Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Black God Martial Art
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The Overlord.
The singular man who ascended to the absolute pinnacle of this world, relying solely on the crushing weight of his own power.
‘What a truly chilling individual.’
In modern society, most people build massive factions and alliances. They have to; otherwise, they risk being swept away by the collective power of those who do. But the Overlord was the ultimate exception to that rule.
He was a lone individual who reached the top of the world hierarchy through nothing but sheer, unadulterated force.
Frankly speaking, there is no way for anyone to avoid him right now if he decides to find them.
Even an institution as prestigious as the Korea Hero Academy would suffer catastrophic, massive damage if the Overlord decided to storm it. The academy’s elite could barely hope to hold him off, let alone defeat him.
Kim Ara's situation, however, was a bit of a special case. She had enrolled in the Korea Hero Academy precisely to disappear into the crowd and avoid drawing her father's intense, suffocating attention.
That was the real reason behind her intentionally low ranking.
Part of it was her genuine inability to control the terrifying magnitude of her own power, but mostly, it was a calculated move to stay off the Overlord's radar.
“How do you... how could you possibly know that?”
Her eyes were wide, filled with a mixture of shock and deep disbelief.
I wouldn't believe it either if I were in her shoes. A total stranger shouldn't know her darkest secret.
“About the Overlord? Or the fact that you are his daughter?”
As Kim Ara glared at me with rising hostility, I simply flashed a slight, enigmatic smile.
I had to keep acting casual. If I showed weakness now, she’d crush me.
“I've got my own private sources of information.”
I tapped my temple lightly with a finger as I spoke, maintaining a mysterious air.
“I know you're his one and only daughter. I know he dotes on you fiercely in his own twisted way... and I know you've inherited his sole, legendary martial art.”
“......”
Kim Ara stared at me, her eyes darkening with a dangerous, heavy intensity.
But I had faith in my own standing. I was the top student who had cleared the Tower of Trials with results that shattered every previous record. With my Reverse Heaven Body, no information about my true abilities would leak out to her.
If Kim Ara decided to attack me here, I could technically take her down in a second using the system's advantages, but she had no way of knowing that. She would likely opt to probe and observe me for a while instead. Kim Ara was the cautious, defensive type by nature.
“So, are you going to smash this wall or not?”
“......I'll smash it.”
Kim Ara nodded readily, her internal conflict suppressed for now, and placed her hand flat against the rock.
Boom!
With a simple clench of her fist, she obliterated the reinforced wall. Even I felt a surge of genuine bewilderment at the sight.
Even the protagonist, Kim Seo-hyun, would have needed two or three heavy hits to break through this specific barrier, yet she had shattered it into pebbles with a single, casual punch. It was truly absurd strength.
“Whoa......”
The other teammates gaped at Kim Ara in pure, unmasked astonishment.
“Impressive, as expected of my teammate.”
I let out a short whistle and headed into the dust-filled breach in the wall.
A winding, dark path greeted me on the other side.
‘In the original game, Kim Seo-hyun took the standard route and arrived at the finish in 39 minutes, so...’
I needed to move our team as fast as humanly possible.
Time was tight if I wanted to maximize the rewards.
Kim Ara watched the boy strolling ahead of her. He had his hands buried in his pockets and looked utterly, almost offensively relaxed.
‘This is a dungeon.’
Even if the instructors promised no monsters, dungeons were naturally riddled with lethal traps in every corridor.
Yet, thanks to the boy leading them, the group hadn't triggered a single trap despite Instructor Seo Woo-ju's dire warnings. It had to be Lee Seo-ha’s doing. He was guiding them through the darkness with a remarkable, almost supernatural skill.
‘He’s too skilled.’
He moved like a master guide who had traversed this specific dungeon dozens of times before. The actual professional guide the school often hired would have faded into the background by comparison.
“Am I even needed here at all?”
“Right? Does the top student have some kind of hidden vision-related talent too?”
Confused murmurs arose from the back of the line.
It was a sharp observation. Normally, you'd need to have awakened a high-level sensory or perception ability to navigate a maze this flawlessly.
“Here it is.”
Lee Seo-ha pushed against a seemingly blank section of the wall. With a heavy, grinding rumble, the stone slid inward, revealing another perfectly hidden passage.
‘I figured he'd show some raw force at least, but this...’
This level of knowledge only made Kim Ara more confused. It was starting to seem like his most dangerous weapon wasn't 'power' at all, but something far more rare as he advanced unstoppable through the labyrinth.
“A-amazing......”
“Man, we can just leave everything to the top student. It feels kinda bad to just coast along, though.”
After walking for a bit longer, they finally spotted an instructor in the distance. He was a neatly dressed man in a sharp black suit—someone the freshmen had never seen before.
“......The team that started last arrived first? Unbelievable.”
The instructor eyed the group briefly before turning his full attention to the top student at the front.
“28 minutes and 32 seconds. You are officially in first place. Go rest over there.”
As he pointed to a designated area, the teammates gathered in small groups to finally catch their breath. Lee Seo-ha, however, just gazed into the empty air with a smirk.
“Lucky us.”
You have arrived at the dungeon finish line first and earned 3,000P!
The instructors are genuinely shocked by your efficient actions. You earn an additional 1,500P!
Snagging first place again had netted me a very hefty point haul.
I pulled up my interface to check the total.
Total Accumulated Points: [17,500P]
A blue message panel popped up, confirming the amount.
‘Just a little bit more and I can finally afford to buy it.’
