Chapter 9

Yeon Woo-jin wrote down his findings so far.

‘I can freely lift and launch objects, and the energy manifests as I imagine.’

The energy of fire, ice, and lightning.

‘What else is there?’

Wind?

Whooong—

A small whirlwind formed in the palm of his hand.

He needed to apply these elements.

How?

Yeon Woo-jin looked around.

Then, he began to focus.

The whirlwind in his palm grew stronger, rapidly expanding to the size of a person.

Kwa-wa-wa-wa—

Yeon Woo-jin mixed lightning and fire into the enlarged whirlwind.

Fwoooosh—

A massive fiery tornado formed, lighting up the surroundings as flashes of lightning crackled around it.

He sent it toward a cluster of trees.

Crack— Sizzle—

The trees caught fire, crackling and swaying before finally breaking apart.

“I’ll call this Thunderfire Storm Heaven (뇌화풍천).”

He had developed a new technique.

If he kept adding techniques like this one by one, he would improve steadily.

He activated Thunderfire Storm Heaven again.

This time, he infused it with internal energy.

Kwoooong—

The size doubled.

Adding internal energy definitely made it stronger.

Would it not grow stronger without internal energy?

Could something else emerge?

He focused on the Thunderfire Storm Heaven.

He willed it to split in half.

Layers of energy seemed to stack upon each other.

Suddenly, his eyes began to sting.

What was this?

For a moment, the world turned red, and beams of light shot out from both of his eyes.

Zzzzaaang—

The beams split the Thunderfire Storm Heaven cleanly in two before vanishing into the sky.

“What... what was that?”

It was powerful enough to slice through the enhanced Thunderfire Storm Heaven with ease.

Once again, his imagination had become reality.

Although the whirlwind had split in an unexpected way.

Beams of light from his eyes?

What should he call this?

Eye Power (안공)?

Rumble—

Boom—

“Huh?”

The beams from his eyes hadn’t only split the Thunderfire Storm Heaven.

Everything in their path had been sliced apart, and trees were toppling to either side.

Such destructive power.

He replayed what had just happened.

‘I was thinking about layering energy to make it stronger. Wait, layering?’

He immediately spread his palm.

Fwoosh—

Thinking of fire, flames flickered above his palm.

‘Stack it!’

He didn’t imagine a single flame but envisioned dozens, hundreds of layers stacked together.

Buzz—

Zzzzzzt—

As the overlapping sounds intensified, an ominous hum resonated.

The flames turned blue, and within the blue fire, a concentrated sphere of energy formed.

It looked dangerous at a glance.

What kind of power did this have?

He was curious.

He pointed his palm forward and imagined firing it.

Thunk—

The recoil shot his arm upward as the blue flames streaked straight ahead.

Whoooosh—

The blue flames cut through the air and hurtled toward the cliff in the distance.

Boom—

Crash—

With a thunderous explosion, the cliff crumbled.

The manor erupted into chaos.

Jeok Seong, startled by the blast, rushed outside.

“Wh-what was that sound?! Huh?! Young Master?”

Jeok Seong immediately checked Yeon Woo-jin.

After confirming he wasn’t injured, he asked,

“What happened?”

“I was experimenting with something and fired it at the cliff, and… that happened.”

“What? What were you experimenting with to cause that?”

Yeon Woo-jin grinned.

Such power.

He could get stronger.

Excited, he wanted to boast to Jeok Seong right away but held himself back.

He decided to organize his findings and surprise him later.

“I’m still in the research phase. I’ll show you when it’s ready.”

“Ah… understood.”

“Then, I’ll head in and rest.”

“Yes, please rest well, Young Master.”

As Yeon Woo-jin went inside, Jeok Seong, now left alone, stared at the collapsed cliff.

‘What just happened? Did he really grow this powerful in such a short time? Or... could the elder have been here and left? Maybe he just showed the young master what martial arts truly are before leaving?’

It didn’t make sense.

While Yeon Woo-jin did have an unusual power, it wasn’t strong enough to produce such destruction.

Since Woo-jin had promised to explain later, Jeok Seong calmed his pounding heart and returned to his room.

*****

One Month Later.

Yeon Woo-jin called Jeok Seong to an open training ground to demonstrate his progress.

“I’ll show you what I’ve achieved so far!”

“All right. Judging by your confidence, it seems you’ve made some progress.”

“Hehe. You’re going to be amazed. Just wait and see.”

“Hahaha! Hearing you say that makes me excited already.”

Jeok Seong looked at Woo-jin with eyes full of anticipation.

Suddenly, Woo-jin’s pupils turned pitch-black, and flames and lightning sparked from his hands.

“Thunderfire.”

Fwoosh— Crackle—

Flames and lightning burst wildly from Woo-jin’s palms, splitting and branching in all directions.

“W-what?!”

Combining two energies into one?

Seeing Jeok Seong’s shocked expression, Woo-jin smirked.

“If this much surprises you, you’re not ready for what’s next.”

“What do you mean?”

Bzzzt—

Crackle—

The flames didn’t just flicker—they roared upward, burning fiercely with overwhelming intensity. Lightning spread out like a net, crackling in all directions.@@novelbin@@

Jeok Seong, already stunned by the raw energy radiating from Woo-jin, was about to be shocked even further.

Whoooong—

Wind.

A whirlwind began to form in front of Woo-jin.

When Woo-jin infused Thunderfire into the gathered wind, it transformed into a massive, swirling vortex that resembled a dragon ascending to the heavens.

Rumble— Crackle—

Whoooosh—

Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the massive vortex became engulfed in flames.

Jeok Seong’s eyes widened in disbelief at the immense energy pouring out of it.

