Chapter 245
The next day.
Arisa had tacitly accepted that Chiwoo and Park Chan-woo were “from a Hidden Realm.”
She came to find them once again.
Just by traveling together, it would become known to everyone on the mountainside.
However—
‘…What are they doing?’
The two were still sparring.
Their swords clashed, but it was so shoddy it looked like children playing house.
Could you even call that sword training?
More than that, was he really the successor Chiwoo was following?
Someone who wielded such a pathetic sword technique…
‘One successor of the Asura Sect is enough.’
Arisa shook her head.
Now was not the time to worry about such things.
If she could properly recruit Chiwoo, one extra person coming along was fine.
From what she had seen, Chiwoo’s strength was the real deal.
“We see you often.”
Chiwoo said, lowering his sword diagonally.
Arisa gave an awkward smile.
“I want to introduce you to the members of our Hidden Realm. And while we’re at it, I want you to visit the ‘Sanctum of the Sword.’”
“Sanctum of the Sword?”
“There are eight ‘Sanctuaries’ on the mountainside. Those who receive ‘acknowledgment’ from the eight sanctuaries can ascend to the upper levels of the mountain. Among them, the Sanctum of the Sword is the one our Hidden Realm occupies.”
Arisa explained, but Chiwoo tilted his head.
Eight sanctuaries.
They hadn’t originally been on the mountainside.
It seemed similar to the three tests at the entrance.
If one of them was managed by the Hidden Realm, there was no reason not to go.
But he couldn’t just blindly follow along.
Park Chan-woo asked.
“Are Arahan from the Hidden Realm not acknowledged by all the sanctuaries?”
Arisa’s skill was outstanding.
She seemed fully capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the strong ones from the Undead Sect, one of the Nine Families gathered at the Mystic Tower.
Yet she remained on the mountainside, despite having strength that should have let her advance to the upper levels.
Probably because of her origins.
“…That’s right. To be precise, four sanctuaries are particularly strict with us, so Arahan from the Hidden Realm have never ascended to the upper levels.”
Arisa replied in a bitter tone.
Arahan from the Hidden Realm were consistently discriminated against.
Because the Nine Families did not want them to ascend.
“Four out of eight. That means half are obstructing.”
“The problem is that those four receive the full support of the Nine Families. That’s why we need to unite our strength even more.”
Arisa was determined to bring them to the Sanctum of the Sword somehow.
If a force like Chiwoo was added, they might have a chance against one of the four.
Chiwoo inwardly agreed.
After all, they had come up the mountain claiming to be from a Hidden Realm.
If they joined through Arisa’s introduction, their influence within the Sanctum of the Sword would also grow.
If they were going to join anyway, wouldn’t it be better to make a grand entrance?
“The same thought…”
“No.”
But Park Chan-woo shook his head.
“…?”
As Arisa and Chiwoo looked at him with questioning eyes, Park Chan-woo slowly opened his mouth.
“We’ll stay here for a while. Let’s think about visiting the Sanctum of the Sword later.”
“Why? Haven’t you heard that Arahan from the Hidden Realm must unite?”
“If we were ordinary Arahan from the Hidden Realm, then yes.”
He immediately countered Arisa.
From the beginning, the two had ascended to the mountainside under immense attention.
Especially Park Chan-woo, who had achieved the unprecedented result of the 150th floor.
Moreover—
‘The Undead Sect made a Jiangshi from the Creator’s corpse. I saw it, so they won’t just sit still.’
They would contact him in some way.
And even if it wasn’t the Undead Sect, there would be plenty of Arahan trying to recruit Chiwoo and himself.
Going to the Sanctum of the Sword without thinking was clearly a bad move.
Even if they shared the same origin, the two of them had already become far too valuable.
Park Chan-woo planned to stir multiple groups into competing to recruit them at the highest price.
That way, they could receive acknowledgment from all sanctuaries far more easily.
‘Receiving acknowledgment means having that much value.’
He immediately grasped the test of the mountainside.
Blindly entering the Sanctum of the Sword would be proof that they had no value.
Naturally, they wouldn’t be acknowledged, just like the many Arahan from the Hidden Realm.
They would inevitably be viewed with prejudice.
But if they became the kind of existence that many groups competed to take, the story changed.
The starting point of acknowledgment would change.
‘You must become a valuable person to receive acknowledgment from all sanctuaries.’
The reason the four sanctuaries rejected them was simple.
They believed Arahan from the Hidden Realm had no value.
But if they possessed a value that drew everyone’s attention—value everyone had to acknowledge—how could they not be acknowledged?
“Do you really think other factions will come to recruit you?”
“Of course.”
“…Foolish.”
Arisa’s expression instantly turned cold.
Because it was a truly stupid thought.
These two had no idea how other Arahan viewed those from the Hidden Realm.
Even if they broke through the entrance with great results, it would be the same.
Rather, uniting their strength to forcibly break prejudice was the surest method.
Arisa looked at Chiwoo.
