Episode 004
I Became the Baby Sacrifice of the Heavenly Demon
The beggar boy looked miserable.
It was as if he had just crawled out of a pit of fire—his entire body was covered in soot, and layers of dirt clung to him like he had been rolling around outside for days.
In that pitiful state, the boy had his head buried in the river, gulping down water.
I thought about waiting for him to finish… but then stopped.
‘No. I’m not in a position to worry about others.’
I plopped the carp down beside him with a splash. Then I scooped up water with my hands and started washing the dirt off the fish.
The beggar boy slowly lifted his head and looked at me.
His face was so blackened that it was hard to tell what he originally looked like—but his dark pupils and bright white sclera gleamed.
Then suddenly—rumble!
“Eek!”
Startled, I turned toward the sound.
The source of the thunder… was the boy’s stomach.
That’s right—the beggar boy was staring at the plump carp I had set down, swallowing hard as his stomach growled loudly.
I immediately clenched my fist and shouted.
“Go away!”
A conflicted look crossed his face.
His plump lips trembled before he finally spoke.
“That carp… would you give it to me?”
What was with that sweet voice, trying to coax charity out of me?
I quickly picked up a pebble and guarded the carp.
“Hey, if you were me, would you give it?!”
The boy stretched out a hand desperately.
“I… I’m being chased. That is the first food I’ve seen in four days. If you give it to me, I swear on my name—I will repay this kindness someday.”
I was about to yell again—
‘Yeah right, like I’d give it to you!’
But then I saw his hand.
It was covered in dried blood.
Looking closer, I realized it wasn’t just his hand—his sleeves were soaked in blood, and his whole body was injured. Blood seeped from every exposed patch of skin.
The first thought that came to mind was—
‘That must hurt a lot.’
He hadn’t eaten for four days.
Even missing one meal made my stomach feel like it was tearing apart—so how hungry must he be?
I bit my lip and shook my head.
‘No. If I give him the carp, I’ll get in trouble. I’ll get beaten badly!’
But still…
It would hurt less than what he was going through now.
I looked up at the sky once, then lowered my head and let out a deep sigh.
I hate being in pain—but I hate seeing others in pain just as much.
Besides… I’m pretty good at enduring pain anyway.
‘Today is really my unlucky day.’
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Okay.”
The boy’s eyes widened.
“R-Really?”
“Take it. But go far away to eat it. If Aunt Yuk catches you, you might die.”
I stepped back, leaving the carp behind.
The boy cautiously approached, then quickly snatched the carp and hugged it tightly to his chest. With a determined expression, he said:
“I—I always keep my promises. I swear on my name, I will repay this kindness someday. My… my name is—!”
But I didn’t have time to listen to his introduction.
“Ba-duki—!”
Aunt Yuk’s voice thundered from afar as she came running.
“You left all those precious mushrooms behind! The pigs ate them all! What are you going to do about this?!”
“Eek!”
I quickly shoved the boy.
“G-Go! Hurry!”
The boy glanced between me and Aunt Yuk, then darted away.
I told him to hurry, and he really vanished like the wind.
And in his place—
Thud, thud, thud—
Aunt Yuk rushed over and slapped me hard across the cheek.
“THE MUSHROOMS! What are you going to do about them?!”
I screamed and fell flat onto the ground.
“Waaah!”
But then she noticed the empty basket.
She gasped sharply.
“The carp! Where did the carp go?!”
I shook my head quickly.
“I-I don’t know…”
“You don’t know?! If you don’t know where the carp you brought went, then who does?!”
“I-It ran away…”
“Ran away? How does a dead fish run away?! Do you want to be rolled in a straw mat and beaten?!”
“It r-ran away!”
“You ungrateful brat! Repaying kindness with betrayal?! Today, you’re finished!”
Aunt Yuk grabbed me by the collar and lifted me into the air.
My loose clothes fell back, and a chill ran down my spine.
“Hic… hic…”
I’m really going to get it today.
Holding back my tears, I glanced behind me.
Hidden among the tall reeds, the beggar boy peeked out—only his eyes visible as he watched me.
His eyes shimmered even more than before, as if tears had gathered.
But seeing that he was still clutching the carp tightly… made me feel relieved.
* * *
Aunt Yuk had clearly planned to punish me severely—but that plan never came to pass.
“Villagers! Come out, this thief—”
Her voice gradually faded as she carried me toward the village.
For some reason, the entire village was lit up.
But despite the bright flames, the surroundings were eerily silent.
Sensing something strange, Aunt Yuk cautiously headed toward the Yu residence.
The front yard was filled with torches.
At the center sat a man so terrifying it was hard to believe a human could look that vicious.
His hair was blood-red, as if drenched in blood.
His long, slitted eyes gleamed like a starving beast, and his voice sounded like a growling animal.
“You’re saying you know nothing?”
In front of him, the entire Yu household had been dragged out.
The plump Master Jang, the thin Mistress, and little Yoo-won trembling in her arms.
Master Jang clasped his hands together, begging desperately.
“I-I swear! I know everything that happens in this village, but a suspicious child? No such person has ever appeared here, sir!”
At that, the red-haired man suddenly exploded in anger.
“Sir? Do I look like some honorable hero to you? Are you blind?!”
Master Jang immediately flattened himself to the ground.
“N-No! Not at all, sir!”
The red-haired man clicked his tongue.
“A pampered brat like him should’ve sought help in a village by now… Did I chase the wrong direction? Or was it a phantom from the start? Where did that rat slip off to?”
A black-clad warrior beside him asked,
“Leader, what should we do? Continue the pursuit?”
The red-haired man ground his teeth and stood up.
“Forget it! The heavens of our sect are in chaos right now—who cares about some rat? We can crush it later. We’re returning!”
At his command, the surrounding warriors shouted in unison:
“위요신교 절대복명!”
(For the Divine Cult—absolute obedience to orders!)
The moment those words echoed—
Aunt Yuk’s grip loosened, and I fell to the ground.
But my shock was far greater than hers.
Absolute obedience to the Divine Cult…
I slammed my forehead to the ground, eyes wide.
‘This… isn’t this from …?!’
How could I forget?
It was a line repeated countless times in my favorite martial arts novel!
Frozen in shock, I heard the red-haired man speak again.
“Clean it up.”
“Yes, sir!”
Then came sounds I had never heard before in my life—
Footsteps rushing, blades slicing through the air.
“P-Please spare us!”
“Aaaah!”
“Uwaaaah!”
Desperate pleas. Screams of agony.
Trembling, I covered my ears and curled into myself on the ground.
And then—
“Well, well.”
A hand grabbed my collar and pulled me up.
I felt it brush against my lower back… where a mark was.
“This mark… could it be… Heavenly Saint Star?”
