The Blue Wolf Mind Method
“...The writings of a divine physician.”
Yu Seollin spoke cautiously, weighing my question as if she were turning a stone over in her hand.
The divine physician, Hua Tuo.
If you asked for the first name that came to mind when people spoke of China’s legendary doctors, that was it.
“A work by the divine physician? No matter how vast the Murim Alliance Library is, there’s no such thing here.”
Yu Seollin considered it for a moment, then went on in the same flat, expressionless tone. As she said, the Murim Alliance Library was full of lost manuals slumbering in its stacks, but none of them had been written by Hua Tuo.
“Ah, that’s not what I meant. A text merely said to have been written by the divine physician would be enough.”
In truth, all the writings Hua Tuo had actually penned were said to have been lost to time.
Cheongyeoljeon reflected that fact as well, which was why no work directly written by Hua Tuo ever appeared in the game. Every text that did appear simply claimed, without any evidence, to be a copy of his words.
Most of them were no better than worthless kindling, but now and then a treasure was mixed in among the trash.
“You could’ve just said so from the start.”
Yu Seollin shot me a sidelong glance.
“My mistake.”
I gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of my head.
“Then why do you want a work by the divine physician?”
Yu Seollin tilted her head slightly.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
That wasn’t exactly a lie, since I’d come looking to see whether my knowledge actually held up in reality.
So I was in the clear.
“Hmm.”
After hearing my answer, Yu Seollin stared at me intently.
Those eyes still gave away nothing. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
“What, exactly, are you curious about?”
Her gaze felt like it had stuck to my skin.
Why was she suddenly interested?
There wasn’t a man alive who’d dislike a beauty taking an interest in him, but things changed if that beauty was Yu Seollin.
Yu Seollin’s attention was practically a shortcut to the end of the world.
Before I knew it, even though I hadn’t actually done anything wrong, a strange tension had risen in me, leaving my mouth dry as dust.
“...The texts said to contain Hua Tuo’s teachings are too broad a category. You don’t want to read every book in the place, so tell me exactly what you need.”
When I just kept swallowing and saying nothing, Yu Seollin let out a small sigh and continued.
“Ah, then Blue Wolf Scripture should be enough.”
Fortunately, her interest didn’t seem to be headed in the direction I’d feared.
I let out a quiet breath of relief and gave her the name of the text I needed.
Blue Wolf Scripture.
The name was a slight twist on the Book of the Azure Sack, which was said to have been written by Hua Tuo.
The real Book of the Azure Sack was said to have been Hua Tuo’s complete compilation of medical knowledge, but the Blue Wolf Scripture that appeared in Cheongyeoljeon was closer to a health manual of sorts.
“Blue Wolf Scripture, understood.”
After answering, Yu Seollin stared at me for a moment, then rose from her seat.
What’s she going to do?
The question in my head was answered almost at once.
Yu Seollin, scanning her surroundings with cool detachment, kicked off the floor lightly.
Light-body technique?
A martial art that made the body light enough to spring off the ground and, in the end, even off the sky itself.
Ordinarily, a light-body technique was used for long-distance travel.
Whoosh. Fwip!
But Yu Seollin started moving through the tall, tangled stacks of the library with featherlike ease, as if the place were her own courtyard.
Very fast, then sometimes slow, then suddenly forceful.
And despite all that speed, her movements were astonishingly quiet.
Incredible.
To wield a light-body technique with that level of precision in such a cramped space...
The fact that she could move so smoothly where there was barely room to place a foot meant her level was far beyond mine.
No doubt she could have put me down with one hand.
While I was busy thinking pointless things, Yu Seollin landed neatly on the floor.
“Here.”
In a calm voice, she handed me the book.
She was so composed now that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had been racing through the stacks with more energy than anyone alive just moments ago.
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head and carefully accepted the book she offered.
[Blue Wolf Scripture]
One of the hidden pieces sleeping in the Murim Alliance Library.
So that settles my purpose for coming to the library.
That should have been the end of it. And yet, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to turn around and leave.
“...Was there something else you needed?”
