A Chance Encounter?!
Having read quite a few martial arts novels, he could already picture the old man's background clearly just from his composed demeanor, his mysterious sudden appearance, and his dismissive attitude toward martial arts manuals or magic as mere "opportunities."
However, the old man seemed more fascinated than anything by Seoun's reaction.
"Moreover, I can see you have quite the patience and a good head on your shoulders. You're talented. If we had met in the same world, I would have wanted to take you as my disciple."
"You're too kind. Well then, I should get going… I have a long way to travel…"
Seoun bowed at a 90-degree angle and turned to leave, but the old man called out to him.
"Wait."
At that single word, Seoun felt a strange sensation, as though his entire body had stiffened again.
"What is it? Do you have more questions?"
"Hmm… how should I say this? I feel like you might know the answer."
At the old man's sudden remark, Seoun paused awkwardly before speaking.
"Know what? I'm not sure I—"
"Like you said, I don't need any further opportunities. I just want this game to end quickly so I can return to what I have to do. But I also don't plan to start killing people in here. So what should I do until this game ends?"
"…Excuse me?"
Seoun's mouth fell open in disbelief.
Why on earth was he asking someone else—him, of all people—what he should do?
"I meant exactly what I said. You heard me, didn't you?"
"Y-yes, I did… but… um…"
Seoun thought for a while, then looked at the old man.
"Before that, can I ask you a few things too?"
The old man nodded, his face clearly entertained.
"You said you wanted this game to end quickly."
"I did."
"But you also said you didn't want to kill anyone in here."
"That's right."
"Then… what do you plan to do with the last remaining player?"
"Hmm. I haven't thought that far ahead."
"My humble opinion is that someone like you probably has no equal in here, and you'll surely make it to the final two."
"That humble opinion is probably accurate. When I first arrived, I didn't see anyone among the gathered people who looked like much of a threat."
"Then ultimately, you'll have to kill at least one person, right?"
"You're not wrong. If someone comes at me trying to kill, what choice do I have?"
"Then, since that's the case anyway, why not just kill everyone else but me? That way the game ends faster."
"Hoho, young man, are you already conspiring to kill through someone else's hands?"
Even with a smile on his face, Seoun didn't miss the contempt slowly darkening the old man's eyes.
"Haha, just joking around. You seemed like a great hero from a righteous sect who values life deeply, so I thought I'd tease a little."
At Seoun's words, the old man's smile turned genuine.
"You really do know how to read people, especially for your age."
'What a sweet talker, that old guy just loves flattery,' Seoun muttered inwardly, but he quickly spoke again.
"I've heard that a lot since I was a kid. But if you think about it, wouldn't this too be an opportunity for you, sir?"
"An opportunity?"
"Yes. I'm not sure, but your world is likely one where martial arts are highly developed, correct?"
"You could say that."
"You may not know this, but in my world, there's no martial arts, no magic—nothing. Just stories passed down like legends."
"Hmm. A world where martial arts have all disappeared… how tragic."
The old man looked at Seoun with sincere pity.
"I've heard that the higher one climbs in martial arts, the more dangerous and difficult the training becomes. Is that true?"
"There is some truth to that."
"I heard that if you make even a small mistake or try experimental training, you might fall into something called 'Deviation of the Mind'."
"The more skilled you are, the more dangerous it is if you fall into Deviation."
"Then, Elder, have you never experienced anything like that? Training you wanted to try but hesitated over? Something experimental with uncertain outcomes?"
At Seoun's words, the elder's expression became gravely serious. Deep in thought, the elder began curling his fingers one by one.
Holding up four curled fingers, the elder replied:
"There are about four such things."
"Then why don't you give them a try?"
"As you said, they're far too dangerous."
"In this world, even if we die or get injured, everything returns to normal when we go back to the real world."
"How can you be so sure?"
"From what I see, the beings orchestrating this transcend human power. I doubt they'd lie to mere humans."
"Hmm… That does make some sense."
"Who knows? Maybe if the training goes well, you'll return to reality having reached a higher level of enlightenment."
"Haha. If I could make progress after 30 years of no growth aside from maintaining my inner energy, that would indeed be delightful. You've shown me a good path."
"Then, I'm busy trying to survive, so may I take my leave?"
"Wait. I can't just let you go after receiving help. I want to offer you something in return."
Seoun's eyes sparkled at the elder's words.
"I'd gladly accept that help."
Seeing Seoun respond without a second's hesitation, the elder's smile deepened.
"Alright. What kind of help would be good?"
"Do you happen to carry any elixirs or potions?"
"Elixirs… If we were in my world, I could offer many things, but I don't have any here."
'Tch, anyone can say "I have it at home."'
"Th-then… would it be possible to share just a little of your ocean-like inner energy?"
"That much is certainly possible. But your cultivation technique is very different from my energy. If I forcibly transfer mine to you, it could kill you. Are you sure about this?"
'Of course I'm not!'
"Sigh. Then I suppose there's no helping it. It seems there's no help I can accept from you, Elder."
"That's truly unfortunate. If only you hadn't learned that technique, I could have passed on my martial arts."
