Once upon a time, there was a young warrior. Since the age of 10, this boy had wielded a sword as his daily companion. He was a great and renowned dual-sword warrior in the east and west, with rumors of his feats spreading to almost every corner of the world. His name was Yong.
He had been an active warrior for several years. As the name suggests, a warrior is someone who defends the truth, teaches a lesson to oppressors, and carries out what they believe is justice. At a glance, being a warrior is a noble profession.
Even though, in the current era, many use their power in the wrong way.
Both in the east and west, there are many legends of monsters like white snakes, apes, dragons, and even demons. People hunted them for their daily wages, and the boy often did the same.
Not only legendary monsters, who were said to disrupt the peace, but even oppressors, bandits, murderers, and other evil warriors had become his enemies.
"That's normal, isn't it?" thought the 18-year-old—Yong, squinting at the distant sky.
In this era, peace meant nothing, because after a war, your enemies are your own friends. And how could Yong, a young man famous for his swordsmanship, overcome all this?
"Huh... what's this?"
He sighed deeply, his upright posture slowly collapsing. His legs trembled slightly, and then he sat down, clutching his head, which throbbed with an unnatural pain.
"I feel like there's something inside my body. But what? What's happening?" Yong wondered to himself.
Complaining about the pain was useless; who would come to help?
He had no family left from the war in the past. He had no choice but to live in solitude. He didn't even have friends, even though he used to be friends with many people. But since he became famous, people started to stay away, thinking he was scary.
This is the story of a boy who had grown much bigger and stronger. His name is Yong. Something was about to happen to him that would lead to a great hunt in the future.
"Ugh, my head is so dizzy." Yong complained about the pain for what felt like the hundredth time, sighing repeatedly while lowering his head as deep as he could.
A moment later, the pain in his head disappeared, and he immediately left the lakeside after putting on the thick, layered clothes he had placed next to him. Yong headed to a place where many oppressors resided.
"My home was destroyed by the war. And now I have to live in this terrible city? A traveler like me can't live in peace," Yong muttered to himself, annoyed.
Many people claiming to be warriors, carrying swords, moved in groups to poor areas and extorted people for life.
Every time the young man in thick clothes took a step, there would always be groans, screams, complaints, and even curses. All of this was what he was used to hearing, and it was normal that the young man's expression hadn't changed at all.
"Instead of living miserably, constantly terrorized by them, maybe it would have been better if we all died during that war!" exclaimed one of the residents in ragged clothes, sitting in a rocky corner with a terrified face.
"What you're saying is true," Yong replied, feeling that what the man said was right. Then he continued walking.
After walking several steps into the poor district, Yong stopped again in the middle of the street after hearing a loud noise, and then he looked back. He was silent for a moment before clearing his throat briefly. His ruthless gaze now fell upon a group of bandits who were forcing a girl away from her family.
"I'll take your daughter as payment for your debt!" the bandit shouted while holding the girl tightly. The bandit grinned widely, as if his main goal had been achieved.
"Please! Don't take my daughter! I'll do anything to pay off the debt, but please don't take my daughter, my family!"
The ragged man who was kneeling and begging was the father. He kept whining for mercy from the large bandit, hoping the bandit wouldn't take his beloved daughter.
"No way! I've waited for months, but you still haven't paid!"
"Sir! I beg of you!"
"You're so stubborn. Now your daughter will belong to—!"
BAM!
In the blink of an eye, the large bandit had fallen to the ground while Yong was now standing beside the bandit's body.
The entire family, including the girl, was shocked, their mouths agape. They seemed to not quite understand what had happened because Yong's movements were too fast for them to see.
"Take this," Yong said, placing a bag of money in front of them.
"It is..."
"What else would it be but money? Anyway, just take it. I still have plenty," he said smugly and then walked away just like that.
The poor family didn't even get a chance to say thank you. Yong seemed to be in a hurry to reach his destination, but the truth was Yong didn't have a destination at all other than walking around this city.
Thump!
After he was a good distance away from them, Yong suddenly felt a great pain in his head and chest. His heart raced abnormally fast. Shocked and confused, Yong rushed toward a secluded area. He didn't run straight ahead but in the opposite direction, back to where he had been earlier.
"Ugh.... this hurts!"
His breath came in heavy gasps. The pain in his head and the heat in his chest felt as if something was tearing and burning him. The quiet area by the lake was where he could rest peacefully.
THUD!
No longer able to bear the pain, Yong fell to the ground at the water's edge. While enduring the extraordinary pain, Yong slowly scooped up water from the lake with his trembling palms.
"This always happens to me every time I take care of trash! Damn it! Useless!" he yelled in frustration.
The young man's vision seemed a little blurry, and his hands were still trembling, but he tried to endure it all just by drinking a mouthful of clean lake water. After drinking several times, Yong was shocked and stood still, staring at his reflection on the lake's surface.
"Who is this?" Yong asked, confused by his strangely changed appearance.
The pain in his head and the heat in his chest had disappeared. His short black hair looked slightly longer, and something had appeared on his left forehead. Yong was utterly shocked. He even stumbled backward, as if he was reluctant to look at his changed appearance.
"It keeps growing! What's really happening to me? ARGHHH!!!!"
At first, it grew quite short, looking like a fang, but over time, it grew longer and pointed upwards with a sharp tip. At that moment, he felt the pain again, multiplied many times over.
"There's no mistake... this red horn," Yong muttered, shocked and panicked as he looked at his face one more time.
He saw that what was growing on his left forehead was unnatural. It was a red horn belonging to the demon race.