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The story of Ghost Blade Dokgo Seong-cheol came to an abrupt end due to a sudden return.

At first, he couldn’t come to terms with reality. His life’s only goal had been revenge, revenge, and more revenge.

However, he soon realized reality was unavoidable. Because in this world, there were his family members he had parted ways with 14 years ago.

Fortunately, his wife and daughter were safe. His once young wife had now entered middle age, and his little daughter had grown into an adult. But none of that mattered much. The fact that he had reunited with his family filled Seong-cheol’s life with renewed positive will.

Thus, Ghost Blade Dokgo Seong-cheol became human Baek Seong-cheol.

Half a year had passed since the return. During that time, as he adapted to modern society, Seong-cheol managed to lead a somewhat happy life.

Since the martial arts dojo had been sold long ago, he initially worked as a construction laborer, utilizing his physical abilities. During this time, another returnee who recognized his swordsmanship skills offered him a position as an instructor at a martial arts training center he managed.

Seong-cheol contemplated. Did he really deserve to hold a sword again after wielding it solely out of a desire for revenge?

However, his concerns didn’t last long. The prospects as an ability educator seemed much better than being an unstable construction worker. Seong-cheol was a family man before he was a martial artist, so he made a vow for the sake of his family.

His sword had already been stained with countless bloodshed. Thus, he vowed to wield it in the right direction from now on.

By day, Seong-cheol went to construction sites, and by night, he started studying to obtain a license to teach abilities.

It felt strange to be holding a pen after decades, but soon, with the help of his excellent university student daughter, he was able to find his rhythm. His wife watched the two of them with a warm smile, preparing late-night snacks every night.

It wasn’t a life that could be described as abundant. However, it was a warm and happy life.

The flames of revenge that had once burned fiercely in Seong-cheol’s heart seemed to have faded away.

However, tragedy always comes without warning.

One day, Seong-cheol, who was trying to return home after finishing his workday, received a call from the police.

His daughter was dead. She had been raped and murdered by a criminal returnee.

The perpetrator was quickly caught, and since it was a crime involving a returnee, the government provided compensation. But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that his precious daughter Yeseo, who had sustained him through life, no longer existed in this world.

And Seong-cheol wasn’t the only one who relied on Yeseo as his pillar of life. During the 14 years Seong-cheol was absent, his wife Eun-jeong had also lived solely for their daughter.

The events that followed were predictable.

His wife couldn’t overcome their daughter’s death and eventually decided to join her in the memories by taking her own life, having left behind just a note expressing her remorse for leaving him.

When Seong-cheol saw his wife hanging there, leaving behind nothing but a note, he found himself choked up, unable to shed tears. He had already poured out all the tears he could cry in his lifetime.

Seong-cheol felt hollow.

Revenge produces nothing. As he started anew in this world, he realized that truth. So, he decided to abandon revenge and return to his daily life, suppressing his anger.

However, the world reignited the anger he had suppressed.

He still knew. Revenge produces nothing.

Yes, that was true. Yet, even if it produced nothing, it was not futile.

After all, if he didn’t cry out for revenge, he had no way to vomit out this burning anger.

Thus, Seong-cheol once again embraced the life of the Ghost Blade.

Killing criminals, though it took the form of revenge.

Yet at the same time, it was a cry against a world that only tormented him.

This cry soon became judgment, and that judgment carried a noble cause on its back. To eliminate trash criminals from this world, ensuring that no more victims like him would arise. Under this misguided noble cause, Seong-cheol’s slaughter became even more unrestrained.

And so—

Kaaang!!

Finally, Seong-cheol’s consciousness traveled from the distant past to the present.

A fist and a sword crossed. The enemy before him was an executor. A formidable opponent, indeed. Possibly the strongest he had ever faced.

However, Seong-cheol couldn’t focus on him at all. His consciousness, drowning in thoughts of the past, began to ask him.

So, what are you doing now?

Why on earth are you fighting this man?

This man is neither a villain, nor a criminal, nor scum.

Swaaaaaack!!

