Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 Sky Without You
"Even in the middle of fighting, you still look so composed. How long have you been here? It doesn’t seem like just a month."
You’re absolutely right.
"Fifteen years."
She paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!!! You’re not just good at fighting—you’re great at jokes too."
...I can understand that reaction.
Who in their right mind would believe someone lasted fifteen years in this place with no entertainment? Even I wouldn’t believe it.
But it’s true, isn’t it?
"I’m not joking. It really has been fifteen years."
She must have sensed the sincerity in my tone because her expression turned flustered.
"Uh... You’re serious?"
"Yeah."
She clapped her hands together, genuinely impressed.
She looked at me like I was some kind of stubborn freak she’d never seen before.
"Wow... You really are something. I’ve only been here three months, and I was already going crazy. How did you survive?"
Intermediate Level 1 spear skills in just three months? She’s a talent beyond comparison.
She wasn’t quite at Yoo So-eun’s level, but she was definitely a genius.
The way she handled her spear was anything but ordinary.
"My guardian angel is really pretty. I endured by looking at her face."
"What kind of—"
I cut her off before she could question me further. Estelle shot me a glare that said, ‘Watch your mouth.’
Well, what can I do? It’s the truth that she’s pretty.
The white-haired woman glanced at Estelle and nodded in agreement.
"True. She really is beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone prettier than me before."
She herself was a stunning beauty—the kind nine out of ten people would turn to look at on the street—but compared to Estelle, she was nothing.
Angels were beings whose very existence was like a cheat code.
I’d never seen an ugly one in my life.
And Estelle, as an Archangel, was in a league of her own.
I chuckled inwardly and smoothly changed the subject.
Now that I thought about it, there was something I hadn’t done yet.
"By the way, what’s your name?"
It was ridiculous that we’d sparred and talked this much without even exchanging names.
She seemed to realize it too, slapping her palm lightly with her fist.
"Ah, what a mistake. I was so fired up when I saw you that I forgot introductions."
Then, with a bright smile, she held out her hand.
"My name is Baek Ran. By any chance... have you seen me before?"
At first, I thought it was some cheap pickup line, but her expression said otherwise. She seemed expectant, like she was hoping for something.
If I’d seen someone like her before, there’s no way I’d forget.
Her face was unforgettable.
Searching my memories, I vaguely recalled where I might have seen her.
"Ah! I think I’ve seen you in a movie?"
"Of course! That’s right. That’s me."
I didn’t remember the plot—it was fifteen years ago—but her face was unmistakable.
"Living long enough, you really meet all kinds of people. If we were on Earth, I’d have asked for your autograph right away."
"Hehe. I’ll give you one anytime you want. By the way, what’s your name?"
I lightly took her outstretched hand.
"My name is Han Yeong-min. Just an ordinary college student back on Earth, so I’m not famous like you, Baek Ran."
After finishing my military service, I went back to university before suddenly getting dragged here.
The only people who knew me were old school friends and army buddies.
I’d been working part-time jobs like crazy every day.
"You’re really handsome, though? You’d make a great actor, Yeong-min. Ever been scouted?"
She let go of my hand and suddenly started complimenting me.
This girl... was surprisingly good at flattery.
"E-even if you hype me up like that, I don’t have anything to show for it."
‘Should I make some equipment or something?’
Actually, I might have something.
"It’s not flattery, it’s the truth... Anyway, Yeong-min. By any chance... could you teach me? I’ll pay you back when we get out. If there’s anything I can do here, I’ll do it."
She winked at me.
It’s not like teaching her would be a bad thing...
With her talent, she’d quickly establish herself once she entered the Tower.
And with her bold personality, she wasn’t the type to make empty promises.
There was that soccer player I really liked...
After he no-showed, I ended up worshipping a new god of soccer.
Anyway, teaching her might also help me refine what I’ve learned so far.
Accepting seemed like the right move.
"Alright. But I’ll only teach you five hours a day. That okay?"
"Great. Then I’ll be in your care from now on, Yeong-min?"
She confidently held out her hand again. I gripped it firmly.
Fifteen years in the Tutorial.
This was the first time I’d ever taken on a ‘student.’
*****
A year passed.
Swish. Slash.
Baek Ran’s spear techniques were now much faster and sharper than before.
A faint aura surrounded her weapon—if I took a direct hit bare-handed, I’d be full of holes.
"You really get stronger every day. People without talent would die of envy. Seriously."
"Just let me—hit you—once!"
Like an idiot would just stand there and take that kind of attack.
[The level of Flowing Clouds of Chaos Evasion has increased.]
As expected, you grow faster in real combat.
The higher a skill’s level, the more time you need to reflect and gain insights.
