The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 32: 161-165, a 13 tzameti fanfic

House of Goblins, New Murim Alliance Headquarters.

In a manor that only the Murim Lord could enter, Seol Jungyeon stared blankly at the scarlet sky above. Accompanying her in the table in front of her was a very rare Murim liquor, Cheonghaju(淸夏酒). The very same liquor she enjoyed all the time when she reigned as the supreme leader of the Cheonma Sect. She indulged in it when there was an event to celebrate such as when a new Expert finally became a member of the sect, when a loyal subordinate achieved new enlightenment, or when it was someone's birthday. Within the beautiful fence of Cheonma Sect, Cheonghaju was always with them whenever they had a happy time laughing and chatting.

So, when she lost the sect and returned to Earth, she no longer drank Cheonghaju. She was afraid that once she tasted it once again, the beautiful memories of that time would flood her mind. And if she kept thinking about those days, her heart would become dull.

Lifting a cup of Cheonghaju with her white hand, Seol Jungyeon could see the reflection of her pink eyes on its white liquid. Those pink eyes, which had softened by much, were once dyed redder than anything else.

Those red eyes had opened the heavens and the earth in the name of the Cheonma Sect and placed the world under its rule.

At that time, she had nothing to fear. She had people under her that were more reliable than anyone else, stronger than anything else, and more precious than anything else. Until this day, she still remembered their names and faces vividly.

Seol Jungyeon could see her own smile reflected on the surface of the liquor as she thought about them.

Jang Seo-Young, The Great Emperor of Heaven. Goo Yoon-Ak, The Black Horse. Han Do-Woon, The Light-Blooded Warrior…. One by one, their names come to her mind. She had countless family members back then, but she did not forget even a single one. Afterall, how could she forget? Until this day, she still couldn't erect a tomb for them. So as their monarch, albeit a failed one, she kept their names in her heart.

Even though she had met Yoo Seodam and gained a new life, Cheonma Sect was still heavily etched in Seol Jungyeon's heart.

However,

"Now is the time to let go."

Seol Jungyeon lifted the Cheonghaju and gulped it all at once. It was bitter yet refreshing, just as she remembered it.

As she put down her cup with a thud, her pink eyes lit up. She had the chance to return to Murim once again. She made a vow to herself that once she returned, she would make a tomb for all her family members.

Because it was time to finally let go.

Before executing my plan, it was necessary to figure out the location of the passage to Murim. And it turned out to be a much simpler process than I thought.

"Look here."

As Yekaterina points at the monitor, Me, Taylor, Ha Sun-young, the Spirit King and even Smiling Shadow tilted our heads. As if figuring out that she couldn't show it through the small monitor, Yekaterina burst into laughter and tapped the window of her office.

"Oh oh!"

"Ugh!"

Then, the window darkened. The beautiful scenery that had been there only a second ago had instantly been replaced by a large monitor. Through the corner of my eyes, I looked at Smiling Shadow. Even though he pretended not to be surprised, I knew that he was the most surprised among us all.

"Great."

After I glanced at the Smiling Shadow who regained his composure with a cough, I turned my gaze back to the monitor. There, a video was being played.

"Video of the demon in Pretoria."

"Correct. If you look at it, the demon first appeared exactly in the west of Pretoria. So, I dispatched a few agents and ordered them to look for its trail, but demonic energy was detected all the way through the west."

Demonic energy, it was something that could not be measured in a normal way, but for Another League which dealt with soul magic it was possible to some extent. Of course, it doesn't even reach the level of clearly pinpointing a specific target, but it was enough since the demon's magic energy itself was huge.

"To the west, huh…"

"The most important thing here was that the demon had never changed direction."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's just as I said, the trail that we found was making a straight line. Ignoring all roads and landmarks."

So, in other words, the demon walked in a straight line before finally arriving at Pretoria?

Yekaterina opened a map and zoomed it out, revealing the demon trail before it arrived at Pretoria.

"It goes through Rustenburg and goes all the way to the border of Botswana…after that the trail was completely cut off. We presumed that the demon only activated its power from the moment it crossed the border. First, we were investigating the southern part of Botswana…"

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However, it continued for a long time to the west of South Africa, and in the south of Botswana, if it were a place where a 'passage' could be created, it would be…

"The Kalahari Desert?"

"I think so."

Crazy! The estimated distance alone was over 400 miles.

"The west of Pretoria…. to be more precise. If someone walked 700 km to the 'east' from the origin of the devil without turning once. I'm not sure what this means, but I think we should be careful."

Thinking about it in a normal way, It might be that the demon just visited the big city with the most human traces and exerted its power. However, the fact that it moved in a 'straight line' without any change of direction even in the slightest was really bothering me. What if that distance and direction are the conditions for the first manifestation of the power of the demon?

"Anyway, I have to go to the Kalahari Desert. In the meantime, Yekaterina, you have to study the soul magic as much as you can, and find out who the demon possessed."

"Okay. Ah.. Seodam-nim, currently, we are checking through all airports around the world to find out who entered the Kalahari Desert."

I nodded at her words. It won't be easy. The Kalahari Desert spans through many countries, so thousands of people can enter the country every day, so how could you check every single one of those people?

The only hint we currently had was that the culprit is a 'witch', and the general public would not be able to even go near the Kalahari Desert, let alone dungeons, so if you research based on superhumans, the answer will surely come out someday.

"Then… Seodam-nim, are you going to that dungeon, that is, Murim?"

I could see Ha Sun-young's expression became slightly rigid as he heard Yekaterina's question.

To this day, there were still many Murim people who wanted to return to Murim. And many of those people were following Bang Ho-win and even created an organization called Murim Hohyanghoe. So, I was thinking of using this event and returning all members of Murim Hohyanghoe to Murim…

"Probably, in order to pass through the passage, you have to be at least an SS rank or higher. Any lower than that and there's a chance that you will never be able to return."

Even for SS rank or higher, just passing through the passage would take a great toll on their body. And for that very reason, I needed a protective suit to take Seol Jungyeon noonim safely.

Speaking of protective suits, it was just an ether-coated suit that was strongly enchanted with 'spatial defense magic'. Of course, making special protective clothing to protect against spatial magic, which does not exist in modern times, could only be said to be a waste of money, but Another League's capital was now quite strong, and it had received support from several companies for its production materials. So, it was possible to make it almost for free.

Moreover, who would dare to say anything when he said that he would make a special protective suit for experimenting with space-based magic? The whole world was still ignorant of the intricacies of magic. That was why it is possible to do embezzlements like this and it was a very nice feeling. Afterall, Korea is a country that was amazingly good at embezzlement.

Another League Laboratory.

In the huge cavity located on the 7th basement floor, while I was watching the two black suits that were almost finished, researchers in white robes approached me and politely explained the suits. I don't know the details, but it looks like they're paying close attention to its defensive capability.

"This should be enough."

As I muttered, the automatic door opened from behind and someone came in. It was Taylor Nine.

"Hey, I'm going with you too."

"Uh? Suddenly?"

She frowned as if she was unhappy with my answer.

"I was told that you're going there with that girl."

"Uh… for now, yeah, it's only me and Noonim."

"That's why I'm saying that I will go too. I also want to see the other world. I'm also SS rank, so I can go, can't I?"

Yes it is.

"Ah, yes, but… why did you want to go? Are you someone from Murim?"

"How do I look like to you? Do I look like a martial artist?" Then she smiles and says. "Well, wouldn't anything be fun if I go with you?"

I nodded my head with a bewildered look on my face. I don't think it's right but at the same I think it was right….

Taylor was a very rare long-distance combat warrior, and had the ability to quietly subdue a large number of people faster and more accurately than me or even Noonim. Her utility that could transform light into various shapes would definitely become very useful.

If there's something that bothers me a little…

'Will Noonim and Taylor get along well?'

