Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 The Saint's Talent
"Wait a moment..."
While catching the tears of Baek Ryeon in my arms, I suddenly became aware of the current situation.
And immediately regretted it.
I wish I hadn’t realized it.
'...This is bad. How am I supposed to endure this?'
She... was hugging me in her underwear.
My breath hitched.
Reflexively, I averted my gaze.
Only then did the situation seem unusually strange, and she lifted her head, asking innocently:
"Master, what’s wrong?"
'How can you even ask that?'
Baek Ryeon tilted her head and looked up at me.
Her bright face, sparkling eyes—she didn’t seem to find this situation strange at all.
"Uh... clothes... put some clothes on..."
When I barely managed to speak, she giggled as if it wasn’t a problem at all.
"It’s fine if it’s you, Master. From the beginning, someone like you, who can meticulously perceive even the slightest movement of muscle fibers, must have already grasped the shape of my body the moment I took off my clothes."
'That’s logically flawless. I can’t argue with that.'
"...Still, you should take care of your own body."
Having nothing else to say, I gave a textbook answer.
At that, she grinned.
"Master, I do treasure my body enough. If it were anyone else, I’d never let them see."
Then, she looked straight at me and said.
"But because it’s you. Because it’s Han Yeong-min. That’s why I allowed it."
Though Baek Ryeon spoke as if it were nothing, the slight reddening of her earlobes betrayed her true feelings.
I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
How should I take this?
She wasn’t joking. She meant it.
For a moment, I felt a faint sense of crisis.
"Still, since it makes Master uncomfortable, I’ll go put on some clothes."
"...Thank you. Really."
My words carried genuine relief.
Now I could finally breathe again.
Baek Ryeon slowly left my embrace.
She stepped back and picked up the clothes she had taken off.
Just as I was about to sigh in relief, she suddenly approached me again and hugged me tightly.
"...!"
Warmth spread across my back.
'Huh...?'
Since her Nine Yin Severed Meridians had been healed and she had learned martial arts, her embrace was much stronger than before.
"Now that I’m dressed, it’s okay to do this, right?"
Baek Ryeon whispered.
Instinctively, a warning flashed in my mind.
A mental alarm rang.
'Don’t point this out.'
"...Yeah."
'At least she’s wearing clothes now.'
I patted her back.
And so, I held her for about an hour until she was satisfied.
*****
'...I’m really not cold anymore.'
Late at night.
On the bed, Baek Ryeon carefully moved her hands.
She traced every part of her body, confirming the changes.
The cold energy that had tormented her all her life was gone.
The sensation of being frozen for years.
The piercing pain that came with every movement.
All of it had disappeared as if it had never existed.
"Moving my body... wasn’t supposed to be difficult."
Something everyone took for granted.
For her, it wasn’t. Moving meant pain.
But now, it was different.
She clenched her fist.
A different sensation than before.
The feeling of being alive surged through her entire body.
With the added power of martial arts, the vitality overflowing inside her was vividly palpable.
"Moving my body... was this enjoyable?"
In the past, moving had been agony.
Pain followed every motion.
It was better to stay still.
But now, she wanted to soar high into the sky.
The cursed Nine Yin Severed Meridians had now become the Nine Yin Divine Meridians—no longer shackles binding her, but wings carrying her toward the heavens.
"I can’t believe it..."
All of this had happened within half a year of meeting Han Yeong-min.
He had been different from the start.
Even in the brutal tutorial where helping others was a meaningless concept—since death and revival were trivial—he had found her, not ignored her, and brought her into his tent.
He had wrapped her cold body in warmth.
He had listened to her stories, which no one else had ever cared to hear, without a hint of boredom, with all his heart.
At first, it was just because he was handsome.
Or maybe because he resembled her older sister.
She thought he was a dazzling person, like a star.
But as it turned out, he was the only one who had shared the same experiences as her.
'Meeting someone like him was already a miracle...'
He had completely changed her life.
The All-Master. A man who lived up to his title in every way.
Cooking, knitting, exercise... he taught her anything she wanted to learn.
He taught her martial arts.
He enabled her to wield supernatural power, magic.
Thanks to him, her frail body had become healthier than that of an average person.
He had healed her body.
Even in the midst of the pain of treatment, Baek Ryeon had seen him pouring everything into healing her.
As if he wouldn’t tolerate even the slightest mistake, he treated her in a state of hyperfocus.
That was why her heart still raced when she thought of him.
A person whose very existence was like a miracle.
"A living, breathing miracle."
Yes.
A god.
He was no ordinary human.
In her heart, Han Yeong-min was a divine being.
[Your intense faith causes a change in your trait.]
[Trait: Saint’s Talent (S) → Yeong-min Cult’s Saint (S)]
"...Ah."
A sigh of admiration escaped Baek Ryeon’s lips.
Deep in her heart, she realized the path she must take.