But at lower levels, just getting used to the movements in battle was enough to level up quickly.
Crackle!
Unable to keep up with Flowing Clouds of Chaos Evasion, she activated her lightning energy to enhance her body, moving even faster.
Heavenly Thunder Divine Art.
A movement technique she’d been mastering since the moment she entered the Tutorial.
It was on a completely different level from the Threefold Heart Method.
A technique designed to emulate a streak of lightning.
After training under me, she’d recently gained the ability to directly manipulate lightning energy.
On top of the physical enhancement from internal energy, activating her body with lightning allowed her to surpass even my speed when using Flowing Clouds of Chaos Evasion.
Clang!
Her spear aura clashed with my fist energy, producing a metallic sound.
Her body was fully unleashed now.
She thrust her spear from all directions at speeds I could barely follow.
I blocked with both hands, but cuts were starting to pile up on my body.
It was manageable now, but as the wounds accumulated, blood loss would make things difficult.
To defeat someone faster than me...
I’d either have to match her speed or exploit an opening.
But getting faster right now was impossible, and she had no openings to speak of.
So I had to create one where there wasn’t.
The actions she had to take to attack me: closing in, thrusting, retracting, and moving out of range.
While thrusting and retracting, she couldn’t do anything else.
Now!
Just because I couldn’t see her didn’t mean I couldn’t sense her.
I sharpened my senses like a blade—the vibrations of her steps, the wind and sound of her movements.
I felt all of it vividly.
The moment she thrust her spear, I deliberately leaned into it, letting it pierce me before it could gain full momentum.
Then, in that same direction, I unleashed Fist of the Shattered Sky.
If she continued her thrust, she’d take a direct hit.
Forced to cancel her attack and retreat, her movements became wider than before.
Which means... an opening.
"Got you."
I released my right fist from Fist of the Shattered Sky and grabbed her wrist before she could pull back.
Yanking her forward, I aimed my left fist straight at her face—
"Surrender!"
I stopped my fist just in time, but my hand was trembling.
"Hey... You beat me up this bad and surrender because you don’t want to get hit back?"
Blood was pouring from my entire body, while she didn’t have a single scratch except for the wrist I’d grabbed. Anyone watching would think I lost the spar.
"Because it’ll hurt? Ow!"
She winked, so I flicked her forehead in annoyance.
To think the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art alone could make someone this strong... I’m tempted, but...
The Heavenly Thunder Divine Art was a technique designed to emulate lightning.
So what should I strive to emulate? I pushed that thought aside and focused on Baek Ran.
"You said you’re leaving today, right?"
She nodded.
"I wanted to wait until my sister arrived, but it’s better to go ahead and secure a place in the Tower. If a girl named Baek Ryeon ever comes in..."
"Got it. If I meet her, I’ll take care of her too. If she’s your sister, she’s like my own. You think I’d be stingy?"
Over the past year, we’d grown close. I didn’t have any romantic feelings, but she was one of my few friends.
If I met her sister, I’d look after her.
"But you’re ruthless. Not confessing even on the last day? If you’d just said something, I might’ve stayed."
"Are we back to this? Why would I confess?"
"When will you ever meet a girl as pretty and sweet as me again? Every guy who’s seen me at least three times has confessed... It’s weird..."
Honestly, she wasn’t wrong.
A girl with a great personality, looks, and compatible tastes? I could see why guys fell for her.
But now’s not the time for that.
If I fell in love, if my heart settled down, I wouldn’t be able to keep running like this. I still had so much further to go—stopping here felt wrong.
"Who says that kind of thing about themselves? And there’s one more person I know."
"That childhood friend of yours, Yoo So-eun?"
"Yeah."
After spending five hours a day with her for a year, we’d shared a lot. Stories about her sister, about Yoo So-eun—we’d naturally grown close.
"But you’re not dating, right? Even if you were, after a year and a half, feelings fade, don’t they? She’s probably got a boyfriend by now."
She might.
Even if she hadn’t dated until now, there was no guarantee she never would.
"Whether she does or not, I’m not confessing to you, so don’t worry."
Baek Ran puffed up her cheeks.
"Ugh. No wonder you’re single. Stay like that forever. Seriously."
"Tch..."
I couldn’t argue.
My indecisiveness was probably why I’d never been in a relationship.
Ahem.
"Anyway, thank you for the past year. Thanks to you, I could talk freely and grow a lot stronger."
She was undoubtedly the second strongest person I’d met in the Tutorial.
She’d survive just fine in the Tower.
"Same here. I made a good friend, and thanks to you, I think I can get even stronger."
