Chapter 103: Should I Not Learn It?

“If the ‘time’ ever comes, would you be willing to tell me about those Heavenly Gate inscriptions that only you can see?”

The question caught me completely off guard.

I never imagined Biyeong would be interested in my Remarkable Growth.

Could it be because he also possesses a ‘special Status Window’?

When I first examined Biyeong’s Status Window, I asked Manager Mi if there were any functions or Skills that could hide one’s stats.

He replied with an ambiguous emoticon:

In other words, whether there was a function to conceal his stats or simply a disconnect between his actual abilities and the Status Window’s readings, Biyeong was another unique case.

Just like me, whose outdated Status Window was linked to modern Skills.

Perhaps the reason he suddenly asked such a question at this moment was due to a sense of kinship, or something similar.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

As long as I could learn the Minor River Divine Art and increase my Status Window Synchronization Rate.

Nodding, I replied, “If I continue to interact with Lord Biyeong and build a relationship, wouldn’t I be able to tell you someday?”

“So the prerequisite is continued interaction with me.”

“Yes.”

“And to maintain this ‘interaction,’ I would inevitably have to impart the Minor River Divine Art to you.”

I didn’t answer, offering only a faint smile.

Biyeong, who had been glaring at me, roughly ruffled his long hair with one hand and sighed.

“Ha! I, who once pierced the solitude of the Ten Venerable Assassins hidden within the Peerless Delicacy and remained unmoved by the seductive arts of the Myriad Demon Willow Maidens, am now being played by a mere wretch unworthy even of the title ‘demon lord’? Time is truly merciless.”

The references to the Ten Venerable Assassins and Myriad Demon Willow Maidens meant nothing to me.

Yet one thing was clear:

Well-grilled pork belly with aged kimchi works even on martial arts masters.

Even as he muttered those words, Biyeong’s eyes remained fixed on the uncooked pork belly and kimchi.

To put it in manga terms, he was drooling profusely, his eyes sparkling like stars.

Seizing the moment, I said, “Naturally, whenever I come here to seek your guidance, Lord Biyeong, I’ll bring similar—no, even more delicious—dishes.”

“Really? There are foods even more delicious than this?”

“Absolutely.”

”…”

Biyeong groaned softly, but eventually sighed and nodded.

“I will teach you the Minor River Divine Art.”

“You promised.”

“I told you from our first meeting that I never go back on my word.”

“Then let’s start today.”

“No, that’s impossible for now. You need to prepare certain things first. Martial arts training will begin only after everything is ready.”

Biyeong busied himself tidying up the mess caused by Iratu’s rampage earlier. Then, clutching his sword, he slumped back into his seat.

“What are you waiting for? Start grilling.”

He slapped a plate of pork belly and kimchi down in front of me and continued, “I’ll tell you what you need to prepare while we eat.”

[ Horizon of Communication ] has ended.

I had just left Biyeong’s Face-to-Face Chat and returned to the real world.

”…Minor River Divine Art,” I murmured, sinking into the sofa.

The greasy smell of grilled meat still lingered on my skin, but an even more vivid image was seared into my mind:

Iratu, clad in gray bone armor, raising the Star Cluster of the Holy King.

And then, the moment Biyeong’s hand touched the hilt of his sword…

A streak of sword light, like a bolt of lightning, tearing through the storm.

Iratu’s body crumbling into dust like sand.

The annihilated Iratu had suffered a “wound threatening the very foundation of his Being,” a fatal injury requiring a week of recovery.

This was the same Iratu who had remained unscathed even after being trampled by a calamity-class monster in the simulation.

The entire sequence of events unfolded in less than three seconds—far too short a time to observe and analyze anything properly. I couldn’t even confirm whether Biyeong had drawn his sword, let alone see how he wielded it.

But one thing was certain: if I could master the Minor River Divine Art from Biyeong, and if I could wield the Extreme Quick Sword as he did, I would possess power on an entirely different dimension, living up to the fixed 10% increase in Synchronization Rate.

Suddenly, the chat window near my head vibrated.

“What is it?”

This time, Manager Mi didn’t use any emoticons.

That meant she was being serious.

Come to think of it, ever since she confirmed the Remarkable Growth enhancement attached to Biyeong’s Minor River Divine Art,

she had become noticeably quieter these past two days.

After all, the skill description stated, “Stat increases and skill acquisition probability are dramatically increased.”

“Hmm.”

It interferes with the Status Window’s functions to grant upgrades, summons completely closed message boards, and even uses elements from the Current Status Window as stakes for Quests. This is more than just a simple Skill.

I understood what Manager Mi was trying to say.

“It’s like a Cultivation System,” I said.

A Cultivation System that controlled my growth.

“Remarkable Growth,” activated after synchronizing with the Current Status Window, was such a Skill.

