PaehapTongcheang

In wuxia novels, the protagonist often has a sudden enlightenment that skyrockets their cultivation level. I never bought into that trope. It felt like lazy author convenience, a cheap way to skip the grind of writing growth arcs. What the hell is enlightenment anyway? I thought. Turns out, I was dead wrong.

Experiencing it firsthand drilled it into my bones.

"Ilseom."

Just before finishing off the Gate Bound, as its tail slashed through the empty air, I spotted the opening and had the thought: Everything aligned on a single axis.

A thrust composed of swiftness, insight, mana emission, alignment-center-penetration—the three stages.

I'd never truly fought before in my life. Back in school, I always wore a doormat smile, the perfect pushover, so of course my life stayed far from any scraps. Coming to the Backrooms was my first real taste of combat.

Of course, it was all desperation—swinging weapons to survive, no structured technique. Just hack and slash, dodge, flail wildly for your life. Win through strategy, luck, coincidence, done.

Even after learning "thrusting" from Geomseong and internalizing mana, nothing changed. I'd always scout enemy intel first, assess terrain and situation, cook up a plan in my head, then brawl like a maniac.

Unlike the gallery vets, I'd never trained in martial arts, magic, spirit arts, swordsmanship... anything systematic. I just picked up external scraps and made do. All to survive.

Even the abilities I gained here—staked on my life—were all freakish outliers with no lineage. Digestion-granted powers, action-acquired ones, and finally Geomseong's thrust and mana. Each a unique "tile" with its own quirks.

Every fight, I'd wager my life tossing those tiles onto ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the board. Sometimes sequencing them, sometimes dumping multiples at once, but no deeper meaning.

Techniques without law or path. Formless skills lacking form. Utterly disparate, each standing alone.

But this last battle made me realize: There was an invisible thread connecting my chaotic brawls.

I'd just overlooked it.

All those individual powers in my body converged on me at the center.

I'd forgotten that obvious truth.

Lucky me—whether innate talent or whatever, I could wield those tiles effortlessly. Naturally, bind them along one axis.

The Ilseom I just unleashed was born that way.

'Emit mana from the dantian with swiftness, coat the sword in it, insight-check the target, then align-center-penetrate in three swift stages.'

Swiftness, insight, mana emission, alignment-center-penetration.

I fused those "tiles" into one action, one sequence, one Hap.

Random tiles, now strung on a single axis.

"So this is the Hap Geomseong meant."

When she taught me thrusting, she rattled off conceptual riffs. Didn't click then, but now it does.

Pae (Tile): Mastering individual techniques.

Hap (Fusion): Binding mastered techniques into one.

Tong (Integration): Forming a system from the fusion, communing with the body.

Cheang (Creation): Breaking the system to forge a new path. Becoming the lineage's source.

'Have I grasped Hap now?'

I relived the sensation. To never forget.

Now Ilseom resides fully in my nerves, like the others. Unconscious use is still tough, but conscious deployment is quick and easy.

A sudden question hit me.

'Does Geomseong raise disciples because she's at Cheang?'

Becoming the source of transmission. Maybe she's preaching to transcend PaehapTongcheang into something beyond—for her own growth.

Proof: She's still offline, "training."

"Anyway, fusing tiles means this."

One insight sparks a chain. Can I do this with other techniques too?

Come to think of it, I didn't acquire "mana" normally either. I absorbed it but skipped storage, using insight to introspect and form a core. That's the mana skein in my dantian.

Unraveling it for emission is the same. Pure self-emission is too slow, so I swiftness-boost it.

Hell, even intake uses abilities now.

'Lotus position's too uncomfortable.'

Silent Bloom for intake, insight for storage and circulation, swiftness for emission.

...Is this right?

"No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clue."

But I've survived using these "tiles" so far. Still kicking.

'Totally unlike standard combat systems...'

And these are all the tiles I've got. So I'll stick with 'em.

'Best I've got for now.'

Enlightenment wrapped, then I remembered Yudong#32's mission.

"Oh, proof pic."

Also, swallowing Gate Bound fluids. Got so lost in epiphany, forgot.

I fired up the gallery, bought water and bread at auction.

Time check: Past 24 hours.

Quitting enlightenment early for the post would've been tight. Orbs took too long.

Bought stacks, pocketed some in sub-space, scattered others on the barren ground around me. For post-pain recovery.

'Now the proof post...'

Mission failed, but got loot—gotta post content.

Mid-writing, gut wrenched.

Stopped, prepped bread and water.

Pain surged.

Fuck.

Shoved bread in, gulped water, blacked out.

Sunlight stabbed my eyes. The blade-like rays pinned my consciousness.

I groped around on instinct. Grabbed bread. Wolfed it down—choked. Ignored, crammed more. Snatched a water bottle, chugged.

Good call scattering it nearby. Safer and faster than sub-space.

"Hoo—."

Water down, relief sighed out.

Russian roulette win again.

'Body tougher now?'

Maybe 270k combat power.

Glanced skyward. Night fled, day returned.

'Proof pic first... nah, check corpse.'

Gate Bound mummy-shrunk, easy loot.

Big orbs galore, no gear. Gear pauper, orb rich. Rare whites plentiful—nice. ~30 by eye.

Swallowed 'em all.

High-grade orbs hit hard. Power spiked.

'Whoa... insane. Worth it.'

Checked new powers via gallery. Buying rune crystal, gallery time caught eye.

"......?"

Date looked wrong.