"Master, I'm hungry."
"Then go hunt something."
"Master, I don't understand this cultivation technique."
"Figure it out yourself."
"Master, bandits are attacking the village below—"
"Not our problem."
I stared at the back of my master's head as he continued fishing by the mountain stream, completely ignoring the column of smoke rising from the valley. This was Sword Saint Baek Cheon-ho, the legendary cultivator who'd reached Transcendent Realm before age forty, defeated the Demon Lord twenty years ago, and then... retired to become a hermit on this nameless mountain.
For the past six months, since he'd randomly picked me up from a destroyed village, this had been my life.
And I was thriving.
"Master, at least teach me a proper sword form!" I called out, frustration bleeding into my voice.
"Why? You've already figured out the basics just by watching me scratch my back with my sword."
That... was unfortunately true.
『 TALENT SYSTEM 』
Name: So Dam-ho
Age: 14
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Stage 2 (Achieved in 6 months - New Record!)
Talent Grade: ???ERROR??? (Immeasurable)
Special Abilities:
Perfect Recall (Photographic Memory)
Instant Comprehension (Understand any technique after seeing it once)
Adaptive Learning (Skills improve 100x faster than normal)
Body of Ten Thousand Arts (Can master any cultivation method)
Current Mastery:
Fishing (Lv. 45) - From watching Master
Cooking (Lv. 52) - Self-taught
Tracking (Lv. 38) - From hunting
Nameless Sword Art (Lv. 67) - Learned from Master scratching his back
Mountain God's Footwork (Lv. 71) - Learned from Master walking to the outhouse
Sword Intent (Beginning Stage) - Comprehended while watching Master gut a fish
Yeah. I might be the most talented disciple in history.
The problem? My master was the laziest teacher in history.
"Master, the village—"
"Fine, FINE!"
Baek Cheon-ho finally turned around, his weathered face annoyed.
"If it bothers you so much, go handle it yourself. You're Foundation Establishment now. Some mortal bandits should be easy."
"But I've never fought real people before!"
"Then it's time to learn."
He went back to fishing.
"Don't kill them unless necessary. And be back by dinner. We're having fish stew."
I stood there, dumbfounded, then sighed and grabbed the training sword leaning against a tree.
Fine. If Master won't teach me properly, I'll teach myself.
The bandits were amateurs.
I could tell from a hundred meters away—sloppy stance, dull weapons, zero qi cultivation. Just desperate men with knives terrorizing farmers.
Still, Master said don't kill unless necessary. Time to test my control.
I activated the footwork I'd learned and crossed the hundred meters in three breaths. The bandits didn't even see me coming.
"W-who—"
My training sword tapped his wrist. He dropped his knife, arm going numb. Second bandit swung at me—I sidestepped (thank you, outhouse footwork) and struck his knee. He collapsed.
Five seconds. Ten bandits disabled.
The villagers stared in shock.
An elderly man approached cautiously.
"Young hero... thank you! Those bandits have been terrorizing us for weeks! May I know your name so we can—"
"No need." I bowed quickly. "I'm just a nameless disciple. My master's waiting for dinner."
I turned to leave, but—
[DING!]
Oh. The system. I'd almost forgotten about it since it rarely activated.
『 ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED 』
『 "First Combat Victory" 』
『 Reward: Combat Experience +500 』
『 NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED: Mission Board 』
A translucent screen appeared, showing various quests:
『 AVAILABLE MISSIONS 』
[Main Quest]Descend the Mountain - Leave your master's hermitage and enter the Jianghu
Reward: Unlock fast travel, 1000 SP, Master's Hidden Gift
[Side Quest]Help 100 People - Assist those in need (1/100)
Reward: Title "The Helpful Disciple", Karma Points
[Hidden Quest]Discover Your Master's Past - Learn why the Sword Saint became a hermit
Reward: ???
[Daily Quest]Train Until Exhaustion - Push your limits
Reward: Random stat increase
Interesting. I'd been so focused on learning from Master that I'd ignored the system's missions. But "Descend the Mountain"? Master would never allow that. He'd made it clear I wasn't ready for the Jianghu.
