-----

Murim.

A world of martial artist fantasy and cultivation, born from Chinese and Korean-inspired myths and legends.

Unlike any other realm in the Tower of Babylon, this is a world where gods are born—immortals.

A place where mortals can ascend to godhood without the need for special skills or unique systems.

Where, with wits, effort, and a bit of luck, anyone can become divine.

But because of this, Murim is also one of the most dangerous worlds in the Tower.

Its Players are known as the strongest and most ruthless among the middle floors—second only to the vampires of Umbralheim.

Yet beyond the danger, what truly was Murim?

What did it look like?

What was its culture, its geography, its history?

Maria stepped through the portal, gazing into the bright sun beyond the heavenly staircase. She arrived in Murim at sunset.

Towering peaks stretched across the horizon. In the distance, a vast city clung to the cliffs, surrounded by a mysterious wall of white fog.

Plum blossom trees lined the gate leading to the heavenly staircase toward Floor 41. Maria and her family stepped into Murim, marveling at its brilliance.

The air was crisp and clean. The wind, cold and bone-chilling, carried the scent of nature—refreshing after the dusty atmosphere of the Haunted Manor.

Murim, like Azure Star or Necroterra, was a planet. But from what Maria had heard, it was much larger.

"And here we are. Yeah, breathe in that fresh air—it's good," Maria smiled, sighing in relief.

"Necroterra and that Haunted Manor really had... not-so-nice air. One smelled like rotten corpses, and the other like dust," Emeraldine said, still sniffling. "I can finally breathe normally."

"Ah, so this is Murim, huh?" Ferleen looked around. "It's dangerous if you plan to stay long term. If you do, you'd better join a sect, or you'll get hunted down. You can go to the Murim Alliance Palace in most cities and join a small sect for cheap. Just having the insignia makes most rogues think twice before targeting you."

"Huh, that's a useful tip," Maria nodded. "What sect did you join?"

"Our party stayed here for three months to train. Everyone in the Tower says, 'Go to Floor 40 and train. You won't get stronger unless you go to Murim,' and so on," Ferleen said. "So we did it—and it was hell."

"But we got stronger anyway!" Melianna added. "Thanks to the training, we reached as far as Floor 48. The techniques we learned were mostly evasion and movement skills, which are always recommended for magicians and sorcerers like us."

"Ah, I thought you learned some deadly killing technique or something," Nyx giggled.

"Heheh, who knows?" Melianna said playfully. "Hyaaa!"

She gave Nyx a karate chop to the neck, but her small hand ended up hurting instead.

"Ouch, ouch! Auch!" she winced.

"Hahaha!" Nyx laughed. "Don't do that. My skin's as tough as my scales. Be careful."

"Okay..." Melianna sighed.

"So where are we right now?" Partner asked, looking around. "I want to eat something..."

"Hm, we must've arrived at the Northwest Portal," Ferleen said. "We're in the Thousand Mountains. Not exactly a safe place but—ah, maybe it doesn't matter with everyone here."

"Why isn't it safe?" Emeraldine asked.

"I only came here once to find a rare herb that grows in these mountains," Ferleen said. "But they say there are demons here..."

"Demons?" Partner blinked. "Wait, what? I thought this world was mostly human."

"It is," Maria said. "He's referring to humans. But why don't we bring out someone who actually knows a lot about Murim—someone who's been with us this whole time?"

"Huh? Who?" Jonathan asked, confused.

"There's nobody like that with us," Arthur said.

"You're breaking his heart right now. He's listening to everything," Maria giggled. "Alright, come out, Elder Wu."

A figure emerged from Maria's shadow—an old man with a long white beard and hair, dressed in black and red robes. His sharp gaze radiated wisdom.

He bowed deeply to Maria the moment he appeared.

"Thank you for fulfilling your promise, Master," he said. "If you need a guide, I can serve."

"Yeah, and you should probably bring out the other four brats who came with you," Maria said. "They've been well disciplined by now, right?"

"Well... I've done my best," Elder Wu replied. "But they can still be unruly. I believe too many people might slow us down or attract danger. For now, I suggest summoning only one—my most obedient disciple, Kim Huan."

"Alright. Is he the one with long black hair who's always quiet?" Maria asked. "He's kind of cute."

"Yes, that one," Elder Wu nodded.

"Got it," Maria said, waving her hand.

Kim Huan emerged, his delicate features scanning the area. He looked surprised to be summoned instead of the others.

"Elder Wu?" he asked. "Where... Ah."

He quickly recognized Maria and her family, stepped back, and bowed respectfully.

"I am honored to have been summoned by the great master," he said.

"See? He's the only one who's learned proper manners. I see a bright future for him," Elder Wu said proudly.

"I agree. He does know his etiquette. Hello, Kim Huan," Maria said. "You and your master will guide us through Murim for now."

"It will be our honor," he replied.

"Now, refresh my memory. Where do you come from again? I remember something about a Blood Demon Sect?" Maria asked.

"Very well, Lady Maria," Elder Wu began. "I am one of the three Elders of the Blood Demon Sect, located in the southern region of the Windy Mountains, north of the Central Continent. Judging by our location, we're currently in the Thousand Mountains. The Windy Mountains lie northeast of this portal. As young Ferleen mentioned, this is a dangerous zone. The 'demons' here are not literal monsters, but members of Demonic Sects—like ours."

"We belong to an ancient dynasty of unorthodox demonic cultivators. In our world, we're often labeled as villains. Hendrick was our link to Yggdrasil's vampire family. He taught us vampire techniques, and in return, we shared ours. We also traded in human and beast souls, blood, and relics. We originally moved to Yggdrasil to gain his favor, hoping to request more scrolls to complete our sect's martial arts," Elder Wu explained.

"There are other sects—larger, stronger, and far more malevolent—that have received aid from the Umbralheim Vampire Families for generations," he continued. "They often invade other worlds, plundering them of resources and life. We were still a small sect, unknown to the Umbralheim Vampires. But Yggdrasil's vampires contacted us by chance... and that's how we found you. You spared our lives and allowed us to live in your Shadow Realm until we finally reached Murim. It's been over a year since then, and much has happened."

"Woah, I had no idea you had a grandpa living in your shadow, Maria..." Alma muttered. "And someone from this world? That's... quite the coincidence."

"They originally came to help a vampire we were fighting," Maria explained. "But they arrived too late. We'd already killed him. He was the bastard who had my little brother, so you can guess how that ended."

"Yep..." Alma nodded, already familiar with Maria's ruthless side.

"Instead of fighting us and losing, this wise old man surrendered and pledged eternal loyalty—along with his disciples. He also offered us his sect in Murim," Maria said. "In exchange, I promised to slay the Calamity known as the Golden Dragon Emperor."

"Yes," Elder Wu nodded. "I am certain Master can defeat that monster. He has tormented us for generations."

-----