The world was yellow. The sky, the trees, the grass, and the river—all of it was spinning in a yellow haze.
For the past five days, that’s how my world had been.
“Ptooey…”
I spat on the ground, the saliva mixed with blood.
Crack! As I forced myself to stand, my bones cried out in agony.
My whole body ached.
I barely managed to avoid losing consciousness, but the cost was steep. It felt like my energy flow, the paths of my qi, were all tangled.
My body was in a complete mess.
The qi was moving of its own accord, and my vision was so blurry I could hardly see straight.
Considering just my sensations, it wouldn’t have been strange if I’d fallen into qi deviation.
But I knew.
These broken senses would soon return to normal.
And before long…
Creak-!
“Ughhh…”
Sure enough, the out-of-control qi and disrupted energy paths began to respond.
The violent qi, which had been rampaging like it was enraged, was being forcibly pulled back into my dantian, while the tangled energy channels were being straightened out by sheer force.
The pain that accompanied this was beyond imagination. Right now, all I could do was grit my teeth and suppress my screams.
‘Damn it…!’
The force pulling the qi back and restoring my energy paths? That was the power of the Tua Pacheonmu that I had learned from Paejon .
Before I had even begun learning the techniques, Paejon had said that the power of Tua Pacheonmu had to be ingrained in my body before I could use it.
The foundation for using the techniques.
An artificial transformation and a forced state of "no self."
It was a brutal power that repaired my shattered body through pain.
That was the power of Tua Pacheonmu.
Of course…
It wasn’t something I could just use whenever I wanted.
“Huff… Huff…”
Once the qi and energy paths calmed down and the pain subsided to a bearable level, I finally lifted my head.
And the sight in front of me brought out a hollow laugh.
‘…This really is an insane power.’
In a place that had once been full of trees and rocks, only a massive scar remained, as if something had swept through it.
It was similar to the scene when I had unleashed a massive flame against the Black Dragon Sword in the past.
And I had created that devastation with a single punch.
One punch.
That was the first technique of Tua Pacheonmu.
It was absurd.
Now that I had used it myself, I could understand more clearly. This martial art deserved to be called a divine art.
‘No wonder that old man’s punches were so terrifying.’
When I had fought Paejon in my previous life, each of his strikes didn’t just hit—they shattered. Now I understood why.
This martial art was solely dedicated to destruction and transcendence.
It was perfectly suited for that purpose.
But, there was a problem equal to its power.
Right after using the technique, my body was a wreck. My energy paths were in chaos, and my qi was running wild.
On the night Paejon attacked me directly with the technique, I immediately understood why he said learning through direct experience was faster.
The Toapa Cheonmu I had absorbed in my body responded on its own.
‘A martial art that teaches itself…’
It’s ridiculous. Even after experiencing it firsthand, it’s hard to believe.
How is this even possible?
Right after Paejon landed a blow on me and I was gasping in pain, he left me with one sentence before disappearing.
“From now on, figure it out on your own.”
How absurd that was. He beat me up and then told me to handle it myself? That old man was truly insane.
At that time, that’s exactly what I thought.
‘Why is this working?’
Just like Paejon had said, Tua Pacheonmu was showing me how to move.
If I intended to extend my arm, the qi would move first, as if to show me the path.
Then I would instinctively know.
How to apply my qi, where to place my feet, and how to twist my waist.
The qi would show me the way.
If I deviated from the flow of the qi, pain would act as a guide, telling me I was doing it wrong.
In this sense, though it might sound impressive, Paejon was right—this technique wasn’t that difficult.
All I had to do was punch straight ahead. The complexity came from the application of the qi during that short motion.
‘Compressing the qi is hard enough, but why is controlling it so difficult?’
I had to compress the violent qi and focus it into a single punch through my body.
The effort required to maintain that compression slowed my movements and made everything harder, but I had to endure and move.
All the while, the pain persisted.
In the midst of my dulled movements, I had to delicately control the flow of qi to keep it from scattering and release it precisely at the end of the punch.
Only then could I unleash the Ilkwon —one punch.
It wasn’t much of a technique, just a single movement, but I could sense the countless insights contained within that single punch.
The problem was the overload it brought to my body after using it. The world turned yellow with pain, which was no small issue.
Because the qi was so rough, my energy paths and qi flow would twist the moment I used it.
Toapa Cheonmu would restore it almost miraculously, but the pain was so great that using the technique multiple times was frightening.
‘It’s not worth the cost.’
One use left me in this state. Even if it was on par with my Flame Orb, there didn’t seem to be a need to use it.
What I did understand, though, was that…
‘This is its power without even being fully mastered.’
In this untrained state, it was already this powerful.
Even if the pain was excruciating and the prerequisites were extreme, this martial art deserved to be called a divine technique.
I staggered to my feet.
My breathing was still unsteady, but I forced myself to act calm as I looked behind me.
There, with his arms crossed and a satisfied smile, stood Paejon .
He seemed quite pleased.
“For a first try, not bad.”
“…Do you not see that I’m about to die?”
“You’re not dead, are you?”
That damn old man…? I couldn’t help but frown at his overly blunt words.
“How does it feel? Think you can handle it?”
“No. I can’t do this a second time.”
“So you can do it once. Good enough for me.”
“…Why are you always so unnecessarily positive?”
He seemed positively thrilled despite my condition.
“You seem quite excited.”
“Of course, I am. You did much better than I expected.”
“This is better?”
It looked like I had done well, judging by the aftermath, but the rebound that left me in this state wasn’t exactly a plus.
