“You can’t even do this properly! How could I possibly face Black Sky Lord now?!”

The Third Overseer’s kicks rained down on his body. He curled up tightly, enduring the blows. He had gotten used to suppressing the groans of pain. Complaining about the pain only led to more beatings.

Why was he being beaten today…?

It was becoming difficult to even remember. Sometimes there was a reason for the beating, and other times there wasn’t. Despite this, no thought of resisting came to his mind. If he just let his arms hang down and submitted, sometimes he would even forget that he had been beaten. He felt like he was becoming dull. But it was all too vague. If he drank the water from the river that flows through the underworld, would he finally be able to erase those vivid memories from his mind?

Is it something that can be erased?

It wasn’t like this from the beginning.

“I’m sick of punishing you now. Get out of my sight and clean yourself up.”

The man spat on the ground with a ‘pthooh’. The Third Overseer, in charge of the servants of the Black Sky Clan, especially loathed Woo. This reflected the will of his master.

Ye Jin-rang, Lord of Black Sky.

One of the two powers that divide the martial world, he was the current the Grandmaster of the Demonic Sect.

Woo owed him something greater than life itself. However, even though Ye Jin-rang had shown him grace, that did not necessarily mean kindness or favor.
When Third Overseer, who had poured out contempt and violence, finally left, Woo slowly and shakily rose to his feet. His slender body, having been thoroughly beaten, ached all over, with not a single spot spared from pain. Nevertheless, it was impossible to continue lying on the floor as he had been given an order to wash, and remaining there any longer would invite a harsher punishment from the overseers.

Woo limped as he walked, his steps uneven. Normally, walking was difficult for him, but after the beating, it had become all the more excruciating. Each step felt as though he were walking over shards of glass.

There was a time when he’d never imagined his life would turn out this way. After all, he had been a man molded from glory.

But that was nothing more than a distant memory now.

Limping along, Woo arrived at a shallow stream. During heavy rain, the water could become deep enough to sweep a person away, but normally it only reached up to the knees. He slowly took off his tattered, wet clothes and spread them over a rock, then waded into the stream.

The water was cold enough to chill him to the bone. In the past, Woo would have hardly been affected by heat or cold, but his once strong body had long since fallen into decline. His entire body shivered from the cold, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. It wasn’t just that—every time the water touched the wounds from the beatings, the stinging pain was unbearable, and his exhausted legs begged to give out beneath him.

But Woo stood his ground. Expecting care and support from others was nothing more than a distant dream. Only the babbling sound of the water accompanied Woo.

Rustle―

At that moment, a sound came from the forest. Woo froze, realizing that someone had approached so closely without him noticing.

“Damn… I’ve taken the wrong path.”

A young man emerged from between the trees. Though his appearance was masculine, his lips were unusually red. His thick eyebrows and deep, dark eyes exuded an alluring sense of mystery. It was undeniably broad daylight, yet looking at him made one confused, as if it were night.

There was an eerie, decadent charm about him.

With broad shoulders, long limbs, and a fierce aura emanating from his entire body, he seemed to resemble an ancient warrior god from a primordial age. He was wrapped in a dark red garment, and underneath it, his sleek yet sturdy muscles were distinctly visible.

A distinctly masculine scent filled the air, and there was something about him that stirred desire in those who looked at him. But what truly captivated Woo was not just his beauty.

‘You’ve grown well.’

Woo, who had been unconsciously staring intently at the man, was startled by his own unbidden thoughts. He suddenly prostrated himself flat against the ground. The fact that he was naked, still in the middle of bathing, or that dirt was once again covering the wounds he’d barely managed to clean through his pain, didn’t matter. Right now, Woo felt as if his soul was being ripped from him.

‘Why now, of all times?’

In over ten years of living in the Black Sky Clan, Woo had never once crossed paths with him, even by chance. That’s why this encounter struck Woo like a bolt of lightning.

“Are you a servant?”

The man, looking at Woo who was lying face down, frowned as he observed the naked body before him. It wasn’t because he was uncomfortable or disgusted by the sight of another man’s body. It was because Woo’s body was in an utterly devastating state.

Under the sunlight, Woo’s back was a mix of old scars and fresh wounds. There were even severe marks resembling whip scars. That wasn’t all. There were reddish-purple bruises, as if blood had just rushed to the skin, scattered in places across his body, as if he had just been beaten.

Although Black Sky was infamous both inside and outside the martial world, such cruel treatment towards a servant who hadn’t learned martial arts was unheard of. The man generally wasn’t someone with much interest in his surroundings, but this had gone too far.

“Yes, Third Disciple.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“H-how could a lowly person like me, who lives under the grace of Black Sky Lord, fail to recognize his youngest disciple?”

Woo shamelessly spoke a lie, not even bothering to wet his lips before uttering it.

