At the summit of Baekdu Mountain lies the Cheonji. According to legend, a monster had lived there for ages, long before the great upheaval. Even one of China’s ancient geographical texts, the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing), mentioned strange creatures said to inhabit Baekdu Mountain.

大荒之中 有山 名曰不咸 有肅愼氏之國‘ 有蜚蛭 四翼 有蟲 獸首蛇身名曰琴蟲
(In the vast wilderness, there is a mountain named Buham. It is within the country of the Sushen clan. There is a creature called Feizhi with four wings. There is also a creature with the head of a beast and the body of a snake, named Qinworm.)

A monster whose appearance closely resembled that of a dragon.

Because of this, people speculated: if a monster truly resided in the Cheonji on Baekdu Mountain, wouldn’t it be a creature resembling a dragon? Today, two men witnessed the existence of that legendary monster with their own eyes.

Kwaaaaah―

A massive silhouette surged from the center of the lake, sending up a tremendous spray of water. The enormous figure shot up above the lake’s surface, hovering several meters above the water before coming to a stop.

“Ah…”

It was a breathtaking sight, one that could only be described as the appearance of a dragon-like monster. The creature’s graceful body, clad in vivid blue scales, exuded an aura so majestic that it felt almost divine.

At that moment, Sungshik, who had been thrown out of the water by the monster’s sudden emergence, instinctively activated his ability: “Insight.”

Insight.

[?] Imoogi Holding the Cheonji
Grade: ?
Combat Power: ?
Race: Dragon
―A fragment of an ancient monster on the verge of shedding its skin.

Sungshik was startled upon reading the information about the monster.

“Shedding its skin?”

The term “shedding its skin” caught his attention. Shedding its skin was the process of entering the transcendental rank.

In the past, humanity had never produced a superhuman capable of transcending into the “Transcendental” rank through the shedding process. Even the renowned Eleven Thrones had been blocked by the wall of Nine Stars.

Many believed that if a superhuman had managed to overcome the wall of Nine Stars—a state considered to be the peak of transcendence—humanity might not have fallen so easily. Such was the challenge of the Nine-Star wall, which even the most gifted Eleven Thrones with legendary traits failed to surmount. And yet, here was a monster poised to break through that barrier?

“Ah, so this was the mythical creature said to reside in the Cheonji.”

Sungshik finally understood. The reason even the forces of the night avoided Baekdu Mountain before his regression was because of this dragon.

“For now… Use the health potion.”

―Used a low-grade health potion. Your wounds are rapidly healing.

Even while thinking, Sungshik used a health potion to quickly heal the internal injuries caused by the monster’s presence.

Meanwhile, the monster and the man stood locked in a tense standoff.

“Hahaha! How amusing. To think such a mythical being actually existed. So, it was you—this massive presence crouching within the Cheonji.”

《Such a sinister aura. Surely they haven’t started their invasion yet. Who are you?》

“Oh ho, a monster with intelligence? Even more impressive. And from what you’re saying, it seems you know about the trials of the night. How fascinating.”

The man’s eyes gleamed as he exuded a menacing energy.

《Foolish creature. That power will ultimately drag even your soul into corruption.》

“Kuh kuh kuh, what amusing nonsense. You claim your power is righteous while mine is corrupt? And what exactly is the basis for that judgment? If that’s the case, why don’t you try proving your so-called superior power?”

With those words, the man stretched his hands toward the monster, unleashing a barrage of black energy spheres.

They were as fast as lightning!

Even from a distance, Sungshik could feel the tremendous destructive power emanating from the spheres, sending shivers down his spine. Thanks to his heightened senses, a product of his superhuman traits, Sungshik could discern that the man’s strength rivaled the current strongest Seven-Star rankers.

“This is insane. Where are these monsters even coming from?”

Sungshik felt a growing urgency even amid this chaos, recalling how unaccountable monsters had begun to appear ever since the Japanese shrine assault incident.

Puhwaah!

The black spheres unleashed by the man were shattered by a translucent barrier that appeared in front of the monster.

《That will not suffice.》

Kwaaazizizik—

Simultaneously, lightning began to crackle around the monster’s two horns before it was unleashed toward the man.

Bang!

A massive crater formed where the man had been standing, directly struck by the lightning.

“Haha, how entertaining. To think this is the power of a mere fragment, not even your true form! Truly impressive.”

“Fragment?”

Sungshik recalled the phrase he had read earlier with his ability.

[A fragment of an ancient monster on the verge of shedding its skin.]

“So, it really is.”

It was astonishing. Despite being only a fragment of itself, the monster had enough power to rival Seven-Star rankers.

“And while I’m at it… Insight―”

Sungshik used “Insight” on the man, something he hadn’t had a chance to do earlier.

Name: Li Xiaoguang
Grade: ?
Traits: ?

As expected, the disparity in strength was too vast for him to discern more than the man’s name.

“But even knowing his name is a big gain. I’ve never heard of a superhuman named ‘Li Xiaoguang’ before my regression.”

Judging by the name, the man was Chinese. Sungshik made sure to commit the name to memory, repeating it over and over in his mind.

KwaKwaKwang!

The battle between the two raged on evenly. The monster’s mastery over lightning was incredible, but so was the man’s ability to counter it.

The man’s power was especially troublesome because it was based on darkness. He teleported unpredictably, sent out blades of darkness, released dark energy spheres, or even caused sharp black spikes to erupt suddenly from the monster’s shadow. His attacks were varied and difficult to predict.

