The World Beyond the Well
The most important thing to teach first was common sense.
These frogs in a well needed to learn that a world existed outside their narrow confines. At the same time, there was no need to reveal everything at once. Maintaining the position of a prophet would prove far more advantageous.
The choice of which civilization’s framework to teach was equally critical. After one final review, Han Yujin decided to base his curriculum on the cultivation world’s system.
The Galactic Empire’s spiritual arts and level-based system were more intuitive and better aligned with Earth’s modern civilization. Yet as far as he knew, the strongest civilization in the universe remained the cultivation civilization.
Moreover, both his own cultivation methods and those he would soon impart to others belonged to that same system. The more he considered it, the more correct the decision felt.
Thus, the first thing he presented to the students was this:
Han Yujin’s publicly known awakening ability was knowledge. It was a rare but undeniably real type, and the world believed he had built his power upon it before beginning to distribute cultivation methods. Now that he was teaching others in earnest, it was natural for observers to assume he intended to build a faction. In truth, that interpretation was not far off the mark.
Still, this was only the first day, and he was merely imparting general common sense. There was no point in explaining too deeply. If he did, many would doubt the facts and refuse to listen properly.
That was why he needed to deliver a shock.
The moment he spoke and lightly raised his hand, the world answered.
A deep, rumbling roar shook the air. The auditorium’s interior crumbled and swirled like paint in water, dissolving into an entirely foreign landscape.
A vast plain stretched beneath an endless blue sky. The horizon rolled away in every direction, opening the chest with a sense of boundless freedom. Nameless birds flew in formation across one corner of the heavens, while strange, wondrous beasts grazed peacefully in the distance.
“Where… are we?”
“Did we actually teleport?”
Whispers passed between hunters who knew one another. The sensation was so complete that it was impossible to believe this was an illusion.
Han Yujin flicked his hand again. A dozen spheres of flame materialized instantly and streaked toward the left side of the plain.
The explosions tore across the peaceful grassland like thunder. A scorching gale laced with intense heat swept over the students. No one screamed, but every face went slack with shock.
He proceeded to demonstrate several other foundational techniques, even dragging in one of the strange beasts from the plain to serve as a living target.
The students were stunned. The distribution of cultivation methods had only just begun; only now did they realize how powerful these so-called “basic” spells truly were.
Watching their astonished faces, Han Yujin suddenly smiled with crystal clarity and raised his hand once more. Over a hundred fireballs bloomed above his palm. The students’ surprise turned into a creeping sense of dread.
Those who understood his meaning tensed, half-rising from their seats with expressions that said surely not.
The floating inferno of triple-digit fireballs descended without mercy.
“Uwaaaaagh!”
“He’s really attacking us!”
Panic erupted. Hunters screamed, drew weapons, and unleashed their abilities in a desperate frenzy.
“Han Yujin—! You terrorist bastard!”
“You really were planning to kill us all!”
Malicious shouts filled with misunderstanding, curses, and profanity of a level difficult to describe exploded across the plain. Yet Han Yujin, who continued to rain down more than a hundred fireballs without pause, merely smiled as though greatly amused. The occasional counterattacks that flew toward him evaporated long before they could draw near.
The B-rank hunters fell first, consumed by the blazing deluge. A-rank hunters followed, screaming as they scattered into ash. Even the S-rank hunters fought desperately—fleeing, counterattacking, only to burn one by one.
Then, the next instant.
“Haaahk…!”
“Urk…!”
People woke with various gasps, as if surfacing from a nightmare. They were back inside the peaceful auditorium where nothing had actually occurred.
Before they could fully process the situation and begin drawing weapons or raising power again, an overwhelming, mysterious, and utterly incomprehensible presence descended upon them, freezing every soul in place.
The calm mental voice echoed in every mind, as though the man on the platform had never spent the last several minutes gleefully tormenting them. Almost instinctively, the students returned to their original orderly posture.
A beat later, they realized the carnage had been an illusion and shuddered with awe. Once again they were reminded exactly who stood before them, and exactly what manner of being had come to teach them.
At the same time, the last lingering doubts about this instruction dissolved, replaced by a far fiercer hunger for knowledge.
* * *
Even after the lecture ended and she stepped outside, Sierra Blake remained dazed for a long while. Most of the others looked similarly stunned.
Thanks to that, Ethan Cross’s unusually calm figure heading toward the dormitory as if nothing had happened stood out. Seeing the former number-one hunter’s composure helped her regain some of her own senses.
This is definitely… an opportunity.
The sight and sensation of that flaming deluge remained vivid. The world-shaking roar, the hellish heat, the sight of famed and powerful hunters dying helplessly within the storm—her body trembled of its own accord. Even as she realized just how terrifying Han Yujin truly was, her heart pounded at the knowledge that mere basic spell arts could reach such heights.
A short while later, having forced herself back to composure, she moved with the dispersing crowd and turned on her livestream.
Her previous abrupt end to a broadcast had caused an enormous outcry among viewers. She soothed them with various explanations, waited for the audience to stabilize, then smoothly changed the subject.
“Shall we continue the tour we couldn’t finish last time? This is a place not just anyone can enter! Ah, I received permission long ago!”
