being one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect was not something to be taken lightly. As the Mount Hua Sect was part of one of the Great Factions, there was no other position that held greater authority asides from being the Sect Leader. Becoming one of the Five Great Elders was not an easy task. And because of this reason, this position garnered a lot of respect and adoration from the other disciples within the Mount Hua Sect.
Needless to say, possessing exceptional mastery in Martial Arts was a given, but you also needed to have a great amount of wisdom, as well as a high amount of respect within the sect. Simply put, you needed to prove to the sect that you had the skills, in order to bring about respect from them.
Although having a high family status, or having lots of experience was important… But much like anywhere else in the world, there were always some “exceptions” that were made.
And I was one of those exceptions.
‘I really did not think that someone like me would become one of the Great Elders.’
I was just fortunate enough to enter the Mount Hua Sect. I did not possess any exceptional skills nor did I accomplish anything great. This did not mean I was incompetent or that I was a complete fool. I was just like most other disciples. I was just a normal and average disciple.
I have never really pushed myself to the limit or poured my blood, sweat, and tears to a specific task, so I had always believed attaining anything other than being a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect was an ambitious dream.
Although I never had this desire in the first place.
But being an orphan that was fortunate enough to be taken in by a Master, I have always wanted to repay my Master’s gratitude. And so, I made sure to never slack off from my duties, or laze around. But even still, the life I led was a very “average” life.
So then how did someone like me become one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect?
The answer to that statement is, because it was an era filled with distress.
For hundreds of years, there was an endless amount of treacherous and brutal battles. There were so many battles, that it was befitting to call these years the “Warring Age”. The neverending cycle from the start of the war, to the ceasefire, and the eventual end of the war was uncountable.
The Mount Hua Sect could not avoid this cycle of war, and countless disciples lost their lives. Even the Sect Leaders, Great Elders, and the Senior Disciples could not escape this fate, as three generations of Sect Leaders, two generations of Great Elders, and one generation of Senior Disciples have all perished.
After the final war ended, they were unable to find people who were qualified to become the Great Elders once more. Because I wasn’t a complete fool or completely lacked any skills, I, Joo Seo-Cheon, was able to inherit the position of a Great Elder.
Rising to the position of being one of the Five Great Elders of the Mount Hua Sect was not entirely about having a high family status, but this did not mean this was not important. If you became one of the Great Elders by possessing exceptional mastery in Martial Arts, but lacked the experience and also came from a lower family status, there was a lot of opposition and contention within the sect. Due to these reasons, it was inevitable for disciples who had a high family status to become the Great Elders. But once again, I was an exception, who was fortunate once more to attain this position.
Although I was one of the Great Elders, there wasn’t any significant change in my life. It was most likely due to the fact that the Warring Age had ended. There weren’t any dangerous events that had threatened or endangered my life.
From time to time, I would just assist the Sect Leader or the other Great Elders, and I ended up living a relatively comfortable life within the Mount Hua Sect.
Although the other Great Elders would often time partake in fostering and mentoring the junior disciples, I did not do any of that.
I also did not receive a disciple of my own.
Everyone knew I was not capable or suited to take and mentor a disciple of my own.
‘And I only recently attained the Unrestrained Realm…’
It was only during the latter part of my life that I started to become more interested in Martial Arts. This was all because I became a Great Elder. By being a Great Elder, I was allowed to access and read numerous Martial Arts manuals within the Mount Hua Sect.
And due to these reasons, I was able to eventually climb to the Unrestrained Realm but alas, it was too late. It was most likely because I instinctively felt that my end was near, that I started to feel the need to practice my Martial Arts earnestly.
‘At least my life wasn’t a total waste…’
Looking back at my life, I led a very pathetic life. I never truly got to experience love like everybody else. Since I spent my entire life learning about the ways of the Sword, I never truly got to hold a woman’s hand either. At some point in my life, I wanted to make a name for myself within the Murim World, but I was always inadequate to do just that.
I have lived through one of the worst eras of the Murim World. Numerous legends and tales arose, as there were countless Heroes and Villains that rose and fell. But my name would not be included nor found in these tales.
‘Ah…..’
I could feel my strength draining away, and I wondered if this was the end.
The people who were around my deathbed were all people I never knew or associated myself with. They were only there out of courtesy, as I, who was one of the Five Great Elders, was going to pass away soon. Asides from the fact that we were from the same sect, they had no direct ties to me.
A part of me wished that I had a family who cared about me, as I lived a long and lonely life.
I started to think about my kind and affectionate Master, as I started to envision the strong and proud Heroes during the Warring Age.
And before I knew it, these glorious Heroes started to fade further and further away, to the point where I could no longer reach out to them.
‘I guess….. I……’
My consciousness started to fade into neverending darkness.
‘I also wanted to live my life like them…….’
Translated by Raining Black
Edited by Casio & MarieOanna
