I Never Said I Wanted to Be the King of Bandits - Chapter 1

“…What is your dream for the future?”

 

“The king.”

 

“King? Why do you want to be a king?”

 

“They take all the taxes. My mom said that the one who takes all the taxes has the easiest life.”

 

“Oh my, no, you! Teacher, I’m sorry! Aren’t you coming here?!”

 

***

 

“….nim!”

 

“Yes?!”

 

“What do you want to be in your next life?”

 

“I….”

 

My colleague looked at me with sparkling eyes. They were someone who really enjoyed silly things.

 

“A king.”

 

“A king? Why a king?”

 

“I’ll make the CEO, who calls every Saturday morning at 7 to go hiking, hike nonstop all day.” 

 

“….”

 

“And I’ll lock up the people from the other team who make work pile up and make them work non-stop. They won’t be able to go home and will have to sleep with their heads on the keyboard.” 

 

“That’s like a tyrant, isn’t it? What if you’re overthrown in a coup?”

 

“I’m just saying that. Then, what do you want to become, Manager?”

 

“Mhm. I want to be a meteor.” 

 

“……But you’ll fall, you know?”

 

“Mhm. I’m going to fall and blow everything up.”

 

Being a king is still better than a meteor.

 

They say that being stuck in the office for 14 hours drives a person crazy, and that saying was spot on. I went to work at 9, and now it’s already 11 PM. The last bus will be leaving soon, so it looks like I’ll be sleeping on the break room mat again today. This kind of routine for the project team wasn’t something new—it had been like this for quite some time.

 

But at that time, I didn’t know. I never imagined that my ridiculous dream would actually come true.

 

***

 

What are the chances of an ordinary office worker suddenly dying on their way home?  

 

What are the chances of receiving a strange message before they die?  

 

And what are the chances of being reincarnated in an unfamiliar world?

 

As the economy continued to worsen, the only option to survive the restructuring was to work tirelessly. It was the same even after some of my colleagues were laid off. With the number of employees reduced, those of us remaining had to cling to our work, just to keep the company barely running. 

 

As always, I was working myself to the bone and dragging myself home. But today, I thought I might actually make it home in time for dinner. I was content with that fact. That’s when I noticed a small child, who seemed to be out for a walk with their mother, in the dim lights of the night streets.

 

It was a moment when I thought, ‘I used to enjoy those times too’. The child suddenly ran in front of a car that was turning into the alley. It seemed the ball the child was holding had rolled into the car’s direction. 

 

“Huh?”

 

At that rate, the child was going to get hit, though? I hurriedly dashed forward. And just as I barely managed to push the child out of the way with the tips of my fingers, the car’s headlights blazed brightly, blinding me.

 

Boom! Bang!

 

I felt a dull sound and terrible pain. At that moment when I couldn’t even scream and felt the sense of death approaching me, the cell phone I was holding fell into my sight. And despite the screen being locked, the light on the display suddenly flickered on. As I was dying, two messages caught my eye.

 

[Web Transmission] [World Line Management Association] Ant is thun-thun~ You, who are always living your best life! The World Line Management Association offers you a special reward for saving the life of another being!

Notice: The reward may vary depending on the world you are reincarnated into, and the specific details will be assigned randomly.  

 

[Web Transmission] [World Line Management Association] The world and reward assignment has been completed!  

World: ANFLA2869

Reward: Divine Power, Throne <<Bonus!  

Congratulations!  

*The reward will be automatically received and executed, and this message will be automatically deleted. Thank you for using our service.

 

What are you talking about when someone is dying?

 

In fact, I didn’t even get to read the entire long message. The only three words I managed to read were these.

 

Reincarnation, Divine Power, Throne.

 

Of course, at the time, I couldn’t understand any of it. 

 

***

 

A strange sensation overwhelmed me. It felt like someone was frantically grabbing my head and shaking it. Then, I also had the feeling of being sucked into somewhere. It was the kind of sensation you’d probably feel if you were being pulled into a funnel.

 

How long did I feel that sensation? It felt as though I had completely lost track of time. It seemed like I had been there for a day, or maybe even a month. Then, at some point, my vision suddenly became bright.

 

The first face I encountered was that of a young woman. Through my blurry vision, the only thing I could clearly make out was that her hair was unusually long and black. 

 

A sweet floral scent wafted from her. 

 

“Baby.”

 

A very gentle voice lingered in my ears. 

 

“You’re beautiful. You look just like him.” 

    

I could feel a soft hand gently brushing my cheek. 

 

“I’m sorry. I should have been the one to protect you…” 

 

But before I could even understand those words, I drifted off into a deep sleep. It was a long sleep.

 

***

 

I slept most of the time, and occasionally came to my senses. 

 

“─────!!”

 

Although a fair amount of time had passed, my vision remained blurry, and I couldn’t make sense of anything. But at some point, I instinctively realized that I could no longer hear the voice of the woman I had first encountered, nor could I see her face.

 

It wasn’t until I was four years old that I was able to properly identify myself and recognize others. And it was then that I began to understand, even just a little, the meaning of the message I had seen just before I died. 