And I did well?
I stared at Paejon in disbelief, and he chuckled before continuing.
“Looks like you’re mistaken about something.”
“Mistaken?”
“I thought it would take you two months, but you did it in seven days and nights. How could I not be pleased?”
Two months?
Was this supposed to take two months? All for a single punch?
Paejon approached me, still talking.
“It may look like a simple movement. And even if it’s the simplest, it’s the one I worked hardest to create.”
Since it was the start of the technique, it made sense that Paejon
had put a lot of thought into it.“Anyway, since you’ve succeeded in using it, you should understand now just how intricate it is.”
“Yes…”
What I had called simple was only the movement. It looked easy, but what was happening inside was anything but.
Compression, maintenance, control, release.
Each of those four elements had to be perfectly aligned, or the qi would explode inside me.
And then I would be writhing in pain. I had repeated this process countless times.
I had suffered for days. But now, I had finally succeeded.
“Do you realize how impressive it is to have achieved that in just seven days?”
“….”
It didn’t feel particularly impressive. No matter how difficult it was, all I had to do was endure the pain.
Paejon continued as he noticed my unimpressed expression.
“I’ve said it before. No matter what…”
He was clearly very pleased.
“When it comes to my martial art, there is no one better suited for it than you.”
“…”
“Well done. Very well done.”
He patted my shoulder and walked away.
I still wasn’t used to this genius treatment that seemed to annoyingly flatter me.
‘…A martial art that suits me.’
But I could feel it to some extent.
Toapa Cheonmu was indeed a martial art that fit me.
Not because of anything special, but because the simple logic of enduring and withstanding suited me best.
I shook my head, pushing the thoughts aside. I couldn’t afford to get carried away by a few compliments.
“Oh, by the way, kid.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just so you know, I forbid you from using that technique in real combat without my permission.”
“…”
“And no practicing it outside my supervision either. You know why, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
The reason it was forbidden.
If used incorrectly, this martial art put a tremendous strain on the body.
If something went wrong, only Paejon could fix it, so I wasn’t allowed to use it without him around.
Satisfied with my response, Paejon disappeared.
Alone again, I immediately collapsed onto the ground.
“…Phew.”
The world was still spinning, and the aftereffects lingered.
Only after Paejon left did I finally let out a sigh of relief.
‘I did it.’
I had been worried about failing, but luckily, I had succeeded.
At the same time, a slight irritation rose within me.
‘If I had known I had two months, I wouldn’t have pushed myself so hard.’
Paejon had said it wasn’t that difficult, so I had stayed up all night, thinking it wouldn’t take long. But it turned out he had expected it to take two months.
“…Well, I guess it worked out in the end.”
It was a bit frustrating, but success was success, so I decided to leave it at that.
As I lay there, someone’s presence approached from a distance.
Sensing the person, I sat up slightly.
Thunk.
Someone landed softly nearby.
With light, graceful steps, the White Lotus Sword appeared.
“Hello?”
I nodded slightly at her bright greeting.
“You’re here.”
“Wow, I showed up at the perfect time, but why are you lying down?”
“…I feel a little dizzy.”
I got up again.
Though she tilted her head at my answer, the White Lotus Sword didn’t press any further.
“You told me not to come near when you were training. What’s up?”
“Training just ended… And I have something to discuss with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes.”
At my words, the White Lotus Sword ’s eyes lit up.
Whatever she was thinking, it wasn’t what she expected. This wasn’t a conversation she should get too excited about.
I glanced at her and asked.
“Do you have time this evening?”
The White Lotus Sword ’s eyes widened, and she grinned, gesturing at me with her hand.
“Oh my, are you trying to woo me? Oh my, oh my. So many ladies, but you’re still going for this one….”
“That’s not it.”
I frowned, denying her nonsense.
What was this woman talking about? Woo her? Who was wooing whom?
“No?”
“Absolutely not.”
“…Really?”
The White Lotus Sword looked a bit disappointed as I moved on to the real issue.
“Do you remember when I asked you for a favor?”
“I remember.”
When the White Lotus Sword had said she wanted to continue guarding me, I had set a few conditions.
One of them was that she would grant me a favor later.
She had accepted, even binding herself to a restriction to ensure it.
“I want to use that favor tonight.”
At my words, the White Lotus Sword flashed an unsettling smile.
“Tonight… See? You’re totally trying to woo me.”
“I’m not.”
“…Why not?”
Why not? It just wasn’t!
Why was this woman so fixated on that idea? It was ridiculous.
As I kept denying it, the White Lotus Sword furrowed her brow and asked.
“Then what is it?”
The favor I was going to ask had to do with one thing.
‘He’s here.’
The Green King had arrived not far from here.
Given the timing, he should’ve arrived by now, and if not, he was already watching.
I had laid some groundwork to prepare for this, and my favor with the White Lotus Sword was part of that.
Tonight, I planned to go see the Green King myself.
He wasn’t foolish enough to attack the transport unit directly, especially since the head of the Paega family and the Poison King were both present.
No matter how reckless he was, he wasn’t dumb enough to attack in such circumstances.
He was probably biding his time, waiting for the right moment.
So I would go to him first.
It was better that the Poison King and Green King didn’t confront each other directly, and I didn’t want them to meet face to face.
While organizing my thoughts and letting my body recover, the White Lotus Sword asked me another question.
“So… You’re really not trying to woo me?”
“…”
I had to run my hand down my face before I could even get to the favor.
I already felt drained.