Chapter 1
Chapter 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Prologue
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A massive stone cavern lay beneath a perfectly clear ceiling, with moonlight pouring straight down into it.
"Out of curiosity—what's the big regret making you leave?"
A man with skin black as coal and a bald head asked the question.
Gonronno.
That was the name he was commonly known by on the continent of Hwan, though to Su-hyeok, he was more familiar simply as a black man. Was his name Hiba? Or Shiba? Su-hyeok couldn't quite recall. He was called the Black Mountain Man far more often anyway, and the guy seemed to like that nickname quite a bit.
"I've got longings bigger than any regrets."
Su-hyeok lay on the hard stone bed and spoke calmly. The Black Mountain Man's stark white eyes widened over Su-hyeok's body, where he'd draped a wide robe made from the shed skin of a thousand-year-old imugi. Then he burst into booming laughter.
"Kekeke! That's a fun one. You're not saying that just because you don't know what you're leaving behind on this continent of Hwan... The one and only, peerless under heaven himself, talking about a longing greater than anything he possesses."
Su-hyeok knew it well.
Wealth, fame, physical power, authority—he could have anything he wanted on this continent of Hwan.
The unique and peerless, supreme martial artist of the continent, the Martial Emperor.
Here, it seemed there was nothing he couldn't have if he desired it.
But Su-hyeok himself felt differently. He harbored a longing from this world he could never obtain—a remnant of memories.
"Earth must be quite the place to pique even my interest. I remember one story you told. Iron carriages on wheels that run faster than peak martial artists? Sounds like a joke."
"Honestly, if anyone else had said it, I'd have smashed their skull on the spot."
Su-hyeok gave no reply.
The Black Mountain Man was a talker. Give him an answer, and he'd ramble on endlessly.
As the Black Mountain Man spread a liquid made from the sap of sacred lotus from the immortal realm across Su-hyeok's skin, a demonic glint entered his eyes.
"Kuhuhuhu."
The ghoul-like cackle scratched unpleasantly at Su-hyeok's ears.
Luckily, the sweet lotus scent soothed the irritation quite a bit. If he'd gone with the Black Mountain Man's initial suggestion of gumiho blood, Su-hyeok might've kicked his ass in a fit of rage by now.
"Euhheung. Almost ready now."
The laughter shifted to a nasal hum.
Finally, the Black Mountain Man placed an ancient pearl from a deceased white dragon over Su-hyeok's heart, on his left chest, and asked,
"You sure you won't regret this?"
The Black Mountain Man hid his smile, his voice turning grave.
Su-hyeok closed his eyes quietly and smiled as he replied.
"You're the one who'd be happiest if I vanished, so spare me the empty words. Quit screwing around and get started."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A laugh that could have been either joy or sorrow echoed briefly, followed by an eruption of bizarre, incomprehensible language. The voice was impossible to imitate.
The pronunciation was tricky, blending deep lows and piercing highs, as if men, women, elders, and children spoke in unison. Strangely, amid the eerie ritual, Su-hyeok's mind remained at peace. Was it the massive full moon's glow seeping through his closed eyelids?
Or the harmony of the cold stone floor and the warm imugi robe, like lying under a thick blanket with the AC blasting on a summer night?
No, the reason was simpler. He expected to return home. Sure, the ritual was a bit creepy, but if it worked, what did it matter?
"Hey, Black Mountain Man."
As his consciousness faded, Su-hyeok called out.
The Black Mountain Man continued the eerie chant. But he was listening—Su-hyeok could sense it even in this bizarre state.
"Actually, there's something I've wanted to say for a while..."
His awareness sank into darkness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Beep-! Beep-!
A periodic electronic tone drummed against the ears of the sleeping Su-hyeok.
Am I... back?
The thought didn't fully pierce his haze yet. His senses still floated, detached. But that odd feeling didn't last. Gradually, body and soul reconnected, sensations sharpening across his entire form.
Starting from his pinky, bit by bit, his body obeyed his mind.
He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids.
Can't see a thing? Did that bastard Black Mountain Man screw up?
Panic flickered briefly, but he shook it off.
Just a dark landscape, a quiet night.
His pupils dilated, vision adjusting to the gloom.
Several people surrounded him.
The ceiling was stark white. The blanket over him was white.
Even the clothes he wore were white—not pure white, but covered in long vertical stripes with Korean text reading [Seon Hospital] embroidered throughout.
Only then did the familiar smell assaulting his nostrils register.
Disinfectant. Hospital disinfectant. So long since he'd smelled it, he'd forgotten.
