The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 52

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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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Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 52
“…You’re telling me detection works at that distance? How is that even possible for a human?”
“How arrogant. Don’t measure the world by your own standards.”
“Maybe you’re just the weird one?”
I dismissed Yang Cheon-jo’s muttering without a second thought.
Turning my head, I gave a subtle nod toward Bing Baek Ma-gun Gu Sang-hak, who waited quietly in the distance.
“Those who will soon become our new companions are approaching from that direction.”
“New companions?”
“Since they’ll be joining us shortly, I suppose calling them family wouldn’t be premature.”
Bing Baek Ma-gun Gu Sang-hak.
Surprisingly, he didn’t view his half-captive status with pessimism.
The Demonic Sect’s fundamental culture naturally revered the strong.
And throughout these days, I hadn’t subjected him to any unreasonable treatment.
Rather, with remarkable confidence, I’d imposed no restrictions or control whatsoever, granting him complete freedom.
‘He must be certain he can suppress everything.’
Truly extraordinary confidence.
Who in all of Tianxia could handle the elite swordsmen of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect so effortlessly?
Thus, Gu Sang-hak had formed an exceptionally high internal assessment of me.
Though we’d spent barely four days together, Gu Sang-hak had glimpsed my overwhelming prowess through the occasional displays I allowed.
He was inwardly marveling and acknowledging it.
“…I’m curious to see the faces of these unfortunate wretches.”
“Unfortunate? It seems my treatment of you has been quite unsatisfactory.”
Needless provocation.
Watching the boy’s face as he habitually stroked the Red Fox and smiled.
This seemed to be his default manner of speech.
From what I’d observed.
As long as one didn’t cross certain lines, this boy generally accommodated most requests, large and small.
“It’s simply that I can’t remember the last time someone commanded me like this.”
“You seem to have quite pleasant memories from the outside world—wouldn’t it be better for us both if you forgot them quickly?”
“That’s remarkably thoughtful advice.”
“Since I prioritize ability and results, it would serve you well to always keep that in mind.”
“I’ll remember.”
Bing Baek Ma-gun Gu Sang-hak nodded.
Then he spoke to Yaksha Lord Mun Wol, who sat quietly behind him.
“Release the men and capture every last one of them.”
“Understood.”
Moon Wol had already discerned the situation unfolding before him.
He acknowledged the tremendous power this small boy possessed.
Even Bing Baek Ma-gun, known within the sect for his difficult temperament and inability to get along with others, had submitted so readily.
As a subordinate of Bing Baek Ma-gun, his role from this point forward was already determined.
‘Come to think of it, even the Sect Leader isn’t quite at that level, is he?’
A fleeting blasphemous thought crossed my mind.
Moon Wol quickly dismissed it and led his subordinates in a slow advance toward the direction Ilhyang had indicated.
“If possible, subdue them without injury. They’ll be our comrades soon enough. And more hands for menial labor is always better, wouldn’t you say?”
“We shall bear that in mind.”
Yes.
The more friends to share in suffering alongside, the better.
Moon Wol moved forward with that thought in mind.
The Heavenly Demon Sect gradually.
grew more obedient to Ilhyang.
* * *
Before I first entered the Secret Realm.
My objective had been remarkably simple.
‘Find the dungeon’s treasure.’
Since I’d initially mistaken the Secret Realm for a dungeon, I’d assumed there would be useful artifacts within it.
My excitement stemmed entirely from the prospect of acquiring an artifact and analyzing it.
As a secondary objective, I’d hoped to gather information about this world’s dungeon structure, traps, and other useful details.
‘Yet somehow it came to this.’
The Secret Realm was vast.
But no matter how expansive, those within it would inevitably encounter one another at least once or twice.
‘They were all masters, after all.’
Masters operated across wide territories, so their domains naturally overlapped.
Through these encounters, Ilhyang naturally expanded his retinue.
“Why aren’t you moving faster?”
“W-we shall hasten our pace!”
“Ahem! We’re doing our utmost!”
“We’re the fastest here, Great Hero!”
Each time I encountered new factions within the Secret Realm.
my numbers continued to swell.
‘Already three hundred strong.’
Naturally, when first confronted, most attempted escape or resistance in various forms.
‘Yet none succeeded.’
I had reached the realm of a 5-Circle Master.
By this world’s standards.
I had transcended the stage of Qi Accumulation and entered the stage of Decisive Force.
At that level, escape was unthinkable within my entire field of vision.
The Heavenly Demon Sect, which I’d first subdued, moved quite actively as well.
Naturally, no one could possibly flee.
I simply accepted all those I encountered as subordinates.
Looking back now, the factions I’d subdued into servitude possessed quite impressive credentials.
‘The Heavenly Demon Divine Sect and Blood Cult, Mansizong and Thunder Lightning Sect, and now Cheonsa-ok and Beast Sect. Every leading sect in Kangho has gathered here.’
All the leading sects in the Lower Realm.
Excluding the mediocre ones and those already extinct.
The only sect not present here was Moshan Sect.
Though truthfully, I had encountered Moshan Sect as well.
‘Yuk Ji-no-goe.’
The sect master of Moshan Sect, who had been absorbed by me and vanished.
Though I met Yuk Ji-no-goe only once—our first and last encounter—I remembered him as a truly admirable person.
He gave everything generously until the very end.
‘He even passed along his minor memories before departing.’
In any case, thanks to Yuk Ji-no-goe, I reached the Fifth Circle Master rank far more easily than anticipated.
