The Martial God Becomes a Necromancer and Conquers the Tower - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1
Episode 1
What happens if you live fiercely and passionately, then die and are reborn anew?
The answer?
You become a sloth.
That’s what happened to me. In my past life, I lived spouting off about seeing the end of martial arts, about becoming the strongest Martial God.
Why?
Because my heart! My spirit! Because my soul demanded it!
So that’s how I lived.
And the result?
I actually did become the Supreme Master Under Heaven and earned the title of Martial God—but I failed to achieve Ascension to Immortality.
I thought I’d become a Martial Immortal.
Who could have predicted such a failure?
In the end, I died as I was—a failed Ascension—but somehow, perhaps as an aftereffect of attempting it, I retained my memories when I was reborn.
And now I’m living peacefully, like a sloth.
Right after my rebirth, when I was still a child, I had that same fire—I’ll become a Martial God just like before! But it didn’t last long.
The world was different, and martial cultivation didn’t work the same way.
So naturally, my motivation withered.
I’d spent my entire past life training in martial arts, but here, no matter what I tried, cultivation bore no fruit.
That feeling was truly….
Not that it was completely impossible, mind you. To be precise, I could train External Energy to a limited degree, but Internal Energy—no matter what I did, it wouldn’t work.
By around age three, I’d figured it out: the world was different, so the laws were different.
I saw it on TV.
When the Dimension Tower appeared, they were explaining something about interdimensional this and extradimensional that, and that’s when it clicked.
From childhood, I practiced Tonal Breathing and told myself I’d achieve my Martial God dream again—but why isn’t it working? I kept wondering.
When I learned the truth, I inevitably became more sluggish about it all.
Not that I had any real complaints.
I was living well enough as it was.
The habits from my past life didn’t disappear, and thanks to limited External Energy training working reasonably well, I was competent at anything physical—so life was proceeding without major obstacles.
And yet….
This was wrong. This was absolutely wrong.
Wasn’t the system being unfair to me?
[You have Awakened.]
[You are now a Necromancer.]
System! What is the meaning of this!?
Me, a Martial God in my past life, reduced to a mere Necromancer!?
Does this make any sense!?
* * *
“This time will be different, I’m tellin—gah!?”
I’d been running the martial arts dojo for about three years now.
I couldn’t understand why this man did this same thing every single time.
His legs stepped forward honestly enough, and his hip rotation was straightforward.
Even the punch extending from his shoulders came in painfully obvious—
His stance was solid, and the force behind the punch was solid too. But when you telegraph an attack so clearly like that, what do you expect?
All I could do was tilt my head slightly to the side and slip the punch.
Whiff.
The fist grazed past my cheek.
In that instant, I smoothly thrust out my waiting hand, deflecting the arm that had just skimmed past my cheek with a gentle, brushing strike.
A defensive technique found in Tai Chi Chuan and Karate—his arm snapped to the side.
Then my other hand came around and struck him in the ribs.
The explanation took longer than the exchange itself.
That’s why he let out that inarticulate cry—half scream, half screech.
“Park, I’ve told you a hundred times—don’t come in so wide open. How many times do I have to tell you about the Telephone Punch? You don’t get it? Then get hit more. Keep getting hit until you understand.”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
I tapped his jaw dispassionately to throw off his balance, then rapped his abdomen several more times while keeping up a steady stream of complaints.
Every blow is practical wisdom.
Strict discipline makes good disciples. Then again, kids these days probably don’t know that saying. Not many of them read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms anymore.
With the attitude of someone tossing away a yogurt lid without licking it clean, I kept tapping away.
Since he’s an active Hunter, there’s a satisfying weight to his frame that makes the blows feel good.
“Ugh! Hack! P-please! Stop! Uncle, time out!”
“Stop talking about it and take a defensive stance. Or back away and run. What’s wrong with you? You’re supposed to be a Hunter.”
The man pummeling me is Park Gang-chan, a professional Hunter.
He’s been training in real combat at my martial arts dojo for three years now.
Truth is, he’s improved considerably.
Compared to his clumsy, half-committed stance three years ago, it’s been leaps and bounds.
But I can’t figure out why he can’t seem to shake this Telephone Punch—apparently it’s called that because the attacking direction is so obvious, it’s like he’s telegraphing his moves over the phone.
After throwing a few more strikes for good measure, I stopped.
Maybe if he takes enough hits, he’ll eventually stop throwing it.
“You need to fix that. You could die inside the Tower because of it.”
I’ve heard the difficulty of enemies increases the higher you climb in the Tower.
Some of them are even sentient beings, and there are those who use incredible martial arts.
When you face those kinds of opponents, lacking in technique could get you killed.
No—not ‘could.’ I’ve heard plenty of Hunters have actually died that way.
“Ugh… I know, I know… It’s just not easy, Master.”
Park Gang-chan lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
From the beating he’d just taken, dark bruises were spreading across his body, and he kept wincing.
But even as I watched, the bruise marks slowly faded before my eyes.
If he were high-level, I don’t know how he’s still alive in the upper floors of the Tower.
“How are you so strong, Master? I’m a top-ranked Hunter, and…”
“I’m a genius, that’s why.”
Actually, it’s not because I’m a genius—it’s because I’m a returner.
That’s right.
I remember my past life.
In my past life, I even reached the pinnacle of martial arts and earned the titles Supreme Master Under Heaven or Martial God.
And naturally, I was called a genius back then too.
So it’s technically correct to say I’m a genius in this life as well, right?
Hmm. That’s quite a metaphysical question. Am I truly a genius in this life, or not?
“Phew. I’m an Awakened individual and still getting beaten up by an ordinary person…”
“Compared to the power you can use inside the Tower, you can only use a tiny fraction of it in reality, right?”
