It happened long ago…

“Whoa! You’re young, but you already have the face of a killer,” an old man exclaimed.

“What’s up with you, geezer? Get lost if you don’t want to get killed,” Chang-Sun snapped, scowling at the old man.

When he was involuntarily taken to Arcadia through a gate, Chang-Sun had not known anything, not even their language. The only thing he could do was to pick up a spear from a pool of blood and swing it. Two years of fighting through that hell had made him hostile and belligerent by default.

Respecting one’s elders was a luxury on a battlefield, a place where anyone could die the next day. A battlefield was a place where people had to scream at the top of their lungs to be heard, and had to kill others by any means necessary in order to survive. Thus, Chang-Sun was displeased about being stopped abruptly in the midst of such a hell by an old man making such an ‘evaluation’ about him.

“Hahaha.” The old man laughed gently.

In truth, despite his gentle appearance, the old man had met all kinds of trash after spending fifty years on various battlefields. He excelled in no less than forcing such trash to become brand-new people.

“I see you also have no manners, child,” he remarked, shaking his head.

“You’re still talking? If you’re just going to keep saying useless crap, get out of my way!” Chang-Sun snapped, shoving the man.

“I have no other choice, because you look as if you need a good beating. Let’s talk after I’m done beating you,” the old man said, smiling quietly.

Smack!

* * *

Chirp! Chirp, chirp!

“…Why did I have that dream?” Chang-Sun thought, massaging his temples after waking up.

Warm morning sunlight shone through the gap between his curtains, but he did not even notice it because he was preoccupied with his dream. That...