Baek Yoonjun's party moved in front of the secret cave.

The entrance of the secret cave.

As Baek Yoonjun waved his hand, the hidden entrance of the secret cave was revealed.

"Finally!"

Hong Yungae looked at the revealed entrance of the secret cave with eyes full of emotion.

Somehow, he had come a long way.

He had met a master named Baek Yoonjun and had even accumulated martial arts and internal energy.

Hong Yungae felt as if the situation so far was like a dream.

And the secret cave in front of his eyes now felt like the end of that dream.

"Ahem!"

Baek Yoonjun let out a cough and calmed the excited Hong Yungae.

"Today, you two will enter the secret cave. All sorts of dangers are lurking, but if you two combine your strength, you will be able to pass through it sufficiently."

The person who would enter the secret cave today was not just Hong Yungae.

Zhuge Hwaryeong, who had been staring blankly at the entrance after it was revealed, was also included.

'I've taught her too much to just leave her.'

Feeling that it was a waste of what he had taught, he had decided to send her in together.

Although the reward at the very end would not be of much help to her, it was from the thought that the formations before that would surely be of help.

"Then, recite the safety rules I told you."

"First! You said to come out without looking back if it looks dangerous!"

"Second. Even when there's about a third of the food left, we have to come out without looking back."

"Third! You said we must never overdo it!"

At Baek Yoonjun's words, the two recited the safety rules he had taught them.

If someone were to see it from the side, it was a sight where one couldn't distinguish whether it was a construction site in the marketplace or in front of a secret cave.

And so, after the recitation of the safety rules was over.

"Then, check your personal belongings once more and go in."

"Yes! I understand."

Hong Yungae answered energetically.

On the other hand, Zhuge Hwaryeong was glancing at Baek Yoonjun.

It seemed she had something to say.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"Well..."

Zhuge Hwaryeong kept glancing at Baek Yoonjun.

Baek Yoonjun was frustrated.

"If you have something to say, say it. If it's a story that's hard for someone to hear, come closer and say it quietly."

Frustrated, he just blurted it out.

At those words, Zhuge Hwaryeong mumbled for a moment, and then, with a look as if she had firmly decided something, she approached Baek Yoonjun and whispered.

"Well, you see."

"Say it."

"W-well... after I safely pass through the secret cave, may I call you Master?"

At Zhuge Hwaryeong's words, Baek Yoonjun looked back on the past days.

Although it wasn't martial arts, he had taught her quite a lot of things.

'I was wondering what she was going to say. Right. I did teach her a lot of miscellaneous things. But why is she acting like I taught her something amazing?'

Baek Yoonjun didn't have a particular standard for a master and a disciple.

'Well, is there a need to think about it complicatedly? That brat Yungae wasn't originally planned either, but since I took him as a disciple, it probably doesn't matter.'

Since he didn't have a particular standard, the depth of his pondering was also shallow.

"Do as you please."

"Thank you! I'll definitely pass it! Please wait for me!!"

At Zhuge Hwaryeong's appearance, which looked full of determination in a very burdensome way, Baek Yoonjun just silently nodded his head.

"Then, we'll be going!"

"I'll definitely pass it safely!"

The two checked their belongings for a moment and entered the secret cave.

After the two entered the secret cave, Baek Yoonjun found a suitable place nearby and sat down.

'This doesn't feel like sending them into a secret cave, but like enrolling them in kindergarten.'

Although the two had an appearance that seemed they should be enrolled in middle or high school, not kindergarten, that was Baek Yoonjun's impression.

'Come to think of it, they're at an age where it's hard to treat them comfortably when they get older.'

Baek Yoonjun's standard for a child was about a middle school student.

When they get older, the homebody introvert's instinct automatically activates, and he automatically becomes subdued.

'Phew, to be honest, considering my past life, it doesn't make sense for me to raise a disciple.'

Baek Yoonjun quietly recalled his past life.

Since he had nothing particular to do, it was quick to fall into thought.

The place he remembered was a corner of a room.

He hadn't met anyone there.

He had only used the internet in the early days, and after that, he hadn't even touched the PC itself.

And so, the days of doing nothing.

If it weren't for the friend who always came and took care of him while talking about martial arts, he would have died young long ago.

'Come to think of it, that brat did say that it would get better little by little.'

Baek Yoonjun quietly recalled his friend.

A friend who had persistently visited even though there was no benefit to be gained from hanging out with him.

He had visited every day and had told him stories about martial arts and hopeful stories.

