Chapter 1 …

Im Gang, a wandering martial artist living in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province—a city famous for pleasure and entertainment—had been a fairly successful Treasure Hunter (an Awakened class) in his previous life in South Korea.

Finding traps in dungeons, discovering treasures hidden in secret rooms, and making a comfortable living while enjoying all the benefits, he had been doing quite well.

Then he got caught in a sudden gate outbreak and died.

And of all things, it was only a B-rank Gate.

Why did someone who had been doing so well die?

Well…

Because Treasure Hunters were support-class specialists!

He had a few ranged attack skills, but compared to dedicated damage dealers like archers or mages, they were barely worth mentioning.

‘That damn troll bastard.’

There had been no way to deal with a troll’s regeneration.

Maybe things would have been different if he had prepared beforehand, but it was a sudden Gate outbreak. There was no chance to prepare.

As Im Gang lay dying, cursing the troll—

“Waaah!”

He was reborn.

And he was born with the memories of his previous life intact.

Was this the privilege of a reincarnator?

Would he now be able to use his memories from his previous life to make toothbrushes like in web novels, sell soap, and live an easy, luxurious life?

‘Yeah. Those already existed.’

Most things had already been claimed by someone else.

He found out later that this martial world had a historical setting similar to China’s Ming Dynasty.

At this point in history, unless you had a specialized profession, it was practically impossible to make easy money.

Still, he thought he could somehow live a decent life.

At least until he became an orphan at the age of ten.

‘One unlucky thing after another.’

He had died at thirty-six in his previous life.

Adding the years since becoming an orphan, he was already well over forty mentally.

The problem was that although his body had become a child again, his brain had also become somewhat childish.

Still, relying on his experience as a Hunter, he survived by begging for food, reading people’s moods, flattering those in power, and attaching himself wherever he could.

Before he knew it, he had become a wandering martial artist.

A third-rate wandering martial artist who used the third-rate martial art, Wind Fang Saber Technique.

A third-rate wanderer was basically cannon fodder.

A meat shield.

In other words, the perfect position for getting killed.

Even the bastard who taught him martial arts had been a third-rate wanderer himself, so he hadn’t known any internal energy cultivation techniques.

‘At least I had Copper Body Art.’

Copper Body Art was a second-rate external martial art.

According to his master, it made one’s body as hard as copper.

Whether that was true or not, after practicing it, his skin had indeed become tough enough that blades didn’t cut easily.

Thanks to it, he had survived several life-threatening situations.

‘Ah… I want internal energy so badly.’

Im Gang shivered slightly as he finished relieving himself.

Then, while eating a bowl of plain noodles that matched the sad state of his wallet—

Ding!

[You have Awakened as a Treasure Hunter.]

“Eh?”

Eighteen-year-old Im Gang awakened while eating noodles at a street stall.

Coincidence or not—

It was summer.

---

* * *

Name: Im Gang (Lv. 1)
Class: Third-Rate Wanderer / Treasure Hunter
Internal Energy: 0
Skills: Third-Rate Wind Fang Saber Technique, Second-Rate Copper Body Art… (More)
Skill Points: 0

Im Gang froze with a strand of noodles hanging from his chopsticks.

The simple system window looked very familiar.

Of course it did.

He had seen it countless times in his previous life as a Treasure Hunter.

‘The only difference from my previous life is that I have two classes…’

No.

Since internal energy had replaced mana, there were actually two differences.

‘But why am I awakening now?’

Slurp.

Tilting his head in confusion, he quickly devoured the noodles.

Normally, he would chew each strand carefully to maximize fullness, but he didn’t have time today.

Other wanderers waiting for seats were already urging him to hurry up.

A system window had suddenly appeared because of his awakening.

And he still had to visit the labor broker’s office—the place that found jobs for wandering martial artists.

His mind was a mess.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Thank you! Please come again!”

Leaving a coin behind, he stood up.

Immediately, another wanderer bumped his shoulder and pushed past him to take the seat.

Watch your back later.

Im Gang glared at the man’s empty-headed back and silently made a mental note before heading toward the broker’s office.

Since Hangzhou was famous for entertainment and pleasure, it was packed with wanderers.

He had to be careful while walking.

Bump shoulders with the wrong person, and you’d immediately end up in a fight, staking at least one arm.

That was simply the reality of a third-rate wanderer.

‘But where am I supposed to use this?’

Focusing on the (More) section of his skills, a list appeared.

Skills: Third-Rate Wind Fang Saber Technique (80%), Second-Rate Copper Body Art (40%), Map Lv.1, Trap Detection Lv.1, Treasure Search Lv.1, Appraisal Lv.1, Trap Disarm Lv.1, Lock Disarm Lv.1, Stealth Lv.1, Ranged Attack Enhancement Lv.1, Homing Projectile Lv.1

Aside from the two martial arts skills, everything else was a standard Treasure Hunter skill.

He had only just awakened, so his level was low.

That wasn’t a problem—he still had all his previous-life knowledge.

The real question was where he could use these skills.

And more importantly—

Why had he awakened in an entirely different world?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out.

‘Hmm. Since this is the martial world, maybe it’ll reveal hidden caves or spiritual herbs?’

That wouldn’t be bad.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Im Gang stepped off to the side and activated his Map skill while staring into empty space.

A circular map with a green background appeared before him.

Everything he had passed since awakening was already recorded on it.

