"Where do you think you're slacking off! Get up right now!!"
"You can't even climb over a single small mountain peak, and you dare aspire to be a Starpoint Sect disciple!!"
"Hng... Hngg...!!"
The robust shouts of burly men and the pained groans of young boys echoed across the heart of Starpoint Mountain.
Children their age were normally free to run and play as they pleased, but that didn't apply to these boys—orphans taken in as Initiate Disciples of the Starpoint Sect, one of the Nine Great Righteous Sects.
The Second-Generation Disciples of the Starpoint Sect, with their stern expressions and sharp gazes, watched over every one of the hundreds of children undergoing physical training without missing a beat.
If any child seemed to be cutting corners, they barked like ghosts, forcing them to climb the mountain until they could move no more.
Only when their stamina was truly depleted to the brink did they grant the bare minimum rest before resuming training.
It was grueling work that even grown men would struggle to endure.
This training was essential for building the stamina required to learn martial arts—and a test to sift out true talents from the hundreds of Initiate Disciples who could become pillars of the sect.
Talent mattered, of course, but for anyone in the martial world, the most essential quality for mastering martial arts was 'endurance.'
The perseverance to push oneself to the limit every single day, for a lifetime.
The Starpoint Sect was testing that very endurance in these children.
Their initial fitness level didn't matter.
As long as they showed the will to endure the training to the end, that was enough to pass.
Thus, the Second-Generation Disciples pushed the Initiate Disciples to their absolute limits with all their might.
-Dash dash dash dash-!!
Even as most of the children collapsed like puddles of dough, sobbing weakly, one boy charged up the rugged mountain path at a speed no different from the start.
No... he seemed even faster?
"Initiate Disciple Baek Hyun! Can you keep running?"
"Y-Yes! It's tough, but I can still hold on!!"
Sweat poured from his body like rain, yet the boy flashed a spirited smile as he bounded up and down the harsh trails of Starpoint Mountain.
Even the Second-Generation Disciples—and the more experienced First-Generation Disciples—couldn't hide their astonishment at the bizarre sight.
Other factors aside, stamina was something gained solely through training and conditioning.
Yet stamina without end like that...
'Must be from a family of herb gatherers in some rugged mountain region.'
Far from it.
Initiate Disciple Baek Hyun of the Starpoint Sect.
Originally named Lee Hyun, he was a city boy born and raised in Seoul, someone who'd gripped smartphones and keyboards his whole life instead of herbs.
Even the new body he'd gained upon possessing this world belonged to the son of a Starpoint Sect errand boy slaughtered by martial artists—a body that had spent its life scrubbing tables and dishes.
Yet the reason he could display such unparalleled stamina was simple.
The 'privilege' he'd received after possessing this world granted him boundless vitality.
⚔ PRIVILEGE ⚔Solar Body
A legendary constitution that transforms the body's internal energy into the purest yang energy, like the sun itself, infusing endless vitality and allowing free use of supremely refined yang qi.
No matter how much he ran, fatigue never set in. Instead, more yang energy seeped into his body, strengthening and purifying his flesh in real time.
Every muscle and organ warmed pleasurably, an indescribable refreshment enveloping his entire body.
Like a blacksmith heating and hammering metal to refine it, his body advanced with every step.
"Haa... this new body really is something."
Everything else about it was a total bust, though.
Reaching the top of the small peak at last, Lee Hyun—no, Baek Hyun—gazed at the cloudless sky and let out a deep sigh.
A few weeks ago, he'd possessed the game world.
As an Initiate Disciple taken in by the Starpoint Sect, bestowed the Taoist name 'Baek Hyun.'
He'd been thrown into utter chaos by the absurdity at first, but now that he'd somewhat accepted reality, he was doing his best to adapt to this new life.
Sudden and bewildering as it was, what choice did he have?
Reality was reality. He had to accept it.
'The problem is, this isn't just any brutal world.'
Dominating the World was a game based on a classic martial arts world.
In other words, fists ruled over law, superhuman monkey-like brutes roamed everywhere, shadowy organizations wreaked havoc, and monstrous beings prowled in a savage, eat-or-be-eaten hellscape.
