WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
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◈ Martial Arts Survival Guide ◈
Chapter 14: You Know a Thing or Two
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[Welcome to the Abyss.]
[The monarchs of the Abyss wish to test your strength.]
[The tutorial will now begin.]
Until a moment ago, Baek Hyun had been looking into the Abyss from behind a glass wall. Now he was standing in darkness. A voice echoed through it, delivering those messages. He couldn't tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman. So far, everything matched the information he had picked up on the bus.
“A test!”
Baek Hyun grinned at the word he had just heard. Back in school, he had hated tests. He hadn't given up on studying altogether, but simply getting by had been hard enough that he couldn't devote himself to it. Looking back now, that had only been an excuse. Still, tests had put him under pressure, so he couldn't help disliking them.
But not anymore. Hearing the word made his heart begin to race. No, his heart had been racing since before he entered the Abyss. It had started when Yeo-hwi first told him about it, when he accepted that something called the Abyss had appeared in this world. What would he find here? What were the monsters and the monarchs of the Abyss like? He could barely contain his curiosity.
First came the presences, followed a little later by the smell. Baek Hyun sniffed at the foul stench. Monsters appeared amid a jumble of strange cries. He didn't know what any of them were called. There were five in total, and they weren't human, but beasts... Actually, even calling them beasts was a stretch. Their forms were hideous.
Baek Hyun watched them with eager eyes. The monsters that appeared in the tutorial were random. But according to the information he had looked up on his phone, one of the thirteen monarchs might choose him depending on how he dealt with them. In other words, a monarch could choose him based on the behavior he showed during the tutorial.
Of course, Baek Hyun had no intention of worrying about that. Most people encountered their first monsters after entering the Abyss and felt nervous and afraid. In the tutorial, dying didn't mean dying for real. However, dying would end the tutorial. That alone forced newcomers to be nervous and cautious.
Naturally, none of that applied to Baek Hyun. This was his first time seeing monsters too, but he wasn't an ordinary person. Right now, only one question filled his mind.
‘How strong are monsters?’
[Would you like to select a weapon?]
The voice spoke again. In the tutorial, the monsters appeared first, and then the participant could choose a weapon. They were expected to pick something suitable and figure out how to kill the monsters themselves.
“No.”
His answer had already been decided. Baek Hyun was confident he could handle most weapons well, but he preferred fighting barehanded. In twenty years, he had never once fought with a weapon.
The moment he finished answering, all the monsters charged at once. They had even waited for him to choose a weapon. Despite their hideous appearance, they were surprisingly polite.
How much strength should he use? With that thought, Baek Hyun began circulating his energy through the Heaven-Shattering Divine Transformation Art.
His mastery of the Heaven-Shattering Divine Transformation Art had reached the fifth stage.
When he reached the fourth stage, he had defeated the forty-year-old Ju Han-o. At thirty, his master had earned the title of Uncanny Star and become one of the world's twenty greatest martial masters.
At forty, he had become one of the World's Five and was called the Martial God Demon for the first time.
“From now on, you shall inherit the title of Martial God Demon.”
‘That still feels a little too heavy for me.’
Baek Hyun recalled the words his master had left him before ascending to immortality. He had defeated his master's forty-year-old self, who had first earned the title of Martial God Demon, but he still wasn't confident he could beat his master as he had been just before his ascension.
Vmmmm.
There was no need even to swing a fist. A faint black current of energy wrapped around Baek Hyun's body. The monsters moved far too slowly in his eyes. In truth, monsters at their level weren't worth using internal energy on. A few swings of his fists would be enough to burst them apart.
He knew that, but he used the Heaven-Shattering Divine Transformation Art anyway. He wanted to check how strong he was, and he was curious how the masters of the Abyss would react.
Booooom! Qi exploded outward from Baek Hyun. Black currents surged in every direction, erasing the monsters without a trace. His qi ate into the darkness filling the space, making it ripple violently. All this had happened despite his using only a tiny amount of internal energy.
“...Hmm.”
Baek Hyun gave a quiet murmur and looked around. The opponents he had fought in the Peach Blossom Realm had all been incredibly strong. That went for both Ju Han-o's past selves and the martial masters summoned from his memories. Even Sara, the disciple of Snowfire Phoenix Yu Un-ryeo, had grown stronger with every visit. Besides, death and injuries had meant nothing there, so he hadn't needed to hold back.
“I'll have to be careful from now on.”
He had no desire to cause a massacre. Baek Hyun looked all around him. Every monster that had appeared was dead. Normally, that should have ended the tutorial.
But he felt the darkness murmuring.
Then, once again:
[The monarchs of the Abyss wish to test your strength.]
It was the same voice as before. This time, he sensed far more presences. Monsters crawled out of the darkness. Dozens of them clacked their teeth together. Their bodies were covered in scales, and each was as large as a small car. Their teeth were so huge that anyone caught in a bite would surely die before even feeling pain.
Monsters like those had no place in a tutorial. It didn't matter that the selection was random, or that death in the tutorial wasn't real. Besides, Baek Hyun had already killed all the tutorial monsters.