What began as an evenly matched battle gradually shifted in the man’s favor. The monster, forced to defend against all of the man’s attacks, began to accumulate visible damage on its body.

“Hahaha! Did you really think you could handle me with just a fragment of your true form? And where has your arrogance gone, after all that talk about corruption earlier? I’m curious to know, hahahaha.”

The man, excited by the realization that he was gaining the upper hand, taunted the beast.

《How pitiful and ridiculous it is to speak such words while recklessly drawing upon evil power without understanding its source.》

The beast, responding to the man's words, began radiating light across its entire body, as if preparing to make its decisive move.

Crackle―

The beast's entire body turned blue, and an overwhelming energy began to condense around it.

At that moment, Sungshik received a will from the beast.

―Bearer of destiny, the entrance to the place you seek will soon open. When the moment comes, I shall guide you there. Do not resist, but accept it.

Surprised by the transmitted will, Sungshik looked at the beast with wide eyes.

―I have delayed my transcendence to lead the destined one to this place. Although the one I initially foresaw was different, it seems fate has chosen you instead. If that is the will of the heavens, I shall merely follow it.

Before long, Sungshik's body was enveloped in a translucent barrier, pulling him rapidly toward the center of Cheonji.

“What kind of nonsense…”

Noticing the anomaly, the man attempted to intervene and stop Sungshik, but the beast was a step ahead.

《Feel the power of the mere fragment you so arrogantly dismissed.》

Rumble―

With a thunderous roar, as if the heavens were furious, massive bolts of lightning raged toward the man, painting the world in blinding white.

“Tch, this unfinished serpent…”

As the man's gritted teeth echoed in the distance, Sungshik was swiftly drawn into a vertically elongated rift that had appeared at the center of Cheonji.

―Ding. You have entered a hidden stage.

Having been sucked into the rift sent by the beast, Sungshik lost consciousness momentarily. The sound of a system notification reached his ears as he began to awaken.

“Uh… ugh…”

Lying sprawled on the ground, Sungshik clutched his head as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.

“W-where is this?”

Looking around, he found himself in what appeared to be the interior of a cave. The space, roughly twenty pyeong in size, was dimly illuminated by something resembling a luminous pearl embedded in the ceiling, which emitted a yellow glow.

The faint light from the pearl gave the cave an eerie and mysterious atmosphere. As Sungshik continued to survey his surroundings, his eyes fell on a book placed on a pedestal at the far end of the cave. The moment he saw it, he knew.

‘That’s the secret manual of the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts.’

His pulse quickened at the sight of the manual. After collecting himself, Sungshik stood up and began walking toward the book.

It was placed atop a pedestal that resembled an altar. The cover bore the characters “破天武,” which his translation skill identified as "Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts."

The book looked new, as if it had been recently created. Sungshik, however, knew that it appeared pristine because it was either a trait book or a skill book. Given that it was likely the complete Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts martial art manual and not a partial excerpt, it would be classified as a trait book rather than a skill book.

As he reached out to grab the manual, Sungshik hesitated.

“I think I heard somewhere that it’s customary to perform a ritual bow in situations like this.”

It was a superstition from the martial world—when discovering a secret manual left by a predecessor, it was customary to perform a ritual bow as a sign of respect.

‘It’s not difficult to do, so why not?’

Nodding to himself, Sungshik stepped back from the manual and began performing bows in earnest.

Once, twice, three times… Sungshik bowed sincerely, as if paying respect to a master.

It was when he completed his bows that it happened.

―Ding. The condition for acquiring Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts has been fulfilled.

‘Condition?’

Before he could process the unexpected notification, another alert followed.

―A hidden perk for learning Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts has been activated.

Flash―

As a bright light flared before his eyes, Sungshik’s consciousness faded away once more.

Roar―

A vast plain stretched out endlessly, unimpeded by obstacles. From the horizon ahead, a massive horde of beasts and monsters surged forward, their numbers so overwhelming that they seemed to exceed one hundred thousand.

Standing against this overwhelming force was a pitifully small human army, numbering less than ten thousand.

“This is madness. We’re all going to die. We’re all going to die here.”

Clang―

A man nearby, wearing a panicked expression, threw his sword to the ground and turned to flee.

“I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to die a meaningless death!”

Fear spread like an infection, and soon the entire army was retreating in a chaotic frenzy.

Watching them silently, one man stood alone. Once everyone else had fled, he remained, facing the horde of monsters. With a gesture, the sword lying on the ground nearby floated into the air and flew into his hand.

Gripping the sword, the man muttered a single phrase:

“Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, Fifth Form. Destruction.”

He swung his sword toward the monsters, unleashing an immense wave of energy in a fan shape.

Boom―

All the monsters caught in the energy wave were obliterated as if ground to dust. The sheer magnitude of the attack shook the heavens and the earth.

A third of the massive army, which had numbered over one hundred thousand, was annihilated in a single strike. The remaining beasts and monsters that had avoided the attack were overtaken by fear.

Having demonstrated such overwhelming power, the man leapt into the air and charged at the remaining horde. What followed was a one-sided massacre, akin to a wolf among sheep.

None of the monsters’ attacks even grazed the man’s clothing. With each movement of his hands and feet, countless monsters and beasts were annihilated.

Soon, the vast plain was left empty, with only the man standing alone. At that moment, Sungshik, who had been watching the scene as a spiritual observer, locked eyes with the man.