"Move along, kid. Don't try anything stupid here."
Jiyul locked eyes with the guard who was dragging the corpse away like it was nothing more than trash.
"You owe me more coins," Jiyul said.
"What?" The guard stopped and turned, snorting with laughter. "You got 100 copper. Be happy we even gave you that."
"You promised 1200."
The guard scoffed. Without warning, he slammed his heavy boot into Jiyul's back to shove him away.
"Get your head out of here."
Jiyul didn't stumble. He didn't flinch. His hand reached back like a whip and grabbed the guard by the throat. He lifted the man into the air with terrifying ease.
"Be careful with me, stupid."
He threw the guard against the stone wall. Hard. The man groaned and slid down, the breath knocked out of his lungs. Jiyul turned and walked away as if nothing had happened. He had his 100 copper, and for now, that had to be enough.
He stepped into a dirty shop where the walls were cracked and the floor reeked of old stew. He picked up a piece of bread topped with dried meat and spice flakes.
"Five copper," the vendor said nervously.
Jiyul dropped the coin without a word. He stepped back outside and found a broken table near the street corner. He sat on it alone. He ripped a chunk of bread and ate it. Quiet. Slow. There was no reaction on his face, no pleasure in the meal. It was just fuel.
Then a shout broke his peace.
"HEY! YOU!"
It was the same voice. The boot kicker.
But he wasn't alone. Ten guards stood behind him this time. They were fully armored, their hands on their weapons, all sneering at the lone figure eating bread.
"You think you can lay hands on a noble's guard and walk away, you freak?"
One of them spat on the ground. "We aren't just guards. We are king's tier. Soldiers of the royal chain. So bend your filthy neck and apologize. Or we are going to cut your head off and use it as a footrest."
Jiyul didn't even blink. He looked up, his eyes cold and void of emotion. He raised his chin slightly.
"Try it."
A guard lunged with his spear.
Jiyul gently placed the rest of his bread beside him on the table.
His sword swung once.
It went straight through the chest.
"ACK!"
The guard fell backward, blood spitting from his lips. The others froze in shock.
"That's one," Jiyul counted.
Another guard shouted, panic rising in his voice. "That qi! He's not normal!"
"No shit! But we still gotta kill him!"
Three of them charged together. Jiyul moved like a butcher in a slaughterhouse. Another slash, and a neck flew. He spun, kicked the last attacker in the ribs, and crushed the man's skull with the hilt of his sword as he fell.
"Two slashes, two corpses. Who is next?"
Screams echoed from the nearby market. People ran. Others watched in frozen silence from the safety of their shops. Mothers covered their children's eyes while merchants hid under their stalls. Blood painted the stone floor.
Another guard screamed and charged blindly. Jiyul dodged, elbowed his jaw, and snapped his sword down into the guard's mouth.
"Third one. Weak."
They dropped like paper dolls.
"You are just wearing metal to look tough," Jiyul said, shaking blood from his blade. "Without it, you are worms."
Within minutes, six guards were dead. They lay sliced open like cattle on the street.
Then came a sharp whistle.
Wind ripped across the square. An arrow buried itself deep into Jiyul's leg.
"Tch."
He knelt, keeping one leg stiff. Blood oozed from the wound. Heavy boots stomped toward him. These were not local thugs. These were special grade soldiers. Royal guards. Real ones.
One woman stepped forward. She had silver hair and wore a purple robe. Her bow was still drawn, aimed directly at his head.
"Don't move. You have killed capital guards. You are now under royal law."
Another soldier stepped up, his sword crackling with qi. "I will take his head."
CLANG!
"Enough." A third soldier blocked him. "He is worth more alive."
Jiyul remained on one knee, his breathing steady despite the pain. Blood dripped onto the stones, but his eyes remained unshaken. Emotionless. Cold.
"I will kill all of you if you come closer."
"Big words for someone kneeling," the woman smirked.
"I have knelt to no one," Jiyul growled.
The third soldier, who seemed to be the captain, stepped in. He looked older and calm. "Bind him. Take him to the capital prison. He is going to the palace."
"Yes, Captain."
Chains clicked. Jiyul didn't resist. He didn't flinch. He just watched.
He watched them clean the blood. He watched the people disappear. He watched the remaining guards pick up their dead like garbage.
And in his head? Nothing. No anger. No fear. Just a singular realization.
"This world is broken. Rotten from the inside. And one day... I will split it open."