Seeing me frozen there like a stone monument, Yu Seollin tilted her head in mild curiosity.
[What else do you need?]
[Compliment her: "That’s a rather impressive light-body technique, though there’s one part that feels a little off..."]
[Borrow another book (10): "Could you find Scripture of Five Elements Nurturing for me?"]
[Shake your head (15): "Nothing."]
The instant she finished speaking, choices appeared before my eyes.
What the hell.
The best option, of course, was the third one, if I wanted to avoid getting entangled with her. The worst was the first.
As long as I don’t get the first one, I’ll survive.
I brushed past the part about praise—what was there to compliment, coming from me, anyway?—and focused on the real issue.
Showing interest in her was a shortcut to ruin. No matter what happened, I couldn’t afford to get involved.
The die began to roll the moment I finished thinking.
[3]
Damn it.
“That’s a rather impressive light-body technique, though there’s a little part that feels off...”
The instant my eyes met those green irises again.
My mouth was already moving without my permission.
“...Pardon?”
Yu Seollin raised an eyebrow.
It was only the slightest movement, but for someone who showed so little emotion, it was the most shocked she could possibly look.
“Ah, that—what I said just now was just me talking to myself.”
I was done for. Completely done for.
Even if I cursed myself half to death, spilled water couldn’t be gathered back into the cup, and all I could do now was blurt out whatever came to mind.
“Ah. I see.”
Yu Seollin nodded slightly as she watched me stumble over my words.
Was it my imagination? For a second, it looked like her eyes had sparkled.
“W-well, then, I’ll be going now.”
Dangerous. Every nerve in my body was screaming that this was dangerous.
Talking to Yu Seollin any longer was a risk. I had to leave, immediately.
Thud.
A massive door cut off my escape.
“What?”
Startled, I looked up at Yu Seollin blocking the way and swallowed hard before I could stop myself.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine with the strain of it.
Had I, with those words a moment ago, somehow caught her interest?
“Books cannot be taken out.”
Contrary to what I feared, Yu Seollin was simply pointing at the sign clearly marked NO REMOVAL.
“Ah, yes, understood.”
Of course. Why would they lend out priceless volumes to some nobody like me?
When this was still a game, it had been routine to simply open the door and walk out. I’d never even thought about it.
I pulled the chair back with awkward, exaggerated movements and sat down again.
I could feel Yu Seollin’s gaze following me.
Focus.
My heart kept pounding so hard I couldn’t calm down.
Slowly. Breathe slowly.
Things had gone sideways, but nothing was certain yet.
And besides, I’d already achieved my purpose for coming to the library, hadn’t I?
“Haa... hoo...”
I took a series of careful breaths and opened Blue Wolf Scripture.
Blue Wolf Scripture.
“The wolf that runs across the plains does not use its dantian. Yet the qi of spirit beasts flows through the meridians and manifests power that transcends the laws of nature.”
“How is this possible? Because they have submitted to the laws of nature.”
“For humans as well, living in accordance with those laws is the secret to health, and the way to a long life.”
After that, the same sort of thing repeated itself over and over again. On the surface, it was nothing more than an ordinary health manual.
That is, unless you knew how to read it.
The true value of Blue Wolf Scripture lay in how it was read, and the method was simple enough.
If you gathered every passage that mentioned wolves into one place and removed the overlapping words, the hidden lines within the scripture would emerge.
The title itself was the clue.
“A spirit beast stores qi in the heart. There’s no reason a mere beast can do what a human cannot.”
[You have discovered the hidden passage in Blue Wolf Scripture.]
[You have acquired the clue to Blue Wolf Mind Method.]
“Success!”
The moment a translucent window appeared before me, I shouted without thinking.
Jolt!
At the same time, I felt Yu Seollin’s sharp stare and hurriedly sat back down.
Haa, calm down.
I had found the clue, but I hadn’t fully mastered it yet.
To do that, I needed to read the passage again and again.
“To gather qi in the heart, breathe like a beast and think like one.”
