༺ First Chapter – Childhood (1) ༻
In a straw-thatched house deep within a mountain valley in Jiangxi Province, seven-year-old Mok Riwon tilted his head, puzzled by his elderly master’s words.
“Won, you were born under the star of slaughter.”
“What’s slaughter?”
“It refers to the act of taking lives.”
“Then, am I going to be a person who takes away lives?”
“Wrong. That is for you to decide.”
The old man once called the Sword Star, Mok Seon-oh, laughed heartily and shook his head.
“You seem confused.”
“Yes…”
Mok Seon-oh stared at the child.
With his innocent face and slowly blinking eyes, he looked pretty enough to be a young master from the big city, not a country bumpkin.
Beneath his jet-black hair were brown eyes that darkened each passing day. He had milky, flawless skin adorned with long eyelashes.
It was a young boy with a gentle disposition who had yet to develop masculine features and could easily be mistaken for a girl.
The child he found seven years ago on that day of bloodshed had grown up so lovely.
“Not understanding is fine. It is something you will gradually learn.”
Mok Seon-oh stroked his hair, causing him to blush and lower his head.
“Do you know why I am telling you this?”
“No…”
“Won. It is because I hope you do not grow up to be a person who takes lives.”
The old man and the child’s eyes met.
“Your master hopes you grow up to be a person who saves others.”
“I’d like that too!”
“Yes, you are a kind child who saves even trapped rabbits.”
After seven long years of raising the child with nothing but love, the truth he now had to impart felt terribly cruel to Mok Seon-oh.
How could the heavens burden this lovely, innocent child with such a dreadful fate?
Yet he could not conceal the truth.
The Heaven-Slaying Star drove its bearer to commit slaughter against their will, damning them to an eternal hell.
Therefore, it was better to tell him the truth and help him develop the strength to resist than to keep it hidden.
“The star that has befallen you, we called it the Heaven-Slaying Star.”
Mok Riwon’s eyes flashed open at those words. The child possessed exceptional insight and could understand the meaning of that obscure word based on the context of the conversation.
“Cheon is used for Heaven, Sal for Slaying, and Seong for Star, right?”
“Correct. You are already able to figure out the meaning of those ancient characters. Very admirable.”
“Hehe…”
“In that case, you must also know the purpose of this star.”
“It’s a star sent down by the heavens to take away lives!”
Immediately after he shouted, Mok Riwon made an astonished ‘Ah!’ sound.
“T-Then, I’ll become a slaughterer?!”
“As I said, that depends on you.”
“It depends on me?”
“Yes, it depends on you. You can either succumb to your fate and commit the sin of slaughter, or you can resist with all your might and walk the path of righteousness.”
Mok Riwon made a confused expression, momentarily worrying before shaking his head and responding.
“I don’t want bad karma. I get really sad when I see animals die.”
“Then, you must do many good deeds and build good karma.”
“Yes!”
Mok Riwon’s eyes sparkled. When the conversation ended, he knew exactly what the old man would say.
‘It’s time for a lesson!’
The elderly man was going to give him a lesson.
Just like the time he was taught the names of flowers to learn ancient characters, or the day he fed birds to learn about farming.
He would surely be taught amazing and novel things this time as well.
Mok Seon-oh was aware of the child’s expectations and wanted to live up to them, so he avoided unnecessary words.
“Your master will teach you martial arts.”
“Martial arts?”
“Indeed, martial arts. If you learn well, you will be capable of defeating even a tiger in a fight.”
Mok Riwon’s mouth opened wide.
A tiger.
They were the biggest and scariest animals he knew of and at the same time, the strongest animal in the world.
“I’ll be the strongest in the world!”
“Strongest in the world…. Indeed, given the talent bestowed upon you, it is not impossible.”
Mok Seon-oh laughed.
‘The martial arts talent of the Heaven-Slaying Star.’
A calamity sent down by the heavens.
The Heaven-Slaying Star, true to its name, those born under the star were gifted with extraordinary martial talent.
In other words, as long as this child trained properly, he could become unrivaled under the heavens.
“So, will you promise me only one thing?”
“Promise what?”
“Will you promise me that you will use the martial arts I teach you for chivalry?”
“Chivalry?”
“Yes, chivalry. It means to be fair and righteous.”
“What does fair and righteous mean?”
“It is a way of saying that your beliefs are correct.”
It was a difficult conversation for the child.
Mok Riwon frowned deeply and made a confused expression.
Mok Seon-oh laughed full of joy, and said.
“Chivalry is a discipline you must ponder for a lifetime. Perhaps you may not even find an answer.”
“Then I can’t use martial arts for the rest of my life?”
“No.”
Mok Seon-oh stared straight at the child and spoke in the most solemn tone he had ever used.
“It means that you have to think about chivalry every moment you are using martial arts.”
Mok Riwon quietly stared at the old man.
Although always smiling when they were together, from time to time, Mok Riwon would see him with a heartbroken expression, as he did now.
