Live Well Without Me – Chapter 1

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: cyno

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Abandoned by the Namgung Clan

The Sword Star, Namgung Cheolbin—the man who beheaded the Blood Demon and single-handedly repelled the Heavenly Demon’s invasion of the Central Plains—is no more.

All that remains is Namgung Cheolbin, a man tarnished by disgrace, scorned as a degenerate by the righteous martial world and mocked as a hypocrite by the unorthodox sects.

“…Ha.”

I swear to the heavens—I have never practiced any martial art aside from the Namgung Clan’s ancestral techniques: The Emperor’s Sword Forms and Boundless Sky Swordplay.

And yet, the world calls me a secret disciple of the Heavenly Demon, accusing me of secretly mastering demonic arts in the shadows.

They claim that my seven-day duel with the Blood Demon and my battle to drive the Heavenly Demon back to Mount Tian were not acts of valor, but the result of a hidden bargain—a trade for forbidden power.

I swear upon this land—I have never violated a single woman.

In fact, I have never been intimate with anyone but my wife.

And yet, the world brands me a predator, a man who defiles women wherever he goes. Some even spread the vile rumor that I possess perverse, twisted desires.

My own niece claims that she lost her purity to me. Yet I have never laid a hand on anyone but my wife.

I swear upon my own soul—I have never once raised my hand against an innocent person, no matter how troubled or desperate I may have been.

And yet, they call me a drunken brute who beats his family the moment he takes a drink.

A young woman from the Hwangbo Clan, whom I have never even met, claims that I slapped her while she was serving me alcohol.

Incidentally, after making this claim, she received a generous sum of 2,000 silver taels from my younger brother.

Imagine that—bringing down the greatest hero of the righteous sects for a mere 2,000 silver taels. Truly, she is the real hero here.

“…Kuhuhu.”

Had I finally gone mad? A sinister laugh, so unlike me, slipped from my lips.

I turned to the mirror beside me.

A man with sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks stared back at me.

He was so emaciated that he looked like little more than skin and bone—so frail that just looking at him evoked pity.

The thought that this wretched figure was me made me wonder—what had all my efforts for the martial world amounted to?

Heh.

Another twisted chuckle escaped me, and the man in the mirror laughed along.

I was once the greatest swordmaster, the unparalleled divine blade.

I was revered by the younger generation and cherished by my seniors.

How had I fallen so far?

Even after enduring the cycle of regression for thousands of lifetimes, I had never suffered like this.

But now, I didn’t even feel sorrow anymore.

I just felt… disgusted.

I had spent my entire life avoiding crude language, yet lately, every time I indulged in it, I felt oddly satisfied.

Of course, I never said the words out loud—only repeated them in my mind.

“Well then… I suppose it’s time to get to work again.”

No matter how the world viewed me, I was still the head of the Namgung Clan.

That meant I had to attend the clan meeting.

I straightened my disheveled robes and pushed back my unkempt hair.

With a quick surge of internal energy, I cleared the mist clouding my eyes and cleared my throat a few times.

At the very least, I needed to present myself properly—so that the people of the Namgung Clan would feel even a fraction less uncomfortable around me.

They already saw me as filth. The least I could do was avoid looking like it.

With that thought in mind, I pushed open the doors to the meeting hall.

Creeeak—

Inside, dozens of elders, executives, my wife, my daughter, and that brother of mine were all looking at me.

Those cold, piercing gazes—by now, I had grown used to them.

And yet, no matter how much I endured, they still felt like daggers stabbing into my heart.

At first, I had dismissed it as nothing more than a misunderstanding, something that would clear up in time.

But when a wound is struck over and over again, when the blade that pierced it is replaced with another, the pain inevitably sets in.

“My apologies for keeping you all waiting.”

Despite their displeased expressions, I began with an apology before taking my seat as head of the clan.

To my right sat my wife. To my left, my daughter.

My wife refused to look at me.

I should be used to it by now, but the bitterness never faded.

Even after this meeting, we would return to separate rooms, never crossing paths.

This brief moment was the only time I could see her, the only chance I had to ask how she was doing.

But she no longer acknowledged even a simple greeting from me.

