Chapter 145 Cheonma-dong (4)

Cheonma-dong, the mysterious cave that transformed ordinary people into a grandmaster of Moorim’s powerhouse called the January Clan, also known as the Demon Cult. Of course, that was predicated on the assumption one returned alive. Moorim was a place where most were willing to do anything to grow stronger, regardless of righteousness.

As proof of this, ever since the location of Cheonma-dong was first discovered 500 years ago, all sorts of people headed there to train. This was the first time the major sects and the demon cult, who used to ignore each other, engaged in a major conflict known as the Moorim War. The starting point of the war marked the death of hundreds of thousands of warriors in just a year.

“Destroy all relevant records and all those who even know a little about this.”

“Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”

The Demon Cult won the fierce war, and history was recorded by the winner. At that time, Cheon-ma took extreme measures against all of Moorim, and Cheonma-dong remained a sacred place for the Demon Cult until the place was marked once again on maps worldwide 500 years later.

“We cannot repeat that war.”

Good, evil, and demons. The three groups gathered in front of Horizon Lake for the first time in 500 years and signed a treaty. They couldn’t do anything about those who already entered amid the confusion, but they worked together to deny everyone else entry.

“What a joke. Many of those who entered Cheonma-dong were the disciples of the righteous factions and warriors from the Black Sword Sect. What are you going to do about that?”

“I acknowledge that Cheonma-dong is part of the Demon Cult. If someone comes back alive from there, they will be held responsible regardless of their affiliation or status.”

Of course, they knew. Perhaps the representative was sincere, but the other powers would try to protect them rather than hold them accountable if it were their affiliates.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

But, the Demon Cult couldn’t afford to go to war. No, rather, there was no guarantee that they would win if they went to war, now that Heavenly Demon’s position was emptied. Therefore, certain that Cheon-ma returned from the Tower to Moorim, they signed a treaty to buy time.

However, they couldn’t help but remain anxious. As her humble followers, this might not be an appropriate thought to have, but what if Cheon-ma didn’t return? What if she abandoned them? Then, what should the rest of them do?

“…So it was all an unnecessary anxiety.”

The black sky gradually began to clear, as if the long night had finally ended and a new sky was revealed. The Celestial Demon and Blood Sword King, looking up, knelt on the ground, feeling an overwhelming sense of hope. No, not just the two of them.

Flop.

All the demons guarding the Horizon Lake felt blessed and shouted, looking toward where Yoon-seok disappeared.

“Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”

It was a scene that made the rest watching shudder.

Meanwhile, while thousands of demons cried hooray, Yoon-seok was dumbstruck. The stone tomb that rose from the lake was said to be the entrance to Cheonma-dong. So, he thought it would be connected to a set of stairs leading further down into a crypt or something.

‘I didn’t know it would turn out like this…’

The moment when the Forgotten appeared, they moved the frozen Yoon-seok safely to the entrance of Cheonma-dong.

「You have entered Cheonma-dong.」

「Current entry 878.」

The space changed, and that message appeared, which could only mean one thing. Cheonma-dong was related to the Tower of Heaven.

“…”

However, he didn’t think the Tower made this place. Perhaps the person who created Cheonma-dong had modeled it after the Tower’s system. In other words, it was highly likely they were a challenger. He still had no idea who that might be, however.

‘That’s not what’s important.’

When his rigid state from Immortality was lifted, Yoon-seok quickly stood and looked around. A stiff stone chamber that reminded him of the waiting room greeted him. He only saw a stone gate and a rock in front of it, however, instead of a statue. Several more messages appeared as he examined the gate.

「1st level has started.」

「All powers, stats, and skills are sealed.」

His body returned to its mundane state, although he still possessed Divine Ultimatum. Yet, it was impossible to use Skywrath Energy directly because his magic was sealed.

‘Well, I don’t intend to, even if I can.’

To become as strong as possible, he crossed over to Moorim and reached this place through the many masters standing guard. Thus, it would be pointless to cheat here.

「Use a training sword to break the gemstone.」

Was this the first test? Yoon-seok stood in front of the rock, holding an iron sword.

‘I know what it’s like.’

What this test required was clear. The easiest way to beat strongness was to surpass it with a stronger force, but he hoped to learn another way, for example, like this.

‘Follow the grain.’

Yoon-seok struck the gemstone over the top with his sword. No magic was used to amplify his normal physique. And yet-

Slash-!

Yoon-seok’s sword cut the gemstone in half.

Drrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Then, along with the phrase that the 1st level had been concluded, the stone gate slid to the side, kicking up dust.

