The carriage wheels rumbled softly beneath him, cutting across the abandoned plains that marked the boundary between the western world and the forbidden east. The sky stretched endlessly, smeared with pale silver clouds drifting like ghostly dragons. Dominic sat inside the carriage, leaning against the open window as the wind brushed against his face.
He wasn't nervous.
Just… curious.
The quiet type of curiosity that came only before stepping into somewhere legendary.
Somewhere dangerous.
Somewhere worth the hype.
"Hey buddy," Dominic finally muttered.
The system responded instantly.
[Yes, Dominic?]
Dominic exhaled. "So I'm heading there now… but there's something I don't understand."
He tapped his fingers against the wooden frame, brows folding.
"If the Murim world is really filled with people who transcend human limits—Qi Masters, Heavenly Realm cultivators, sword saints—why can't they handle their own dungeons? Why do I need to go clear them?"
For a moment, the air inside the carriage dimmed. A faint hum resonated in his ear, the sound the system always made when preparing something serious.
Then the cold voice spoke.
[The Murim dungeons are not like your typical S-Rank monster dungeons.]
[They are deity dungeons.]
Dominic blinked. "Deity… dungeons?"
[Correct. Each dungeon core is influenced by remnants of ancient beings—celestial, demonic, primordial. Their danger level surpasses EX.]
"So they're basically impossible for humans."
[Not impossible. Just… suicidal.]
Dominic smirked. "And you think I can handle them?"
[You must handle them.]
"Tch. Figures…"
He leaned back lazily, folding one leg over the other.
"So that means… what? Twelve dungeons left on this continent?"
[Negative.]
[There are only six deity dungeons.]
Dominic sat forward. "Wait—six? But the map shows twelve!"
He summoned the holographic map with a casual flick of his fingers. The glowing projection expanded before him, revealing the full eastern continent—the Murim world.
Tall mountains like spears. Endless forests. Sects scattered across spiritual lands. And twelve glowing marks.
He zoomed in.
Half were massive—pulsing with thick energy.
Half were smaller.
"These six are huge," Dominic muttered, pointing. "And these six… smaller. What's the deal?"
[Your synchronization lies in the six deity dungeons. Each one grants 10%.]
"And the other six?"
[The other six are sects.]
Dominic froze.
"Sects… that I need to conquer?"
[Correct.]
"You're telling me I need to defeat Murim's strongest sects just to complete my awakening?"
[Yes.]
He stared blankly at the map, then pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You couldn't have said that earlier?"
[…You did not ask.]
"…You and your mouth," Dominic grumbled.
He zoomed the map again—this time focusing on the forbidden region at the far right, shrouded in dark mist.
"Hold on—why isn't the Demonic Cult included? That's like… the most iconic sect in every Murim story ever."
He pointed at the shadowed region.
"How's it not part of the six?! I WANT to be the Heavenly Demon."
The system answered calmly.
[The Demonic Cult is classified as a calamity faction. The trial involving them comes later.]
Dominic's eyes glittered.
"Oho… nice."
Suddenly—
NOTICE!!
Mission generated: Make your way to the Murim World successfully.
Reward: Learn Any Martial Arts + Suspicion 0 + 20,000 Gold
Dominic whistled. "Damn. Not bad."
He leaned closer to the window.
"You still haven't answered my fi—"
NOTICE!
We have arrived at the spatial tunnel.
The carriage rolled to a slow stop.
Dominic raised a brow. "That fast?"
He stepped down.
The ground beneath his feet shifted from grass to stone… then to polished marble—the entrance to the hidden tunnel.
The moment he stepped forward, his shadow rippled like liquid darkness and swallowed him whole, reappearing several meters ahead with a soundless flash.
"I need to do some shopping first."
A swipe of his hand.
SHOP WINDOW OPENED
A pane of blue light materialized, showing a Murim-exclusive selection.
Dominic grinned.