 

I was reincarnated. And this place was not the South Korea I had lived in.

 

If I had simply been born in a different country, I wouldn’t have been so shocked. This place… was a world straight out of a martial arts novel.

 

A place where swords glowed even though they weren’t light swords, where there were martial artists who had learned martial arts, and where some people risked their lives to protect the agreement. It was none other than the martial world.

 

However, in the world of martial arts where extraordinary people were plentiful, I was just an ordinary child. And not just any child, but one living under the protection of a man over thirty.

 

***

 

Living wasn’t all that difficult. My life was comfortable, and I was in a safe environment.

 

Still, the man who ‘protected’ me taught me how to read and write, as well as some basic self-defense techniques. He showed me, through words, where and how to strike when someone tried to threaten me.

 

He strangely preferred to explain things to me with words. Whenever I tried to follow his instructions and throw a punch, he would wave his hands in refusal and stop me.

 

“Stop! Don’t do that. Don’t do anything.”

 

“Why are you making such a fuss? I have to try it myself to understand what it’s like.” 

 

“I’m just worried you’ll get yourself into serious trouble.” 

 

It was just a simple swing, what kind of big trouble could come from that? The man was a coward. Because of that, his 98% incomplete martial arts training felt more like distant safety instructions to me. Like, “If an earthquake occurs, get under the desk and protect your head.”

 

“So it’s because you don’t want me to get hurt.”

 

It was probably a lie. Even if I hit my head on the ground, I strangely never got a scratch. But I didn’t want to disturb the peace between us over something like this, so I accepted it. There was also the fact that I had no immediate use for the things he taught me.

 

There was no one to threaten me, so what was the point of knowing how to harm others? Even when we went hunting together, most of the killing was done by the man. My role was to carry the body of the rabbit that had been caught in the trap he set, moving it into the sack. The only skill I needed was to be fast at running.

 

“Father.”

 

“Oh! I told you not to call me that!”

 

“Then tell me who my father is!” 

 

The man treated me like his own daughter. Considering that he had never allowed me to call him ‘father’, he was extremely sincere. According to the women in the village below, when I was little, I couldn’t tell what was safe to feed a child and what wasn’t, so I was often lectured by the mothers in the village. 

 

At that moment, I heard the man’s voice from outside. 

 

“Noksan. Come out and eat.”

 

Noksan. Yeon Noksan. It was my name.  

 

I threw off the blanket and stood up. 

 

The reason I recalled an old memory was because the voice of the woman who used to call me appeared in my dream again. I didn’t realize she was my mother until I was much older, but she was no longer by my side. No one, including the man, ever told me, but I could vaguely guess that she was no longer in this world.

 

I clumsily tidied up the blanket and stepped outside. The fresh morning air greeted me. A grand meal was laid out on the table. We lived in a remote valley, just the two of us, and I had no idea where such ingredients were coming from.

 

“Uncle, did you go hunting in the mountains early this morning?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Even though it’s the 5th of the 24 periods of the day?”

 

“At that point, it’s already broad daylight.” 

 

By the way, it wasn’t even daylight. What’s broad daylight? 

 

“They said it’s dangerous to go to the mountains at night or in the early morning.”

 

“Who said that?”

 

“It’s the herbalist Lee family.”

 

“I’m fine, so don’t worry and just sit down.”

 

The villagers said that you shouldn’t go into the mountains before sunrise. I heard that wild animals would bite people to death or something like that. 

 

This man went up and down the mountain every night and dawn. And once he went in, he always caught a wild animal.

 

“Aren’t you scared, Uncle?” 

 

“What’s there to be afraid of? The mountain is as much my home as anywhere.” 

 

“If that’s the case, why not just sleep rough in the mountains? Why spread a blanket and sleep here?”  

 

“Sigh. Why is this kid getting all worked up again?” 

 

Why was I upset? It was because of this meal. I glared at the neatly arranged table and muttered a single remark. 

 

“Did you also go fishing on your way here?”

 

“Ahem. Well, it’s getting cold. Let’s eat quickly.” 

 

It was obvious that he was trying to change the subject. 

 

There was fish on the table as well. The fish, stewed with spicy seasoning, looked delicious just by glancing at it. It was a freshwater fish, but there was no river nearby large enough to catch such a big fish. In this world, there were no refrigerators, so to keep it fresh, it had to be a fish caught recently. This doesn’t make any sense. Where on earth did he get this fish from?

 

Unable to withstand my suspicious gaze, the man shifted his weight and sat down on the bench, gesturing with his chin. 

 

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat quickly. This old man’s stomach is sticking to his back, really.” 

 

“Yeess.” 

 

I was hungry too, so I sat down for now. This man, Jang Gon, I’ve tried to figure him out for over ten years. Every time, Jang Gon managed to dodge the situation like this. It’s suspicious when he brushes things off like this. He might as well just lie about it. 