Ye Kang-oh, was the most cherished disciple of the renowned martial master

Ye Jin-rang, known as the greatest figure in the demonic path. He was an extraordinary talent among talents, known far and wide as the next generation leader of Black Sky.

However, Woo didn’t know Ye Kang-oh because he was Ye Jin-Rang’s disciple. In fact, Woo had known Ye Kang-oh even before meeting Ye Jin-Rang.

Woo didn’t know how to handle this unexpected reunion. He couldn’t tell if what he was feeling was joy, sorrow, or perhaps regret. The only thing he was thankful for was that Ye Kang-oh had no recollection of him. Even if Ye Kang-oh had fragments of memory, he would never associate them with the current Woo.

The past and the present were as different from each other as day and night, and sometimes even Woo found himself to be unfamiliar to his own self.
As he prostrated himself to the ground, he noticed the dirt that had stained his hands. His current state, crawling on his knees like an insect across the earth, didn’t make him feel particularly miserable anymore. However, the distance between him and Ye Kang-oh was something he couldn’t help but clearly perceive. Ye Kang-oh was someone who had already left, a person from the past — nothing more than an old connection. Although a chance encounter had brought them together again, it was just that: a coincidence. There would be no more meetings after this.

Woo made a conscious effort to maintain his composure.

“Who inflicted those wounds on your body?”

Ye Kang-oh asked.

“Ah, nothing happened. It’s just that… I was punished because I’m not good at my tasks,” the servant said, bowing low with his forehead almost touching the ground. Seeing the servant’s appearance, Ye Kang-oh frowned.

“I asked because those who disregard the rules of Black Sky Clan must be punished. There’s no need for you to make excuses for them. Now speak. Who is the offender?”

Woo’s lips began to tremble. At first, no sound came out properly.

“That… uh… so, it’s…”

Ye Kang-oh observed Woo stumbling as if his tongue had frozen, and concluded that it would be difficult to extract a confession from the servant. Just as he began to wonder if he should personally grab each member of Black Sky Clan and interrogate them, Woo finally squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth.

“He, I need to go to Black Sky Lord. He, he told me to wash up quickly, but I’ve been too, too slow…”

“And you claim to be my Master’s servant?”

Ye Kang-oh’s expression turned cold. While it wasn’t a situation where one could boldly lie, it was hard for him to take the servant’s words at face value.

Though many in the martial world had criticized Ye Jin-rang’s rough personality, the master he knew had a deep sense of warmth. If this servant truly served Black Sky Lord, they wouldn’t be walking around covered in so many signs of abuse. Ye Jin-rang wouldn’t have allowed it.

At least, that’s what Ye Kang-oh thought.

“Y-Yes. I may be just a low-ranking servant, but I serve Black Sky Lord.”

“Is that so? Then lead the way.”

“Pardon?”

Woo reflexively questioned back, desperately hoping that he had misheard. Despite knowing that he was not in a position to do so, he was startled enough to instinctively ask again. He almost raised his head in surprise.
Ye Kang-oh let out a sigh at the servant’s frustrating response.

Unconsciously, Woo shrank upon hearing the sigh above him. This was because, in situations like this, a hand or foot would usually come flying toward him. Seeing Woo curl up defensively, Ye Kang-oh narrowed his eyes. Could it be that Woo actually believed he’d hit him, thus causing him to shrink back like that?

“I was about to go see Master. You will guide me.”

Ye Kang-oh’s somewhat softened voice flowed out.

“Y-yes!”

Woo hurriedly stood up. Although he was completely naked, he did not seem to feel any sense of shame, and moved to put on the clothes that had been left on the rock. His back, so frail that it lacked even a trace of muscle or flesh, looked pitiful.

After unexpectedly encountering Woo, this was the first time Ye Kang-oh was able to see his face. Woo’s skin was twisted, as if he had been burned, and the features buried in his disfigured flesh were so grotesque that they made people hesitate to look. However, rather than showing any contempt or disdain toward Woo, considering him the ugliest man in the world, Ye Kang-oh simply tightened his lips.

He found it increasingly perplexing, especially since he had initially decided to eliminate the one responsible for mistreating this servant.

It truly made no sense. Black Sky, after all, was a powerful clan formed by gathering the remnants of the evil martial arts factions and the Demon Sect, and its leader, Ye Jin-rang, who was also Ye Kang-oh’s master, did not just take in any servant. Even if they weren’t particularly handsome, they were chosen for their neat appearance and proper conduct.

However, the man who claimed to be the servant of the Black Sky Lord had a grotesque face and stuttered when he spoke. That wasn’t all. His gait showed that he was limping, and his hunched posture revealed a slightly curved back.

“What is your name?”

The question, thrown out as if it had just come to mind, startled Woo. Even though Kang-oh might have asked it casually, to Woo, it felt like a burning stone taken straight from molten lava.

Was it okay to say?