Ch.1Hunting Dog Najin (1)

The Magician of the Lake, Merlin

A constellation like a beautiful, static lake with gentle ripples. But now that constellation was boiling madly like water in a pot.

“Wow, wow, wow…”

She clutched the back of her neck, which was burning with fever.

“What kind of lunatic…?”

Stars listen to human voices.

This was widely known, but the reality was slightly different. There was one additional condition.

Stars listen to the voices of those who are qualified.

Not every human voice reaches the stars. Most voices merely pass by constellations as small noises. Only the voices of those with qualification can become sentences with meaning rather than noise.

‘Even then, they’re heard as tiny murmurs…’

That should be the case, but why?

Merlin recalled the voice that had just rung in her ears. That voice was incredibly clear. Beyond being a sentence with meaning, it was distinct enough that she could even understand its mocking tone.

The clearest voice she had heard in hundreds of years.

Truly the distinct will of someone with heroic qualifications.

And the will conveyed by that voice was enough to make Merlin’s calm lake boil. The voice directly denied King Arthur’s achievements. It mocked Arthur, the king Merlin had served, calling him “someone who took opportunity”

“Are they truly insane?”

Blood vessels appeared in Merlin’s eyes.

King Arthur was the protagonist of the Arthurian legend, the constellation with the most followers across the entire continent. No one could possibly be unaware of this fact.

Yet they dare insult Arthur?

With such nonsensical words?

Do they have a death wish?

Merlin glared down at the ground. Her gaze could extend anywhere starlight reached. She quickly rolled her eyes, searching for the owner of the voice that had just rung in her ears.

But they were nowhere to be seen.

She thought she had glimpsed an incredibly arrogant boy when the voice rang in her ears… but no matter where she looked, his face was nowhere to be found.

‘Did he hide somewhere starlight can’t reach?’

It didn’t matter.

Go ahead and hide for your entire life if you can.

“Just wait until you cross my sight.”

Merlin bit her fingernail with a crack. Her bloodshot eyes moved rapidly, as if determined not to miss even the tiniest trace.

“You won’t die peacefully, child.”

Whether they were a genius with heroic qualifications, an apostle of another constellation, or a beloved disciple of a Sword Master—none of that mattered to Merlin.

She would only make them pay for insulting her king.

The Wizard of the Lake swore by her constellation that she would find that arrogant brat and crush him.

2.

“Tsk, what’s this?”

I rubbed the back of my neck.

Suddenly, my nape felt tight and uncomfortable. It felt like someone had sworn to the heavens that they would catch and punish me.

‘Who could it be?’

Truth be told, I’d accumulated quite a few grudges here and there, so there were more than a few people who wanted to get me. Well, it’s probably nothing important. Could be that pickpocket Tus whose arm I broke recently, or the drunkard Belga…

Anyway, it didn’t seem like a significant issue.

“Huff…”

I opened my eyes, shaking off these random thoughts.

“Ofen, is this meditation actually effective?”

I turned my head to look at a corner of the empty lot. There sat a man in shabby clothes. He was something like a master who taught me swordsmanship. He slowly opened his mouth at my question.

“Of course. Calming your mind through meditation is the most basic fundamental. If your mind wavers, the tip of your sword will also…”

Here we go again.

I shook my head and drew my sword.

“Forget that, just watch me swing my sword.”

“Tsk. Show some respect for your master, you damn brat.”

“Then maybe put down that liquor bottle in your mouth?”

I gave Ofen a disapproving look as he was guzzling alcohol from early morning. He was supposedly a renowned mercenary in the upper city before being banished to the underground city… but whenever I saw him like this, I doubted those rumors.

Rough beard from lack of grooming.

Shabby appearance and eyes clouded with alcohol.

Ofen was a man who anyone would glance at and mutter, “Hmm, a drunkard,” before moving on.

‘But still…’

I took my stance and swung my sword.

‘His skill is undeniable.’

As soon as I swung my sword, a sharp voice echoed through the empty lot.

“Too stiff. Relax a bit. Tuck your elbows in more.”

It was Ofen’s correction.

I adjusted my posture according to his instruction. The effect was immediate. The sound of my sword cutting through the air became heavier. Despite relaxing, the sound became weightier, which made me briefly marvel.

Whoosh.

I continued swinging my sword, and Ofen offered brief advice. His teaching was always like this. He never demonstrated how to swing the sword or directly adjusted my posture, but he always gave advice.

‘And…’

That advice was genuine.

Though he might look like a drunkard at first glance, and actually was one… at least when talking about swords, Ofen became infinitely serious.

“Lower your stance.”

Just like now.

“Keep your eyes open.”

A sharp voice.

“Breathing. Exhale. You’re using too much force.”

Sharp eyes, not clouded with alcohol.

“Don’t crush with weight. What you’re holding isn’t a blunt weapon. It’s a blade meant to cut. Don’t press down, swing it as if brushing past.”

I swung my sword for a long time, listening to Ofen’s voice. Sweat trickled down my spine.

“Put strength in your legs and step forward. Don’t swing with force. Watch where the sword moves until the end.”

Listening to his advice, I thought.

This would probably be my last swing for today. I had quite a few things to do today.

‘The last one should be clean.’

I readjusted my grip on the sword.

I regulated my breathing, engraving today’s advice in my mind. Ofen’s voice echoed in my ears like an auditory hallucination.

‘Take a big step forward.’

Thud.

‘Regulate your breath, and without stiffening your body, watch the tip of the blade until the end.’

