Dust filled the academy library. Nobody came here unless they were cramming for theory exams, and even then, the shelves sat untouched. Screens and VR combat pods were the "real way" to become a hunter now.
Seo Rin didn't care.
He sat cross-legged on the cold floor, books stacked high around him like fortress walls. His eyes traced characters that most cadets wouldn't bother trying to pronounce. His classmates were sweating in gyms and party raids, but he—he was exactly where he wanted to be.
"Still in here?"
Jin Ha-kyu's booming voice broke the silence. The broad-shouldered brawler leaned in the doorway, grinning like always.
"You'll be the first hunter to die of paper cuts, Rin."
"Better than dying to a goblin," Rin murmured, not looking up.
Behind Ha-kyu, two more figures appeared. Na So-yeon, her healer's staff strapped neatly across her back, frowned softly. "Don't tease him. Books are valuable too."
Park Hyun-woo scoffed, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. "Valuable? Not when monsters are ripping your face off. Knowledge without strength is wasted."
Rin closed the book in his lap, finally meeting their gazes. His eyes were calm, older than they should've been. "Strength without understanding is just borrowed time."
For a moment, none of them replied. Then a quiet chuckle came from the far corner. Min Jae-seok stepped into view, hands tucked in his pockets, eyes sharp behind his fringe of hair. "Borrowed time," he repeated, almost like he was tasting the words. "I like that."
The group left one by one, pulled back into the noise of the academy. Rin stayed.
And that's when he noticed it.
A book lay crooked on the highest shelf, spine cracked, covered in dust. He reached for it—hesitated. Something about it felt… alive.
The instant his fingers touched the cover, his vision bled white.
---
[System Initialization...]
Palimpsest Online.
Status: Host recognized.
Legacy Engraved: Heaven-Severing Codex.
---
Rin's breath caught. His heartbeat hammered in his ears.
The Palimpsest? Here?
He opened the book, and the pages shifted on their own, forming words that no one else could see.
---
[Techniques Engraved]
Heaven-Severing Codex:
• One-Point Severance — Cut the weakest point of anything. Power depends on vessel strength.
• Against the Grain — Strike where the enemy must be, not where they are.
• Judgment of Silence — Sever vibration, silence the world.
• Cause Severance — Sever the cause of an action, undo its effect.
---
Rin's lips parted in a soundless laugh. He had dreamed of these words for seventy years. Of techniques carved into his bones through endless battles in Murim. Of the enlightenment he had bled for.
And now they were here again, waiting for him.
He curled his fist slowly, testing the air. Even in this weak body, the Codex answered. Not as sharp as his prime, no. A blade that once split mountains would now barely pierce stone walls.
But it was enough.
With patience and experience, he would make it enough.
---
The book pulsed one final time before fading into his vision.
---
[Palimpsest Annotation]
Vessel incomplete. Power diminished. Techniques preserved.
The path begins again.
---
Rin closed his eyes and exhaled.
The library around him was silent. Dust fell like snow.
He whispered into the stillness, a vow only the shelves heard.
"This time," he said, "I'll sever it all."
🔥 End of Chapter 1
Codex Record:
> One-Point Severance — The blade that strikes where chains break, even when wielded by hands not yet strong enough to shatter them.