Then he remembered the past.
He and his best friend had promised each other that they would leave that place alive. Ak Sei had asked them to promise one thing: if they made it out, they would go to his house and tell his father. Dan said he would be the one to tell him. Ak Sei agreed, but asked him not to die.
But that day, Dan was careless. A creature almost killed him. Ak Sei stepped in front of the attack to be hit instead. Dan told him to get up, asking why he had done that, when they had promised they would meet his father. Ak Sei replied that among all of them Dan was the strongest, and that he had to survive and tell his father that he was sorry.
Dan, looking at the light of the full moon, thought that his freedom had been bought with the lives of ninety-nine people. He owed all of them, and he promised that he would make Cheon Gija pay.
He wandered around and ended up returning to that same restaurant. That girl was still there. But he also noticed that at night a huge procession of martial warriors had departed, and that same young lady was accompanying them. Dan then decided to follow them.
The group stopped in the forest very late at night, resting at the entrance of Henan. Dan realized that everyone was heading to the place he had come from. The group behind was also going there. They were all searching for something specific.
There were also Jegal Jungchun, adviser of the Murim Alliance, talking with the alliance leader, Do Woon. Do Woon said that the Unorthodox Alliance and the Green Forest Bandits were suddenly making a different move, and that he was worried, because times like these were always dangerous. Jegal Jungchun asked him not to worry so much, as they had heard that they were going for a completely different objective. Do Woon replied that then his instincts were getting a bit dull.
Meanwhile, some warriors tried to approach Jo Seolyeon, especially Pang of the Flying Dragon, who asked if she was having difficulties and if she wanted to rest a bit. Her brother replied that everything was fine there, and asked them to leave them alone.
Suddenly, a group of bandits really approached. They were the Green Forest Bandits, led by the Blood-Sucking Demon, who said that they were very good at hiding, but that he had found them.
The leader ordered everyone to prepare. The adviser asked for caution, as the Unorthodox Alliance had joined them as well. Do Woon knew that the Blood-Sucking Demon was a martial master, difficult to deal with.
When the battle began, the Blood-Sucking Demon destroyed the weaker warriors with kicks that broke necks and with his massive blade. After finishing off the weak ones, he went straight for Do Woon, and their blades clashed. The subordinates were killing each other, and clearly the Murim Alliance side was losing, being outnumbered. The Blood-Sucking Demon asked if they were having difficulties, and said that the secret weapon left by Cheon Gija belonged to them.
Dan, who had been hiding, asked himself if he had really heard the name Gija.
He drove the tip of his sword beneath a rock and hurled it onto the battlefield. Then he shattered it with his slashes, used it as a distraction, and killed everyone beneath that rain of fragments. After joining the battle, he simply asked where Gija was.
Do Woon was surprised that he had not sensed the boy's presence at all. The adviser thanked him for the help, but asked why he was looking for Gija there, since he had died ten years ago.
Dan asked if that was true, unable to believe he was dead, because he had still not avenged the deaths of his friends. At that moment, the energy of the void began pouring out of Dan's body, causing the warriors of the Murim Alliance to freeze in place, swallowed by that devastating sensation.
Dan had endured a bitter amount of time and escaped that hell. But now the target of his revenge was already dead. After everything that had happened, after everyone had died telling him to take revenge.
The alliance leader was not overwhelmed by the void energy, and realized he needed to stop it. Otherwise the Murim Alliance members would suffer energy deviation. The young lady, Jo Seolyeon, whom Dan recognized as the girl who had once shown him kindness, approached to speak with him.
Dan realized that he too had only survived thanks to the kindness of his comrades from that hell. Since Gija was gone, he could no longer take revenge. Maybe he would have to find them somewhere else.
Suddenly the void energy disappeared. The warriors returned to normal, and even the alliance leader was shocked. Do Woon knew it was something even experienced masters struggled to escape from. He wondered who that kid really was.
Jo Seolyeon asked if Dan was searching for someone, and told her uncle that this person had helped them, asking if they could travel together to find whoever he was looking for. Sima Chal became slightly nervous. It was hard to refuse the request of someone who had truly helped them, but the Murim Alliance warriors had been affected by the void energy, and he did not know whether the alliance leader would allow it.
Do Woon thought that boy was capable of killing Green Forest and Unorthodox Alliance bandits in an instant, which made him dangerous. Considering the losses they had suffered, it was better to keep such a threat nearby. The alliance leader eventually agreed.
Sima Chal then asked whether Dan would consider working for the escort agency, and the surrounding warriors were impressed, since working for that agency was an incredible opportunity. Dan said he was not sure. Jo Inhyeon commented that it was not just some random place where anyone could work. Dan replied that he would like to answer, but he did not even know what an escort agency was.
Everyone looked confused. The old man then explained that an escort agency transported belongings and protected clients. One of the Flying Dragon warriors asked where that country bumpkin had come from. But Pang drew attention to Dan's sword and the killing intent overflowing from it, saying it was no ordinary weapon, and that it was being wasted in the hands of a hillbilly. Many eyes were now fixed on them, so they decided they would wait until the alliance leader entered Mount Hangsan before taking the sword.
When they finally arrived at Mount Hangsan, with the sun still rising, everyone noticed something strange about the place. Dan himself wondered what they were searching for there, since he had just come from that place.
The alliance leader asked whether they would finally see Gija's secret manual. The adviser replied that they had not even found the entrance to the cave yet. The warriors searched everywhere, but could not find it. The adviser suggested cutting the mountain in half, but Do Woon said that might damage the secret manual.
Dan thought that the place he had come from had already collapsed, because he himself had split it in half. So they would have to find the entrance Gija had originally used, the place where he could still sense Gija's energy. Then he moved ahead of all the warriors and easily found the entrance.
Do Woon asked how he knew where it was, and Dan replied that he used to live inside there. Pang said he could imagine that, calling him a mountain savage and saying it was no surprise he carried a sword without a sheath.
Do Woon said the search would be conducted by himself, the adviser, and the leader of the Flying Dragon Corps. While the others secured the perimeter, he told Dan that he owed him a debt, and thanked him. But Dan replied that there was nothing inside except memories of death.