A man floated completely naked hundreds of meters in the air.
This was Daniel. As he observed his surroundings, his expression was one of genuine surprise. It had been decades since he had glimpsed the vibrant green of a forest; that sight made his eyes shine with a long-forgotten intensity. In his original time, nature was a distant memory; the world had become an amalgam of desert and destruction.
Witnessing the world of Azure pulsing with life ignited a flame within him. This time, he held an unshakable certainty: he would protect everything precious to him.
"Did Lucas mention something to me about this period of the past where I find myself...?" he reflected, resting his chin on his right hand. He tried to foresee what surprise the young man had prepared.
Despite appearing to be a ninety-year-old man—even if his outward appearance had been that of someone in their fifties—his biological age was actually much higher. Daniel had spent many decades training in matrices and time zones with a 100/1 ratio. In these locations, one hundred days of isolation equaled only one day in Azure. For this reason, his physiological aging had been accelerated previously.
Even though he had surpassed the Supreme Peak of Martial Arts and achieved the legendary Rank SS in the System, he spent many years training and aged rapidly. He had reached the Half-Transcendent Realm, and his life expectancy was 800 years; with his Rank SS, another three hundred years would be added.
Daniel was accustomed to his worn-out, scar-filled self; however, looking at his own hands and defined arms, he noticed something profoundly different. He knew his appearance was that of a twenty-year-old youth, but with changes that defied his original genetic heritage. He was now 1.85m tall—ten centimeters more than the 1.75m he previously stood. Every battle scar, every mark of fatigue, and every skin imperfection had been swept away. His face displayed features sculpted with supernatural symmetry, granting him a beauty that transcended human standards.
Yet, it was no ordinary beauty; there was an air of dense mystery in his gaze, a depth that seemed to hide centuries of wisdom and pain behind a youthful face. Using his spiritual sense, he understood that this metamorphosis was the byproduct of a special physique.
His eyes widened slightly as he noticed it was the Chaotic Martial Physique, a legendary constitution that, until then, only the Heavenly Demon—who ruled Murim for 1,500 years—had possessed. Feeling the power of this divine lineage pulse through his veins, an overwhelming weight settled upon his heart.
This was considered one of the three Supreme Martial Physiques. Daniel knew it well—after Linia destroyed the Heavenly Demon's cult, he studied many secret documents. The records contained the singularities of this physique: perfect appearance and Ki channels completely open from birth, increasing cultivation speed by a hundredfold or more compared to the most talented. And, of course, the main hallmark: the energy's color would be a shade of blue like the deep ocean.
After all, whenever a martial artist evolved, they had to open at least two Ki channels, increasing energy release, recovery, and removing all impurities. One extra Ki channel represented at least a 10% increase in strength. If a Third-Class martial artist had all their Ki channels open, they could possess power and recovery greater than a First-Class one; even with a smaller amount of Ki stored in their body, its purity and quality would be enough to leap levels.
There were, in total, 120 Ki channels. At the Supreme Martial Peak, an ordinary martial artist would have around 60 open Ki channels—someone talented, 80. To enter the Transcendent Realm, it was necessary to have 100 open Ki channels, but doing so the ordinary way would take hundreds of years to remove all impurities from the accumulated Ki, and then another hundred years to pre-fill the void left behind.
This was how terrifying the Supreme Physiques and Martial Physiques were, as they nullified any need to open channels, making it possible to accumulate True Ki from the very beginning. The Supreme Physiques were even more terrifying, as they simply converted other energies into "True Ki"—be it Mana, Aura, life force, or Spiritual Energy. Having such a physique made the journey a "walk in the park" for any martial artist.
A fight between a Third-Class practitioner with a martial physique and an ordinary First-Class practitioner would be like a "stray dog defeating a Bengal tiger." Of course, the stray dog would be the Third-Class one—even with two martial realms of difference, he would easily defeat the one two realms above him. Martial Physiques truly made the difference between having and not having talent explicit.
However, Daniel knew that this awakening was the result of a forbidden sacrifice: the price paid was the vitality and power of his own Rank S and Supreme Peak Martial Realm disciples. The triumph of his new strength was tainted by the sorrow of knowing his pupils gave themselves entirely so he could transcend. He could only sigh and keep that pain inside; he had to move forward and honor everything they did for him.
As for Daniel's true age, it was unknown... nine hundred, maybe a thousand years? He himself didn't know for sure; he stopped counting springs when he reached four hundred and five. Daniel had always deprived himself of everything to prepare against the unfathomable enemies emerging from dimensional rifts. Besides being humanity's shield, he carried the burden of caring for countless children.
His routine was so overwhelming that even basic physiological needs were rare luxuries. Frequently, he had to use his internal energy to eliminate waste from his intestinal tract to avoid breaks; relaxation was a concept the veteran could not afford to know. He liked that peaceful time in the bathroom, yet he often had to sacrifice that moment by eliminating waste directly with his energy.
"From what I remember, the first portal appeared in China in 1998, followed by a few more. Then Russia, the USA, and South Korea in 2000. Gradually, in various places around the world."
Daniel remembered this well. He had read various files and documents when he finally eliminated the corrupt officials who had allied with Murim. For many years, they hid the truth from the world out of pure greed, until, in 2030, portal breaks occurred on a global scale. Daniel was deeply angered to discover that the reason for humanity's fall was its own greedy leadership.
After cleansing the planet of the "bloodsuckers," Daniel changed the star's name to Azure. The world of Murim called it Earth because it was an alternative reality—even though their planet was geographically larger and only 45% water.
"At that time, it was necessary to regain our autonomy and sovereignty. A new beginning was needed. The start was renaming the world."
