Chapter 1

The Fist King, Dan Woo-seong, died.

He was a man known more often by his nickname, The Fist King, than by his given name, Dan Woo-seong.

***

Dan Woo-sung opened his eyes inside the body of Lee Jin-eon, the eldest son of the Galaxy Trading Group. Lee Jin-eon had been convalescing from an illness at the An family’s secluded residence deep within Guwhasan Mountain when he passed away.

Even now, Dan Woosung did not grasp the situation.

Amidst the confusion, he assumed someone had moved him and was treating him.

But no matter how he felt his stomach, the sword wound that should have been there was nowhere to be found.

“Hmm…”

The difference between physical fatigue and a major injury was clear. Dan Woosung’s mind was slowly waking up, but his body was still weighed down by exhaustion.

Dan Woo-sung looked around.

The ceiling was high, and the room was spacious.

Several letters were scattered on the desk, and the scent of a woman lingered on the bedding.

It wasn’t just the scent of perfume.

The scent of a man’s semen wafted from somewhere in the bedding, as if he had just finished his business there.

As Dan Woo-sung groaned and rustled about, the maid waiting outside the door quietly asked.

“Your Highness, shall I bring you water?”

Danwooseong had never once in his life heard the title “Your Highness.” His throat was parched, so he opened his mouth.

“Bring it.”

“Yes.”

The door opened, and a servant entered carrying a teapot. Dan Wooseong kept his head bowed, not even glancing up. Even as the servant placed the water on the small table beside the bedding and turned to leave, Dan Wooseong was still startled by his own voice.

It wasn’t a deep, resonant voice, but the weak voice of a man gravely ill.

Dan Wooseong coughed hoarsely, took a sip of water, and frowned.

The water was truly cold. It was cold water unsuitable for an empty stomach like this. I stopped at rinsing my mouth and moistening my throat.

‘This is strange. Really…’

Who would give such cold water to someone with such severe injuries?

Looking around, Danwooseong finally caught a glimpse of his own face reflected in the wall mirror. His body froze instantly.

Slowly, he turned his head back to look at his reflection in the mirror.

“…”

A very young man, with hollowed-out eyes, blinked in surprise.

Dan Wooseong reached out and touched his own face.

‘Some bastard put a mask on my face…’

No matter how much he felt around his neck, there was nothing he could tear off. Danwooseong touched his neck, then unconsciously slapped his own cheek once.

Smack!

The attendant waiting outside tilted his head in surprise, his eyes wide like a startled deer at the sudden slap.

The attendant was thinking the same thing as Danwooseong.

‘He seems strange today.’

.

.

.

Dan Woo-sung stood before a large mirror, examining his reflection. Then he nodded sharply.

‘He must be either dead or insane.’

A gaunt young man in a fluttering white nightgown turned his head this way and that behind the glass. He was a handsome youth who had never known hardship. He looked at least twenty years younger.

Dan Woo-sung nodded.

‘If those demonic cultivators could wield such a great technique, they would have dominated the martial world long ago. It’s not a great technique.’

Dan Woo-sung had only stood up briefly to peer into the mirror, yet a bitter taste filled his mouth.

His physical condition was truly at its worst.

Staggering as he moved, Dan Wooseong sat down in a chair and examined the letter.

I wasn’t keen on reading someone else’s letter, but the situation was strange, so assessing the circumstances came first.

Most letters began with a sentence like this:

“To His Highness Prince Jin-eon…”

Dan Woo-sung murmured the name.

“Lee Jin-eon.”

An unfamiliar name. Yet all the letters were addressed to Grand Duke Lee Jin-eon. Scanning further, he noticed the name ‘Galaxy Trading Company’ repeated throughout.

‘Galaxy Trading Company? I’ve heard that name before…’

Dan Wooseong remembered the names of powerful figures worth remembering, but knew little about people or organizations in the upper world. The fact that even Dan Wooseong had heard the name Galaxy Trading Guild meant it was a fairly wealthy and influential force.

Dan Wooseong set down the letter for a moment and looked at the mirror. The unfamiliar man was still staring at him. Only then did Dan Wooseong grasp the situation. He looked at the unfamiliar face and said.

“Reincarnation…? You’re out of your mind.”

It wasn’t madness or death—it was reincarnation.

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong

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