Wooong!
The moment I stepped through the door, my consciousness wavered for a brief instant.
And when I regained my senses, the sight before me was a vast expanse of grassland.
There was no warmth from the sunlight, nor was there any wind blowing, yet the plains were bright, and the air felt pleasant.
Then, it happened.
Thud.
The sound of footsteps echoed from afar.
It was a boy.
A young man who didn't seem much older or younger than me.
He was dressed in old-fashioned clothing rarely seen these days, with a sword strapped to his waist, and his vacant, unfocused eyes were fixed on me as he approached.
I knew this boy.
Not just me—many people knew about him.
He had a name, but people rarely called him by it. Instead, they referred to him by different titles.
Some called him the Martial God.
Some called him the Dragon Slayer.
And some dismissed him as nothing more than a fictional figure born of legend.
Though he was known by many names, the most common title was one above all others—
The founder of the greatest family in the world.
The Ancestor of the Soongmuiga Clan.
"I, a distant descendant, pay my respects to the ancestor of the Soongmuiga Clan."
I bowed my head respectfully.
Through Heukya, I had glimpsed the ancestor's memories before, but that was merely through Heukya's power.
This was the first time I was seeing his face in reality.
'This boy is the founder of our family…'
The ancestor of the Soongmuiga Clan—Lee Hyul-hyun.
He slowly approached and stood before me.
'What an overwhelming presence. It truly feels like he's standing right in front of me.'
It felt as though my ancestor was genuinely before me.
But the boy—and this place—were not real.
This was an illusion, created through a combination of powerful sorcery, the sacred land of Cheonwisan, and the magic of the goblins.
Everything here existed solely for the purpose of a trial.
"Muhyeolmeng (無血夢)."
Not many had ever dared to challenge Muhyeolmeng.
Perhaps one person every few generations at most.
It wasn't just about talent or ability; one needed the mountain keeper's permission to even attempt it.
'The victory condition is simple.'
Defeat the recreated version of the 15-year-old ancestor within this dream.
Wooong—!
I slowly transformed Mujin into the shape of a sword.
The ancestor had no rational mind here. Conversations and greetings were meaningless.
He existed solely for the trial.
"…Hoo."
Srrrng—
As if responding to my movement, the ancestor unsheathed his own sword.
I activated Maan and tensed every fiber of my being.
'First, I'll start by probing his movements.'
Very slowly, I pushed forward with my foot, exerting force onto my toes.
And at that moment, the ancestor moved as well.
Then—
My heart was pierced.
—
Defeat the 15-year-old ancestor of the Soongmuiga Clan.
Strictly speaking, the victory condition of Muhyeolmeng wasn't overly cruel.
Since this was an illusion, there was no actual death or injury.
Besides, the fact that the mountain keeper had granted me permission to enter meant my chances of success were relatively high.
Though it seemed impossible right now, the ancestor was from an ancient time, while modern techniques had evolved over countless generations.
Logically speaking, challengers should have an advantage.
However, all of those assumptions had just been rendered meaningless.
"Hah… Haah…."
At the edge of excruciating pain, my eyes snapped open.
What had just happened…?
I had lost consciousness, and only after a moment of blank confusion did I realize the situation.
My heart had been pierced.
With a single step.
I had only taken a single step forward—yet the ancestor's sword had already moved ahead of mine, piercing straight through my heart.
'I wasn't careless. I was definitely on guard.'
A natural memory of the naming ceremony surfaced.
Even back then, in the trial hall, I had once been beheaded by my own reflection.
At least that time, I could immediately grasp how it had happened.
But this time was different.
Aside from the fact that my heart had been pierced by the Progenitor, I had no clue what had actually transpired.
I turned my head to look at the Progenitor.
"..."
He still stood in the center of the field, his eyes void of emotion.
I recalled something my father had once said.
—The Progenitor is strong. Perhaps even stronger than I was at that age.
A rare remark from my father in his past life, spoken only once when he had gathered his children to discuss Muheolmong.
