CHAPTER 42

Your Body Purification has reached 100%.

All internal energy (Qi) efficiency is doubled.

Your compatibility with Heaven and Earth Unification Technique and your purified body is excellent.

Internal energy recovery speed is tripled.

Rebirth (1/2) in progress.

Your entire body is tingling with a pleasant electric thrill.

"Yes!"

Soohyeok clenched his fist and shouted instinctively, unable to contain his excitement.

Right now, thanks to the nature-rich Naypyo Mana Potion, Soohyeok not only restored his inner power but also cleansed every last impurity from his body.

He had reached one of the most coveted states of physical perfection among martial artists.

Now, even after using Hundred Steps Divine Fist, Soohyeok wouldn't end up coughing blood.

Comparing him to a wild beast was no longer appropriate.

Though he hadn't yet broken through to the Transcendent Realm, Soohyeok now possessed the strength to go toe-to-toe with someone like Park Moogi.

If he could accumulate just three more years' worth of inner power, he'd reach his target—the Transcendent Realm.

At that point, based on predictions, there would be only one person left in South Korea who could be called Soohyeok's rival.

Baek Mu-Hak

— One of the "Universal Eight."

Soohyeok was rapidly ascending to become a being who could surpass even those hailed as the best in the world.

***

[Force Status]

Name: Yang Soohyeok

Level: 38

Class: Martial Artist

 Title: Lower-tier Destroyer

Stats:

Strength: 60

Agility: 70

Endurance: 75

Wisdom: 68

Willpower: 50

Special Traits:

Body Purification 100% Complete

Rebirth in Progress (1/2)

As the electric thrill faded, Soohyeok opened his status screen to objectively assess his growth.

With the level-up came natural stat growth, and Soohyeok was now clearly stronger than he'd been back on the Hwan Continent.

The mere fact that a peak-level martial artist could now even consider challenging someone at the Transcendent level was proof enough of his potential.

This was satisfying growth.

"Rebirth…"

One phrase stood out to him above all.

With his body now 100% purified, a new possibility had emerged.

A body with pure and unhindered ki flow was the dream of all martial artists—but rebirth was a fantasy made real.

Rebirth meant restructuring the body itself to be perfectly suited for martial arts. From bone structure to muscle fiber to cellular composition—everything would exist solely for combat.

On the Hwan Continent, simply achieving this state earned one the title of superhuman.

"In rare moments throughout history, some were even born in such a state…"

And without exception, every single one of them became the greatest martial artists of their time.

To a martial artist, the body was just as critical as ki. No matter how powerful your energy, if the vessel is fragile, it cannot endure the strain.

Now, Soohyeok had been presented with the chance to achieve what even warriors of the Hwan Continent had failed to reach.

He raised his index finger and pressed the section marked "Rebirth in Progress."

Two conditions were listed. One had already been met through purification.

"Let's see… what's the second requirement?"

Condition 2: Strength, Endurance, and Agility must each exceed 200.

At first glance, it looked like something that could be solved through leveling up.

But those were no small numbers. Even endurance, already at 75, had a long way to go. Strength, his lowest stat, was only 60.

If he continued growing at the current rate, he wouldn't reach 200 until at least level 180.

That's a huge leap.

And leveling up was already slowing down.

This was natural. Both martial arts mastery and leveling progressed slower the further you got.

"If I rely solely on level-ups, it'll take forever."

But Soohyeok had another option: training.

He'd been honing his body without rest for years.

If he focused his training now on building strength, it might happen faster than expected.

"Rebirth…"

Even after reaching Transcendence, attaining the Harmony Realm would take even longer.

To normal martial artists who couldn't undergo Rebirth, the term superhuman referred to those in the Harmony Realm.

That's why this in-between step—Rebirth—was so valuable.

"Step by step. One at a time."

He was already advancing at a rapid pace.

With that in mind, Soohyeok began planning his next move.

***

[Force Skill Interface]

Heaven and Earth Unification Technique has surpassed 5 stars.

Evolves into SS-rank martial art.

Further evolution possible.

There wasn't much else to check. The system's alert had said it all.

But the implications were enormous.

Like compound interest, the Unification Technique was now absorbing ki at a much faster rate with each advancement.

As a result, by the time of his meeting with Oh Shinwoo, Soohyeok had gained the equivalent of two years' worth of inner power in just a few days—thanks to small medicinal boosts and controlled breathing.

***

"Let's go."

Now brimming with new power, Soohyeok packed lightly and left his house. He'd already told his parents this was a last road trip before getting a job—so there would be no problem.

"I'll be back soon."

Outside the front door, Soohyeok glanced back at the worn villa and spoke softly.

It was time to depart for the Tranon Dimension.

