The road back home was long, but the weight of gold on our backs made the journey lighter. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting golden light across the landscape. I walked in silence, my thoughts drifting to the fights we'd survived and the ones yet to come.
Beside me, Yoon-Hee glanced my way, her eyes flickering with unspoken questions. Finally, she broke the silence.
"You never told me," she said quietly. "Where did you find the Primordial Ascent Manual?"
I smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "You never told me about the Azure Lotus Scripture either."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Fair enough. Let's trade stories, then."
---
My Story
It started two years ago, long before the bounties and battles. Back when we were still struggling just to survive. Our village was poor, and my family barely scraped by. My father worked the fields until his hands bled, and my mother mended clothes for copper coins. My little sister, Seol-Ah, went hungry more often than not — but she never complained.
One day, while I was out gathering firewood, I stumbled into a part of the forest I'd never seen before. The air was… different there. Heavy. Ancient. The trees grew twisted and gnarled, their roots coiled like serpents.
And in the heart of it stood an altar.
It was cracked and weathered with age, covered in strange symbols that pulsed with faint light. On the altar lay a book — thick and bound in black leather that felt warm to the touch. The moment I reached for it, the air grew colder, and the ground shook.
But I didn't stop.
When my fingers brushed the cover, visions flooded my mind — mountains crumbling, oceans parting, the sky itself splitting open. And at the center of it all stood a lone figure, wielding power that defied reality.
The Primordial Ascent Manual.
It wasn't just a martial art. It was a path to godhood — a way to transcend mortal limits and claim power that had been lost since the age of the Primordials. But the manual came with a warning.
"Only those willing to sacrifice everything will reach the peak."
I took the book anyway.
The moment I did, the altar crumbled to dust, and the forest returned to normal. But the weight of the manual never left my hands.
---
Yoon-Hee's Story
"My family… wasn't as lucky as yours," she said softly.
We'd set up camp by then, the fire crackling between us. The light played across her face, but her eyes were distant.
"The bandits came when I was ten. I watched them burn our home and cut down my parents like they were nothing. I ran… but they chased me. I would've died if I hadn't found the cave."
Her hands tightened around her knees.
"It was hidden deep in the mountains — a place no one should've been able to find. Inside, there was a garden. Flowers I'd never seen before, glowing softly in the dark. And at the center of it all was a single lotus — blue as the sky."
She looked up, her eyes meeting mine.
"When I touched it, the cave collapsed. I barely made it out — but the lotus stayed with me. In my mind, in my heart. And with it came the Azure Lotus Scripture — a martial art unlike anything I'd ever known. It gave me strength… but it also took something from me."
"What did it take?" I asked.
She didn't answer right away. "That's a story for another day."
---
The next morning, we reached the village.
It was strange, coming back with gold and power when we'd left with nothing. My parents wept when they saw the house we'd bought — sturdy and warm, with enough land for my father to farm without fear of starvation.
Seol-Ah was waiting for us on the porch. She ran up, her face bright with joy — but when she hugged me, I felt it again. That strange… pressure.
I hadn't told her yet. About her bloodline. About the power sleeping inside her.
But soon, she'd have to know.
---
That night, as I stood under the stars, Yoon-Hee joined me.
"You're thinking about the tower," she said.
I nodded. The Infinite Ascension Tower loomed on the edge of the world — an ancient structure no one had ever conquered. Beyond the 120th floor, no one knew what lay waiting.
"We're not ready," she said softly.
"Not yet." I turned to her, my voice steady. "But we will be."
We didn't know what lay ahead — but whatever it was, we'd face it together.