A cold floor.
Warmth was returning to his body below the knees.
Fingertips, toes.
Sensation traveled up and down his spine, awakening each extremity one by one, pushing away the dawn's chill.
Light spread beyond his eyelids.
"Huuuu-."
He opened his eyes with a shallow, deep breath.
Light cut diagonally through the window, dividing the room in two.
The side where Dong Bongsu sat was dark, while the table was in the light.
A cold meal and neatly placed utensils received the morning sun.
As he looked at the food, something caught the edge of his vision.
The afterimage of the UI in Kim Rae-won's memory.
Its color still lingered but couldn't hold on for long, turning to white, and then back to nothingness.
'That was-.'
From the abyss of Kim Rae-won's memory.
'Was that Lumina?'
What should have been an 'it' stood as if it were a 'she'.
It was part of the System, yet it had a form, a proper voice, and even an unidentifiable human-like quality.
"Interesting."
But there was no immediate rush.
However, it was clear that this What is Hero System was changing on its own, and that Evolution was possible.
It was worth noting.
In the place where the afterimage disappeared, the meal, bathed in the long morning sunlight, came into view.
He rose and sat before the table.
The meal Jeon Rahwa had left was completely cold, but it didn't matter.
As he lifted his spoon and began his meal, a process of organization started in his mind.
The task of dividing what he had dredged up from the Archive into two.
Things he could use.
In the Upper Realm, there certainly exist cultivators, and perhaps even beings beyond them called Immortals.
A separate world, distinct from the Lower Realm.
Since the pattern of energy that had crushed Kim Rae-won and thrown him into despair was based on Spiritual Roots....
In many ways, they were different from ordinary Martial Artists.
And Kim Rae-won had failed to cross that boundary.
It seemed he had made an effort in his own way, but it was due to his lack of innate talent and his unintelligent use of the system.
'He must have gone to that place to overcome it.'
Some nameless academy.
He didn't know exactly what kind of place it was, but.
— ...Karma Root... they said there are records....
Piecing together the faint memories, it seemed that he, for his part, had realized he was of the Karma Root Tribe and had attempted to develop it further.
Or perhaps it was a simple act born of a desire to feel he wasn't alone.
In any case, whether it was rejection, disqualification, or failure to pass some sort of test, the data was so fragmented that he couldn't know the reason, but Kim Rae-won ultimately failed to enter that place.
— I heard that members of the Karma Root Tribe can even share data and systems.
The memory of Kim Rae-won that had been imprinted when he first obtained the Karma Root of What is Hero.
'Sharing data or systems.'
If that academy held information about the Karma Root or the Karma Root Tribe… it was bound to be a clue to becoming stronger.
[Unexplored Point — Partial Coordinates Restored]
Sifting through the hazy memories, he couldn't pinpoint the exact location, but he grasped the general direction of the partially restored area.
He immediately turned on the Minimap and left a 'pin' in that direction.
'I'll have to pay a visit soon.'
That was the extent of the useful memories.
'Things he couldn't use.'
Kim Rae-won's futile worries—the countless disappointments in people who didn't change despite his endless righteous deeds performed as quests.
Having squandered his energy, time, and effort on such worries, his already scarce talent lost its luster even more.
It was all because of that that he, despite possessing an excellent system like What is Hero, had died in a place like the Boundary Realm.
Re-evaluating him, Kim Rae-won was a man who deserved to die.
Even if he had survived then, he would have eventually died and scattered into dust.
And also....
The friendships with other Martial Artists, especially with the Three Monsters, and the warmth that came with it.
A grain of rice paused in his throat.
Very briefly.
But he just swallowed it.
It was a useless memory, a useless recollection anyway.
Scraps of emotion that were of no help in becoming stronger, not even worth a single thought.
He took his next spoonful.
The unlock conditions for locked skills and memories that were more than 80% shattered were all evaporated.
He left nothing behind anywhere in his synapses, perfectly.
Soon, he finished his meal.
He pushed the bowl aside and unfolded his Super True Qi Field.
The net of energy spread beyond the room's walls, extending throughout the Hero's Sect like spreading ink.
People were moving about busily.
Shouts erupted from the Training Ground, and the sound of hammers came from the construction area to the west.
The sound of a cart passing, the presence of a few children running around somewhere.
As expected, the Hero's Sect was running just as he had hoped.
He opened the door and went outside.
The pouring morning sunlight was the first thing to hit him.
Upon the Super True Qi Field that had already enveloped the entire Hero's Sect, a familiar sound was layered.
"Swords up! Don't lower them! Hey! You, mister over there? Mister! I said hands up! No, not your feet, your hands, hands!"
It was Hoae's command.
It came over the wall from the direction of the Training Ground.
It was rough and unbroken.
Beneath it, the sound of wooden swords clashing and feet stamping the ground laid a chaotic rhythm.
Dong Bongsu, with an almost imperceptible nod, walked slowly forward.
The first thing he saw was the newly completed Training Ground.
There were three lines.
The sword tips in the front line were neat, while they became more disordered toward the back.
