Martial God Regressed to Level 2

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Side Story 13

'Martial arts... Well, she has shown interest in it.'

Every time Seong Jihan displayed his martial arts, Yoon Seah's eyes would sparkle with curiosity.

Unlike her real-world counterpart, who didn't choose the path of a warrior, perhaps this version of her had made up her mind.

Seeing her ask to learn martial arts confirmed that she had indeed decided.

"Teaching you wouldn't be difficult."

"Oh... really?"

"Yes. However, at your current level, it's impossible for you to perform the martial arts I've shown you. It might even be impossible for your entire life. Are you okay with that?"

"Oh... of course! I wouldn't even dare to desire such heights."

"You should dare to desire them. Only by aiming high can you grow."

As he said this, Seong Jihan was about to pass on some martial arts to Yoon Seah right then and there.

However,

'...It's actually quite tricky when it comes to teaching.'

Trying to teach martial arts to a complete beginner from scratch was more challenging than he had anticipated.

In the first place, when Seong Jihan first acquired martial arts, it was through the system's "Nameless Divine Arts."

Although he had later established a foundation in martial arts through various training processes,

It wasn't as straightforward as he thought to figure out how to teach someone like Yoon Seah, a complete novice, from the very beginning.

Furthermore,

'Perhaps because I've been training with Jiang Shang recently, I find it even harder to grasp.'

From the concept of Taiji to the Nothingness,

From Nothingness to reaching the state of Infinity.

Having trained for a hundred years to reach the state of infinity, it became even more ambiguous for him to decide where to start teaching the basics.

Seong Jihan looked at Yoon Seah, who was watching him with bright, expectant eyes.

['Temporary Logout' function is now activated.]

He recalled one of the functions that had been activated earlier.

'I suppose I should step out for a bit.'

Besides, he had been inside this mission world for too long.

Deciding to log out to obtain some basic martial arts suitable for teaching a beginner, Seong Jihan made up his mind.

'Let's see... If I do this.'

When he activated the temporary logout function,

[Starting temporary logout.]

[The world within the mission will be paused.]

[If you do not log in within 24 hours, the mission will reset.]

A series of system messages appeared, and then,

Tuk.

The world came to a halt.

-Huh?

-Why did everything suddenly stop?

-What's going on? Is it a bug?

As people were surprised to see the world stop and expressed their confusion in Seong Jihan's chat window,

Flash...!

A brilliant white light flashed, and he returned to his original world.

-Oh, isn't this the Sword Palace?

-Looks like it, haha.

-Did he return to the real world?

Even after exiting the mission, BattleTube was still active.

'But unlike inside the mission, I can turn it off here.'

Before ending the BattleTube stream, Seong Jihan addressed the viewers.

"I have temporarily logged out."

-Oh, you can log out?

-Feels like it's been a while since we heard you speak politely, haha.

-I kind of liked the commanding 'Martial God' persona...

-Still, this feels more familiar.

Seeing the change in his tone, friendly messages started to flood the chat.

"I'll see you again when I log back in. Goodbye for now."

Beep.

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With those words, Seong Jihan ended the BattleTube stream.

As the broadcast ended, silence enveloped the living room.

He looked around.

'Indeed, stimuli feel much less in reality.'

Compared to his real life, where existence felt monotonous due to the lack of stimuli, the mission world felt more vivid and real.

Flop.

He reclined on the sofa where he always sat.

He continued to feel the sense of lifelessness.

'I want to go back.'

Then suddenly, he felt an intense desire to return to the mission world.

After living for months without any stimuli, experiencing full sensations in the mission world made it hard for him to adjust back to this world.

'Is stimuli truly this important for human existence...?'

As he mused over his own changes and smirked bitterly,

Beep. Beep-beep.

He heard sounds coming from the direction of the front door.

"Boss!"

Lee Hayeon hurriedly entered from there.

"Boss, you know I don't gamble anymore, right? I really quit!"

"Oh, I know. Why would the guild master of the Daegi Guild have any need to gamble?"

The Daegi Guild.

Having risen to the pinnacle of the world and wielding overwhelming influence due to her association with Seong Jihan, what would the guild master of such a place lack to need to gamble?

As Seong Jihan acknowledged her innocence,

"Phew..."

She sighed in relief.

"So, it wasn't because of gambling that you rejected me?"

