Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Chapter 15 No Matter How Harsh the Winter
Of course, Baek Ryeon couldn’t succeed in one go.
Dozens of trials and errors.
Her energy tangled, her dantian ruptured, and her meridians twisted.
The horrific scene of her body freezing over as cold energy surged backward repeated itself.
But she didn’t back down.
She froze her heart and died, resurrected, and returned to me to repeat the training.
"Master, again."
Her voice trembled, and her body was battered.
But the light in her eyes never dimmed.
I let out a short sigh as I watched her.
"Ryeon, let’s stop here for today and continue tomorrow—"
"I want... to go a little longer."
I had been worried her spirit might break, but Baek Ryeon shook her head without hesitation.
"I want to learn the martial art you’re creating even a day sooner. If it were you, Master, you wouldn’t give up here, right? So... just once more."
I quietly observed Baek Ryeon.
‘Just like my past self.’
The me who gritted my teeth and thought of Yoo So-eun whenever I wanted to quit.
The me who endured countless trials and errors to the very end.
And now, Baek Ryeon was enduring, using me as her support.
So I couldn’t stop here. I would make sure this child could eventually soar on her own.
‘...Alright. Let’s do it. As you wish.’
Pain couldn’t block her path.
No, each time she seemed about to break, she grew stronger.
The trials were making her stronger.
As her master, I couldn’t push her forward, but at least I didn’t want to stand in her way.
"...One more time."
I once again engraved my divine energy into Baek Ryeon’s body—an improved version based on my analysis of the previous attempt.
But the backlash was still severe.
The cold energy coiled around her insides, slowly freezing her solid.
"Khh...! Hng...!"
Yet, she endured.
For the moment she would trample over all this and soar into the sky.
She held on, again and again.
And gradually, the divine energy began to adapt to her.
Death became familiar.
The pain of freezing, the moment her heart stopped—now, they were just steps toward the next attempt.
Failures became the foundation for the path to success.
Thus, wings made solely for Baek Ryeon were being completed.
The cold energy began to flow through her meridians.
The frost that had rejected her finally started to accept her—as if it had always been hers.
Like winter passing and spring arriving, the seemingly endless moments of pain eventually came to an end.
No matter how harsh the winter, flowers will always bloom in spring.
Now, the snow had stopped, and it was time for the flowers to bloom.
Year 41 of the Tutorial.
I succeeded in creating a new divine art five times faster than when I had made the Dawn Divine Art.
Now, only one thing remained:
For Baek Ryeon to fully master this newly born divine art.
"This... feels strange."
Estelle wore an inscrutable expression.
And for good reason—this was the first time she was seeing a divine art created with her as the target.
"About 70% of you is mixed in here."
Though Estelle had cooperated as much as possible, I had only been able to fully interpret 70% of her existence.
The gap was so vast that understanding anything beyond that was impossible.
The remaining parts were filled with my personal interpretations and adjustments to better suit Baek Ryeon.
It couldn’t be called a perfect ‘divine art targeting Estelle,’ but there was no reason to regret it.
‘The Dawn Divine Art was made the same way.’
The Dawn Divine Art was created without knowing the original Baal, pieced together solely from information gathered from his avatars.
In fact, this new martial art for Baek Ryeon—referencing 70% of the original—might even surpass it.
"Shall we try mastering it?"
"Yes, Master."
A divine art meticulously tailored to her body, with not a single error.
I named it the "Baek Ryeon Divine Art."
No other name would have fit better.
*****
"Haah... Hoo..."
I opened my mind’s eye and observed the flow of energy within Baek Ryeon’s body.
The Six Harmonies energy filling her dantian began to transform as it came into contact with the pure yin energy flowing in from the outside.
And once again, her body began to freeze.
But this was part of the process.
Fully accepting that cold energy—that was the path to mastering the Baek Ryeon Divine Art.
Extreme pain. Yet, her expression remained unshaken.
She already knew this wasn’t the wrong path.
She could endure this much pain.
She wasn’t the same Baek Ryeon as before.
What lay before her was a harsh winter she had endured—and the spring that would soon bloom.
The frozen meridians melted.
The cold energy no longer harmed her. Instead, it was becoming wholly a part of her.
The flow of energy changed, and even the pathways of her energy circulation were being reestablished.
