Chapter 126: Descent

He only came to his senses again after quite some time had passed.

Though he lay unconscious, his body, having transcended human limits, healed itself. Jang Woo-hyun's condition was far better than before.

“How long have I been lying down?”

When Jang Woo-hyun asked the middle-aged man kneeling before him, the man bowed his head and replied,

“It has been fifteen days. You opened your eyes once, then fell asleep again. Ten days have passed since then.”

The man had a hard time articulating the fact that twenty-five days had gone by.

As he listened, Jang Woo-hyun clenched his fists and circulated his internal energy. The energy gathering in his palm was less than expected. His strength had not fully returned, and the power he could use was merely at the initial level of the Absolute Realm.

He tried to quickly accumulate internal energy through breathing, but it didn’t go as he hoped.

‘I’m lacking Qi.’

It was different from the Central Heavens Realm. Having been in a place abundant in nature’s Qi, the lack here was palpable.

From that, Jang Woo-hyun made a deduction.

‘This is one of the Lower Realms.’

It wasn’t any location within the Central Heavens Realm. After all, he had fallen from a passage resembling the cosmos. Nor was it any of the Middle Realms. The Middle Realms were higher dimensions than the Lower Realm. If it were a Middle Realm, the Qi wouldn’t be this lacking.

In short, this world was similar to the Central Plains where Jang Woo-hyun had once stayed.

“What is this place called?”

“If you mean the name…”

“I mean the name of this world. If not that, then at least the name of a major kingdom or country. Even the name of the continent would do.”

“Ah, it is called the Dawn Continent.”

‘I knew it.’

It was a word he had never heard before.

“And this place is the Baekrim, located in the north of the Dawn Continent.”

He looked over the man speaking. His features were more pronounced than those of Central Plains natives, and his skin was excessively pale. Though not blond or blue-eyed, he gave off the impression of someone of mixed descent rather than a pure East Asian.

Beside him sat a girl with round features—the one who had called him “Immortal” while taking care of him.

“My name is Jang Woo-hyun. Were you the one who saved me?”

“Yes. Someone from our tribe found you after you fell from the sky and brought you here. I am Moon Cheol, leader of the White Horn Tribe, Immortal.”

“……”

Jang Woo-hyun paused, wondering why he had suddenly become an Immortal again.

“Are you calling me an Immortal because I fell from the sky?”

“Though it is indeed unusual that you fell from the sky, that is not the only reason.”

“Then why do you call me an Immortal?”

“There was someone who led our tribe over a hundred years ago. He left behind a record…”

“And?”

Moon Cheol, who had been bowing his head, lifted it slightly and met Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze.

“……He said that someday, someone would fall from the sky—and that person would be an Immortal from another world. It has been passed down that if we serve the Immortal well, he will help our tribe.”

‘At least they don’t say I smell of wind.’

Thankfully, unlike the Beastkin children who pointed at his shoulder and called him a wind-scented Immortal with sparkling eyes, they didn’t do that.

After hearing a bit more, Jang Woo-hyun realized they hadn’t helped him out of pure goodwill. They had done so based on a legend, hoping he would help solve some problem for them.

‘Whatever their purpose, the fact is I received help. I should repay what I can.’

Moreover, when he examined his condition upon awakening, it was clear they had taken meticulous care of him.

As Jang Woo-hyun fell silent, organizing his thoughts, Moon Cheol and his daughter Moon Yeong-yeong became wary, fearing they might offend him.

From their perspective, Jang Woo-hyun was not an ordinary person.

They had always thought the story passed down in the tribe was just a legend. But someone had truly fallen from the sky and landed precisely in their sacred land—as if someone had thrown him toward a target.

On top of that, Jang Woo-hyun had not died from the fall. Even while unconscious and neither eating nor drinking, his body had not weakened but instead recovered. The more Moon Cheol observed him, the more amazed he became.

“I am indeed indebted to you. If there is anything I can help with, I will.”

Rising with a creaking body like a broken toy, Jang Woo-hyun fastened the Yongwangrin and the black sword, which Moon Cheol had handed him earlier, to his waist.

“Ah, by the way, could I learn the name of the person who once led your tribe? It would be helpful to know, or even just to see the records they left behind.”

