The One Who Defies Fate: The Law of the Strong (Transcendental Murim)

Was It Born of Belief? Or Something Else?

In the space where the creature had vanished, nothing remained.

But Leanne still looked uneasy.

Staring down at the artifact, he murmured:

"Was that… truly a being born of belief?"

Ian leaned her chin on one hand.

"Why make it complicated? People said there was a ghost, we handled it. Case closed, right?"

Leanne shook his head.

"No. Something doesn't add up."

"Yes, in this world, belief can take shape. It is possible for spirits to manifest that way.""But the one we faced… wasn't just that."

Ian furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?"

Leanne paused, then turned toward Damian.

He spoke quietly.

"Could it be… another anomaly, like you?"

Damian's expression shifted slightly.

He did not belong to this world.He was from Murim.

And lately, he'd begun to sense it—his very presence was bending this world's rules.

If that's the case… was the monster just now also a result of that distortion?

Perhaps his arrival wasn't just a fluke—but a fracture that slowly unbalanced this realm.

No one had an answer to that question.

Guild Rewards, and Ian's Art of Negotiation

The trio returned to the guild.

Guild staff greeted them and prepared their reward.

An official received the artifact and nodded in appreciation.

"This is a rare find. More valuable than we expected."

Ian smiled brightly.

"Then surely, our reward should reflect that."

The official hesitated.

"According to policy, bonus compensation is—"

Ian crossed her arms and cut him off smoothly.

"Think about it. What would've happened to this village if we hadn't stepped in?""For the sake of the guild's reputation, don't you think we deserve proper thanks?"

Leanne chuckled under his breath.

Ian's negotiation skills never failed.

After a brief pause, the official sighed.

"Fine. We'll add 20% to your original reward."

Ian gave a satisfied nod—but eyed the artifact once more and thought to herself:

"I considered pocketing a piece of it…but that thing summoned a monster. Creepy. Not worth the risk."

She decided to leave it be.

Survival, for a thief, meant knowing when to let go.

Time for Something Good to Eat

Outside the guild, Ian stretched and grinned.

"Alright! Mission complete, time to find some good food!"

Damian replied flatly:

"Shouldn't we head back to the inn first?"

Ian shook her head.

"You clearly don't know what you're missing.This town has some legendary food and drink."

Leanne raised a brow.

"You already looked it up?"

Ian winked.

"Of course I did! Who do you think I am? I'm Ian, remember?"

She took the lead confidently.

"I already found the best spot in town!"

And so—for a while, the three set aside combat and caution,and followed their noses to a well-earned meal.

But—

unbeknownst to them,a new presencehad already begun to stir in the shadows.

***

Chapter – The Observers

Unseen Eyes and Stirring Shadows

After a day of good food and drink, Damian and his companions thought their night was over.

What they didn't know—was that they were being watched.

Far in the distance, two silhouettes lingered in the shadows, eyes fixed on the group.

"Ghosts, huh. Things just got interesting,"one of them murmured.

"A being born of belief… That's not quite how the world's laws are supposed to work."

The other nodded slowly.

"And the one who dealt with it… he's not ordinary either. Especially that man."

Their focus was on Damian.

An outsider from Murim—an anomaly slowly distorting the laws of this world with his very presence.

And these two were specialists in tracking such anomalies.

The Occult Faction – The Seekers Beyond

They weren't priests.They weren't wizards.

They were those who sought to pierce the veil between worlds—The Seekers Beyond.

For years, they had studied unexplained phenomena that defied the norms of magic and divinity.Wizards couldn't explain it.Paladins couldn't purify it.

But the Seekers?They cataloged everything.

Beings from other worlds, vanished civilizations, entities beyond rule or reason—and now, Damian was one of them.

One of the watchers muttered under his breath:

"That man… is he truly from this world?"

The other traced a faint glyph in the air.

"No. He might be what we've been searching for."

A Lingering Omen

The next morning—

Ian rubbed her eyes.

"Haven't slept that well in weeks."

Leanne stretched casually, but Damian remained tense.

Ian raised an eyebrow.

"Relax. Doesn't look like anyone's picking a fight today."

But Damian didn't respond.

Instead, he slowly scanned the area.

"…Something's off."

Leanne asked, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Damian couldn't explain it clearly.

But his instincts—the ones forged in a hundred life-or-death battles—were warning him.

They were being watched.

Ian frowned.

"You think someone followed us? Over that treasure?"

Leanne tried sensing the area for magical traces.

Nothing.

But Damian's senses had never failed him.

Unexpected Contact

Just as they were about to set off,a man approached them.

Wearing a worn-out cloak, he moved with quiet ease.

Ian tensed instinctively.

"He's not just some villager."

The man smiled.

"May I have a word?"

Damian fixed him with a sharp gaze.

"…Who are you?"

The man raised his hand in a gesture of peace.