The insights and energy circulation methods I learned from her Heavenly Thunder Divine Art would be a huge help in the remaining Tutorial.
My spear skills had also improved enough to integrate into my martial arts.
"That’s good to hear."
"Hey, wait a second."
I left her for a moment and went to my quarters, returning with something I’d prepared.
"What’s this?"
Baek Ran tilted her head in confusion.
"A spear I made for you. I couldn’t just send you off empty-handed. This should make climbing the Tower a little easier."
[Spear for Baek Ran (Heroic)]
Made from the strongest monster materials available in the Tutorial, crafted with her in mind—it was the highest-grade spear I’d ever seen.
Baek Ran froze when she took it.
Then—plop.
Tears fell.
"Hey... Why are you crying?"
"No one’s ever given me something like this before."
She wiped her tears and smiled, but her expression still looked somber.
"Not a gift to impress me, but one made with sincerity."
From our talks, I’d learned one thing: Everyone around her had always flattered her, trying to win her favor.
But not a single one had treated her like a real friend.
"I’ll make you something even better once we reach the Tower. Use this until then."
She shook her head firmly.
"No. I’m keeping this forever."
Her gaze was serious as she looked at me.
"Even if you become an amazing craftsman and make mythic-grade equipment later, I’ll show them this first."
She hugged the spear tightly.
"Because it’s the first thing you ever made for me."
...Why are all the women around me so good at making me feel things?
I’d lived a decent life, hadn’t I?
Laughing and chatting, the time for her departure came quickly.
The Tower’s entrance appeared before us.
Baek Ran pouted, reluctant.
"Guess it’s time to go. I thought I’d leave without any regrets, but now I don’t want to."
Without thinking, I blurted out:
"Then don’t go."
Her eyes widened.
"Really? You’ll take responsibility for me?"
...I couldn’t say yes. Empty bravado would ruin her life.
"Not right now. Once I’m stronger. I’m not at the level where I can take responsibility for someone yet."
Baek Ran chuckled, as if giving up.
"In times like these, you’re supposed to say, ‘I’ll take responsibility.’ You’re such a herbivore guy, you know that?"
Every word stabbed at my heart.
"Then I’ll go?"
"Yeah. See you in the Tower."
Just as I was about to send her off—
Baek Ran suddenly turned and did something unexpected.
"Hey!"
—Peck.
Grabbing the back of my neck, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.
...Huh? What?
My mind went blank.
Grinning mischievously, she whispered:
"Next time we meet, I’ll make you fall for me. Consider this a gift to remember me by."
Then she vanished into the dimensional portal.
"...Huh?"
I stood there, stunned.
My head was empty. My heart pounded wildly.
"What... just happened?"
Forty years of life, including the Tutorial.
This was the first time someone had ever stolen a kiss from me.
*****
Arriving in the Tower’s waiting room, Baek Ran thought back on her memories with Han Yeong-min.
Everyone thought I was perfect.
They all called her a genius.
Baek Ran wasn’t allowed to fail.
That was just how it was.
She wanted to breathe.
She didn’t want to run anymore.
It was suffocating.
But she couldn’t stop.
’If I stop, everyone will be disappointed in me.’
Born under a shining star, she had to meet everyone’s expectations.
No matter how hard she worked, no one acknowledged her.
They all took it for granted.
Even in the Tutorial, she had to be perfect.
Then, for the first time, I met you.
A man she couldn’t beat no matter what.
The first person to ever make her taste defeat.
The first man she’d ever been interested in.
She’d never cared about men before, but Han Yeong-min was impossible to ignore.
The more she saw him, the more fascinating he became.
Considerate without even trying, hardworking in everything he did.
He never half-heartedly taught her.
No matter what, he gave his all.
And he never stopped striving.
Baek Ran thought she worked hard, but she could never keep up with him.
"If someone ahead of me is working this hard, I have to push myself too."
He made her want to push herself further.
"Ah, we just said goodbye, but I already miss him."
She wasn’t afraid of the Tower’s trials.
Right now, she just wanted to see Han Yeong-min again.
He was so cute.
The flustered look on his face when she kissed him was still vivid in her mind.
"Don’t think it was wasted. It was my first kiss too."
Her first kiss with the first man she’d ever liked.
She hoped her feelings reached him.
He was the first person to show her the world outside the cage of expectations she’d lived in her whole life.
For the first time, she felt free.
She didn’t have to be perfect anymore.
She could soar through the vast sky as she pleased.
But if possible, she wanted to fly through that sky with him.
Because a sky without you has no meaning.
I’ll wait.
Until you climb the Tower. Until we meet again. Baek Ran vowed to become someone worthy of you.
Holding the spear Han Yeong-min made for her close to her heart.