After parting ways with Joo Gwangsik and Yoo Hoseong, Kim Seo-jun headed straight home.
He couldn’t help but wonder, since he’d been given a new life, shouldn’t he take the chance to do all the things he hadn’t done before, and really enjoy a fun, fulfilling life?
But when it actually came time to enjoy himself, he found he couldn’t.
He kept seeing the faces of his parents, who had died at the hands of the Heavenly Demon Warlord in his previous world, along with the countless other victims.
The images of the seven comrades who were the only ones he’d ever formed real bonds with, being brutally killed, were still vivid in his mind.
And then, there were the Demon Soldiers, so terrifying they bordered on nightmare.
Just thinking that those horrifying beings could appear even in this world, which was, relatively speaking, peaceful, made it impossible for him to relax.
‘Cheon Gang-woo. That guy could exist here too, under a different face.’
Cheon Gang-woo was a Chinese martial artist belonging to the Central Plains Murim.
He had mastered countless peerless martial arts that had been accumulated in China over countless years, and on top of that, he inherited the lineage of the Demonic Sect, suddenly becoming the strongest master in all the Central Plains Murim.
At thirty, he unified the martial world, and in just nine years, he had seized Korea, Japan, and the whole of Asia in his grasp—a legend in his own right.
Even European knights, American gunslingers, and African tribal warriors were helpless before Cheon Gang-woo’s might.
‘If that guy exists here too… wouldn’t he be a pillar of evil again?’
Sitting at his desk in his room, Kim Seo-jun was lost in such thoughts.
Remembering this, he logged into the Rift Management Bureau intranet.
He searched every name he could remember of the core figures in the Demonic Sect.
But nothing came up.
That was because Professor Shim Jae-deok’s ID didn’t permit searches for foreign Hunters’ names.
‘I hope you’re living a different life here, Cheon Gang-woo.’
If Cheon Gang-woo were to appear again as the greatest villain, he believed their meeting would be inevitable.
If that happened, Kim Seo-jun steeled himself once more—no matter what, he would risk everything to protect his family and the happiness he had finally found.
For now, Kim Seo-jun decided to put off the search for those tied to the pillar of evil and lay on his bed, recalling memories of his former comrades.
Park Dae-man, the eldest, who always protected the younger ones reliably, never once acting false.
Yoo Hoseong, so kind-hearted, who always took care of everyone and watched over them.
Oh Chang-seok, short and plain-looking, but who had saved them numerous times with his incredible spells.
Jung Wook, same age as Kim Seo-jun, who, thanks to his hot temper, would throw a punch before thinking.
Kim Yoo-ra, a woman whose fiery personality overwhelmed even the men.
Choi Dong-hyun, who, with his handsome face and arrogant pride, was more attached to Kim Seo-jun than anyone.
And the Goddess of Beauty, Han Se-ah, who still stirred strange feelings deep in his chest to this day.
He had already met four of them.
They were living in this world almost unchanged from how they had been in the previous one.
Of all his comrades, Han Se-ah was the one he most wanted by his side, but that was just wishful thinking—a reckless hope.
‘Maybe I won’t be able to make Se-ah a comrade here…’
Kim Seo-jun set aside his personal wishes and decided that, for now, he should make Park Dae-man his first companion for the days ahead.
‘Before that, I have to strengthen myself first, right?’
It was four o’clock in the afternoon.
There were still two or three hours left before dinner.
Kim Seo-jun headed straight to the rooftop.
It was the end of June, with daytime temperatures steadily rising.
Clad in a simple tracksuit, Kim Seo-jun spread out his mat on the rooftop and sat cross-legged as usual.
What he was focused on these days was the Dual-Mind Technique.
With his left hand, he performed Solar Divine Art; with his right, Asura Ultimate Slash, taking on the roles of both sides at once and devoting himself to his training.
The duel between the heavy, dignified energy of his left hand and the fast, light energy of his right was unexpectedly intense and tense.
Rather than simply moving according to some predetermined order, like playing a rigged game of Go-Stop by himself, he truly split his mind in two, making his left and right hands move completely independently.
So much so that beads of sweat dotted his forehead from the focus he poured into the duel between his two hands.
It was a fierce contest, as if it were a real fight.
But gradually, the left hand wielding Solar Divine Art began to take the lead.
Sensing that the right hand was about to lose, it deliberately created an opening, lured the left into a trap, then used Reversing the Tide to launch a counterattack.
