Night settled over the city like a cloak of shimmering lights.
Jin Tae-Hyuk sat quietly on the edge of a rooftop overlooking a busy intersection. Below him, vehicles streamed endlessly along the roads, their lights forming glowing rivers that twisted between the towering buildings.
Even after two days, the sight still unsettled him.
In Murim, nights were quiet. Only the wind through mountain trees and the distant calls of beasts disturbed the darkness.
Here, the world never seemed to rest.
Yet beneath that noise… Tae-Hyuk could still feel it.
Qi.
Not strong. Not pure. But present.
Small pulses drifted through the streets like faint lanterns in the dark.
He closed his eyes.
Several were nearby.
One… two… five.
Different sources.
Different styles.
Murim truly survived… he thought.
But the energy signatures were strange. They flickered unevenly, as if the practitioners were constantly suppressing their aura.
They are hiding it.
He opened his eyes again.
Across the street stood a modest building with a glowing sign that read "Baek Martial Arts Fitness Center."
To ordinary people, it looked like nothing more than a training gym.
But Tae-Hyuk had already noticed several unusual things.
The people entering moved with perfect balance.
Their footsteps were light.
Their breathing controlled.
And occasionally very briefly Qi leaked from their bodies before vanishing again.
His gaze sharpened.
Interesting…
A few minutes later, Tae-Hyuk quietly descended from the rooftop.
He blended into the nighttime crowds, pulling his coat tighter around himself. Modern clothing still felt strange on his body, but it helped him avoid attention.
The gym's glass doors slid open automatically when he approached.
He stiffened slightly.
Magic?
But he quickly realized it was simply another strange device of this era.
Inside, the building smelled of sweat and rubber mats.
Several people were practicing kicks and punches under bright lights. Others lifted heavy metal weights that clanked loudly whenever they touched the ground.
To most eyes, it was a normal training facility.
But Tae-Hyuk immediately saw the truth.
Two men sparring in the corner were using controlled breathing techniques.
Their stances resembled fragments of traditional fighting forms.
A woman performing rapid kicks near a training bag released a faint ripple of Qi every time her heel struck.
Yet the power was shallow.
Incomplete.
Their movements lacked the seamless flow he remembered from true martial masters.
It was as if someone had copied the outer shell of the techniques… but forgot the soul.
Tae-Hyuk stood silently against the wall, observing.
Their foundations are weak, he thought.
The breathing rhythms were incorrect.
The energy circulation stopped halfway through several meridians.
Even their stance transitions were slightly flawed.
But none of the practitioners seemed aware of the mistakes.
They trained seriously, repeating the same movements again and again.
A young man nearby attempted a spinning kick.
His foot struck the bag with a loud thud, releasing a small flash of Qi.
The force was impressive by ordinary standards.
But Tae-Hyuk knew the same technique, executed properly, could split stone.
Something was lost, he realized.
Generations must have passed.
Techniques changed.
Knowledge faded.
The Murim of this era had survived… but only partially.
"Hey."
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Tae-Hyuk turned slightly.
One of the trainers stood nearby, arms crossed.
"You new here?"
Tae-Hyuk nodded calmly.
"Just watching."
The trainer studied him for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly.
Perhaps he sensed the faint aura Tae-Hyuk struggled to suppress.
But after a moment he shrugged.
"If you're interested, there's an open sparring session tonight."
Tae-Hyuk shook his head.
"Another time."
He had no intention of revealing his abilities.
Not yet.
The trainer nodded and walked away.
Tae-Hyuk remained still for a few minutes longer, observing the training.
Every movement confirmed the same conclusion.
Murim existed.
But it had grown weaker.
More cautious.
More hidden.
Their techniques were fragments of something far greater.
Which means…
His eyes darkened slightly.
If someone preserved the old ways…
That person would possess an overwhelming advantage.
After leaving the gym, Tae-Hyuk walked slowly through a narrow alley.
The air was cooler now, the city quieter as midnight approached.
But suddenly...
A blur moved across the rooftops.
Tae-Hyuk stopped instantly.
His senses sharpened.
Another figure landed silently on a building across the street.
The movement was quick.
Controlled.
Skilled.
"A Martial master" He thought..
The person paused briefly, scanning the area.
For a moment, their gaze swept dangerously close to Tae-Hyuk's hiding place.
He held his breath.
Completely still.
After several tense seconds, the figure vanished again into the night.
Tae-Hyuk exhaled slowly.
They are vigilant.
This world's Murim might be weaker…
…but they were not careless.
And that meant something else.
If ordinary practitioners were already this cautious…
Then the truly powerful ones must be far more dangerous.
Tae-Hyuk looked up at the towering skyline.
Lights stretched endlessly into the darkness.
Hidden within those buildings were countless secrets.
Hidden warriors.
Hidden sects.
Hidden enemies.
And perhaps…
Hidden masters.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"This world…"
he murmured softly.
"…might be more interesting than I thought."
The wind swept across the rooftops.
Far away, another faint pulse of Qi flickered somewhere in the city.
And Jin Tae-Hyuk quietly followed its direction.
The deeper he walked into the modern world…
the closer he moved toward its hidden Murim.
And whatever waited at its center.