Back in the Primeval Forest Translator: Xzy ***
He hadn't known he would obtain such a large amount of Karma at a time when full-fledged Hunter activities were just around the corner.
Despite several unsettling factors, this was definitely something he had to welcome.
As long as he had enough Karma, he could grow stronger in leaps and bounds every time he slept and woke up.
And this time, his growth was scheduled to be particularly remarkable.
To a level that was not just a step, but a small cliff.
'It's an amount sufficient to reach the Dharma Soul Stage.'
He could finally leave the Entry Stage, which was a bit ambiguous to call a true cultivator.
He was already being recognized as having the power of an A-rank Hunter, but if he reached the Dharma Soul Stage, he would surely be able to become an S-rank Hunter.
In fact, more than such ranks, he liked the fact that he would become that much safer in reality.
S-rank Hunters were the top powerhouses, with fewer than a hundred of them worldwide.
Living strategic weapons, evaluated as being impossible to kill with ordinary firearms and only able to be dealt with by mobilizing full-scale military force, but also known to be almost impossible to subdue if they hid in a city area, considering that the target was an individual.
It was almost common sense that the international treaty stating that Hunters could not participate in war as soldiers was practically made because of them.
The targets that many politicians were truly concerned about and tried to keep in check were precisely them.
In fact, in some third-world countries, a person with the power of an S-rank Hunter had overthrown the government and was reigning as a dictator.
For several decades now, he was still going strong, after wiping out the 'rebels' who had pointed their guns at him.
'In short, it means that as long as I'm not careless, I won't die easily.'
He could be safe whether or not those bastards from the pseudo-religion international drug crime organization came for revenge.
Of course, he could also be safe while carrying out Hunter activities. Money and fame were just additional things for now.
'To think that money and fame are additional…'
Suddenly, Han Yu-jin realized that his way of thinking had become very much like a cultivator's.
Money and fame could only be additional things. Because they were things that would naturally follow as he achieved longevity.
The reason he had first wished for awakening was definitely because of money, but now that he had awakened, he had naturally acquired a mindset where he could pour in money like water for the sake of growth.
'Of course, it's not that I'm completely uninterested in money and fame.'
The stronger he became, the more he would be able to enjoy them to his heart's content without worrying about being slandered by someone.
Concluding his thoughts at about that point, Han Yu-jin focused on the ever-changing door in front of him.
This visit to the primeval forest for cultivation actually had one more additional goal.
It was to tame that arrogant and useless rabbit-weasel with the Beast Taming Art, something he had had to postpone for a while due to a lack of Karma.
'I think I have to bind it like that to be able to choose it as a reward.'
The creature would surely be of little use to him now or in the future.
However, how could a person live while only doing useful things?
It was enough if he could just relieve stress by petting it whenever he thought of it.
This was even more so in a place like the primeval forest, where one could easily get lonely.
Anyway,
It was clear how he should choose the location and time of the primeval forest he was about to visit.
'The same as last time.'
It would be nice if he could go to the point in time just before that rabbit-weasel creature was attacked, but since his past self was strictly present at that time, it was impossible.
It wasn't just because he would exist at the same time. He had to assume that any kind of intervention in the past through his awakened ability was impossible.
'If that weren't the case, then in the primeval forest I'm about to visit, there would have to be a pile of presents that a Han Yu-jin from the distant future had gone to in advance and left behind.'
In short, it meant that not only could he not exist in the same time period, but he also could not exist in the same place across the past and future.
This was a time paradox problem that became more complicated the more he thought about it.
And in fact, Han Yu-jin didn't even worry about such a time paradox problem, as he was coming to realize more and more about his awakened ability.
'The more I learn about my awakened ability… the more it feels like running a simulation of some kind.'
He didn't mean that it was really a simulation, but that it felt like one.
If you thought of it as experiencing a simulation that perfectly reproduced a specific time period of a certain world, everything could be explained perfectly.
No matter how much you intervened in the past or future in a simulation, it was unlikely to affect the original.
Also, since the events that occurred had never really existed in the first place, they could not be the subject of another simulation.
Wouldn't it be a bit strange for another simulation to intervene in a situation where a simulation was already running? The moment you ran a simulation on a simulation, it would simply cease to be a simulation.
'The reason I couldn't fix the door to a past point in time on the post-apocalyptic Earth… must have been for a different reason than a time paradox problem.'
