OVERPOWERED BOUNTY HUNTER

The night stretched on, silent and still, but my mind refused to rest. I sat outside our small home, my whetstone dragging slowly across my blade. Sparks flickered in the moonlight, and the rhythmic scrape filled the air — steady, patient, and relentless.

Just like me.

The words of Elder Cho lingered in my mind. War was coming. And in the Murim world, war didn't just mean soldiers and battlefields — it meant destruction. It meant sects rising and falling overnight, villages burned to ash, families slaughtered without mercy. I had no doubt that when the chaos spread, a small village like ours would be nothing more than a stepping stone for someone else's ambition.

Unless I changed that.

But how?

"Seol-Yeong?"

I turned to see Yoon-Hee standing in the doorway. The moonlight softened her features — her long black hair fell in loose waves, and her wide, curious eyes reflected the stars. She was still too thin, still too quiet, but the bruises on her skin had faded, and there was strength in the way she held herself now.

I hadn't saved her just out of kindness. I'd seen the fire in her eyes even then.

"You should sleep," I said, my voice softer than I meant it to be.

"So should you." She stepped closer, her bare feet silent on the dirt. "But you're always out here. Always… sharpening." Her gaze drifted to the blade in my hands. "Are you preparing for something?"

"Always."

For a long moment, there was only silence between us. Then she asked, "Why do you fight so hard?"

The question caught me off guard. Not because I didn't know the answer — but because no one had ever asked.

"For my family," I said. "So my parents don't have to scrape by. So my little sister doesn't grow up hungry." I looked at her. "And now… for you, too."

Her eyes widened, and for a second, I thought she might cry. But instead, she just nodded. "Then I'll fight, too."

I blinked. "What?"

"I don't want to be weak anymore," she said quietly. "I don't want to be helpless. If war is coming… I want to be strong enough to protect the people I care about. Strong enough to stand beside you."

The fire I'd seen in her eyes before — it was burning brighter now. And for the first time, I wondered just how far that fire would take her.

"Tomorrow," I said, sliding the whetstone into my pouch. "I'll start teaching you."

She smiled. It was the first real smile I'd ever seen from her.

---

The next morning, I didn't waste any time. I taught her the basics — how to stand, how to breathe, how to throw a punch without breaking her own wrist. She was clumsy at first, but she didn't complain. Every time she fell, she got back up. Every time she failed, she tried harder.

I recognized that stubbornness. I had it, too.

By midday, my mother called us back to the house. The air was thick with the smell of stew, and the warmth inside was a sharp contrast to the cold outside. My father was already at the table, his face lined with exhaustion. My little sister, Hae-In, clung to his sleeve, her big eyes filled with the kind of trust only a child could have.

But there was something else in the air — a tension I hadn't noticed before. My father's hands were shaking.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice low.

He didn't answer right away. Then he said, "The Merchant Alliance's caravans have stopped coming."

The room went still.

"The Black Markets are bleeding gold," he continued. "The Bandit King's men have been raiding supply lines. And there are rumors that the Crimson Serpent Alliance is gathering in the east." His eyes met mine. "It's happening, Seol-Yeong. The war's already started."

My grip on my chopsticks tightened.

---

That night, I made another decision.

If war was coming, then I wouldn't wait for it to reach our doorstep. I needed information. I needed strength. And I needed silver.

I would start with the Black Market.

And if the Bandit King's men were getting in my way…

Well, I was always looking for more practice.