TRPM 01

CHAPTER 01

Through the program known as the Awakener System, those who awakened gained powers and knowledge.

For example, someone who awakened the Fire Magic trait would gain talent in magic, magical power, and knowledge related to fire spells.

Moreover, Awakeners could generally share knowledge with each other and grow even stronger.

Although those with the Fire Magic trait mainly used fire-based magic, it wasn’t as if they couldn’t use other types of magic at all.

Thus, disciplines such as magic, aura, psychic powers, and spirit arts advanced by sharing and developing knowledge together.

But… I couldn’t do that.

“The world’s only martial arts trait awakener.”

Because I was the only one, I drew attention.

Especially since martial arts were a somewhat familiar concept to Eastern people, expectations for me were high.

“……”

And I failed to meet those expectations.

What I gained upon awakening was nothing more than a body suitable for martial arts and basic martial arts knowledge.

I had to sense internal energy, gather it in my dantian, and—on my own—create inner cultivation techniques such as circulation methods and breathing exercises.

“Even with the help of the System, I’m no genius.”

Of course, the process was anything but easy.

The country supported me actively, but there were those who wanted to monopolize the new concept of martial arts through me.

They didn’t just target me—they even kidnapped my mother in attempts to control me.

Because of them, I fell into ruin, and it took a long time before I could regain myself and truly begin creating martial arts.

“…After all that hardship, I barely managed to develop martial arts and grow through my realizations.”

The realization I reached was this: Did I really need to stay bound within the framework of martial arts?

Mages ignore the laws of physics by channeling mana to cast spells.

Knights use aura to create aura blades or strengthen their bodies—similar to martial artists—but also apply aura in countless other ways.

Espers see the world differently from ordinary humans and force phenomena to occur.

Spirit summoners borrow the power of elemental spirits to perform miracles.

“So how is martial arts any different?”

Magic, aura, psychic powers, and spirit arts—
Their knowledge was widespread enough for even me to access and study.

By comparing them, I realized something:
I stored inner energy in the lower dantian (abdomen), while mages and knights gathered mana or aura in the middle dantian (heart), and espers and spiritists focused spiritual energy or spirits in the upper dantian (brain).

So in reverse…

“If I gathered inner energy in the middle or upper dantian, wouldn’t I be able to do the same things they do?”

At first, it sounded insane. But I trusted the Awakener System.

It had always warned me when I was in danger of deviating or losing control.

And I succeeded.

When I began storing inner energy in my middle dantian, I could imitate magic and aura.

“From then on, I shut myself away.”

I cut off all contact, entered seclusion, and trained.

Over time, just as I had succeeded with magic and aura, I gathered inner energy in my upper dantian and gained the ability to use psychic powers.

I couldn’t use spirit arts, perhaps because I couldn’t perceive spirits.

But with magic, aura, and psychic powers at my disposal, my view of the world changed.

I realized I had misunderstood martial arts and began rebuilding it from scratch.

How much time passed after that?

Eventually, I judged that it was time to test and refine my martial arts in actual combat, and I reemerged into society.

“…If only I had come out a little earlier.”

By then, the world had already perished.

I walked along the road.

Ruins of collapsed buildings surrounded me.

Countless skyscrapers that had once pierced the sky now lay in rubble, destroyed by monsters’ fury.

“At least the roads aren’t completely gone.”

The roads weren’t intact, but their outlines remained, and scattered signposts let me guess where I was.

But knowing the location was all I could do.

I couldn’t find any trace of survivors.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have left seclusion at all.

Or maybe it was wrong to desire more strength and hide away for training.

Perhaps it would’ve been better to fight alongside others against the apocalypse and die with them.

I mocked myself inwardly as I kept walking.

“Grkk?”
“Kyahahk…!”

Walking openly along the road naturally drew the eyes of creatures that viewed moving things as prey.

I sensed them, but I ignored them and kept walking.

They couldn’t reach me anyway.

