Chapter 146

Ten hurdles to lay the foundation. Yoon-seok took half a day to complete all ten, so it wasn’t that hard to predict how many years an ordinary country boy would take to reach the same point. Yoon-seok saw it, what those who arrived here would look like as they fought in the dark with most of their five senses lost.

‘No different than beasts.’

Cheonma-dong demanded the beasts to kill each other to identify the superior species. However…

「When three people are killed, move to the next level.」

Perhaps because it was the beginning of the process, it still felt like plenty of time. At least that was what Yoon-seok felt. If they had to kill each other, didn’t it mean they were fighting in a deathmatch where only one person could remain? Three people. If only three people were killed, he could move on.

‘…I should be nervous.’

He had no idea how many people were currently undergoing the selection process for the Door of Life and Death. He didn’t even know what this place looked like. He couldn’t even hear anything, so he didn’t know if anyone was approaching. All he had to rely on was his sense of touch.

‘One of the two dies the moment we face each other.’

They couldn’t even see each other’s faces, and it was impossible to talk. They could only kill. Yoon-seok slowly stepped forward. It would prove dangerous if he were stabbed by a blind jab since he didn’t have magic.

But that risk remained the same even if he stood still.

‘It’ll end faster if I go looking for them on my own.’

How far forward did he go, blind and deaf?

Thud.

He bumped into something warm and solid – someone’s shoulder.

Whik!

There was no time to think. Yoon-seok swung his sword reflexively, at the same time as his opponent. There was only one difference between the two: Yoon-seok’s sword was much faster.

Slash.

Skin and bones, and the hot blood flowing out from them. Yoon-seok retrieved his sword, feeling as if his nerve cells were somehow connected to the tip of the blade. He couldn’t hear the drop, but the vibration that bloomed from the floor when his opponent collapsed was transmitted through his feet. Was he dead?

He didn’t need to wonder for long.

「One person was killed.」

That phrase soon appeared, confirming the murder. Yoon-seok shook off the blood staining his sword.

‘It feels like I’m some kind of microorganism.’

They were wandering without knowing where to go. At the same time, when they met something, they would either eat it or be eaten. However, thinking about it now, he didn’t feel his life before he was taken to the Tower was much different. Of course, then he was the one being devoured.

「Two people were killed.」

「Three people were killed.」

Yoon-seok, continuing to wander around, killed two more people to meet the conditions of the trial. Near immediately after the third fell, he felt liberated.

「The Door of Life and Death has been completed.」

「All senses have returned to normal.」

When he opened his eyes, he saw things again. He could hear his quiet breathing and pulse once more. It felt like he had awoken from a dream and returned to reality. However, there was a real reward for what he had dreamt.

「Skeleton and body frame grows weakly.」

「Body reacts more sensitively to the vitality of Mother Nature.」

Yoon-seok knew at a glance that this was the process of completing the celestial body.

‘If the basic process is to select seeds, then is the goal of the in-depth process to complete the celestial body…?’

Yoon-seok felt he understood the approximate curriculum of Cheonma-dong. If his prediction were correct, the next process after completing the celestial body would be to acquire the celestial sword.

‘In the end, it means there’s still a long way to go.’

Yoon-seok smiled. And that moment-

「Error occurred.」

Yoon-seok narrowed his eyes at the new phrase.

「Skeleton and body frame have already been completed.」

Through Skill Synthesis, although the Unique Skill b Heavenly Body} disappeared, traces of it remained in b Divine Ultimatum}. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to use the Heavenly Sword technique, and there would’ve been no reason for the Sword Demon to kneel and call Yoon-seok the Co-Sect Leader. So, this error occurred.

‘So what happens now?’

After waiting for about a minute, the answer arrived with a new message.

「You can omit the unnecessary processes.」

「Will you accept it?」

The Heavenly Body was different from those who inherited certain special physiques. It was made only in an artificial way, and only if this body was completed could the techniques of the Heavenly Sword be learned.

Now, this phrase was telling Yoon-seok if he wanted to, he could skip ahead and go straight to learning the Heavenly Sword.

‘It’s not bad.’

It was quite appealing for Yoon-seok, who had limited time. He searched for Cheonma-dong in the first place to get his hands on the techniques that came after the second. No wonder Cheon-ma hadn’t taught him further. It would be faster to come here than to learn from her.

Therefore, Yoon-seok came here. But…

「You’ve rejected the procedures.」

Yoon-seok pressed the reject button. This could ultimately be a simple waste of time. Still, he wanted to follow the path that Cheonma crossed properly.

「Trial of Door of Illusion has started.」

A stone room about the size of the waiting room appeared. When Yoon-seok finished selecting, the closed stone gate slid with a rumble, revealing a straight passage with no end in sight.

「Make it through the passage and reach the next level.」

A brief and simple explanation. That was why he grew more suspicious. Each level so far required increasingly absurd things, yet now they would just let him pass through? There must be something terrifying waiting along the path. Since it said it was the Door of Illusion, it may be a trial that tested mental power.

Yoon-seok decided to walk the path without much thought. There was no reason to be afraid. Whatever popped out, as always, he would smash it and continue.

Thud. Thud.

How far had he walked? Yoon-seok couldn’t feel any physical threats. But, when he came back to his senses, the lights along the passage were turned off.

“…?”

Was it a dream or reality? He couldn’t tell. It was incomparable when his five senses were sealed like his whole body was submerged in cold water. In the dim darkness, the blurry outline of a shape appeared, slowly approaching him.

“Kang Hyung-woo…”

It was hard to believe, but it was Kang Hyung-woo. He appeared the same as when Yoon-seok put his sword directly through his forehead in the hotel room.

