"Strength isn't given. It's ground into bone through pain."
A voice echoes through an abandoned high-rise on the outskirts of Seoul. The building had collapsed during the early stages of the Cataclysm, long since cleared out by the government. It now stood hollow, forgotten—the perfect place to train.
Sage Hwan stood barefoot in the center of a cracked rooftop, wind howling around him, shirtless again, hoodie tied around his waist. His lean, honed body was covered in tiny bruises and sweat.
One punch. Ten styles. A million repetitions.
This was his daily mantra.
No system-enhanced stats.
No NPC teachers.
No automated skill leveling.
Only pain, precision, and control.
[Modern Martial Form Series: Personal Training Mode – Active]
Form I: Flowing Water Palm – For redirection, redirection, and absorption.
Form II: Storm Fist – For forward assault and chained elemental attacks.
Form III: Skyfall Knee – High-impact aerial control and critical strikes.
Form IV: Ember Wheel – Rotational energy combustion form.
Form V: Iron Thread – Close-quarter telekinetic reinforcement grappling.
Form VI–X: Locked. Requires usage mastery of I–V in real combat.
Each movement Sage made was flawless, robotic in repetition yet fluid with intent.
He threw a slow punch.
Then again.
Then ten thousand more, each one vibrating with telekinetic precision and micro-elemental infusion.
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
His fist created shockwaves, peeling concrete from the rooftop with each hit. Dust exploded with every exhale.
"This is boring," he muttered. "That means it's working."
Flashback – One Year Ago
A younger Sage, bloodied and sitting against a crumbling wall, whispered to himself:
"Murim martial artists never needed stats. They cultivated through pain, time, and enlightenment. If I ever awaken… I'll follow that path. No shortcuts."
Back to Present
Sage stepped to a burned-out sedan, flipped it mid-air with a telekinetic flick, then launched himself upward, spinning into a mid-air Skyfall Knee—destroying the car in one graceful motion.
BOOM!
The crater beneath him sizzled.
He landed on one knee. Exhaled. Sweat glistened across his body like dew on steel.
"Form III, 70% perfected. Next."
Elsewhere – Arcanum Guild HQ
Kael Yun watched Sage's dungeon footage again and again. Rage simmered in his eyes.
"That E-Rank… he humiliated me."
An elder guild member sighed.
"He isn't normal. We don't know his limiter. Don't rush a fight."
Kael's eyes glinted.
"No. I want him marked. He needs to be tested inside the tower."
"You mean…"
"Yes. Send him into the 1st Tower of Divine Trial."
Back at the Abandoned Tower – Nightfall
Sage sat cross-legged, surrounded by floating elemental cores—one of each attribute. Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Lightning. Shadow. Light.
He slowly absorbed trace amounts of each through breathwork and internal circulation.
Each core tried to resist. Clash. React. Overload him.
His veins burned. His teeth cracked. Blood leaked from his eyes.
But he didn't flinch.
"More," he whispered. "Burn hotter."
[Telekinetic Core: Subsystem Activated – Elemental Fusion Lock Unstable]
Warning: Body Overload – Pain Index 93%... 94%... 95%...
His body trembled. Muscles spasmed. His heart skipped beats.
And then—silence.
Sage exhaled.
The cores stopped resisting. They hovered, synchronized, spinning gently around him like planets around a star.
He smiled faintly.
"Form VI unlocked."
[Modern Martial Form VI: Frost-Fire Tempest Fang – Unlocked]
An elemental hybrid technique combining explosive thermal fusion with precision telekinetic strikes.
Suddenly, a comm window opened from the Awakened Association.
"Sage Hwan. You've been nominated for a trial-entry into the 1st Divine Tower. Entry opens in 24 hours."
He closed the window. Picked up a bottle of cheap water. Sipped.
"Tower trials, huh?"
He stood up, brushing dirt off his knees.
"Guess it's time to beat down some gods too."