Kang You-jin awoke to find himself gazing down at the ground through the eyes of a bird.
The year was 1592, the Imjin War era.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Japanese forces had crushed the Korean army like bamboo splitting, reaching as far as Seoul in less than a month.
The Korean army, which had onlyknown defeat and collapse at the hands of the Japanese, managed its first victory in Yangju, though it was only a small win.
Shin Gak was the vice-commander under General Kim Myeong-won.
Kim Myeong-won’s Korean forces had clashed with the Japanese at the Imjin River, but suffered a crushing defeat that nearly wiped them out.
Shin Gak rallied the scattered, demoralized Korean troops and led them to Yangju where they successfully defeated the Japanese forces that had been busy pillaging.
This was a historic first victory.
However, Kim Myeong-won filed a report accusing Shin Gak of desertion and disobedience to orders. The court decided to execute him.
Shin Gak also sent his own report to the court, but it arrived too late.
A few days later, news of the victory reached the court, but the envoy carrying the execution order had already left.
The court hurriedly sent another envoy to cancel the order, but once again, it was too late.
“By the Emperor’s command! Vice-Commander Shin Gak, listen!
You should have immediately reported back to your superior after the defeat at the Han River, but instead, you defied imperial orders by acting on your own. This is insubordination.
You shall be executed according to military law!”
The envoy delivered the cold verdict to where Shin Gak was stationed.
Despite achieving the first victory of the Imjin War, Shin Gak was beheaded.
Kang You-jin had witnessed every detail of this tragic events from an omniscient perspective.
Tears streamed down his face.
The ghost referring to himself as “Mou” whose death he had just witnessed, had this history.
Before he knew it, Kang You-jin woke from the vision.
He turned his head to look at the human-shaped figure emanating dark energy.
“Such a past…”
Necromancers like Kang You-jin can sometimes glimpse their bound ghost’s history through dreams.
“Mou” had lived a vastly different life from Kang Ja-su, his previous contractor. Kang Ja-su had only participated in minor skirmishes against the Jurchens during a peaceful era.
Kang You-jin searched for more information about this “Mou” and found considerable data.
Necromancy can only summon ghosts shortly after their death, so he knew nothing of what happened afterward.
“Can you tell me what happened after your death?”
The ghost shook his head.
From what he could see, apparently Korea eventually triumphed in the war. The writing system seemed similar to hangul in this distant future.
“Regardless of whether I receive good or bad reviews in the future, please do not tell me. It may be something that cannot be undone.”
If there happened to be negative evaluations, he feared he would become a powerful malevolent spirit and cause havoc in the world.
Conversely, if he received positive evaluations, he would feel compelled to know.
If Kang You-jin remained silent, it would only confirm a negative historical assessment, which was why he insisted on not knowing.
Kang You-jin felt a tightening in his chest, as if he’d eaten too many sweet potatoes.
The ghost’s grudge was affecting his mind and body. Though Shin Gak had been a great hero carrying such a grudge, he hadn’t gone mad. However, Kang You-jin, barely twenty years old, was different.
Overcome by both his own and Shin Gak’s grudges, Kang You-jin emitted killing intent. Anyone seeing him would feel an unmistakable chill.
Regardless of whether a grudge spirit is good or evil, a weak contractor might lose their mind or self just from experiencing the spirit’s torments.
This is precisely why one should not contract with grudge spirits.
He eventually lost himself, confusing reality.
“It’s the fault of those corrupt National Assembly members who made bad laws. I’ll kill every single one of them.”
He decided to attack when the National Assembly was in session.
“Attack when the most lawmakers are gathered.”
*
“Student, have you ever killed a person?”
At this question from Master Lee Chan-hyuk, I couldn’t help but be greatly startled.
“How did he know?!”
I glanced around at the others.
They were all paying close attention to this duel.
“Should I pretend it was an accident during a training session? Is he aware of my Dark Knight identity? If I do kill, how far should I go? I need to save Park Hayeon…”
So many thoughts raced through my mind in an instant.
“No, maybe he’s just testing me. I need to calm down. Stay composed.”
I retracted my attack for a moment.
“I’ve slain many monsters in the dungeons, but I’ve never killed a person.”
I replied in as calm a tone as possible, thinking that showing panic might raise suspicion.
“Hmm… My apologies. That was an inappropriate question for an aspiring hero. Your attacks are just so fierce that it made me curious. Please don’t dwell on it.”