The sword slashing was sharper than ever. He could feel it himself.

His talent was constantly blooming. The experience that Dokgo Jang-woon mentioned as necessary to complete Dokgo’s sword was now rapidly filling due to this battle with this man.

The completion of the sword was at hand. Yet he felt no joy.

What would it change now that he completed the sword? What lies before it? Such questions simply wouldn’t leave his mind.

Swaaaaaack!!

Eventually, Seong-cheol stopped thinking and swung his sword blindly. Ignoring the questions inside his head, he focused on the sword and the enemy.

Then—

“Executor!”

“Newbie?!”

A voice echoed from afar. The female executor he had just seen rushed over, breathlessly.

Her eagerness clouded her judgment. Feeling guilty for letting the Ghost Blade escape right in front of her, Lee Ha-yeon had come to offer help.

However, her appearance proved to be more of a hindrance. Kwon Tae-ho’s attention was diverted by Lee Ha-yeon’s arrival. The Ghost Blade seized that opportunity.

Kwaaaahhhh!!!

“What?!”

A wave of sword energy was unleashed with all its might.

Kwon Tae-ho recalled that Lee Ha-yeon was right behind him just as he was trying to dodge.

If he dodged, would Lee Ha-yeon be able to dodge too? Or could she endure even if hit?

As those thoughts swirled, Kwon Tae-ho decided to withstand the incoming blade with his body.

Thud!!

Just before being hit, he activated his defensive ki, but the Ghost Blade’s sword was truly at its peak. Blood flowed profusely from a long gash marked on his left arm, causing Lee Ha-yeon to exclaim with a shocked expression.

“I-I’m so sorry, Executor! Because of me…!”

“It’s okay. It just grazed me. Either way, it’s dangerous, so stay back.”

Meanwhile, Seong-cheol, who had been mindlessly swinging his sword, finally grasped the situation.

He could have easily dodged. He hadn’t avoided it to protect Lee Ha-yeon. He had acted as if he was putting on a hostage show against the man in front of him.

“I….”

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the idea he had been trying to ignore resurfaced.

Why am I swinging my sword now?

“…That’s pitiful.”

At that moment, Kwon Tae-ho spoke.

“Excellent swordsmanship. Although you’re my enemy, it’s respect-worthy. But because of that, it’s regrettable and pitiful. With such skill, why have you fallen to being a mere criminal? It’s maddening.”

Those words touched Seong-cheol’s raw nerve, and he shouted in rage.

“…You think you can just say whatever you want?! What do you know of my life?!”

“Yeah. I don’t know.”

However, Kwon Tae-ho was so familiar with the anger of criminals that he could view it with a sense of enlightenment.

“I don’t care why you became a criminal. It doesn’t matter to me. Knowing won’t lessen your crime.”

But he could say this much for certain.

Kwon Tae-ho raised his wounded fist toward Seong-cheol.

“With the sword you’re swinging now, which lacks even conviction, you’ll never defeat me, not even in your wildest dreams.”

Kwon Tae-ho accurately assessed Seong-cheol’s current state.

Kwaaaaaah!!!

At that same moment, Kwon Tae-ho gathered all his strength.

Through their battles, Kwon Tae-ho had come to understand what Dokgo Ye-gum’s style was.

The enemy’s sword was that of a seeker. A technique that reads the opponent’s movements and exploits the gaps.

‘In that case, let’s end this in a blow that he can’t even comprehend.’

Pachijijijijijij!!

Blue lightning erupted from his body. Not only had he invested all six slots into acceleration magic, but he also physically ignited his excess mana to convert it into propulsion.

Gwoooooooook.

Just adjusting his stance changed the air. The energy and mana dispersed in the atmosphere resonated with the power Kwon Tae-ho was about to unleash, causing the space itself to vibrate.

And—

Kwang!!

Kwon Tae-ho finally smashed into the ground.

I assure you, this was the fastest and most destructive charge of the entire battle. In response, Seong-cheol quickly drew his sword.

Thump.

Just before collision, Seong-cheol’s time slowed to a crawl.

