"I've been to the Azure Capital a thousand times in the game..."
"...but this? This is completely different."
Kim Shin—or whatever his new name was supposed to be—lay in the arms of the maid, staring out at the lively chaos around him. It was nothing like the quiet loading screens and NPC chatter of the MMORPG he used to play.
In the game, the capital had been impressive.
But in reality?
It was alive. Crowds bustled through the streets, shopkeepers shouted over one another, hawking everything from roasted beast meat to spiritual talismans. Cultivators in elegant robes floated above rooftops or strode past with swords slung across their backs like it was the most casual thing in the world. Even beggars looked like they could start a brawl if someone stepped on their patch of stone.
"Yep. Definitely not in Seoul anymore."
Even as a baby, his mind was whirring at full throttle.
"I'm still a toddler in this world... but I have information no one else does. The game knowledge, the plots, the faction politics. All I need to do is survive until I'm five—then my cheat activates."
"If I make it that far, I can start changing the script."
But he couldn't help frowning mentally. The Azure Empire was weak. Pathetically weak. In-game lore had always hinted at its decline, but seeing it firsthand? It was like watching a wounded animal trying to pretend it wasn't bleeding.
"That's why all these martial sects and rogue cultivators are running wild... no fear of law, no order. It's a playground for the strong."
Kim Shin—currently nameless—was deep in thought when his new parents began speaking again.
"Honey, your father is still the right hand of the Imperial Guard's Chief, right?" the man—his father—asked.
"Yes… but I married you against his wishes. He probably hates me," she replied softly, her voice bitter with old guilt. "And I don't want our baby to inherit that hate."
"Still," his father insisted, "he's our best shot at survival. If I have to beg him, I will. You're his daughter, and this child is his grandson. He won't turn us away."
Kim Shin blinked up at them. So… Grandpa's a bigshot, huh? Imperial Guard's second-in-command? Interesting.
They were walking through the central market now. It was a river of noise and motion—food stalls, weaponsmiths, wandering alchemists, monks giving fake blessings, and the occasional merchant getting scammed by fortune-tellers. It smelled like roasted meat and sweaty travelers.
Ah Ruo, the young maid who'd been carrying Kim Shin since birth (literally), returned from scouting.
"Master, Mistress… I searched around, but almost all the inns are full. There's only one place left… but, well, it's… run-down."
"Honestly, I was wondering where you disappeared to," Kim Shin thought. Turns out she's more useful than she looks.
His mother, clearly exhausted, handed him off to Ah Ruo again. She was still pale and weak from the delivery just a few hours ago.
"It doesn't matter if it's run-down," his father said firmly. "Han Soeun needs rest and food. We're not in a position to be picky."
So the group made their way down a crooked alley at the far end of the market, past broken lanterns and drunk cultivators singing off-key ballads. The inn in question... was tragic.
The wood was rotted, the signboard hung at an awkward angle, and the roof tiles looked like they were ready to fall off and end someone's cultivation journey prematurely.
"This thing looks like a stiff wind could kill it," Kim Shin muttered inside his head. "Great start to my isekai journey."
But beggars couldn't be choosers.
His father paid for two rooms, and they went inside. The walls creaked. The floor creaked. Even the air creaked, somehow.
As they finally sat down to rest, Kim Shin's mother let out a tired sigh.
"Honey… we forgot something important. We never named our baby."
"Oh! You're right." His father slapped his forehead. "What do you think about letting your father name him? It might make him less angry with us."
"That… actually might work," she said, hesitating. "My father always did love giving names with big meanings. Maybe it'll help smooth things over."
"Exactly. And maybe it'll melt his icy pride just a little," his father added, hopeful. "In the evening, we'll go see him."
Then he turned to Ah Ruo.
"Until then, take care of the child. Treat him as your younger brother."
Ah Ruo bowed.
"Yes, Master. From this day, I'll serve Young Master as if he were my own kin."
Kim Shin was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"So I'm still nameless. My mother's name is Han Soeun. My father's name is... still unknown, somehow. Great. Hopefully my grandfather won't name me something stupid like 'Pig Slayer' or 'Heavenly Peach Blossom' just out of spite."
And just as he was finally beginning to relax...
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed from somewhere in the capital. Screams followed. Dust clouds rose in the distance. The walls trembled slightly.
"What the hell was that?!" someone shouted outside.
"Is the city under attack?!"
Kim Shin's tiny face scrunched up.
"I swear… if I got reborn in the middle of a civil war arc, I'm going to sue fate."
End of Chapter 4