“Wow.”
Baek Hyun didn't complain. He wasn't annoyed either. If anything, he was enjoying himself. Seeing dozens of those creatures made it sink in that he really was inside the Abyss. Earlier, he had waited for the monsters to come to him. This time, he walked slowly toward them.
The monsters lunged as soon as he moved. Watching one charge with its mouth wide open, Baek Hyun raised both hands. He planned to try this without internal energy.
He could see every movement clearly. He easily dodged its attempt to bite him and swung a fist. The monster's entire body burst apart.
He punched, struck with his palms, kicked, and stabbed with his fingers. Baek Hyun let himself loose. He killed dozens of monsters with dozens of moves. Naturally, he didn't suffer a single wound. One move was enough to kill each monster.
In fact, even that was unnecessary. If he wanted, he wouldn't have needed to move his body like this at all.
“That was easy.”
Baek Hyun muttered as he shook out his hands. He stood in the middle of the corpses. The monsters that had appeared were far too easy for him.
The darkness murmured again.
“Anything else?”
Baek Hyun called into the darkness. This was fun in a different way from his training in the Peach Blossom Realm, and he wanted to keep going if he could. Unfortunately, no more monsters appeared.
[The tutorial has ended.]
That was the first message he heard.
[‘Dragon Star Lord’ admires your mysterious strength.]
[‘Queen of Black Roses’ feels a desire to possess you.]
[‘Witch End’ is deeply curious about your strength.]
[‘Blood Lion’ is astonished, finding your strength unbelievable.]
[‘High Lord’ has serious questions about your existence.]
[‘Tempest’ is appalled by your destructive display.]
[‘Serpent of Regeneration’ laughs at the fact that you did not use your full strength.]
[‘Heaven Defier’ attempts to gauge the strength you have kept hidden.]
[‘Iron Maid’ takes an interest in you.]
[‘Master of the Dark Shroud’ studies you.]
[‘Martial Spirit’ considers your existence dangerous.]
[‘Pure Saint’ offers you praise.]
[‘Arbiter of Nightmares’ is puzzled by you.]
[All thirteen monarchs of the Abyss offer you contracts and multiple powers.]
Something unprecedented had happened.
Never since the Abyss appeared had all thirteen monarchs offered contracts and powers to a single human during the tutorial. The Queen of Black Roses, Heaven Defier, and Arbiter of Nightmares were particularly notorious for rarely offering even contracts, let alone powers. Baek Hyun's performance in the tutorial had been extraordinary enough to draw a response even from them.
“You know a thing or two.”
Baek Hyun spoke with a satisfied smile. He had shown off his strength without holding back because he wanted to see a reaction like this.
[Which monarch would you like to choose?]
The voice spoke again.
“I'm not choosing anyone.”
Baek Hyun answered without hesitation. He had already decided on that back in the Peach Blossom Realm. He had no need for a contract with one of the thirteen monarchs or for their powers. He already possessed strength that would never fall short of anything the monarchs could give him.
The Heaven-Shattering Divine Transformation Art.
Baek Hyun hadn't forgotten the words left by his master, Martial God Demon Ju Han-o, who had ascended to immortality. From now on, he had to carry on the name of Martial God Demon. He had to complete the Heaven-Shattering Divine Transformation Art that his master had left unfinished, and he intended to gradually find his own answer to what martial arts truly were.
He had no need for the powers of Abyss monarchs he knew nothing about on the martial path he intended to walk.
[Once the tutorial ends, you will never be able to enter into a contract with the monarchs.]
[Are you certain you do not wish to choose?]
“I'm not choosing.”
Baek Hyun gave his answer once more. The darkness murmured again.
[The thirteen monarchs are appalled by your choice.]
[Some monarchs are angered by your rudeness.]
[Some monarchs take a strong interest in you.]
[Queen of Black Roses sends you a message.]
[Please stop by Black Rose Castle someday.]
[Martial Spirit sends you a message.]
[Who are you?]
[Pure Saint sends you a message.]
[Please visit the Sanctuary.]
[High Lord sends you a message.]
[Are you truly human?]
[...]
[The tutorial has ended.]
[You have not chosen any monarch.]
This, too, was extraordinary. There was no precedent for the monarchs personally sending messages to a human. Since the Abyss appeared, not a single human apart from those who had become apostles had managed to meet and communicate with the monarchs directly.
Yet no fewer than four had sent messages directly to Baek Hyun. Two of them, the Queen of Black Roses and Pure Saint, had even invited him to visit them.
As the tutorial ended, the darkness began to disappear. From now on, he could no longer be chosen by the monarchs. He could no longer hear voices related to them, either.
Baek Hyun walked forward as he watched the darkness lift. Once the tutorial ended, everyone who entered the Abyss from anywhere in the world arrived in the same city.
Pandemonium.
This enormous city stood at the very center of the Abyss, another world. Exploration of the Abyss began here.
“Should I register first?”
Baek Hyun looked around, his eyes shining.
Naturally, Pandemonium was absolutely packed with people.
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