I had never seen the two of them meet, so I don't know. But in the end, there was no reason to refuse either. After all, I had decided to not try to solve everything by myself anymore.

"Okay, you can come."

"Yes! When are we leaving?"

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"We can't go right away. If you are also going, we should make more protective suits."

"Why? I see two suits there."

"It's two suits per person. Each time you pass through the portal, your suit will probably be completely shattered. If the protective suit is gone, you have to survive on your own strength. That's why I said that only superhumans with SS rank or higher could do it."

"Huh…?"

Taylor, who had focused more on attack rather than defense, trembled at my words.

"Bah! If it's defense, I'm doing well now."

"Then I'm glad."

Taylor looked closer at the protective suit. It's all black, a tight suit with no design or anything adorning it. Since it was a suit that specializes in movement rather than durability. The pure defense itself will be very low.

"Anyway, I'm going too, alright?"

Saying so, Taylor Nine looked strangely happy.

Three days later.

The news of Another League's Master, Yoo Seodam, going through Botswana to go to the Kalahari Desert had spread throughout the world. It was only natural, because he was the only one who knew how to deal with the demon in the whole world. He had also dispatched a huge force called Taylor Nine to the immediate vicinity of the area where the demon first appeared.

In every channel, you could see Yoo Seodam and Taylor Nine walking through the Seritz Kama International Airport located in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.

Countless cameras focused on them as they walked proudly with sunglasses covering their eyes. Even the president of Botswana welcomed them at the airport to simply shake their hands.

Yekaterina glanced at the news as she slowly read through the soul magic book. The unknown realm of the soul was a very difficult study even in Another League, where magic, science, and martial arts were all mastered. In the first place, it wasn't even clear whether the soul actually existed or not.

Here's a brief summary of what she'd learned so far:

'The soul has no form. It is right to view it as the essence of life, that is, the aggregate of emotions and thoughts.'

'Even without the body, the soul can still function.'

'Interfering with the soul is impossible for any living things belonging to the physical world.'

'However, it's irrelevant if the power to control the soul is present in the body.'

In other words, no matter how much research would be continued here, there was no way to hunt the demon. The degree of emotional confusion caused by the demon might be able to be stopped somehow… But there were still limits on it too.

For now, the fundamental problem would be taken care of by Yoo Seodam. As always, perhaps he would go to another world that she does not know where and destroy the essence of the devil before returning to Earth.

But before that happened, suppressing the demon's activity was all up to her who stayed on Earth.

'If only I could put a spell on any suspect…'

There was always one soul in a person's body. And the spell Yekaterina wanted to cast was a spell that could determine 'how many souls' exists in the other party, and of course, most people would get the result that 'one soul exists'.

But, what if by chance, she discovered a person with two souls? It would mean that the very person was the possessed body of the demon.

'For that to happen, it was necessary to make the spell known worldwide.'

Each of her information would soon be equated with money, but Yekaterina wasn't a type of person who was greedy for money. As long as she could save more people, she was willing to spread all the knowledge.

And by the way, Another League had a YTube channel that has already surpassed tens of millions of subscribers and was on its way to billion subscribers.

'At least, until Seodam-nim returns, I'll try to find the culprit.'

With that thought in mind, Yekaterina turned her gaze back to the TV, and for some reason the noise on the TV had considerably waned. Soon, Yekaterina understood the reason.

"Ah…."

As she watched the TV, she had an illusion that the sound of the woman on TV's heels could be heard all the way to her. The woman who just arrived at the airport had brilliant platinum hair which mixed well with her pure white outfit. light fades as people seem to forget to even press the camera shutter. Even the announcer that had narrated the news since earlier had lost her words.

Yekaterina swallowed her saliva at the woman's alluring appearance that seemed to steal her soul. Transmitting from the TV, Seol Jungyeon walked proudly but gracefully and slowly approached Yoo Seodam, who was standing still.

Then, she looked at Taylor Nine…

"…."

Momentarily stunned, Yekaterina bit her lips.

'Don't tell me…' To others, it may look like the two beautiful women were just looking at each other's eyes, but Yekaterina knew the truth. '…They are going there just to fight each other?'

She couldn't believe it, but it seems like her guess was true.

After the world underwent a massive change as the Great War ended and superhumans appeared, many people might think that a place like 'desert' could be easily conquered by humanity. However, they were wrong. Those places which were rarely visited by humans had also been turned into a much harsher place by some kind of mysterious and unusual energy.

Each desert on Earth had a special trait, and for Kalahari Desert, its traits were 'heat that scorched even superhuman' and 'sand that could even trap superhumans' ankles'. They were both very terrifying traits.

Of course, SS rank and SSS rank hunters were exceptions to those rules.

Seol Jungyeon noonim and Taylor Nine were able to traverse the Kalahari Desert without any difficulty. Noonim even used a very strange way of walking. She just lightly touched the surface of the sand before her feet sank into it.

'Both of them are really amazing…'

Unlike them who walked gracefully without even breaking a single sweat under the blistering sun of the desert, my feet kept sinking into the sand whenever I stepped forward. Fortunately, with the help of Flower Pot, the heat didn't affect me that much. But still, the exhaustion was considerable.

When we were wandering through the desert aimlessly, a huge claw suddenly rose from under the sand. It was a classic attack from a B rank monster called 'Sand King Crab', who always hid beneath the sand to ambush its prey. It was quite troublesome of an opponent.

Swoosh!

Noonim waved her hand and instantly, the claw was neatly cut in two.

"Wow…."

I could only exclaim in awe at her display. It was truly a work of art.

Not only that, Noonim and Taylor also took care of any monsters that had appeared. Noonim took care of all the monsters who attacked from the ground such as Sands of Hell and Sand King Crab. While Taylor took care of monsters which were flying in the sky or launching their attacks from a distance, such as Rain Scavenger and Stingray.

What did I do while they were fighting? I did nothing and just walked. Since both of them could do everything on their own, there's really nothing I could do.

'Am I being protected, right now?"

"Hey. What are you standing there for? Have we arrived yet?"

"Huh? Oh, wait a second."

As I closed my eyes and focused my mind, I felt the power of the system seeped into me.

We are getting closer. There seems to be a 'passage' nearby.

'Okay.'

Albeit faint, I could also feel the distortion of the dimension as well. Could this be because I had repeatedly traveled between dimensions?

"It's there. I could slowly see it."

"Uh? Really? Where?"

Taylor took a sunglass out of her pocket and put them on. Could she really see better by wearing those?

"Ah, I see it now."

On the other hand, Noonim slightly frowned and checked the direction I was pointing at.

At the place we were looking at, a single black tombstone stood. It clearly didn't match the overall ambience of its surroundings. The closer we got, the stranger it seemed.

"It's suspicious. My detective intuition is speaking to me."

"Is that so……."

"Murim is inside of this thing?"

"It wouldn't be, Noonim. You will know once you go inside, but first…"

Presumably, the tombstone in front of us was an entrance to a 'deformed dungeon', and anyone could enter it as long as they had learned a simple 'unlock' type of magic, a magic skill that could open an entrance or a superpower related to unlocking it. It didn't really matter though. Because the most important thing for me was to feel the energy of the tombstone and enter it.

Just by standing in front of it, I could feel the distortion of dimension inside, but anyone who had opened this place and entered must have felt the power of the devil itself.

As the black tombstone opened with a screech, the space leading to the dungeon shook. It was a sight that could be seen dozens of times a year while hunting, but it was still unfamiliar because what was currently unfolding before me was that of deformed dungeon.

The inside of the dungeon was, to be honest, mediocre; An endless red space which covered every corner of the world. It was all steep cliffs and mountain ranges which seemed to not permit any human intrusion. However, no living creatures could be seen anywhere in this world.

"If it's only this much…" It was boring. I was someone who had entered a dungeon full of poison mist, or even a dungeon that took place in the deep sea.

