The Fist King Dan Woosung is dead.
He was a man more often called by the nickname Fist King than by his real name, Dan Woosung.
***
Dan Woosung opened his eyes in the body of Lee Jin-Eon, the First Young Master of the Eunha Merchant Group. Lee Jin-Eon had been recuperating from illness in a secret hideout deep within Jinhua Mountain, completely cut off from the outside world.
Even at that point, Dan Woosung hadn't yet grasped the situation.
He assumed, in the midst of the confusion, that someone had rescued him and was treating his injuries.
But no matter how much he felt around his stomach, the sword wound that should have been there was completely gone.
"Hmm…"
The difference between a tired body and one that's suffered major injuries is clear. While Dan Woosung's mind was gradually waking up, his body was still weighed down by fatigue.
He looked around.
The ceiling was high, and the room was spacious.
Several letters were strewn across a desk, and the bedding smelled faintly of a woman's scent.
And not just perfume.
There was a man's semen smell lingering in the bedding, as if someone had just finished having sex.
When Dan Woosung groaned and rustled slightly, a maid waiting outside the door quietly asked:
"First Young Master, shall I bring you some water?"
Dan Woosung had never in his life been addressed as "First Young Master." Still, he was thirsty, so he opened his mouth.
"Bring it."
"Yes, sir."
The door opened, and a maid entered holding a water jug. Dan Woosung kept his head down without even glancing at her. Even as she placed the jug on a small side table by the bed and quietly left, he was still shocked by his own voice.
It wasn't his usual deep, booming voice—it was the weak voice of a man sick to his core.
He coughed and took a sip of water, but immediately frowned.
The water was ice cold—hardly appropriate for someone on an empty stomach. He merely rinsed his mouth and moistened his throat.
'This is strange… Really strange…'
Who gives freezing cold water to someone with serious injuries?
As he looked around, Dan Woosung finally caught a glimpse of himself in a wall mirror—and froze on the spot.
Slowly, he turned to look directly at the reflection.
"…"
In the mirror, a young man with sunken eyes stared back, blinking in surprise.
Dan Woosung reached out and touched his face.
'Did someone put a fake skin mask on me…?'
But no matter how much he felt around the back of his neck, there was nothing to peel off. He ended up slapping his own cheek almost reflexively.
Smack!
The maid outside the door tilted her head like a startled deer at the unexpected sound.
She too was thinking the same thing:
'He's acting strange today…'
.
.
.
Dan Woosung now stood directly in front of the large wall mirror, examining himself. After a moment, he nodded slowly.
'I must be dead… or insane.'
The mirror reflected a young man in a fluttering white nightgown, thin and pale. He was a handsome youth who had clearly never known hardship. He looked about twenty years younger.
Dan Woosung nodded again.
'If the demonic faction had magic arts like this, they would've conquered the martial world long ago. So this isn't some grand magic.'
Just standing up and looking into the mirror left a bitter taste in his mouth.
His physical condition was truly abysmal.
He staggered over to a chair and looked through the letters.
He didn't feel good about reading someone else's mail, but the situation was too strange. Assessing the situation came first.
Most of the letters began like this:
「To First Young Master Lee Jin-Eon…」
Dan Woosung muttered the name aloud.
"Lee Jin-Eon."
He didn't know the name. But all the letters were addressed to him. As he read further, one name kept repeating: the Eunha Merchant Group.
'Eunha Merchant Group? I've heard of that…'
Dan Woosung only remembered the names of notable warriors—he knew little about upper-class families or organizations. For even him to have heard of the Eunha Merchant Group, it must be quite a wealthy and powerful group.
He set the letter down and looked again at the mirror. The unfamiliar man was still staring back at him.
Realizing the truth at last, Dan Woosung muttered to the unfamiliar face:
"Reincarnation…? I've gone mad."
He wasn't mad. He wasn't even dead.
He had reincarnated.