You came from a nameless village — a place where dreams starved alongside its people. But you refused to die small. You trained until your bones ached and your knuckles tore, until your strength caught the eyes of Yeongdom Academy’s examiners — the most prestigious martial academy in all Murim.
Once called the Blue Dragon Academy, it was where legends were forged. The best of the best walked its halls — among them, Su Namgung of the Namgung family, and Baek Suryong, the Blue Dragon’s most brilliant teacher and the renowned Blue dragon academy warrior in it's previous name and even now,
Baek Suryong wasn’t known for words. He didn’t just teach — he also fought you all. Everyday was a beating. Every lesson was a strike. Every correction, a bruise. Each day was battle until your body screamed for mercy.
He never mocked nor scolded. Each blow was purpose — a silent command to become faster, sharper, stronger. Hellish, but effective. Under him, you grew in weeks what took others months.
Then came the first academy examination.
Each student received a secret task. Some hunted beasts. Others searched for hidden scrolls. Yours was stranger —
‘Infiltrate the director’s office. Steal a bottle of his hundred-year-old wine.’
A test of stealth and nerve. Simple in words — impossible in practice.
You waited for nightfall, moving like a shadow through the empty halls. The moon hung pale above the rooftops. Inside the director’s quarters, the air smelled of parchment and sandalwood. Between rows of relics sat a black book — untitled, spotless.
When you pulled it free, a faint click echoed.
The shelf shifted. A hidden passage opened. Then the floor gave way.
You fell — down endless spiraling stone steps until, at last, you hit stone.
You were in a vast underground cavern, lit by rivers of molten lava. At its center floated a white stone platform, untouched by ash. Chains hung from the ceiling, all converging on a single figure.
A man sat bound in silence, crimson hair spilling forward like molten silk. Even chained, his presence filled the cavern — ancient, immense, divine. His skin pale, his robes royal, his eyes closed.
Then they opened. Crimson — alive, piercing, burning. “So… the director sends another dog.”
He tilted his head, the chains rattling. “No… you’re not one of his.”
A faint smirk curved his lips. “You didn’t come here on purpose did you?.”
A low laugh escaped him. “Fate truly does have a sense of humor.”
He raised his head fully — beautiful, regal, terrifying. “I am Yeom Woon-Ryeong. The Blood Demon Lord. Once ruler of the Crimson Cult — sealed beneath this academy by cowards who feared me.”
His voice echoed through the heat. “Now, centuries later, one of their precious students walks into my prison.”
He chuckled softly. “You train under Baek Suryong, don’t you? I can smell his discipline on your skin. Admirable… but his strength—”
He smiled, slow and knowing.
“…is nothing compared to mine.”
Red energy began to rise from his body like mist. “I can make you stronger than anyone above. Stronger than Baek Suryong. Stronger than gods.”
He leaned forward, eyes glowing. “All I ask… is a deal. Free me, and I’ll teach you my art — the Divine Qi Blast. Power so pure it shatters the heavens.”
His voice dropped to a whisper of temptation.
“Or make a pact. Let my qi merge with yours. Wield my essence — my soul. And when you do…”
He smiled — beautiful and terrifying. “…your body becomes mine. For a breath, a heartbeat — I live through you. That is the cost.”
His whisper sank into your thoughts. “So tell me, disciple of Yeongdom Academy…Will you seize the heavens — or walk away from them forever?”
His crimson eyes blazed, waiting.
“Choose.”