#2

Chapter 1

Those Chosen by the Stars (1)

That fateful day, a star plummeted to earth.

Had it been night-time, everyone would have simply dismissed it as a passing meteor. But the star fell in broad daylight. Carving a burning arc across the blue midday sky, then vanished in an instant, leaving no one with a clue as to where it had landed.

The meaning of this phenomenon was clear

It signaled the emergence of a Star-Fated Prodigy.

Every fifty years or so, these bearers of unparalleled genius grace the world, and this phenomenon was a harbinger of their arrival.

Various factions, eager to claim this legendary talent— a talent destined to etch itself into the annals of history—mobilized at once. They compiled rosters of every infant born on that day, then deployed Prophetic diviners skilled in illusionary arts to discern which among them was the true Star-Fated Prodigy.

But just like in the past, this was a task that required time. This was because it is only after the passage of many years that the talent of a Star-Fated Prodigy, born with the power of the stars, truly begins to bloom.

And so, thirteen years passed.

“Are you certain it is in there?”

The middle-aged man asked as he looked at the elder. The old man, clad in a flowy black robe, let out a chuckle.

“If you don’t believe me, then don’t go. It’s not like you’re going there out of greed anyway.”

“No, it’s not that I don’t trust you. I was simply curious how you managed to pinpoint so accurately something that had remained undiscovered until now.”

“Because the time has come. If anything, thirteen years was a long wait. Now that the star’s power has begun to awaken, any Phantom Diviner worth their salt would have sensed it. When I synthesized that with the intelligence gathered by our people, the conclusion was clear: that is the place. Well, I imagine other factions will be getting their hands on this information soon enough.”

“I see. Then I suppose I’ll go have a look.”

“You truly have no intention of bringing them back with you?”

“Why? Are you tempted by it?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. If I could take a Star-Fated Prodigy as my disciple, I could not only pass down every single one of my secret arts, but I’d likely live to see all the things I’ve only ever dreamed of. If you don’t need them, then hand them over to me.”

“I’ll give it some thought.”

With that reply, the middle-aged man set off down the road.

Lately, the thirteen-year-old Hyeong-un couldn’t escape hearing stuff like this.

“Tsk. It wasn’t this brat after all. A total waste of time.”

Ever since the first visitor—an elderly man who radiated an intimidating, untouchable aura—had clicked his tongue in disappointment, a stream of people had been coming by to harass him. Some looked sinister, others practically dripped with wealth, and some just looked plain dangerous, but none of them were people you could cross.

They all poked and prodded him, only to leave while spouting similar nonsense.

From Hyeong-un’s perspective, it was downright infuriating. What the hell—after all that hassle, that’s what they say?

‘I’m the one whose time was wasted, not you jerks!’

The behavior of those who had sought him out thus far were more or less the same.

They would show up without warning, skip the introductions, and ask various questions with an insufferable air of arrogance.

“Hey, brat. Are you the one called Hyeong-un?”

“Yes. Who’s asking?”

“How old are you?”

“Thirteen.”

“Your birthday?”

“May 2nd. Why…?”

“Just answer the damn questions.”

With a sword hanging from his hip, the warrior shot him a glare that could curdle milk. So what choice does a powerless thirteen-year-old have but to play along?

“At least he was born on the right day. Strip.”

“Huh?”

“ Strip, I said.”

“Why? What for?”

“If I say strip, you strip. Why are you making such a fuss?”

Showing up out of the blue and ordering him to strip, without so much as an explanation—what kind of bullshit tyranny was this? But Hyeong-un had zero choice but to comply.

“You moron. Just the top half is enough. Who told you to drop your pants?”

The man had barked “strip” without a shred of context, but he’s the one getting irritated? Hyeong-un’s blood boiled with righteous fury, but he couldn’t utter a single word. He was just a penniless, powerless orphan boy, and they were frightening men with swords strapped to their sides.

