Hyun turned the thin, brittle page of the diary, the flickering oil lamp casting dancing shadows across the familiar handwriting. He had reached the section that transitioned abruptly from the tender romance with Eun-Ji to the brutal, unforgiving reality of the Murim world. His father, Joon-Ho, had meticulously documented the Murim landscape not as a source of nostalgia, but as a survival manual, a grim warning etched against his own desperate hopes for peace.
Joon-Ho began by detailing the fundamental geography, explaining that the Murim was not a single nation, but a vast, chaotic continent defined by the presence of Chi—the vital energy that fueled all life and martial arts. The land was divided less by political borders and more by the dominant ideology and the source of power.
At the very top of the hierarchy, Hyun's father explained, was the Orthodox Faction. This faction claimed righteousness and upheld the traditional, "virtuous" martial arts. They were characterized by powerful, ancient clans and well-funded sects located in the great mountain ranges and central fertile plains. They valued reputation, structure, and the legacy of their founders above all else. They were the established order, the self-proclaimed forces of light.
However, the light they cast was always long enough to create a shadow. This shadow was the Unorthodox Faction, a sprawling network of sects, gangs, and rogue warriors who lived outside the established laws. They were brutal, driven by quick results, wealth, and raw power, often relying on heterodox cultivation methods that were considered forbidden or demonic by the Orthodox sects. The Crimson Peak Cult, which held Gong-Eui Village hostage, was a minor, regional offshoot of this terrifying Unorthodox world.
Then came the third, and perhaps most dangerous group: the Demonic Cults. These were the true extremists, those who deliberately sought power through chaotic means, often involving blood sacrifice, draining others' life force, or forbidden relics. They were the eternal enemies of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, often causing the two groups to grudgingly form temporary alliances against a greater evil. Joon-Ho noted that the Demon Peak was, alarmingly, showing characteristics of transitioning into a proper Demonic Cult.
The diary provided a chilling structural breakdown of power. Within every faction, power was defined by the quality and quantity of Internal Energy, or Neigong. Joon-Ho had established a simple but essential four-tier system: Beginner, Intermediate, Master, and Grandmaster. He stressed that almost every villager was Non-Cultivating or, at best, a rudimentary Beginner, capable of slight physical enhancement but nothing more.
A Cult Collector, like the one that visited Gong-Eui, would likely be an Intermediate practitioner, strong enough to crush twenty normal men but still easily defeated by a true Master. The leaders of a Cult, the Elders or the Peak Lord, would undoubtedly be Masters, figures of terrifying martial skill who could tear apart stone and shatter bones with an effortless wave of their hand. Joon-Ho cautioned Hyun to never try fighting anyone above the Intermediate stage, especially not in his current child's body.
Joon-Ho dedicated several pages to the importance of Concealment. He explained that in Murim, everyone had an agenda, and showing one's true hand was instant death. He warned Hyun that because his body possessed a hidden Murim foundation, the most dangerous thing he could do was reveal his abnormal strength or healing ability. He advised practicing Breath Control Techniques to mask his internal energy flow.
The father's penmanship tightened into a fierce scrawl as he began the final warning of this section. He told Hyun that if he ever found himself in Murim, he must never, under any circumstance, use his true name, Hyun, or his father's full name, Joon-Ho. The reasons were stark and simple: Joon-Ho had been a figure of great power in the Unorthodox Faction before he had escaped.
His identity, once revealed, would instantly mark Hyun as the son of a powerful, dangerous enemy, a rival, or a coveted piece of inheritance. To reveal their names would be to invite the blades of dozens of vengeful clans and sects who thought Joon-Ho was finally dead and buried, along with his secrets. Hyun felt a cold sweat prickle on his neck. His gentle, spreadsheet-loving father had not just been an accountant; he had been a ghost with a bounty on his head.