Elysium, Murim, and Earth.The difference between these three worlds was not merely a matter of environment.It was because the very essence of the power each world embraced was different.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina were now certain.
"Naegong, mana, and arcane magic aren't separate powers—they all come from the same source."
Long ago, when the war between gods and Titans erupted, it wasn't merely a clash of armies.Each time their powers collided, the world itself split apart, and rifts between dimensions were born.
Elysium became the world where the gods took root, and divine magic naturally flourished there.Murim, however, was a world the gods never fully claimed.
So how did Murim receive its power?
In the clash between gods and Titans, fragments of power leaked through the dimensional rifts into Murim.But what entered Murim was not full, unaltered magic—it was a distorted, incomplete form of it.Unlike Elysium, where the gods directly intervened and shaped magic,and unlike the creations of the Titans themselves,
Murim developed its own path.
The result was a force that evolved in a different direction from mana.That force became Naegong (內功)—the cultivation of internal energy.
The world of Murim was not an environment where mana could be freely wielded as in Elysium.But that did not mean mana was absent.Some of it leaked in through the rifts—yet, in Murim, that energy could not settle in its pure form.
Instead, it changed.
Mana became a force that circulated within the human body.That was the birth of Naegong.
A transformed form of mana, now flowing through the body's meridians and gathering in the dantian.
Lee Do-hyeon realized it and spoke aloud.
"Mana is the power to control external energy—Naegong is the power to take that energy inward, to circulate it."
Reina nodded quietly.
"Then the Naegong we've been training in Murim… was always the same power as magic at its core."
There was always the potential for magic in Murim.But without the gods directly intervening, there was no one to formalize it.
Murim's strength was something entirely developed by humans.They learned how to manipulate energy through their own bodies,and from that exploration, Naegong was completed.
It didn't split into elemental schools like magic did—but there were still martial artists who could wield fire, ice, or lightning.This meant only one thing:
Naegong was, at its core, a mutated form of mana.
Murim's Naegong could have become magic,but through environmental differences and the choices of humankind, it evolved instead into martial arts.
Lee Do-hyeon thought of Earth.Elysium had magic.Murim had Naegong.
Then what about Earth?
Could it be that Earth once had power too—but lost it?
Reina spoke softly.
"Whether it's magic or Naegong, it only survives if there are people who study and carry it on.But if the ones who remembered it all vanished…?"
A chill ran down Lee Do-hyeon's spine.
Perhaps Earth once had power,but when those who remembered it disappeared, the power itself faded away.
Or perhaps, after the war between gods and Titans ended,the gods withdrew their power from Earth.
For whatever reason, Earth became a place that could no longer hold power—and as a result, humans born there never had the chance to encounter mana or Naegong.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina were now certain.Magic and Naegong were not different at all.
They were the same power, split by circumstance.
The energy that leaked through the dimensional rifts changed in different ways:some worlds embraced magic,others cultivated Naegong.
So then—what if the two could be made into one?
"Mana controls the energy outside. Naegong controls the energy within…"
Lee Do-hyeon stared at his own hand.
"Then… maybe it's possible to project Naegong outward—like mana."
Reina murmured,
"And maybe… it's possible to circulate mana through the body—like Naegong."
**
Chapter : The One Who Holds Two Powers
For a while, Lee Do-hyeon had forgotten something fundamental.
In Murim, he was an outsider.In Elysium, he was an outsider.
He had been born on Earth—a world with neither mana nor Naegong.
He had crossed two dimensions,and along the way, he had encountered both mana and Naegong.
But one question lingered:Earth had neither.
So why was he able to accept them both?
Lee Do-hyeon looked quietly at his hands.Humans from Earth had been born with nothing.
But maybe… that was exactly why he could.
In Murim, people trained in Naegong.In Elysium, they mastered mana.
They were used to accepting only one kind of power.
But Lee Do-hyeon was different.
He had started from zero.
And because he began with nothing,his path was open to anything.
Reina watched him quietly.And she realized something—perhaps she had been wrong to think of Do-hyeon as simply a "void."
