Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 8: Black God Martial Arts

Overlord.

This person had reached the pinnacle of this world solely through his own martial prowess.

“Really a chilling guy.”

In modern society, most people created forces; otherwise, they risked being swept away by the power of those forces.

However, the Overlord was different.

Alone, he had reached the summit of the world through martial force.

To be honest, there was currently no way to avoid that person.

Even the Korean Hero School would have suffered immense damage if the Overlord had chosen to stir it up. It was barely manageable as it was.

But in the case of Kim Ara, it was a bit of an exception. She had enrolled in the Korean Hero School without attracting the Overlord’s attention.

This was the reason for Kim Ara’s low ranking.

It wasn’t just because she couldn’t control her power, but also to avoid catching the Overlord’s eye.

“How do you know all this?”

It was a look of disbelief.

I wouldn’t have believed it either.

“About the Overlord? Or that you’re his child?”

As Kim Ara glared at me, I just smiled slightly.

Pretending to be relaxed, pretending to be calm.

“I have my own sources,”

I said, tapping my head.

“I know you are the Overlord’s only daughter, that he cherishes you terribly… and that you have inherited his unique martial arts.”

“……”

Kim Ara looked at me with dark eyes.

But I had something I believed in. I was the top scorer who had cleared the Tower of Trials with an unprecedented record.

With the Heaven Defying Body, there was no way information about me would leak.

I was confident I’d be crushed in a second if Kim Ara attacked me, but she didn’t know that.

She would probably observe and scrutinize me for a while. Kim Ara was cautious.

“So, will you break it or not?”

“……I’ll break it.”

Kim Ara nodded obediently. Then she touched the wall.

Boom!

She clenched her fist and the wall exploded. I was dumbfounded.

That was something even Kim Seo-hyun had to attack two or three times to break, but she had smashed it with a single blow. It was an incredible power.

“Wow……”

Surprise etched on their faces, the others opened their mouths wide at the sight of Kim Ara.

“Truly impressive.”

I whistled and made my way through the broken wall.

A winding path lay before me.

‘Kim Seo-hyun took 39 minutes to arrive via the standard route.’

I had to hurry.

The time was tight.

Kim Ara watched the boy sauntering ahead, hands in his pockets, an air of nonchalance about him.

‘It’s a dungeon.’

Even if it was reputed to have no demons, the dungeon brimmed with traps.

Yet the party, following the boy at the front, easily bypassed the traps despite Instructor Seo Woo-ju’s cautions. All thanks to Lee Seo-ha. He navigated the group with exceptional skill.

‘Too skilled.’

He moved like a guide who had traversed this dungeon dozens of times, casting the presence of the guide they had been introduced to into the shadows.

“Do I even need this?”

“I wonder. Does the top scorer have talents related to vision?”

A puzzled voice chimed in.

It was a keen observation. Only abilities specialized in sight or senses could explain such prowess.

“Here it is.”

Lee Seo-ha pressed against what appeared to be just another part of the wall. With a rumble, the stone receded, revealing a hidden passage.

‘I expected at least some show of strength.’

This was even more puzzling.

Perhaps the most dangerous weapon this boy wielded wasn’t ‘strength’, but something else entirely, as he continued to lead them unerringly.

“Ah, amazing, you are.”

“Wow, we really just need to rely on our top scorer for everything. I feel a bit guilty.”

After a brief stroll,

They encountered an instructor in the distance. It was their first sighting of this instructor. Clad in a black suit, with a trim build, he was quite striking.

“…The last team to start has arrived first? Unbelievable.”

After surveying us briefly, the instructor’s gaze settled on the top scorer.

“28 minutes 32 seconds. You’re first. You may rest over there.”

Heeding the instructor’s direction, everyone assembled and took a moment to rest. Lee Seo-ha stared into the distance.

“Lucky me.”

[You have arrived at the dungeon first and earned 3,000 points!]

[The instructors are astonished by your actions. You earn 1,500 points.]

Earning the top spot again, he gained a lot of points.

Lee Seo-ha checked his points.

[17,500 points]

A blue message appeared on the screen.

‘I can buy that if I gather a little more.’

Lee Seo-ha smiled satisfactorily. It might take a while to earn another 2,500 points, but at this rate, he’ll reach his goal soon.