"Let's just say… someone with an interest in you."

Leanne narrowed his eyes.

"You don't even know who we are."

The man smirked faintly.

"Then I suppose it wasn't you who dealt with that ghost?"

The tension in Ian and Leanne's faces shifted.

Damian, silent, didn't let go of his sword.

They already knew.

The man added softly:

"If you're fine not giving me your names, I won't ask for them."

Ian scoffed.

"Not in the mood for games."

But the man remained calm.

"It's no game. We're merely… curious."

Leanne muttered under his breath.

"…Connected to another world."

The man nodded.

"And you… are no ordinary adventurers."

Ian glared.

"How do you know that?"

The man's smile didn't fade.

"Because what you've seen—we've seen too."

They had been watching Damian and his group.

And—

what they wanted wasn't just to observe.

New Threat, or a New Path?

What did they want?

Why had the Seekers taken an interest?

They weren't a religious cult.Nor a magical guild.

They were a collective who studied anomalies—irregularities that defied the world's rules.

And Damian's group had become their newest subject.

But this "study"—was it the beginning of cooperation?

Or the start of something far more dangerous?

Whatever lay ahead—this was no longer just an adventure.

It was the first step into deeper truths.

**

Chapter – The Hunter in the Woods: Who Is the Tracker?

The City Was Quiet.

The Forest Was Not.

Lately, rumors had begun to spread.

Goblins and orcs were moving in organized groups—not the usual chaotic swarms, but something far more coordinated.

They laid ambushes.They guarded their rear.They even deployed scouts.

This was not instinct.This was strategy.

And someone was behind it.

A Guild Request – Unusual Monster Movements

While resting in a mid-sized town, Damian's group came across a curious request pinned to the guild board.

Ian opened the notice and raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like goblins have been acting strangely in the forest nearby.Usually, they just run wild, but this time they're… organized."

Leanne skimmed the details.

"This might be more than just a monster problem."

Damian took the paper and read it closely.The request was simple:

"Eliminate the goblin horde active in the forest."

But what caught his attention was the fine print:

"Bonus reward for live capture, if possible."

Capture? Of monsters?

That was highly unusual.Guild missions almost always demanded extermination.

Damian pointed at the line.

"They're hiding something."

Leanne's expression tightened.

"Looks like the guild knows more than they're saying."

Ian grinned, arms crossed.

"So we're not just hunting monsters.There's probably something bigger behind all this."

In the Forest – A Tactical Threat

The forest was calm—but the threat within was anything but.

Ian moved silently at the front, crouched low, eyes scanning between leaves.

"…There's more of them than I expected."

Leanne whispered while preparing a spell.

"Normal goblins don't move like this."

Damian could feel it too.This wasn't a rabble.

They were moving like trained soldiers.

Then—

shfffft!

An arrow shot through the trees.

Ian ducked instinctively.The enemy began to move.

"Damn! We've been spotted!"

The ambush began.

Goblins leapt from the underbrush,archers firing from above,warriors with shields pressing forward.

Not monsters—but troops,under someone's command.

The Battle – Response and Crisis

Leanne reacted first.

"Fireball!"

A massive ball of flame roared toward the enemies.

But—

"Oh no!"

The narrow forest and thick leaves dispersed the fire—and it bounced.

Straight toward Damian.

"Get down!" Ian shouted.

But Damian didn't move.

He drew his sword—and cut through the fire.

Boom!

The redirected flames roared back at the goblins.

Screams echoed as they burned.

Leanne stared in disbelief.

"…He sliced through fire?"

Ian blinked.

"What is your sword style, seriously…?"

But the enemies kept coming.

Ian threw daggers,but the ambush was far larger than expected.

They were being surrounded.

Then—

fwip!

An arrow pierced a goblin's skull.

Another—right through an orc's eye.

"…?"

Someone else had joined the fight.

The Hunter Appears – A Tracker in the Trees

Damian looked up.

A man stood atop a branch.

Leather armor.Daggers and arrows hanging from his belt.

Ian narrowed her eyes.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man dropped silently to the ground.His eyes met Damian's.

"…You're chasing them too, aren't you?"

Damian frowned.

"Them?"

The hunter looked toward the depths of the forest.

"This isn't just a monster problem.There's something deeper going on."

Ian scoffed.

"Sure, we're here to take out some goblins—but you make it sound like a war."

The man fixed his gaze on Damian.

"You're… stronger than I expected."

It wasn't praise.

It was familiarity.As if he already knew who Damian was.

But Damian let it go.What mattered now—was who this man was,and why he was here.

Leanne stepped forward.

"So then, who exactly are you?"

The hunter looked at them for a moment—then spoke quietly, without giving a name.

"…Later."

He turned back to the woods.

"Right now, there's something more important."

Damian followed his gaze.

And then—

A massive shadow stirred in the depths of the forest.