 

“I’ll eat well.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

With one bite, the well-cooked rice melted in my mouth. This guy, no matter how you look at it, seems like a bachelor, but he’s strangely good at cooking. He’s got a solid build and is tall, too. I wonder if he knows that the young women from the lower village have their eyes on him. 

 

“Are you going to the market today too?”

 

“Yeess.”

 

“Right. Don’t wander off, just come back straight away.”

 

“Of course. I have to sell the herbs I picked yesterday.” 

 

“Did you go into the mountains again? I told you it’s dangerous. You never listen, do you?” 

 

Jang Gon rarely showed any signs of discomfort. What kind of person says that when they go into the mountains every day like it’s a routine? He says it’s his home, so that means I should be able to go in too, right?

 

“I know the paths pretty well now. There’s no danger. I only wander around during the day.” 

 

“Do you think the tigers disappear during the day? Danger can strike in an instant. Don’t go in again. If you keep going in and out like this, I’ll lock the door. When are you going to stop doing reckless things?” ”

 

“That’s confinement, Uncle. And who are you to talk? You go hunting everyday yourself.”  

 

“I’m an adult, but you’re not! And it’s better than you getting seriously hurt or losing your life.”

 

Jang Gon’s nagging didn’t stop there. What if you end up cracking your head? Your precious body is in big trouble. If a wild beast shows up, don’t just run away—use flint to start a fire first!

 

“Ah, be quiet, be quiet! I can handle it myself. What do you think my head is, a watermelon? You think it’ll crack that easily? I’ve banged it a few times, and it didn’t break!”

 

“It would be better if it was a watermelon!”

 

“Then you should carry a watermelon, Uncle!”

 

The truth is, the reason I started sneaking into the mountains so often in the first place was because of Jang Gon. I was curious about where Jang Gon was going so busily, so I followed him and found a familiar path. As I continued to use those routes, I naturally memorized the mountain trails to some extent. 

 

There were more days I didn’t tell Jang Gon about my trips to the mountains than days I did. If I had been honest about them, he would’ve undoubtedly grabbed the back of my neck in frustration, so I’d kept it to myself as much as possible. But now, at the age of sixteen—the so-called turbulent teenage years—I figured it was time to come clean. I couldn’t keep sneaking around forever. If I was going to do it, I might as well do it openly and with confidence.

   

When it seemed as if I wasn’t listening to his nagging, he sighed deeply and said, 

 

“I have somewhere to go today as well.” 

 

“Where to? For how long? Alone? You’re not going to see some girl, are you?” 

 

“Why are you so curious? I’ll be back by dawn tomorrow. I’ve got some business in the village over the mountain. Make sure to lock up properly. And no, there’s no woman I’m clinging to, so stop dreaming. I’ll return as quickly as I can.” 

 

“Who would come all the way to this remote mountain? Besides, having a woman around wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” 

 

“Yeah, that’s true. But you never know, just in case.” 

 

Somehow, I didn’t like his response. But I gave up on finding out more. For the past ten years, I had persistently questioned and tried to find out more about this man, Jang Gon, but he had consistently kept his mouth shut. When you think about it, the past ten years between him and me had been nothing but a battle of endurance. 

 

I endlessly tried to uncover something, while he endlessly tried to hide something. 

 

‘Alright! I’ll tell you what I can!’

 

This is what I found out from Jang Gon, who was defeated by my persistence. 

 

I was a child picked up from the streets. He said he found me on a cold winter day, abandoned and on the verge of dying, so he took me in. He didn’t know my origins, and he didn’t know my name either. He also said the name Yeon Noksan was given to me by an elder he happened to meet.

 

I knew well that he raised me through all sorts of hardships. I also knew that he was someone I should be truly grateful to. But there were too many suspicious things, too many inconsistencies. 

 

The fact that he, who was so strong that even the villagers were amazed, freely roamed the mountains; his strange proficiency in both raising me and managing household chores; and the fact that he would be horrified if I ever accidentally called him “father.” It was all suspicious.

 

I was determined to uncover his true identity soon. I clenched my fist, making that vow. Of course, if it turned out that Jang Gon wasn’t actually as suspicious as I thought, I might feel a little guilty for doubting him. However, any fleeting sense of guilt I had toward him disappeared completely within a day. 

 

“…Save me… Kugh! Big… trouble…”

 

A bloody man crawled on the floor and grabbed my foot. His disheveled hair, the bloodshot whites of his eyes—it was a sight I had never witnessed in my life. 

 

A rancid scent of blood filled the air. The harsh sound of his breathing, mixed with sweat and blood, unleashed a nauseating odor that made bile rise in my throat and sent shivers running down my spine. 

 

“Ugh…”

 

It felt as if a similar scent had filled the air when I was hit by the car and died. The strong stench of blood, coupled with a ringing sound in my head, echoed like tinnitus. Just as I instinctively tried to pull my legs away in fear… 

 

“My King…” 

 

King? That king?

 

At those unexpected words, my hazy thoughts suddenly cleared, and the realization that I couldn’t let someone die hit me like a flash. I rushed toward the man, closing the distance between us. 

 

“Hey! Come to your senses! Hey!”