We walked for a while. It was only common sense that deformed dungeon worked differently from a normal dungeon. But it was my first time entering a deformed dungeon which didn't have any monsters inside of it.

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After walking for such a long time, a temple came to our view. It had no characteristics or personality except that it was larger than a normal temple, just like those temples commonly seen in books.

Then, suddenly, the phrase 'commonly seen in books' bothered me.

In any world, demons always take similar form.

'Is that so…'

As we entered the temple, we could see a very large cavity and a ten-story high altar stood on its centre. I could also feel the distortion of the dimension even more vividly.

"We are going to start now."

After climbing up to the altar, Seol Jungyeon noonim and Taylor changed into protective clothing. Wearing tight black suits and helmets, they looked like bikers running down the road at night.

Let's start.

Currently, the portal was half-closed and twisted, which would make the physical body unable to go back and forth. Only the soul could go through it. Though, it was still impossible for souls to come and go freely. But stabilizing it was simple.

I put my hand on the altar, and part of my lifeforce was being consumed.

Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Suddenly, a golden glow burst out, and a soft, jelly-like sphere appeared on the altar.

"Is this… the portal to another world?" Taylor admired the look that was quite different from the portal of a dungeon. It's the first time I've seen something like this too, but I shrugged like I'd seen it a lot.

"Fuhhhh." Seol Jungyeon noonim was taking a deep breath. She must be carrying a heavier load on her chest than me and Taylor. But since I didn't know anything, I couldn't comfort her.

"Let's go."

I grabbed their hands. No matter how much lifeforce was spent to create the portal, if we were separated, the location and time period we landed on could be different.

Chichijik, Chijijik-!!

Eventually, when we collided with the portal, the world trembled and it was impossible to distinguish which direction we were facing. The front became the back and the top and bottom became one, and time itself staggered…

The wind suddenly brushed my cheeks.

"Huh!"

It was the first time for me to move in such an unfamiliar way, so even I was trembling with vertigo.

'What about Taylor and Noonim?'

Worried, I looked back before hurriedly looking in another direction.

Both of them were here and were admiring the changed scenery, but…

"This is…Murim…"

The place we arrived at was a dense forest with a thick foliage above. When Taylor slowly crept into the nearby tree, I hurriedly stopped her.

"Hey, cover yourself."

"Huh? Oh yeah."

As I said that, Taylor looked at me blankly. There was no hint of embarrassment on her face. It seems that she was asking for the clothes I had kept in my inventory. With a sigh, I handed the silver robe with a golden dragon embroidered on it, which I had decided to wear in Murim, to her. And then I turned around and saw that Noonim was also looking at me from a distance. She was not embarrassed, either…

"Noonim, please cover yourself… please…"

I don't know why these women were so insensitive. I mean, is it my share to be embarrassed? I hurriedly took the white uniform she wore earlier from my inventory and handed it to her. And then I also changed my clothes. A black suit wrapped around my body and over it, I wore a dark black coat that reached my knees. I really liked the simple design that my clothes offer, it was not much different from what I wore in reality. I tightened my belt and looked at Taylor.

"Hey… How do you wear this?"

"This is crazy…."

Taylor was quietly hugging her uniform and smiling bashfully.

"Help me wear it."

"Sigh… Only this time okay? Memorize what I show you."

"Good good."

After many sighs, I approached Taylor. With quick movements, I put her robe on, then, Noonim came to mind. Shouldn't Noonim be the one who helps her? When I looked at Noonim with that thought in mind, she was looking in my direction with somewhat subdued eyes.

"Wha..what's wrong?"

When I asked because I thought I had committed a crime, Noonim smiled faintly and shook her head.

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"Nothing. Now let's move. I want to see the village."

"Okay."

Just like that, our outing in the Martial Arts world began.

After running for several days through a cliff that seems to reject human footsteps and an enormous waterfall that seems to separate the world in two, we finally arrived in a village deep inside the forest.

"Hey… it seems that the culture here really resembles China's. Now I understand the reason why they were so adamant."

However, they were only similar, and if someone had seen the Chinese culture and history, they might have noticed the subtle differences between the two.

'By the way, wouldn't silver hair stand out too much?'

Noonim had platinum blonde hair which was slightly mixed with the colour of sunset, while Taylor had dazzling silver hair and a unique eye colour. Because of that, everyone passing by was looking at us… or at least that's what I thought…. but when I looked around, there were surprisingly many people who didn't have dark hair.

It was easy to find brown or blonde hair, as well as green eyes. The skin colour was also very diverse, so it was easy to see the black and yellow-skinned Murim people pouring alcohol in the tavern.

Well…. It seems that the reason why both Noonim and Taylor had received attention so far was simply because both of them were too beautiful…. I'll have to tell both of them to cover their faces later.

"Noonim, were all people of Murim behave like this in the first place?"

"After the earthlings arrived in Murim, many things have changed. I don't know too much about it, but I assumed it must have been due to the influence of the Earthlings."

"Ah…"

In fact, I heard that people from all over the world of various nationalities and races fell on Murim and had devoured them with their overwhelming growth power.

"By the way, what are we going to do now?"

"First, we need to find out where this is. Wherever the demon's body is, there must be a characteristic. I also have to ask around about it…"

I slowly looked at Noonim.

"Also, we have one more important thing to do."

"Ugh… So, first, how about we go to a tavern and eat something?"

"Tavern?"

"Huh, don't you know about it? When you read martial arts novels, didn't they get information from the tavern like every single time? Isn't that a cliché that shows up almost every time?"

I heard Taylor's words and decided that it was true that we need a place to sleep tonight. Following her advice, we moved to the nearby tavern. Most of the taverns also function as an inn, and of course they provide meals.

As we entered the tavern, I sat on one of the empty tables. Then Taylor immediately raised her hand and shouted.

"Excuse me, please give us your menu!"

I covered my face because of her behavior. I was really ashamed.

"You bastard, how in the world would they have a menu here…"

"Yes~ I'll be there soon~!"

"….Huh?"

A waitress suddenly answered Taylor's words in English. It seems that Taylor was joking when she said it, so, when she heard the answer, she jolted up and looked at my eyes with her eyes wide open.

After a while, a waitress really brought the menu, and we checked it out with clear skepticism in our eyes. Chicken Sanjeok, Spicy Chicken Feet, Pork Belly, Cheese Ball Skewer, Ginkgo Skewer, Asparagus Pork Belly Rolls (Special!), Stir-fried Udon Noodles, Hot Sweet and Sour Pork, Fantastic Pork Belly Rolls…

"Come on, wait. Why is the menu like this? Where is the Grilled Duck, Somen Noodles, or Bamboo Leaf Alcohol?"

Somen Noodles and Bamboo Leaf Alcohol were the most basic items available in any tavern in the martial arts world. No, in the first place, it was correct to say that there was virtually no other choice than those two foods.

Then, the waitress looked at me with pitiful eyes as if she was looking at an outdated old man.

"Who in the world sells such a thing these days? You are not trendy."

"…."

"Our restaurant has developed a dish by pinpointing a selling point that many Murim people like! On the first page, would you please look at it? Self-complacency! We have etched it into our hearts and always do it! How about ordering the 'Jadongseong Rib Steak'?"

(T/N this may not make any sense… But the author really wrote Self-complacency…)

Me, Noonim and Taylor, opened our mouths in awe at her fluent vocabulary.

Turns out, this world was not the world of martial arts that we knew.

In other words, this was the World of Martial Arts novels.

So, following the waitress' recommendation, we ate a special course meal complete with dessert and an expensive alcoholic drink.

As I got more and more confused, I decided to completely give up trying to understand this world. When I looked at Seol Jungyeon noonim, she was touching her tiny pink lips with her finger. It seems like she wasn't used to the current situation we were in either. On the other hand, Taylor just looked around with curious eyes as she mumbled 'This is a strange world.'