The left hand, already having trouble dealing with the speed of Asura Ultimate Slash, found its movements greatly restricted as Reversing the Tide unfolded.
Then, the right hand struck back at the power of Solar Divine Art, and the left, faced with double the force, was about to be flung away. That’s when something amazing happened.
Jijijik
A marble, about the size of a finger joint, appeared just in front of the left hand.
It emitted a massive burst of crimson light.
The power of Reversing the Tide shot out by the right hand was sucked into the marble in an instant.
Like a sponge absorbing water, the marble gulped down the force, shrinking in a flash to the size of a bean. And then—
Pwoosh
The red bean shot straight through the right palm.
“Ugh!”
Kim Seo-jun felt a wave of intense pain and shock at the same time.
He quickly released the Dual-Mind Technique, grasped his right hand with his left, and looked in the direction where the red marble had pierced through his palm.
The marble had already flown far up into the sky, out of sight.
But he witnessed another sight.
Flash!
A portion of the high sky was dyed in brilliant red light, and then dozens of white bolts of lightning shot out in all directions. Three seconds later—
KWA-RRRRRUMBLE
A powerful thunderclap struck his ears.
The astonishment at the incredible phenomenon caused by the red marble was greater than the pain from his pierced right hand.
This was an application of Solar Divine Art that even Kim Seo-jun hadn’t known about.
If he hadn’t split his mind with Dual-Mind Technique and made his two hands duel, he might never have learned this skill for the rest of his life.
He quickly composed himself and pressed the acupoints of his bleeding right hand to stop the flow.
Then, he took the ‘Cup of Restoration’ artifact out of his dimensional pouch.
It was as small as a soju glass, but shaped like a tiny wineglass, stem and all.
Pouring water into it and drinking would grant a regeneration effect.
He poured the bottled water he’d brought for after training into the cup.
Only then did the pain from the hole in his palm surge in earnest.
“Ugh…”
He’d experienced this kind of pain dozens of times in the previous world, but to the body of the young Kim Seo-jun, this was an unfamiliar sensation, and felt several times more painful.
The water in the cup began to take on a blue hue within seconds.
Kim Seo-jun downed it in one gulp.
Like quenching a deep thirst, a refreshing energy spread through his entire body.
Looking at his right hand, he saw the veins bulge and fill with blue light.
The blue glow instantly wrapped around the wound at the center of his palm.
Once the light began to flow, the pain vanished.
After a few more seconds passed, Kim Seo-jun witnessed an astonishing sight.
Sssssss
Cells regenerated in his pierced palm, nerves and blood vessels reconnected, and flesh began to fill in again.
Kim Seo-jun blinked in amazement, and in no time at all, the wound had vanished as if it had never existed.
‘That’s some insane recovery!’
This was beyond mere healing; it was practically regeneration.
He didn’t know what the limit was to the wounds that could be regenerated, but even this much was already incredible.
Only the bloodstains all around him proved that he’d suffered a serious injury just moments before.
Kim Seo-jun picked up the Cup of Restoration.
Where it had been white, the cup had now turned gray, presumably because it was in its reuse cooldown.
[ Cup of Restoration ]
-Pour water into the cup and infuse it with mana to create a potion with restorative effects.
-Healing Effects: Regeneration, poison neutralization, fatigue recovery, minor illness treatment
-Cooldown after use: 24 hours
He could see the artifact’s information by pouring mana into the hand holding the cup.
The Cup of Restoration had a wide range of effects—regeneration, neutralization, recovery, and healing.
Any one of these would make an artifact amazing, but this one had four.
‘This is relic-class, isn’t it?’
Among artifacts, those ranked A or higher, with especially outstanding effects, are called ‘relics.’
Peering at the Cup of Restoration with his mind’s eye, it clearly had 310 mana, making it rank A, but he’d never expected it to have such phenomenal, relic-level abilities.
‘Is it an ancient relic, or a modern one?’
Relics were divided into two types: ancient relics, which had existed since time unknown in the world beyond the Rift, with unknown creators; and modern relics, created by Hunters who had awakened the mysteries of crafting.
In the past, you had to cross the Rift to obtain an ancient relic, but now, ancient and modern relics could be found anywhere, so it was hard to tell them apart.
‘With effects like this, it must be ancient. Either way, I can’t afford to lose this.’
Kim Seo-jun carefully wrapped the Cup of Restoration in both hands and stowed it securely in his dimensional pouch.
“Oh my! What is that—are you bleeding?”