“Hmm. Let’s see…”

Once they had forced his clothes off, they began to prod and inspect various parts of his body without so much as asking for consent. They  peered closely into his eyes, forced his mouth open to look inside and gripped his head, it felt like they were appraising livestock.

If only that had been the end of it.

“Agh! Aaagh…!”

Hyeong-un let out a scream. The moment the man examining him grabbed his hand and did something—something he couldn’t even see—pain like a surge of electricity came racing through his entire body.

But whether he screamed in pain or thrashed around, they couldn’t care less. They simply observed his reaction with a cold detachment before letting go and clicking their tongues.

“Utterly pathetic. It’s not him.”

Their attitude suggested that his suffering was somehow his own fault.

Then there were those who attempted to teach Hyeong-un something.

For instance, individuals who appeared to be an illusionary arts Sorcerer would recite bizarre phrases—perhaps some kind of incantations or dharma—that were completely incomprehensible to him, and then demand he replicate them.

“Try it.”

“…Huh? Try what?”

“I just explained the whole thing, didn’t I? Now try it.”

“Uh, sorry, but I seriously didn’t get a single word of what you are saying?”

“Dammit. He was just a moron after all?”

The illusionary arts Sorcerers were at least better because they’d just get irritated and leave when he didn’t understand.

The ones who looked more ominously armed though, demanded physical feats.

“Try and dodge.”

“…what?”

Whoosh!

In the split second he stood there dazed, a vicious tearing sound split the air. The spear thrust by the man before him had grazed the hair right next to his temple. He couldn’t even track the movement properly with his eyes.

“Hmm. No reaction? Well, I suppose if he hasn’t learnt any Martial Arts, he wouldn’t be able to react in the first place.”

The sheer terror of nearly dying made his heart sink like a stone, but these guys just chattered away like it was no big deal. If it ended with just threats, that would be fortunate, but there were even those who outright beat him up.

Thwack!

“Ke-heugh!”

Struck hard in the chest, Hyeong-un was sent flying through the air before sprawling across the ground. Seeing this, the man who had hit him looked visibly disappointed.

“Tch, what’s this? You couldn’t even dodge something that slow? Even if you don’t know martial arts, that’s just pathetic. Figures—you’re a dud.”

It was said in a tone that made it sound as though it were his fault for not avoiding the blow.

Despite tormenting him like this, not a single one of them showed even the slightest hint of apology. Instead, they merely cast glances of utter contempt, as if failure to be the person they were looking for was a crime in itself.

‘Filthy Scums. I hope you all slip on shit and break your necks.’

Hyeong-un gnashed his teeth hard, fighting back tears of rage.

He was slaving away as an errand boy at the inn, but every time those creeps showed up, the damage was a nightmare.

“Hey, you little punk—the liquor barrels are empty! Get your ass moving and swap it out!”

“Ah…please cut me some slack. You know I’ve been going through hell lately.”

“Slack, my ass. Ugh, to think I’m paying wages to keep trash like you around. I’m only letting this slide because I’m generous. otherwise I would’ve already brought in a replacement and you’d have been out on your neck.”

The inn keeper, who couldn’t utter so much as a peep to those who actually persecuted Hyeong-un, did nothing but berate him for not doing his job properly. Every time he heard this, he wanted to quit right then and there, but as a young boy with no money, his life would be a dead end the moment he was cast out.

‘I will gather every last coin and get out of this dump, no matter what’

He scraped together his pitiful, mouse-tail wages, clenching every coin as if his life depended on it, vowing to himself again and again.

But even that resolve of his would be wounded by what followed.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

The one who asked was a man with a sinister face, marked by a jagged scar. The moment he and his gang entered the inn, they had immediately begun shouting for Hyeong-un. At that very moment, another group arrived and did the exact same thing. Naturally, this led to a tense standoff between the two factions.

“I should be the one asking. Who the hell are you?”

The man with the sharp, predatory eyes threw the question back. Instead of explaining, the scarred man glared fiercely, eyes bulging.

“I got here first. Scram.”