"Hey. When you read a martial arts novel, valuable information is always circulating in a tavern. Would it be the same here?"

"Be careful about what you say, many people are paying attention to us." I said to Taylor. In the martial arts world, there was a group of beggars who could also be called as an eavesdropping expert. Even now, the beggars wandering around our tavern were quite suspicious.

After saying that, I concentrated for a moment. I was trying to feel the aura of Aracelli, who had always followed me whenever I traversed through dimensions. She and I had placed a mark on each other's souls, and even though I wasn't as good as Aracelli—who could feel my presence in any dimension—at the very least I could feel her when we were in the same dimension.

…However, Aracelli's energy couldn't be felt at all.

Because Murim is the closest dimension to Earth. It seems like this dimension is too far away for her to come.

'Is that so?'

Somehow, knowing that Aracelli couldn't follow me even after I moved to another dimension made my heart ache. I promised myself to treat Aracelli better next time we meet.

Seol Jungyeon noonim, Taylor and I were still quietly drinking alcohol at the tavern.

"Hey, I told you it was the truth. That guy calls himself 'Silver Bulldog'!"

"Crazy. There's no Silver Bulldog in this world! You are being fooled!"

"Huh, is that so? I learned English as my mother tongue."

It was hard to focus on the conversation around me, because there were too many confusing things that happened.

"I used my footwork to left ducking to dodge an attack, before throwing a punch, and they were all gone in one shot."

(T/N The left ducking is written by the author…)

"That's great Hyung-nim! To commemorate the slaughter of them this time, let's have a drink!"

"Okay! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Of course, although we did not have any intention to kill or find anyone there was still a limit to the information we could obtain from the tavern. But at least it helped me get a sense of the atmosphere here. Strangely, the proportion of people who used English in addition to Chinese inside the tavern was quite high, the ratio itself was around 2:1. It's like Korean pretending to be Korean while writing everything in English.

"Did America even rule the Murim League? Why is it like this?"

As I quietly asked such a question, Noonim who sat quietly next to opened her mouth and said "…it's probably because of me. At that time, I used English all the time."

"Is that so? Ah…."

Come to think of it, didn't Noonim tell me that at one time, as the head of the Cheonma Sect, she had almost united Murim under her? Her title comes from the fact that she was a supreme being who had reached the level of extreme demons that would never be seen again in the world. … although she lost everything after losing to Supreme Dharma.

(T/N a reminder, Cheonma could be translated into Heavenly Demon.)

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"Noonim, where is the location of the Cheonma Sect?"

"It's in Xinjiang. Northwest from here."

The name seems to be similar to Chinese. However, the spelling of the Chinese characters used was slightly different.

"We need to get a map."

"Hey, do we even have any money?"

Nope, we don't have any. I was going to make payment in gold nuggets because I knew that gold was a valid currency in any world. As I opened my mouth to explain that, someone tapped me on my shoulder. I look back, trying to see who it is. And there I saw a group of tall men with sly smiles plastered on their faces.

"Hey, my friend. Is it okay to hog two beauties alone? Shouldn't you make some concessions to this brother?"

"Oh…"

I sighed. If you go with beautiful women in a martial arts world, a must-have cliché would certainly happen! It was tavern thugs.

I glanced at Taylor. Her face was clearly saying that she was looking forward to this development. Normally, she would hate it when being treated like this, but it seems that currently she was really liking it because of her love of martial arts novels.

In other words, to sum it up,

"Here it is. Our wallet."

A tavern could be said to be similar to a hostel. A single room was of course not available. So, I had planned to take two double rooms, one for myself and one for the girls. However, the two of them were very reluctant to do it, so I had to get a four-person room. There was no room for 3 people or something.

While they went to take a shower, I laid myself on a large bed and pulled out a letter from my inventory. When I said that I was going to Murim, Smiling Shadow gave me a letter to meet with 'Shadow Group'. Unlike the Murim League's intelligence team, Shadow Group was a group of assassins, so of course they were also proficient in intelligence gathering. A letter from him, who was once the head of 'Shadow Group', will certainly be of some help to us.

When I tore the letter, a dark energy leaked out and soon took shape of map and address. Once I memorized it, it quickly disappeared. Just how did he keep it so secure? It seems that mugong also had many strange things in many different ways.

Bump!

The door opened, Noonim and Taylor, who seemed to be finished, came in. Both of them were slightly blushing. There was no convenient technology like a hair dryer in this world, that was why their hair was still wet. Come to think of it, I think I've read some groundless article somewhere that a woman with wet hair could look attractive… Just why didn't they dry it when they could easily dry it with their aura?

I looked at them with those thoughts in my mind. Oblivious to my thought, they just smiled and stared at me. I couldn't even ask such a strange thing, so I just left it as it is.

"Hey. Do my clothes again."

Taylor's clothes were indeed a mess. So, I approached her and organized her clothes. While I was doing that, I could feel a hot gaze from my side. Without hesitation, I quickly fixed her uniform before sitting down on the table and opened the map I had procured.

"This is the forest where we first set foot."

I pointed at a place on the map, it was Baeksan Forest. It was a large forest located in the western region, and it was said that wild plants covered the entire area. Such details were of little use to us and had been skipped over.

"And, if we go about 700 km east from there, we will find 'Cheonghae'. It's known as the realm of the Kunlun sect, but I don't know if that's still the case. Noonim, what is Kunlun Sect?"

Seol Jungyeon noonim, who had been thinking for a while, said with a shrug. "It was a group that hated us."

Well, it was understandable. Xinjiang, where the Cheonma sect was located, was almost touching Cheonghae. No matter how much the Hundred-Thousand Mountain and the Cheongsan Mountain range protects them, in the end, it will be impossible for them to escape from the control of the Cheonma Sect.

"There were many Taoists who practiced their technique there, but they were too vile to be called Taoists. They were the first to attack us even though we didn't even do anything."

"Hm…."

That's suspicious. The image of the Kunlun Sect in my head was a well-mannered aristocrat. They couldn't be that barbarics beyond reason, could they?

"I don't know what they are thinking about, but Kunlun was the one who kept attacking and starting a war when my family didn't do anything."

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"Yes?"

"At first, we had no intention of going to war. …No, I had no interest in war or occupation in the first place until the Kunlun Sect continued to attack us after gaining support from the heads of the Murim Alliance."

Come to think of it, why haven't I wondered about it? No matter how many times I saw Noonim, she was clearly a gentle person. Even though that slender arm could wield the world's strongest swordsmanship, it had never attacked anyone first.

By the way, I haven't even asked her about the reason behind her dream of uniting Murim yet…

"For some reason, the Kunlun Sect had a grudge against us from the beginning. The previous head of Cheonma Sect, Gal Hyuk-jun, had not moved since he settled down in Xinjiang, and as far as I know, in the past 100 years, Cheonma Sect had never attacked Jungwon Murim. Yet, they keep touching my people and family members in Murim…"

There's only one way to stop it. Putting Murim under her rule. From the story I heard, she had almost ruled the world while only fighting to protect her own people.

'Should I say it's great…?'

To summarize, the Kunlun Sect had always been trying to attack the Cheonma Sect since ancient times, and in response, the Cheonma Sect had no choice but to wage war. However, using that as an excuse, Kunlun Sect received support from the Murim Lord at that time. My feeling told me that it was exactly what they were aiming for.

Kunlun Sect whose behaviour was no different from a thug.

"I think there's a chance that the demon might be hiding in the Kunlun Sect."

At my word, Noonim's and Taylor's expressions turned rigid. I could surely understand their worry. Afterall, It's a place with a lot of power since all of its members practice magic, so they could naturally fight well.

"Actually, it's fine, we can just close the portal and run away."

