The One Who Could Not Ascend
Drip. Drip.
Pitch darkness where not a single ray of light entered. A space of solitude where the only human presence he could sense was his own.
Shin Gi-woon sat cross-legged, cultivating the Battle Demon Divine Art.
He couldn't quite remember when he had begun this circulation of energy. But one thing was certain.
When this session ended, he would have leaped forward.
His entire body was soaked through with sweat. He should already have been showing signs of dehydration — yet Shin Gi-woon's mind, every nerve locked on the flow of energy, refused to permit unconsciousness. In essence, his spirit held complete control over his flesh.
It's different. There's a world of difference between building blindly and building with knowledge of the future.
It was nothing like the first time he had cultivated the Battle Demon Divine Art. He wasn't talking about the speed of his growth. Because he knew how the mental cultivation method developed, he walked only the living path without straying into dead ends. Drawing out ninety-nine percent of the art's power, he reached a state of selfless absorption while simply sitting still.
That damn master. Now I finally understand why you said those things.
The corner of Shin Gi-woon's mouth stretched toward his ear.
Back when he had first begun cultivating the Battle Demon Divine Art, his master had put him through hell every day, forging his strength with ruthless intensity. His master had said:
Those words had been a wound to Shin Gi-woon — as if his master were saying, Your limits are clear. Having grown up getting beaten constantly, he couldn't help but take it that way. A child took an adult's words at face value.
But looking back, that wasn't it at all. The reason his master had chosen Shin Gi-woon and taught him the martial arts of the Battle Demon Spear Sect in the first place was talent. Shin Gi-woon possessed a gift even he hadn't known about — a talent he had never recognized, not even in his past life.
Transcendent internal energy sensitivity!
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
The moment enlightenment struck, internal energy began flooding from Shin Gi-woon's dantian. He gritted his teeth at the sudden change. His heart pounded harder than it ever had. Blood tore through his entire body at a terrifying speed — to the point his meridians could no longer hold.
Of course, Shin Gi-woon did not yield. He was not the kind of pathetic man who would collapse from his own energy.
"Ugh!"
Blood surged back up his throat. Even wanting to rein in the surging power, it would not obey his will. What good was transcendent sensitivity when the body meant to control it was still incomplete?
Would it have killed you to explain it properly, you damn master!!
Turtles were creatures famous for their slow movements. They might look sluggish to others, but even turtles sometimes ran at full speed. In other words, that was how he had looked to his master — a turtle pouring everything it had into a sprint that, from anyone else's perspective, was nothing more than thrashing about.
Shin Gi-woon had realized his talent. His body, however, had not received the enlightenment.
His meridians were a dam — a dam that forced the current of internal energy to flow along its proper course. The problem was that the dam was on the verge of breaking.
He felt certain that if this continued, his body would be ruined. The dissipating internal energy was unavoidable, but he had to live first. Just as he was about to gather what energy he could and end the circulation—
Twitch.
The ferocious energy sleeping in his dantian — demonic energy — stirred. At the same time, a slim possibility flashed through his mind.
With demonic energy, I might be able to stop it!
The thought was short; the action was swift. Shin Gi-woon sent the unleashed demonic energy flooding through his entire body.
A ferocious dark force opposite pure internal energy. The internal energy rejected the demonic energy and gradually curled in on itself. Meanwhile, the demonic energy swelled large, ready to devour it.
An opportunity.
Both of you — quietly do as I say!!
SHUUUUK!
Shin Gi-woon poured his will into the extremely condensed internal energy. Feeling the pressure of the demonic energy, the internal energy obediently followed his command. With demonic energy now flowing throughout his body, the dantian had become a space for internal energy alone.
"Keheuk! Cough! Cough!"
Having forced every scrap of internal energy into his dantian, Shin Gi-woon vomited blood. White steam rose from his entire body — proof that without the demonic energy, he would have been dead without question.
When he came back to himself, the demonic energy had long since vanished without a trace. As if standing guard so the internal energy could not move, it clung to the dantian and refused to come out.
If internal energy was like a dog, then demonic energy was like a cat.
"A dog-like bastard runs wild easily, but a cat has the habit of primly sitting back and watching the situation."
It was a comparison he'd just spat out, but it fit rather perfectly. Having survived a near-death crisis, Shin Gi-woon immediately swallowed a fasting pill.
"About six months left now?"
Year two, month six of closed-door training. At a young age, Shin Gi-woon had already reached the high realm of First-Class.
"I wonder how the others are doing."