He asked, wanting to know the identity of the person who had left the message that someone would fall from the sky and be called an Immortal. It might be Kim Min-soo himself, or at least someone related to him.

“We don’t know the name.”

“I see.”

“Yes, but we do have a title by which we called him. We all called him Divine Lord.”

“Divine Lord…”

To them, he must have been a savior or a great figure—worthy of the name. But to Jang Woo-hyun, it was of little help. The term gave him no clue.

‘So, it wasn’t Kim Min-soo?’

Just as he was about to conclude that it was someone else connected to Kim Min-soo, Moon Cheol’s next words made Jang Woo-hyun snap to attention.

“He told us to call him Demonic Martial, but we referred to him as the Demonic Martial Divine Lord…”

“Wait! Wait! What did you just say? Demonic Martial?”

“Yes? Yes. The Divine Lord told us at the time to call him Demonic Martial, but our ancestors called him the Demonic Martial Divine Lord or Divine Lord.”

‘Found him.’

While “Divine Lord” meant nothing to him, he definitely recognized the word “Demonic Martial.”

The bracelet Kim Min-soo left had brought him to this world, and now he had met those who had long awaited someone they called an Immortal who would one day appear.

All of this had been orchestrated by one man.

Demonic Martial Divine Lord Kim Min-soo. Jang Woo-hyun had finally uncovered something prepared by the one who had arrived from Earth before him.

When he stepped outside the building where he had been lying, he saw houses made of wood and people moving about. The village was quite large, surrounded by a sturdy palisade.

After hearing about Kim Min-soo a moment ago, Jang Woo-hyun asked if there were any remnants left behind by him.

“There is one place, far from the Sacred Ground. It has been passed down that when the Immortal arrives, he should be guided there.”

When he asked what the Sacred Ground was, Moon Cheol answered that it was the place where he had fallen. According to legend, the Immortal who falls from the sky would crash into the Sacred Ground.

‘Kim Min-soo prepared all of this.’

He had guided him here with the bracelet, and left something behind through these people. Guided by Moon Cheol, Jang Woo-hyun set off for that place.

He had finally discovered another trace left by Kim Min-soo. Since it was directly guided and placed in the Lower Realm rather than the Central Heavens Realm, it surely wouldn’t be a mere record. He was curious to see what it could be.

As he followed Moon Cheol through the village, some bowed deeply in greeting, while others stared with eyes full of suspicion. The ones who greeted were mostly elderly, and the ones who eyed him with doubt were mostly the younger people.

‘So not everyone thinks I’m an Immortal.’

He found that understandable and continued walking, casually observing the village.

Just as he passed the palisade and stepped outside the village, he saw someone riding a massive beast resembling a deer, charging toward them.

“Chieftain!”

The man, face stricken with fear, rushed over and dismounted before Moon Cheol.

“Something… something terrible has happened! Wonho… Wonho has returned!”

“What?”

“And… and he’s bringing others with him! That man behind him… I’m certain it’s the Butcher… it’s the Butcher Neungjo!”

“Neungjo…?”

As soon as the name Neungjo was spoken, Moon Cheol’s face turned pale.

“What’s going on?”

“S… Sir Jang.”

Moon Cheol now called him Sir Jang, as Jang Woo-hyun had repeatedly requested not to be called Immortal.

“Well… um, that is…”

“Please calm down. You need to explain properly who that is, so I can understand what’s going on.”

Flustered, Moon Cheol couldn’t form a proper sentence. At that moment, his daughter and Jang Woo-hyun’s caretaker, Moon Yeong-yeong, stepped forward.

“Wonho was once our tribe’s greatest warrior, but he is now a traitor who abandoned the tribe. And the one called Neungjo coming with him… he’s the one known as the Butcher… no, a monster in human form, infamous for killing countless people. On top of that, he’s so skilled he’s called the Dragon-Slaying Blade in the northern regions, the domain of the Xuanwu Sect.”

“Dragon-Slaying Blade? Are you saying he killed a dragon?”

“Yes, according to the tales.”

“Hm.”

Jang Woo-hyun was slightly taken aback at the mention of dragon slaying. Normally, his fighting spirit would have ignited, but now was not the time. With that level of fame, the man had surely reached the Absolute Realm.

