Black Dragon Society (2)
Heavenly Dragon Sword Alliance Ha Seung-hoon.
He was a hero who played a significant role in stopping the demon cult’s uprising during the final war in Beijing, and at just in his early twenties, he had reached a peak level of martial arts.
Those who knew him unanimously agreed that the next champion of the world was already a foregone conclusion.
Given that, it wasn’t surprising that many factions were trying to reach out to him after all the wars were over.
He was only staying with the Zhuge Family due to a slight connection, so their enthusiasm was quite understandable.
If they could pull him in, they’d gain both power and fame all at once.
“I may have stopped the demon cult’s schemes and brought them down, but that doesn’t mean everything is over. The remnants of those who survived are still stirring chaos in the world, and there are countless people who haven’t managed to overcome the turmoil and are still groaning in pain. I want to help those people, even if just a little.”
In such a situation, he announced his intention to travel around the continent.
From the perspective of the Zhuge Family, who were putting all their effort into rebuilding their clan, it wasn’t odd to feel anxious that the treasure they had almost secured might be snatched away by someone else.
“I want to join in on that meaningful endeavor! I’m alive thanks to everyone’s help, so I want to repay my debts to the world, at least in this way. Ah! Of course, the debt to Lord Ha, I will repay personally…”
The reluctant approval he gave to the insistence of Zhuge Hye-mi, the jewel of the family, also played a significant role.
At least while she was by his side, it was unlikely that he would suddenly become someone else’s son-in-law.
Perhaps, sooner than expected, he might return to the family with his nose fully ringed.
Of course, her ability as the child of the dragon, who could now perform proper spirit arts, contributed greatly to this.
Even among the Zhuge Family, known for hosting geniuses, she was regarded as particularly outstanding from a theoretical standpoint.
Once all the constraints that had been binding her vanished, only her strengths remained, and her talents began to blossom, to the extent that she could look down upon most sorcerers.
“Heh, our Zhuge Family’s pride is already…!”
“Oh my! Spirit arts of the dragon! Hah, just once! Just show me once more!”
“If we could apply that to our family’s sorcery…”
Elders who highly valued that ability insisted on keeping her thoroughly protected within the family for safety’s sake.
However, the final decision-makers, the family head and the Grand Chief of the Zhuge Family, supported her wish and allowed her to go out into the world.
“However, there are a few conditions. First…”
Certainly, there were restrictions such as some strong members of the family acting as escorts or informing her destinations through communication arts, but actually, those were not that strict conditions.
‘This isn’t such a bad situation for me either. Zhuge Hye-mi’s abilities would indeed benefit our journey in the martial world. Besides, just observing the spirit arts she improved will be helpful.’
Her secret escort was also made up of professionals in stealth, so it didn’t cause much disruption.
Given that the world was still fraught with danger, having that level of insurance for her safety wasn’t a bad idea.
However, one unexpected situation occurred—
“Whew~ I can wash with warm water even in this remote area. Spirit arts really are amazing! I wish I could learn them too.”
“Well, I became able to use these spirit arts thanks to my innate factors…”
“Eh— of course, I was joking, sister! Anyway, even if you taught me, I wouldn’t be able to handle anything so complicated. I just want to stick by my capable sister! Hehe!”
On their way to Jiangsu Province’s Mosan Faction, they stopped by the Namgoong Family in Anhui Province for a visit, and by chance, ended up tagging along with Namgoong So-ran.
Her friendly nature allowed her to become fast friends with Zhuge Hye-mi, and later, with the support of the greatest elder of the Namgoong Family, the Sword Saint, she naturally joined their party.
Ha Seung-hoon couldn’t refuse her joining, being the comrade from the final war who had made a request.
‘Hmm… I guess it doesn’t matter either way. Having one more or one less is the same.’
In fact, having descendants from renowned families joining them would only increase his influence, making it a not-so-bad story.
If a moment came when they needed the families’ help, it would be much easier to borrow that power.
Thus, the journey of the three and a few secret escorts dispatched from two families through the martial world began.
It hadn’t been long since the battle with the demon cult ended, but they crossed the continent, experiencing many incidents and resolving them.
Of course, they eliminated the bandits still actively “operating,” dealt with ruffians who didn’t even know the world had changed, and punished the demon cult’s remnants who ran amok without control, as well as corrupt officials who exploited the people.
They couldn’t forget the small acts of kindness, like reestablishing the water supply for a village that had run dry and hunting dangerous beasts, but their main goal was to continuously eliminate the miscreants agitating the world’s chaos.