Slowly savoring the lines of the inner art, I inhaled and exhaled.
I repeated the process several times.
By the time a strange tingling sensation had begun to spread across my chest—
The notification I’d been aiming for finally appeared before my eyes.
I’ve finally taken one step forward.
Blue Wolf Mind Method.
Unlike ordinary inner-energy methods, it used the middle dantian—in other words, the heart—as its foundation.
Since it didn’t follow the usual approach, I couldn’t exactly call its efficiency high.
But for someone like me, whose dantian had been shattered and rendered useless, even this was enough to make me grateful.
I’d gone from useless scrap fit for the trash heap to someone who at least had the chance to become a half-decent martial artist.
I can build from here.
There were still plenty of hidden pieces left in my head.
So since I came all this way, I might as well get a little more out of it.
I had achieved my goal, but there were still many hidden pieces sleeping in the library.
Taking one or two more wouldn’t hurt.
Clack.
Having made up my mind, I set Blue Wolf Scripture down on the table in front of Yu Seollin.
“Returning it?”
Yu Seollin glanced between the book and me and asked.
“Yes. And could I also borrow Scripture of Meridian Points and Scripture of Five Elements Nurturing?”
“...You’re serious.”
Yu Seollin stared at me again.
The books I’d named were enough to make most people shake their heads in disbelief.
She was probably asking whether I really intended to read them.
“I am.”
Time was the one thing I had in excess. This was a fight I couldn’t afford to lose from the start.
“Well, if that’s what you want.”
Yu Seollin nodded, then kicked off the ground once more.
* * *
To put it simply, the time I spent in the library wasn’t bad.
The increased level and stats proved it.
Just by reading books, my level and stats had gone up. What a profitable business.
Of course, aside from the very beginning, the efficiency dropped off sharply, so it wasn’t a method I could recommend to anyone else.
For me, though, there was no other choice.
An extra level is fine by me.
In Cheongyeoljeon, raising stats was simple.
When you leveled up, one random stat increased, and you were also granted 1 stat point.
Another method was using elixirs.
But in my current position, there was no way I could get my hands on anything like that.
In any case, this level-up had automatically raised my vitality, so I put the point into agility.
And this too.
Your understanding of meridian points has deepened. (1/3)
Duration: Permanent
Your understanding of the five elements has deepened. (1/3)
Duration: Permanent
Scripture of Meridian Points, put simply, was a book that raised critical hit chance.
Scripture of Five Elements Nurturing improved understanding of the five elements—that is, elemental attacks.
Both were excellent, high-performance skills for something you could pick up this early in the game.
A little annoying that, unlike the Blue Wolf Scripture, you can’t master them in one reading.
Still, I had a library pass, so whenever I had free time I could come back and read a bit more.
Maybe it’s time to go.
I’d spent the whole day buried in books, and I didn’t feel like looking at another page.
“I’ll return them.”
“Leaving already?”
After taking the books, Yu Seollin stared at me as if she had something else to say.
“Yes. I’m done with what I came for.”
“I see.”
Yu Seollin drew out the word as she looked at me.
At that sound, my heart began pounding like mad.
Those thumps were not excitement. No way.
This was a warning. A warning telling me this place was dangerous and I needed to get out now.
“W-well then, I’ll be off.”
Trying to keep my expression casual, I offered a farewell and took a step toward the exit.
“Wait.”
She suddenly seized my arm as I was about to leave.
The second I saw her hand reach out, I tried to pull away, but I was a beat too late.
The arm she had caught wouldn’t budge an inch.
Damn this body.
In this case, Yu Seollin being strong was certainly part of it, but there was no doubt I was also absurdly weak.
“Um.”
Yu Seollin held my arm fast, making me unable to move, and spoke cautiously.
“W-what is it?”
No. Absolutely not. I could not let Yu Seollin keep talking.
What waited after that was nothing less than ruin.
“F-first, let go of my a—”
I hurriedly opened my mouth.
“I have something I’d like to ask.”
But Yu Seollin was faster.
She finished speaking and looked at me, her green eyes suddenly brightening.