My daughter, on the other hand, was looking at me with teary eyes.

In her gaze, hatred simmered.

Yet there was affection too.

A love tainted by resentment…

When she was young, I had made her a promise—

That I would become the greatest hero in the world, someone she could be proud of.

To fulfill that promise, I faced the vile cultists and monstrous beings of the demonic sects.

I endured countless regressions, dying over and over again to protect her and the world she would live in.

I succeeded in becoming a father without shame, but I failed to become a father she could be proud of.

“I’m sorry.”

I muttered the words silently in my heart.

But now, it was time to start the Namgung Clan’s meeting.

“Let’s begin with the trade contract with the Cheol-yang Merchant Guild. To summarize, this guild has been favorable to our Namgung Clan for the past few years—”

“Wait, Lord Namgung. Before we start, there is something that must be addressed.”

“…And what would that be? Must it be discussed before the meeting begins?”

A man licked his lips nervously before interrupting me.

It was my brother—the very one who had ultimately succeeded in bringing about my downfall.

Interrupting the head of the clan?

Ten years ago, such disrespect would have been unthinkable.

But now, no one even reacted to it.

Not even me.

“Yes. It is a matter of utmost importance, and we can delay it no longer.”

“…Speak, then.”

Each word my brother spoke was a blade, cutting through me without mercy.

“After careful deliberation, the elders, executives, and family members have reached a unanimous decision. We hereby strip you of your position as head of the Namgung Clan.”

“…!”

“You lived in reckless debauchery, but why—why did you have to go so far as to align yourself with the wicked cultists of the demonic sects? Your actions are beyond what we can cover up.”

Cover up? You?

If anything, they had done nothing but fan the flames of those rumors.

“Haha… Ha.”

I forced myself to stand, only for my body to sway dangerously.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened, but I had never felt this unsteady before.

And yet, even as I nearly collapsed—

“……”

“……”

No one moved to help me.

My daughter clenched her fists, her lips pressed tightly together as she trembled.

My wife remained cold and impassive.

But beneath the table, her legs were shaking.

“…Hahaha… Ha, hahahaha!”

I couldn’t stop laughing.

For some reason, I felt oddly refreshed.

Like a man gone mad, I laughed and laughed.

“And furthermore, we have decided to expel you from the Namgung Clan entirely. This, too, has been unanimously agreed upon.”

“Hahahaha!”

“Your name will be erased from the family records. When you die, no one will offer you ancestral rites. Even in death, you will find no forgiveness.”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, how wonderful!”

“…What?”

“To be honest, I’ve been dying to leave this wretched place!”

No matter how many times I denied it, no one would believe me.

I didn’t practice demonic arts.

I didn’t violate any women.

I had no such twisted desires.

But what did it matter? No one would listen.

Even my wife and daughter—once the only ones who believed in me—had now joined in this unanimous decision.

In truth, the last time they truly believed me was three years ago.

I kept reliving that moment in my dreams, so vividly that I almost forgot how much time had passed.

“Ah, what should I do? I’m so happy I could cry! No, actually—everything is just so fucking disgusting.”

I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore.

Cursing aloud… It felt better than I had imagined.

“Dad…”

“…Dear.”

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, both my wife and daughter looked at me with concern.

It was the gaze I had longed for all this time—yet now, it meant nothing to me.

I just wanted to get the hell out of this wretched place.

“Leave at once. We have a meeting to conduct, and we don’t need you interfering.”

“Haha. Fine, I understand. This oblivious, worthless brother of yours will take his leave.”

“You are no longer my brother. Don’t call me that.”

“…Is that so? I had no idea. Thank you for letting me know!”

Even now, the elders murmured amongst themselves, calling me nothing more than a crude, foul-mouthed disgrace.

Was this what I had suffered through countless regressions for?

Had I endured disgrace and false accusations—been subjected to scorn and hatred—only to live out my days as a broken, disheveled madman?

No.

There was nothing left for me here.

“Well then! I’ll be on my way! The great Sword Star Cheolbin—stripped of his name, erased from the family records—will finally disappear from your sight! So, by all means, enjoy your lives!”

With those words, I turned on my heel.