It could be because he was still inexperienced in handling his awakened ability, or the ability might have had such a limitation in the first place.
In any case, it wasn't a problem to think about deeply right now. What was important now was to fix the door to the location and time of his first visit to the primeval forest.
And so, Han Yu-jin, who had completely organized his wish in his mind, reached out his hand.
And the door responded well to his expectations.
The sight of it, which was just a pile of rocks covered with overgrown vines, as if no proper civilization existed, could not have been more welcome.
Even though he had fully expected to succeed, he became very excited and moved aside the drooping vines and such to enter.
Or, it wouldn't be a problem to express it as coming out.
The smell of vegetation filling all directions, the huge trees soaring as if to pierce the sky, and the countless bushes in the dark scenery created by those trees covering the sky.
This was a vast primeval forest whose end could not be easily grasped.
His attire was modern, practical explorer's clothes, just like before. He took a deep breath of the thick spiritual energy and attached items like the storage pouch to his belt.
"You're all dead, you bastards."
It wasn't a remark directed at any particular target, but those monkey monsters and wolf beasts did briefly come to mind.
Following what he had thought of in advance, Han Yu-jin moved, tracing his memory, and was able to find the burrow formed by the exposed roots under the tree without much difficulty.
It was the exact same appearance as when he had first seen it, a size that one person could barely enter.
'I had a hard time digging this out back then.'
Thinking this, he unfolded the Earth Manipulation Spell he had learned from the Five Elements Dharma Spellbook.
KURURURUNG…!
A faint but heavy rumbling sound was made, and the burrow widened on its own.
The byproduct, the soil, moved like a living snake, flew to Han Yu-jin's left and right, and was scattered evenly behind him.
It was an event where he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of the passage of time.
Indeed, did he not have the noble demeanor of a cultivator?
He created a burrow that was wider and felt cozier than before, and even moved to a nearby rocky cliff, found the same rock as back then, and brought it over, floating in the air with the Object Control Spell.
What he was looking forward to was none other than the attack of the monkey monster.
'How dare you scare me.'
Han Yu-jin thought, feeling like he wanted to laugh for no reason.
'This time, I'll teach you fear.'
For this trivial but sure to be satisfying revenge, it was worth investing his mental energy.
Worrying about being beaten in return?
That was impossible unless he was extremely careless.
He had won even back then when only half a day had passed since he had entered the Path of Immortality, and in this place rich with spiritual energy, he couldn't imagine a scene where he would be defeated.
<> <> <>
Time passed quickly as he sat in the cozy pit and circulated the Origin Reversion Art.
In the middle of the night, when the surroundings had become as dark as ink.
The night in the primeval forest is quiet, yet on the other hand, it is not.
The sound of grasshoppers nearby, the faint sound of nocturnal mountain birds from a distance, and the howling of an unknown beast from even further away.
In some ways, it could be seen as very noisy and fierce.
In such a place, Han Yu-jin was in a state where he had unfolded the Shadow Hiding Spell to exude an aura similar to that time, and he was concentrating on the situation outside in preparation for the creature's arrival.
This was not just for revenge. It was a process he had to go through to meet the rabbit-weasel, his additional goal.
And so, at some point while he was waiting patiently, a slight smile appeared on Han Yu-jin's lips.
BASURAK-
Then, the familiar strange noise that had startled him in the past was heard.
And so, a little more time passed.
DEULGEUREOK—!
The rock that had been blocking the entrance shook greatly, just like back then.
Han Yu-jin covered his mouth with his hand to stop his laughter from leaking out and aimed the Five Elements Sword in that direction.
'You're dead, for real.'
Of course, it had died back then too, but this time it was scheduled to die in a slightly different way.
Just as he was thinking that, the rock, which was quite heavy, flew back and disappeared.
Then, the face of a monkey monster, its yellow eyes shining, was seen through the hole that connected to the outside.
The creature saw Han Yu-jin, who was aiming a strange stick at it and covering his mouth with his other hand, and as if it instinctively felt that something was wrong, it showed a sign of slightly pulling its face back.
"Where do you think you're going, you Planet of the Apes monkey bastard."
Finally, Han Yu-jin, unable to hold back his laughter, spoke out loud and activated the Five Elements Sword's Dharma script restriction.