Although Baek Yoonjun, who was almost out of his mind at the time, had taken it very insensitively, thinking about it now, it was a very grateful thing.

'What am I?'

Still, there was something that had turned out as his friend had said.

The words that it would get better little by little.

'It did get better. The problem is that it was after I died and came back to life.'

Baek Yoonjun recalled the events after he was born here.

When he had become aware of his past life and of himself, there was no one around Baek Yoonjun.

It was fine because he was used to being alone.

But there was no corner of a room to be cooped up in.

He was in despair that there was no space to be cooped up in without contacting anyone and without thinking about anything.

And the cold, hunger, and physical pain were agonizing.

Therefore.

'I tried to live.'

A little bit of a will to survive had arisen.

Although he had done nothing and died in his past life, it seemed a little bit of a will had arisen, unable to overcome the new and rough environment of his present life.

Although it was a very small will, that will had acted decisively in saving Baek Yoonjun.

Baek Yoonjun had worked as a waiter to live.

Although it was half against his will, half was his own will to live.

Although he still had no purpose or anything, it was true that he had tried to live.

Thanks to that will to live.

'I felt a fear of the existence called a martial artist.'

If not, he wouldn't have cared whether the things called martial artists stabbed him with a sword or did whatever.

As fear overlapped with the weak will to live, it seemed the effect had come in doubles.

Chased by extreme fear, Baek Yoonjun had been cooped up in the mountains and had learned martial arts.

'Martial arts were pretty good.'

It was the first time he had been engrossed in something since being cooped up in a corner of a room in his past life. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Although he had barely set foot in the realm of third-rate, it was deeply meaningful to Baek Yoonjun.

Although he hadn't thought deeply about anything, he had been engrossed, forgetting the passage of time.

At that time, since he had also felt hunger and thirst, he had been able to barely come out of his immersion at the severe desire, and he had appropriately gone around the surroundings to get a meal and prepare a place to sleep.

'After that, even that disappeared.'

Although from a certain point, even that desire had disappeared, he was now able to control when to be immersed and when not to on his own.

Only then did Baek Yoonjun become sure.

'It was then that I could be sure that I had set foot in third-rate.'

Thinking of his friend's words from his past life, third-rate, a realm that a child could set foot in with just a little bit of martial arts training.

Although Baek Yoonjun didn't have a sense of the date, so he didn't know how much time had passed, he had been able to rise to such a realm only after a rather long time had passed.

While feeling a sense of bitterness, Baek Yoonjun had a question.

'Actually, I did wonder if my realm wasn't third-rate.'

What Baek Yoonjun had recalled at that time was the three third-rate or lower ruffians he had met in the marketplace.

At that time, Baek Yoonjun had been full of confidence.

He had thought that he had entered the mature third-rate.

But after feeling a life-and-death crisis, he had reflected on himself.

'It hasn't been long since then, has it? Although I've gotten stronger than then, how much stronger could I have gotten?'

And so, Baek Yoonjun had folded his question and had acknowledged that he was third-rate.

And so, time continued to pass.

Baek Yoonjun was not able to break through the realm of third-rate.

Even until now.

'If it's me, then that's that.'

Although a slight sense of frustration rose in Baek Yoonjun, he soon shook it off by thinking of other things.

'After that, I reunited with that person, Zhuge Hyun, and I also met Sowol, and I also met Yuhwa, and I also met the strange arrow-shooting old man and Brother Namgung, and I also met the people of the Emei Sect, and now I've also met Yungae and Hwaryeong.'

It was the first time he had met so many people in succession since being cooped up in a corner of a room in his past life.

'I've progressed.'

Baek Yoonjun felt that not the realm of his martial arts, but he himself had progressed.

At that moment, on the path of martial arts that Baek Yoonjun had thought was an illusion, in the pitch-black space, he was able to take a step forward.

It was a step so faint that he himself could not feel it.

At that moment, a wave of energy swirled around Baek Yoonjun and spread out.

Although he himself, lost in thought, could not feel it, everyone on the path that the wave of energy had passed felt it.

That sphere of influence also included the two people who had entered the secret cave.

"Heo-eok?! Wh-what was that just now?!"

Feeling an unusual energy with his body, Hong Yungae looked around in all directions.

But what he saw was only the night-luminescent pearl, which was different from the one he had sold, attached to the wall, and which emitted an incredibly strong light, and Zhuge Hwaryeong.

