I woke up to the sound of people talking.

“He will never be able to live a normal life.”

The doctor spoke. Behind him was the Squad Leader, Jin Taekyung, Wong Yonhi and the rest of the members of my squad. Even my reliable friend Park Bohyun was there.

Wrapped around me were bandages. My arm, my body, my legs and even my whole face were covered with bandages.

“What do you mean doctor?”

The Squad Leader asked.

“Everything from below his neck is paralyzed."

“Paralyzed?"

This time, I was the one who asked.

“I can still...”

I couldn’t feel anything.

“What's happening? I can't move.”

“I apologize Warrior Kim Sheon. Things will be hard but... you'll never be able to move for the rest of your life. I should take my leave.”

"What do you mean? I can still recover, right?"

The doctor looked at me for a second before he packed his things and left.

"Doctor, wait!"

“I know life will be hard for you but we will do our best as your squad mates to help you.”

The Squad Leader looked at me with a sorry face. The longer I stared at him, the hazier he looked.

“Leave.”

I didn’t want them to see me cry.

“Please, I want to be alone!”

I screamed. Raging, I couldn't control myself.

"We'll come back. Please rest."

Saying that, everyone left.

"Ahh!"

I screamed for the second time. My heart was about to burst. I wanted to curl my body to at least slow down its beating but I couldn't even feel anything.

"Shibal!"

I screamed for the third time. Tears poured like a waterfall.

"Gaesaekki!"

I screamed for the last time then passed out.

I woke up to the cries of a sobbing woman.

“Sheon...”

I wanted to caress her hair but I couldn’t even lift a finger.

“It’s okay Dahyun, everything will be alright.”

“No, hic, hic, you can never move again.”

I wanted to cry too but for her sake, I had to stay strong.

“It will just take a week. I promise I’ll take you out on a date again.”

That was the last day I saw her.

***

Keruk?

A little goblin held a spoon with its hands. The little guy was everything that I had during the past week. He cooked, cleaned, replaced the bandages and basically took care of me. Sometimes, the squad members came and stayed for a while, telling entertaining stories and some other news.

Only Dahyun and Park Bohyun never came back.

“Taekyung, have you heard anything about Dahyun?”

Taken aback, he froze for a second before answering.

“Um, the last time I heard about her was that they're scouring the Northern Mountain Range for the Madman.”

“I see. I hope she’s doing well.”

But I knew he was lying. It was written all over his face.

“Please tell her I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep my promise.”

"I will."

Just then, we heard a woman’s voice.

“Is Third Rate Warrior Kim Sheon here?”

A woman entered the room. In her hand was a basket full of fruits. With her noblewoman’s clothes, I didn’t recognize her.

“I’ll leave the fruits here. I hope that you will recover soon.”

Placing a basket of fruits on a corner, she left. She didn’t even stay for a conversation.

“I think that’s the woman you stripped.”

Jin Taekyung laughed, remembering the past. Hearing him say that, I finally realized who she was, Choi Jisoo.

"That's her?"

“The Choi clan will kill you if they learn about it.”

Three days passed after that.

“He’s not eating anymore.”

Faintly, I recognized the Squad Leader’s voice. I didn’t understand what he said though. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care anyway.

Life now is meaningless. I’m nothing but a living corpse. Hell, dying was better than living like this.

Time went by.

“Third Rate Warrior Kim Sheon, wake up.”

I was woken up by a cold and emotionless voice.

“You reek. Please summon your goblin from time to time to take care of you.”

Choi Jisoo, came back. I found it strange to see her again.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here to give you the favor I promised.”

“Just let me die in peace.”

That’s all I really wanted.

“There’s a way.”

Choi Jisoo brought out a book from her hand and showed it to me. The title of the book was ‘The Merchant’s Journey.’

“It’s an interesting book I read when I was young."

“Please, go away.”

However, Choi Jisoo continued.

“It is said in this book that through body reconstruction, your body could be healed.”

“I said I don't care.”

I said that but my eyes hovered towards the cover of the book. Perhaps the reader inside me still wanted to live.

“Since you can’t move, I’ll stick it on the ceiling.”

