Chapter 3

‘Why isn’t he coming in?’

The Goddess of Balance was puzzled. She’d feel Choi Yeonseung’s presence if he entered the tower, but?she couldn't sense him at all.

-Adaquaniel, can you please go and check on him?

-Yes, Master. As you wish.

Adaquaniel, an armed angel with beautiful wings, went to the tower at the command of her master. The goddess had ambitiously prepared the tower to be the perfect training ground, yet no one had entered.

‘Human. What are you thinking?’

The moment Adaquaniel arrived, her expression turned cold and was filled with surprise. Choi Yeonseung wasn’t there.

-Master... The human isn’t here.

-Huh?

-I will check the surroundings.

Upon examining the area, Adaquaniel quickly understood the situation.

-The Abyss’ magical storm seems to have swept the?human?away.

The Abyss wasn’t like the universe. It was a chaotic dimension?made?of magic power. Giant monsters that could threaten even constellations roamed around this realm, and it had magical storms that would sometimes sweep through its planets.

-Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way a magical storm just descended into my realm.

The Goddess of Balance was astonished. Constellations had to maintain and govern their realm with their own power. How could a magical storm invade the land she ruled?

-But Master, traces of the magical storm still remain.

-Find him!

-...Huh?

-Adaquaniel, find that human!

How could she find a human that had been swept away by a magical storm? The Abyss was infinitely vast and had many areas even the constellations weren’t aware of. However, Adaquaniel was a loyal angel. She faithfully obeyed her master’s orders.

-As you wish.

***

Choi Yeonseung had never been to the deep sea, but he thought this was how entering it would feel. He felt like intense pressure was crushing his entire body!

‘Breathe.’

Choi Yeonseung just breathed like a fish. That was all he could do in this situation.

‘Is this an ordeal?!’

In his mind, he still thought of this as one of the trials he had to pass?to become the household member of a constellation. The magic storm was so strong and ferocious that Choi Yeonseung felt like it could tear him to death at any moment.

Choi Yeonseung just inhaled and exhaled. Every time he did, strong magic?power?would fill and leave his body.

His Origin of the Celestial Divine Arts converted the magic power entering his body changed into internal energy, which then tempered his bones and muscles. Just as how iron was tempered by fire, magic power tempered his physique. However, this process was insanely painful.

[Magic power is tempering your body.]

[The strength of your bones has increased.]

[Your muscle density has increased.]

[Your dantian is expanding!]

[Your internal energy has increased.]

[......]

‘This is an ordeal, this is an ordeal...’

It was sheer luck that Choi Yeonseung didn’t die. While it was certainly fortunate that he was safe, it wouldn’t have been strange either if the storm tore him apart.

Choi Yeonseung wasn’t afraid, however. After all, in his mind, this was just an ordeal prepared by the goddess. Thanks to that thought, he was able to relax and go with the flow. He even repeatedly slept and woke up in the storm.

How many weeks was he trapped in that cycle? He had been in that storm for so long that he no longer even knew what he was doing. When the magical storm finally dissipated, Choi Yeonseung found himself in one of the Abyss’ realms that weren’t ruled by any constellation.

***

A giant, snake-like rock monster overturned the ground and wreaked havoc in all directions. Its appearance overwhelmed Choi Yeonseung, especially since he had never seen it in Earth’s dungeons before.

‘Isn’t this A-grade or higher?!’

Being up against such a powerful beast, he couldn’t help but wonder if the goddess had overvalued him. However, the rock snake was the only monster in this area.

“...Sigh. Alright, Onix. I have time, so let’s give this a try.”

The giant rock snake just kept slithering on the ground, paying Choi Yeonseung no attention. Just as humans how didn’t care about bugs, the snake ignored him. That was only natural, though, considering he couldn’t even scratch it no matter how hard he tried to hit it.

‘Then I’ll just have to train until I can break through its scales!’

Choi Yeonseung grabbed a rock that had fallen from the rock snake’s body and put it down. He would break this rock with his fist!

***

Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts—a D-rank skill.

This was the name of the martial art that Choi Yeonseung had learned. Contrary to its grandiose name, it really wasn’t that popular. The martial art book had appeared at the auction house several times already, but only a few hunters actually bought it.

The reason was simple.

The rate at which it accumulated?internal?energy was too slow. Similar to how magic power was the source of magicians' strength, internal energy was the source of martial artists' strength! The more?internal?energy a martial artist had, the higher their overall capabilities. With more internal energy, the same attack would become faster and stronger.