“Wow! Thank you so much, great heroes!”
“Pl-please spare me! I will live honestly from now on!”
“Oh dear! Our Mal-sook, I can finally close my eyes peacefully now…”
Throughout the process, it was natural they gained fame and faced various battles.
They even once defeated a peak-level martial artist, so the intensity of their journey was nothing to scoff at.
Then, at some point, Heavenly Dragon Sword Alliance Ha Seung-hoon realized one undeniable fact.
‘…Why, why am I not growing anymore?’
Since some time ago, his growth had stalled.
He had been steadily using the “Growth Elixir,” so his skill proficiency was still increasing, but he couldn’t see any sign of breaking through the transcendent wall.
If he could just see some results, he could start thinking about how to overcome it…
‘It’s not that my martial power is lacking. At my current level, I could be considered in the top tier even among the peak martial artists. So then, what could it be?’
The 「Public Spirit Body」 he possessed was a legendary physical ability that allowed him to use natural energy at will, shattering the limits of his inner strength and physique.
Moreover, the 「Heavenly Dragon Technique」 granted to him by the Dragon God was a supreme martial arts skill, rivaling even the Heavenly Demon Technique, and possibly even greater.
Additionally, skills like 「Universal Return」, 「Versatility」, and 「Imitation」 were all excellent supplementary abilities for mastering martial arts!
‘Ah, I see.’
However, given that he had already surpassed a few avatars into the realm of transcendence, he soon realized the reason for his stagnation.
The transcendence through the mystery of martial arts… reaching the current realm couldn’t be accomplished using the methods he had been employing.
‘…Upon reflection, the avatars that crossed the wall did so not solely through their own efforts.’
Hans had naturally ascended to the position of the third Undead King after completing the “Heart of the Undead King.”
The Undead King, a symbol of world destruction that had stained half the continent with death.
Merely inheriting such a being’s power and karma was more than enough to meet the conditions for transcendence.
The same could be said for Heinz II, who inherited the roots of a vampire lineage and Hela, who had gulped down the legacy of the demon king as it happened to be vacant.
If one were to say that one would be at risk of insanity after crossing an unqualified barrier, that wouldn’t be unexpected, but the “Avatar” skill— along with its related abilities like “Mind Hub” and “Soul Firewall” made the impossible possible.
‘Heinrich and Harris, who surpassed the wall with the help of the Holy God and the World Tree, had fewer side effects, since…’
That too didn’t change the fact that it was still due to external assistance.
If it weren’t for their special conditions of being a priest blessed with holy power and a high elf serving as the World Tree’s priest, it wouldn’t have worked at all.
‘If you think about it, isn’t Harley the only one who rose to transcendence through his own efforts?’
It’s hard to say that he surpassed the wall just by forcibly digesting and absorbing the potential of other living beings.
Nonetheless, Harley, who broke his limits purely based on his physical traits, could only be considered a special case.
‘But this time is different. To reach the current realm, I must hone my martial skills without any shortcuts and attain enlightenment through martial arts alone.’
He let out a light sigh.
Among those who had reached the current realm, none had escaped the label of a genius.
Even the Heavenly Demon, who quickly grew stronger with various compensations as an Awakened One, was someone born with a unique talent known as “Heavenly Killing Technique.”
His unique skill, 「Heavenly Killing Technique,」 simply manifested his innate abilities and added various miraculous effects, making it likely that even without awakening, he would have become a renowned martial artist back on Earth.
Of course, he probably would have been caught and killed by the awakened ones for his past as a psychopathic serial killer, but still…
‘Enlightenment, I need enlightenment. Not techniques and knowledge force-fed artificially, but something imbued entirely with my own philosophy and ideology…’
Is it something akin to the fate of a martial artist who has mastered martial arts?
Due to Hugo’s mature and accommodating personality, he always wore a broad smile, but as time passed, he increasingly felt a growing thirst for power within.
‘Will these martial artists end up falling into magic? …No, while magic can be achieved quickly at a lower tier, it would be toxic for me at my current level.’
During such moments.
A clue found on Earth regarding the “Black Dragon Society” became a sufficient ray of hope for him who had been stagnant.
China, particularly known for having many returning martial artists.
Among them, the most long-established and secretive group comprised of martial arts practitioners who had been screened.
In a place where they would inevitably face the limits of growth in the environment on Earth, their hearts raced at the expectation of finding “something” they had discovered after consolidating secret techniques derived from countless dimensions.