As if they had planned it, both she and Sophia had confessed to Seong Jihan around the same time.

Even then, he had rejected them with the same response.

"The reason is exactly as I told you back then. It's because of my current state."

"Oh... Indeed, you seemed more vibrant within the mission world, Boss."

With concern, Lee Hayeon looked at Seong Jihan, who had melded into the sofa.

His facial expressions varied when he was performing missions on BattleTube, and he was full of life.

Here, however, he just sat still with a blank expression.

"But does that mean you felt more alive over there...?"

"Yes. Over there, I can feel sensations without any filtering."

"Why is that? How curious. Usually, it's the opposite for most people..."

"I need to continue investigating the reason."

"I see..."

As she nodded in understanding,

Seong Jihan asked another question.

"By the way, do you know where Seol-young is right now?"

"Princess Seol-young?"

Lee Hayeon's eyes widened.

Kang Seol-young, the youngest daughter of Jiang Shang and the imperial princess of the Martial Empire.

There were many times when she would come looking for Seong Jihan, but it was rare for him to seek her out first.

"Yes. I have something to ask her regarding martial arts."

"Wait, you're the one asking Princess Seol-young...?"

Lee Hayeon showed a reaction of surprise but quickly said,

"I'll contact her right away."

She picked up her phone and informed Kang Seol-young that Seong Jihan was looking for her.

And within minutes of her call,

Clatter...

The window in the living room opened, and someone entered through it.

"Lord, I heard you were looking for me."

A woman dressed in a pristine white martial arts uniform bowed her head respectfully to Seong Jihan.

She was none other than Kang Seol-young, the youngest daughter of Jiang Shang.

"Um... Why did you come in through the window when there's a perfectly good door?"

Pointing at the living room window, Lee Hayeon asked in disbelief.

"I was in a hurry since it's the first time Lord has sought me out. So, Hayeon, your business here must be concluded, so please excuse us."

Unlike when she addressed Seong Jihan, her tone quickly shifted as she effectively dismissed Lee Hayeon.

"You're telling me to leave? I came here first, you know?"

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"Yes. Since you arrived first, you can leave first."

"I haven't seen Boss in a long time; I'm not planning on leaving just yet."

"Ha. So, you're insisting on staying beside him?"

As the two of them glared daggers at each other,

'Were they always this antagonistic?'

Deciding to settle the matter quickly, Seong Jihan spoke up.

"Seol-young."

"Yes, Lord."

"Could you teach me some basic martial arts?"

"Basic... martial arts? It's one thing for Lord to teach me, but how could I possibly teach you...?"

At first, Kang Seol-young didn't comprehend what he was asking.

However, after he explained the situation, she slowly nodded in understanding.

"Ah, you've ascended to such a high realm, Lord. I see. Actually, I had prepared something for our first child anyway."

"First... child?"

"Yes. I'll be right back."

Whoosh!

She vanished instantly and returned in less than a minute.

In her hands was a notebook.

Seong Jihan read the characters written on the cover.

"Primordial Unity One Qi Technique"?

"Yes. It's a cultivation method passed down to direct descendants of the imperial family. I personally translated it into your language for our first child."

Flipping through the pages,

It began with an explanation of what the Primordial Unity One Qi Technique was.

It kindly detailed in Korean how to perceive qi, how to train in this cultivation method, and the steps involved.

'She did a great job preparing this.'

She had said she prepared it for their first child.

The training method for the Primordial Unity One Qi Technique was organized in an easily understandable manner.

As he skimmed through it, Seong Jihan got a sense of how to teach Yoon Seah.

"Thanks to you, this is a tremendous help."

"I will translate the other martial arts for you as well, Lord."

"That's wonderful to hear."

He handed the book back to her.

"Well then, I'll be going now."

With a light wave to the two of them, Seong Jihan reconnected to the mission.

As he disappeared in a flash of light, Kang Seol-young, wearing a serious expression, spoke up.

"Has Lord been out of the mission for long?"

"Um... No? He just looked at the book and left."

"Didn't he meet with Seah?"

"No. Seah is out at the moment."

Which meant that he barely stayed in reality and logged out specifically for the mission?

"I'm concerned that he's becoming too immersed over there."

Kang Seol-young gazed worriedly at the spot where Seong Jihan had just vanished.

Meanwhile.

A heated discussion was underway at Shizuru's mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan.