‘Is it because it’s the first one? That’s easy.’

Yoon-seok felt that it was a bit boring, but it was a given. He had already completed the first tactic of the Heavenly Sword by mastering Softness Overcome Hardness and harmonizing strength and gentleness.

「2nd level has started.」

「Your sight disappears.」

As he passed through the straight passage, his eyes turned dark. Only the system phrases were visible.

「Avoid the woodblocks, get through the passage, and reach the next level.」

「When more than three attacks are taken, you will be moved back to the initial starting point.」

Yoon-seok calmed his breath and focused on his hearing.

Whir, whir, whir! Thudddddd! Thump!

Rough metal echoes filled the hallway, but he could tell where they were even if he couldn’t see them.

‘Are you telling me to close my eyes and get through here?’

Although he cleared a level, his abilities and skills were still sealed. However, it wasn’t difficult for Yoon-seok. It was unintentional, but thanks to the training he underwent to improve his agility, he was already fully prepared.

‘Shall we go?’

Without delay, Yoon-seok moved between the passages. Then, the woodblocks approached Yoon-seok, whirring along the way. Since there were dozens of them, they drowned each other out in a loud hum. Despite that, Yoon-seok accurately pointed out and classified each noise, forming a clear image in his head.

The presence or absence of sight was no longer important.

Whik! Whik! Whik! Whik!

Sometimes he bent; sometimes he paused. As if Yoon-seok could see, he moved forward step by step to avoid the traps.

‘This is easy too.’

Maybe because it was still only the 2nd floor, it wasn’t difficult to reach the end. The next level began immediately.

「3rd level has started.」

「Your hearing disappears.」

Darkness, and now he couldn’t even hear his footsteps. Even in this state, there was one thing Yoon-seok had to do.

「Pass the maze and reach the next level.」

「After 10 minutes, you will be moved back to the initial starting point.」

He had to pass through the maze without being able to see or hear anything. The contents of this new test were so difficult that even Yoon-seok was dumbfounded.

‘Are you telling me to rely only on touch? …Let’s give it a try.’

Yoon-seok moved slowly, touching the wall with his left hand. At the same time, he began to figure out the maze structure by counting his steps. But it was impossible to pass through within 10 minutes.

「Exceeded time limit.」

「Move back to the starting point.」

「Physical strength is recovered.」

Yoon-seok, returning to his original position after 10 minutes, walked the same way as before. He quickly realized one fact.

‘I see.’

The maze structure hadn’t changed. In other words, he had to slowly expand the map in his head. This was a level that tested his spatial perception, memory, and persistence.

‘What a hassle.’

Yoon-seok wasn’t pleased, but he had no choice but to soldier on since he was already here. One, two, three, four times… continuing through the maze, Yoon-seok expanded the area of the map. Aside from being entangled like a system of ant tunnels, the maze was too wide. Even if he knew the exact route, it was impossible to break through in 10 minutes.

‘Do I have to run instead of walking…?’

Yoon-seok laughed. With this, the difficulty went up drastically. If there was even a slight difference in his stride in this maze, he might end up on a strange path. But running?

‘Well, there’s nothing I can’t do…’

Yoon-seok sped up without fear, following the right path without touching the wall with his hands. He wasn’t afraid of running into the wall; he had the map in his head.

‘Turn left and take 72 steps. Turn here and take 130 steps.’

He’d gather enough information on where to go. Therefore, it didn’t matter whether he walked or ran. If he could maintain a certain stride without an inch of error, he wouldn’t bump into them.

‘In the end, the key was how perfectly you could control your body.’

Yoon-seok accurately inferred the 3rd level’s purpose, and he also understood the next level’s purpose as he cleared it quickly. In Yoon-seok’s judgment, it was a trial that anyone could partake in as long as they remained persistent.

“Everyone said that it wasn’t warriors that entered Cheonma-dong, but naive, young people.”

Each level would prove unimaginably harsh to an Earthling. If you went through this process over the years, even an ordinary boy would transform into a human weapon. Of course, compared to the value of the name Cheon-ma, this wasn’t disheartening, but…

「You’ve passed all levels.」

「The basic process is over.」

To sharpen all senses into a blade while dealing with the sword and pushing one’s mental strength to the limit… this was only the basic process.

“…”

Then, what was the in-depth process of becoming a Heavenly Demon? Yoon-seok smiled as he read the next phrase to appear.

「Entering the Door of Life and Death.」

「All senses except touch disappears.」

「Please kill each other.」

They couldn’t even see or hear each other. But they were to kill each other? How should he say this…

It was more demon-like now.