We left the village before dawn, the cold biting at our skin and the road stretching out before us like an uncertain promise. Yoon-Hee walked beside me, silent but steady, her small form wrapped in a worn cloak. Behind us, the lights of the village flickered — a life we could never return to.
I didn't look back.
"What now?" Yoon-Hee's voice was quiet, but there was a steel beneath the fear. I liked that about her — she was scared, but she kept walking.
"We find work," I said. "The kind that pays well."
"Dangerous work," she guessed.
I nodded. "Nothing in the Murim world comes easy."
We walked until the sun rose, and by mid-morning, we reached the outskirts of a market town. The place was alive with noise — merchants hawking their wares, travelers bargaining, and guards keeping a wary eye on everyone. It smelled of spices and sweat, of opportunity and desperation.
My kind of place.
We passed a crowd gathered around a wooden board covered in parchment. I paused, scanning the notices — and then my eyes locked on one.
Bounty: 50 Gold Taels. Wanted: Iron Fang Bandits.
Fifty gold taels. Enough to feed my family for months. Enough to give them safety.
"It's too dangerous," Yoon-Hee said softly, reading my expression. "You said it yourself — we're not ready."
"I'm not waiting," I said. "We don't have the luxury."
She bit her lip, but didn't argue. She knew I was right.
The Iron Fang Bandits were said to haunt the forests north of the town, preying on travelers. It didn't take long to learn their reputation — brutal, fast, and merciless. But they weren't invincible.
We found their trail by dusk. The sun bled into the trees as we moved quietly through the underbrush, every sound sharpening my senses. Yoon-Hee kept close, a dagger in her hand — her stance still awkward but determined.
Ahead, voices drifted through the trees. The flicker of firelight danced against the trunks.
I crouched low, counting figures. Five men, rough and armed. Bandits. Prey.
"We'll wait," I whispered. "Let them get comfortable."
But Yoon-Hee's sharp intake of breath warned me too late. A twig snapped behind us.
I turned as a blade flashed toward my throat.
The fight began.
I dodged by instinct, the bandit's sword slicing air. My own knife lashed out — fast, brutal — and blood sprayed. He fell with a gurgling choke, but the damage was done.
Shouts rose from the camp.
"Go!" I ordered Yoon-Hee. "Stay low!"
The forest exploded with motion.
The first bandit came at me, wild and clumsy. I stepped inside his swing, drove my elbow into his throat, and finished him before he hit the ground.
But the others weren't amateurs.
A spear jabbed toward my chest. I twisted, feeling the sting as it grazed my side. Pain flared, but I kept moving. My knife flashed — one, two — and the spearman stumbled back, clutching his slashed arm.
Yoon-Hee cried out. I spun to see a bandit grab her by the hair, dragging her toward the fire.
Rage ignited.
I didn't think. I ran.
The bandit saw me too late. My knife buried in his back, and I tore him away from Yoon-Hee.
The last one ran.
"Stay here," I told her.
I hunted him through the trees — silent, relentless. When I found him, his fear made him slow. His blood painted the leaves.
When I returned to the camp, the fire crackled against the sudden quiet. Yoon-Hee stared at the bodies, her face pale.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded slowly. "You… you didn't hesitate."
"I can't afford to."
We searched the bodies and found the proof we needed for the bounty. By the time we made it back to the market town, dawn was breaking.
Fifty gold taels changed hands.
It was the first time I tasted real power.
It wouldn't be the last.