Seeing the elder speak with genuine regret, Seoun quickly responded:
"Wait. I'll gladly accept your martial arts."
"Hm? But you've already learned another cultivation method. Even if it's weak, once you've built up that energy, trying to add a different kind is suicidal."
"Yes. I understand that. But the method I've learned was granted by the game system. If I'm right, it may vanish at any time. So just in case, if you could pass on your martial arts, I'll memorize them and carry them into my world to preserve them."
The elder thought for a moment, then nodded.
"If that's the case, I'll teach you a few techniques. But first…"
The elder suddenly grabbed Seoun by the back of the neck and took off running through the air.
It was just past midnight, and the magnetic field had started to weaken.
Held tight by the elder, Seoun could barely breathe as the scenery rushed by. Looking up at the elder, he managed to ask:
"I once stepped outside the force field, and the pressure was shocking. Even I couldn't endure it for long. It seems to lessen every midnight, but that's no reason to relax."
After flying for a while, they quickly reached a safe zone. The elder set Seoun down, and his legs gave out beneath him.
Despite not having exerted any energy himself, Seoun gasped for breath.
"Huff! Huff…"
"This should be safe enough."
"Map."
Seoun opened the map to check how far they had traveled, and his eyes widened.
The distance they'd flown was far enough that it would have taken Seoun days of nonstop travel on foot.
"A-amazing."
"But how do you read this map?"
"Hm? You just say 'Map', and it appears before your eyes."
"Map?"
A map suddenly appeared in the air. The elder examined it with great curiosity.
"I saw this when they gathered everyone too. It really is fascinating."
'We're far enough from the magnetic field… with this old man here, I should be safe.'
Finishing his thoughts, Seoun spoke.
"Time is short, so please teach me quickly."
"Ah… but you're in a rather difficult state to learn martial arts. You've learned mental techniques properly, but your inner energy is surprisingly low, and the energy you do have seems barely able to form a dantian."
"That's probably because I learned martial arts through the game system."
"You learned by the rules of this place… Hmm. Then tell me—what kind of martial arts do you want to learn?"
"What I want is a cultivation method. Please teach me one that allows me to accumulate internal energy quickly."
"Heh heh… I'm sorry to say this, but the cultivation method I've learned isn't one that lets you quickly gather internal energy."
"What?"
"My method filters upright and stable energies to build a solid foundation. It's by no means a technique that boosts your internal energy quickly."
"I-Is that so?"
Seoun grew anxious.
He was worried that once this game ended and he returned to his original world, the martial arts knowledge that had entered his mind might vanish just as suddenly as it had appeared.
More than anything, when he opened the secret manual, only the general contents were deciphered, not the detailed parts — and that added to his anxiety.
Seeing Seoun's dark expression, the old man spoke again.
"Well, it's not that I don't know of a method that builds internal energy quickly."
"Really?"
The old man silently studied Seoun for a moment, then shook his head and said,
"It's a technique from an unorthodox sect, so it's not exactly something I can proudly share… but since you're from another world and we have no conflicting interests, it shouldn't be a problem to tell you."
"Unorthodox… so it's not a righteous method?"
"Correct. Still, are you okay with that?"
Seoun thought that as long as he could build his internal energy quickly, it didn't matter, and nodded firmly.
The old man gazed at him for a while longer, then approached with a sigh.
"Sit in the lotus position."
As soon as Seoun sat down, the old man reached out toward his head, and Seoun felt a sudden floating sensation along with dizziness.
"You may be startled. But don't open your mouth."
It felt like his soul was being forcibly ripped out of his body. Seoun gritted his teeth to endure the bizarre sensation.
How long did that feeling last?
Seoun was drenched in sweat, and just as his lips began to twitch, the old man withdrew his hand and exhaled heavily.
"Whew. That should be enough. This should do the trick, somehow."
"Uwaaaaark!"
As soon as the old man's hand was removed, Seoun bent over and vomited, then looked up at the old man with eyes full of resentment.
"Such a weak stomach. Vomiting just from briefly opening your Baihui point."
"Bai… Baihui?"
Seoun, well-versed in martial arts novels, felt a chill run down his spine.
Even in countless wuxia stories, the Baihui point was treated with extreme caution.
One wrong move, and a person could become mentally disabled or go insane.
Many eccentric or deranged masters were often said to have damaged their Baihui during training — a well-known cliché.
"Baihui…"
"It's the point at the crown of the head — one you must never tamper with carelessly!"
"You know it well. Don't worry. I didn't tamper with it recklessly. I merely adjusted the nature and direction of your energy channels through the Baihui."
"Is it really okay to change them so casually?"
"Without doing so, it would take far too long to accumulate internal energy using a righteous method. Didn't you say you wanted to do it quickly?"
"Well, yes… but I thought you'd teach me some extraordinary cultivation technique. Like a heaven-defying method or some forgotten divine art."
"Heaven-defying method? What's that? And no matter how great the technique, it doesn't let you skip the basics. The greater the skill, the more it emphasizes building a solid foundation."
Seoun felt the conversation going nowhere and shook his head.
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