Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 The Second Disciple
I had spoken to Estelle as if I knew a lot about traveling, but the truth was, I had never traveled before.
Having lost both my parents at a young age, I had to work to survive, and life was so harsh that I never even had the luxury of thinking about traveling.
I had to save every penny, so my only leisure activities were eating and gaming—and even then, I couldn’t afford expensive food or in-game purchases.
Every bit of money had to be saved for the future.
As I thought about traveling, a forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
"Right… So-eun had asked me to go on a trip with her."
We had promised each other that after graduating from university, once I was stable and had some freedom, we would travel together.
For someone like me, who had never even dared to dream, it was the first modest dream I had ever allowed myself—to travel with So-eun.
Just imagining it made me happy, and even the preparations were joyful.
"But now, it’s a promise I can’t keep."
Before I could fulfill that promise, before I could achieve that dream, we were thrown into the Tutorial.
I forgot about that simple dream and became desperate to grow stronger.
And now, even though So-eun isn’t by my side, I’ve managed to fulfill at least a part of that humble dream.
"Shall I go?"
My feet stretch toward a wider world.
At first, I just walked aimlessly.
The world of the Tutorial was far vaster than I had imagined.
The fields and lodgings I had known were only a tiny fraction of it.
More nature, more people—each desperately training to grow stronger, each with their own purpose. Their lives burned fiercely.
In one place, martial artists honed their skills; in another, mages studied magic; elsewhere, priests deepened their faith.
Each walked their own path.
All were paths I had walked before. I offered them light advice.
"That’s not how you do it. If you do it like this, it’ll work better."
"Huh? You’re right! Thanks!"
Perhaps because I had become the All-Master, I could help anyone, no matter what skill they were training in.
There were no wrong paths, but there were mistaken ones.
For every person I saw, I corrected flaws that might have led to regret later.
When they reached higher levels, they would thank me.
The Tutorial also hid many strong individuals.
None were stronger than me, but I gained meaningful experience and observed techniques that could enhance my own skills.
"Just this makes the trip worthwhile."
I absorbed nature, reviewed lessons through teaching, and gained experience through sparring—precious things I could never have obtained through life-and-death battles with monsters alone.
Each day, the small universe within my dantian filled a little more, enriching me.
The more I understood people’s lives, the deeper my insight into life itself grew, and the amount of my innate energy increased.
"I really lived in such a small world."
Like a frog in a well who thought the well was the entire world, I too had mistaken that narrow space for everything.
But it wasn’t.
The world was this vast.
Faced with such enormity, I realized how small my world had been.
And my world could expand just as much.
Estelle must have wanted me to realize this.
I was someone who could grow even larger.
As I reflected on this newfound understanding, an unmistakable sound reached my ears.
"Haah… haah… Help…"
After obtaining the Limit Break skill, my sensory range had expanded, allowing me to detect even distant vibrations.
Someone far away was calling for help.
"No signs of monsters… Are they injured?"
I sprinted toward the voice at full speed.
The movement skills I had honed while fleeing from Estelle allowed me to cover the distance almost instantly.
"A woman…?"
Before me was a woman with an icy, delicate beauty.
But her crimson eyes burned not with coldness, but like an unquenchable flame—fragile yet fierce.
Her gaze screamed a desperate will to live.
"Are you okay?"
I shook the white-haired woman’s shoulder lightly, but she was unconscious, her body cold as ice.
I had never felt a human so cold before.
"Can a person even be this cold?"
"Excuse me for a moment."
Though she didn’t respond, this was an emergency.
I channeled a trace of energy into her wrist.
Among the skills I had mastered to become the All-Master was medicine, so I could quickly diagnose her condition with mana.
"Her meridians are severed… Nine of them. And an endless chill is leaking from the breaks…"
I had seen something similar in martial arts novels.
"Nine Yin Severed Meridians."
A condition where the body produces endless cold energy in exchange for martial talent, weakening the sufferer and shortening their lifespan. The symptoms matched perfectly.
"I think I can treat her, but not right now…"
For now, I set up my [Very Sturdy and Comfortable Tent ‘Rare’] and laid her inside.
The comfort enchantment seemed to ease her expression slightly.
Holding her hand, I slowly circulated energy through her body, pushing the cold out.
She would freeze again the moment I let go, but for now, I could ease her discomfort.
As the invasive chill receded, her eyes fluttered open.
"Huh…? Wh-Who…?"
Startled, she stared at me—understandable, since the first thing she saw was a stranger holding her hand.
I’d have reacted the same way.
"Are you… cold?"
But more than the stranger touching her, she seemed fixated on the absence of the cold that had plagued her.
I explained the situation.
"I found you collapsed and temporarily drove out the cold. It’s not permanent—if I let go, it’ll return. If you’re uncomfortable with me holding your hand, I can—"
"Don’t let go!"
Before I could finish, she clutched my hand tightly.
Her fingers were cold, but her grip was desperate.
In that grasp, I sensed her loneliness and pain.
She never wanted to feel cold again.
"You’ve suffered a lot, haven’t you?"
She nodded repeatedly.
So cornered that she was willing to confide in a stranger.
"Yes… It was so cold I could barely function. Everything was exhausting, and I had to rely on others my whole life."
Traveling had taught me to cherish people’s stories—they expanded my world.
Every life held depth.