The change was in the third line.
Though their trajectories were still off, the hesitation in raising their swords had considerably disappeared.
Their bodies had grown accustomed to standing in this Training Ground.
Whether it was thanks to Hoae or Jeon Rahwa, he couldn't tell, but from the perspective of a normal Murim sect, it was running properly.
At the end of the line.
Seok Gyeong.
He was a step out of line.
Not following Hoae's command, but at his own pace.
He was a beat slower.
Spirit Step Slash.
Hoae had said he created a move by placing a sword upon the breath of the Spirit Step; he supposed that was it.
Phat-, spaphat-!
Seok Gyeong was repeating that one move over and over again.
Then, by chance, his eyes met Seok Gyeong's.
Seok Gyeong quickly stopped his sword and bowed.
After a moment's hesitation, he approached quickly and opened his mouth.
"Sect Leader. May I ask you about Martial Arts?"
"Go ahead."
"I want to properly learn the Spirit Step Slash… but every time I swing the sword to cut, my body leans forward, and I lose my balance. Should I put my whole body's weight into the sword first, or should I stand my body upright and keep it still, then send my qi only to my hands and sword?"
It was a question organized in his own words, about a problem he had encountered while repeating it alone for some time.
He had probably asked Hoae as well, but hadn't understood.
The breath and footwork of the Spirit Step were ingrained in his body, but the moment the sword was added, the weight shift became unstable, and as a result, nothing went as he wished.
However, Dong Bongsu knew that the fundamental problem with Seok Gyeong's movements was not what he had just asked.
"No martial art, no move, is ever set in stone. That's why sometimes, being off-balance is the right way."
"...Pardon?"
"The eyes come first."
"...!"
"Read the opponent with your eyes, then the move follows to match."
"Ah!"
Seok Gyeong nodded.
Of course, his face didn't show complete understanding.
His lips moved silently, mouthing the words.
"If we're talking about practicing without an opponent, then the latter would be more desirable."
A brief pause.
"I know well that I am not yet at a level to ask such things, but…"
"If you are a martial artist, discard the extraneous words."
"Pardon?"
"Ask. Directly."
"Ah, yes, sir!"
Seok Gyeong answered vigorously, then asked again.
"When an opponent is stronger than me, how should I fight?"
"You have to consider whether it's a spar or a life and death battle."
"What if it's a spar?"
"You'd have to devise a way to win as if your life depended on it."
"What if it's a life and death battle?"
"If you don't want to die, you'd have to run."
"...What if I am in a situation where I cannot escape?"
Dong Bongsu smiled in a Kim Rae-won-like way.
"If you don't want to die, you'd have to devise a way to win."
"What if I can ultimately find no way to win or escape?"
"You'd die."
"…"
The corners of Kim Rae-won's mouth deepened.
"But the one who killed you will die too."
"…"
"As long as you are in the Hero's Sect, I will—."
He lightly looked around.
The sound of commands, the clash of swords, and the presence of a few children running around somewhere.
"—Protect you all."
Seok Gyeong's back bent again.
Deeply, deeply.
"Thank you for your teachings."
Then he raised his sword again.
He returned to the Spirit Step Slash stance and continued his repetitions.
Kim Rae-won took a step closer.
He placed a hand on Seok Gyeong's elbow.
With one finger, he pushed slightly inward.
That was all.
The tip of the sword changed.
What had been wavering was now steady, and the path of strength and the meridian of qi flowed naturally from shoulder to wrist.
Seok Gyeong's sword stopped.
"I will… certainly live up to your expectations."
Just one sentence.
Kim Rae-won turned away.
"Sect Leader!"
Two children ran over as if they had been waiting.
One of them tugged at Kim Rae-won's hem and looked up.
"My sister said you cut off a mountain peak near the lake a while ago. Is that true?"
Kim Rae-won bent his waist slightly to meet the child's eye level.
"Yes."
"Really?"
"I cut it."
The children exclaimed in unison.
A sound of 'Woooow—' spread to the end of the Training Ground.
"Can we do it too?"
"Yes, of course."
"Really?"
"But when can we become like that?"
Kim Rae-won's eyebrows rose into an inverted 'V'.
"If you train like you are now…"
It was a mischievous look.
"It will probably take about a thousand years."
"Wow! A thousand years!"
"I'm gonna train! A thousand years, a thousand years!"
"You idiot, how can a person live for a thousand years? The Sect Leader, no, the mister is teasing us! Right, mister?"
The children clamored and clung to him more.
The questions were endless, and Kim Rae-won smiled and answered each one.
Just then, Jeon Rahwa was walking this way, holding a written letter.
Seeing the scene from across the Training Ground, Jeon Rahwa's feet paused for a moment, then she chuckled and started moving again.
"Excuse me."
It was Jeon Rahwa.
In her hand was a written letter.
"Branch Leader Bae is in the main hall."
Usually, her expression would have come with a word or two more.
But seeing as she said nothing else, it was clearly urgent.
