1 Chapter One: The Murim Warrior

It was an arduous journey for Tannen. He fought and defeated countless opponents in this realm of Murim, experienced what was like to taste death and still climbed to the peak of the mountain.

He had achieved everything that he wanted: the Ultimate Warrior - battling with nothing but his fists and fulfilled his unsatiable vengeance upon his enemies. He had poured every ounce of blood, sweat and tears to become who he was today.

Tannen glanced down at his rough, calloused hands with downcast eyes. Was is really worth it? All that effort, all that fighting - for what? He finally achieved his goals, but he had no one to share it with.

He was alone.

He rested his hands over the edge of the roof and gazed down towards the streets of Gangnam; the cars were like bright, little ants whizzing by, and the city lights shone brilliantly through the night skies in rainbow hues.

Yet, Tannen can't seem to enjoy this spectacular view from the top of the skyscraper. How could he be happy when the only thing that kept him going was gone? His indomitable spirit that raged like wildfire now dwindled into a heap of ash.

Perhaps, it was truly over.

The realm of Murim was gone along with everyone in it - lost forever in a chapter of history without anyone noticing a thing in bliss ignorance. He was the one who burned it all down.

Maybe it was better that way.

After all, the realm of Murim was a brutal one, a cruel place to be in, filled with gangsters and those with superhuman abilities. It operated in secret, deep below the city of Seoul and away from the prying eyes of the people.

Tannen was once apart of that life, no, he was forced into it. He was a child of a prostitute, drowning in crippling debt and when she could no longer afford to take care of him, she sold him to the very people who she owed herself to.

From that point on, he was thrown into arenas, forced to fight in order to survive. As cruel as it was, he had grown to love fighting, the bloodrush, the uncertainty of the outcome and even the pain that came with each battle.

It was as if he was born for it.

Through constant bloody battles, he had caught the eyes of a master, Kim Beom-Seok, who had taken him in as a disciple. His master had trained him in the way of martial arts, taught him the art of Ki Manipulation, and forged his body anew that was tougher than a rock and sharper than a sword.

Even with all of the beatings because of his failures, Tannen cherished his master, loved him like a father who he never had. His master was the one who had taught him many things in life which he will never forget.

However, Kim Beom-Seok had many enemies in the realm of Murim. All of them were powerful in their own right, controlling the realm of Murim. What he had was what they wanted.

The Breath of Heaven.

The strongest cultivation technique in all of Murim, created by none other than his master. Tannen knew that it wasn't finished - his master had once told him that. Yet, it was stood above all others, a testament to his master's ability.

Eventually, they all came together to kill him - his master was no match for them and died by their hands. Tannen was forced to hide and watch as those bastards ripped through his master's flesh.

In his dying breath, his master simply told him to live on and become his own person. But, how could Tannen live on when those cruel bastards were still alive? He vowed to become the strongest and seek revenge.

For his master.

And for his master, he was going to burn the whole realm of Murim down. He didn't hesitate to kill those who stood in his way.

"I did it, they're all dead, master," Tannen muttered to himself. He killed them all, he destroyed their organizations and brought the Murim world to its knees. He got his revenge and finished his master's Breath of Heaven technique.

"But, why do I feel so empty?"

He should be happy, right? No. He had nothing left. They were all gone - everything that he knew of vanished when he destroyed it all for the sake of revenge.

Tannen clenched his fists that had killed countless men before he slowly loosened them. Would master wanted him to carry out this revenge? He didn't know anymore.

There were many things that he regretted doing. On his quest for revenge, he had killed many innocents, those who were good but were from the otherside of the coin.

It was simply blind rage.

However, what's done is done. He couldn't wash away the sins that he committed.

Tannen stood back up and took one final look at the city. A final goodbye to the world of Murim. And so, he finally left quietly in the night, to be forgotten by the rest of the world as someone insignificant.

Soon, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months turned into years.

He was nowhere to been seen again.

• • • • •

[One decade later]

"You fucking bitch! Stop spammin' the same god damn move already!" Tannen roared in rage.

He was currently playing Street Fighter V as Chun Li in an online match.

Tannen rapidly mashed the buttons on his controller, trying to do something against his opponent. Yet, this fucking Ryu bastard kept spamming the same goddamn move over and over. It was pissing him off.

Tannen was a complete different person now. He had gotten fatter, grew out an unkempt beard and was just someone who needed a damn shower. The martial artist that he was before was nothing but a distant past.

It had been ten years since he destroyed the Murim world. Ten years, and he hadn't done jackshit since. Tannen was thirty years old by now.

No life, no wife.

But, hey! He was a gamer. That counted for something.

Coping.

"Someone talkin' shit about me?" He lazily cleaned out some earwax with his pinky finger. "Ah- shit! Why the fuck do you keep doing that, jackass!" He suddenly screamed at his TV.