Saying that, I glanced towards Noonim. For me this world was a world that I don't know. So, it didn't really matter much whether the demon conquered the world or cooked Jjajangmyeon here. But for my Noonim, this place was almost like her hometown. So of course she was worried.

However, Noonim only closed her eyes without responding to my words, and our brief meeting ended.

I forced my tired eyes to open. In this room, there were two large beds that could be used by two adults each. One was supposed to be used by myself, and the other one was supposed to be used by Noonim and Taylor. However, currently, the other bed was empty. There was no one who slept on it. Noonim and Taylor were sleeping at my side while hugging each of my arms.

"… damn it. I thought they would let go last night."

Till dawn, the two women, who were clearly adults, had quarreled childishly over the bed. I don't know the reason. So, I forced both Noonim and Taylor to sleep on the other bed while I took one bed by myself, but it seems that they couldn't stand it. Because before long, Noonim and Taylor had woken up from their sleep. I couldn't even remember what happened last night, so I couldn't say anything. But what I knew was that they were both shameless.

"Let's have breakfast."

When we went down to the first floor, I saw quite a few people getting up early and eating. Among them, some warriors were also mixed in.

'Would it be more convenient for me to be a 3rd class swordsman?'

It's probably a good idea since a 3rd class swordsman identity was a good identity to be active.

Just like yesterday, I called the waitress and ordered the breakfast special set menu before leaning back to the chair. Noonim and Taylor had their whole bodies covered in pure white robes, even their face was half covered with black see-through veil. They had very uncomfortable expressions on their faces, but there was nothing I could do about it. Their appearances were just too eye-catching.

In Noonim's case, she used to be the leader of Cheonma Sect, and there was a high possibility that someone would be aware of her identity and become an annoyance for us, thus the veil acted as some kind of safety measure.

At that moment, my ears perked up at the voice of whispers from around me.

"I heard that the Cheonma Sect has begun their activities once more."

"That was what I heard too! The former leader had disappeared and the Cheonma Sect was completely annihilated, I wonder how they could start again…"

"Was there any chance that the current leader was an impostor?"

"I don't think so. The current leader was so powerful, rumour said that a single swing from the leader could cut through Mount Tai!"

"Hey. That's an exaggeration, my friend. Do you still believe in rumors?"

Cheonma Sect… they were resurrected But, how? From what I heard, everyone had died.

With a bewildered expression, Taylor and I slowly turned towards Seol Jungyeon noonim. She was staring at the floor with quivering eyes, completely losing her usual serenity.

How did the Cheonma Sect become active again? The news had sowed doubt in our minds. However, I couldn't let Noonim's mentality get shaken by it. That's why I quickly grasped her hand to comfort her. Then, startled, Noonim raised her head and met my eyes. Although most of her face was covered by a veil except for her eyes, they were so beautiful yet mysterious and could make people's hearts flutter simply by seeing it.

"Noonim, let's think about it positively. In any case, it is a good thing that the legacy of the Cheonma Sect continues without being cut off."

Although the Cheonma Sect follows the teaching of the Heavenly Demon, it was said that evil parts of the teachings had long been abolished from their sect by the sect's previous lord, Gal Hyuk-jun. He did it because he didn't want to rule the world with blood and violence, and just wanted to quietly live in his own territory. It was said that the elders at that time had no choice but to follow the words of Gal Hyuk-jun since he was someone who possessed overwhelming power. And when Seol Jungyeon ascended to the seat of lord, the sect had become a completely clean sect without any influence from political factions.

In other words, the resurrection of the Cheonma Sect did not have any negative impact on the world. Although I don't know what the current resurrected Cheonma Sect is like… I can only say positive things to Noonim.

"That's right… Thank you." Realizing what I meant, Noonim smiled faintly and nodded her head.

"By the way, is it really impossible to impersonate the Cheonma Sect?" Taylor, who took turns looking at me and Noonim with a frown, mumbled a question.

"Don't you know that every sect has a unique martial art of their own?"

"Well, that's true." Taylor nodded at my question.

That was also why the situation was even more burdensome. People of Murim weren't fools. There was no way that they couldn't tell the difference between the idiots who pretend to be part of the Cheonma Sect from the real one. In other words, it was possible that someone who had learned the Cheonma Heavenly Art had re-established the Cheonma Sect…

"There's only one person who comes to my mind."

"Yes?"

Noonim sighed heavily before smiling.

"A long time ago… After the death of the Lord, I met a pitiful child."

Noonim said she met the child for the first time in the back alley while she was walking on the street trying to shake off her loneliness. The girl, who was a beggar, secretly approached Noonim's pocket, which seemed to be full of things, and of course she wasn't able to steal from an Expert and Noonim quickly caught her by the collar.

'Put me down! You wicked woman!'

Instead of feeling offended by the girl's words, Noonim saw her young self in the child. Although her childhood was not as wild, daring and courageous as the little kid, she thought that she resembled herself in running desperately to live and survive. So, Noonim took the girl in.

Noonim faintly smiled as she told us the story.

"She had a very good swordsmanship, and I liked her personality that hated losing to others. That was why I personally taught her swordsmanship."

Noonim said the talent the kid possessed was great. In addition to that, her desire to be strong was also admirable, allowing her to easily surpass any adult in an instant.

However,

"She got into accidents all the time."

Because the girl was pretty, there were too many men who approached her. But even though it was only a simple approach, the girl couldn't stand it and knocked all the men out.

And despite several warnings given by Noonim, she said that the girl's childhood memories of being raped by a bandit made things worse every passing day, and eventually she castrated several male warriors of Murim.

"She was an unfortunate child. Her never-ending distrust for man grew bigger day by day, and I eventually had no choice but to expel her. My heart ached so much at the time…"

However, thanks to being expelled from the Cheonma Sect, the girl survived. Is that really a good thing? Me and Taylor couldn't say anything.

As the atmosphere got colder, Noonim quickly finished the long story.

"Anyway, if that child was the one who re-established the Cheonma Sect, then she could be trusted."

"That's… good. But it seems that Noonim still wants to go there and check it out for herself?"

"That's right. I need to pay respect to my deceased family member and meet the new Lord. Since I came back alive like this, she will definitely welcome us."

I smiled at her and nodded my head.

Please, I wish it was true.

After a quick breakfast, we left the village. It was to meet the intelligence group 'Shadow Group'.

Perhaps, because this world was a world of martial arts, there were a lot of difficult paths along the way, such as a road that could barely be passed by one person or a path on the edge of a steep cliff. However, such topography was not a problem for us. Even me, the lowest level here, could walk vertically on the cliff if I wanted to.

But, even though we could easily go to our destination even if it was not a comfortable forest path, Taylor's constant pestering, 'Let's go through the forest path! There's something I want to see!' gave me no choice but to choose a common road that ordinary people use.

Half a day after we choose to walk through the forest path,

"Kah ha ha! these guys! Where are you going to go?"

'Things Taylor wanted to see' had finally appeared. The man who stood in our way had dark skin and yellow teeth that clearly show that he hadn't washed well. His hair was dirty and tangled in many places, he was only wearing a vest-like garment that didn't fit his body well.

"Oh oh! It finally came out! The Nokrim!" Taylor squealed.

It was none other than the Nokrim, a bandit group who was dubbed as 'passing villain' or 'early protagonist's combat power gauge' in martial arts novels.

"Hahahaha, It seems you've heard of our notoriety, so you know it well! Yes, name is Wang Chil-deuk, the leader of the Eighteen Green Trees. If you want to go live, give us all of your valuables!"

Taylor's eyes twinkled when the very obvious line came out. She put her hand together in front of her just like a girl who had met a superstar, it looked like she would easily give the bandit a single gold nugget.

I glanced around and saw that the number of bandits was about 100. It is larger than I expected. It is too cumbersome to fight, so I just took out a money bag and threw it away.