— "But, indeed, I must christen it once more. Azure shall always remain!"
"I'll have to find out exactly where I am in the chronology, but knowing those brats, I know a good surprise awaits me."
A discreet smile appeared on his face, accompanied by a pang of loneliness. The silence was strange; he was used to the constant chaos surrounding him. He remembered the incessant bickering between the two brothers; the suspicious plans of Linia and Lucia; the endless duels between Lucky and Sebastian. He recalled Romeo and Jack trying to spy on the girls, while Cindy used her charm to deceive unwary young men.
"Hmph! About those two, I should have given them a few more beatings... a true man must maintain integrity instead of spying on what he cannot have," he thought, briefly lamenting the flaws in his pupils' education.
— "Only I will remember all this even if I find them here, huh? I have to get used to it."
With a bitter taste of nostalgia, he decided to admire the Moon. It was still intact and majestic. Thirty years after the invasion of the dimensional races, the satellite would suffer a devastating attack, losing 30% of its mass and becoming a desolate, pitted sight. Daniel swore that, this time, he would take care of that too.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
Sun Tzu was absolutely right. When Daniel faced the Murim World, victory came through knowledge of the adversary, taking advantage of their internal discords. However, his blind spot was his own rear guard: he did not truly know those surrounding him. He blindly trusted the so-called leaders of human society. Because of that ingenuity, every strategic triumph was stained by a devastating personal loss. Disciples sacrificed and lives taken because he believed that, in the face of pain, humanity would unite for the common good.
He learned the hard way that character is not universal. Greed was rooted in many; as soon as external oppression ceased and power was returned to them, the masks of virtue fell, revealing the rot underneath. Daniel possessed the power to change that scenario, but he chose to be the sword on the front line, leaving the crown to others. That was his fatal mistake. The greatest enemy was not the external invader, but the wolf in sheep's clothing sitting at the table with him.
In a flash of speed, he shot through the vacuum. Seconds later, Daniel was on the Moon, contemplating the Blue Planet.
"Now, it's time to arrange sponsors... well, they won't have much choice; whether they like it or not, they're going to have to sponsor me."
With arms crossed, he observed a United States observation satellite in the distance. A malicious smile shaped his now-perfect face.
NASA mission control was plunged into absolute chaos. The image of a naked man, floating calmly near the Moon, was the epicenter of the crisis.
— "The external temperature is -270 degrees," declared Alisha Huber, the agency's director, her voice thick with incredulity. "With the lack of oxygen, the pressure should make his internal organs explode in less than 15 seconds. However, this man is there! And the most terrifying thing is that, according to the images, he appears to be alive and just... watching."
The gravity of the situation drew the top levels of government. President George, Admiral Thomas Jackson of the Navy, and Marshal David Will of the Army were already present. The Director of the CIA was on his way.
— "Could it be an alien?" Admiral Jackson questioned, in a curious tone.
— "It could be, but it could also be some super-human," Marshal Will pondered. "I've received reports of extreme human experiments from the Soviet Union. He could be a descendant or a subject that escaped."
Alisha massaged her temples, exhausted.
— "It is physically impossible for a human to survive in a vacuum without protection, regardless of modifications. It is more likely a being from another world who, by biological coincidence, resembles us."
President George broke the silence, his voice sounding tense:
— "Does this have any connection to that? The space portals we are keeping under absolute secrecy?"
Marshal Will exchanged a worried look with the Admiral. The American government had discovered spatial anomalies and had been hiding them from the world.
— "It's a possibility, Mr. President," replied the Marshal. "But we still don't know if these rifts appeared only in American territory or in some other part of the world. If China or Russia also possess them and are hiding it, our technological advantage could be at stake."
— "Oh, how splendid!" The voice of the CIA Director echoed as he entered the room. "It would be ideal to capture him and take him to Area 51. We would certainly find the key to human evolution in his physiology, since he looks so much like us on the outside!"
Those present stared at him with disdain. Although the logic made sense, no one liked to agree with a lunatic who saw corpses as mere jigsaw puzzles.
President George, a man of influential lineage and vast political experience, remained in silence. Looking at that man on the screen sent a shiver down his spine—a premonition of death he could not ignore. His sixth sense had already saved his life on five occasions.
"I could be wrong, however, I could be right... I must have a piece of this potential opportunity," George thought, anxious about the future.
Daniel realized he was being observed from the first instant.
"The technology is so precarious... am I in the nineties?" he questioned himself.
He was satisfied to attract his "sponsors," despite the annoyance of being naked. As a master with a century-old mentality, his maturity outweighed the embarrassment, though his vanity would have preferred a well-tailored suit.
"A black suit would be much more dignified... unfortunately, mine was pulverized," he thought with regret.
His previous battle attire was a masterpiece made by the best tailor in the Eragon Empire, a mystical realm in a parallel dimension known for fusing high technology with the forging of souls. The suit was imbued with Rank SSS protection runes. At the time, due to a tight budget, he could only craft ten units—and his disciples, 그 gang of delinquents, sucked him dry, confiscating most of them.
"Yes, it's natural for disciples to surpass the master in certain areas... even if it's in the art of swindling a poor, helpless old man," he reflected, with an ironic smile.
In the end, the only suit he had left was destroyed in the battle against the dragons, and the last rags were lost in the crossing of the time rift.
— "Haa... here I am, smiling at the past—or would it be the future? No matter. These are memories worth keeping, even if I am their only guardian."
He murmured his complaints to the solar wind, but the spark in his eyes betrayed the satisfaction of being back. The game was only beginning.