The Invitation

[Would you like a challenge?]

Yun Jin froze, his brow furrowing as he stared at the glowing text. It hung in the air, foreign and surreal, like a fragment of another world intruding upon his reality.

“What is this?” he muttered, reaching out cautiously. His hand passed through the screen, but the text remained unyielding, suspended in mid-air.

Qinggong technique? An advanced illusion? He frowned. No, this was different—something far beyond anything he’d encountered before.

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

The text shifted, rearranging 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 words struck a chord deep within him, stirring an excitement he hadn’t felt in years. A way to break free of stagnation, a chance to test himself against adversaries worthy of his skill.

But doubt crept in. Yun Jin’s thoughts turned to Baek Tianjun—the master who had saved him, raised him, and remained the one opponent he couldn’t surpass.

“If I accept... can I return home?” Yun Jin asked, his tone quieter now, the weight of the question clear.

The screen pulsed faintly before answering:

[Yes.]

That single word settled his hesitation. Yun Jin stood, his resolve crystallizing as he reached for a brush and parchment. His strokes were swift but precise, his thoughts steady despite the storm of possibilities swirling in his mind.

--

Master,

I do not know where this path will lead, but it promises what I have sought all my life—a 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, his eyes lingering on it for a moment before turning back to the glowing screen.

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

Without hesitation, Yun Jin pressed Yes.

--

The world twisted violently.

The dim light of his room dissolved into an endless void of swirling shadows and radiant light. His body was weightless, plummeting through a space that rejected all sense of direction or logic.

“Agh! There are too many of them!”

“I’m sorry...”

Yun Jin hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Without missing a beat, he rolled smoothly and sprang to his feet with practiced precision. His sharp eyes swept over his surroundings.

A stone church, weathered and cold. Cracked stained-glass windows cast faint, uneven light across the chamber.

In front of him, a boy sprawled near the altar. No older than twelve, the golden-haired child lay limp, clutching a wooden staff with trembling fingers.

Cries of desperation echoed around him. Villagers, wielding rusted tools and makeshift weapons, fought desperately against snarling, green-skinned creatures.

Above the creatures’ heads, faint glowing text hovered:

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

[Goblin LV.1].

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

His sharp gaze swept the room, taking in the chaos. The villagers, exhausted and terrified, barely held their own as the goblins lunged with crude weapons, cackling with malice.

The boy near the altar whimpered weakly, his golden hair plastered to his pale face. He clutched the wooden staff tighter, but his strength was clearly fading.

A guttural snarl snapped Yun Jin’s focus. One of the goblins lunged toward him, its shortsword raised high, eyes gleaming with feral bloodlust.

This doesn’t feel real, Yun Jin thought, but his body moved instinctively.

He sidestepped the goblin’s swing with precise footwork, his motion fluid and effortless. His hand shot forward, striking with his palm—a clean, forceful blow aimed directly at its chest.

Boom!

The goblin crumpled under the impact, its body hurtling across the room and slamming into the far wall with a sickening crunch.

Yun Jin straightened, his sharp eyes scanning the room as the goblin’s body fell limp.

Too weak, he thought, his lips curling faintly. But at least I don’t have to hold back.

The sudden display of power froze both the villagers and goblins in place. The defenders stared at Yun Jin with wide eyes as a cry rose among them:

“The hero has been summoned!”

Hero? Yun Jin’s frown deepened. His gaze flicked toward the altar, then settled on the unconscious boy.

There’s a strange qi radiating from him... interesting. I’ll need to question him later.

Yun Jin bent down, picking up the goblin’s discarded shortsword. He turned it in his hand, testing its balance.

The blade was crude—unbalanced, dull, and nicked in several places—but it would suffice.

“Everyone,” he said, his voice calm but commanding as he gripped the weapon tightly, “stay behind me.”

The goblins snarled, their guttural cries echoing in the chamber as they charged together in a disorganized swarm.

Yun Jin’s lips curled into a smirk. Finally, he thought, stepping forward, something I don’t have to hold back against.

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

The technique came alive. Yun Jin moved like a flickering flame, his strikes leaving faint trails of light. Each motion flowed into the next, cutting through the goblins with ruthless precision.

The villagers froze. To them, Yun Jin wasn’t human. He was a streak of light, a phantom blade tearing through the chaos.

Then, silence.

The last goblin crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The villagers stared in stunned awe, some dropping their makeshift weapons. One whispered, “He really is the hero...”

A scream tore through the air, breaking the moment. Yun Jin snapped toward the church entrance. A woman stumbled inside, pale and gasping.

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

Yun Jin nodded. “Got it. Stay here. Bar the doors.”

He sprinted outside without hesitation. The cold night bit his skin as he stepped into the chaos.

The village burned. Flames consumed homes. Goblins swarmed the streets, dragging villagers or cutting them down.

On the rooftops, hunched figures loosed arrows at fleeing survivors.

Yun Jin’s eyes narrowed as memories stirred—memories of another village, another massacre.

What is this... His chest tightened.

The sharp whistle of an arrow cut through his thoughts.

Without turning, Yun Jin’s blade flashed upward, deflecting the projectile with a resounding clang.

His gaze snapped to the rooftops. There, crouched amid the smoke and shadows, were the archers. Their glowing eyes burned with malice, and above their heads, faint text floated:

[Goblin Archer LV.2].

Yun Jin’s lips curled into a smirk, his grip tightening on the shortsword. “There you are.”

With a sharp inhale, he leapt onto the rooftops, his blade glowing faintly as qi surged through his body. The air around him thrummed with energy, crackling under the strain of his technique.

In an instant, he vanished.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: First Form – Arc Lightning.

A thunderous bang shattered the night as he reappeared behind one of the goblin archers.

His blade drove through its head with devastating force, scattering fragments into the air.

Without hesitation, Yun Jin turned to the others.

The remaining goblins froze, then scrambled to flee. But Yun Jin’s blade moved faster than their panic, cutting them down one by one.

The rooftop fell silent, save for the crackle of nearby flames.

“Now that the annoying ones are out of the way,” Yun Jin muttered, flicking the blood from his blade. He stepped to the edge of the rooftop, his sharp eyes scanning the horde of goblins swarming below.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

He adjusted his grip on the shortsword, stepping toward the edge of the rooftop, ready to leap into the fray.

Then, his senses flared. Something was coming—fast.

Yun Jin moved instinctively, twisting to the side as a fireball roared past him. The heat grazed his cheek, and the explosion behind him sent shards of stone scattering into the air.

He turned sharply, his gaze locking onto the source.

At the far end of the street, a towering goblin stood. Its hunched frame was draped in tattered robes, and it gripped a crooked staff glowing faintly. Its eyes bore into him with malice as it raised the staff once more.

Above its head, glowing text hovered:

[Goblin Shaman LV.5].