‘She’s doing well.’
A process that had failed countless times before was now proceeding without a single error.
The final adjustments I had made had opened the perfect path.
The moment her frozen body completely thawed, a single lotus flower bloomed within her.
"...Found it."
Baek Ryeon slowly inhaled.
She closed her eyes and felt the changing energy within her body.
"The path you’ve created for me, Master."
Baek Ryeon.
A white lotus bloomed in full splendor.
Brilliantly, unhindered.
Winter had passed, and spring had arrived.
The lush white lotus seemed to declare that it had pushed away the cold winter and welcomed a radiant spring.
Anyone who saw it would have no choice but to acknowledge that spring had come.
At that moment, I, too, felt the final missing piece falling into place.
"Ah... Ah...!"
Only now did I understand why Estelle had said those words.
‘It wasn’t meaningless.’
Transcendence was the state of weaving everything accumulated so far into one.
Then, what was the realm of Harmony?
Filling the entire world around that unified core.
Upon reaching Transcendence, I had woven countless things into one.
That core alone had already formed a massive structure within my world.
But that wasn’t enough. Adding the insights gained from my journey and the experiences of raising a disciple—
When all those pieces came together, I astonishingly saw the door to the next realm.
My world was now full.
A point became a line, a line became a plane, and a plane became a space. That space expanded endlessly, and finally, a complete world formed within me.
The endlessly shabby me had now been reborn—no longer just a mere martial artist, but a being capable of harboring a world within.
An unshakable world of my own, one others could never violate.
And for a martial artist who had completed their world, the path to a vaster universe opened.
The upper dantian, leading to the universe, began to open.
‘Let’s begin.’
[You have reached the realm of the Transcendent.]
[Rebirth has begun.]
The crimson energy of the Dawn Divine Art surged out like threads, enveloping my entire body.
That energy was remaking me.
More wholly, more perfectly.
My body and the world within became one.
Crunch!
Crack!
Pitter-patter!
‘Dawn Divine Art, you damn bastard...!’
Estelle had described her rebirth as feeling like floating on a cloud.
But this? It was as if my pain wasn’t even worth considering, as it ruthlessly tore and rebuilt me.
‘...Though it seems the changes are more intense because of it.’
The optimization I thought was already complete was still ongoing.
No, even now, my body was becoming more perfect—to an incomparable degree!
With the new path to the upper dantian opening, I felt like I had become an entirely different being.
[Rebirth has caused your body’s latent potential to explode.]
[Trait: Dawn Constitution (S) has reached a critical point.]
[Trait: Dawn Constitution (S) has evolved into True Dawn Constitution (Ex).]
[Dawn Divine Art’s level has increased.]
[New effects of the Dawn Divine Art have been unlocked.]
[The limit of Limit Break skills has increased.]
[All stats except Magic have increased by 10.]
‘An Ex-grade trait...?’
Even without checking my status screen, I knew.
The current me could defeat ten of my past selves without breaking a sweat.
My magic flowed so freely it arrived the moment I thought of it, and the consumption of innate energy needed to use martial force had noticeably decreased.
Moreover, my total innate energy had increased.
‘Now I can maintain martial force even during battles.’
This was strength on an entirely new level, incomparable to before.
But I needed to adapt to this power.
Strength too great could ruin its wielder.
If I carelessly used this power now, it might lead to unforeseen consequences.
Or Baek Ryeon could get caught in the crossfire.
I stretched out my hand and condensed my martial force.
A deep crimson flame flickered softly above my palm.
[⑤ Hellfire.]
The hellfire wielded by the Demon God Baal. Upon contact, the target sees illusions of their greatest fears. As long as magic remains, the flames will never extinguish until the target is completely burned away. The power of mental attacks and the flames’ intensity scale with the Spirit stat.]
‘...I’m supposed to be a martial artist.’
It seemed I kept gaining abilities closer to a demon’s. Perhaps this was an inevitable consequence of taking Baal as my reference.
But for someone like me, who had only known how to smash things head-on, gaining a mental attack option was undeniably a good thing.
Good was good, after all.
"You helped me again this time."
The Dawn Divine Art, the Dawn Constitution, and everything I had built had clearly become my strength once more.
It wasn’t wasted effort.
My efforts weren’t futile.
All of it had meaning.