However, the Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts accumulated?internal?energy so slowly that it was only natural for it not to be popular. Moreover, its skill rank was low. Choi Yeonseung had several opportunities to change his martial art. With the money he had saved, he could just buy a new martial arts book.

But he opted not to. Choi Yeonseung had taken a liking to the Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts. It was slow and unattractive, but it had a unique and honest charm. Every time he swung his fist or took a step, he could feel his?internal?energy build up and become purer!

The Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts was largely composed of four techniques.

Origin of the?Celestial?Fist, which?launched a punch imbued?with the?internal?energy of the Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts.

Origin of the?Celestial?Kick, which used the Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts’?internal?energy to extend the practitioner’s kick.

Origin of the?Celestial?Step, which imbued the user’s steps with the?internal?energy of the Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts.

And the Origin of the?Celestial?Finger, which fired the?internal?energy of the Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts through one’s finger.

It didn’t come with any other method of accumulating?internal?energy. Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts was a martial art that built up?internal?energy through bodily movements.

Imbue his fist with?internal?energy and throw a punch, then retract his fist.

Imbue his foot with?internal?energy and launch a kick, then retract his foot.

By repeating this simple process, one could build up a very small amount of?internal?energy in their dantian. Every time its practitioner trained, it would build up?internal?energy and make its practitioner stronger! It followed such an extremely simple concept. However, surprisingly enough, only a few people could do this. After all, they’d have to endure slow growth and boredom, and they’d have to keep fighting against their own mind.

The toughest battles were always those where one was up against themselves.

Choi Yeonseung never thought he had talent, but he actually did. He had the talent to?train?endlessly.

***

...It?took a bit over?a hundred years before he could break Onix’s rock.

‘I really am not talented...’

By the time he figured it out, Choi Yeonseung was already feeling ashamed. The trick was to use his?internal?energy to destroy it from within!

[You have learned the B+ rank skill 'Internal Heavy Strike Technique.']

[Your Origin of the Celestial Divine Arts' stage has risen.]

[It has reached the first-class stage.]

Choi Yeonseung’s Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts showed the stage that he was in. While magicians divided their stages into circles, martial artists divided their stages into third-class, second-class, first-class and so on. Those with second-class stage martial arts were normally treated as C-grade hunters, while those with first-class were regarded as B-grade.

In other words, Choi Yeonseung had achieved his dream of becoming a B-grade hunter.

“...It took 100 years...”

He felt ashamed of his lack of talent. He was so embarrassed for claiming he would reach?B-grade?on Earth! Among the hunters, martial artists were extremely rare. The most famous of them was Li Yuyuan, from China. He was the only martial artist to ever become an A-grade hunter!

The idol of all martial artists!

He said the following words:

-My martial art?has reached peak-class. In comparison, it's on the same level as magicians' 6th circle.

-Are you looking?to improve it further, sir?

-Of course. I'm aiming for S-grade, after all, Once my martial art's stage reaches transcendent-class, I'm going to challenge an S-grade hunter.

Third-class, second-class, first-class, peak-class, transcendent-class.

It took Choi Yeonseung 100 years to reach first-class.

‘Wow. Won’t it take me a thousand years to reach?peak-class, then?’

-Kkiiing...

“Hey. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Choi Yeonseung felt burdened. The giant rock snake he had just beaten gave him a pathetic look.

“It was a fair fight!”

As Choi Yeonseung became stronger, the giant rock snake started to actively attack him. Nevertheless, it couldn’t beat Choi Yeonseung, who had trained for a hundred years just to defeat the giant rock snake.

-Kkiiing...

“...Ugh!”

The look the snake kept giving him eventually made him give up on killing it. He wasn’t the one who attacked first, but he did use the snake as a sparring partner.

“Alright, fine! I won’t kill you.”

-Kkiing!

“Sigh. Where should I go... I don’t know anything about this place. I’m in the training ground, though, so can I just go anywhere?”

-Kkiing.

The giant rock snake lowered and positioned itself like a ride in front of Choi Yeonseung.

“Get on? Really?”

-Kkiing.

“Thank you.”

Choi Yeonseung quickly got on it. It was a much better option than wandering around the Abyss on foot.

“Speaking of which, I want to eat something. Do you have anything?”

-Kkiing?kkiing.

