Chapter 01

Several times the man who was still wearing his favorite shirt again sighed. His face looked normal, and his appearance could be guessed by those who passed there that he was nothing more than a manual laborer who would face the hot sun every day.

All that was their judgment when they saw this tall man's outer appearance, plus the expression on his face that had seemed uneasy from earlier.

''Just follow the flow of life, young man,'' said a middle-aged man who recently had often met him around this park.

''Old man, how are you this morning?'' asked Atlas with a faint smile.

The man who, without being asked to sit down, had filled the space next to Atlas, who was still showing a simple smile. A long bench in the northern part of the city park that Atlas used to frequent. This place is one of the few locations he often stops by to calm his head as if the seasonal wind that passes through this open space can carry away all the complicated thoughts that sometimes have been settling in his head all day.

Seventeen years away from the city, he had never imagined he would be back on this different bench.

''As you can see. Since your help yesterday, it feels much younger than I am."

The man chuckled slightly in between his answers. Atlas was happy to hear that the older man he had found passed out a few days ago had recovered. Now he returned to his daydream about a message from the Master asking him to return home to the city of Daoda. The town he had left and almost managed to forget seventeen years ago.

***

Atlas has long since left the city and lives in a remote area near the mountains. All this he did to deepen the martial arts and medicine he learned from Master Blake. Seventeen years of living there occasionally helped the work of nearby villagers and only a few of the villagers knew him.

''Hwang Atlas!'' called a man who was slightly older than him.

He quickly turned his head, even if the man just called his name in a normal tone, Atlas would still be able to hear him. The martial arts that he learned of course, also sharpened his five senses.

He is very talkative, and his face is always straight, but it does not hint that he is cold-hearted. Occasionally he still smiled when a group of small children from the village ran and almost ran into him. Atlas walked straight to the back, where the man earlier was on his hands on his hips waiting for him to arrive with an impatient expression on his face.

''You know that no one dares to cross that fragile bridge to deliver your order!'' he snapped from between his lips that were still flowing, a cigarette that was half gone.

Atlas didn't answer, he just accepted a wooden box that the man proffered, not too big, but looked a little heavy. He knew very well the man who was looking intently at him now. He's used to speaking in a high tone to make some people misunderstand, but believe me he has a perfect heart and is the only person who sometimes visits Atlas at his residence.

Seeing the mark on the top of the box, Atlas could guess that this was the item he had ordered a month ago. A stamp depicting an eagle's eye has become the merchant's symbol.

''Thank you,'' shouted Atlas and turned around, leaving the man earlier who had also returned to his tavern, which was still quiet.

For most people, the journey to Atlas's humble residence is challenging, and only a few want to go there. A river that divides the village from the forest is only connected by an old bridge that can break anytime.

"It's a sunny day as usual," he said looking at the blue sky.

This would make the crossing a feast for the river, which always has a strong current for three hundred meters on the right side ending in a waterfall.

Atlas put his luggage in the form of a very worn backpack on a wooden table that he made himself. At the same time, his feet stepped back out of the house and sat on a fallen log on the left side of the simple building, carrying with him a small wooden box flanking it on the left side of the body.

An envelope that was a thank-you note from a knife-smithing expert lay at the top. His eyes moved quickly following the rules of writing on a piece of paper that came from the envelope earlier. The contents weren't too long, there were only two lines of sentences that made Hwang pause and frown.

“Think of it as a final gift before you leave this place. I'll make sure you'll meet the girl right away when you get to Daoda.” Master Blake appeared from the right side of the house.

As usual, the older man's hands were always behind his waist, as if hiding them so as not to crush whatever was in front of his body.

''Master Blake, are you sure that this 'cooperation' will go smoothly?” A feeling of insecurity suddenly haunted Atlas.

Master Blake chuckled and shook his head lightly, making his shoulder-length locks sway slightly. ''I know that you are the only man who is most appropriate to work with that girl. Now, get ready,'' he concluded.

For a moment, Atlas stared at the western horizon, where the sun was already leaning towards it. Then he went back inside the house and started preparing some things he would take with him for traveling tomorrow.

A one-night trip leaving the small village in the mountains makes Atlas feel odd.

He had already left Daoda City for seventeen years and suddenly received an order to return there immediately. However, a dominating sense of amusement is about Master Blake's reason for ordering him to return to Daoda.

"If Master Blake thinks so, there's no reason I shouldn't."

However, the journey to the city was not that short. After taking one night of traveling by train, Atlas will arrive at an airport station and must board a plane to get to the city of Daoda.

***

On the plane, Atlas covered his eyes with a blindfold he made from a faded handkerchief.

''Important announcement! If there is one of the passengers who works as a doctor, it is hoped that he will immediately come forward and approach the flight attendant at the front. Thank you.''

The sudden announcement made almost everyone on the plane look confused and curious, including Atlas, whose ears twitched at the information.

He, who had been closing his eyes for comfort, now straightened his back and glanced to either side, only to spot a man in his forties walking briskly past him towards the front.

''Are you a doctor, Sir?'' asked a flight attendant standing outside the curtain between the cabins.

The man nodded and entered through the curtains other flight attendants uncovered. Atlas saw a body lying on the floor and two people were kneeling next to a body that seemed to be a man.

Atlas left his seat without thinking and followed the doctor's steps. Before his hands could touch the curtain of the cabin divider, a young woman wearing the typical uniform of the airline she was on appeared and gasped.

''Sorry, Sir. You are not allowed inside,'' prevented the flight attendant after making sure—the appearance of a man who almost made her heart jump out.

''Is that man unconscious?'' Atlas did not respond to the flight attendant's prevention. Instead, he focused on a body that did not seem to move while the doctor examined several parts of the person's body that still did not respond.

''Are you a doctor too?'' asked the flight attendant hesitantly.

Look how ordinary Atlas looks, wearing only a T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Plus his hair looks messy and really unconvincing if he is a doctor.

''Can I check on that person?''

Even though she was doubtful, hearing Atlas's request, the flight attendant tried to convince himself that the shabby man in front of him was now a doctor, at least someone who had something to do with the medical world.

“Alright, please follow me.”

The closer Atlas steps, the more he can hear the sound of crying trying to suppress. It was from a young girl kneeling beside an aged man who was not feeling well.