Unlike Hong Yungae, Zhuge Hwaryeong had a very comfortable face.

Hong Yungae felt a sense of wonder at that.

"Didn't you feel something just now?"

"I did."

"Then why do you look so comfortable?"

"That's because it's obvious that the source is Master, senior brother."

"Ah, certainly, if it's Master..."

As Hong Yungae agreed with Zhuge Hwaryeong's words, he felt something strange.

"Did you say senior brother?"

"Since Great Hero Baek said I could call him Master if I passed the secret cave, it doesn't matter if I call you that in advance, right?"

"Uh...?"

Hong Yungae, with a puzzled look, remembered that Baek Yoonjun and Zhuge Hwaryeong had been whispering something just now.

'Did that kind of conversation happen then?'

Although his mind became briefly complicated as he thought so.

"Do as you please."

But since Hong Yungae's nature was not to think deeply from the beginning, he just nodded his head.

Hearing Hong Yungae's answer, Zhuge Hwaryeong awkwardly performed a fist-and-palm salute and bowed her head.

"Thank you, senior brother. In addition, since I will become your junior sister... no, your junior disciple, I think it would be good if you spoke comfortably."

"Sh-should I?"

"Yes, it's much better."

Zhuge Hwaryeong smiled brightly and answered brightly.

At that, Hong Yungae felt a tingling sensation in his chest and blushed.

'No, why do I feel a strange feeling when I look at this brat? Hmm, is it just because I have a junior for the first time?'

Since Hong Yungae was simple from birth, he just dismissed that feeling simply and sorted out his heart.

Of course, a heart was not something that could be easily sorted just by sorting it.

"Then, this senior brother will take the lead, so follow me!"

To sort out the tingling feeling, Hong Yungae performed his lightness skill to its fullest.

Hong Yungae, who was moving so fast that his afterimage was stretched in an instant.

"W-wait! Senior brother! Let's go together!"

Although Zhuge Hwaryeong shouted, following him, Hong Yungae's figure had already moved far away.

Panting, Zhuge Hwaryeong ran and barely reached the place where Hong Yungae was.

"Pant, pant. I don't even know the lightness skill, so what am I supposed to do if you go alone?"

"Uh, s-sorry."

"It's fine as long as you know. From now on, please move according to my level."

"I'll do that..."

Hong Yungae was discouraged.

Somehow, he felt as if he had become a nuisance who was being nagged, not a senior.

"Sometimes, it seems senior brother's body moves before you think. I don't think it's a very good habit."

"I-I'll be careful."

And so, as Zhuge Hwaryeong's nagging continued, the two reached the first gate of the secret cave.

Although it was definitely inside a cave, from some point, a winding path that seemed to have no end blocked the path of the two.

"Huh? Suddenly?"

Since it was Zhuge Hwaryeong's first time experiencing a secret cave, she was flustered.

'Here, I have to step up like a senior brother!'

Looking at such a Zhuge Hwaryeong, Hong Yungae stepped forward with dignity.

"Don't worry too much. If it seems dangerous, if you go back, the original cave..."

"Hmm, although I was flustered at first, looking at the flow of the formation, it seems there will be no particular trouble if we go back."

But before Hong Yungae could finish his words, Zhuge Hwaryeong had regained her composure and was scanning her surroundings with interested eyes.

Hong Yungae stealthily stepped back as if he had never stepped forward.

Although his energy was drained for a moment.

'Still, I've passed this maze before!'

At the thought that soon came to him, he was able to step forward with dignity again.

"I have passed this maze...!"

Before Hong Yungae could finish his words, Zhuge Hwaryeong took out a talisman.

"Looking at this flow, it's definitely."

Zhuge Hwaryeong, who accurately tore the talisman in half.

At that, a gentle wind spread out from the center of Zhuge Hwaryeong, and in no time, the wind, although not visible to the eye, began to blow along a single path.

"As expected, the wind blows at the entrance and exit. Now, if we just follow this wind, we can pass through easily!"

Feeling the wind on the tips of her fingers, Zhuge Hwaryeong turned her gaze to Hong Yungae.

At that gaze, Hong Yungae stealthily stepped back.

"Hmm? What are you doing? Senior brother?"

"It's nothing. Let's just pass through a gate like this quickly."

"Yes! Senior brother."

Suppressing the urge to shout, 'It's sorcery!', Hong Yungae moved his feet, following the gentle wind that was unbelievable for a wind blowing inside a cave.

(End of Chapter)