Nowadays, Tannen spent his life gaming away. He lived in a cramped apartment that reeked of filth and old ramen - a true NEET in a more modern sense.

"You Lose!"

"AAHHH!" Tannen threw his controller on the ground, smashing the poor thing into useless pieces of broken hardware. "I'll find out where you live and beat the living shit out of you, bitch!"

Gamer sweat dripped down from his forehead as Tannen stood up furiously, his eyes turned bloodshot. He was ready to bash someone's skull in.

Then he finally realized...

"Ah... that was my only controller," he looked down at the floor. Yep, it was broken, alright. "Damn, I gotta buy another one now."

He let out a sigh of frustration. He didn't want to be exposed to the outside world. But, he needed that damn rematch, and he was going to get it.

Tannen donned on his XXL hoodie, grabbed his wallet and waddled out of his apartment room. He made sure to hide himself away from the sun. He didn't want it to hinder his gamer vision.

Now that he realized it, he hadn't gone outside in a long time. It had probably been months since he last saw sunshine. Most of the food he'd ate came through delivery.

And so, he waddled through the streets of Soeul to find his local game store. On his way there, he smelled something that made his stomach rumbled in hunger.

"That's spicy fried chicken," Tannen uttered out as drool trailed down his mouth. Like instinct, he followed the smell to its source. The smell had brought him to a shady area, and it made Tannen a bit cautious. But, this was spicy fried chicken we're talking about.

It led him to a small shop hidden in an alleyway, away from all the heavy traffic and pedestrians. It was quiet, dirty and a bit creepy from the looks of it. Seriously, which person decided it was a good idea to open up a restaurant in this sort of spooky place?

Whatever, his nose had never led him astray, so it must be a good restaurant. He had quite a lot of money to burn after he 'righteously' confiscated it from those Murim guys ten years ago.

"Hello?" The little bells chimed as Tannen stepped through the door.

The restaurant was a lot emptier than he expected it to be. It was small and quaint, strangely soothing, too. There was even some funky jazz music going on in the background.

There were a few wooden tables here and there, but the counter just up ahead took up most of the space. Behind it was the kitchen.

"Welcome," greeted an elderly man, popping his head out from the kitchen. He gave Tannen an old, toothy smile.

Tannen made his way towards the counter and sat on a high bar stool, looking around the shop. It looked much nicer inside than outside. For first impressions, it was actually pretty good. How come he had never heard of this place before?

He was a major foodie, so he knew all of the restaurants in his neighborhood. Maybe this place was new.

"You the owner of this place?' Tannen asked.

"That I am," he answered, resting his hands on the counter. "What can I get'cha?"

"Uh, I kinda smelled some spicy fried chicken while I was walkin' by, so can I grab some of that, old man?"

"Sure, not a problem," the old man nodded, walking back into the kitchen. Ten minutes later, the old man came out again with a plate full of chicken wings. "Eat up, big guy."

The delicious smell alone made Tannen salivate like crazy. It was like staring at pure gold. He'd probably gain another chin after this, but he didn't care. Food like this was meant to be gorged down to his heart's content.

He grabbed a piece of wing from his plate and ate it. A sudden burst of spicy flavors and tender juiciness overwhelmed his tastebuds. All the heavenly flavors that he was experiencing made him feel like he was on cloud nine.

This was the best fried chicken he had ever eaten.

"This is really good!" Tannen complimented, mowing through several chicken wings in an instant. "How did you make this?"

"Sorry, can't tell ya. Top secret," the old man smiled.

"With chicken as good as this, your restaurant should be more popular. What gives?" Tannen asked.

"I guess you're the only one who likes my chicken," he crossed his arms.

"Everyone else must enjoy eating shit if that's the case."

The old man let out a soft chuckle, seemingly amused by him, "Young man, I have a question for you if you don't mind me asking."

"What is it?"

"Are you enjoying your life as it is?" His smile disappeared.

Tannen raised an eyebrow. That was a bit of an odd question. It had came out of the blue.

"Why're you asking me that?"

"Tell me. Are you?" He asked firmly this time.

"Yeah, I guess so," Tannen awkwardly rubbed his neck.

"You're lying."

Tannen furrowed his brows, "What would you know about that?"

"It's simple. I could see right through you. Tannen," the old man called out his name.

Then, there was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, an enormous pressure had spread across the restaurant in an instant. Any normal person would have dropped to the floor by now.

This immense pressure came from Tannen, himself. A blood-colored aura radiated off from his body as he stopped eating.

Although, he wasn't as powerful as he once was, Tannen was still a martial artist from the realm of Murim - a devastating force to be reckoned with. He could end someone's life with a flick of his finger.

"How do you know my name?" He demanded an answer, glaring at the old man in front of him.

After destroying the realm of Murim, Tannen made sure to destroy any evidence of what he had done. This even meant getting rid of his old identity. He thought he had gotten rid of everything.