I smiled in satisfaction. While delaying on the 2,500P milestone might have slowed my plans slightly, at this rate of acquisition, I would hit the target far sooner than expected.
[Kim Ara has marked you in her memories. You earn 2,500P!]
I barely kept my expression from softening into a grin. I was truly lucky to have such high-impact characters in my first team.
The moment class ended, I hurried back to the dormitory. The luxury of the penthouse welcomed me like an old friend.
I felt like I was floating on cloud nine. It wasn't just the relief of finishing the first day of class—something much more fundamental and exciting had just occurred.
Current Balance: [20,000P]
My points had officially hit the 20,000 mark.
I stepped deeper into the suite, tossing my school bag aside onto the sofa. I walked straight toward the back of the penthouse where my private, indoor training hall was located.
A completely private training space. Only I had the clearance to enter this hall.
I took my position at the very center of the floor and opened the multidimensional shop interface once more.
I clicked on the Talents tab with a sense of purpose. The list featured many world-shattering talents that could vault me into the global top ranks in a single leap. But every single one of them required mana, and with my current stats, they were nothing but beautiful pipe dreams. All just pie in the sky.
I brushed them all aside and selected the one talent I had been eyeing since the beginning.
【Inexplicable Talent (A-)】 - Price: 20,000P
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【Inexplicable Talent (A-)】
A talent that exists beyond the realm of common comprehension.
Highly specialized in spirit abilities. Its raw prowess merits the title of supreme class.
: Provides a major corrective bonus to spirit ability and body-based physical talents.
: Incurs a major, permanent penalty to all mana-related talents and growth.
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......With that purchase, I had finally met the bare minimum requirements for my real build.
Then, I pulled out and tore the technique selection ticket I had obtained earlier from the Tower of Trials.
The technique I chose was 【Icar's Advanced Spirit Control (C)】.
It was a low rank, but it was the most efficient and practical spirit control technique available for 3,000P among the C-grades.
A soft, golden glow enveloped my body, and a sudden flood of technical knowledge regarding spirit manipulation filled my mind.
I reached out and gripped the hilt of the Black Heaven Demon Sword.
【Black Heaven Demon Sword (S)】
The divine sword once wielded by the legendary Heavenly Demon.
Forged from black iron and millennium stone. It boasts supreme strength and unmatched hardness.
Ancient legends say that a sentient soul dwells within the blade.
: Built-in skill 「Sword Spirit」
: Built-in skill 「Tyrant Aura」
: ???
: ???
: ???
I checked the available skills: Sword Spirit and Tyrant Aura. The Black Heaven Demon Sword was a unique blade entirely focused on its user's growth. And the skill Sword Spirit—I believed it was the sword's true alpha and omega.
Activating skill: Sword Spirit.
Sword Spirit
Shhhh!
Thick, black energy rippled violently from the length of the blade.
-Hm?
A voice echoed clearly in my mind. It sounded groggy and sluggish, like someone who had just been woken from a centuries-long, deep sleep.
Sword Spirit. This was the power to awaken the sentient soul embedded within the Black Heaven Demon Sword.
“Awaken, Black Heaven Demon Sword.”
-......Are you the one who finally woke me from my slumber?
“Yes, I am.”
-Hm. This master's quality is not bad. Actually, I quite like your face.
“......”
I was left momentarily speechless at the ridiculous response. A legendary sword soul judging its owner by their face?
-Hm, Master, you seem indifferent to beauty. Tell me, in your eyes, what is beauty?
The sudden, philosophical question caught me off guard, forcing me to think.
“Harmony?”
-Exactly. Harmony. True beauty is always rooted in the state of perfect harmony. Beauty without it is just a grotesque imitation. The body must be harmonious too for proper training and balance. Thus, you should thank your parents for providing such a fine, well-proportioned physique.
They were ridiculous words, yet they held an undeniable core of logic.
-Anyway, moving on to business. From your tone and composure when first awakening me, you seem to already know of my existence?
“Yeah. I read about you in some ancient records during my travels.”
-Did that guy really leave records of me? Hm, I thought for sure he'd keep my identity sealed away from the world tight.
The Black Heaven Demon Sword muttered in a puzzled, contemplative tone.
-First things first, Master. May I have permission to examine the state of your body?
“My body? Why?”
-Yes. Regrettably, my soul is bound to this blade, so I cannot perceive your internal energy flow without your explicit permission.
“Go ahead. Do what you need to do.”
With my approval, the Black Heaven Demon Sword hummed with power, emitting a soft wave of black energy that washed over me.
-Hm? Master... you possess the Reverse Heaven Body? Impressive. That certainly explains why the sword instinctively chose you even while my consciousness slumbered. But odd... This Reverse Heaven energy feels like it was acquired later in life... No, must be my imagination playing tricks after so long.
The sword sounded genuinely puzzled but quickly dismissed the thought.
-Oh, you've already awakened your spirit ability too. And your Nian is remarkably pure—untainted by the strange, corrupt concepts of this era. I see no impurities in your body at all. Tell me, did you consume some exceptionally fine spiritual elixir recently?
“What do you think?”
-Not bad at all. In fact, you are much better than my previous master. Talent aside, your starting physical vessel is far superior to his.
“Really? You mean that?”
-Yes. With a physique this well-balanced, there is no need for me to waste time forging your vessel from scratch.
The Black Heaven Demon Sword’s voice took on a subdued, serious tone.
-Then, Master, allow me to teach you the supreme meridian-free martial art: the Black God Martial Art.