***

Tranon Dimension

Tranon was a Grade 6 fully hostile dimension.

Its dominant monsters were rodent-type, known for their fierce aggression, variety, and tendency to swarm.

Hunters who had faced them claimed the real danger felt closer to a Grade 7 difficulty.

Nickname: Nest of Rats

Despite its continent-level size and exclusively rodent inhabitants, no one found it strange.

Such hostile worlds rarely connected to Earth—but when they did, it was often because demons had destroyed a dimension and left it overrun with monsters.

They became dead zones, where no intelligent life could survive.

Earth could've met the same fate—if not for the Awakened and the arrival of the Angels.

But in the end, Earth was protected.

In contrast, the Tranon Dimension had become a land of death—and now, it was Earth that was under threat from it.

Soohyeok arrived at the Tranon gateway—formerly a bustling industrial area in Ansan, now a strictly controlled military zone—riding a custom ATV built by dwarves. He wore no mask, not even the iconic Iron Robot one.

Given how frequently hunters and guilds came and went through this area, no one paid particular attention to Soohyeok.

"Are you a hunter, sir?"

A soldier guarding the entrance asked the standard question to keep civilians from getting too close. Soohyeok gave a silent nod in response.

Then he showed the silver bracelet on his right wrist.

"You can proceed inside, register your license, and then enter."

The soldier nodded and gestured toward the heavily secured gate, which then creaked open.

Past the mesh gate, the scene remained as it had always been—a rough military outpost. Soohyeok drove in slowly on his ATV.

Soon, he caught sight of it: a glowing red portal, massive enough to resemble a five-story building.

Soohyeok pulled over and took a moment to appreciate the sheer size.

"Incredible."

Maybe it was because the dimensional worlds themselves were so vast?

Regardless, the portal dwarfed anything Soohyeok had seen before.

"Mr. Yang Soohyeok?"

While he stood marveling at the view, a middle-aged man approached him.

"Yes," Soohyeok replied, nodding.

The man's face brightened with a smile. "My name is Kim Youngsoo. I'm an aide to the Deputy Chairman."

This was the assistant Oh Shinwoo had said he'd send when Soohyeok called that morning to confirm his departure.

Given Tranon's massive scale, its danger level, and the public attention it drew, it wasn't safe for someone of Soohyeok's potential to enter unnoticed. Oh Shinwoo had arranged everything discreetly.

"Will you be entering right away?"

"Yes. No reason to hesitate."

With a nod, Soohyeok restarted his ATV.

"Understood. Please follow me."

Kim Youngsoo guided him to the far-left portal gate—a quieter path designated for discreet entries.

The process was surprisingly simple, especially considering the tight security and curious eyes all around.

"Well, it is run by the Awakened Association, after all."

Since the escort came directly from Oh Shinwoo, the smooth passage made sense.

"It was an honor to meet you," said Kim Youngsoo as he gave a small bow. "Someone inside will assist you further."

"Assist me?"

"Yes. Since you'll be using a new artifact…"

He was referring to a magic tool—something brought over from Elvenheim, if Soohyeok remembered correctly.

Soohyeok's eyes sparkled.

"Elves exist after all."

For a brief moment, excitement welled up inside him.

"Could it be Shahar?"

She was the only elf Soohyeok had seen on Earth recently.

It wasn't impossible.

"This dimension is old, so a few frontier bases have been set up inside.

The person meant to assist you is waiting on the third floor of the village inn."

Of course.

Even awakened individuals couldn't just camp in a dead world for days on end.

"Take care in there. We'll be cheering for you!"

Leaving behind Kim Youngsoo, who shouted after him with oddly soulful encouragement, Soohyeok entered the Tranon Dimension.

***

5.

The flow of energy twisted unnaturally around him, and then—

A new world unfolded before his eyes.

As expected at a portal entrance, several small wooden buildings formed a frontier base.

Fewer people were present than he'd imagined.

Mostly soldiers. A handful of awakened individuals.

"Are the hunters already out in the field?"

That was likely.

Leaving those thoughts behind, Soohyeok headed for the only inn in the area.

It wasn't hard to find—a five-story wooden building clearly labeled in Korean.

[Frontier Inn]

"That name though…"

Cheesy as it was, he had to admit—it got the job done. No one would mistake the building for anything else.

"It really does feel like another world."

The tall wooden structure, the loud voices spilling into the street—it felt like stepping into a medieval scene.

Soohyeok pushed open the inn's wooden door.

The inside was just as noisy as it sounded from outside.

Round and square wooden tables filled the space, where Awakened individuals were sitting together, drinking and chatting.

"So this is where they were all hiding."

He scanned the busy room as he made his way toward the stairs—his next step into a world far deeper, and far deadlier, than anything he'd ever faced before.

[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]