But when WILL I be ready? At this rate, I'll be thirty and still fishing on this mountain!
When I returned, Master had already started the stew. The aroma made my stomach growl.
"You're back early," he noted without looking up. "How many did you kill?"
"None. I just disabled them."
For the first time that day, he actually looked at me—really looked at me.
"Good. You understood the assignment."
"Master, I have a question."
"You always have questions."
"Why did you bring me here? Why teach me at all?"
The words burst out before I could stop them.
"You clearly don't want to teach. You ignore everything I ask. But you also... you keep me fed. You let me stay. You even leave your techniques where I can see them. Why?"
Master was silent for a long moment, stirring the stew.
Then finally he speak. "Because twenty years ago, I failed to save someone important. Someone young, talented, and full of potential—just like you. And I don't want to fail again."
My breath caught.
"But I'm also afraid," he continued quietly. "The Jianghu is a meat grinder. The more talented you are, the more people want to use you. Or kill you. So I thought... if I don't teach you, if I keep you weak and hidden, maybe you'll stay safe."
He finally met my eyes.
"But you're not staying weak, are you? You're probably the most talented disciple I've ever seen. You learned my Sword Intent just from watching me cook fish. That's... that's terrifying, boy."
『 HIDDEN QUEST PROGRESS: 25% 』
"So what will you do?" I asked softly. "Keep me here forever?"
Master laughed bitterly.
"No. Because in three months, the Murim Alliance's Recruitment Festival happens. And when the sects learn there's a Transcendent Realm master hiding on this mountain, they'll come. They'll find you. And then..."
"Then I need to be ready."
"Yes."
He ladled stew into two bowls.
"Which is why starting tomorrow, I'm going to actually teach you. Properly. The way I should have from the beginning."
My heart raced.
"Really?!"
"Don't get excited. You'll wish I'd stayed lazy."
His expression turned serious.
"I'm going to train you the way the Heavenly Sword Sect trained me. It nearly killed me three times. With your talent, you might survive with only two near-death experiences."
[DING!]
『 SPECIAL EVENT TRIGGERED 』
『 "True Master's Training" Arc Beginning 』
『 Warning: Difficulty Level - EXTREME 』
『 Completion Reward: Unlock all of Master's techniques, Title "Sword Saint's Successor", +5 Cultivation Stages 』
I grinned despite the ominous warnings. "When do we start?"
Master smiled—a rare, genuine smile. "After dinner. Eat well. It's your last peaceful meal for a long time."
As I ate, I couldn't help but feel excited. For six months, I'd been teaching myself by watching Master's mundane actions. Now I'd finally learn directly from a Transcendent Realm expert.
Three months until the Recruitment Festival. Three months to prepare for the Jianghu.
Whatever comes, I'll face it. After all, I'm the Sword Saint's disciple.
Even if he is the worst teacher in history.
Meanwhile, in the Murim Alliance Headquarters...
"Chairman, urgent report!" An elder burst into the office, face pale.
Alliance Chairman Namgung Jeong looked up from his documents. "What's the emergency?"
"We've detected residual Transcendent-level qi fluctuations in the western mountains. Someone used Sword Intent—advanced level."
"Impossible. The only Transcendent-level Sword Intent user is—"
"Sword Saint Baek Cheon-ho. Yes, sir."
Namgung Jeong's eyes widened. "He's been missing for twenty years. You're telling me he's alive?"
"Not only alive, sir. Intelligence suggests... he might have taken a disciple."
The room fell silent.
"A disciple?" Namgung Jeong stood abruptly. "The Sword Saint hasn't taken a student since... since that incident. If he's teaching again, that means the disciple must be extraordinary."
"Should we investigate?"
"Immediately. If there's a successor to the Sword Saint, we need to recruit them before the other sects—or worse, the Demonic Cults—find out." He paused. "And send word to my granddaughter. If this disciple attends the Recruitment Festival, I want her there to assess them personally."
"Yes, Chairman!"
As the elder left, Namgung Jeong gazed out the window toward the western mountains.
Baek Cheon-ho. After twenty years of silence, what made you break your seclusion? And who is this disciple that convinced you to teach again?