"I’ve been cold since birth. The chill never stopped, and I never knew warmth. Even my parents feared me. They said I was possessed."
She must have endured so much.
Freed from her lifelong curse, she poured out her heart to me, a stranger.
"Everyone hated me. The whole world rejected me. My existence was a burden."
I understood completely.
As I listened with sympathy, she mentioned an older sister.
"When I wanted to give up and die… I met her. My parents hid me, but my curious sister found out."
I too had someone who pulled me out of isolation after my parents died.
"My sister was a prodigy. I was just slowly dying. She was beautiful, talented, athletic, kind—everyone adored her."
I knew someone like that.
Someone who outshone me in every way.
"People praised her. I just wanted to disappear. My family was strict—I should’ve been cast out, but she stopped them."
I had no loving parents.
Only Yoo So-eun. She was the same—only her sister stood by her.
"She threatened the elders if they tried to abandon me. She was… radiant. Just her presence comforted people. And I could do nothing for her."
I knew that feeling. The guilt of being helpless beside someone so bright.
"Do you know what I thought then?"
I did.
I knew exactly how she felt.
No one understood the firefly beside the sun better than I did.
"Why… was I born like this? Why am I so inadequate? Why do I envy and hurt the person I cherish? I shouldn’t have been born." She paused. "But the worst part? I told her, ‘Stop caring about me.’ I wanted to prove I could survive alone."
"This… is me."
I knew that person too.
The one who snapped at the friend who worried endlessly: ‘I never asked for help!’ ‘I can handle it myself—why do you keep humiliating me?’
I had envied someone precious.
So had she.
I had pushed away helping hands.
So had she.
I had wanted to prove myself.
So had she.
"Ah… Why am I saying all this? No one’s ever asked or listened before. You probably don’t understand—just forget it."
We were so alike.
No—we were nearly identical.
"I understand."
"…What?"
She looked stunned.
"I know exactly how you feel."
I decided to reach out.
Just as someone had once pulled me up, it was my turn to extend a hand.
If anyone in the world could understand her, it was me.
So I shared my story as she had shared hers.
From mundane Earth memories to Tutorial struggles.
I didn’t tell everything, but she listened intently, understanding me completely.
"We’re… alike, aren’t we?"
She spoke hesitantly, as if her wounds had been acknowledged for the first time.
"Yeah."
I nodded. We truly were.
"We haven’t even introduced ourselves. I’m Baek Ryeon."
'Baek Ryeon?'
The name triggered a memory.
—"Baek Ryeon. That’s my sister’s name. She hates me, so if you help her, don’t mention me."
Now that I looked, her white hair and face resembled Baek Ran’s, though her eyes were red instead of blue.
She was also slender and shorter—around 165 cm compared to Baek Ran’s 175 cm.
"Is… something wrong?"
Noticing my pause, she asked.
"No. Your name just sounded familiar. I’m Han Yeong-min. Nice to meet you."
No handshake was needed—we were already holding hands.
"I checked your condition earlier. I think… I can treat you."
Her eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yes. I can’t remove the chill completely, but I can improve it significantly—enough to reach a normal, slightly cold body temperature. But… there are conditions."
Her grip tightened, her free hand clenching.
"I’ll do anything!"
What did she think I’d ask? Her desperation proved how much she’d suffered.
I wanted to help her even more because we were alike.
"First, you need prolonged physical contact with someone whose energy counters yours. The more contact, the faster it’ll work, but staying close without discomfort is enough."
"Okay!"
That was easy. The next part was harder.
"Next… Once your body is warmed, you’ll need to lie down in front of me… fully undressed."
"Okay! …Wait, what?"
She blinked.
"I have to reconnect all your severed meridians. It’s not easy even with clothes off, so… This isn’t for my own gratification."
She laughed softly.
"Pfft… I get it. It’s necessary, right? I’ll do anything to heal. It’s fine."
I was relieved she believed me.
"And… could you teach me martial arts?"
An unexpected request.
'Teaching someone with Nine Yin Severed Meridians might benefit me too.'
Even without that, I wanted to help her.
My first disciple, Baek Ran, had already been half-complete—she only needed minor guidance.
But Baek Ryeon would need to be built from scratch.
If I taught her, I’d have to be a true mentor—guiding her path.
Could I do that?
'I can.'
Once, Yoo So-eun had reached out to me. Now, I could reach out first.
I was confident I could nurture someone.
It was my turn to extend a hand.
"I’ll teach you."
Her face lit up with disbelief and joy.
Seeing that smile gave me a new goal: to guide her until she no longer needed to prove herself.
Just as I no longer felt inferior to Yoo So-eun, I’d free her from comparing herself to Baek Ran.
I’d help her become someone who could apologize with pride.
"Then I’ll call you Master. You can call me Ryeon."
A master-disciple relationship needed hierarchy.
My first disciple’s lack of one had caused problems, so I accepted her terms.
"Alright, Ryeon."
She beamed and scooted closer.
"We need to stay close for treatment, right?"
"Uh… yeah?"
Though necessary, her shoulder pressing against mine was flustering.
"And holding hands like this is better."
Her fingers interlaced with mine, increasing contact and speeding her recovery.
"…Right."
Logically sound, yet embarrassingly intimate.
'She just wants to heal faster.'
And so, I gained my second disciple.
A very… very proactive one.