—Why did you kill me?

Yoon-seok laughed even as his mind blurred. He knew what this trial was about now, but not this guy again. Did they have nothing else to bring out of his memories? It wasn’t even funny.

—Do you think I did something so wrong that I have to die?

It wasn’t something the person who was trying to kill his family should say, but Yoon-seok didn’t answer aloud. He quietly approached and stabbed him in the head once more. It was unclear whether it would work on a formless illusion, but Kang Hyung-woo’s form grew blurred and soon disappeared completely.

Instead, another person appeared.

—You’re cruel.

The president of the JC Group, Kang Hyung-woo’s father. He was looking sternly down at Yoon-seok. Yoon-seok wasn’t agitated, however. He didn’t even rationalize that it was them who made him cruel. The sense of right or wrong that the world set wasn’t important.

“If you’re going to be shaken to that extent, it’s not even the beginning.”

Yoon-seok swung his sword again. Then, Kang Hye-in appeared. She wept and resentfully glared at Yoon-seok.

—But still… he was my brother. My brother.

In her small hand, she was holding a precious family picture taken in her childhood. In it, Kang Hye-in and Kang Hyung-woo were smiling with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Did he lose something as a human? Even though his family came out one after another and blamed him, he didn’t feel guilty.

What they said wasn’t true, anyway. They were nothing but clever illusions designed to break him down.

Plorkk.

Yoon-seok stabbed Kang Hye-in through the heart. Then, this time, his father appeared.

—I was wrong. I couldn’t help you when I had to. But stop now. I didn’t raise a monster.

He spoke while looking at Yoon-seok, his son, with a fearful gaze that he was now becoming quickly familiar with.

‘Bringing out my family? What a low thing to do.’

Yoon-seok lifted the blade without any emotion crossing his face. His father trembled and began to back away.

—A-are you going to kill me just because I said this? I’m your father!

“No. You’re just an illusion. If the power of the Heart of Liberty weren’t sealed, you wouldn’t even be here.”

— Power? Seal? What are you talking about! A-are you talking about a game? I, I don’t understand at all…

Yoon-seok didn’t try to make him understand, focusing on cutting him down. Next, it was his mother’s turn.

— Yoon-seok… you shouldn’t do that. You killed someone just because they’re clumsy? Please, can you return to the way you were?

Was it the effect of the Door of Illusion? Even though he knew that this was fake, his heart was weighed down heavily by his mother’s earnest plea. Still, he’d gone through too much to be shaken by this now.

Plorkk.

Subsequently, the image of his mother disappeared. Who was next? He wasn’t sure, but Yoon-seok continued to walk firmly through the dark.

—I had a mother.

—I didn’t do anything wrong…

—If I had the power, I would have helped!

—Mister, why do I have to die?

As he walked, unfamiliar faces continued to appear. They were the ones who Yoon-seok had killed so far. However, he could only remember some of their faces. It was clear that he killed them, but he couldn’t remember who they were.

Slash-!

Plorkk!

Yoon-seok didn’t cover his ears; he moved forward while listening to all their resentment. He swung his sword only when they blocked the path or tried to grab his ankles. At some point, however, his surroundings gradually brightened up. His headache disappeared, and the illusions faded completely.

Now, he could see the end of this long passage.

‘Is this the end…?’

Before leaving, Yoon-seok looked back one last time. There was nothing in the quiet passage except for a shadow swaying along with the movements of the torches.

Swish.

Yoon-seok turned away and moved forward.

「Door of Illusion has been completed.」

「Skeleton and body frame grows weakly.」

「Body reacts more sensitively to the vitality of Mother Nature.」

When he crossed the door, a reward was given. Once again, the message appeared asking if he would omit it and the phrase that there was an error. Yoon-seok rejected it once more. There wasn’t a reward like a drastic increase in stats or a new skill, but he realized it as he crossed the Door of Illusion.

Although there might be no major changes, these trials did help.

「Door of Doom has been completed.」

「Door of Sovereignty has been completed.」

「Door of Persistence has been completed.」

Following that, Yoon-seok crossed a total of three more levels. It wasn’t easy, however. There weren’t only martial arts-related enlightenments the levels offered, but a process through which one could face, explore, and govern human desires face-on. He thought it would be like that next round, too… but he was wrong.

「Entering Door of Time and Space.」

He was no longer in a cave.

‘Light?’

Yoon-seok raised his head. The sun and the moon floated side by side above a purple sky.

「Current entry 497.」

「Kill all the remaining competitors.」

Only one task remained: kill all competitors who reached this point and prove to be the best.

‘Is this why they said only one person can survive?’

However, there were still parts that didn’t make sense. The dates of those entering Cheonma-dong were all different. Even the time it took to pass the trials would differ. Yet-

“Is this round’s trial…?”

“I’ll kill you all. Keuhahahaha!”

Everyone arrived here at the same time. How was this possible?

“It took me years just to get here from the first level. But do you think I’m going to die here?”

Did he spend a long time alone? A man near Yoon-seok continued to mutter to himself. He appeared unstable, his blurry eyes shifting rapidly. Yoon-seok couldn’t measure the exact time, but it felt like it took three or four days.

‘Several years?’

Of course, it might be nonsense he was babbling after losing his mind during the trial. But, if that were true, Cheonma-dong was a space where even the passage of time was controlled.

“…”

Who made Cheonma-dong? Unfortunately, no time was given for him to think calmly.

“Die!”

“The prize in Cheonma-dong is mine!”

Hell was already breaking loose.