“Th-this kind of power...”

It made no sense.

With Woo-jin’s current internal energy, creating such an attack should have been impossible.

“What... what exactly is this?”

“It was simple. I thought, if my imagination can shape reality, then couldn’t it also amplify my strength? So I tried it—and it worked.”

Such an ability.

It was practically cheating.

“But it took some time to learn how to control the power since it became too strong.”

“W-wait. You’re saying this is controlled?”

“Yes.”

Jeok Seong stared at Woo-jin with an astonished expression.

At first, he had been fascinated by Woo-jin’s ability.

Its power wasn’t overwhelming, but it seemed useful if properly developed.

But this?

It wasn’t just useful—it was monstrous.

The sheer force radiating from Woo-jin’s attack was enough that even Jeok Seong would need to go all out just to block it.

And yet, this wasn’t even Woo-jin’s full power?

The idea that Woo-jin could manifest his imagination into reality was absurd.

Was this the bloodline of the Martial God?

The blood of the Martial God could only produce more Martial Gods.

No—this ability went beyond even that.

It was completely broken, like the power of a divine being descended upon the earth.

‘A heavenly god reincarnated into human form! There’s no other explanation for this.’

Jeok Seong decided to believe it.

It was the only way his mind could make sense of what he had just witnessed.

‘Yes. From today onward, I’ll believe the young master is a heavenly god reborn.’

With that thought, his faith deepened, and the way he looked at Woo-jin began to change.

Gulp—

The sound of Jeok Seong swallowing nervously echoed in the air.

“Were you that surprised?”

“Uh? Ha-ha! Y-yes, I was.”

Seeing Jeok Seong struggle to compose himself, Yeon Woo-jin burst out laughing.

“Hehe. Seeing you so shocked means it worked.”

“Is that so? Does this technique have a name?”

“Yes! I call it Thunderfire Storm Heaven (뇌화풍천).”

The name suited it perfectly.

“Your abilities are truly incredible, Young Master. They far exceed what normal humans are capable of… How about calling it superpower (초능력)?”

“Oh? I like that name! From now on, I’ll call it a superpower.”

“Even so, you should wield it like martial arts, or others may call it dark sorcery and reject you.”

“Like martial arts? Then I need to create forms and techniques.”

“Exactly. Since you can do anything, how about calling it Omnipotent Divine Art ?”

“Sounds good! From now on, my power is a superpower, and the martial art I use is Omnipotent Divine Art.”

“And if possible, I suggest you keep this power hidden. It would be better to focus on studying the secret manual given to you by the Elder.”

“Why?”

“People tend to envy and resent those with great power. There will undoubtedly be those who try to undermine you out of jealousy. You must always remain humble and keep yourself concealed.”

“The martial world is really complicated. Even someone as strong as my grandfather has to live like that?”

“Yes. The Elder, as powerful as he is, never lets his guard down. That is the reality of the martial world.”

“Got it. I’ll keep my superpower a secret, just like you said.”

“Thank you for listening to me.”

“You’re only saying this because you care about me. If it’s for my sake, I should listen.”

Yeon Woo-jin’s bright smile made Jeok Seong chuckle despite himself.

‘Could the Young Master truly be a divine being? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to leave his side. And that’s fine. I’ll devote myself to him, even if it means becoming his fanatic.’

Jeok Seong made a somewhat strange vow, deciding to become a fanatic rather than just a loyal servant.

*****

A Few Days Later.

“Haa…”

Hearing Yeon Woo-jin’s deep sigh, Jeok Seong asked,

“You’re going to create a hole in the ground with that sigh. Is something troubling you?”

“It’s hard. I think I lack knowledge.”

“Knowledge?”

“Yes. There are times during training when I hit a wall because I don’t know enough.”

“Ah…”

It was easy to forget sometimes, given his abilities, but Yeon Woo-jin was still only thirteen years old.

And now that Jeok Seong thought about it, Woo-jin didn’t have a teacher to provide academic instruction.

“Why not ask the Elder?”

“My grandfather?”

“Yes. If you tell him what you need, he’ll provide it.”

“Jeok Seong, do you know what my grandfather does?”

Jeok Seong froze at the sudden question.

Hadn’t he been explicitly told never to reveal the Elder’s identity?

He realized his slip.

“Uh…?”

“Judging by your expression, you do know. You’re acting suspicious.”

“T-that’s…”

“Why? Is it something you can’t tell me?”

“It’s not that… but the Elder made me swear to secrecy. I’m sorry, Young Master.”

“Really? It’s not something bad, is it?”

“Of course not! You’ll see for yourself someday. I’m certain you’ll be proud of him.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I swear it on my name.”

Jeok Seong pounded his chest confidently, and Woo-jin let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew. That’s good to hear. My grandfather often leaves and doesn’t come back for days, so I worry.”

“I can’t go into detail, but he might not be able to visit as often for a while.”

“Is he really that busy?”

“Yes. But once he finishes what he’s working on, he’ll stay with you.”

“Wait. Is he busy because of me?”

“Yes.”

Woo-jin’s face tensed slightly.

“Why do you look like that?”

“I’m worried I’m making things hard for him.”

“That’s impossible. Haven’t you seen the Elder’s face? He’s happiest when he’s with you.”

“I know. That’s why I’m even more concerned. What if he’s sacrificing something because of me?”

Woo-jin stared straight at Jeok Seong.

“What if he’s giving something up to protect me?”

“W-why would you think that?”

“I’ve always suspected my grandfather is someone extraordinary. But he’s so careful all the time. It’s almost like he’s worried that this place will be discovered. Doesn’t that mean my existence must never be revealed?”