"Then… does that mean you're the one person who can truly merge Naegong and mana?"
Arknan agreed immediately.
"Until now, we've always thought of Naegong and mana as separate things.But Lee Do-hyeon—he can cross that boundary."
Lee Do-hyeon let out a long breath.
"If it were only about martial arts, I could never surpass you, Reina.But if I'm the only one who can hold both Naegong and mana at the same time…"
He clenched his hand slowly.And began experimenting—trying to wield Naegong and mana together.
He closed his eyes and circulated his Naegong.Energy flowed from his dantian,through his meridians, spreading through his body.
At the same time, he awakened mana.The air around him shifted,and mana stirred in response.
Normally, these two powers would repel one another.
But in his body—they didn't.
His Naegong flowed like mana.His mana circulated like Naegong.
The two forces didn't reject one another.They blended.
Lee Do-hyeon's eyes widened.
"This… this is possible?"
Reina narrowed her eyes, sensing the aura around him.And she was stunned.
His Naegong and mana had already become one.
He was walking a path neither martial arts nor magic had ever known.
Arknan gasped in awe.
"This… this is insane.Someone who can control Naegong and mana at the same time…you might actually be the one to open a new path."
Even Reina had to admit it.
In pure martial skill, Do-hyeon might still be far below her.But he was the only one with the potential to perfectly unite both powers.
She thought to herself,"Have I been the one setting limits all this time?"
She had trained her entire life in martial arts, sharpening herself with discipline.But Do-hyeon looked at martial arts and magic with an entirely new perspective.
His path was different from hers.
"I tried to reach the realm of the gods through martial arts.But Do-hyeon… he might reach it another way."
She smirked faintly.
"You're an interesting one."
Do-hyeon blinked in confusion.
"What?"
Reina gripped her sword.
"You don't even realize how incredible the road you're on really is, do you?"
Lee Do-hyeon looked down at his hand again.He didn't have all the answers yet.
But one thing was certain:
The path before him was no longer that of any martial art or magic that had ever existed.
It was something entirely new.
***
Chapter 74: The Clash of Divinity and Martial Power
Days passed—and then divinity resounded through the sky.
Light poured from the tips of Edmond's fingers,and in an instant, the battlefield was transformed into a realm of the gods.
"I will become a god."
His voice rang like a decree of the heavens,and his movements carried a speed that shattered the limits of mortals.
Lee Do-hyeon and Reina reacted immediately.
This was no mere duel of swordsmanship.It was the moment when divinity and martial power, two worlds entirely apart, collided.
Edmond thrust out his hand.Light condensed into a spear and flew toward Lee Do-hyeon and Reina.
Whoosh!
Reina shifted half a step, striking at the narrow gap as the spear passed.
But Edmond, as if he had foreseen every movement,twisted his body with inhuman swiftness to evade her blade.
Lee Do-hyeon moved with Gyeonggong,his body rising like a light breeze to avoid Edmond's strike.
Yet Edmond instantly responded, detonating an eruption of divine power.
BOOM!
The air vibrated, an immense shockwave rippling outward.
Lee Do-hyeon threw himself aside to escape the blast—but in that instant, Edmond appeared before him.
"Your martial power cannot pierce this divinity."
Lee Do-hyeon's sword flashed,and at the same time, Edmond swung his hand wreathed in divine force.
Steel and light clashed,and the shock of their collision split the earth.
CLANG!
Lee Do-hyeon parried Edmond's divine strike,immediately shifting his stance to counterattack.
But—
Edmond vanished like a shadow,only to reappear from another direction.
"Gyeonggong… interesting."
He moved as if he had mastered the art himself,stepping on the air, darting with impossible speed.
Dodge, counter, dodge, counter.
The battlefield dissolved into chaos as divinity and martial techniques tangled.
Reina moved in with her sword.Her Chilgeommuu (Seven Sword Dance) unfurled in the air,blades weaving around Edmond, striking from all directions.