That’s what I’ve heard.
Inside the Tower, you can wield power that shatters mountains and destroys the world.
But in reality, you’re restricted to using only a minute portion of that strength.
That’s why Park Gang-chan, the top-ranked Hunter right in front of me, is getting beaten down like this in the real world.
Of course, compared to professional athletes and combat sports fighters without Awakening who trained intensively, his strength is definitely superior.
Top-tier body-type Awakened individuals gain abilities that surpass ordinary people in reality, after all.
But he’s still not as strong as me, and I haven’t even Awakened.
His wound-healing ability is certainly excellent, but in terms of raw strength and reflexes, he’s nowhere near ready to challenge me.
That’s thanks to my training in External Energy.
If External Energy hadn’t been applied to my body, even limitedly, I wouldn’t have become strong enough to play with an active Hunter like this.
I would’ve won anyway, though.
Martial technique doesn’t disappear just because your physical specs fall short.
“Still, I’m vastly stronger than ordinary people. But Master—what are you even made of? You’re a monster, a real monster. Someone like Martial Immortal should be the one climbing the Tower.”
Park Gang-chan speaks my name.
Yi Mu-seon.
That’s my name in this life.
The orphanage director gave it to me.
Could the director be a returner too? Did she know about my past life and give me such a perfectly fitting name?
“I didn’t Awaken, so what can I do? Alright. That’s it for today’s lesson.”
I extended my hand to Park Gang-chan, who was still lying on the ground.
He gripped my hand firmly and pulled himself up.
“Thank you for the training.”
A beautiful woman approached Park Gang-chan and handed him a towel and a water bottle. She’s Shin A-rim, Park Gang-chan’s manager. We’ve seen each other enough that we’re acquainted.
“Your next schedule is a party, so you’ll need to shower quickly.”
“So we’re really doing that party after all?”
“Yes. It’s the director’s orders.”
“Ugh… I really hate it. I mean, you know today’s my training day, so why am I attending a party?”
Park Gang-chan grumbled as he stood up, then headed toward the shower room.
Even for an Awakened individual,
social obligations seem to be difficult.
* * *
Park Gang-chan left, and other members trickled in one by one as class began. My martial arts school isn’t just a place to teach fighting—it’s built on practical combat training.
I teach swordwork. I teach spearwork too.
From everything I’d learned across countless lives, I teach techniques that don’t require Internal Energy, and they’re remarkably popular.
Park Gang-chan especially has been such good promotion for me that I’m earning enough to have no financial worries.
Mm-hmm. That boy’s a filial son, truly a filial son. Three years ago we crossed paths, and now it’s become such a comfortable nest egg for my retirement. I was lucky, that’s for sure.
After thinking this and ushering out the last student,
I ordered dinner through an app.
I spent the brief interval cleaning the inside of the dojo and tidying up, and soon the food arrived.
Today is chicken and beer!
I opened the door to my small bedroom set up in one corner of the dojo and stepped inside.
A tiny one-room space with the essentials—a bed, a refrigerator, and other furnishings.
I turned on the TV, sat down, and immediately brought the cold draft beer to my lips.
“Ahh!”
The tangy, crisp liquid hit my throat with carbonation. Then I grabbed a piece of chicken and bit into it.
Crunch!
The golden fried skin and meat of the chicken leg crumbled in my mouth, releasing a burst of flavor.
This is it!
To be honest, compared to my previous life, what makes this one worth living is simple:
the food tastes good.
When you eat dishes loaded with MSG, meticulously crafted by Awakened individuals with Master’s degrees and culinary expertise, the whole world just feels happy.
Sitting here like this, all that rigorous martial training in my past life feels so fleeting.
Isn’t this exactly like the enlightenment of Wonhyo and the skeleton water—a sudden awakening?
Or maybe I’ve just fallen into decadence.
A Martial God from a past life corrupted by chicken and beer!
That’s practically a web novel title right there.
—This is a video of a rookie Awakened individual I found recently. That’s already the sixth clear, right? As everyone knows, clearing the Demon’s Tower level 5 alone is extraordinary.
On the TV, one of the channels I watch frequently on GodTube was playing—a broadcast from Ddanggeul Glasses, a video I’d started watching before and left unfinished.
—Ah! A Nolbird appeared on level 6. Ah, this is despair! Nolbirds. They’re powerful.
Nolbirds, huh.
I’d heard their official name is Noli wielding a Halberd. They’re a race called Noli, and because they come out with Halberds, people call them Nolbirds?
They’re known among people as the Despair of the Tutorial Tower, appearing randomly on floors 6 and 7.
But honestly, despair? Please. Those kids these days don’t know real hardship. Back in my day, we’d get beaten black and blue by one hundred and eight Arhats with staffs and cudgels to build real toughness.
You had to take a beating from those bald monks while training in the Unbreakable Diamond Body technique to truly know strength.
Ah, nowadays’ disciples… they’re just so—
“You should’ve pulled back there! Ugh, amateur hour!”
I chuckled while watching TV for a moment. I was reaching for the remote to switch to something else when—
[You have Awakened and become a ‘Necromancer’.]
[You may now climb the Dimension Tower.]
“Huh?”
Chicken, beer, and GodTube videos.
Right in the middle of my relaxation, an Awakening window suddenly appeared.
Awakening… finally happened! I thought for just a moment.
Then I tilted my head in confusion.
“What? Why am I a Necromancer?”
I was a Martial God in my past life. I teach martial arts in this one, don’t I?
And I’ve become a Necromancer?
Why?
[Commencing tutorial sequence.]
Light burst forth, and my body was pulled away to somewhere else.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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