She began examining the interior with fresh eyes. She had been impressed before, but now, with leisure to truly appreciate every detail, the wonder only deepened.
“Can you believe this was all built in just a few days?”
She had already repeated the same words several times, yet each new discovery drew fresh gasps of genuine awe. The viewers responded with equal heat.
The landscape brimmed with refined oriental elegance. The uniformly cut blue stone paths, the pleasing arrangement of vegetation—there was not a single flaw. After exhausting herself with admiration at the training grounds and sparring arenas, she moved on to the residential district.
Given the large number of people to house, individual living areas were not overly spacious. Yet every residence was built to the standard of a luxury villa, making them delightful to explore.
The internal facilities left nothing to be desired.
What fascinated her first were the ceramic dial-style light switches and their linked illumination. The mysterious orbs of light she had seen in the auditorium ceiling now served as interior lighting—bright enough without any glare.
The bathrooms were luxurious, the water pressure excellent, and the drainage flawless.
Had she understood the mystical principles and structures behind them, her astonishment would have been even greater. As it was, the mere knowledge that one man had created all of this in just a few days was more than enough to leave both her and her audience speechless.
In truth, such architectural techniques were one of the hundred cultivation arts. Han Yujin’s skill as a Nascent Soul stage practitioner could already be called master-level.
“Does this even make sense?”
She had lost count of how many times she had uttered the same phrase.
She was especially fascinated by the sofas and beds. Though clearly carved from stone and therefore expected to be hard and uncomfortable, a thin barrier enveloped their surfaces. The moment she touched them, they yielded like cotton, impossibly soft and comfortable.
After chattering at length about the texture, she stepped outside again. This time she headed for the spirit plant garden where they grew their own food.
After walking for a short while—
“Huh?”
She suddenly exclaimed and swung her smartphone camera around. There, wandering the grounds with clear delight in shaping the greenery, was Mu-yong.
“A rabbit? A weasel? What is that?”
Not expecting to encounter a wild animal here, she grew excited. Its cuteness made it perfect streaming material.
As an A-rank hunter, she approached without the slightest fear, intending to examine it closely. She even considered snatching it up to pet it.
But Mu-yong was no ordinary wild creature. Though she liked humans, she was not so tame as to let just anyone touch her.
Jjik—!
With a valiant cry, mysterious light coiled around her small body. In an instant she swelled to the size of a bear and menaced the startled Sierra Blake.
Jjik! Jjijik—!
“W-wait… this, this is…”
Sierra hurriedly retreated, continuing to film as the creature gave a disdainful snort, turned, and hopped away. She stood there, stunned.
“At least it wasn’t a monster. So… um… maybe it’s one of Han Yujin’s pets? Something he lets roam free?”
It was impossible to say.
Soon regaining her composure, she continued the broadcast and her tour. As time passed, her flustered heart settled completely. She returned to her original state of wonder and admiration.
“Everyone, do you know how I’m feeling right now?”
Her voice brimmed with clear excitement.
“It’s hard to explain, but… I’m trembling as if scared and tense, yet my heart is racing with anticipation and thrill.”
After pouring out her impressions, she added one final thought.
“How should I put it? It really feels like I’ve stepped onto the emperor’s own land.”
* * *
Having successfully concluded the first day’s lessons, Han Yujin took care of minor tasks—brief calls with Park Heewon and Lee Won-hee among them.
He had punished the kidnapping incident with spectacular severity, and now, by accepting students and spreading his influence, he had accumulated far more karma than expected. Roughly thirty percent of the karma spent on imperfectly saving Won-hee had already been restored. Given how little time it had taken and how steadily the amount would continue to grow, it was by no means a small sum.
He went ahead and delivered the scientific and technological knowledge he had once mentioned to Park Seryong directly to the Neo Dominion. They had already formed a think tank, so they would review the data, formulate plans, and begin distribution on their own.
This time, the Korean government would not be the main actor in that distribution.
The joint venture established by Vertex—the colossal multinational corporation run by Alistair Holt—upon entering Korea would take the lead. There was no reason to hand profits to the government when the Neo Dominion was his true instrument.
He had only prepared the main soul wood without handing over seeds yet, and the same applied to the basic nectar production method.
Since the awakening herbs haven’t begun full-scale distribution yet…
Whether he delivered the knowledge now or later would make no difference to the karma gained.
Once the students had absorbed all the common sense and basics, he planned to distribute properly crafted jade tablets and form a formal contract of sorts.
No matter how much karma he needed, he could not teach for free forever. If they wished for teachings beyond the fundamentals, they would have to shoulder responsibilities and fulfill roles within this place.
Those who do not work shall not eat.
Still, it would take time before that stage arrived.
In the meantime, he could focus on the pill refinement, artifact crafting, and talisman techniques he had long neglected.
The thought naturally led to modifying the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle. It remained usable in its current state, yet the desire to improve it further lingered. He had several concepts in mind, but none had yet struck him as perfect.
Should I visit Icapa Pangea once more?
With a decent amount of karma restored and his recent advancement to Nascent Soul stage, he wondered what new harvest he might reap from that world of demon worshipers.
Having made up his mind, he set off to find Mu-yong, who was no doubt playing to her heart’s content.