“Graaaah…!”
“Kyaaaak…!”

The monsters near the road charged at me.

But as I said, they could not approach me.

Crunch!
Boom!

The monsters that lunged at me burst apart and died.

I didn’t even glance at them as I continued forward.

Seeing that, the others did not approach.

Even monsters felt fear.

Even they had the intelligence to know.

“They know—even if they all rushed me together, they wouldn’t win.”

Just being exposed to my killing intent had slain those that drew too close.

Perhaps, in witnessing their kin die from nothing but intent, they realized the vast gap between us.

“A gap in realm… when I haven’t even completed martial arts yet.”

I chuckled bitterly.

Yes, my martial arts were still incomplete.

If I had been satisfied with something simple, I could’ve finished long ago.

But I was greedy.

I wanted martial arts that encompassed magic, aura, and psychic powers.

Because my goal was so high, even after decades since leaving seclusion, I hadn’t completed it.

“The framework is there… but.”

I had built the foundation, and decades of slaughtering monsters had refined it… but something was still missing.

And I knew what the final piece was.

“I need a fight against someone stronger than me.”

Someone with greater power, greater skill.

Ironically, by the time I reached this point, I had grown too strong.

I tried throwing myself unarmed into hordes of monsters, or even raising monsters until they threatened my life, but it was meaningless.

“Greater strength doesn’t mean greater skill.”

Given their intelligence, monsters might surpass me in raw power, but never in technique.

“Well… even if I did meet such a monster, and even if I completed martial arts… nothing would change.”

The world was already destroyed.

Even if I grew stronger, all it meant was surviving a little longer.

In wuxia novels, martial artists secluded themselves to achieve immortality, but I had no such intentions.

All I wanted was to find survivors, live with them, and die with them.

And on that note…

“I’ve found it.”

Before me stood a massive dome.

Not a building—
A barrier.

A protective ward cast to shield those inside.

After decades of wandering, I had finally found a trace of survivors.

“Who created this?”

To maintain such a vast barrier, the caster had to be someone famous—or perhaps a new powerhouse who appeared after I went into seclusion.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that someone had cast it.

Someone was alive.

“Let’s see…”

I studied the barrier closely.

With my current strength, I could brute force my way in, but that would only harm those inside.

And since I’d studied magic, I had some expertise in barriers.

So…

“If I cut here to here, I won’t disturb the whole thing.”

I modified the barrier slightly—just enough to create a temporary gap I could slip through.

Bzzzzt…

The barrier opened slightly.

Before it closed, I slipped inside.

As I entered, I thought:

“The caster must’ve noticed me.”

I didn’t know who they were, but I had no hostile intent.

So I disarmed myself, putting away my shabby sword and troll-hide cloak.

But then…

“Hm…”

Why wasn’t anyone coming?

If someone breached the barrier, surely they’d check immediately.

“……”

A sense of unease crept over me.

No way…

No, it couldn’t be.

“Right. They must be too focused on maintaining the barrier to move.”

Yes, sustaining such a vast ward would be draining.

If anything, it would’ve been strange if they had the energy to come meet me.

I tried to convince myself.

…Because I didn’t want to believe the alternative.

That only the barrier remained, and no survivors.

“……”

I walked further in.

I didn’t want to believe it, but I had to confirm it.

I had to cling to the last shred of hope.

If survivors existed, they would surely be near the core of the barrier.

But when I entered the enormous stadium that seemed to house the core…

My teeth clenched.

“A slaughterhouse.”

On the ground lay a magic circle sustaining the barrier.

At its center sat a woman, eyes closed.

From afar, it looked peaceful.

But outside the circle—the scene was utterly different.

Corpses.

The space outside the magic circle was filled with nothing but corpses.

“The wounds differ.”

Some were cut by blades, some burned to death, some pierced through.

And the woman at the center, maintaining the circle…?

I turned my gaze to her.

But she was…

“……”

A corpse.

It was not the living, but the dead, that maintained this barrier.