Then he activated Treasure Search.

A single yellow dot began blinking softly on one part of the map.

‘Wait, why is there treasure?’

No.

In a city like Hangzhou, famous for wealth and pleasure, it would be stranger if there weren’t treasures.

What was strange was that only one appeared.

Perhaps the skill level was too low.

Or maybe things worked differently in this world.

Back in his previous life, low-level Treasure Search hadn’t revealed many treasures either.

‘What should I do? Go to the broker’s office, or look for the treasure?’

He hesitated briefly.

The reason he was heading to the broker’s office was to find work.

It was like a labor agency.

You had to arrive early and secure your spot.

Then the brokers would think,

“What a diligent wanderer!”

and recommend better jobs.

There wasn’t much work this summer due to heavier rainfall than usual, but he had been showing up consistently and building a good reputation.

‘Skipping one day should be fine, right? It’ll be fine. And if it’s not, I’ll just quit being a wanderer.’

This was his chance to change careers.

From third-rate wanderer—

To treasure hunter.

The moment he checked the lightness of his wallet, his resolve solidified.

Treasure was irresistible.

Following the map, he arrived at a general goods store located near the edge of the marketplace.

Having spent five years earning his living as a wanderer in Hangzhou, Im Gang knew this wasn’t an ordinary secondhand shop.

‘Rumor says it’s a black-market store run by the Hao Clan.’

The source of that rumor?

Other wanderers.

The Hao Clan might be looked down upon in the martial world, but to wanderers they were practically a prestigious sect or noble family.

Many wanderers had turned their lives around after joining the Hao Clan.

As a matter of fact, they were also Im Gang’s dream destination.

Creak.

He pushed open the door and entered.

A sleepy old man with age spots looked up and met his gaze.

After exchanging a brief nod, Im Gang began browsing like an innocent wanderer who knew absolutely nothing.

‘Treasure, where are you? I’ve arrived.’

Using the map to determine the treasure’s location, he turned a few times before spotting an old bamboo case emitting a faint yellow glow from among a pile of bamboo containers.

That’s it.

That was the treasure marked on the map.

‘What’s inside? A secret manual? A treasure map? Ah, whatever. I’ll buy it first.’

Pretending to inspect the bamboo cases, he casually picked up the treasure.

This was martial-world-style random gacha.

“Old sir, how much is this?”

“…Twenty coins.”

“That’s expensive. Could you lower the price a little? How about five coins?”

“Nineteen.”

“You look like a generous man. How about six?”

“Eighteen.”

“It’s old and moldy, so…”

After a lengthy negotiation, he managed to lower the price to twelve coins.

If this had been an openly advertised random gacha stall in the marketplace, bargaining wouldn’t have worked.

Those places displayed their odds and rewards.

And if they cheated customers, they could lose a hand.

Only a black-market shop could operate like this.

Still, compared to his previous life, gacha in this world was far cheaper.

His already-light wallet became even lighter.

His chest ached as though he had suffered internal injuries despite not even possessing internal energy.

But it was fine.

He had obtained a treasure for only twelve coins.

He was definitely the winner here.

‘Please be something expensive. Please be something expensive.’

As he returned to his home in the slums, he repeatedly checked whether anyone was following him.

The life of a third-rate wanderer was truly pitiful.

Boasting about finding treasure was the fastest way to end up as a corpse.

Just recently, some fool had drunkenly bragged about making a fortune.

The next day, they found his body.

Ah…

The ruthless martial world.

Bang!

He slammed the ancient door shut.

The thing looked ready to break if kicked.

He even secured the secondary lock.

“Huuk… Huuk…!”

His breathing had become rough from excitement.

Im Gang activated Appraisal.

Ding!

[An old, mold-covered bamboo case.]

…Huh?

His twelve coins?

Unable to believe it, he used Appraisal again.

Ding!

[An old, mold-covered bamboo case.]

Apparently he was dreaming.

After all, awakening at the ripe age of eighteen was strange enough.

Smack.

“Hmm. Doesn’t seem to be a dream if it hurts.”

After administering some high-quality shock therapy to himself, he examined the bamboo case again.

Maybe his skill level was too low to identify the contents.

Things like this had happened frequently when he first awakened in his previous life.

Combining his current and previous ages, he was nearly fifty years old.

A little memory deterioration was perfectly normal.

“Lock Disarm.”

Click.

The bamboo case split neatly in half.

A small dark-colored sphere rolled out.

Afraid it might gather dust, Im Gang quickly picked it up and activated Appraisal.

“Appraisal.”

[A divided Cuijiu Pill (翠救丸).]

“What?”

Cuijiu Pill.

One of the Beggars’ Sect’s signature spiritual medicines.

The Beggars’ Sect was one of the Nine Sects and One Gang.

He had heard they occasionally sold them whenever they ran into financial difficulties.

A divided Cuijiu Pill granted five years’ worth of internal energy.

If consumed while suffering minor internal injuries, it would heal the injuries and provide two years of internal energy.

For severe internal injuries, it would only heal the injuries.

“Wait… why are my skills so good?”

Eighteen years after reincarnating.

Spring had finally arrived in his life.

But then—

“…I don’t have an internal energy cultivation method.”

Spiritual medicines could only grant internal energy if the user possessed a cultivation technique.

Spring passed quickly.

Summer arrived.

Drip.

Ah…

The sky was clear.

So why was it raining?
(Those were tears.)