I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy

Chapter 217: Murim

The boundary distinguished everything.

It could differentiate both what humans have conceptualized and what they had not. The power of the boundary even affected space and time.

So, I thought it was more important to decide what to do here rather than figuring out why we ended up in a place called the Martial Arts World.

There is a saying, “Know your enemy and yourself, and you will not be endangered in a hundred battles.”

This was a strategy from The Art of War by Sun Tzu, which emphasized the importance of understanding both the enemy and oneself.

Therefore, as soon as I realized that this place was the dimension where the Heavenly Demon once lived, I knew I had to understand what kind of place this was.

The best way was to ask Eternal Heaven and Black Heaven.

They would know this place best, as they had lived here.

However, asking Eternal Heaven was difficult.

-Yes, more precisely, this is the dimension where a person called the Heavenly Demon existed… But I’m not sure of the details. It seems to be related to some kind of restriction left by the Heavenly Demon…

Eternal Heaven trailed off, as if unsure.

A restriction left by the Heavenly Demon.

I thought about the Heavenly Demon as I looked at Black Heaven.

She was born into the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, endowed with the power known as the Energy of Defying Heaven. She was the child of the sect leader.

However, due to her condition called Heaven Defying Body, she was unable to learn martial arts.

Because of this, she was treated poorly in the sect, but I heard that she eventually created her own martial arts using her unique talent.

That was the beginning of Black God Martial Arts.

I also recalled Black Heaven’s words that if one mastered the Black Arts, they would have no equal.

‘I still find it useful even now.’

I often used a few of the moves still. Black Step, on the other hand, was based on the principle of striking, which didn’t suit me well, so I didn’t use it often.

In any case, she reportedly rose to the position of sect leader through her own power. Additionally, it was said that she conquered the Martial Arts World and unified it using her Energy of Defying Heaven.

And then, the Heavenly Demon was said to have ascended.

After that, the Heavenly Demon wandered through various dimensions. That’s what Melanie told me. Or rather, it was Ershil, who shared the same mind as Melanie.

‘Is there any other information?’

-Yes, wait, there’s something I remember. I clearly recall the Heavenly Demon’s nature.

‘The Heavenly Demon’s nature?’

-Yes, she was…

Eternal Heaven glanced at Black Heaven.

-I can sum it up in one phrase.

‘What is it?’

-Above Heaven, under Heaven, I alone am honored.

So, she was arrogant, huh?

-Arrogant, yes, but her true personality was that she didn’t see anyone else as human except herself.

‘…?’

-I mentioned before, didn’t I? The Heavenly Demon married 25 women during her lifetime.

‘And she was said to have been divided into 25 parts when she died?’

Simply put, the Heavenly Demon never considered those she married as her equals. There were even some same-sex relationships at that time, but she saw all her wives as nothing more than dolls.

‘…Dolls?’

-Yes. She saw everyone equally, be it figures in the Martial Arts World, members of the imperial family, immortals who lived in the heavens, or evil monsters that devoured humans.

Eternal Heaven paused for a moment before speaking.

-She looked down on everyone equally.

Could it be that the Heavenly Demon was…

“Hmm…”

Just as something was coming to mind, I heard the sound of Kim Seo-hyun stirring.

I quickly turned to look at Kim Seo-hyun.

“Wh-Where are we?”

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t seem to be the Earth we lived on.”

“Not Earth?”

“Yeah. It’s either an internal space like the Tower or another dimension.”

Kim Seo-hyun’s expression hardened at my words.

-You lie so smoothly.

‘I can’t just outright say it’s the Martial Arts World.’

Due to the influence of the Energy of Defying Heaven, even transcendent beings couldn’t recognize Black Heaven and Eternal Heaven.

So, it was best to keep it hidden when possible.

Secrets always made a person more mysterious.

“But, if it’s another world, how do we deal with the language?”

“Don’t worry. I have a related talent.”

Though Reading (-) wasn’t a power that could simply be used for translation, what choice did I have?

I needed it.

“Oh, that’s good. I trust you, Seo-ha.”

“Did you manage to bring anything?”

“Just this.”

Kim Seo-hyun awkwardly smiled as she showed a pure white sword and its scabbard.

It was the Sword of Wrath, Gram. Well, for someone like Kim Seo-hyun, just bringing a weapon was enough. I had everything else.

“First, let’s see if we can find anyone around here. It looks like there’s a path people use nearby.”

“I hope we can communicate in this dimension…”

Kim Seo-hyun sighed, and I gave a slight smile.

This Martial Arts World where the Heavenly Demon resided was a place deeply connected to Kim Seo-hyun.

‘The Thousand-Year Martial Pulse…’

Kim Seo-hyun was different from others.