“I see.”

Tracking Kwon Tae-ho’s strike with his eyes, Seong-cheol thought to himself.

That one strike contained his entire life.

It was an extraordinary blow that he could dare to call superb, yet Seong-cheol perfectly caught it with his own eyes.

Now, all that was left was to calculate how to exploit the gap and swing the sword on the optimal trajectory.

The moment he realized that, Seong-cheol instinctively felt it.

With this swing, Dokgo Ye-gum’s essence would finally be completed. That completion was now truly just one step away.

Thump.

Yet in that fleeting moment, various emotions residing in Seong-cheol’s heart gripped his ankles.

Doubt about himself.

Anger.

Regret.

And longing.

In short, hesitation.

That hesitation gripped Seong-cheol’s ankle tightly, preventing him from taking that final step.

Immediately after.

Kwang!!

The two techniques collided, causing a surge of energy to explode. A storm swept outward, and a massive cloud of dust formed.

“Executor!!”

Lee Ha-yeon shouted in a worried voice.

If Kwon Tae-ho were to lose because of her, or worse, if he were to die, she would be trapped in that guilt for the rest of her life.

“Executor!!”

“…Be quiet.”

Fortunately, Kwon Tae-ho was alive.

As the dust settled, Kwon Tae-ho was revealed, standing with his arm extended.

An X-shaped scar was deeply engraved across his right arm. The blood that burst forth a beat later was significant. Yet Kwon Tae-ho shook his hand off as if it were nothing.

“W-what about the Ghost Blade…?”

“Over there.”

When Kwon Tae-ho pointed, Seong-cheol, the Ghost Blade, was collapsed against the wall of a building.

His arms hung limp, and the sword he held was shattered into pieces. His chest was caved in from being struck, and blood poured from his mouth.

“……”

The outcome was glaringly clear. Kwon Tae-ho had won, and the Ghost Blade had lost. Lying there helplessly, Seong-cheol analyzed the reasons for his defeat.

The attack had been quite clear.

He had seen the gaps in the attack.

However, he had failed to create a path to exploit that gap. All due to mere hesitation.

He was just one step away from a successful counterattack and the completion of Ye-gum. So why had he hesitated at that moment and failed to take that step?

“……Ah.”

He soon realized.

It wasn’t that he hesitated; it was that he lacked the will to move forward.

Dokgo Ye-gum is a sword that constantly changes and evolves to match the enemy’s techniques.

To wield it required the constant drive for improvement.

But Seong-cheol, who had lost two precious ones, lacked that drive for improvement.

He had lost everything. Hence, he had nothing left to lose.

With nothing left to lose, he had nothing to protect.

With nothing to protect, he had no reason to become stronger.

And without a reason, naturally, there was no will. Unless he were swinging his sword in blind obsession and anger, the moment he began to reflect and doubt himself, Seong-cheol’s sword reached its limit.

“I told you. A sword like that will never defeat me.”

“……Does that mean I was in the wrong?”

Seong-cheol, having accepted his defeat, still found himself questioning Kwon Tae-ho in disbelief.

“In a world overflowing with evil, I’ve lost precious people time and again. How can I not go insane? What’s so wrong with me crying out for revenge against the scum that took everything from me…?!”

“Enough.”

Kwon Tae-ho shook his head at the raging Seong-cheol.

“I know it’s tough to lose, but don’t look for answers to your life in me. I’m neither your life mentor nor a psychotherapist. I can’t provide satisfactory answers to such complex questions.”

“W-what…?”

“E-Executor…?”

Lee Ha-yeon looked on, feeling somewhat dumbfounded.

But what could anyone do? That was the truth.

Kwon Tae-ho wasn’t one for smooth words. Attempting to enlighten the enemy with heroic phrases like a protagonist from a comic wasn’t in his personality.

“Damn it, I shouldn’t even be having this conversation with a scumbag like you…”

Seong-cheol trembled with anger that went beyond disbelief, feeling wronged. Lee Ha-yeon looked back and forth between Kwon Tae-ho and Seong-cheol, unsure of what to do.