Onix—no, the giant rock snake stuck out its tail and let a small rock fall off.

“... ”

Eat a rock? Couldn’t it at least offer a fox or a crane?

Choi Yeonseung thought the rock snake wanted to get revenge for the grudge of being beaten. However, the eyes of the rock snake were pure.

‘Eat this, my friend!’

“...How can I eat your body?”

-Kkiing!

The rock snake was very touched.

[You have understood everything about the giant rock snake.]

[You have?learned?the martial art ‘Dark Snake Fist’ from the movements of the giant rock snake.]

‘Ah, so there’s something like this.’

He learned a new martial art at the same time as he reached the first-class stage. He wouldn’t abandon the Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts, but the Dark Snake Fist was a fun martial art in its own right. Unique movements that were different from humans!

Just then, he heard something. It had been a hundred years since he last heard it. It was the sound of an incoming magical storm.

The rock snake twisted its body in fright. It knew that even the sturdiest monsters would die if they were swept away by this magical storm. However, Choi Yeonseung thought differently. “Ah. It is ending this ordeal and sending me to the next one.”

-? ?

“Let’s go, Onix.”

-? ? ?

“Let’s go! Quickly!”

-Kkiing... Kkiiiing...

The rock snake howled and rushed into the magical storm. It was half desperate.

***

By the time they reached the next realm, the rock snake was trembling from exhaustion.

“Is this how everyone moves around in the Abyss? It’s amazing.”

-Kkiiiing!

The magical storm was a disaster, not a means of transportation. The rock snake screamed to knock some sense into this madman. However, Choi Yeonseung didn’t understand it.

‘The magical storm is amazing. Once I enter, magic power fills my entire body, eliminating fatigue and tempering my body.’

Now that he had reached first-class, he realized how great the magical storm was as a great recovery device. Was this the power of the goddess?!

‘Constellations are really amazing... They can even?conjure?something like this as they please.’

In truth, the magical storm was just a huge stroke of luck.

Immersed in the magical storm, Choi Yeonseung’s muscles and bones were tempered above all else. The limit of his dantian, which contained his internal energy, had also been expanded. He was reborn with the most perfect body to learn martial arts! Considering he had gone through this twice already, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Choi Yeonseung now had the body of a god.

“Is this training in water?”

Looking around, he found nothing but water. Apart from this small island he landed on, he could only see the sea. Naval combat. This would also be good training.

“Onix. Stay back.”

-Kkiing?

“You are a stone type, so you must be weak to water.”

-...Kkiiing?

What was this nonsense?

However, Choi Yeonseung had already left the giant rock snake behind and jumped into the sea.

‘Cough!”

[Extremely toxic water has entered your body!]

[Your Origin of the?Celestial?Divine Arts’ internal energy is quickly being consumed!]

[Your life will be in danger if all your?internal?energy is consumed.]

[You have been poisoned.]

[Your poison resistance has increased.]

“Gasp, gasp!”

Choi Yeonseung got out of the water right away. If it wasn’t for his?internal?energy, he would’ve died immediately.

“This is the sea of the Abyss...!”

He would be gravely injured if he just treated it like Earth’s seas.

‘I saw something sparkling down there when I entered. Is that the goal the goddess is giving me?’

It wasn’t.

‘I’m not sure how to break through this poisonous sea, but there has to be a way, considering the Goddess of Balance sent me here.’

That wasn’t the case.

“That’s right. I should build up my?internal?energy until I can withstand the poison. That’s the only way I can think of.”

This was correct. It took him a very long time, though.

***

It took 200 years.

Choi Yeonseung was worried about Earth. Becoming stronger was great and all, but was it really okay for him to take this long? Abyss’ time flowed differently compared to Earth’s, but...

‘Sigh. This isn’t the time to worry about that.’

-Kkiing?kkiing.

Having stayed at the poisonous sea for 200 years, Choi Yeonseung had developed a new hobby.

Cooking. He tried to catch the monsters he saw in the poisonous sea and bring them out to be cooked. Magic power kept him well-fed, but he still wanted to eat something!

“......”

-......

However, the fish monsters he caught were extremely poisonous. They melted his metal knife and the cutting board he made out of polished stones.

“... Should I just tear them apart and eat them as sashimi?”

-Kkiiiiing!

He didn’t know why, but the rock snake stopped him. The rock snake wriggled and spat something out of its mouth. It was a deep-colored ore that seemed to absorb light.

Adamantium.