"Ohooo… Now we're talking."
He scrolled down.
Heavenly Devouring Sword — 6,000 Gold
A sleek, black-and-blue blade that looked like it devoured starlight itself.
Black Robe with Blue Linen — 200 Gold
Sky-Stepping Shoes — 50 Gold
He bought all three.
"Perfect," he murmured.
He walked toward a narrow stream shimmering beside the tunnel entrance—clear water, cold enough to sting. Dominic washed the dirt and blood off his face and arms, letting the water run over the new sword's handle.
But as he looked around… he noticed something strange.
There was no land surrounding the stream.
It was as if the entire entrance floated between worlds.
Dominic exhaled sharply.
"Yeah… I'm not thinking too hard about that."
He dried off and put on the new outfit.
When he looked at his reflection in the water—
He didn't see the Dominic who entered this world.
He saw a Murim martial artist.
A deadly wanderer.
A man carved by battle and fate.
And it looked good on him.
"Alright," he said, stepping into the tunnel.
"Let's do this."
The walls came alive instantly—shining with swirling blue and white light, like walking inside the veins of a celestial beast. The entire tunnel trembled softly, humming with spatial energy.
Dominic pressed a hand against the glowing wall.
"Phew… here we go."
And then—
Light swallowed him whole.
◆◆◆
FWOOSH—
His body shot forward, dragged by a force that bent space. For a moment, he saw nothing—only a tunnel of twisting stars and collapsing mirrors—
Then suddenly—
CRACK!
He burst out into open air.
Cold wind slammed into his face.
Dominic landed on the peak of a massive mountain, the world unfolding beneath him like a painting.
The eastern continent.
The Murim world.
But not a gentle one.
A world of sharp ridges, endless mountain chains, and clouds flowing like rivers of silk. Cherry blossoms drifted from distant valleys. Spiritual energy pulsed in the air like thunder.
Dominic inhaled deeply.
"Damn… even the air smells different."
He pulled out the holographic map.
The black shadow covering the eastern continent had vanished.
Instead… the western half of his world map was now darkened.
A sign he could never return yet.
NOTICE!!
Mission completed: Make your way to the Eastern Continent
Reward acquired:
– Learn All Martial Arts
– Suspicion: 0 (No one will detect you're foreign)
– +20,000 Gold
Dominic didn't even have time to prepare.
A shockwave hit his skull like a hammer.
"URRRGH—!"
He doubled over, clutching his head as thousands of martial arts—palms, fists, sword forms, spear flows, light-footwork, qi techniques—flooded his brain at once.
Styles from all sects.
Ancient ones.
Lost ones.
Heavenly ones.
When the pain faded, he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"This never gets old," he muttered.
He looked around again.
"Mount Hua region… I knew it. I can smell flowers from here."
He smiled.
"Well… let's go greet our elders."
But he stopped.
"Hold up. I haven't even tested the martial arts yet."
Dominic unsheathed the Heavenly Devouring Sword.
The blade hummed instantly, vibrating with hunger.
He grinned, then shifted his stance into Mount Hua's signature technique—one he learned seconds ago.
"Petal-Slicing Breeze."
He slashed.
The air tore open.
A whirl of petals erupted—then twisted into a spiraling tornado of blades. The flowers around him lifted into the air, dancing violently before exploding outward in a magnificent burst of shimmering destruction.
BOOOOOM—!!
The entire mountaintop trembled.
Dominic froze.
"…Oops."
Smoke drifted around him.
"I've done it now."
He sheathed the sword quickly.
"Let's get out of here before someone comes."
He strengthened his footing, took one step—
CRACK!
The ground split.
Dominic smirked.
"Mount Hua Sect… one of the six sects I need to conquer."
He turned his head toward the distant mountain temple, its white walls gleaming under the sun.
"Alright then…"
His shadow rippled.
A storm gathered behind his eyes.
"Mount Hua Sect—"
"—here I come."