This was her destiny.
The deeper her faith in Han Yeong-min grew, the more she spread the Yeong-min Cult, the stronger she would become.
And that wasn’t all. He, too, would grow stronger.
As Han Yeong-min, the object of her faith, ascended in rank, the power granted by her trait would also intensify.
Not a one-sided relationship, but a mutually complementary one.
A power that could elevate each other even higher.
The original Saint’s Talent (S) was a trait that even constellations or demon kings would covet.
If she became an apostle, she would bring forth the greatest faith.
Yet, even though it had transformed, Baek Ryeon was happy.
'With this... I can get even closer to him.'
A fanatical belief strong enough to alter an S-rank trait.
Baek Ryeon was already prepared to do anything for Yeong-min.
"He’s also kind of cute."
Perhaps because he wasn’t highly resistant to women, he was excessively cautious around her.
A gentlemanly person with ingrained consideration.
But every time his gaze brushed over her bare skin, Baek Ryeon’s heart raced, and her body tingled.
She actually wanted him to look more.
'A sacrilegious thought, but...'
She hoped for the day he would desire her.
Surprisingly, this was the same thought her older sister had once had.
"I have to become like that woman."
Baek Ryeon closely observed how Han Yeong-min treated Estelle.
Though he didn’t seem aware of it yet, the relationship between those two was anything but ordinary.
He clearly harbored feelings beyond mere goodwill for Estelle.
A natural, comfortable bond.
Baek Ryeon wanted that kind of relationship too.
If Estelle was the style he preferred—
"For his sake, I can become like Estelle."
More lovable, more charming. She wanted to appear even more endearing to him.
She, who had never been loved in her life.
That’s why she wanted her first love to be with the person she loved and revered most—her Master.
She wished he would love her back.
'Just wait a little longer, Master.'
Like a caterpillar shedding its cocoon to become a butterfly, Baek Ryeon was ready to strive to become the woman Han Yeong-min desired.
"The person who should stand closest to him... isn’t that woman. It’s me."
With that firm resolution in her heart.
*****
Two years later, Year 40 of the Tutorial.
Baek Ryeon now stood before the wall of the Absolute Peak.
It had taken me over ten years to reach that realm.
But this girl?
"Haha..."
In just two years, she had climbed this far.
The Nine Yin Severed Meridians had been her greatest shackle.
Once freed, she grew as if she had grown wings.
The rate of her growth was unbelievable.
'But now that I think about it... what kind of monster was Yoo So-eun anyway?'
A mad genius who could unleash sword energy in just a month and freely wielded all kinds of magic and divine spells.
Baek Ryeon was immensely talented, but Yoo So-eun was simply a cheat character by existence alone.
"She was truly beyond standard."
Even now, standing before the wall of the Absolute Peak, her talent was hard to believe.
'Of course, our Ryeon is a genius too.'
Excluding the cheat key that was the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art, she had already surpassed the last version of Baek Ran I had seen.
An overwhelming talent for martial arts.
An iron will and effort that matched it.
If she had had a proper internal technique from the start? She might have reached the Absolute Peak long ago.
But—
"There’s no martial art perfectly suited for Ryeon."
Neither the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art nor the Dawn Divine Art was right for her.
The Heavenly Thunder Divine Art was Baek Ran’s martial art and didn’t suit Baek Ryeon, while the Dawn Divine Art was tailored exclusively for my body and revolved around extreme yang energy, making it incompatible with the Nine Yin Divine Meridians.
"She needs a new martial art."
A martial art that harmonized well with the Nine Yin Divine Meridians would naturally be an extreme yin art—specifically, a divine art that could also grant her the strong physical abilities she desired.
'But it’s impossible to obtain such a martial art in the tutorial...'
The tutorial only had basic martial arts. Forget divine arts, even intermediate-level martial arts didn’t exist.
Estelle had taught me intermediate martial arts before, but she hadn’t passed on the internal techniques.
That was beyond the limits permitted by the tutorial system.
But who am I? The All-Master, a Grandmaster.
"If it doesn’t exist, I’ll just create it."
I had the ability to craft the martial art she needed.
But there was no reference.
The strongest enemy in the tutorial was Baal’s avatar.
Nothing stronger existed.
The monsters below weren’t even worth referencing.
"I don’t want to make some cheap internal technique for Ryeon either."
I could theoretically create an intermediate-level martial art based on a wyvern, but its ceiling would obviously be far lower than the Dawn Divine Art.
The gap between them was incomparable.
Even when considering avatars, the difference was stark.
But I couldn’t base a martial art for Baek Ryeon on Baal’s avatar either.
'There’s no guarantee Ryeon can handle the magic of domination.'
To wield the magic of domination, one needed not just the ability to control magic but also a deep understanding of "domination" itself.
After freeing herself from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, she had become completely dependent on and obsessed with me.
