The Return of the Legendary All-Master

———

[Abandoned Dojo with No Master]

After the departure of the spirit of King's Fist Dokgo Joon, Jeong-hoon also left the dojo.

Not long after, someone else approached and knocked on the door.

It was Bowmaster Lee Hwarang.

"Is it here?"

Lee Hwarang's instincts told him that this was the place where something that could complement his weaknesses was hidden.

He opened his inventory and took out an old piece of paper.

It was preserved by mana, so handling and reading it was not difficult.

[King's Fist Dokgo Joon]

The paper contained the life story of King's Fist Dokgo Joon.

'If this is true, I can learn the martial arts Dokgo Joon used.'

The paper was a hidden quest item, suggesting that Dokgo Joon spent his entire life at the dojo.

[When he temporarily left the dojo to showcase his martial arts to the world, he was so unrivaled that he earned the title King's Fist.]

The paper's inscription indicated that this item was linked to the next hidden quest.

Lee Hwarang had followed clues from the paper, and he had finally found the dojo.

"It was well hidden in a corner of the Starting Village, which is why it took so long…"

But who had been here before him?

The dojo was immaculately cleaned, and there was a wet bucket in a corner.

Lee Hwarang's eyes turned cold.

"Someone else hasn't stolen it, right?"

That was unlikely.

The paper he received from the hidden quest was a unique item, the only one in New World.

It was probably a beginner player who used the place as a temporary shelter.

Denying the reality, Lee Hwarang began to thoroughly search the dojo to learn the martial arts left by King's Fist Dokgo Joon.

—

At the Same Time

Jeong-hoon stepped outside the Starting Village, heading towards the Hall of Martial Arts, the sacred place for Martial Artists.

[Here's another reason why Martial Artists are considered weaklings.]

– To reach the Hall of Martial Arts, you must hunt monsters along the way. This is the absolute truth. Unlike other classes, the training hall for Martial Artists is located outside the village, and there's a field in between.

In that field, you'll encounter slimes and goblins, so hunt carefully. If you die, you'll be banned from logging in for 24 hours, so proceed with caution.

As expected, various monsters were wandering in groups across the field.

'This is why the Hwarang Dojo was crucial for Martial Artists.'

The basic passive skills taught at the Hwarang Dojo were essential.

While these skills were inferior to the body skills Jeong-hoon possessed, they were lifesaving rain in a drought for beginners.

Without the Hwarang Dojo, many Martial Artists would have died several times on their way to the Hall of Martial Arts.

Jeong-hoon began walking through the field.

As he heightened his senses, he could feel the presence of monsters lurking around him.

[Lv.1 Slime]

And.

[Lv.3 Goblin]

The goblins he had fought in the tutorial were also present.

'As long as they don't attack, I won't hunt them.'

In New World, there was a common saying that level was everything.

Higher levels granted wider exploration areas and more opportunities to obtain items.

Since stats were absolute, leveling up was essential.

"But not these guys."

Hunting slimes and goblins wouldn't significantly raise his level.

Jeong-hoon was already at level 11.

Unaware of his intentions, four goblins blocked his path.

"Keruk, human. If you want to pass, give us food."

"Otherwise, we'll kill you here. Keruk."

Jeong-hoon didn't reply.

Instead, he approached the goblins and punched the one on his right.

Thwack!

"Keek!"

With one punch, the goblin's head exploded.

This was the first stage of the King's Fist, vastly more powerful than when he had practiced in the dojo.

[King's Fist Stage 1]

– Mastery: 100%

– Increases punch damage by 25%

– Has a chance to nullify defense

– Enhances peripheral vision by 30% within a 5-meter radius

– After using the skill, grants extreme concentration for 5 minutes

Even the skill's stats indicated its overpowered nature.

When he first acquired it, the first stage of the King's Fist didn't have such high damage or peripheral vision enhancements, and it lacked the extreme concentration effect.

This significant increase in power over a short period was thanks to the title he had earned.

[Disciple of the King]

– Type: Unique Title

– Grade: Legendary

– Increases mastery of the King's Fist to 100%

– Increases the effect of body-related passive skills by 10%

With the title "Disciple of the King," his mastery of the King's Fist quickly reached 100%.

"Ker-Keruk…?"

Seeing their comrade die in one blow, the remaining three goblins panicked.

"You started this."

Jeong-hoon swiftly killed the rest of the goblins.

The battle was over in less than a minute.

"Wow… What was that?"

"That was insane."

Beginner players hunting slimes nearby were awestruck by Jeong-hoon's combat skills.

New World had so many players that even the fields were full of beginners.

Jeong-hoon passed by the amazed players and reached the Hall of Martial Arts.

"Stop."

Two NPC instructors stood guard at the entrance, wearing white robes and bandages on their fists, armed with knuckles.

"I'm a Martial Artist."

"Level 11, Martial Artist. Verified. You may enter."

With the instructor's permission, the doors to the Hall of Martial Arts opened.

Inside, about sixteen Martial Artist players were being trained by the instructors.

"Do you know what's essential for us Martial Artists? It's physical strength and mental fortitude!"

The instructor was pushing the players hard.

Despite it being a virtual reality game, the realistic nature and the existence of stamina stats made the training grueling for the players.