Then, a sudden thought crossed my mind. 'Is this a cliché where they simply ignore you once you give them what they want?'

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And as expected, Wang Chil-deuk did not let us go.

"Look at these, you do have a lot of money! Give me all your remaining money!"

"That is all we have."

"How dare this bastard talk back to the boss?!"

"Ha ha, stop it. If they get scared and piss themselves, won't their clothes get smelly? Your clothes are splendid, are you a young master from somewhere? Take that off too and give it to me."

"Oh, hey. This is soooooo great. It is exactly like what I had imagined!"

"…."

Next to me, Taylor keeps hitting my side and making a fuss. Is it really that good?

Wang Chil-deuk suddenly slung his sword over his shoulder before rushing towards us and reached out for Taylor.

"Heh, When I heard the voice, it sounded like a woman, should I see your face first?"

The development that follows was obviously interesting to watch, but Taylor, who hates direct interaction, swept away all the bandits with a beam of light without leaving a single one alive.

In martial arts novels, it could be said that this kind of treatment was excessive for a mere common villain, but in the real martial arts world, the more you deal with them, the better. People who see women as objects and steal other people's things were not needed in the world even if they were alive.

"Huhu, cleaning up trash is always fun. Shall we continue on our way now?"

Looking at Taylor, who seemed content after relieving her stress, Noonim and I could only shake our heads.

Our destination was a city named 'Seoryusi'. Its name was derived from the fact that the entire city turns white when it snows. It seems to be too bright of a city for a group like Shadow Group. But whatever… It's not really my business.

Along the way to Seoryusi, we met a lot of thieves, while we rarely encountered monstrous beasts. We even met an Expert who came out of nowhere and challenged us to a duel.

There were a lot of unusual people in Murim more than what the novel had described.

One time when I was sitting on the edge of a cliff to admire the meadow which stretched underneath, I saw warriors of Murim who shot their arrows towards a giant crow named 'Black Devil' that had appeared behind me. There were also merchants who flocked into a small hut to take whatever they stored there. I also met a hermit named 'Kang Tae-gong', who was casually fishing in a lake while sitting on the edge of a huge waterfall and had to experience an annoying night attack from him when we were staying in the village built on the cliff for a while.

Murim was a much livelier world than I had expected. Seol Jungyeon noonim always smiled whenever Taylor and I saw something new and then kindly explained them to us. It seemed she was also enjoying it, so I was relieved a little.

So, for two weeks, we had a very brief leisure time and were able to arrive at Seoryusi.

Seoryusi was a very beautiful city as its name suggests. The river-like structure which runs through the centre of the city was beautifully sculpted in marble, reminiscent of modern crafts. And most of the buildings in the city were the same size as if they were planned. The buildings that are larger than normal ones in the city all belonged to the sects. From traditional martial arts names such as 'Chongsanpa', 'Mahodang', and 'Cheonryuhoe' to some fantasy names such as 'Blue Mind Sect', 'Destroyed Sword Guild', 'Speed of Speed Steel Party', etc.

After looking at them, Noonim was silent for a while before saying a short word, "…there are a lot of new sects."

We quickly went to the Shadow Group's place. It was located in an alley called 'Saro's Street', and it was said that the alley was ruled by various gangs called 'cheoldupa' (mafia in terms of earth).

The back alley itself reminds me of a red-light district on Earth. The prostitutes were subtly poking out their bodies for people who walked by to see, and it seemed that it didn't matter whether the passerby were male or female.

"Hey, oppa, let's play together~" The muscular man kept sticking into me, it was so ridiculous and troublesome.

"Um, it's a bad place."

Taylor looked around with a crumpled expression. Fortunately, because Taylor was small, she was well hidden behind me, so the female prostitutes didn't cling onto her.

As we passed them and went deeper into the alley, some bastards standing in stiff posture with shabby weapons in their hand such as iron rods and bats were blocking the road. But as soon as we looked into their eyes, we knew. In a place like this, they weren't just pretending to be a thug.

'They were at least an Expert.' Noonim whispered to me. I nodded quietly before approaching them.

"What do you want? I think you've taken the wrong road, I'll let you go if you turn back now."

One of them came to talk to me pretending to be a thug, but I ignored him and held out my hand. There was a tattoo of a V encased in a circular border engraved on my arm. It was a tattoo that came along with the letter from Smiling Shadow. Seeing it, the thug nodded as if he was used to it.

"You are a guest of honor. We will guide you."

The thug… No, the member of the Shadow Group instantly changed his tone and led us to a certain building. As soon as we entered, we moved to the basement. I thought we would be greeted in a dark space, however, contrary to what we thought, he took us to a very bright and bustling place.

"…"

The place we arrived at was a large training hall with hundred warriors encircling us like a Colosseum. In the middle of it, a man was sitting quietly with a desk laid in front of him.

We sat on the seat across from the man while glancing at the warriors in our surroundings. Then, the man greeted us with a relaxed smile.

"Nice to meet you. It is an honour to have a distinguished guest in front of me."

"Thank you. I came here with the introduction from 'Smiling Shadow,' the former Lord of the Shadow Group."

When the name came out, the warriors in the training hall stirred while the man in front of me just laughed bitterly.

"My name is Hwa Ryujin. Of course, it is a pseudonym."

"Is it okay for you to show your face?"

"I can change faces at any time, so it doesn't matter. Originally, I didn't even say things like this, but I don't think lying could help me build trust."

"When you say it like that, it actually builds trust."

Of course, even this so-called 'trust' could have been intentional, so I didn't completely trust him.

"By the way, who are these warriors? Your subordinates?"

"No. You can think of them as another group of information that is lurking all over the world. Because we are 'sharing' information, the conversation that happens here will naturally reach their ears."

They were what people called shadow warriors planted by numerous sects. From huge sects that you could immediately recognize by just hearing names such as Cheongseong, Jongnam, and Hwasan, to organizations that you hear for the first time but were very powerful in reality. To be honest, I felt pressured, but I did not express it.

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"Well, by the way… As the head of the intelligence group, this is the first time I've ever asked a customer for information…" Hwa Ryujin carefully asked me. "How is the former head doing?"

In response to that question, I remembered Smiling Shadow and his men, who not too long ago tried to betray their comrade when they were on the verge of death. Smiling Shadow was clearly not happy about it but…

"Yes. Well, he's doing fine."

"I'm happy."

I could feel that he's not sincere with his words. If this man was still genuinely worried about Smiling Shadow, it would have been better for him to go to Earth. Of course, the man was not someone from Earth, so there was nothing he could do about it.

"That's good. Anyway, with your relationship with the former head, I'll help you just once."

"Isn't that too little?"

"As an intelligence group, even if we keep our loyalty… we still have to look at the net profit."

To be honest, it doesn't matter much for me. After all, I didn't plan to stay in Murim for long.

"What you want is information, right?"

"Yes."

"It seemed so. Each and every one of you has an aura that I can't even dare to touch. You don't need power."

"Yes. First of all, I want to find out about a certain 'divine object'."

"A divine object?"

"A divine object related to 'dimensional movement'. Murim's 'demon' has leaked into Earth. Perhaps, it was an object with the power to connect the Earth and Murim."

In Earth's language, they called it a core, but in Murim, it's not called that. So I decided to just call it a 'divine object'.

"Hm… A demon, huh?"

He pondered for a moment before nodding his head.

"There is only one object I could think of."

"Yes?"

To be honest, I didn't expect the information to come back immediately when I brought out the words 'dimensional movement' or 'demon' and I was just thinking of asking him to find something related to it. Because it was just such a silly story. However, Hwa Ryujin immediately gave an answer.

