[Would you like a challenge?]

  Yun Jin froze, staring at the glowing text. It hovered in the air like a fragment from another dimension, entirely out of place in his reality.

  “What is this?” he murmured, reaching out tentatively. His hand passed through the screen as though it were made of light.

  Could it be some advanced Qinggong technique? An illusion?

  No. This was different—far beyond anything he had ever encountered.

  “What challenge?” Yun Jin asked, his voice firm.

  The text rearranged itself with an unnatural grace:

  [You are invited to the Central Multiverse, where countless encounters and opponents await you.]

  His pulse quickened. Countless encounters and opponents. The very idea sparked a long-dormant excitement within him—a chance to escape stagnation, to test himself against worthy adversaries.

  Yet doubt gnawed at him. Yun Jin thought of Baek Tianjun—the master who had saved, raised, and still overshadowed him.

  “If I accept... can I return home?” Yun Jin’s voice was quieter, yet the weight of the question was unmistakable.

  The screen pulsed softly:

  [Yes.]

  That single word shattered his hesitation. He picked up a brush and some parchment, quickly but carefully writing a letter:

  Master,

  I do not know where this path leads, but it promises what I have sought all my life—a true challenge. If I fail, I hope this letter finds you. If I succeed... perhaps we will meet again someday.

  Your disciple,

  Yun Jin

  He placed the letter neatly on the table, gazing at it one last time before turning to the glowing screen.

  [Would you like to accept? Yes / No.]

  He pressed “Yes” without a second thought.

  The world twisted violently.

  The dim light of his room dissolved into a boundless void of swirling shadows and radiant light. Gravity vanished. His stomach lurched as he plunged through a realm that defied logic.

  “Agh! There are too many of them!”

  “I’m sorry...”

  Yun Jin suddenly slammed into the ground, air bursting from his lungs. He rolled on impact, then leapt to his feet with practiced grace, scanning his surroundings.

  A stone church, worn and cold. Cracked stained-glass windows cast weak, uneven colors across the floor.

  A boy lay sprawled near the altar—a golden-haired child, perhaps twelve, trembling as he clutched a wooden staff. His eyes fluttered with exhaustion.

  Desperate cries echoed around the chamber. Villagers armed with rusted tools and makeshift weapons fought for their lives against snarling, green-skinned creatures.

  Above each creature’s head, faint glowing text hung:

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  [Goblin LV.1]

  Yun Jin’s brow furrowed. What in the world...

  He took in the scene: the panicked villagers, the cackling goblins, the unconscious boy.

  One goblin lunged at Yun Jin, shortsword raised, eyes glimmering with murderous glee.

  Though perplexed, Yun Jin’s body responded instinctively. He sidestepped with flawless footwork and drove his palm into the goblin’s chest.

  Boom!

  The goblin crashed into a far wall, bones crunching on impact.

  Yun Jin straightened, scanning the room as the goblin’s corpse slid down in a heap.

  Too weak, he thought, lips twisting faintly. No need to hold back.

  The villagers and goblins alike stood frozen by his display of power. A collective gasp arose:

  “He really is the hero...”

  Hero? Yun Jin’s frown deepened as his gaze flicked to the altar and then to the unconscious boy.

  He’s radiating a strange qi, Yun Jin noted, but he set that question aside. Right now, these villagers needed help.

  He bent to retrieve the fallen goblin’s shortsword, turning it over in his hand. It was crude and dented, but still serviceable.

  “Everyone,” he commanded calmly, “get behind me.”

  A guttural snarl rippled through the chamber as the remaining goblins charged at once, a wild mass of uncoordinated violence.

  Yun Jin’s lips curled in a half-smile. Finally, he thought, an enemy I can crush without restraint.

  Light Blade Sovereign Style: Third Form – Dance of the Firefly!

  He exploded into motion, moving like a flickering flame as faint traces of light followed each slash. Goblins toppled left and right, their screams echoing for an instant before fading into silence.

  The villagers stared in awe, letting their makeshift weapons fall to the floor. Whispers filled the chamber:

  “He really is the hero...”

  A shriek shattered the moment. Yun Jin spun toward the entrance, where a woman stumbled in, gasping for air.

  “Hero! Please, save the others! The village is overrun!”

  Yun Jin nodded. “Understood. Bar the doors behind me.”

  He sprinted outside without hesitation. Cold night air stung his skin as he landed in the midst of chaos.

  Fires raged, consuming homes. Goblins swarmed the streets, dragging villagers or cutting them down. On the rooftops, hunched silhouettes loosed arrows at fleeing survivors.

  Memories flared in Yun Jin’s mind—another village, another massacre. His stomach churned.

  What is this...

  An arrow whistled past, snapping him back to the present. He deflected it with a sharp clang, then fixed his gaze on the archers perched atop a burning roof.

  They hissed at him, eyes glowing with hatred. Over their heads hovered:

  [Goblin Archer LV.2]

  Yun Jin shifted his grip on the shortsword, a fierce light in his eyes. “Found you.”

  With a focused inhale, he leapt onto the roof, qi crackling as it surged through his limbs. The tiles shattered beneath him as he vanished from sight.

  Light Blade Sovereign Style: First Form – Arc Lightning.

  A thunderous impact tore through the night. Yun Jin reappeared behind one of the goblin archers, driving the blade through its skull. Brain matter and shattered bone scattered in a gory arc.

  The other archers cried out, scrambling to flee, but Yun Jin was faster. He cut them down effortlessly, one by one, until the rooftop lay silent, save for the roar of distant flames.

  He flicked blood off the blade. “That’s the annoying part dealt with.”

  A sudden burst of energy prickled at his senses. Something big—and hostile—approached.

  Instinct took over. Yun Jin threw himself aside as a roaring fireball whizzed past, scorching the air near his cheek. The blast behind him blew chunks of stone into the sky.

  He whirled around, locking eyes on his attacker.

  At the far end of the street stood a massive goblin in ragged robes, clutching a crooked staff that glowed faintly. Its hateful gaze burned into him as it raised the staff once more.

  Above its head, text hovered in an ominous glow:

  [Goblin Shaman LV.5]