But—
Edmond raised a divine shield,blocking every strike.
"Did you think you could cut down a god?"
Lee Do-hyeon smiled.
"You're not a god yet."
Then he shifted his footwork,finding Edmond's blind spot in a flicker of motion.
Shhhk—
His sword sliced through the air.
Edmond realized too late.
The blade grazed his side.
For the first time, Edmond's expression faltered.
He felt divine light seeping from his body.
"What… is this?"
Lee Do-hyeon's voice was calm.
"Martial power isn't just swordplay.Martial power is seeing the flow, reading the pattern, finding the fracture."
Reina smiled faintly.
"And we know how to learn it—inside the fight itself."
Edmond's face twisted with anger.
He had thought he was fighting mere mortals.But standing before him were beings who challenged the very notion of godhood.
He gathered his power once more.
The clash of divinity and martial power was not over.
But victory in this battle would not come from force alone.
**
Chapter : Martial Power Against Martial Power — And a New Path
Edmond's divine power reached its zenith.
Light burst from his body,and the battlefield felt as though a god himself had descended.
Lee Do-hyeon gripped his sword tighter, stepping forward.
"Divinity is martial power. My martial power is martial power."
He said it simply—then charged Edmond.
But—
BAM!
He was thrown back instantly.
Lee Do-hyeon's sword struck the divine barrier—and was repelled.
His body flew through the air and slammed against a wall.
"Khh…!"
His breath turned ragged.
Edmond looked down at him slowly.
"Your martial power has reached its limit, mortal."
When divinity and human strength collided,the victor seemed obvious.
Lee Do-hyeon gritted his teeth and stood again.
He knew.This was an opponent he could not face alone.
Then—
"Why don't you face me instead?"
Just as Edmond stepped toward Lee Do-hyeon,someone blocked his path.
Reina—the Celestial Sword Demon King.
Her eyes were cold.Calm.
"If you want to become a god, you'll have to pass my sword first."
Edmond sneered.
"You've seen the end of martial power.But the gap between you and a god is unbridgeable."
Reina didn't reply.
Her sword shimmered blue, cutting through the air.
Chilgeommuu (Seven Sword Dance).
Seven strikes unfolded in an instant.
They cut through Edmond's divine barrier,closing in.
BOOM!
The barrier shuddered.
Edmond's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What is this…?"
Her sword was no ordinary technique.It was a blade that could cut even gods.
Lee Do-hyeon watched the battlefield.
Reina was strong.But even she couldn't completely overpower Edmond.
His divinity was more than mere strength—it was the embodiment of his desire to become a true god.
Lee Do-hyeon looked down at his hand.
He held a sword.
But he knew—this sword alone would not be enough.
Then…
Was there another path?
A thought flashed through him.
He came from a world with no mana.
That meant—he was not bound by mana.
In Elysium, Naegong and mana were distinct.In Murim, Naegong had replaced mana in part.
But Lee Do-hyeon had learned both.
And so—he was something entirely new.
He let his energy flow.
Not mana.Not Naegong.
But a power founded on pure nothingness—Mu (無).
The sword in his hand slowly lost its color.The aura around him turned transparent.
It was the state of complete nothingness.
"Lee Do-hyeon!"
Reina shouted—she too felt the shift in him.
Lee Do-hyeon raised his sword slowly.
And took a single step.
That was the beginning.
Edmond sensed danger in his core.
But it was already too late.
Shhhk—
Time seemed to slow for him.
No—Lee Do-hyeon was simply too fast.
The sword swung toward him.
It was—
A strike born of Mu.A technique no one could comprehend.
The blade cut Edmond.
Cleanly.
In an instant, it crossed the boundary between mortal and divine—and cleaved him in two.
Edmond's divine power shattered,his eyes wide with shock.
"What… is this…?"
He murmured those words,as his body crumbled.
Lee Do-hyeon lowered his sword slowly.
"You were neither god nor man.But I—I was able to cut you as a man."
At that moment—
It was a strike that marked the end of the age of gods—and the beginning of something new.