"The general public may not know, but… Some rumours were spreading among the people who are already familiar with it. Rumour said 'Kunlun was infected by demon, they wield powers from other worlds'"

"Perhaps the rumors are true…"

"It is indeed so. In fact, they are doing some pretty heinous magic. It is similar to the one used by 'Magyo' 100 years ago, but in a more terrifying and cruel form…"

It was said that the magicians of the past were able to forcefully empower the inner energy of their body, and in an instant, their strength could be doubled or tripled. However, it was a technique that was rarely used in the political faction because it was easy to fall into backlash and tends to become violent.

"All the warriors of the Kunlun Sect are learning martial arts normally. When they are not fighting, they maintain a gentle personality. But… when the moment of battle comes, they change as if they become a completely different person."

As if they had become a completely different person…. Even a child could easily guess that it was the handiwork of the same demon that had caused several accidents on Earth.

"All of that happened after a mysterious divine object they call 'Magic Orb' appeared in the Kunlun Sect."

Noonim's eyebrows twitched at the word 'Magic Orb'.

"… it's a story from more than a few decades ago."

"Yes. At that time, the influence of the Magic Orb was very minimal, but it was recorded that there were small changes. However, this sudden change in the Kunlun Sect's tendencies only occurred after all the warriors from Earth returned to Earth." Hwa Ryujin said. Destructive, violent, and more brutal than any other martial arts, the Kunlun Sect possessed overwhelming force, and even now they were trying to devour the Murim Alliance.

In other words, it meant that even when the Kunlun Sect repeatedly started wars by attacking the Cheonma Sect, they were already in a state of being encroached by the 'Magic Orb'.

'The more I heard the more fusion martial arts this world became.'

Was it common for demons to appear in martial arts fields? I don't know for sure, but it's definitely quite unconventional. If I hadn't killed the protagonist of this world, Lee Dongjun, I was certain that the demon related things would have spread to him.

Starting with the Saekma Bang Ho-Win, Murim was engulfed by demons which gradually crossed to Earth. Perhaps that was the main story of 『Turns Out My Dad Was Supreme Dharma』.

Of course, I had killed the protagonist by my own hand. So, from now on, I have to deal with all this. This was a sense of duty that I carried on my shoulder.

"Hm, it would be really tough if it's Kunlun Sect."

I presumed that the source of the demon's power and the core responsible for the portal were almost identical. In other words, from the beginning, the demon had the power to cross dimensions. Then, by chance, the demon crash-landed on Earth that was once connected with Murim, and it was possible to speculate that it was able to completely descend on Earth by possessing a certain earthling who knew its existence.

In the first place 'dimensional movement' is not a difficult field for demons. It will be much easier for you to understand if you recall the cliché of the demon army attacking from 'Demon Realm'.

'Well… That's true.'

The demons in the novel swipe open the portal as easily as stealing candy from a baby. The cost was mostly 'loss of power', and it was a basic cliché to make up for it by contracting with humans or absorbing power from humans.

Perhaps, in the current case, it was replenishing its power by turning to the Kunlun Sect. It's been decades since then… To be honest, hunting demons by myself was a waste of time.Though, it would be different if Aracelli was here, but that child couldn't even come here.

Then, it left me only one viable option. Destroying the Magic Orb to prevent demons from manifesting in Murim and Earth. But, how?

Then, suddenly, Seol Jungyeon slowly stood up from her seat and threw off her hood and veil.

Her platinum blonde hair, resembling the sunset light, fell down. Her shining appearance shone brilliantly even in this stuffy space. Hwa Ryujin shook violently as he saw her and unknowingly kicked off his chair and got up.

"You… You are the former lord of the Cheonma Sect, Seol Jungyeon!"

The agitation of the Murim people who were watching our conversation around us reached its peak. In the midst of the 'trading' of information, their lips trembled as they spit out words.

"The Supreme Cheonma…"

"She has returned…?"

I looked at them in amazement. As the 'eyes and ears' of all Murim groups were gathered here, Noonim's appearances would spread throughout the world within a day. Seol Jungyeon spoke in a relaxed and sluggish tone, but it certainly contained an overflowing confidence.

"Tell the world, that I, Supreme Cheonma, has returned."

Murim Alliance. It was an organization established by the Nine Great Schools which were hailed as the most prestigious groups in m

Murim. Their purpose was clear, it was for the peace and well-being of the entirety of Murim.

However, as the time passed, their purpose had also shifted. Why? Thinking back on the matter, it seems that it had started when the power of the Kunlun Sect—which could be said to be the beginning of mugong in Murim—became huge.

In Murim Alliance Headquarters, all the elders had assembled to answer the call from the Murim Lord. Murim Military Advisor looked at the elders without saying anything. It was clear that they had come after hearing the same news as him, or they were just trying to manage their facial expressions. Perhaps, if the emotions they feel were the same as him, it would be 'blissful'.

The military advisor looked around slowly before his eyes finally laid at the man who was sitting in the farthest corner. Although the official leader of the Murim Alliance was the Namgoong family, that man was in fact the Supreme Leader of Kunlun, the most powerful sect amongst all sects present at this meeting.

In the past, there was a time when the powers of the Cheonma Sect and the Kunlun Sect clashed violently. It was because the power of Kunlun Sect had gradually waned in the passing times, and had been pushed back by other sects who had absorbed numerous genius talents from the 'other world'.

The Kunlun Sect must adhere to tradition. With such a will, they hardly accepted people from another world. Thanks to that, their position in the Murim Alliance gradually diminished, and at the time, no one found it very strange.

Perhaps, because of that very reason, the Experts of the Kunlun Sect provoked the Cheonma Sect even more strongly. But the truth is, no one knew their exact reason except for the fact that the Kunlun Sect excessively stimulated the 'fear' of the people of the Cheonma Sect.

The Murim Alliance could not understand their actions and did not even try to understand them. Then one day, when a competition was held…

People of Murim realized.

'Kunlun Sect's martial arts have become stronger!'

Why? Because when it comes to mugong, even the warriors of Murim who come from Earth—who were born with innate strength and talent—were no match to Kunlun Sect. However, it did not simply stop there, the mugong of the Kunlun Sect had also developed at an overwhelming speed.

The Kunlun Sect, which had developed rapidly, was finally able to drive the Cheonma Sect to the corner. However, it didn't end there. When Seol Jungyeon finally appeared on the battlefield, the war situation was completely turned upside down.

With the power she held, she truly deserved to be called as the strongest under heaven.

None of those who had witnessed the sword dance of the Supreme Cheonma—which was said to resemble a lotus flower—survived. No one in the whole world dared to stand straight in her presence or even meet her eyes.

Supreme Cheonma truly showed no mercy to those who had touched her people. And by the request of Kunlun Sect, the Murim Alliance urgently dispatched their forces. Unfortunately, it was already too late. When Cheonma Sect crossed the Baek Mountain and came to Murim, the whole world had to bow down under her feet.

Then, at that moment. Supreme Dharma appeared.

'The bad past came to mind.'

Namgoong Min frowned. The man had said that he enforced 'justice', and swept away the Cheonma Sect as he branded them as 'evil'. Did he really know what was going on behind the scenes? The fact that the Cheonma Sect was the only existence capable of suppressing the Kunlun Sect, who had been working all sorts of tactics to monopolize Murim.

With Supreme Dharma's intervention, Supreme Cheonma disappeared without a trace along with the Cheonma Sect, and after that, the momentum of the Kunlun Sect began to rise once again to taint the Murim Alliance with their own colour.

No one could stop them.

Despite their equal skill, for some reason, the Experts of the Murim Alliance were always caught up in fear that could not be understood by simply making eye contact with the Expert from Kunlun Sect, making it difficult for them to move. Their martial arts seemed to contain a mysterious power that could move people's emotions.

It was impossible to fight against their irresistible power. Fortunately, not long ago, Cheonma Sect had been resurrected by someone, albeit their influence spread pretty slowly thanks to the fact that they were fighting against Kunlun Sect and it still could not prevent Murim from being completely stained by Kunlun Sect.