I swung my sword while exhaling.

A downward diagonal slash, the most basic swing that could barely be called swordsmanship. But the moment I swung the sword, I sensed it.

This was different from usual.

Shik!

The sound of the sword cutting through the air echoed.

The trajectory drawn by the sword tip was clearly visible. A silver-white path drawn cleanly without wavering. Only after hearing the cutting sound did I take a deep breath.

“Kek, cough!”

For some reason, the inhaled air was hot. Startled by the hot air, I coughed dryly and turned my head toward Ofen.

“Ofen, wasn’t that pretty good?”

A clean sword strike that surprised even myself.

I asked with some expectation and excitement, but Ofen was looking at me with indifferent eyes. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.

“Well…”

After a moment of silence.

Ofen muttered blankly.

“Wasn’t it good?”

“What kind of ambiguous answer is that?”

“No, it was good. Clean.”

“Right?”

I smiled slightly. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sheathed my sword. As I was cleaning up, Ofen asked me a question.

“Do you have somewhere to go? You’re finishing earlier than usual today.”

“Where would I have to go? It’s work.”

“…Who is it this time?”

Ofen’s eyes narrowed immediately.

I smiled bitterly and answered.

“Trixie.”

“Trixie from the Lilac Tavern?”

I nodded, and Ofen clicked his tongue briefly.

“So that bastard finally crossed the line.”

“Apparently he got caught by Ivan while taking kids and selling their organs. What can I do? I have to clean it up.”

“You?”

“Who else but me? I’m Ivan’s hunting dog after all.”

“Anyway,” Ofen muttered as he took another swig of alcohol.

“That Ivan, making a young brat like you do all sorts of things. He’s a rotten bastard running a rotten organization.”

“You’re part of Ivan’s family too, Ofen.”

“That’s only because he begged me so much… Huff, never mind.”

Ofen waved his hand dismissively.

It meant get lost quickly.

I smiled slightly and started walking away.

“Najin.”

After taking a few steps.

I turned around at the sound of my name. There stood Ofen, having put down his empty liquor bottle, looking straight at me.

“Come again tomorrow.”

“I was going to come anyway.”

3.

The empty lot after Najin left.

Ofen slowly got up. He approached the spot where Najin had been swinging his sword.

“……”

Ofen silently looked at the traces Najin had left. His gaze lingered for a while on the spot where Najin had made his final sword swing.

“Huff…”

Ofen exhaled deeply.

Before being thrown into this underground city, he had been a renowned mercenary and swordsman. Though he didn’t have the skill to face proper masters…

At the very least, he could recognize someone’s level.

Ofen pondered the trajectory of Najin’s final sword swing. That damn brat didn’t seem to realize what he had just done.

‘He must have heard the sound.’

The sound of cutting.

He probably dismissed it as nothing significant. He heard the sound of cutting something despite swinging through empty air. There was only one reason for this. Ofen touched the ground marked by the sword. It was where Najin’s sword had passed.

The ground was hot.

Heat emanated from the earth.

Digging up some soil, he found that the pebbles mixed in the dirt had melted and stuck together. Such a feat couldn’t be accomplished by simply swinging a sword. Ofen’s lips twitched. He knew what this was.

Mana, and fragments of sword energy.

“Crazy bastard. Learning things I never taught him.”

Ofen let out a hollow laugh as he realized his prediction was correct. It had been two years since he started overseeing Najin’s swordsmanship at the request of Ivan, the brat’s employer and his old friend.

Two years, enough time to gauge talent.

He had known for a while that Najin had potential. The boy would understand ten things when taught just one, and it wasn’t the first time he had figured out things that weren’t even taught to him.

‘I knew he was a genius, but…’

To think it would be to this extent. Ofen made a sour expression as he assessed Najin’s talent.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue briefly.

Knowing the value of Najin’s talent. And knowing that in this cursed city, such talent could never shine, Ofen muttered irritably.

“Kid, having such talent in this place will only make you miserable.”

Even in this garbage city.

Even in this damned city full of trash.

Children with light are born.

And everyone in this city, not just Ofen, knew what would become of these children. No matter how brilliant their talent, no one can leave this city. That’s the rule.

In the end, that brat Najin too.

Will slowly rot in this city, having lost his light. In other words, it meant dying. Rotting away, buried among mountains of garbage. Knowing this fact, Ofen let out a long sigh.

Thud.

Ofen stomped on the ground roughly.

Erasing the traces of sword energy left on the ground, he thought. He craved alcohol. A bit more than usual.

As he was about to leave.

Ofen suddenly raised his head. He remembered a rumor he had heard during his days as a mercenary in the upper city. A story that those with brilliant talent, talent that could reach the stars, would receive attention from the stars no matter where they were.

“……”

Looking up at the ceiling of the underground city, where minerals were embedded instead of stars, Ofen smiled wryly. For a moment, he had entertained the thought of “maybe,” and found himself ridiculous.

“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t be saying this.”

It was just a futile dream.

Why would the constellations in the night sky pay attention to a brat from an underground city like this? Rumors are just rumors. Dreaming futile dreams only leads to misery.

“Huff…”

With a sigh that seemed resigned.

Ofen picked up his empty liquor bottle and left the empty lot.

[Constellation, The Staff of Selection, screams.]

[The Staff of Selection swears by her star that she will catch and punish the arrogant brat!]

He was completely unaware that the constellation in the night sky was not just fixated on Najin, but boiling with rage.