As soon as he entered the house, Mrs. Baek Yeon-ji recoiled in shock.
He’d rinsed off as best as he could with bottled water, but there were still splatters of blood on his clothes—her reaction was only natural.
“It’s nothing, just a little nosebleed.”
“A nosebleed? Good grief. Is your training really worth bleeding over? Your dad always told you, didn’t he? Power gained through strain can never be stronger than the power you gain while enjoying yourself.”
“Yeah, I get it, so don’t worry.”
“Alright. Go wash up and let’s eat.”
Baek Yeon-ji seemed convinced by his claim that the bloodstains were from a nosebleed.
“By the way, Mom, how’s that training method I taught you? Is it any good?”
A few days ago, Kim Seo-jun had taught Baek Yeon-ji the ‘White Palm Art.’
He’d described it only as a hand-strengthening technique to practice alongside breathing exercises, but in truth, it was the signature secret martial art of his former comrade, Kim Yoo-ra, from the previous world.
The moment your hands turn white, there’s nothing you can’t pierce or block—the White Palm Art.
Kim Seo-jun had taught martial arts to Baek Yeon-ji as preparation for future dangers.
“Oh, that ‘White Something’ thing? I was just about to thank you for it. Ever since I started practicing, my body feels light as air! My skin feels firmer, too.”
Mrs. Baek pinched at the flesh on her arm.
Just as she’d said, her skin was radiant, with the firmness unthinkable for someone in their forties, and the wrinkles around her eyes had mostly vanished.
‘So the effect is working properly.’
Seeing his mother in high spirits, Kim Seo-jun felt happy too.
“Keep at it every day—the effects get better the more consistent you are, so don’t skip a day.”
“Of course! I wish I’d known about this sooner. Didn’t you teach your dad too? Every night before bed, your dad and I face each other on the bed and practice the method you taught us.”
“Face each other on the bed? Does that even work?”
“Why wouldn’t it? These days, your dad is in such great shape. Should I say that old charm is coming back? Oh my, what am I saying in front of my son?”
Blushing, Baek Yeon-ji hurried off to the kitchen.
Watching her, Kim Seo-jun couldn’t help but smile contentedly.
‘Their marriage must be even better now. At this rate, am I going to get a baby sibling?’
Kim Seo-jun scratched his cheek as he thought, for the first time ever, about having a younger sibling.
After a quick dinner, he went to his room to check on the changes in his abilities.
[ Kim Seo-jun ]
-Mana: 112 / Inner Power: 99
-Mystic Arts: Reversing the Tide (16%) / Solar Divine Art (18%) / Telekinetic Barrier (2%) / Asura Ultimate Slash (2%) / Mind’s Eye (2%)
When Kim Seo-jun saw the stats, his eyes widened like saucers.
‘Inner Power, 99?’
Before his afternoon training, it had definitely been at 92, but now it had risen to 99.
Plus, Solar Divine Art’s mastery was up to 18%.
‘Was it because of that weird skill I used earlier?’
A Solar Divine Art technique even he hadn’t known about.
That he could cause a thunderous explosion with lightning and thunder in the sky using a single crimson bean, like the sun—truly astonishing.
It had been triggered unconsciously, so he hadn’t controlled its range or power at all, but if he could master it, its destructive power would surpass even Heavenly Bow Shot.
‘Should I call it “Heaven Thunder Orb”?’
‘A marble that calls forth thunder and lightning.’
He hadn’t completely figured out how to use Heaven Thunder Orb yet.
He’d attacked with Solar Divine Art, countered with Reversing the Tide, and then, in a situation where Solar Divine Art countered once more, the technique had emerged.
‘A counter to a counter…’
As he pondered the principle, a realization hit him.
‘If I use Reversing the Tide while Solar Divine Art is active, absorb that counterstrike into my own body, and then reconcentrate the rebound force into Solar Divine Art, I can create that marble!’
Since he’d already experienced it firsthand, he could deduce it.
But knowing the theory was one thing—how well he could actually control it was another question.
‘If I try this here, the apartment could collapse.’
Using Heaven Thunder Orb would require extreme caution.
No matter how much he minimized his inner power and practiced carefully, even the slightest mistake could lead to a major accident.
‘I’ll have to go to a mountain or forest tomorrow.’
An empty forest would be the perfect place to practice Heaven Thunder Orb.
With that decision for tomorrow, Kim Seo-jun quietly practiced energy circulation with Solar Divine Art until he fell asleep.