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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 13: Become My Disciple (3)
Oh Yeon-Su blinked as if I’d asked the most obvious question.
"Unlike you, Su-Hyuk, I'm a working adult."
"So, Awakened Ones are considered working adults now?"
"Do you think we make money for free?"
Well, that's true. People on the outside don’t understand just how dangerous it is to defeat monsters in Otherworld Gates. If Min-Ah ever saw what I did with her own eyes, she'd probably try to stop me right away, wondering why I’d risk my life like that.
Even if we’re in a relatively safe place, there's no guarantee of survival. Some people outside even mutter things like, “Aren't we giving the Awakened Ones too many benefits? What do they even do?”
What a joke.
Oil reserves ran dry over a decade ago, and over 90% of natural resources have already been replaced by resources from the Otherworld. Natural resources are now literal rarities, things we can no longer access freely as we did in the past.
The reason Awakened Ones receive so many benefits is because the world relies on what we risk our lives to retrieve from the Otherworld Gates. Of course, not many Awakened Ones have a sense of duty; for most, it's all about the money. You have to demand a high price for risking your life.
“That’s true, but someone like you, Yeon-Su, doesn’t really seem like the type to live under someone’s watchful eye.”
"To live without worrying about others, I'd have to be at least at President Kim’s level."
I glanced slightly upward at my tiny master perched on my head.
["Hey, even I live carefully. Do you think there’s only one or two things I have to worry about?"]
My master grumbled. Apparently, even she lives with caution. It seems like everyone has their own worries.
"There’s a lot to do even after leaving an Otherworld Gate. Unlike certain people who just pop in and out. By the time I realize it, I'm wondering when I last ate. Oh, right—I didn’t have breakfast today."
"So, you only eat to survive?"
"Yes. Which is why I wasn’t just saying empty words when I said I enjoyed it and that it was delicious."
"I feel the same. When I said thank you and that I was sorry, it wasn’t empty, either. Please spend time with Min-Ah from time to time."
Yeon-Su looked at me, slightly surprised, as I asked her to take care of Min-Ah.
"Su-Hyuk, are you an idiot? I'm—"
"You’re the person Team Leader Cha sent to monitor me, right?"
"Why say that if you already know?"
"If I do anything suspicious, feel free to report everything to Team Leader Cha, even down to the minute. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice. After all, I'm the one you’re supposed to keep an eye on, not Min-Ah."
There was no need for her to treat Min-Ah poorly.
"Besides, I sometimes think about it."
"About what?"
"That it might have been a little better if I had been her older sister instead of her brother."
After experiencing numerous regressions, I realized how little I knew Min-Ah. Perhaps I had been too focused on surviving to pay attention. I could try to be a good brother to Min-Ah, but I wasn't equipped to be a parental figure for her.
"Min-Ah won't be mistreated."
"Let’s hope so."
I was well aware that the underlying premise for that hope was “as long as I don’t get on Cha Woo-Jae’s bad side.”
"Now that you're out of the hospital, you should get to work."
"Weren't you supposed to monitor me by my side?"
"I didn’t mean for you to just laze around. Do you know how much Team Leader Cha spent to bring you in? Even if you don’t make a profit, at least break even."
"Is breaking even enough? I should do better than that in just a few months. Yeon-Su, for someone with a small fortune, you don’t think big."
Experiencing multiple regressions has given me a new level of confidence. With Kim Do-Jin as my master, there’s nothing I can’t achieve.
Right now, I felt like I could chew through stone if I had to.
"Where’s all that baseless confidence coming from?"
Oh Yeon-Su sighed. I didn’t bother explaining myself. Fine, think that for now.
It’s better not to expect too much—things tend to work out better that way. I didn’t see her off as she left the room. We’d be seeing each other frequently, and I figured she might want some time to herself, even if this was just work.
I unpacked the few belongings I had and went to sleep early.
---
The next morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn. The first thing I did was check today’s date.
Just to be sure, I even searched [today’s date] online. I knew the regression had ended, but there was still a lingering worry that I’d find myself back in the past the moment I left the hospital. Thankfully, the date was normal.
My mini-master was sitting in the chair across from my empty desk. Come to think of it, do ghosts not need sleep?
“Did you cough or something?”
[Are you reenacting a historical drama or what?]
“But Master, you were the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.”
And honestly, I’d always wanted to try greeting him like that at least once.
“If you’re a ghost, how do you sleep?”
[I'm not a ghost, kid. I'm alive.]
“Then where are you?”
[Somewhere.]
What kind of vague answer is that? Saying he’s “somewhere” is about as helpful as telling me it’s in “Seoul City.” I mean, if I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t have asked.
One thing is clear, though. As Kim Do-Jin said, he’s alive “somewhere.” But it seems he can’t cross over here from wherever that place is.