A barbaric, ruthless world where even the mightiest martial artist or highest noble could lose their life in an instant.
'And I set the difficulty to max on my first playthrough...'
Baek Hyun had started the game—even on his first run—with the highest difficulty.
There were save points in the game, after all, and dying had no real consequences!
He hadn't expected to possess the game!!
Who in their right mind would character-build with possession in mind?
"Damn it, why'd I let stupid pride get the better of me...!!"
This wasn't a generic martial arts world—it was the world of Dominating the World, the game.
There was a main story for players, shadowy groups to topple, and an ultra-powerful final boss pulling the strings.
And he, as the player, had to defeat them.
On the highest difficulty where even veterans could die in a blink, with zero intel on the shadows!
If this were the old version he knew, things might've been better...
'But this isn't the Dominating the World I know.'
It made sense, in a way. He'd possessed at the start of the remake version.
Of course he'd end up in the remake, not the old one.
Broad strokes were similar, but details differed vastly, leaving him essentially a newbie here.
The overall world structure and lore matched the old version somewhat, so it wasn't useless—but his prior game knowledge was largely obsolete. That stung.
Like a pioneer stepping into a new continent, he'd have to forge fresh builds and growth paths against entirely new foes.
In a game, he'd dive in thrilled. But this was reality.
With his life on the line for every action, navigating an unknown world felt crushing.
"Haa, stuff like this is what Kim Sam-soon or YSG excel at..."
Baek Hyun had always preferred PvP competition over PvE exploration of lore.
He wasn't built for pioneering攻略 guides from scratch on barren ground.
'Did any other guys possess too? It's possible.'
The beta had gone to multiple players, not just him, so others might've possessed as well.
But Starpoint Sect's remote Yun'nam Province made contact impossible—even hearing rumors was out, especially as a mere Third-Generation Disciple.
'Guess for now, I'm on my own.'
Sorting his thoughts, Baek Hyun descended the peak, pondering.
In this brutal survival-of-the-fittest world, the surest way to live was building his own strength.
With no intel on the world, his best bet was throwing himself into training full-throttle.
Lots of uncertainties, but the privileges from entering the game were no joke either.
'Starting with a Solar Body? That's an insane advantage.'
Starpoint Sect martial arts were inherently yang-based.
Their signature 'Shoot the Sun Sword Art' literally meant shooting the sun.
Like the archer god Hou Yi's arrows that felled the sun.
Suppressing blazing yang qi in the body and exploding it for hyper-speed maneuvers—that was the root of Starpoint arts.
Thus, Solar Body was the perfect constitution for them. Starting with it was beyond imagination.
Granted, it was a late-bloomer type compared to other top physiques, so it wasn't at full potential yet.
-Hummm
His second privilege should offset that flaw somewhat.
Baek Hyun recalled the info on his second privilege, straight from the monitor before possession.
⚔ DIVINE WEAPON ⚔
Red Bow White Arrow
A weapon presented by Zhuanxu, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, to the archer god 'Hou Yi'. Legend says 'Hou Yi' used it to shoot down nine suns.
Divine Weapon
The pinnacle of items in Dominating the World—cheat-level gear with immense divine powers and authority, unlike mere support equipment.
Due to balance, players could acquire only one per character, the ultimate endgame gear.
Such equipment now existed as particles within Baek Hyun's frail body.
His second privilege, earned as the overwhelming PvP #1.
Divine Weapons required Mythic realm mastery for full power.
Using it now would yield a fraction of its might and exhaust him instantly—but enough to escape most crises.
'Probably won't need it much, but just having it is reassuring.'
No gun, but he's got a nuke.
With that comfort, Baek Hyun eased up a bit.
Best constitution, best weapon.
Two privileges alone enough to shatter balance.
No matter the disadvantages, failing to survive with these would tarnish his #1 ranking.
'Let's do this.'
He didn't know the world's story, the lurking shadows, or the final boss's identity.
But that's how the world worked. Everyone lived that way.
His task hadn't changed.
'Shoot towards a new sun.'
Blast everything down.
Baek Hyun gazed at the sunrise beyond countless peaks, his resolve blazing.