"Damnit… take it easy!"

"We should be getting experience and skills for this effort!"

"Ugh… blegh…"

One player even vomited on the spot.

"Huh, collapsing after such a small amount. I'm disappointed in my students."

The instructor shook his head in disappointment.

"Damnit, I can't take this anymore."

"I'd rather find another instructor. No way I'm doing this again for a rare skill."

The players eventually left to find other instructors.

"Huh, another group that knows nothing about martial arts. We'll be looked down on by the sword wielders again."

The instructor who had been harshly training the players stepped back, looking dejected.

'There he is.'

Jeong-hoon focused on the instructor.

Among all the instructors in the training hall, Altio was the only one who offered a rare skill as a reward.

As a result, players flocked to him, but they all gave up due to his harsh training methods, moving on to other instructors.

Altio was dissatisfied with the other instructors' lenient teaching methods.

Martial Artists should never train comfortably!

His motto was that a strong body housed a healthy mind and accelerated growth.

"Instructor."

Jeong-hoon approached Altio.

The dejected Altio glanced over.

"Hm? Do you need something from me?"

"Yes. I want to train."

Altio had a white question mark above his head.

[Normal Quest: Instructor Altio]

– Restriction: Non-advanced Martial Artist

– Reward: [Skill] Healthy Mind (Rare)

– Description: The important thing is the mind! Complete all training as instructed by Altio.

A rare skill was enticing for low-level players.

The same was true for Jeong-hoon.

[Healthy Mind (Rare)]

His current Steadfast Will wouldn't grant him a rare skill.

Moreover, passive skill effects were cumulative, so increasing mental strength with a passive skill was necessary.

"Oh! Really?!"

Altio's face lit up with excitement, his previous dejection vanishing.

"Hey, isn't that dangerous?"

"Getting trained by that crazy instructor is too much."

"He'll probably give up soon."

The players watched Jeong-hoon with pity, whispering among themselves.

"Yes. I'm ready to start."

"Great! Let's start with 300 push-ups."

That was the first training task Altio assigned.

—

At that moment, Altio watched his trainee with a face full of emotion.

300 push-ups.

300 sit-ups.

500 burpees.

200 arm walks.

300 leg raises.

300 squats.

Anyone else would call this an insane workout.

Yet Jeong-hoon completed all the exercises Altio assigned and stood there, waiting for the next task.

He must be exhausted… This is a true talent.

'Whew, it's been a while since I've had such a hard time.'

Jeong-hoon wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Even for a former All-Master, enduring Altio's training with an 11-level body was no small feat.

It was a stroke of luck that he obtained the Unyielding Body before entering the Hall of Martial Arts.

['Unyielding Body' level has increased.]

Pushing his body to its limits naturally increased the skill level.

[Unyielding Body]

– Type: Passive

– Level: 2

– Grade: Normal

– Increases basic physical strength by 16% (not reflected in stats).

– Increases basic defense by 16% (not reflected in stats).

– Increases reflexes by 16% (not reflected in stats).

– Increases movement speed by 16% (not reflected in stats).

– Adds +2 to Agility stats.

– Adds +2 to Physical Strength stats.

Without this, he would have failed due to exhaustion.

"Crazy… He actually did it?"

"He's insane."

"What a freak…"

"He must really want that rare skill."

Listening to the players' comments made Altio's anger boil.

These guys, who couldn't even complete a fifth of the tasks, dared to judge?

He hadn't intended to make anyone complete all the tasks.

Showing an effort to endure even when hitting physical limits would have sufficed to earn a pass.

"Can you continue?"

"Yes."

Jeong-hoon's entire body was trembling from exhaustion, but his voice remained steady and calm, more composed than before.

Altio couldn't fathom the depth of his mental strength.

"Hmm… Okay…"

Never before had Altio seen such resilience in a trainee.

"Is the training over?"

"Yes… You've earned this."

Altio's question mark turned into an exclamation mark, signaling the quest's completion.

[Normal Quest Completed.]

[You've acquired 'Healthy Mind'.]

['Steadfast Will' has merged with 'Focus Enhancement' and 'Healthy Mind'.]

[You've acquired 'Brilliant Mind'.]

['Brilliant Mind' reacts to holy power.]

['Holy Mind' obtained.]

Perfect.

The merging of two skills resulted in the acquisition of Brilliant Mind, which was upgraded to Holy Mind due to the holy power.

It was a very satisfying result.

[Holy Mind]

– Type: Passive

– Level: 1

– Grade: Rare

– Adds +3 to Mental Strength.

– Low chance of increasing Mana stats when leveling up.

– Low chance of increasing Holy Power stats when leveling up.

– Increases comprehension by 5%.

– Increases application by 5%.

– Increases document interpretation by 10%.

– Increases brain fatigue recovery.

Nice.

Jeong-hoon clenched his fist in satisfaction.

Holy power was essential for this reason.

In New World, skills often reacted to mana or holy power, enhancing and automatically converting into more powerful skills, as seen with Holy Mind.

"…And now for the final training."

Altio's head had a purple exclamation mark.

An epic quest.

'It's about time.'

Jeong-hoon smiled inwardly.

————