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◆ Arche — One Sky, Two Unreachable Worlds In the west, the bells of the Magic Tower ring; in the east, the swords of mountain temples cry. The two civilizations of Arche, 'Esteria' and 'The Realm,' exist under the same stars but regard each other as lands of legend. Travel between the two worlds is so rare that a single worn coin from the other side can become a royal treasure. Between them lies a land that no map can chart. ◆ Cheonjeoldae — The Boundary That Splits the World In the northern 'Cheondan Mountains,' eternal snows, vertical cliffs, and canyons guarded by ancient behemoths stretch endlessly. Even where the mountains dip, no path opens. To the south, the 'Severed Sea' awaits with eternal storms, whirlpools, and giant sea creatures. If one takes to the sky, mana storms break their wings; if one tries to cross space, twisted coordinates swallow the destination. Fissures extend even beneath the polar ice, making circumnavigation impossible. These barriers are collectively called 'Cheonjeoldae.' It is a boundary that cannot be crossed by a strong blade alone. Few creatures can cross it. Thus, there is no exchange, and they only know of each other through legends. ◆ Western Esteria — Civilization of Sword and Magic A continent where human nations and the territories of other races meet. Royal power, knightly orders, magic towers, temples, guilds, and merchant groups all vie for influence. • Arden Empire A human nation embracing rivers and granaries. Politics, commerce, and magical knowledge gather in its massive imperial capital. • World Tree Forest The western forest protected by elves, fairies, and spirits. Seeing a path between the trees does not mean you have permission to enter. • Iron Mountain Kingdom A dwarven city spread beneath the northeastern mountains. Even when the sun sets above ground, the fires of the underground forges never go out. • Dragon Northern Territory Dragon domains and ancient temples are scattered among glaciers and high peaks. Human borders lose their meaning here. • Beastkin Union A confederation of tribes and cities in the southwestern plains and hills. Nomadism and trade are active, and customs vary by lineage. • Free Port Alliance A union of southern port cities. Ships connecting the western inner seas come and go, but there are no liners bound for the East. ◆ Eastern Realm — Civilization of Imperial Law and Kangho The Realm is not a single country. It is an overlapping world of cities governed by imperial law, mountains ruled by sect regulations, and sanctuaries guarded by spiritual creatures. • Central Plains Dynasty A state ruling the great rivers and plains. Merchant groups and noble clans flourish, and imperial law often clashes with the justice of the Murim. • Western Peak Murim Sects, Taoist temples, and hermitages are nestled throughout the rugged mountains. It is a stage for competition between the Righteous and Evil factions rather than a single nation. • Northern Desolation Demonic Cult A cult's sphere of influence in the northern deserts and barren highlands. Despite the name, it is distinct from the Demon Realm or demon race. • Southern Man Spirit Forest A jungle where spirit herbs and poisonous plants grow together. Unique tribal cultures and the domains of ancient spirit creatures remain. • Haedong The eastern peninsula where legends of mountain gods, Dokkaebi, and Gumiho live on. Stories of mountain temples and Dragon Palaces are well-developed. • Dongyeong The southeastern archipelago. Swordsmanship, Onmyodo, and Yokai legends are prevalent, with each island possessing different customs. ◆ Races — Even Legends Have a Place to Live In the West, humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin, and merfolk form societies. Beastkin are diverse, including wolves, foxes, cats, lions, tigers, rabbits, and birds. Dragons are intelligent beings with their own language and territory; some can transform into human form. Wyverns and drakes are separate entities. Fairies, spirits, unicorns, pegasi, griffins, phoenixes, giants, trolls, centaurs, minotaurs, sirens, krakens, vampires, werewolves, dulladhans, and liches also exist. In the East, dragons (Yong), Imugi, phoenixes (Bonghwang), Qilin, Haetae, Gumiho, Dokkaebi, Tengu, Oni, Yuki-onna, and Jiangshi exist. Mountain gods, immortals (Sinseon), and celestial maidens (Seonnyeo) can also refer to ranks or the results of cultivation. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise guard the cardinal directions and sanctuaries. Eastern dragons and Western dragons belong to different lineages. Race alone does not determine good, evil, or strength. ◆ Strength — Realms are Proven, Not Just Named The corresponding ranks of the two systems are roughly as follows: West Commoner → Trainee → Skilled → Expert (Low → Mid → High) → Master → Grandmaster → Transcendent → Demigod → Divine/Primordial East Commoner → Initiate → Third-rate → Second-rate → First-rate → Peak → Transcendental Peak → Profound Realm (Hwagyeong) → Transcendent Realm (Hyeongyeong) → Life-and-Death Realm → Immortal/Divine/Primordial A Master's Aura Blade and a Transcendental Peak's Ganggi are rare national or sect-level assets. Grandmasters and the Profound Realm are top-tier, while Transcendents and the Transcendent Realm are the elite few who can manifest their own domains. Demigods and those in the Life-and-Death Realm have surpassed the limits of mortality but are not necessarily immortal. Divine/Primordial beings are judged by their authority. Magic Circles 1–9 roughly correspond to Trainee through Demigod. However, the level of a spell does not guarantee victory in a duel. Spirit arts, Taoist arts, and spirit creatures are also compared by actual ability; proficiency, affinity, equipment, terrain, information, and tactics can change the outcome.