“Hm.”

Kwon Tae-ho thought. The situation definitely didn’t look good.

Normally, he would have brushed aside the life story of a criminal, but now Lee Ha-yeon was present. As a senior guiding the rookie executor, he felt he had to set an example.

“What’s wrong with crying out for revenge?” he mused.

Checking for the right response, it seemed he was somewhat on point. Kwon Tae-ho crossed his arms and posed coolly.

“True, it’s not exactly bad. But it’s also not right.”

“Quit with the wordplay! Then what was I supposed to do?!”

Seong-cheol yelled back against what felt like nonsense.

Kwon Tae-ho had invalidated Seong-cheol’s life with this fight. Then he owed him at least a comprehensible answer.

Otherwise, Seong-cheol’s frustration wouldn’t diminish. Lee Ha-yeon found herself unexpectedly filled with pity for Seong-cheol’s desperately angry look.

But Kwon Tae-ho was different. He held back any trivial compassion. He never even wanted to feel it.

“Well, I don’t know either.”

“…Executor.”

Oops, his true feelings slipped out. Kwon Tae-ho hurriedly waved his hands as if to recover.

“No, don’t look at me like that, rookie. In situations like this, pretending to know something may only embarrass the other person. What, should I say something like, ‘Don’t get stuck in the past; the important things are the present and future’? How furious will that make the person going through it? Since they lost something precious, they have no choice but to cling to it. How infuriating it is for someone who had no connection to give unsolicited advice on how to live life?”

“…You.”

Kwon Tae-ho was merely voicing his heart openly, but paradoxically, because it was honest, his words echoed in Seong-cheol’s heart. At least he was not disregarding and dismissing Seong-cheol’s life without thought.

“Anyway, so um.”

Kwon Tae-ho wanted to say something good since it had come this far. However, the appropriate conclusion didn’t come to mind as he was lost in thought.

“Oh.”

Kwon Tae-ho glanced instinctively across the road. A faint smile crept upon his lips.

“Regardless, it’s definitely not good to be stuck in the past.”

“W-What? Didn’t you just say that’s the worst thing—”

“No, no. What I mean is, take a good look. Whether you’ve truly lost everything. Maybe there’s something left around you, perhaps just one thing.”

“What do you mean by that—”

Just as Seong-cheol was about to ask Kwon Tae-ho, a familiar voice pierced his ear.

“Uncle!!”

Before he could turn, Fei-Fei dashed over with a tearful face, kneeling beside him.

“Uncle…!”

“Fei-Fei? How did you—”

“I-I’m sorry, Uncle. I… I messed up! I was going to report you, I… I didn’t appreciate your kindness and thought that way… I…”

From Fei-Fei’s jumble of words, Seong-cheol could roughly guess the situation. Yet, he felt no anger toward her.

On the contrary, he found it quite surprising that she could cry so sincerely over someone she’d only known for a day or two. Even though he had thought of her as like two daughters, to her, he was…

“…Ah.”

However, Seong-cheol soon realized. Just as he had, Fei-Fei must have seen someone precious reflected in him.

In that strange coincidence, he felt a bond. At the same time, he understood what Kwon Tae-ho had meant.

“…Is that so? There are indeed some things still remaining.”

With great effort, Seong-cheol lifted his arm and wiped away the tears flowing down Fei-Fei’s cheek. She clasped his hand tightly, repeatedly murmuring her apologies.

Seeing this, Seong-cheol sighed deeply. Then, with a sense of resignation, he laughed.

“…I really am quite the fool.”

He had thought revenge was futile. The important things were the present he was living and the future that lay ahead.

That simple truth anyone could understand was something he only realized after becoming consumed by revenge twice.

“Hmm.”

Though it was half nonsense, seeing Seong-cheol come to a conclusion, Kwon Tae-ho nodded.

“…Well, it’s enough to know now.”

Thus, that day, the Ghost Blade, once consumed by revenge, was finally able to return as human Baek Seong-cheol.