“Your arrogance pierces the very heavens. Who do you think you’re telling to scram?”

“So you want to try me, is that it?”

Srrrng!

The scarred man drew his blade. At that, the sharp-eyed man snorted and drew his own sword in response. With violence moments away from erupting, the patrons inside the inn all froze in terror.

The man with the sharp, predatory eyes sneered.

“You don’t even know for sure if that brat is the one… and you’re willing to throw your life away over something like that? What a fool.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

As Hyeong-un watched them, he slowly and stealthily inched backward. At that moment, the scarred man barked an order to his crew.

“Secure the kid!”

In an instant, the gaze of every man in that standoff snapped toward Hyeong-un. He froze, feeling the terrifying illusion of a pack of predators locking their eyes on him.

“Get him!”

As the scarred man and the sharp-eyed one violently collided, their subordinates lunged for Hyeong-un.

CRASH! BANG! CLATTER!

In the blink of an eye, the inn descended into chaos. In their rush to reach him, they didn’t hesitate to shove, strike or trample one another. Tables were overturned, and guests screamed in terror as they fled in all directions.

He wanted to run, but in a situation like this, there was nowhere to escape. He hadn’t even taken a few steps after turning around before someone grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

“Got you!”

But that victory was short-lived. Another man from the rival gang rushed up and shoved the first man aside.

“Agh!”

Hyeong-un screamed. Still gripped by the man, they toppled over together, and he found himself crushed underneath.

To make matters worse, the men paid no mind to the boy trapped beneath them and began scuffling right on top of him, grabbing and shoving at each other. Paralyzed by the fear that his bones would snap, Hyeong-un somehow wriggled free—only for another man, eyes blazing with opportunity, to lunge forward and seize him.

And so it repeated. Hyeong-un was tossed around like a piece of luggage, slammed into one body and then another, stumbling and falling with each impact.

“oh no! My inn! This is a disaster! Stop it this instant! Take that little bastard and fight outside!”

In the midst of all this, the innkeeper was spouting such nonsense. There had never been a moment when Hyeong-un didn’t find the man loathsome, but this time, he felt a surge of literal murderous intent welling up in his chest.

“Enough!”

At that moment, a voice like a thunderclap echoed through the room. Those trading blows inside the inn froze in surprise.

“Who do you lowlifes think you are doing, causing such a ruckus?!”

The one who had roared was a stern-looking old man with a sword at his waist. He was alone and small in stature compared to the brawling gangs, yet the sheer force of his presence overwhelmed the entire room with just a single word.

“Who the hell are you to tell us…..”

“Silence, I’ll have you know that this old man is Jin Gyu of the Jogoem Sect {Sword Harmonizing Sect}”

“Jin Gyu, the ‘Fool’s Strike’?”

Everyone flinched at the mention of that name.

Jin Gyu—the elder known throughout the Jianghu by the moniker ‘The Fool’s Strike.’

He was a Renowned Swordmaster whose fame extended not only through the region of Hojang city but across the entire Ha-un Kingdom.

“Indeed. That is what people call this old man.”

“…….”

When Jin Gyu glared at them, they all shrank back. These were the type who would brandish their blades without thinking twice, but only when their opponents seemed easy. Facing a powerhouse who could take their lives in a single breath, their pride vanished instantly.

“For what reason were you causing such a ruckus in a place like this?”

Jin Gyu asked

“W-well, that is…”

They muttered, glancing at one another. Just as Jin Gyu was about to roar at them again for their hesitation, one of his attendants whispered something into his ear.

“Ah… Star Fragments?”

Jin-gyu clicked his tongue, as if everything now made sense. At that moment, a boy entered the inn right by Jin-gyu’s side.

{TL Note: #1 these 2 sentences “Silence, I’ll have you know that this old man is Jin Gyu of the Jogoem Sect” & “Indeed. That is what people call this old man.” was Jin Gyu talking about himself in third person like classical masters do
#2 Hojang is a fortress city (a walled city popular in ancient China)}