“Do you share the same thought?”
“I merely follow my successor’s opinion.”
“…Don’t regret it.”
There was nothing more to hear.
Arisa turned her back.
After watching Arisa leave, Chiwoo asked.
“Are you sure it’s okay not to gain the Hidden Realm’s power?”
“Why do you think we won’t gain it?”
“…Do you have another idea?”
“I plan to stir up competition. Ultimately, we will enter the Sanctum of the Sword.”
“Then why…?”
“If we enter the Sanctum of the Sword now, we won’t be able to fully possess their power. But if we prove our ‘value’ and then enter, they’ll be very grateful.”
“Ah…!”
As if struck hard, Chiwoo clapped his hands.
It was a thought most Arahan couldn’t have.
No—it was a method Arahan from the Hidden Realm could never conceive.
Park Chan-woo had no intention of merely borrowing the Hidden Realm’s power.
Taking it all—the complete power of the Hidden Realm.
Only then could they be acknowledged by all sanctuaries.
It was like raising their price as much as possible before returning home.
What family would refuse a member returning in glory?
They would welcome them with a festival, and even that wouldn’t be enough.
“But isn’t there a prerequisite? Will other sanctuaries or families really contact us…?”
Well, it wasn’t as if there would be no contact at all.
The problem was that most of it would be mediocre.
If they ended up in a halfway position, it would become a disadvantage.
Park Chan-woo, still relaxed, slowly gripped his sword again.
“Let’s start again.”
“…Understood.”
Chiwoo also gripped his sword, a slight doubt lingering.
Then he spoke again.
“It seems the tension in your shoulders has mostly dissipated. Now it’s time to learn how to apply force appropriately.”
“…It feels like I’m handling a sword for the very first time.”
Park Chan-woo said honestly.
Perhaps because Chiwoo was not an ordinary swordsman, but an assassin, his guidance differed in many ways from that of other swordsmen.
But this style of guidance wasn’t bad either.
‘In the past, there were no proper assassins.’
There were quite a few techniques or magic related to assassination, but proper assassins were few enough to count on one hand.
And even they fell far short of Chiwoo.
Even before the Abyss invasion, swordsmanship developed, but there was almost no place that developed assassination techniques generation after generation.
There was simply no one who stubbornly chose the path of an assassin.
‘Am I not the one most specialized in assassination?’
But Park Chan-woo was different.
His [Nonexistent] was most specialized for assassination.
If he could learn the Asura Sword, a martial art for a one-hit kill, he could defeat enemies beyond his own limits.
Often, a sword that directly cut was more certain than powerful magic.
But he couldn’t blindly trust [Nonexistent] either.
‘As my [Level] rises, [Nonexistent] is gradually weakening.’
He had achieved perfect [Nonexistent] at -99 Level, but as his [Level] rose, the influence of existence seemed to be growing bit by bit.
So he planned to learn not only the Asura Sword, but also the techniques of an assassin.
To prepare as much as possible for the day [Nonexistent] breaks.
“Try to receive my attacks without wasting force.”
Chiwoo swayed and swung his sword.
With each swing, the strength varied, making it no easy task to prepare without waste.
But as time passed, they gradually matched their rhythm.
‘His talent with the sword, and his aptitude as an assassin, are both certain.’
Chiwoo admired inwardly.
Park Chan-woo was growing day by day.
It meant his passion and talent for the sword were extraordinary.
Moreover, he even showed the qualities of an assassin.
‘His body doesn’t suit ordinary swordsmanship. But if he learns swordsmanship that suits his body, he has a constitution that can grow without limits.’
Heavenly Martial Body.
A constitution capable of learning all martial arts.
But even with a Heavenly Martial Body, there were always martial arts that suited one better.
Until now, it seemed Park Chan-woo had never properly learned martial arts that suited him.
Someone with the qualities of an assassin handling ordinary swordsmanship would find it hard to reach the extreme.
With a Heavenly Martial Body, he might reach it someday, but there was no need to take such a roundabout path.
There was a slight question.
Why hadn’t the Heavenly Demon’s successor received proper swordsmanship training?
But Chiwoo soon shook his head.
He was the one who had acknowledged him.
Rather, he was the successor who had volunteered to learn the assassin’s sword.
So—
‘It’s fun.’
For now, teaching Park Chan-woo was simply fun.
===
The next day.
As expected, someone came looking for them.
As if they had been waiting for Arisa to leave.
“You didn’t join the Sanctum of the Sword.”
Gang Si-chan.
The successor of the Undead Sect, one called one of the Nine Dragons.
He sat down with two guardians, then spoke with a smile—as if he found it fortunate they hadn’t joined the Hidden Realm Arahan at the Sanctum of the Sword.
“Join our Undead Sect. Then you’ll pass the acknowledgment of the eight sanctuaries right away.”
Meaning they could head to the upper levels immediately.
He seemed confident they would never refuse.
Park Chan-woo shrugged and sneered.
“Is that all you have to offer?”
“What…?”