"Ah...!"
A gasp escaped him involuntarily.
The scene had given him a hunch, but the gown and the scent erased all doubt.
I'm back!
Joy surged so fiercely he nearly whooped, but his throat seized up, no sound emerging.
"Kuhhh."
Instead, a rusty, groan-like scrape leaked out.
Who cared?
He was finally back on Earth.
That overwhelming happiness made trivial annoyances irrelevant.
Mom, Dad, little sister Su-a—he'd see them all soon.
Su-hyeok tried to sit up immediately.
"Gaaak!"
And let out a real scream.
It hurt. Agony like his body was ripping apart crackled through every nerve.
The pain was so intense it jolted his hazy mind like lightning.
Damn it all, come back just to die again?!
His brow furrowed deeply as curses filled his thoughts.
Body's in way worse shape than it should be. Can't be from just a day or two in bed. Did that punk Black Mountain Man mess up?
He'd promised to send Su-hyeok back to the exact moment he'd left Earth.
Maybe a day or two off at most, but this condition was ridiculous.
It felt like he'd been bedridden for years.
"Huu... huu..."
He wanted to curse to ease the pain, but his voice failed, leaving only pitiful groans. Then light burst in his eyes.
First, I need to recover a bit.
Right now, he could barely twitch a finger or open his eyes.
It hit him why comatose patients in all those dramas and movies just lay there.
Let's see. Can't handle Heaven and Earth Unification Divine Art yet—this wrecked body wouldn't take it. Nature Primordial Art it is.
Su-hyeok resolved to use the martial arts he'd honed on the continent of Hwan after his discharge, where he'd suffered for fifteen long years. He didn't know how effective it'd be on Earth, but he'd reached a realm where he didn't just comprehend qi—he wielded it like his own flesh, shaping it at will.
This returned body held no such memories.
No proper qi vessel had even formed.
But the soul remembered his realm.
"Suuup..."
Su-hyeok focused on the ambient qi, inhaling slowly.
Warm, comforting energy flowed in through mouth and nose like a gentle river, flooding his lungs and spreading through his body.
Not rushed, careful and soft, it caressed his mangled muscles and meridians like a mother's embrace. Silence reigned. In that not-so-brief quiet, strength returned somewhat to his fading flesh.
"Huuu..."
By his deep exhale, his ragged breaths had softened considerably.
A major cycle of inner cultivation—absorbing qi, circulating it through the body, and storing it in the dantian. The Lesser Heavenly Circuit complete.
"Finally feel alive."
His voice emerged now—rough, but no longer a monster's growl.
Guess I should call a nurse first.
Su-hyeok eyed the call button by the bed but froze.
Rainbow lights exploded like fireworks before his eyes.
Hallucination? Did I lose my mind coming back from another world?
As he wondered if his brain had glitched,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Welcome to the Force System for the first time. New Awakener, please protect your world. You have acquired the A-rank skill, Nature Primordial Art. Incomprehensible letters floated on a translucent window before him.
Su-hyeok silently slapped his cheek lightly, just in case.
Pain registered, but the floating pane didn't vanish.
"Crazy from the start back home..."
How to explain this to his parents?
That his son was insane?
Hallucinations that wouldn't fade away?
He might have to become a shaman soon.
In the end, Su-hyeok covered his face with both hands, sighing deeply in despair.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 1 💨 Agility: 1 ✨ Magic Power: — 💪 Constitution: 2 🍀 Wisdom: 10 🛡️ Endurance: — Name: Yang Su-hyeok Age: 27? $&*! && (System error—stabilizing...) Gender: Male Level: 1 Class: Martial Artist Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Karma: Excess Notes: Handicap applied due to prolonged bodily inactivity. Karma value is extraordinarily high compared to age and racial norms. No matter how many times he checked, the translucent screen visible between his fingers refused to vanish. The [Force Status] text lingered before his eyes as if it had always been there. Astonishingly, it wasn't qi or some phenomenon—it appeared etched directly into his vision.
He'd already guessed its nature several times over.
Not a ghost. No way ghosts looked like that.
This wasn't mere speculation.
Shockingly, Su-hyeok had encountered a real ghost on the continent of Hwan.
And even sent it to the afterlife in a fight, for reference.
Not exactly an exorcism.
He'd just crushed it with martial arts.
A pretty ancient, terrifying evil spirit, but Su-hyeok back then had the power for it.
His arts had reached the heavens, earning him the title of peerless on the continent—the Martial Emperor. The moniker wasn't for show.
Then a yokai?