âRun!
âRumble!
âAaaaaah!
The streets of Hanam, once beautiful.
As the most developed area in Zhongyuan, it had always been bustling, day and night.
But now, Hanam was in ruins.
Buildings collapsed, and the streets were reduced to rubble under a sudden attack.
Market stalls that had lined the roads were long destroyed.
Shops and inns at the heart of Hanam crumbled under the onslaught.
âDestroy them!
âPush forward! Donât hesitate!
Men dressed in black rampaged, sparing neither buildings nor people.
Where had these attackers come from?
Why was the sky so ominous?
And why were they trapped in this nightmare?
People wondered, but there was no time for answers.
Disasters never came with explanations.
âD-Dadâ¦.â
âShhâ!â
A young girl sobbed in her fatherâs arms.
Fearing they would be heard, he held her even tighter.
They hid behind a collapsed wall, barely breathing.
ââ¦H-Hicâ¦hicâ¦.â
His daughterâs terrified breaths were shallow and rapid.
Covered in sweat, the man turned to look back.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The men in black combed the area.
Were they searching for survivors?
âPleaseâ¦.â
Clenching his eyes shut, the father prayed.
They might find them any second.
He had to surviveâno, his daughter had to survive.
As the thought crossed his mindâ
âCrunch.
ââ¦!â
Footsteps approached from behind the wall.
âDear godsâ¦.â
His body trembled.
They would be discovered soon.
Should he grab his daughter and run?
Would they even make it?
The attackers were martial artists.
Theyâd catch him in an instant.
Maybe begging for mercy was better.
Pleading for his daughterâs life might work.
Desperation clouded his thoughts asâ
âStep.
The footsteps drew closer.
â...â
With trembling hands, there was only one thing he could do.
He prayed.
He had promised his daughter when this began.
Donât worryâthe Murim Alliance protects this land.
Nothing will happen to us.
Thatâs what he had said.
âBut whenâ¦?â
When were they coming?
âHelp us!
Cries of despair echoed from every direction.
What was the Alliance doing?
The fatherâs fear turned to despair as the footsteps drew closerâ
âWeâve found them! Over here!
Hope shone from afar.
Figures in light blue robes appeared, surrounding the area.
Those robes bore the emblem of the Murim Allianceâthe protectors of Hanam.