A Proposal and a Path
"...Daoist Fairy?"
"..."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo's face was flushed red all the way to the tips of her ears.
"T-that is to say... back then, this poor Taoist's cultivation was still lacking. Of course, I am still lacking much even now, but..."
She was speaking incredibly fast.
"Perhaps I was suffering from some sort of inner demon back then. Yes, that must have been it! Don't you think so? If I hadn't been plagued by an inner demon, how could I have possibly done such things?"
"I mean, just what kind of posts did you write to react like this?"
"..." Hyeonsongcheonnyeo squirmed, twisting her body in embarrassment.
"...Did you get into a keyboard war or something?"
"What is a 'keyboard war'?"
"Did you swear and fight with other people on the forum?"
Flinch!
"W-well... I only intended to engage in a... wholesome debate. But contrary to my intentions, my words came out a bit... harsh."
"..." I cast a sidelong glance.
"Don't look at me like that! No, I mean... Haaaaah..."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo ruffled her own hair in frustration.
"I suppose blocking you is useless anyway, since you can search for it whenever you want... Fine, look. Just... please understand that this poor Taoist was young and foolish back then..."
I searched in a corner of my vision: Author: Hyeonsongcheonnyeo.
A long list of posts immediately cascaded down. Let's see what we have here...
Wait, what? Why is it that no matter how far I scroll, the tags are absolutely flooded with "Callout"?
But surely, she wouldn't have said anything truly vulgar—
[Callout] Alliance Leader of the Evil Sects, fuck off
"..."
[Callout] You bitch Ho-eungma of the Hwiyeong Sect, come to the southern ridge of Mount Chiak by 1 PM tomorrow. Let's settle this once and for all, just the two of us.
[General] Results of yesterday's death match: This poor Taoist won.
I thought you said you only got into keyboard wars. You literally went out and had real-life death matches!
Granted, it wasn't against fellow orthodox sect members, but against unorthodox martial artists...
Even on a normal forum, she'd be considered an absolute battle-axe...
As I browsed the Jin Moorim Gallery, Hyeonsongcheonnyeo's tiny frame trembled violently.
"U-uuuuugh..."
She was desperately trying to suppress her overwhelming shame. She probably viewed this as her own karma catching up to her.
I knew she wasn't actually a child, but seeing her like this was just hilarious and adorable.
"Sigh... why are you making such a big deal out of this?"
"...Hm?"
"Honestly, is there anyone who visits online forums and doesn't get into a keyboard war at least once? This is just a normal part of growing up."
"I-is that so?"
"Of course it is. When teenagers talk nonsense during puberty, people just let it slide, saying, 'Well, they're at that age.' Keyboard wars are exactly like that."
"Is that so... Hm, hmmm. I see."
She cleared her throat, ahem.
"Thank you, Doyeon. Hearing you say that makes this poor Taoist's heart feel much lighter."
"And here I thought you did something truly bizarre on the forums."
"Oh, that side is perfectly fine. Since I do it anonymously."
"...Excuse me?"
Did she just say something incredibly ominous?
"More importantly, this is no time to be discussing such trivial matters."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo looked at me with a solemn expression.
"Doyeon. If you have not been formally taught by the Baekdu Sect, would you care to officially become my disciple?"
"...Me?"
"It is rather unseemly for a Taoist to boast of herself, but since this poor Taoist is currently seeking your selection, I shall brag a little."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo placed a hand over her chest.
"This poor Taoist is an elder of the Bongrae Sect, a prestigious Taoist sect recognized not only in Korea but also in the Central Plains. I am the junior sister of Sect Leader Hyeonmyeong, and my current martial arts realm is the Harmonious Realm."
"The Harmonious Realm...!"
"If you study under me, I can pass down every single martial art of the Bongrae Sect to you."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo's hand moved with fluid grace.
"The defining characteristics of our sect's martial arts are splendor and illusion. They are magnificent, ever-changing, and can captivate anyone even without the use of Taoist magic."