Every moment like this, Mok Riwon did one thing—
“Yes! I will be someone who always thinks!”
—Give an answer that would make him smile, and laugh first so he would laugh back.
“…Truly admirable.”
Fortunately, the old man smiled this time as well.
“Martial arts is the discipline of training the body to cultivate the mind.”
Mok Riwon was standing in the yard of the straw-thatched house, listening attentively to the old man’s words.
“Before all else, everything in this world must be transformed into one’s own self-crafted discipline. As such, that discipline brings each individual one step closer to the truth. That is what we call Martial Arts.”
“Who is we?”
“The World of Martial Arts.”
Mok Seon-oh continued his explanation.
“The community of martial artists who learned martial arts. A small community made of trees to form the forest that we call martial artists.”
“Then, are all martial artists, those chivalrous heroes?”
Mok Riwon was naturally doubtful.
His master said that he must use martial arts for chivalry. And that all martial artists use martial arts that way. According to that logic, are martial artists not naturally heroes?
Meok Seon-oh smiled bitterly while shaking his head.
“Not all are like that. Indeed, upon reflection, there are many who preach chivalry, but few who live by it.”
“Are they bad people?”
“You see, even your master is not certain.”
There was a time when he called those who turned their backs on righteousness and justice, villains. He condemned those who lived for the sake of their own self-interest instead of morals.
However, the current Mok Seon-oh knew.
His definition and theirs came from different places. The definition that took hold in his mind came in a different form.
“This is for you to judge yourself as you experience the world, so let’s save our words and continue the conversation we were having.”
“Ah, yes!”
“In any case, given the deep-rooted foundation of martial arts, it is a discipline that values the mind and its inherent meaning far more than strength.”
Mok Seon-oh, who had kept his hands behind his back until now, finally revealed them. What came into view was an old sword.
“Let your master show off just a little.”
Schwiiing—
The sword was drawn.
Contrary to its old appearance, a single glance from a martial artist at the blade’s sharpness could show that the sword was cared for.
Whoosh—
The wind blew.
Certainly, what manifested after those words made Mok Riwon’s eyes widen.
‘…Stars.’
It was broad daylight, and yet what dazzled his vision were stars. A chilling starlight cascaded down from the sheath as the sword was being drawn.
“The Starfall Seven Swords,” Mok Seon-oh said. “Won, that is the name of the martial arts you will learn from now on.”
Mok Seon-oh’s arm swung.
What unfolded next was a beautiful sword dance that would forever be etched into Mok Riwon’s memories.
Late at night.
Mok Riwon was huddled up underneath his blanket trying to sleep, but it didn’t seem like his attempt would be successful anytime soon.
There was no other reason. It was because the scene of Mok Seon-oh’s sword he had witnessed earlier that day kept replaying in his mind.
‘Starfall Seven Swords…!’
The swordsmanship he would learn in the future.
A beautiful sword art that embroidered the surroundings with a chilling starlight.
‘I want to learn quickly!’
Mok Riwon imagined himself holding a shining white sword, performing an elegant dance that illuminated the entire forest.
Thump.
Thump.
Mok Riwon’s youthful heart beat rapidly as the corners of his mouth were lifted into a wide grin, and it didn’t seem like they would come down anytime soon.
His thoughts continued.
– Martial arts divides each realm into stages. Starting from the bottom are Third Rate, Second Rate, First Rate, Peak, and Supreme, with these five being the foundation.
– Foundation?
– Indeed, that means another realm exists above. However, it is not something to worry about yet. You see, in studying, focusing too much on the distant future will cause you to lose sight of what you must learn right now. So for now, that is all you need to know.
It was the day he learned about the foundational progression. Mok Riwon didn’t bother erasing the excitement that distracted him from sleeping; instead, he kept replaying what he had heard that afternoon in his mind.
‘I’m a third rate martial artist!’
He had not yet fully entered the martial world, so he could not sense qi and could not even properly wield a sword.
– Strongest in the world…. Indeed, given the talent bestowed upon you, it is not impossible.
His master had affirmed his talent, so he had no reason to worry. Surely, he must be talented in the sword. As he had seen in the afternoon, he would also be able to unleash stars that shined brilliantly underneath the sunlight.
As Mok Riwon thought about what had happened during the day, the sparkle in his eyes began to dim.
‘…The realm that can unleash stars.’
As called by the martial world, the Peak Realm.
– Sword Intent. That is what we call what you witnessed, Won. It is only after attaining this realm that we achieve the title of a martial arts master.
Mok Seon-oh referred to the stars he had seen during the day in that manner.
A momentary thought in the form of, ‘Can I do that?’ emerged, but Mok Riwon quickly shook his head and dismissed it.
‘I can do it.’
His master clearly told him so – that he could surely become the strongest in the world, so there was no need for self-doubt.
Mok Riwon took a deep breath to relax his body and then shut his eyes.
Because his young body was prone to fatigue, his thoughts gradually faded as he drifted off into a deep sleep.
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