It was a simple, unembellished statement, yet the weight of its meaning was immense.
And now, I fully understood my father's words.
'Calm down. Think it through.'
I replayed the moment in my mind.
The Progenitor hadn't used some grand secret technique or hidden art. He hadn't even employed a simple body-enhancement aura skill.
'No way… but that's the only possibility.'
After much speculation, I arrived at a single conclusion.
Even with my Mystic Eyes open and my senses sharpened—
'If the attack targeted a blind spot that neither my Mystic Eyes nor my senses could detect…'
It wasn't just an unbelievably fast strike. It was a swift swordplay that exploited an imperceptible blind spot.
That would explain everything.
'But is that even possible?'
Not only would it require immense skill, but it would also demand the ability to read an opponent's every movement.
And yet, could someone truly be observant enough to determine the exact moment an opponent closes their eyes?
'I have no choice but to try again.'
I swallowed dryly and tightened my grip on Mujin.
I forced my eyes wide open. Winning no longer mattered. I focused solely on perceiving that single thrust.
Every fiber of my being, every ounce of my mana, was sharpened to its peak.
—Swish.
As if responding to my resolve, the Progenitor moved.
Focus. Don't miss a single detail!
The instant my body tensed instinctively, I swung Mujin accordingly.
—Slice.
Mujin cut through empty air.
For a fleeting moment, something flickered in the corner of my vision.
Then, a searing pain tore across my chest, and I saw a spray of crimson blood erupt before me.
My second death.
When I regained consciousness—
I still had no idea what had just happened.
"…Again?"
After another long process of reflection, I arrived at a certainty.
One of the fundamental principles of martial arts is to strike from an opponent's blind spot.
This attack had exploited that very concept.
'But that's not all. He tricked my senses. Feints are one of the most basic techniques, aren't they?'
A deceptive thrust from the front had disguised the true attack from the side. That was why I was cut down yet again.
It sounded simple in theory.
But in practice, it was an entirely different matter.
He had perfectly exploited my blind spot and deceived my senses with a well-placed feint.
'Did he already see through everything?'
A chill ran down my spine.
I felt an insurmountable wall before me.
A mere boy, smaller in stature than I—
His mana reserves, even at a glance, seemed lower than mine—
And yet, he loomed before me like an immense barrier, blocking my entire path forward.
"…Can I even defeat that?"
The boy stood expressionlessly, holding his sword at an angle.
At that moment, the Progenitor felt like an insurmountable wall.
A wall that rendered all the effort I had built up until now utterly meaningless.
***
Boom!
The heavy stone door closed with a deep sound, and the Mountain Keeper furrowed his brows.
"Before Taeshin, not a single person had been granted entry in over a hundred years."
Yet now, not even fifty years had passed, and another one had emerged.
Gaining entry into Muheolmong was not determined solely by talent or strength.
A person's nature, character, and above all—
'One who can carry on the legacy.'
The Mountain Keeper fell silent for a moment.
He recalled the sword hanging at the waist of the youngest, Lee Cheol.
'Hyulhyeon, you bastard… Seeing that boy reminds me of you. Is he the successor you spoke of?'
A child whose fate was so intricately woven that even a goblin's eyes couldn't easily discern it.
A boy still so young, yet already harboring immense power.
And at his waist hung Heukya.
And now, he had stepped into Muheolmong.
"I don't really know. Damn it."
Humans always carried something unfathomable within them, and that child felt like a mixture of countless such things.
The mountain keeper gazed at the stone gate with an enigmatic expression.
No matter how much he let his thoughts wander, it was meaningless until Lee Cheol stepped out from behind that gate.
The mountain keeper had seen many children before.
The bloodline of the Soongmuiga family had always been astonishing, but this time… how would it be?
No matter how exceptional the child was—no matter how much greater he was than any other child the mountain keeper had seen before—overcoming Hyulhyeon would not be easy.
"Arrogant brat. Be careful."
The mountain keeper knew.