‘He might have even reached the end of it.’

Since he hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries, it seemed too dangerous to confront him right now.

“W-wait.”

Still pale, Moon Cheol stumbled back into the village to gather warriors. But it didn’t seem like they would be of any help. From what Jang Woo-hyun had seen, there were no proper martial artists in the village.

‘Am I going to have to handle this alone?’

Thinking this would not be easy, Jang Woo-hyun focused on his breathing. He was quickly drawing in the surrounding energy, but it wasn’t like before. Both projecting Qi and absorbing it through breathing felt off.

Even though he had reached the Transcendence and gained a body beyond human limits, the injuries were too severe. Full recovery would take time.

‘But the timing is just too strange.’

No sooner had he emerged, than someone appeared—almost as if perfectly timed.

“It’s because the Immortal fell.”

As if reading his thoughts, Moon Yeong-yeong explained the reason behind the situation.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“When the Immortal fell, it damaged the formation that surrounds and protects the village.”

“Ah…”

With her explanation, Jang Woo-hyun grasped the situation.

The White Horn Tribe seemed to be a hidden people, and when he fell from the sky, it shattered the barrier or spell formation that had been shielding them.

The return of Wonho, the traitor of the tribe, was not a mere coincidence. It had occurred because of him. He had already planned to help, but upon hearing this, his resolve solidified. After all, he was the cause.

“You’re not going in?”

“There’s nothing I can do inside.”

As the village grew more chaotic, Jang Woo-hyun stood in front with Moon Yeong-yeong. Not long after, the two saw someone approaching.

It was a man with a cunning expression that didn’t suit his sturdy physique. He strode forward boldly, radiating energy.

Though Moon Cheol had been too shaken to speak earlier, the usually firm Moon Yeong-yeong trembled in fear and stepped back when she saw him.

“Wonho…”

“Hehehe, it’s been a while, Yeong-yeong.”

Moon Yeong-yeong murmured “Immortal” softly and hid behind Jang Woo-hyun. Jang Woo-hyun gently patted her frightened shoulder and whispered that it was alright. Then he turned around.

“And who are you supposed to be? Never seen you before.”

Wonho swaggered forward, drawing his broad sword. Scratching his head, Jang Woo-hyun looked at him.

‘Is this for real?’

He wondered if he was still dreaming.

“Before Lord Neung arrives, I should pave the way with your blood.”

Wonho approached, radiating killing intent. He had supposedly been the tribe’s greatest warrior.

‘This guy?’

That was Jang Woo-hyun’s evaluation of him.

The so-called greatest warrior who had betrayed his tribe was, at best, a First-rate Martial Artist.

Still questioning if this could be true, Jang Woo-hyun frowned slightly.

“Hahahaha! So this is the village of the White Horn Tribe!”

With a hearty laugh, a man kicked off the air and landed nearby. As soon as he arrived, Wonho lowered his sword and bowed his head deeply to him.

“Lord Neung.”

“What was so urgent that you rushed ahead alone?”

“There was someone who saw us. I tried to capture them, but they got away. I’m sorry.”

“Hoho, no need for that. This is their home. Where would they go if not here? And what could they possibly do even if they prepared? Your problem is you worry too much.”

The middle-aged man with a finely groomed beard stroked his beard as he spoke to Wonho. He appeared to be Neungjo, the one with the alias Dragon-Slaying Blade.

Observing Neungjo as he spoke, Jang Woo-hyun’s face twisted deeply.

‘Dragon-Slaying Blade, my foot.’

He had been on guard because of the title, but it was a mistake.

He had unknowingly judged by the standards of the Central Heavens Realm. In the Central Heavens Realm, real dragons and monsters existed, and anyone who had faced such creatures would at least be at the entry of the Absolute Realm. But this was not the Central Heavens Realm—it was the Lower Realm.

In the world of martial artists, skill and titles were always exaggerated. This place was no exception.

Neungjo was the same. No matter how generously judged, the strength of the one called Dragon-Slaying Blade was barely at the entry of the Supreme Peak.

Looking at him, Jang Woo-hyun finally and fully realized—he had descended to the Lower Realm.

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