“Lord?”
“Older brother?”
At that moment.
Hearing the voices of the two next to him, he quickly lifted his head.
The two who had continued the journey with him were looking at him with strange expressions.
“Did you call? Is something wrong?”
“No, um…”
“Rather than something wrong, your expression is…”
“My expression?”
He tilted his head while gently touching his own face.
His muscles felt, as usual, calm and smiling at his fingertips.
But upon guessing the situation, he casually continued speaking.
“Ah! I was just lost in thought for a moment and suddenly had a good idea. I guess I smiled without realizing it.”
Whether that answer was correct or not, the two nodded, seemingly satisfied.
Really, in this situation, if one were to suddenly smile, it would definitely seem strange.
“Then, since everything seems to be settled, let’s start moving soon.”
“Yes, and by the way, we’ve finally arrived at the Mosan Faction’s territory. If we hadn’t taken a detour back there, we would have made it a long time ago.”
“There’s nothing we could do about it, sister. We couldn’t just stand still after getting information about the demon cult’s hideouts.”
As they talked, the three gradually moved away, while fearful gazes focused on them from behind.
But that was only for a moment.
In tattered clothes, some individuals cautiously leaned into the courtyard they had just left.
The shattered plaques on the ground and the completely collapsed structures, let alone the numerous martial artists twitching as they lay on the floor, all were remnants of the cruel underworld criminals who once ruled this area with blood and terror.
“Ugh… please spare me…”
“Get lost! How dare you little beggars… cough!”
And as expected, the words of those who held grudges were not very pleasant.
From within the ruined courtyard, screams and the stench of blood overflowed for a while.
Just like everywhere else had been.
*
Heinz II had put in a lot of effort to capture the Head of the Black Dragon Society for good.
Not only had he interrogated Heuk-Young to analyze information, but he had also secretly set up alarm barriers and blood gates throughout the headquarters and nearby hideouts.
So he could rush in immediately, no matter when or where the guy showed up.
“I didn’t see this coming…”
Thus, it was only natural he’d feel somewhat out of sorts in the current situation.
He stared blankly at the old man confidently entering through the front door of the headquarters, disregarding all his contingency plans.
The man was dressed in a black traditional martial arts uniform, the very image of a Chinese martial artist—the Head of the Black Dragon Society, commonly known as Heuk-Young.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting. I tried to hurry, but given my circumstances, I can’t just wander about freely, so I had no choice but to take a little longer. Please be forgiving of my delay.”
Even though he must have already grasped how the situation was going, there wasn’t a hint of tension in his demeanor.
It was as if he had already given up and accepted whatever was coming.
‘Or perhaps he’s confident that I won’t harm him.’
With narrowed eyes, Heinz carefully examined him.
As he had heard, he was a master who had attained the current realm, a transcendental level.
In fact, he was among the upper tier.
“…Indeed, as expected.”
“Oh? May I inquire what you’ve heard?”
At Heinz’s quiet admiration, Heuk-Young replied with an oddly mischievous tone.
Not giving a care to his demeanor, Heinz continued speaking.
“I heard you’re a transcendent being born on Earth?”
“Oh ho!”
The only transcendent being to emerge from the mysterious wasteland of Earth.
Of course, that didn’t mean he achieved his level purely on Earth.
He was a returnee from the martial arts world who had come back during the early stages of the great upheaval, with his level only on the verge of peak martial arts.
However, he didn’t give up there and repeatedly attempted to break through barriers… and astonishingly succeeded in that impossible challenge.
‘Though he sacrificed his lifespan and youth in doing so.’
That was inevitable.
No matter how much he relied on elixirs, it required an astronomical amount of energy to reach transcendence.
It wasn’t strange to exhaust one’s life force, which was nearly equivalent to vitality, in a world where qi didn’t exist.
“Well, knowing that much means you’re already aware of most things.”
Even though he was aware that the opponent had crucial information about him, he didn’t seem to regard it too seriously.
Instead, he simply wore a grin, as if he found it amusing, and gazed at Heinz.
“I have a story I haven’t shared with anyone… but I’ll let you in on it.”
“Mm?”
“Ahaha! You’ll be quite surprised. It’s a classified secret!”
And with that, he leaned forward eagerly, like a child excited to share a secret.
“I used to be the former regional head of the Buncheon Society.”
At those words, Heinz’s body froze momentarily.
Heuk-Young looked at him with a playful smile and continued, “I was the former Yul Ryeong-ja.”