Bare-chested, he splashed cold water over his body. Underwear, tops, and bottoms were delivered every day, so he could throw them away without a second thought — just toss the clothes into the long pipe. There were no basic hardships in closed-door life. He could request water whenever he wanted; pull the cord labeled for water, and an instructor would send it down. Of course, if he overdid it, they stopped sending any. There was a daily limit on the amount.
"Battle Demon Divine Art already at six stars… but it's slow."
Actually, it was fast. The first time Shin Gi-woon had raised the Battle Demon Divine Art to six stars, it had taken him eight years. Compared to then, this was tremendous growth — but he was not satisfied. Wasn't it natural for even a turtle to want to run as fast as a rabbit?
Reaching First-Class in two years and seven months of a new life was an absurd growth rate. Considering how most martial artists struggled even to break through the wall of First-Class, Shin Gi-woon's pace was on a completely different level.
"Ha! What a stupid thing to say. Without the demonic energy, I'd already be long dead."
He faced reality. Without the help of demonic energy, he would already be dead — destroyed by his body's rampage, unable to adapt to that internal energy sensitivity. In other words, the time had come to train only his physical body. With half a year of closed-door training still left, it was enough—
Or so he thought.
"…"
He felt a vibration. Even though this was a closed-door training ground where no interference of any kind was permitted — something was there. Not inside the training ground, but movement invading from outside.
Shin Gi-woon instinctively gripped his wooden spear. Were the instructors unaware of the situation?
No. There's a high chance the instructors created this situation themselves.
Closed-door training alone is boring, is that it? To think they would deliberately add a trial in the middle of cultivation. Whatever it was, if it came, he would simply deal with it. Shin Gi-woon swallowed dryly and pressed his back against the entrance of the training cave.
And before long, it appeared.
"Kieeeeee!!"
"A snake? No — an Imoogi!!"
A being destined to become a dragon and ascend to the heavens through cultivation — yet for unknown reasons, its ascension had been denied. An Imoogi, reminiscent of a giant serpent, revealed its vicious form.
It was a presence that would make ordinary people despair and collapse where they stood. The moment Shin Gi-woon saw it, he broke into a wide grin.
"Fuck yeah! This is it!!"
He cheered. To hand him a feast like an Imoogi when he was already bored — "thank you" wasn't nearly enough.
"Imoogi meat is so damn delicious! I'll gratefully enjoy the meal, instructors!"
Whoooosh.
Gripping his spear anew, Shin Gi-woon kicked off the ground. Now he understood why the closed-door training ground was so large. Wondering why they had made it so vast — turns out they had been preparing a surprise gift like this.
Imoogi meat was a delicacy. Having accumulated good karma for so long in pursuit of ascension, the juices, the texture, the flavor itself had evolved to a level that evoked the celestial realm. Just cooking Imoogi meat transformed it into the finest cuisine, putting even a royal banquet to shame.
"Imoogi — you're mine!!"
"Kieeeee!"
Perhaps because it was the first time seeing an opponent bare its appetite toward it, the Imoogi writhed in considerable confusion. It might well be novel for the creature — watching a person charge not with murderous intent, but with pure hunger.
And so Shin Gi-woon, who could seize the advantage from the very start, charged at full power from the beginning.
"Hup!"
Spinning once in midair, he landed atop the Imoogi's head. Only then did the creature come to its senses and thrash violently.
"I knew you'd do that!"
Shin Gi-woon did not resist and began to glide. His body was still too crude to use midair stepping — but with a spear in hand, aerial combat held no fear whatsoever.
"Let's play properly, Imoogi!"
Shin Gi-woon's chilling smile called to mind a battle demon itself. The Imoogi immediately opened its maw to swallow him whole — but Shin Gi-woon, who had been waiting for that exact moment, poured the power of the Battle Demon Divine Art into his spear until it nearly broke.
"I'll give you one hit first."
Battle Demon Heavenly Spear, First Form.
Battle Demon Heavenly Spear — First Form
The moment Shin Gi-woon's spear touched the Imoogi's fangs, the creature's maw swallowed him whole.
"Grrrr."
For all the ruckus, it had been an easy hunt. So the Imoogi thought.
CRUNCH!
"Kieeeeee!"
Shin Gi-woon shattered the Imoogi's fangs and burst out of its maw. The creature groaned in agony from its broken teeth. Shin Gi-woon twisted his face and gripped his spear firmly.
"Hahahaha! This isn't the end, right? Let's get started for real!"
The Imoogi looked at the madness-engulfed Shin Gi-woon with transparent eyes. His form was truly that of a ghost mad for battle.
The Battle Demon itself.