‘That’s right. There are no limits.’
Effort that reaches the heavens can shatter even the limits set by the heavens.
Who would have thought Han Yeong-min could reach the realm of Harmony? Even I hadn’t imagined it.
But it was possible.
Impossible was just a narrow line I had drawn for myself.
‘Ryeon’s done, too.’
As I organized my gains, my disciple had also shed her old self and was ready to soar into the sky.
Just as everything I had built had meaning, the winter she had endured had meaning, too.
Spring doesn’t come without reason.
Because there was winter, a more radiant spring could be born.
Now, the cold was no longer pain for her.
Like warm snow enveloping her body, she had fully accepted the once-tormenting chill as part of herself.
And with that energy, she shattered the wall that had blocked her until now.
She had reached the realm of the Peak.
She sprang to her feet and immediately rushed to hug me with all her strength.
"Master! You’ve reached the next realm! Congratulations!"
As if it were her own achievement, she looked even happier about my reaching Harmony than her own breakthrough.
Her eyes sparkled, and a bright smile graced her lips.
This was why I could never dislike her.
"Yeah. You’ve reached it too, Ryeon."
I held her and gently stroked her head.
"It’s all thanks to you, Master."
‘Well, I did play a part...’
I wouldn’t deny that I was a decent master.
How many others could treat the Nine Yin Blocked Meridians, analyze all the martial arts in the Tutorial to lay a foundation, and create a divine art tailored to one person?
But she was a genius.
If she had only needed her meridians treated, she would have reached the Peak even without me. Yet she credited everything to me.
I didn’t want to overestimate my teaching abilities by riding on my disciple’s brilliance.
"You did well. I just gave you a little push."
Baek Ryeon gave me a look as if I were being absurd.
"Who keeps pushing someone’s back until they finish a marathon? It’s all thanks to you, Master."
‘I can’t win this argument.’
"...Fine. Let’s say it’s all my doing."
I ruffled her hair roughly. Instead of complaining, she nuzzled her head further into my hand.
That reminded me of a memory from Earth.
I’d read that women disliked having their hair touched because it ruined their styling, but none of the people I’d patted had ever complained.
‘Must’ve been a bogus article.’
"Hehe..."
How else could she smile so brightly? The way she rubbed her head against my hand was as cute as an obedient puppy.
Then—
"Player Han Yeong-min. Did you forget I’m here?"
Estelle, pouting, glared at me from the side.
"Whoa, of course not. Calm down, Estelle."
Provoking her never ended well.
"I’m not some dog... Now that you’ve reached Harmony, I suppose you don’t need a master anymore?"
"That’s not it—"
I tried to move to placate her.
"Ry... Ryeon?"
But Baek Ryeon held me tightly, refusing to let go.
"I did well today, didn’t I? Can’t you hug me a little longer?"
She looked up at me with pleading eyes from within my embrace.
Hugging her longer wasn’t hard, but if Estelle got genuinely upset... who knew what disaster might unfold?
In the end, I pulled Estelle into my arms with my free left hand.
"...What are you—?!"
Their scents mingled, filling my nose with a sweet fragrance.
"Master and disciple. This is how much I care for you both."
I grinned as I spoke.
"I’ve grown a lot, haven’t I? I can handle two people just fine."
Compared to before entering the Tutorial, I had grown several times taller, broader, and deeper as a person.
My embrace was now wide and cozy enough to hold two people.
"...Player Han Yeong-min, you really are...!"
Estelle bit her lip and turned her head away.
But she didn’t try to leave my arms.
Watching this, Baek Ryeon looked up at me with drowsy eyes and said,
"Master... you’re really greedy."
I nodded quietly at her words.
"Yeah. I’m greedy."
What I hold, I never let go.
Having once had nothing, I now refused to lose what was in my grasp.
If the two didn’t get along? Then I’d grow big enough to embrace them both.
I had no intention of losing a single person who was mine.
"Tch... Do as you please."
Estelle grumbled but leaned slightly into me.
"If that’s what you wish, Master, then I’m fine with it too."
Baek Ryeon’s gaze softened as well. I smiled faintly at the two in my arms.
‘If days like this continue...’
The thought quietly sprouted in my heart—that it would truly be wonderful.
Where no one could see.
Little by little.
Little by little.