Lee Chan-hyuk bowed slightly in apology.
“So it was just a random question! I almost made a big mistake there.”
I sighed in relief internally.
“Let’s end this.”
Lee Chan-hyuk thrust his shield forward and rushed me.
I tried to block with my spear, but the shield made it impossible to counter.
“The shield is just too overpowered.”
I had an impulse to use my “Decapitation” skill to cut his throat.
In an instant, Lee Chan-hyuk had closed in on me with his sword, leaving me no choice but to slash.
“Good work.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The sparring ended with my defeat.
We bowed to each other politely.
I was quite shocked. Even with my abilities and skills sealed, I didn’t expect to be so powerless.
“The first feedback I have for you is that you need to tone down your lethal intent. You won’t last as a hero if you keep fighting like this.”
A hero killing villains might work once or twice, but if it continues, public opinion will eventually turn against you and your management contract will be terminated. That essentially means forced retirement.
The Dark Knight’s situation is unusual, but even so, it’s disappointing to see this reality, even in my case.
The public views a hero killing villains differently from a vigilante Dark Knight doing the same.
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
I readily admitted it, since it was true despite my lack of interest in hero activities.
“You don’t seem to have learned spear techniques either. When facing a sword and shield combination, fake an attack to the thigh then thrust upward to the torso.”
Lee Chan-hyuk demonstrated with a spear.
I watched his movements closely.
“Another method is targeting the feet. Lower your spear almost to the ground to stab at the feet, or fake it and slash up to the thigh.”
He showed me again, and I could see the merit in his advice.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t forget to express my gratitude.
“Actually, it would be better for you to learn longsword techniques as well. For hunters maybe not, but heroes need to be prepared for villains in heavy armor. Spears can be weak against heavy armor. Alternatively, you could use a halberd.”
A halberd wouldn’t work for my plans. While spears are versatile for many reasons, the final weapon I’ll obtain is spear-shaped and will shred through heavy armor.
“Ah, I’ll consider it.”
I nodded in agreement though he doesn’t know these details.
“Wow, that was really the first exciting sparring session I’ve had in a long time. Felt like I was back in active duty.”
Lee Chan-hyuk’s exclamation drew the attention of Yang Min-seo’s group and Park Hayeon.
None of them had received any praise from him after their sessions.
“Same here, it was a good experience.”
I replied positively to his compliment.
He looked slightly pleased.
“Next, let’s try javelin and spear vs. spear combat. Spear vs. sword duels are basically too unfair in the spear’s favor, so we’ll skip that.”
Sword vs. spear combat is at a hugely disadvantageous level for swords.
“Only me?”
I inadvertently asked, since the other students had just received simple feedback and a basic technique before ending their sessions.
“The other students will take time to master today’s lessons. However, Shinnoda here makes teaching enjoyable. You’re already at a decent level, so I can just fine-tune your skills.”
I nodded in agreement.
If he wants to teach more, there’s no reason to object.
Though looking around at the other students, Oh Haena seemed rather displeased.
So all day, I received comprehensive spear training from Lee Chan-hyuk.
Later, I learned that he had actually taught me more than what Yang Min-seo had paid for.
While focusing on teaching me, he would occasionally check on the other students in his spare moments, preventing any complaints.
“That concludes our session. Everyone, good job, and I wish you success as heroes. I’ll share my card. Contact me if you want individual lessons – though there will be a fee, of course.”
Lee Chan-hyuk passed out his business cards, and privately whispered “If you want, I can give you a discount” to me.
“Men’s obsession is unnecessary, though.”
For some reason, Lee Chan-hyuk seems fixated on teaching me.
“Thank you.”
I hid my inner thoughts, bowed deeply, and expressed my gratitude.
Today was highly beneficial.
I learned techniques for subduing opponents without killing them, and deepened my understanding of spear skills.
—
Having experienced a very informative day, I departed from the training hall after expressing my thanks once more to Lee Chan-hyuk.
The sun dipped below the horizon as I walked through the streets, my mind replaying the lessons. Somewhere far away, the evening lights of Seoul began to shine.
The faint hum of the city resonated softly, blending with my footsteps as I made my way toward the next destination – the library where I needed to research more about the historical figures and events tied to Shin Gak’s tragic story and how they might relate to my current necromantic studies and plans.
The neon lights began reflecting off the Han River in the distance, and the city prepared itself for another night.