More than half of the children who entered the Bloodless Dream never opened the gate to return.
And the reason the remaining half failed was not because they had been defeated. It was because they gave up.
Even those who had earned the mountain keeper's personal approval—young talents with extraordinary willpower and mental fortitude—had their spirits broken before the wall that was Lee Hyulhyeon.
Let alone Lee Cheol, that little brat had probably never even experienced a proper defeat.
The mountain keeper stared at the stone gate for a while longer before swiftly turning away.
***
Soongmuiga Family Main House, Lee Taeshin's Office
"There is news from Cheonwi Mountain."
Within the Soongmuiga family's main house, there existed a single talisman imbued with the mountain keeper's magic.
A communication talisman that allowed contact at any time, under any circumstances.
Through it, Chief Steward Choi had just received a message.
"So, he has entered the gate."
Lee Taeshin, who had been tending to his sword, spoke as if he had expected this outcome.
Chief Steward Choi stood with his usual upright posture, his expression difficult to read.
"It has been ten months."
"When he left here, he was not at that level."
A mere ten months.
In just ten months, Lee Cheol had grown enough to earn the mountain keeper's approval.
"Young Master will surely succeed."
Instead of replying, Lee Taeshin wiped his sword's blade with a thin, opaque cloth. It was a sword that required no maintenance, yet his touch was meticulous.
"That child has never truly lost, has he?"
"Young Master has indeed progressed steadily, but he has not won every battle, has he?"
In truth, Lee Cheol had not always won.
Against the captain of the Blood Tiger Squad, Gwisusan. Against the Queen of the Inmyeonju. In countless missions assigned during quarterly evaluations.
If judged by the success of the missions, Lee Cheol had always succeeded. But if judged by victory alone, he had not won every single time.
"But it was never a true defeat."
To lose. And even more, to fail completely.
What would happen to a child who had never faced a real wall when he finally stood before an insurmountable one?
He would either bend—or break.
If he bent, he would survive. If he broke, he would die.
But even if he survived, he would no longer be the same.
The moment one bends, they are already different from who they once were.
Wooong—
Lee Taeshin lifted his now fully tended sword.
He recalled the trial of the Bloodless Dream he had faced long ago, when he was still young.
If a god of martial arts existed—if that god bestowed martial talent upon humans—
Then Lee Hyulhyeon…
The progenitor of the Soongmuiga family should rightfully be called the incarnation of martial arts in human form.
How would Lee Cheol stand against him?
***
I bit my lip as I watched the progenitor once again reach for the hilt of his sword.
"..."
The ground beneath me seemed to cave in, as if my entire body were sinking into a deep abyss.
Despair. Helplessness. Fear.
I had only clashed with him twice, yet these emotions clawed their way up from the depths of my mind.
And within those emotions—
I tightened my grip on Mujin.
"It's been a while."
That feeling of my heart plummeting. My body losing all strength.
It had been so long that it felt unfamiliar, but there was no one in this world who knew this sensation better than I did.
"It's really been a while, this feeling."
I took a step toward the progenitor once more.
Shaking off my despair with every step forward.
Erasing my helplessness with the firm grip of Mujin in my hand.
And finally, dispelling all other emotions with the motion of my body pressing onward.
"HAAAAAAP!"
Once again, I charged at the progenitor with a battle cry.
There was something that the mountain keeper, Chief Steward Choi, and Lee Taeshin did not know.
A great secret that only Lee Cheol understood.
Lee Cheol's life had been a series of failures, defeats, and setbacks.
Within the trajectory of his existence, success and victory accounted for barely a fraction.
Lee Cheol had never been on an uninterrupted path of triumph. He had never won every battle.
No one in this world knew more about failure and despair than he did.
That was why he would neither break nor waver.
Because he had already experienced those things more than enough.
Lee Cheol was simply Lee Cheol.
For someone who had already hit rock bottom, the only path left was up.
Lee Cheol's eyes remained fixed straight ahead.
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