Kim Rae-won immediately took the letter and walked off without even opening it.
Jeon Rahwa quickly ruffled the children's hair in turn and immediately followed.
"The group from the Formation Tower hasn't returned yet. I don't know if it's reconnaissance or what, but it seems to be taking longer than expected."
"I see."
Soon, they reached the main hall, where Bae Dal-pae was standing near the door.
His clothes were dusty, and he was scratching his temple, looking somewhat anxious.
Kim Rae-won gestured with his chin for him to sit.
But Bae Dal-pae did not sit.
"They are moving from three places at once."
Then he immediately poured out the information.
The Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect.
A new group was said to be coming down from the main sect towards the River Capital.
The stated reason was to confirm the missing Patrol Sword Corps.
The number was unconfirmed.
The Dark Rakshasa Way.
A small unit was heading south from the Nirvanic Extinction Mountain area.
It had the character of an advance party.
The Formation Tower.
This was a different case.
They weren't coming directly, but a few Formation Masters had been spotted near the southern border.
It was almost certain that contact would soon be made with the Trigram Masters in the Hero's Sect.
Kim Rae-won nodded.
In contrast, Jeon Rahwa, standing beside him, had her shoulders tensed.
It was only natural; for a fledgling sect that had just opened its gates, the simultaneous approach of one of the Ten Great Sects, one of the Seven Great Demonic Sects, and one of the Three Powers Beyond the Heavens was something that only a truly strange person could be indifferent to.
After staring squarely at each of them once, Bae Dal-pae lowered his voice.
"And among the group coming down from the Vast Heaven main sect, a special title was included."
He paused for a moment.
"The Iron-Faced Lady. A Sword Master of the Elder rank, one of the best in Vast Heaven, is said to be moving personally."
"The Iron-Faced Lady?"
"The title Iron-Faced was given to her because of her nature to never back down once she has set a course. And…"
"…"
"She is one of the Three Monsters."
Kim Rae-won's nose crinkled slightly with an exhale.
"Ah, those Three Monsters?"
"Yes, those Three Monsters."
"When?"
Bae Dal-pae scratched his temple.
"At the earliest, we should consider it to be within a few days. If she were to travel alone, it would not be strange at all to encounter her in the River Capital right now."
"Enough."
Vast Heaven had lost its entire Patrol Sword Corps.
On top of that, a branch and allied forces had been largely destroyed.
They would already know that the remnants of those forces were in the Hero's Sect.
They were coming to find them.
Dark Rakshasa had lost contact with its Rakshasa Monk Corps.
They could be coming to check, or they could already know more or less what happened and be coming to clean up.
The Formation Tower has three Trigram Masters here.
Dongmun Mutoe had visited before, and if they knew a rapidly developing situation had broken out in this direction, it was in some ways very natural for them to come down in a hurry.
All three had different reasons, but their direction was the same.
The River Capital.
And among all places.
This Hero's Sect stood at the very center of this stage.
The issue of one of the Three Monsters was nothing more than a single stone on such a board.
At that moment.
The edge of his Qi Field trembled.
Something had been caught at the edge of Dong Bongsu's sensory net, which enveloped the entire Hero's Sect.
A single aura.
It was approaching.
Fast.
Swift.
It was certainly a fast Lightness Skill.
He first felt it from 10 li away....
9, 7, 4, 1 li.
Dong Bongsu stopped.
Then he slowly began to walk towards the main gate.
"Suddenly… where are you going?"
At Jeon Rahwa's words, Dong Bongsu replied without stopping his steps.
"She's here."
"Yes, who?"
"Who else?"
"…"
"The woman you just mentioned."
● ● ●
The mountain path ended.
The walls of the River Capital were a single leap.
Spat.
Sss-paaat.
The roofs trembled a couple of times, and only the wind remained.
The orderly buildings and roads turned into lines of various colors.
And those lines receded behind her with incredible speed.
The moment her steps stopped, the scenery returned to its proper form.
Beyond the mountain fortress, a large gate was visible on a hill.
On the plaque hanging above it, three characters were written magnificently.
"Hero's Sect…"
The scale, the layout, the defense line.
She scanned it all at once, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
Hwiiiii-.
The spring breeze swept Yeop Bihwa's long bangs aside.
Shabak, shabak.
She slowly approached the gate, briefly contemplating.
Whether to open it and enter, cut it down and enter, or just leap over it.
But the contemplation was futile.
Because the wind blew, and the gate opened.
The morning sun, which had risen behind the Hero's Sect, shone from inside the gate.
Light poured out.
In the middle of that light, a man stood, looking this way.
The width of his shoulders, his stance, the angle of his head.
It overlapped with the one from twenty years ago.
It overlapped, yet it was different.
The outline seemed similar, but something was very different.
Yeop Bihwa's feet stopped as soon as she crossed the threshold of the gate.
In that state, she stared intently at the man.
His pupils were unreadable, devoid of any discernible emotion.
As if there was nothing to be read in the first place.
And yet, the man was smiling.
"Kim Rae-won…?"