A conclusion I reached while researching Baal’s avatar:
'Only those who can stand alone can wield the magic of domination.'
But Baek Ryeon’s current tendencies were the exact opposite. She couldn’t handle the magic of domination.
"Is there really nothing besides Baal?"
To create a martial art for her, I needed a being with a high enough ceiling to serve as her goal.
Lost in endless thought, my mind eventually arrived at an absurd answer.
"Wait... there is. There’s another being with a high enough ceiling besides Baal."
I had been trapped in a fixed mindset.
Because I had taken Baal’s avatar as my goal, I had only considered monsters.
But the tutorial didn’t just have monsters.
'An angel.'
A transcendent being, surpassing the limits of lifespan.
Among them, a grandmaster of martial arts and the leader of angels—the Archangel.
The strongest angel I knew, one who had reached the realm of a Seraph.
"Estelle."
"...Did you call for me?"
In an instant, space distorted, and the familiar white-haired angel appeared before me.
"Ah, I was just talking to myself... but it’s nice to see you. What were you up to?"
"...Nothing in particular."
She seemed to have been doing something.
If she wanted to hide it, she could’ve just said she was resting, but her inability to lie made her bow her head, her face slightly red.
'So cute. Really.'
Compared to when we first met, her emotional expressions had clearly increased.
The fact that such a cold angel had changed this much showed just how much time had passed in the tutorial.
"Estelle."
She lifted her head.
"You know how I based the Dawn Divine Art on Baal, right?"
Estelle nodded quietly.
"Of course. The magic of domination flowing through your body... To think you even replicated that. Honestly, someone might mistake you for Baal’s successor."
The successor of the strongest Demon King.
I had no such intentions, but misunderstandings could arise.
"I should research how to hide the magic of domination too.
If this defines people’s first impression of me, it’ll be troublesome."
Estelle shook her head firmly.
"Anyone below the level of a Seraph wouldn’t even perceive the magic of domination. Unless someone like me observes you up close or a top-tier god or demon king takes notice, no one will realize. It’s not like those beings would pay attention to you anyway. Well, Baal would definitely notice, though."
I was momentarily speechless.
"Isn’t that... the most dangerous part?"
The attention of the strongest Demon King. Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.
"You were the one who chose Baal as your goal.
I never forced you..."
She met my eyes as she spoke.
"By the way, why bring this up so suddenly?"
I took a breath and faced her squarely.
"Estelle. There’s something I want your permission for."
"What is it?"
Choosing Baal as a goal had been unavoidable.
There was no one to ask for permission in the first place.
Just analyze, copy, and that’s it.
But Estelle was different.
"You’re my acquaintance, after all."
She blinked in surprise.
"Uncharacteristically hesitant for Han Yeong-min.
What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I want to know more about you."
Her expression stiffened strangely.
"Wh-what kind of...?"
As if she had heard something outrageous, her face turned bright red, an expression I had never seen before.
'Was Estelle always this pretty...?'
With emotions now coloring her once-expressionless face, she looked even more beautiful than before.
"I’m trying to create a martial art for Ryeon, but no matter how I think about it, you’re the only suitable reference. So I want to study how you handle energy, your physical structure, movements... Is that okay?"
The blush on her face faded instantly.
As if it had never been there, her expression cooled and pierced through me.
"...Fine."
She spoke in a resigned tone.
"Of course Han Yeong-min would say something like that."
It had been a while since she called me by my full name.
But her tone wasn’t positive.
She seemed displeased.
"If my request was rude, I’m sorry."
I apologized immediately.
"But you’re the only person I could ask. I didn’t want to research you without permission."
Honestly, I thought Estelle might be upset.
Who would be happy if someone asked, "Can I study your body?"
This was a request I would never have made if I didn’t consider Estelle someone truly close to me.
"Sigh... It’s not about that..."
She exhaled deeply, muttering in frustration.
"Fine. Do as you please."
Then, she nodded at me.
I hesitated before asking again.
"Really...?"
"As long as you’re not dissecting me, it’s fine."
She spoke firmly.
"It’s a bit grating that your reason for researching me is for that girl’s sake... but she’s your disciple, after all. If she grows stronger, it’ll help you too. And in the process of researching me, you might grow even further."
She was saying that since Baek Ryeon would be an asset to me, she’d set aside personal feelings and cooperate.
Her words made me realize just how much Estelle cared for me.
Her hope that I, too, would grow stronger by studying her, a Seraph.
"Thank you so much!"
Without hesitation, I pulled her into a tight hug.
When we first met, Estelle had seemed much larger than me.
But now? After growing in the tutorial, I was big enough to envelop her completely.
"What are you—?! Let go...!"
Estelle flusteredly tried to pull away.
Though she protested, she didn’t resist violently—perhaps she didn’t mind my grateful embrace.
Such a dishonest angel.