BANG!

I summoned my internal energy, throwing the massive doors open with such force that they nearly shattered.

Then, without another glance, I strode out.

The servants and household members flinched as I passed, their eyes filled with fear.

Why were they afraid?

If not for me, most of them would have died long ago.

I had dedicated over ten thousand years to ensuring their survival, yet now, they looked upon me as if I were some kind of monster.

The reason became clear soon enough.

“D-Don’t look at him…! If you do, you might become a sacrifice for his demonic arts…!”

“You’re the one who should be careful! If you’re not, you’ll get dragged away and turned into one of his playthings…!”

Ugh…

Their words made my stomach churn with disgust.

Turning away from the tide of hatred washing over me, I happened to glance back toward the still-open doors.

My wife stood there, staring directly at me.

Then, in a voice colder than ice, she spoke.

“I have never seen a monster like you before.”

“…Fuck.”

“Get out. Just the thought of having married you—of having lived as a member of the Namgung Clan—makes me sick with regret.”

“FUCK!!”

I ran.

I ran until I could no longer hear their voices whispering behind my back.

I ran until I could no longer feel the weight of their scornful stares.

“Aaaaaargh!!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Tell me!! Why?! Why are you doing this to me?!”

I raged at the silent sky, shaking my fists, demanding an answer.

The same sky that had once granted me the power of regression remained indifferent, offering no response.

Instead, it sent me something else.

KRRRAAA-KOOM!

Lightning struck.

From this moment on, that lightning is my only parent.

Because I have just been reborn.

From now on, my name is Byeorak.

I need no surname.

Even if someone offered me one, I wouldn’t take it.

“My name… is Byeorak…”

A rough, broken voice escaped my throat.

The pain was excruciating, as if my vocal cords were being strangled from the inside.

But it was fine—I could endure it.

Hadn’t I endured thousands of regressions for the sake of others? For the world? For my family?

Hadn’t I beheaded the Blood Demon? Hadn’t I driven back the Heavenly Demon?

Now, I was finally going to live for myself.

Compared to everything else, this pain was nothing.

Drip, drip, drip—

Tears streamed down my face, unchecked.

And so, I—once the greatest hero of this world, the Sword Star who had once ruled the martial world—

Became nothing more than a nameless beggar, slumped beneath a crumbling bridge.

“Heh…”

A question latched onto me like shackles.

How did it come to this?

Should I have done something when I first realized my brother was jealous of me?

But at that time, I was locked in a deathmatch with the Blood Cult’s vice leader.

Should I have spent more time with my family?

But I was never granted the luxury of such time.

I have never once failed to give my all.

I have never rested, never indulged in leisure.

“Maybe… this was just my fate all along…”

The strength drained from my legs, and my body refused to move.

The rain poured harder, the rising waters creeping higher.

The river swelled like an army of cultists, surging forward to swallow everything in its path.

“……”

Sssshaaaaa—!

Before I knew it, the water had reached my waist.

I wanted to stand, but my body wouldn’t listen.

If I stayed like this, I would surely drown.

And honestly, starting a new life seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

Perhaps it would be easier to just let the river take me.

A ripple broke the surface of the water near my chest.

Just a little more.

Just a little higher.

Please—just let it end.

The Central Plains was at peace now.

Because I had made it so.

The world no longer needed someone like me.

Splash, splash…

Water surged into my mouth, flooding my lungs.

I did not resist.

I simply opened my mouth and let it in.

So… this is it.

Because of my pact with the Heavenly Demon, I could no longer regress.

But it didn’t matter.

I was too exhausted to care anymore.

If my death would bring an end to all of this—

GRAB!

…Huh?

Something latched onto the back of my neck.

“What the hell are you doing?! Why are you like this?!”

A desperate voice rang in my ears.

Something pulled me back, dragging my body out of the water.

I was powerless to resist.

“Dad! Why?! Why are you doing this?! Why?!”

…Dad?

That was a word I should not have been able to hear. Not after three long years. I turned my head reflexively.

“S-Sua…?”

“Hah… W-What happened to your voice?! Why did you cut off all your hair?!”

Tears streamed down my daughter’s face as she clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably.

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