The power of the mana I inherited was actually enough to reach the Sixth Circle.
‘But the Sixth Circle essentially requires special materials to breakthrough, so it’s impossible for now.’
That was a problem I’d need to address after leaving this place.
This place.
The spirit creatures that emerged from the Saheol Secret Realm were excellent materials.
Yet strangely, I couldn’t create an elixir to breakthrough to the Sixth Circle using anything from here.
‘So it seems I should leave soon.’
For some reason, the Lower Realm didn’t produce Sixth Circle materials.
That was rather peculiar.
According to Bing Baek-ma-gun, the Upper Realm deliberately blocked it.
I was amazed such a barrier magic circle existed for that purpose.
Wasn’t the very concept extraordinary?
Such blatant ladder-kicking.
It’s enough to inspire admiration.
In any case, I’d already swept through everything in just two weeks.
Everyone here was a master.
Even their ordinary movement speed matched that of a decent quasi-master galloping, so searching wasn’t difficult.
I did encounter some masters from the Martial Arts Alliance midway.
‘But I deliberately let them go.’
This was a small consideration for Chul Mu-geuk.
The Cheol clan had belonged to the Martial Arts Alliance for generations.
If I wasn’t planning to kill all the Alliance masters anyway, there was no benefit in confronting them.
So I deliberately avoided them.
Of course, Chul Mu-geuk doesn’t know this.
“I should leave this place soon. There’s nothing left to gain here.”
“Hehe, you seem unfamiliar with how secret realms work. They’re structured so you can’t leave until the exit opens on its own.”
Bing Baek-ma-gun.
Among everyone here.
The strongest besides me, he tore into the jerky he’d prepared beforehand, and I grinned and shook my head.
“You seem to be under a misunderstanding.”
“That can’t be right. According to our sect’s texts, it clearly states….”
Ilhyang reached out and grasped something in the empty air.
Then, gripping what felt like a handle, he twisted it as if turning a key.
And then.
Creak, creak, creak—
A door suddenly materialized in the empty space.
Shock flooded the faces of everyone sitting quietly with their ears perked up, listening to the conversation unfold.
* * *
The Celestial Watchers had cultivation realms, with the lowest being the Qi Refinement Stage.
The Qi Refinement Stage represented the foundational phase where one absorbed spiritual energy from the atmosphere and stored it in the dantian.
The realm where spiritual energy stored in the dantian was transformed into liquid form and compressed was called the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Generally, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, one would ascend to the Upper Realm.
This was the ‘rule’ of this world.
However, like Yuk Ji-no-goe of the Moshan Sect, one could deceive the Upper Realm’s oversight through loopholes and remain for extended periods.
The price for doing so was simply astronomical.
‘The losses are far too great.’
In any case, Yuk Ji-no-goe’s situation was far from ordinary.
Typically, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, one had to enter the Upper Realm, but.
Exceptional circumstances had emerged.
Geumok, whose tail had become four, was a prime example.
A Four-tailed Fox was classified as a Tier 2 Demonic Spirit.
In human terms, this corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Naturally, she should have ascended to the Upper Realm.
Yet something peculiar occurred here.
[The Upper Realm should naturally be calling for me. It seems they couldn’t observe me because of you. That’s why my ascension has been delayed.]
This was not an unfavorable situation from Ilhyang’s perspective.
“It seems the Heroic Spirit contract is functioning as a loophole of sorts.”
[Apparently so.]
After emerging from the secret realm and quickly settling accounts with Chul Mu-geuk, Ilhyang.
boarded the Nataryongwang with the three hundred Celestial Watchers following him.
He sat perched on the deck railing, lost in thought.
“I think I need to visit that Upper Realm at least once.”
[The Upper Realm can only be reached through ascension, though?]
“I’ve been to similar places before.”
Even in the Seven Continents, there were those who created a separate Divine Realm, claiming it to be a higher dimension, monopolizing the resources of the upper world for themselves.
‘In our world, they were called gods and goddesses.’
Ilhyang had visited the world where such beings dwelled.
Of course, he was immediately expelled for trespassing.
But even after that, entering itself wasn’t particularly difficult.
Of course, such a thing would have been impossible not long ago.
But now I understood the method of entry.
With the power of a 5th Circle Master, I had satisfied the minimum requirements.
“I’ll return to the island, settle these friends in, and then head straight to the Upper Realm.”
[Hmm… that will be dangerous.]
Red Fox.
Worry flickered across Geumok’s eyes as she sat in a relaxed posture against the deck railing.
At the same time, her body trembled slightly.
From the stories I’d heard from Cheonho, the Nine-tailed Fox, from time to time.
The Upper Realm possessed a perilousness that could not be compared to the Lower Realm.
“I’m only going in briefly to gather resources, so there’s no risk of being discovered.”
I needed resources.
To advance to the 6th Circle, materials that existed only in the Lower Realm would not suffice.
I required the spiritual creatures of the Upper Realm.
“We’ve arrived, Young Master.”
The captain of Nataryongwang.
As Gui Yun-gaek Ho Sam reported with continued deference, Ilhyang lowered his head.
Once the ship had fully docked at Sungwha Island Harbor.
Gong Jeol-gang and Cheolhyeol Sword Maeng Ryeo, among other key figures, rushed forward and stood waiting—their forms came into view.
They watched Ilhyang disembark with visibly tense expressions.
“Nothing troublesome happened?”
“Well… there were several incidents.”

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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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