And in the midst of the Kunlun Sect's encroachment to the Murim Alliance, a sudden news appeared.

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'The Supreme Cheonma, Seol Jungyeon has returned.'

It was really good news that gave hope to all people of Murim.

"From now on, we will examine the authenticity of the news of Supreme Cheonma's return."

When the Military Advisor, Namgoong Min finally broke his silence, the elders nodded their heads. But deep down, everyone knows it. The news of her return was a real one. And, the Murim Alliance would not block the progress of the Supreme Cheonma.

He rather thought that it would be better if Supreme Cheonma ran wild and destroyed herself together with the Kunlun Sect.

"It was too dangerous."

I expressed my concern seriously to Seol Jungyeon. To reveal herself in a place where the eyes and ears of all the powers of Murim gathered was simply ridiculous. Even when she was someone from the Magyo, She currently had little power aside from her own power, what will happen once people from Murim Alliance come to her?

But at my words, Noonim just faintly smiled and shook her head.

"It's okay. The Murim Alliance will not stop me."

"And why is that?"

No matter how strong Noonim is, Murim Alliance was not one guy who would sit still and suffer because they also had their pride.

"Well… Would it be easier to understand if I say it was because of political reasons?"

"Hmmm."

I hummed. If it's a political reason, the cliché of the martial arts world came to my mind. Murim Alliance was a gathering of political factions that was created By Nine Great Schools. It was a group that acted like a police force in Murim which always said something like 'Young people these days…' or 'Why are you in politics if you scream that loud when your pride gets scratched a little?'

Anyway, that was the Murim Alliance I knew. In fact, in most martial arts novels, Murim Alliance was a group that wasn't really a big deal. They were always the one who ended up shutting their mouth in front of the strong even when they hated them so much.

"I think they want me to stop the Kunlun Sect." Noonim's brief explanation followed, and I nodded with a firm expression.

'Supreme Dharma, he was worse than I thought.'

Perhaps, if there were 'readers' in the world of『Turns out my Dad is The Supreme Dharma』 they would have never known about the truth that people of Cheonma Sect weren't really the bad guys. The fact is, the Kunlun Sect was the first to attack them, but then, they were purged just because Supreme Dharma labelled them as evil.

"Hmmmm… the more I listen, the more I become certain that the power of the demon is interfering with Kunlun Sect."

"Ugh… Just what demon appeared in the Martial Arts world? It's not even a fusion martial art genre, it's just a jjamppong martial arts genre." Taylor grumbled.

"The steak you are eating right now doesn't make sense in the martial arts world too, right?"

Taylor just shrugged at my words before dumping a piece of steak with a fork and munched on it. It doesn't seem like she had any particular intention to keep her dignity or manners when she's with her close friend.

"With all evidence from Earth and Murim, it is safe to say the demon hiding in the Kunlun Sect was stimulating human emotions such as 'fear' and 'anger'. The Kunlun Sect then incorporates the demon's power into their martial arts, so it has a powerful power."

Perhaps the power of the demon is the ability to 'draw out one's own anger to amplify their power' and 'to stimulate the fear of others and weaken their power'. It is such a simple power, but it is a difficult one to respond to for humans who are always dominated by emotions.

"Anyway, no matter how strong we are, the three of us can't fight against the entirety of Kunlun Sect."

In general, in the world of Murim, the content of mana (essence) in the air was extremely scarce. It was to the extent that it takes 60 years of constant training for ordinary people to build up the strength of their body and become a peak rank Expert. Well, there are exceptional cases like 'Warrior of Murim from Earth'.

However, even if those peak rank Expert's ability was only on par with A rank superhuman, they had never ignored their experience and control. The evidence of their superiority had been proven by Celeste who had shown people from Earth that Murim swordsmanship was capable of dealing with superhumans with higher energy than herself.

There will be hundreds of such peak rank experts in the Kunlun Sect, and there will be more than a hundred high-peak experts. In addition, Jang Moon-in, the lord of Kunlun Sect, was a Hwakyung expert, and in Murim, there was a technique called 'jinbeop', and when many people join forces, the synergy of it would become several-fold stronger.

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(N: Hwakyung is equal to an SS rank, Seol Jungyeon is one rank higher than those guys which is Hyunkyung/SSS, as for Supreme Dharma, he's pretty much 1 tier higher than SSS rank/Shinhwakyung)

In other words, the odds of a head-on collision are close to zero.

But… Noonim just smiled softly.

"Is there truly just the three of us?"

Saying that, Noonim took out the envelope she had received from Shadow Group. Inside it was information on 'Cheonma Sect'. No matter how transparently they disclosed information transactions, there were times when customers wanted the information to be exchanged privately. In that case, only the fact that a transaction took place will be known but no one will know what kind of information was exchanged.

It was the case for the information related to the Cheonma Sect. To be honest, there was no need to do it, but it seems that Noonim was reluctant to give information to other sects about the Cheonma Sect explicitly.

"According to their information, the child who used to be my disciple is the one who re-established the Cheonma Sect."

The girl's name was Baek So-hwi. Unlike Noonim, she was a woman who used a very wild swordsmanship. She was so talented with swords that she had reached the realm of Hwakyung in her twenties and surprised the entire Murim.

Oddly enough, all members of the current Cheonma Sect are all women. But despite that, it was said that there were already 50 peak rank Experts and 10 high peak Experts within the sect, so it was easy to see just how quickly she was building the power of the Cheonma Sect 'according to her beliefs'.

Noonim just said, 'She's been working hard.' But I felt a bit uneasy.

"That child will also welcome me."

"Isn't that obvious? In Murim, the relationship between a teacher and a disciple is stronger than blood!"

Noonim and Taylor excitedly chatted as they prepared to leave quickly. Taylor seemed to be quite excited at the thought of seeing the famous Cheonma Sect—which she only read in novels—for the first time while Noonim was excited because she would return to her hometown she had been longing for. But me, I was rather calm and just fiddled with the letter 'about the Murim Alliance' I had received from Shadow Group. Since it was a transparent information exchange, there were no sensitive issues being traded. It was just a brief description of how the Murim Alliance works…

That alone was of great help to me. It allowed me to understand to some extent the power balance of this world and the composition of the story, because it was information that I could use as much as I could.

"You know… Noonim."

"Hm?"

"Are you planning to fight the Kunlun Sect with the power of Cheonma Sect on your back?"

"That's right."

It was, of course, an obvious plan. But I wondered if it was really necessary.

"Noonim, what do you think about the Murim Alliance?"

After thinking about it for a while, Noonim slowly shared her true thoughts.

"They are stupid old people. They are a group that would do anything just to get a piece of gold for themselves."

With those words, I could understand the feelings Noonim had for the Murim Alliance.

It was true that Murim Alliance was originally a 'gathering' formed by the Nine Great Schools, and although they seem to exist for the sake of the Murim's order, in fact, they were people who did not hesitate to do anything dirty for their own benefit.

With that in mind, I thought that maybe there might be a way to overcome this situation with some ease, without getting blood in Noonim's and Taylor's hands.

As usual, it was a pretty dirty method, but it was quite easy to pull off as well as have a high chance of success.

"Come on, let's go. I am looking forward to seeing just how much that child has grown."

But at Noonim's pleasant smile, I only shut my mouth and nodded. Because the plan I came up with was only to ensure the safety of the three of us.

For that reason, even if it's for my Noonim, I had to meet the woman called 'Baek So-hwi', the current head of the Cheonma Sect.

'But somehow, I feel that if I meet her, I will be stabbed in the back…'

It was such a ridiculous idea, but my 'intuition' which was honed from my experience was warning me. Moreover, it was a talent which I was most grateful towards since it allowed me to survive the hell called Hell Gate for three years, so I couldn't simply brush the idea aside.