Sometimes it showered me with Skills and Stats to the point where I wondered if it was even allowed.

Other times, it imposed such severe restrictions on my growth that I felt it was excessive.

And occasionally, it would steer my development in specific directions.

By setting Quests with Items as rewards or increasing my Synchronization Rate as a condition for learning Skills.

This time, Biyeong’s actions were particularly blatant.

Not only had he granted me access to the now-defunct Horizon of Communication forum, but he had also personally crafted notification messages using his Minor River Divine Art.

It was as if the skill itself were a sentient system, or as if some unseen third party were monitoring me in real-time, delivering quests and rewards tailored to the current situation.

“Investigate this,” I said, tapping the chat window beside my pillow as if it were a tangible object. “If you find anything significant, report it to me.”

“Maybe.”

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t uneasy.

But even so…

“I’ve never lost anything by following Remarkable Growth’s unconventional guidance.”

Though Remarkable Growth was also the reason I now had to forcibly increase my Status Window Synchronization Rate.

Regardless, thanks to following the Skill’s guidance, I had consistently achieved my growth goals.

Therefore, it was best to continue following Remarkable Growth’s direction for now.

I decided to leave the troublesome details—such as the Skill’s true intentions or the “former employee” linked to Remarkable Growth in my Status Window—to Manager Mi.

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Manager Mi’s chat window reappeared.

“Alright, I trust your abilities, Manager Mi.”

Flattered by my insincere praise, Manager Mi immediately switched to emoji mode, grinning like nothing serious had ever happened.

This is exactly why I can’t trust him.

Still, I refrained from voicing my true thoughts and tapped the Status Window before me.

While the Parsley Market loading screen appeared, I replayed the conversation I’d had with Biyeong earlier while grilling pork belly.

Biyeong had suddenly blurted this out while chewing on the pork belly I’d grilled for him.

Is that because I don’t have a sword? I’d asked.

Biyeong stared at me with an utterly contemptuous gaze.

Ah, now that I think about it, I’m a little hurt.

He must have known I was joking.

Regardless, Biyeong continued to stare at me with embarrassing intensity, his gaze piercing through me and leaving me feeling deeply wounded. Finally, he spoke:

“It’s simple. Your current body possesses no Internal Energy whatsoever, save for your Innate True Qi. To be precise, your Dantian is incapable of housing Internal Energy.”

Internal Energy.

“Therefore, even if you were to consume Void Clarity Petroleum in your current state, it would be no different than chewing on a pile of rocks. And if you were to learn a Mind Method and practice Qi Circulation and Breath Regulation, it would be as futile as a drunken Beggar Clan beggar sprawled out in the marketplace.”

This was something I had never considered.

Seeing that Biyeong’s Status Window displayed “Internal Energy” instead of Mana, I had hoped my own Mana might be converted to Internal Energy.

But as expected, the world wasn’t that accommodating.

Even someone like me, who knew little about Martial Arts, could understand that much.

However, according to common tropes, one usually cultivates a body capable of accepting Internal Energy through techniques like Acupoint Strike Technique.

To be honest, I was a little worried at first.

What if the materials he mentioned only existed in Biyeong’s dimension?

Fortunately, the ingredients he listed were quite common among vendors in the Martial Arts world, ones I’d seen frequently during my exploration of the Parsley Market in the One Thousand Cultivation Tower.

”…Hah.”

Despite this, a sigh escaped my lips as I typed into the search bar.

The reason for my sigh was simple: as far as I remembered, the materials Biyeong had requested were…

…

Every item boasted a formidable price tag.

It felt like just yesterday I was celebrating breaking the 10,000 Coin mark. Now, after only a few days, I was on the verge of being penniless again.

At least I had the Void Spider as a means of earning Coins, which softened the blow somewhat.

Still…

”…Should I just give up on learning this?”

In just ten minutes, I was already contemplating abandoning the Remarkable Growth guidelines.

The next day, I headed to Hwiryung Headquarters in the late afternoon.

Several ingredients Biyeong had listed were currently out of stock, so I had placed reservations for them.

With time to spare before the Elixir ingredients were ready, I decided to handle some “real-world business.”

The joint expedition with Saint Winter’s was less than two weeks away.

Although I had planned to delegate all expedition-related tasks to Ko Youngmin,

this morning, Saint Winter’s had proposed a new “agenda item” that required my direct involvement.

“You’ve arrived, Vice Guild Leader.”

The Expedition Planning Room at Hwiryung Headquarters.

Unlike two days ago, only two people were seated at the table.

Ko Youngmin, looking utterly deflated and glancing nervously around.

And across from him, Jin Wijeong greeted me with a forced smile.

“Let’s get straight to the point,” I said, flashing him a bright smile.

“You want to hold a massive press conference before the joint expedition, is that right?”