> "A sword is not a weapon here. It's a voice. And everyone is shouting."
— Jiwoon, dodging his fifth flying disciple ( in memory )
—
When the portal spat us out, the first thing I felt was pressure.
Not gravity. Not mana.
Something deeper — like the air was saturated with old grudges and unburied ambition.
A gust of wind sliced past us, carrying cherry blossoms and blood mist in equal measure.
We had arrived.
But not in any peaceful field.
We were in the courtyard of a martial sect mid-extermination.
---
Screams.
Clashing swords.
One side wore crimson robes, faces hidden beneath demon masks.
The other were barefoot monks with sun tattoos across their backs.
In the center stood a single figure, barefoot and unarmed — yet every attacker who stepped within five meters of him shattered like dropped porcelain.
"...This is Murim?" Ereze whispered.
"No," I said, watching the lone figure bow politely to the dying enemies. "This is the First Murim."
Jiwoon frowned. "That's not in the novel."
Exactly. It wasn't.
This floor didn't exist in the original story.
---
> [You have entered Floor Two: Forgotten Arc — Before the First Martial War]
Hidden Scenario Unlocked
Condition: Survive until history remembers this place.
---
The man in the center turned.
He wasn't beautiful. Or terrifying. Just... sharp. Like a broken truth.
His eyes glowed with inner cultivation energy, yet his hands were still.
"Outlanders," he said, voice carrying like it was part of the wind. "You fell through a portal not written by time."
Ereze raised her blade.
Jiwoon flared his aura.
I stepped forward. "We're not here to interrupt. Just trying to survive."
The man smiled. "Good. Because this place doesn't tolerate spectators. You either become part of its history — or you're erased."
---
The ground shook.
Not from an earthquake — but from a presence.
Something ancient was watching the courtyard. Not a god. Not a system.
A sect leader of this forgotten age.
And he wasn't interested in guests.
---
A massive jade bell rang in the distance.
Monks and masked assassins turned in sync.
The lone man sighed. "That would be Master Onyx. You'll need to earn your breath now."
---
> [NEW OBJECTIVE: Earn passage through the First Murim by taking part in the Trial of Lineage. Non-participants will be absorbed into the sect's energy as fuel.]
---
Jiwoon muttered, "God, I hate Murim arcs."
I didn't.
Because something about this floor felt... alive.
As if this wasn't just a side story.
As if this world remembered being a story once — and now wanted to rewrite itself.