Apparently not.

"I've been watching you for a long time, Tannen," the old man was unfazed by his extreme pressure. "Or should I call you Kim Byung-ho? That's what it says on your ID, right?"

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," Tannen was giving off an intense wave of bloodlust. If he wanted to, he could burst his head wide open with his bare hands. He had done it before.

"You're not the man that you used to be, Tannen; you lost that part of you years ago. You're living your life in limbo, stuck inside that little shell of yours. Well, a big shell now since you've gotten fatter."

"You don't even know me," the overwhelming pressure that Tannen exuded slowly cracked the countertop, his fists clenched in anger.

"Am I not wrong?" The old man asked. "After the death of your master, and the destruction of the realm of Murim, you have nothing left. You have nowhere to go, like a puppet with its strings cut loose. You are nothing."

Tannen, blinded by pure rage, threw a punch at the old man with the intent of getting rid of him. The force of the blast shattered plates and broke tables and chairs. His eyes widened with shock as the old man blocked it with only a finger.

"You're quite the hot-tempered bastard," the old man pushed Tannen away, barely using any effort at all.

Tannen groaned as he crashed through the ground. Luckily, his large slabs of fat cushioned his fall somewhat.

"Who the hell are you?" Tannen stood back up.

He had never seen anyone with this type of overwhelming power before, not since his master was alive. He didn't even detect a hint of Ki from this old man either. Why would someone this strong be hiding after all these years?

"I'm just a simple old man, let's put it that way," he answered.

"Horseshit," Tannen spat out. "What do you want from me?"

"An offer."

"I don't need it," Tannen immediately refused. He didn't trust him one bit. "I'm leaving."

When Tannen tried to move, his body was stuck in place. The old man had trapped him with the use of his Ki. Tannen tried to break free with force, but it was no use at all.

"What's the rush, youngin'?" The old man asked. "You haven't even heard what I'm about to say next. I swear, young people these days have no patience at all."

"Fine," Tannen finally gave in. "Make it quick."

The old man smiled, removing his Ki that trapped him. Tannen walked back to the counter and sat down again.

"You truly haven't given up the way of a martial artist, I know that. Deep within your soul, you still yearn to use those fists again, to fight someone that is stronger than you.

After you destroyed the realm of Murim, you finally realized that you have nothing to live for, nothing that would drive you to push onwards. And you asked yourself: was is it truly worth it?"

"What are you trying to get at?" Tannen furrowed his brows. He couldn't deny those claims even if he wanted to.

"What if there's a way to fix all of it? Help you achieve what you're looking for?"

"How?"

The old man pulled out a black box and slid it on top of the counter. When he opened it, he took out an ancient necklace and revealed it to Tannen, "This jade necklace grants a single desire for the beholder, one that is most sincere from their heart. However, it requires a sacrifice."

"You mean, I have to kill someone in order for it to grant my wish?"

"Who knows," he answered. "It could be anything. That is up for you to decide."

The necklace seemed ordinary on the surface, but Tannen could tell that it held a strange and mysterious power inside. Would this necklace really grant him a single wish that he truly desired? That sounded impossible.

He couldn't tell whether the old man was lying or not. For all he knew, it could be a slave collar. He had seen many different types of them before.

"What's the catch in all of this?" Tannen asked warily. It sounded way too good to be true. Something as big as this would always come with strings attached.

"I'm an old man that just want to help you get back on your feet," he answered. "You've been suffering alone for far too long."

"I don't believe you for a second. If that's all you have to show me, then I'm leaving," Tannen stood up and turned around for the door.

"I wonder what Kim Beom-Seok would feel if he saw his own disciple like this," the old man's words made Tannen stop in his tracks.

Tannen angrily rushed back to the counter, pointing a finger at him, "Don't you ever bring him up, got that!"

"He told you to live on and become a man who would forge his own path," the old man continued. "But, look at you now. You're nothing but a walking corpse, wasting your life away as you wallow in your own self-pity and pain. He would be ashamed for having such a worthless disciple like you."

"Fuck is your damn problem, old man!" Tannen shouted, grabbing his collar.

He wanted to beat the living shit out of him, but this guy was way out of his league. At this moment, he wished he had his old strength back. He would be able to beat him to a pulp.

"Oh? It seems like the jade necklace is reacting a bit," the old man grew slightly surprised to see a faint glow coming out of it. "Like I said before, let me help you, Tannen. Take the necklace. You can still change your fate."

"Fine!" Tannen shouted. "I'll take the stupid necklace if it makes you get off my damn back."

He snatched the jade necklace from the old man's hands and stormed out of the restaurant. Meanwhile, the old man watched the young man's back with downcast eyes as he left.

"This is the only thing I could do for you, old friend," his wrinkled eyes looked up to the Heavens above.