[Kim Ara remembers you. You earn 2,500 points.]

Lee Seo-ha barely managed to keep his expression from breaking.

He was really lucky.

After class, I quickly returned to the dormitory. The penthouse welcomed me.

I felt like I could fly.

Not just because the class was over, but because of something fundamentally different.

[20,000 points]

I had reached 20,000 points.

I entered the penthouse. Casually tossing my bag aside, the inner training ground of the penthouse revealed itself.

A personal training ground.

Only I would be able to enter here.

I took my place at the center of the training ground and opened the multi-dimensional store.

Clicking on the talent section in the multi-dimensional store, many talents appeared.

Talents that could catapult someone to the upper ranks with just one acquisition were visible.

However, all these required mana and were out of reach with my current points. They were all unattainable dreams.

I brushed aside all those options and chose one particular talent.

[Incomprehensible Talent (A-)] -20,000 points

[Incomprehensible Talent (A-)]

A talent beyond comprehension.

Specialized in spiritual abilities. Its power can be boldly claimed as the highest tier.

: Boosts for talents based on spiritual abilities and physical foundation

: Major boost for talents related to mana

…With this, I’ve satisfied the minimum requirements.

And then I tore the skill selection ticket I had obtained earlier.

The skill I chose was [Ikarr’s Advanced Spiritual Power Control (C)]

Though it was a low grade skill, it was the most useful spiritual power control skill available for 3,000 points among the C-grade skills.

As the light swirled into me, knowledge flooded my mind.

I grasped the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

[Black Heavenly Demon Sword (S)]

A divine sword wielded by the Heavenly Demon.

Forged from black iron and millennium stone, it boasted unrivaled strength and hardness.

Legends spoke of a soul that dwelled within the sword.

: Embedded skill 「Sword Soul」

: Embedded skill 「Soulbreaker」

: ???

: ???

: ???

I examined the skill section: Sword Soul and Soulbreaker.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword emphasized the user’s growth, and I believed the skill, Sword Soul, was both the beginning and the end for the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

I activated the skill, Sword Soul.

Sssssssss!

A black aura swirled around the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

-Hmm?

A voice echoed inside my head.

It sounded as though it was emerging from a deep slumber, hazy and indistinct.

Sword Soul.

This was the power that could awaken the soul residing in the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

“Awaken, Black Heavenly Demon Sword.”

-…So you are the one who has awoken me?

“Yes.”

-Hmm, this time’s master seems quite decent. I favor your face.

“……”

Dumbstruck by such a reaction, I found myself speechless. A sword concerned with appearances?

-Hmm, master, you appear indifferent to beauty. What, in your opinion, is beauty?

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I reflected.

“Harmony?”

-Exactly. Harmony. It is the essence of most beautiful things. Beauty devoid of harmony is merely grotesque. Moreover, a harmonious body is ideal for training and maintaining balance. Therefore, you should be thankful to your parents for bestowing you with a beautiful body.

Despite the absurdity of the statement, it strangely made sense.

-Anyway, let’s move on. From the way you woke me up, you seem to be aware of my existence?

“Yes. I read about it in the texts.”

-That guy left information about me? Hmm, I thought my identity was well hidden.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword murmured in a puzzled tone.

-May I examine your body?

“My body?”

-Yes. Regrettably, since my soul is in the sword, I can’t do anything without the master’s permission.

“Go ahead.”

With my permission, the Black Heavenly Demon Sword buzzed and emitted a black aura.

-Hmm? Master, do you possess the Heaven Defying Body? Indeed. Then there’s a reason why the Black Heavenly Demon Sword chose you even without me awakening. But strange, this seems like the energy of Heaven Defying developed postnatally… No, it must be a mistake.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword expressed its wonder, then brushed it off as a misunderstanding.

-Ho, you’ve already awakened your spiritual abilities. And your Nyeom (念) is pure, untainted by strange concepts. For some reason, there are no impurities in your body, did you consume a good Spirit Elixir recently?

“How is it?”

-Fine. Even the previous master wasn’t like this. I don’t know about talent, but your initial body condition is far better.

“Really?”

-Yes. With such a body, there’s no need to work on creating the vessel.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword spoke in a soft voice.

-Then, I will teach you about the ultimate martial art, Black God Martial Arts (黑神武).