Paewang of the Black God Martial Art

Paewang of the Black God Martial Art is the man who reached the pinnacle of this world relying solely on his own martial prowess.

What a truly chilling guy.

In modern society, most people build factions. Otherwise, they risk being swept away by the power of those factions. But Paewang is different. He's the one who ascended to the world's peak alone through raw strength. Honestly, there's no way to avoid him right now. Even Korea Hero School would suffer massive damage if he decided to storm it. They'd barely manage to hold him off.

Kim Ara's case is a bit of an exception, though. She enrolled in Korea Hero School precisely to avoid drawing Paewang's attention.

That was the reason for her low ranking. Sure, she struggles to control her power, but more than that, it's to stay off Paewang's radar.

"How do you know that?"

Her eyes were filled with disbelief. Can't blame her—I wouldn't believe it either if I were in her shoes.

"About Paewang? Or about you being his daughter?"

As Kim Ara glared at me, I flashed a slight smile. Act relaxed, act relaxed.

"I've got my own sources of info."

I tapped my temple lightly as I spoke.

"I know you're his one and only daughter, that he dotes on you fiercely... and that you've inherited his sole martial art."

"……."

Kim Ara stared at me with darkened eyes.

But I've got faith in my own abilities too. Right now, I'm the top student who cleared the Trial Tower with record-breaking results. With my Reverse Heaven Body, no info about me leaks out. If Kim Ara came at me, I'd crush her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in a second—but she doesn't know that. She'll probably just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠observe me for a while. Kim Ara's the cautious type, after all.

"So, you gonna break it or not?"

"……I'll break it."

Kim Ara nodded obediently and placed her hand on the wall.

Boom!

She clenched her fist and obliterated the wall. I was dumbfounded. Even Kim Seohyeon had needed two or three hits to smash through that thing, but she pulverized it in one shot. Absurd strength.

"Whoa……."

The others gaped at Kim Ara in shock.

"Impressive as expected."

I whistled and headed into the shattered wall. A winding path greeted me.

Kim Seohyeon took the standard route and arrived in 39 minutes, so...

I need to hurry. Time's tight.

Kim Ara watched the boy strolling ahead leisurely, hands in his pockets. Not a trace of tension on him.

It's a dungeon.

No magic beasts, sure, but dungeons are riddled with traps everywhere. Yet, thanks to the boy at the front, the group hadn't encountered a single one despite Instructor Seo Wooju's warnings.

It had to be Lee Seoha. He led them with uncanny skill.

Too skillful.

He moved like a guide who'd traversed this dungeon dozens of times. The actual guide they'd been assigned faded into the background by comparison.

"Am I even needed here?"

"Yeah, does the top student have some eye-related talent or something?"

Confused murmurs arose. Sharp observation. You'd need to have awakened some vision or sensory ability to pull that off.

"Here it is."

Lee Seoha pushed against a blank wall. With a rumble, the stone slid inward, revealing another hidden passage.

I figured he'd show some force at least once.

This just made it more baffling. He was advancing relentlessly, making her wonder if his most dangerous weapon wasn't 'strength' at all, but something else.

"A-amazing."

"Man, we can just leave everything to the top student. Feels kinda bad, though."

They walked on for a bit longer. Up ahead, an instructor came into view. Not one they'd seen before. Neat build, striking in his black suit.

"……The team that started last arrived first? Unbelievable."

The instructor eyed them briefly before turning to the top student.

"28 minutes and 32 seconds. You're in first place. Go rest over there."

Everyone clustered in groups to catch their breath where he pointed. Lee Seoha gazed into empty space.

"Lucky us."

Snagging first place again must've boosted the points. Lee Seoha checked them.

A blue message filled the screen pane.

Just a bit more, and I can buy it.

Lee Seoha smiled in satisfaction. Getting the extra 2,500p might delay things a tad, but at this rate, he'd hit the target soon.

Lee Seoha barely kept his expression from cracking into a grin. Talk about good luck.

After class ended, I bolted back to the dorm. The penthouse welcomed me. I felt like I was floating.

Not just because classes were over—there was a bigger reason.

The points had hit 20,000. I headed deeper into the penthouse, tossing my bag aside. The indoor training hall appeared.

Private training hall. Only I can access it.

I took position at the center and opened the Multidimensional Shop. I clicked on Talents.

A ton of talents filled the talent section. Some could catapult me straight to the top ranks with just one. But they all required mana, and with my current points, they were pipe dreams. All just pie in the sky.

I ignored them all and selected one.

……This satisfied the bare minimum conditions.

Then I tore the Technique Selection Voucher I'd gotten earlier. The technique I chose was Icar's Advanced Spiritual Power Control (C). Low rank, but the best spiritual control technique available for 3,000p among C-grades.

A glow absorbed into me, flooding my mind with knowledge. I gripped the Black Heaven Demon Sword.

I checked the skills. Sword Soul and Domination Soul. The Black Heaven Demon Sword emphasizes its user's growth. And in my opinion, Sword Soul is its alpha and omega.

Activating skill: Sword Soul.

Shhhh!

Black energy rippled from the Black Heaven Demon Sword.

-Hm? A voice echoed in my head. Sleepy, like someone just woken from deep slumber.

Sword Soul. The power to awaken the soul embedded in the Black Heaven Demon Sword.

"Awaken, Black Heaven Demon Sword."

-……Are you the one who woke me?

"Yes."

-Hmph, this master's not bad. I like the face.

"……."

I was speechless at the absurd response. A sword judging faces?

-Hmph, Master, you're indifferent to beauty, huh? What is beauty?

The sudden question made me think.

"Harmony?"

-Exactly. Harmony. True beauty is always rooted in harmony. Beauty without it is just grotesque. The body must be harmonious too—for optimal training and balance. So, Master, be grateful to your parents for that fine physique.

Ridiculous, but it made a weird kind of sense.

-Anyway, moving on. From how you spoke when you first woke me, you already know about me?

"Yeah. Read about it in some texts."

-Did that guy leave records of me? Hmph, I thought he'd keep my identity buried tight.

The Black Heaven Demon Sword muttered in a puzzled tone.

-First, may I examine your body?

"My body?"

-Yes. Unfortunately, my soul is bound to the sword, so I can't do anything without your permission.

"Go ahead."

With my approval, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sword hummed, emitting black energy.

-Hm? Master, Reverse Heaven Body, huh? Interesting. No wonder it chose you as owner even while I slumbered. But something's off... This Reverse Heaven aura feels acquired later... Nah, must be my imagination.

The sword sounded puzzled but dismissed it.

-Oho, you've already awakened spiritual power. And your Nian is pure too. Untainted by strange concepts. No impurities in your body at all—like you just took some premium spiritual elixir. How is it?

"What do you think?"

-It's good. Better than the previous master, even. Talent aside, your base body is superior.

"Really?"

-Yes. With this physique, we can skip forging the vessel.

The Black Heaven Demon Sword spoke in a subdued tone.

-Then, allow me to teach you the supreme meridianless art, the Black God Martial Art.