Choi Jisoo tore the pages one by one, and pasted it.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I do not forget favors that I had promised.”

“Weren’t the fruits enough to pass as a favor?”

“No. Favors are meant to be helpful to the person it is being given to. The fruits weren’t of help.”

She then pointed at a basket at the corner of the room. It was the same basket of fruits that she had given before. Inside, fruit flies were feasting upon its old juice.

Feeling guilty, I kept quiet.

"It’s rumored to be written by the master of the founder of the Immortal Sect. I sincerely hope for your recovery."

Soon after she finished, she left.

'I guess I’ll just die after finishing this book.'

I began to read but

'It stinks.'

I couldn’t really enjoy the book with the nasty smell going around so I summoned my little goblin.

Keruk?

This little guy would cease to exist once I die.

“Keruruk, go clean this house.”

Keruk!

The goblin responded with a cheerful voice. It was happy to finally have a name.

***

[The Merchant’s Journey]

Warriors of Murim wish to be the most powerful- to stand above top all men and have their names remembered forever in history.

I wasn’t the same. I never even had the chance to create a dantian.

Having no choice, I forced myself to become a travelling merchant. It was a job full of perils, but at the very least, I had the chance to travel and meet the powerful men I once dreamed to be.

True enough, I was able to meet almost most of them. I was able to meet the founder of the Plum Blossom Sect. I had attended a meeting with the Fifth Generation Chun Ma. The leader of the Tang sect asked me for favors. The Buddhists, evil cultivators who were actually good, pretentious righteous cultivators and even the fabled, Northern Hero, I was able to meet all of them.

Yet none among them could compare with the strange man. I met him on the day that I was about to die. Our caravan was attacked by bandits. I luckily escaped by jumping off a cliff. Upon waking up, I found myself washed ashore.

For some reason, I couldn’t move my legs. So I crawled, not minding the sharp rocks that cut me, and took shelter inside a nearby cave. For a whole day, I waited for the feeling in my legs to come back. It didn’t.

I prayed for the many gods to heal me. I screamed for help whenever I can. In any case, my legs weren’t healed and no one came to my rescue. For fear of monsters, I didn’t dare crawl far away. That lasted for five days.

I never knew that man could actually last for that long. With only the water from the river to fill my hunger, I tried to live. However, at the end of those five days, I couldn’t bear the pain and solitude any longer. I carved my last will onto the wall.

With a sharpened rock, I placed it on my throat.

“Are you going to kill yourself?”

A voice echoed along the cave. I thought the voice came from my hallucinations. From stories I’ve heard in my journey, I’ve learned that people see and hear things before death.

However it wasn’t a hallucination. A man came out from the depths of the cave.

You see, by travelling, I had seen all sorts of people. I could even know what kind of thoughts ran inside their head. But the man was different. His mind couldn’t be read. His face showed neither desire nor emotions.

“You won’t be able to die quickly if you cut there. Put it here.”

The man moved my hand to the side of my neck.

“If you slice here, you’ll be dead in a minute.”

“Who are you?”

“I am your fate.”

“Stop speaking nonsense.”

The man smiled at me and put the rock closer to my neck such that it began to bleed.

“It’s true. I hold the key to your life or death.”

“You speak as if you are a god.”

“If I think of myself as a god, then I am a god. If I think of myself as a human, then I am a human. People give themselves titles, I can also give myself one.”

The man let his hand loose.

“I was just passing by. You can go ahead and kill yourself.”

I couldn’t kill myself. Not when a chance to live had appeared in front of me. Unconsciously, the rock slipped out of my hand.

“So you want to live. By you not killing yourself just yet, you continue to spin your own thread of fate. Likewise, if I end your life here by leaving, it means I’m the fate that took your life.”

“What are you?”

The man didn’t answer my question. Instead, he gave me hope.

“If I told you that you can walk again, will you believe me?”

I continued to read, unaware of the time that passed by.

...

...

I am forever grateful to that day. Although I never reached the level of True Immortality, I am happy to have learned martial arts

To the readers of this book, I sincerely hope that you find meaning in life. My life is nearing its end but you still have yours to live. Go forth and create your own fate.

The book ended with that.

‘Fate. It’s a beautiful word.’