"Shizuru. Why are you telling me not to go to Korea?"

The Sword King, filled with determination after watching Seong Jihan's broadcast, expressed his intent to participate.

"Ryuhei. It's a trap. Haven't I told you several times?"

Shizuru was doing her utmost to dissuade him.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Even if it's a trap, it doesn't matter. I can overcome it with my sword. Or... do you perhaps not trust me?"

"Who else would I trust but you? Ryuhei, it hurts me when you say things like that..."

She tried to persuade the Sword King, tears welling up in her eyes.

'Why isn't he listening today?'

Internally, she was growing increasingly frustrated with his stubbornness.

After changing his name to Ito Ryuhei and being utterly ensnared by her charms, normally, he would be at a loss if she shed a few tears.

"But... still. I feel like I need to go this time..."

Today, he was adamantly insisting on going to Korea.

'His conditioning hasn't worn off. Why does he keep insisting on Korea?'

Feeling uneasy, Shizuru checked Ito Ryuhei's status window.

Indeed, it still displayed the status effects "Enamored," "Obsessed," and "Dependent."

Under these conditions, he shouldn't be able to resist her.

'Ever since Seong Jihan appeared, the Sword King's condition has been slightly off.'

After watching the videos of the "Dungeon Breaker" Seong Jihan in action, Shizuru noticed that her control over the Sword King, or Yoon Sejin, was starting to waver.

Was it because his daughter had appeared extensively in the broadcasts?

Or was there another reason?

While trying to figure out the cause, she continued her act.

"Ryuhei. If you truly wish to go, you'll have to cut me down first...!"

On the surface, she wept profusely, making every effort to stop the Sword King.

Finally,

"...I'm sorry. I realize you're worried about me. I was being selfish."

The Sword King relented, taking a step back.

"However, please reconsider. Japan and Korea are so close... I could go tomorrow if need be."

Leaving her with a request to think it over, he departed.

As soon as the Sword King was out of sight,

Ssss...

Shizuru lowered her hands from her face, revealing a cold, hardened expression.

"Even if you hadn't said anything... I was already planning to go."

Seong Jihan, the only person in this world capable of destroying dungeon portals.

He was even more valuable than the Sword King.

Shizuru had been meticulously planning to enchant him, to bring him under her sway.

But when Seong Jihan specifically mentioned her name and invited her, all her plans came to a screeching halt.

'That man... is dangerous.'

The existence of Ito Shizuru had not been publicly known until now.

How had he discovered her name and extended such a precise, public invitation?

Watching Seong Jihan's confident demeanor filled her with a sense of foreboding.

'It doesn't hurt to be cautious.'

After all the effort it took to climb to this position, getting greedy now might lead to disaster.

It was better to proceed with caution.

Of course, if she didn't attend, there's a chance that Seong Jihan wouldn't reveal the "method to eliminate dungeon portals."

'But I'm safe anyway... What do I care about the portals?'

She felt no concern over the dangers that dungeon portals posed to others.

People feeling threatened by dungeons was of no consequence to her.

'What's most important is maintaining my current luxury and status...'

Shizuru's eyes gleamed with a sinister light as she gazed around her opulent mansion.

* * *

Back in the mission world, Seong Jihan prepared to teach Yoon Seah.

With the Primordial Unity One Qi Technique manual in hand, he now had a suitable method to instruct a beginner.

Returning to where he had left, he found time still frozen, awaiting his return.

"Seah, I'm back."

"Ah! You're back, Martial God-nim."

She greeted him with a bright smile.

"I've prepared a cultivation method suitable for you."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"Here, take this. It's called the Primordial Unity One Qi Technique. It will help you sense and cultivate your inner energy."

Handing her the manual, he watched as she eagerly began to read.

Her eyes sparkled with interest as she flipped through the pages.

"This... it's so detailed and easy to understand."

"It was prepared with care."

"Thank you, Martial God-nim. I'll study hard!"

"Good. If you have any questions or need guidance, don't hesitate to ask."

"I will!"

Seeing her enthusiasm warmed his heart.

Perhaps teaching her would be a rewarding experience after all.

Meanwhile, the world watched with bated breath as Seong Jihan continued to make waves.

His name was on everyone's lips, his actions stirring up discussions and debates.

Some saw him as a savior, others as a threat.

But one thing was certain: the world would never be the same.

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]