Her hand gestures transformed into a dance. A movement akin to a butterfly fluttering before an immortal.
"The beauty of Mount Geumgang is the greatest of all time. Even Su Shi, the famous poet of the Song Dynasty, lamented his fate, wishing he had been born a Goryeo man just so he could gaze upon Mount Geumgang. Imagine how beautiful the martial arts of those who settled in such a mountain must be."
We were inside a secluded mud hut. While clean and filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs, it was a place far removed from luxury or splendor.
Yet, with every movement of Hyeonsongcheonnyeo's hand, the space began to transform. Mist rose from the reflections of water, and the minor contours of the hut shifted into valleys and peaks.
A crane soared, carrying the sun in its beak. Everything touched by the sunlight shimmered in brilliant gold.
"If you come to the Bongrae Sect, all of this splendor will be yours."
Yellow butterflies fluttered, scattering golden dust. A Daoist fairy strolled through the glow of the setting sun.
"Our sect possesses many exquisite sword techniques. The Fairy Dance Sword, inspired by the movements of heavenly maidens; the Phoenix Interlocking Sword, modeled after the majestic phoenix; and the Pine Power Sword, created by our seventh Sect Leader and refined over generations..."
The Daoist fairy smiled warmly at me.
"I will teach you anything. If there is something this poor Taoist cannot teach, I will beg the others to instruct you."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo extended her hand.
"Won't you return to the Bongrae Sect with me and learn all of this? Do you not wish to tread upon the void with a mortal body, walk above the clouds, and watch the morning sun rise over the twelve thousand peaks of Mount Geumgang together?"
She spoke not merely as a sweet, gentle fairy, but as a grand master of martial arts.
"Let us walk the path of martial arts together. Take my hand, and become my disciple."
In the history of the martial forest, had anyone ever received such a lavish invitation?
Even minor sects, far inferior to the Bongrae Sect, were flooded with applicants. Let alone the Bongrae Sect itself—thousands of hopefuls would literally line up for a chance.
Yet, an elder of such a prestigious sect was lowering herself to make this offer. She was personally inviting me.
"...I..."
"Absolutely not!!"
Thud! Kicking open the entrance of the hut, the Divine Physician barged in.
"This girl, Cheon Doyeon, has already promised to become a physician under my tutelage!"
"What...! Have you been snatched away already?!"
"I never promised that! A-and, to be completely honest..."
The Divine Physician was someone I was grateful to. She was an incredible person, and I respected her. But...
"I don't really have any desire to become a doctor..."
"...?" The Divine Physician tilted her head.
"How can a human being not want to be a physician...?"
"Isn't that actually the norm?"
"Pointing that out will only bring you trouble, Doyeon. Since long ago, this woman loses her mind the moment medicine is mentioned."
"Hmph. If you won't be my disciple, then I must collect the fee for healing your eye."
"Huh?"
Blink. I blinked my left and right eyes alternately. I reached up and fumbled around my face.
"Wh-what?! It's true?!"
I could see again! The eye that had been injured inside the Gate, the one I couldn't even open, was completely back to normal!
"I finished treating it before you even woke up. Not even a scar remains."
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Divine Physician!!"
"Now that you've experienced it firsthand, don't you feel a sudden, burning desire to learn medicine?"
"W-well, but I can't eat stuff like vomit..."
"Please do not speak of me as if I were some kind of pigeon. So, is that truly your final answer?"
"I'm sorry. I know this is an incredible opportunity, but—"
"No need for long explanations." The Divine Physician sighed.
"Even if it is the most noble study in the world, there is nothing to be done if you do not wish to learn. Now, get lost."
"...What?"
"I said, get lost. To a physician, there are only three types of people: patients, disciples, and fellow physicians. You are fully healed, so you are no longer a patient; you refused to be my disciple; and you are obviously not the last one."
She shooed us away with her hands.
"So, leave. I am not idle enough to waste my time on someone who belongs to none of those three categories."