From what I gather, it’s probably an Otherworld Gate or some other realm, but as a lowly two-star, I can’t even begin to guess.
"Who knows? It might be a place I could eventually reach to rescue you."
[Think you could?]
“Don’t dismiss it so quickly; you're hurting your loyal disciple’s feelings.”
I clutched my chest, feigning heartbreak. My mini-master shook his head, exasperated. Honestly, he was terrifying in his original form, but like this, he’s almost… cute.
He’s like a big teddy bear shaking his head. No, wait, snap out of it! His true form is still an old man!
[If it were somewhere you could reach, I’d have told you. For now, it’s best you don’t ask.]
“Got it.”
[Why do you give up so quickly?]
“I wasn’t really curious about the place itself, more about why you’re not telling me. So, I guess this means you’ll tell me when I’m strong enough to reach it, right?”
[Yes.]
“You’d better stay alive until then.”
I turned to open the window, rubbing my eyes, and looked back at my master, now illuminated by sunlight. Though his doll-like appearance seemed hard to read, his face actually conveyed a clear emotion: surprise, as if asking why I’d say something like that.
I interpreted his silent question and answered.
“I finally became President Kim’s disciple. But if you’re stuck as a ghost, who would believe me? They’d just think I’m crazy. So, you need to come back.”
[……]
“I also want to see your real face, not just a ghostly version of it, and you should see mine too. And maybe announce that I’m your eighth disciple for the whole world to hear.”
It was a little disappointing that I had to keep being Kim Do-Jin’s disciple a secret, but that’s just how it was.
[Where did you learn to butter people up like this?]
“There’s actually a technique for that?”
[Enough, kid. You’re good at talking, for a youngster.]
"I'm young, so I need to at least speak well. Society doesn’t go easy on you just because you’re young, does it? If you’re young and do well, they call you disrespectful; if you fail, they criticize you for that. The only way to make up for it is to talk well."
Not all adults are like that, of course, but many people act that way. I get it—life is exhausting.
Society isn’t easygoing enough to tolerate incompetence, especially when that incompetence could risk lives. While money can be restored, a life is only given once. Stretching, I looked at my master.
“So, what am I supposed to do now?”
I certainly didn’t intend to keep lazing around. I was lucky to get into the Cheong-Yeong Guild, but suspicion around me remained, and I didn’t have any standing within the guild yet.
To earn respect from Kim Do-Jin’s other disciples, I needed to get stronger. Talking skills alone wouldn’t cut it with people as formidable as them.
[Until Manager Oh brings the contract over, you won’t be entering any Otherworld Gates.]
"Ugh, joining a guild isn’t easy, huh?"
[Did you think it would be? You got in as a special hire, so they’ll expedite the process for you.]
My mini-master hopped onto my head. It felt like I was wearing a huge hat. There was no weight, so it didn’t bother me physically, but the psychological pressure was something else.
It’s like walking around with a life-sized doll on your head—people would stare. At least no one else could see him.
‘Not like I can ask him to return to his original form.’
As odd as this was, it was better than his adult form. With my master on my head, I stepped outside.
The unfamiliar sight of the large apartment complex greeted me. I checked the map on my phone, stretched a little, and started jogging.
‘In the end, it’s all about stamina.’
Awakeners can exert nearly superhuman strength inside the Otherworld Gates. Even though I’m not that powerful yet, I can feel a huge difference in my physical state when I’m in the Gate versus outside.
High-level Awakeners often feel frustrated by how limited their bodies feel in the real world. While they’re still stronger and more resilient than regular people outside the Gate, everything’s relative.
To them, it’s like wearing shackles. That’s why most Awakeners don’t bother building stamina in the real world.
Why go through the hassle if it barely shows?
[Why are you running?]
Kim Do-Jin asked. He neither encouraged nor discouraged me when I started jogging.
I ran slowly toward the Han River and answered him.
“I once watched one of your interview videos, Master. You said something there.”
[Which news outlet was it?]
"Do people really pay attention to that kind of detail when they watch the news?"
Besides, it’s not like there’s only one news outlet that covers my master. New articles pop up about him every day—I don’t have the time to track them all.
"Anyway, you said that even if it doesn’t seem like it, everything comes down to stamina."
Thinking about it, it made sense. Entering the Otherworld Gate doesn’t change who I am.
“That’s why I’m running.”
[A diligent one, huh.]
"Was that a compliment?"
[You’re definitely not like any of my other disciples.]
“Oh, come on, there’s at least one like me.”
The streets were empty this early, so when the light turned red, I stopped to catch my breath.
[Who?]
“Who else? Manager Cha, obviously.”
[Woo-Jae? You’ve only met him once—do you know how difficult he is to deal with?]
“So, he’s both difficult and diligent?”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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