The knowledge she possessed was equivalent to inheriting everything from the Thousand-Year Martial Arts World. That’s why there was no specific martial art that symbolized her; she was simply known by the term “Thousand-Year Martial Pulse.”

When Kim Seo-hyun’s status elevated, she’d gain another name as she integrated all the martial arts.

In any case, this dimension held all the knowledge Kim Seo-hyun possessed. There’s no way she wouldn’t be able to communicate here.

“Let’s move.”

“Okay.”

We started to move. Nothing changed by staying put here, so the mindset was to move and find something.

Pa-pat!

We moved swiftly. Naturally, I was fast, but Kim Seo-hyun, with her mana flowing from the Dragon’s Heart and her exceptional lightfoot technique, could run almost as fast as me.

‘Her status will elevate quickly, huh?’

Her growth rate was fast.

Though it couldn’t compare to mine, she also possessed talents and an environment in the human world that were unparalleled.

“There are people over there.”

“…They look like they’re dressed in Chinese clothing?”

I saw a group of people in my sight.

As Kim Seo-hyun mentioned, there were three warriors dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, carrying small travel packs and swords at their waists. Judging by their aura, they seemed to be lower-ranked heroes, equivalent to novice practitioners. Behind them was one who seemed to be a middle-rank hiding in the shadows.

And there were people confronting these warriors.

They were bandits.

“How dare you block my way! Do you know who I am?”

“Hmph, aren’t you just a passing warrior?”

However, the aura of the bandits was no ordinary one.

They were middle-rank warriors.

“Seems like the bandits here are quite strong?”

“Let’s help those people. They look like late bloomers, and it would be a good opportunity to build a relationship and gather some information.”

Kim Seo-hyun spoke with excitement.

Come to think of it, she’s a martial arts enthusiast. She occasionally read martial arts novels. The martial arts in those novels had inspired her, and she even created her own ultimate techniques based on them.

“Perhaps those people are either being targeted by the demonic sect for being late bloomers or, like me, they have exceptional martial talents and are being threatened by assassins sent by the sect’s leaders. Let’s save them quickly!”

Kim Seo-hyun, filled with excitement, dashed forward.

The current Martial Arts World had gone astray.

Righteousness and chivalry had vanished, leaving only strength and power in their place.

This was not the Martial Arts World he once knew.

Warriors who lived by the sword now drank and swung their swords carelessly while drunk, causing guesthouses to be half-destroyed at the slightest provocation. Righteousness and chivalry had disappeared, leaving an era rife with treachery and betrayal.

The current state of the Martial Arts World was heart-wrenching.

And it was all because of one being.

The demonic sect.

A solitary woman, revered as the Martial God, was the cause.

The Heavenly Demon.

At the age of 19, she conquered the demonic sect, a figure with a name that symbolized covering the sky with demonic power.

She then emerged into the Martial Arts World. The righteous sects, the evil sects, and even the imperial family joined forces.

But they crumbled in just five years.

In merely five years, the Heavenly Demon swallowed up the three forces and unified the Martial Arts World. The emperor knelt before the young girl, and the followers of the demonic sect roamed the world, chanting the survival of the fittest.

The pillars of the righteous sects also fell.

The Nine Schools and the One Sect. The phrase “Fifteen Pillars that Supported the Righteous Sects” had become a relic of a bygone era. The evil sects fared slightly better. They were the first to challenge the Heavenly Demon, realized the difference in power, and were the first to betray.

The Namgung family was in relatively good shape.

At the last moment, the Sichuan Tang family, who claimed they couldn’t die alone, tried to poison the Heavenly Demon, but their patriarch was killed by a playful move from the Heavenly Demon. Moreover, Tang Sosso, who was almost certain to become the next leader, ended up serving the Heavenly Demon as her husband, bringing disgrace to the family’s name.

The Namgung family, however, was praised by the Heavenly Demon for their good work, and thus, they could walk around Anhui Province with a bit of pride. But that pride became their downfall.

Members of the evil sects, harboring grudges, disguised themselves as bandits and attacked them.

“Miss, run away!”

“Damn it!!”

Even in the land of the Namgung family, the evil sects roamed freely. These evil sect members were after her life.

Namgung Sang-ah bit her lip and prepared to escape. She vowed to remember this incident and seek revenge later. At that moment, a boy landed in front of her.

‘Sky blue?’

The boy was dressed entirely in sky blue.

His appearance was androgynous, but his clothing was strange. She had never seen such attire before.

“Who are you!”

“Just a passing swordsman.”

When Kim Seo-hyun spoke in a low voice, Lee Seo-ha, who had landed behind her, felt an urge to hide somewhere.