A grayish-blue light flowed, and a fierce wind spewing from the sword struck and knocked down the monkey monster.
And before the creature could even scream, it was whipped around violently, making it dizzy.
There was no way it couldn't feel the invisible blades mixed in the wind constantly grazing its fur.
The creature realized it had messed with the wrong opponent and had a completely bewildered look in its eyes.
"Are you scared? Huh?"
Han Yu-jin threatened the creature, making it back away, and then climbed out of the pit with a very leisurely attitude.
And so, he looked down at the monkey monster, which was cowering, completely terrified.
"I was fucking scared back then too. You little piece of shit!"
As he raised the sword and stimulated the Dharma script restriction, the sound of the whipping wind became even more ferocious.
The sight of the monkey monster startling and cowering was quite funny and pitiful.
"Anyway, since I won back then too, I won't torture you."
Han Yu-jin, who was not a psychopath, had no liking for such things. He simply felt the satisfaction of having satisfyingly paid back the memory of being terrified in the past and flicked the Five Elements Sword.
A single sharp wind blade was shot out at high speed and beheaded the creature before it could even react.
The flame that spewed out in succession burned only the decapitated head along with the surrounding bushes.
He had preserved the body for a different reason.
'It's good to give off a burnt smell like back then, but it's a waste to burn the meat too.'
He had dealt with the head together since it was a part he couldn't eat due to his squeamishness, and he could butcher the rest later.
It would also serve to lure the rabbit-weasel creatures with the smell of blood.
He stood tall in a spot similar to that time, waiting for the other monkey monsters to appear. Of course, he maintained the Shadow Hiding Spell to look vulnerable.
'Whether I lured them like this first or not, I'm going to kill all the ones that attack.'
It was a very natural logic that if you tried to kill your opponent, you should be prepared to die yourself. This was not a matter of right or wrong, but the law of nature.
A moment later.
The seven monkey monsters appeared faster than he had thought. It seemed he had felt the time to be longer back then because he was so nervous.
In any case, there was one thought that suddenly came to mind.
It was the thought he had had when he was first learning the Fire Bullet Spell, that he might have been able to subdue the monkey monsters in one go with it.
"Nice to meet you, you bastards."
So Han Yu-jin did not hesitate. With the Five Elements Sword floating in the air next to him, he created the Fire Bullet Spell in his right hand and threw it at the nearby ground.
KWAKWAKWANG—!!
The flash and explosion of the Dharma spell, thrown with intent, were indeed tremendous.
The creatures, who had been full of ferocity, perhaps due to their desire for revenge for their kin, had their spirit completely broken and were seen flinching.
Han Yu-jin laughed as he looked at them.
"Why, why don't you try roaring once like back then?"
It wasn't a shout, just a leisurely spoken word. But the creatures showed a sign of flinching even more at that, making Han Yu-jin's smile deepen.
"Are you going to run away? Wasn't this your territory?"
A beast does not easily run away when its territory is invaded. This is because it knows on an instinctive level that it will have to fight anyway to go to another territory and settle down.
KUWAAAAAAAAAAK—!!!
At that moment, a monkey monster let out the familiar roar. It was clearly an act to boost its morale, and the other monkey monsters also followed suit, letting out roars and bravely attacking Han Yu-jin.
Han Yu-jin laughed out loud and manipulated the Five Elements Sword.
The Dharma script restriction flashed, and streaks of golden energy were shot out, slaughtering the charging creatures one by one.
The sight of the creatures, which had been charging with the force to shake the ground, being helplessly split apart and rolling on the ground might have felt like a hallucination if it weren't for the spewing blood and guts.
Han Yu-jin felt refreshed, yet somehow a little empty at the battle that had ended in the time it took to take a single breath.
'To think those guys were so scary back then…'
Power was indeed relative. He himself would also die in vain like those creatures now if he met a stronger opponent.
After observing the scene of the ended battle for a little longer, he reminded himself that he had to wait until dawn anyway.
This was because the rabbit-weasels would probably appear then.
'Then, instead of just wasting time, let's go to their nest.'
He needed to visit the nest of these monkey monsters before those wolf beasts cleared it all out anyway.
The sight of the gaunt black tree and the seeds with thick spiritual energy scattered around it was vivid in his mind.
'I have to see what kind of fruit was growing on it.'
It could be the first spirit material where he could properly utilize the Alchemy Arts he had learned.
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