> "They took everything from me—my life, my strength. But they left me my will. And that… will be their undoing."
— Ryu Seok-jin
---
Twenty days had passed.
In that time, Ryu Seok-jin had begun to reshape the foundation of his new vessel—this fragile, borrowed body now tempered by his will.
He had manifested his internal energy core. With it, he ascended the first stage on the path of sword evolution:
> Sword Initiate — Master of Fundamentals.
Discipline. Precision. Control.
This was not a realm of flashy techniques or radiant Qi. It was the art of stances, of breath, of movement so honed it became instinct.
Ryu repeated the basic sword forms endlessly—Falling Leaf, Crimson Line, Severed Flow—each stroke slicing through memory and muscle alike.
Breath in. Cut. Breath out. Stillness.
He meditated beneath the moon. Balanced stones on his wrists. Shadow-trained until his arms trembled.
> "The blade is not an extension of the body," he murmured one night, "It is the bridge between thought... and death."
And slowly, the haze of weakness began to lift.
> This body… it's adapting. I've taken the first step back to power.
But it wasn't enough.
Not yet.
He clenched his fists, the phantom ache of his old strength still burning in his bones.
> "They took everything from me," he said quietly. "My name. My life. My sword."
"But they will pay. The Murim world will be my bloody playground."
---
Then, the memory returned.
The Sword Saint's Heart.
A mythical ginseng he once dismissed in his former life—its potential useless to someone who had already transcended it.
But now, reborn and rebuilding from nothing…
> "I let it go once."
"This time... I claim it."
---
The Sword Saint's Heart
A rare ginseng hidden deep in the heart of a dormant volcano.
Its root resembled the hilt of a miniature blade, etched with glowing sword patterns.
When unearthed, it sang—a resonant hum that sharpened nearby steel and heightened the senses of any swordsman.
Effects:
Removes all internal Qi blockages, perfectly aligning body and spirit.
Reforges the Dantian into a reservoir of pure Sword Qi (Geomgi).
Enhances the body into a Sword Vessel—agile, precise, and attuned.
Grants universal sword affinity—allowing effortless mastery of all styles.
Unlocks the potential for original sword techniques.
Imprints sword intent onto the soul, accelerating future growth.
---
At dawn, Ryu quietly informed the sect's stewards:
He would return within five days, before Elder Nam's expected arrival.
He packed light, saddled a horse, and left without fanfare.
Ten hours of hard riding brought him through forests, ridgelines, and volcanic plains. The air thickened. The sky dimmed, choked by ash drifting from the Dormant Flame Crater.
By nightfall, he stood before the scarred mountain.
---
He found the narrow crevice beneath a blistered ridge—just as he remembered.
Inside, a tunnel spiraled downward. The heat clung to his skin like sweat.
He walked for nearly an hour in silence, guided only by instinct—and the faint hum of power echoing from below.
And then… he saw it.
A shallow chamber, aglow with molten light filtering through cracks above.
At its center rested the Sword Saint's Heart—its roots glowing softly, as if waiting.
> "Still untouched," Ryu whispered. "Good. That means it's still mine."
He stepped forward.
And then—a thunderous roar tore through the chamber.
The air shifted. Something massive moved in the dark.
A tree trunk, hurled like a javelin, came crashing down toward him.
Ryu twisted mid-step—Form One: Drifting Feather—and barely avoided the impact. The pillar behind him exploded in stone and ash.
> "If that hit me…" he muttered, "I'd be dead."
From the shadows emerged a beast.
Nearly three meters tall, with crimson skin, three glowing eyes, and tusks like jagged steel. Its muscles rippled beneath cracked skin, and steam hissed from its breath.
> "A mutant ogre."
"The guardian of the Sword Saint's Heart."
The creature roared again, stepping between him and the ginseng.
Ryu's gaze sharpened.
> "So be it, beast."
"You guard what I need."
"But nothing—not gods, not monsters—stands between me… and my sword."
He dropped into stance—low, poised, ready.
The ogre charged.
> The battle began.