...This person is seriously eccentric.
Did one have to be that crazy to reach such heights in medicine?
But crude phrasing aside, she seemed genuinely eager for us to leave. Hyeonsongcheonnyeo was already packing her things to depart.
"Thank you for your help, Divine Physician. Shall we settle the payment as we usually do?"
"Yes. Will you be paying for that girl's treatment as well?"
"Of course."
"Hyeonsong."
"Yes?"
"The spiritual medicine used to save your life was provided by that girl. I assume you plan to repay her?"
"Naturally."
"Good. Then we are done. Both of you, get lost."
"I owe you one." Hyeonsongcheonnyeo bowed slightly. I bowed deeply from behind her.
"Thank you for everything! I'm so grateful!"
"Just get out already!"
"I'll make sure to say hello if we meet again!"
"Wait!"
"?"
"Have you perhaps changed your mind about becoming my discip—"
"Stop being so clingy, Divine Physician!!"
As the two of us walked down the mountain path, Hyeonsongcheonnyeo praised me.
"You are remarkably polite."
"I've learned that greeting people properly is the best way to avoid making enemies."
"...You are far too mature for your age."
"Ehehe..."
Well, I did go through a lot of hardships, after all.
Wow, but receiving such incredible offers back-to-back is making my head spin.
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo's proposal to take her as my master and join the Bongrae Sect. The Divine Physician's offer to teach me medicine and make me a physician.
An ordinary person would never receive even one of these opportunities in their entire lifetime. Just being offered them was a massive blessing.
I guess I really do have talent.
But no matter how amazing the offers were, I couldn't help but feel bewildered. Because in the future... in the future...
"...Ah."
The source of the vague sense of unease I had been feeling. I finally realized the true reason I had panicked when the topic of the future came up.
The future. Plans. Moving forward.
Because for the past ten years, those concepts had been completely alien to me.
During the early days of the outbreak, when chaos was at its peak, I had to fight desperately just to survive each day.
Even after order was restored by the martial artists, I had to scrape together every penny just to make it through the month.
I had crossed the threshold of death more times than I could count. That was how I had endured for ten long years.
Never once allowing myself to imagine a future, a path forward, or what I actually wanted to do with my life.
My future.
But did I have to keep living like that? Day by day?
No. I had awakened and gained peerless talent. I possessed a manual of supreme martial arts that would grant me immense power once I mastered classical Chinese. I had even built connections on the Jin Moorim Gallery who could help me.
So, here was the question: What did I want to do from now on?
How would I map out my long-term plans, month by month, year by year?
Where did I want to go? What was my ultimate goal?
The very first word that sprang to mind.
Martial arts.
Indeed, I wanted to learn martial arts. Cultivating martial arts was easy and fun, and it would make me strong in an instant.
—Survive.
My mother's last words had actually been a little longer.
—I love you, Doyeon. You must survive. And...
Crunch.
The sound of chewing that still echoed in my dreams from time to time.
My fists clenched involuntarily.
...As I thought.
I wanted to know. Why did the Gates suddenly appear in this world?
Why could we find martial arts manuals and divine weapons inside them?
Why did some martial artists gain the power of awakening, and what was the truth behind bizarre phenomena like status windows and the Jin Moorim Gallery?
Was there a cause for all of this? If so, was there a person behind it?
And if that person was still alive...
I wanted to demand answers. Why did my mother and father have to die because of what you did?
In the end, I must learn martial arts.
Currently, the minimum requirement to enter the most dangerous Gates in the world was the Super-Peak Realm.
And that was merely the qualification to step through the entrance. If I wanted to unravel the secrets of this world, I had to become far stronger than that.
I had to reach the Harmonious Realm, like Hyeonsongcheonnyeo beside me, or even a step higher—the legendary Profound Realm.
I had to get stronger. I had to become a martial artist of a higher realm.
To protect myself and those around me, and to draw closer to the truth I so desperately sought.
I will get strong.