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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 27: Back in the Primeval Forest

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Han Yujin had not expected to gain such a large amount of Karma just as his Hunter activities were about to begin in earnest. Despite several unsettling aspects, this was undeniably welcome news.

With enough Karma, he could grow dramatically stronger every time he slept and woke up. This growth, in particular, would be especially striking.

Not merely a step upward, but more like a small cliff.

'This is enough to reach the Dharma Soul Stage.'

He could leave behind the Entry Stage, where it was still somewhat questionable whether one could be called a true cultivator. He was already recognized as having the combat power of an A-rank Hunter, but reaching the Dharma Soul Stage would clearly make him an S-rank Hunter.

More than the rank itself, he liked the fact that it would make him that much safer in reality.

There were fewer than a hundred S-rank Hunters worldwide, the strongest of the strong.

Living strategic weapons who could not be killed by ordinary firearms and were considered opponents requiring serious military force, yet who were known to be nearly impossible to subdue if they hid in a city, given that they were individuals.

It was practically common knowledge that the international treaty preventing Hunters from participating in wars as soldiers had effectively been created because of them. They were also the very people many politicians genuinely feared and sought to keep in check.

In several developing countries, people with the power of S-rank Hunters had overthrown their governments and ruled as dictators. For decades already, they had remained perfectly secure while wiping out every last "rebel" who pointed a gun at them.

'In short, as long as I don't let my guard down, it'll become very hard for me to die.'

He could remain safe whether those pseudo-religious international drug crime organization bastards came for revenge or not. Naturally, he would also be safe while working as a Hunter. Money and fame were merely secondary at this point.

'Money and fame are secondary...'

Han Yujin suddenly realized that his way of thinking had become very cultivator-like.

Money and fame could only be secondary. If he lived long enough, they would naturally follow.

He had clearly wished for an awakening because of money at first, but after awakening, he had naturally developed a mindset where he could throw money around without restraint if it helped him grow.

'Of course, that doesn't mean I have no interest in money and fame at all.'

The greater his power became, the more freely he could enjoy them without worrying about someone framing him.

Finishing that train of thought, Han Yujin focused on the ever-changing Door before him.

This visit to the primeval forest for cultivation had another goal as well.

He intended to tame that arrogant, useless Rabbit-Weasel with the Spirit Beast Training Formula, something he had postponed because he lacked Karma.

'I probably need to bind it to me before I can choose it through Harvest Selection.'

The creature would certainly be of no use to him now or in the future. But could a person really live while doing only useful things? It would be enough if he could dote on the cute little thing whenever it crossed his mind and relieve some stress.

Especially in a place like the primeval forest, where loneliness could come so easily.

In any case.

It was clear what time and place he needed to choose for this visit to the primeval forest.

'The same as last time.'

It would have been nice if he could go to the moment just before the Rabbit-Weasel was attacked, but his past self undeniably existed at that time, so that could not happen.

It was not simply because he could not exist in the same time period. He had to assume that intervening in the past through his awakened ability was impossible by any means.

'Otherwise, the primeval forest I'm about to visit would have a pile of presents left behind by a future Han Yujin.'

In other words, not only could he not exist in the same time period, but he could not exist in the same place across the past and future either. The more he thought about it, the more complicated this time-paradox problem became.

In truth, though, Han Yujin had gradually come to understand something about his awakened ability, so he did not dwell on time paradoxes.

'The more I learn about my awakened ability... the more it feels like it's running a kind of simulation.'

He did not mean it literally was a simulation. It simply felt that way.

If he thought of it as experiencing a simulation that perfectly recreated a particular point in time in a certain world, everything fit perfectly.

No matter how much he intervened in the past or future in a simulation, it could not affect the original. And since the events that happened there had never truly existed in the first place, they could not become the subject of another simulation.

Wouldn't it be strange for another simulation to intervene while one was already running? Running a simulation on a simulation would mean it was no longer a simulation at all.

'The reason I couldn't fix the Door to a point in Earth After the Apocalypse's past... probably had nothing to do with time paradoxes.'

Perhaps he was still inexperienced at handling his awakened ability. Or perhaps the ability had that limitation from the beginning.

Either way, it was not something he needed to think deeply about right now. What mattered was fixing the Door to the place and time of his first visit to the primeval forest.

Once he had completely sorted out his wish in his mind, Han Yujin reached out.

And the Door met his expectations.

He was strangely glad to see the rough pile of stones, hidden beneath thick vines, as though no proper civilization had ever existed here.

Though he had expected success, excitement filled him as he pushed aside the hanging vines and stepped inside.

Or perhaps it would be just as accurate to say he stepped outside.

The scent of vegetation filling the air, massive trees towering as though to pierce the sky, and countless bushes amid the dim landscape created as those trees blocked out the heavens.

This was a vast primeval forest whose end could not be easily grasped.

He wore the same practical, modern explorer's clothing as before. Breathing in the dense spiritual energy, he fastened items such as his Storage Pouch to his belt.

"You're all dead, you bastards."

He had not said it to anyone in particular, but images of the monkey monsters and wolf beasts briefly came to mind.

Following the route he had planned beforehand and drawing on his memories, Han Yujin soon found the earthen burrow formed beneath the exposed roots of a tree.

It was just large enough for one person to squeeze inside, exactly as it had been when he first saw it.

'I had a hard time digging this out back then.'

As he thought that, he used the Earth Manipulation Art he had learned from the Five Elements Arts manual.

Rumble...!

A soft yet heavy sound echoed, and the burrow expanded by itself. The excavated dirt moved like living snakes, flying to Han Yujin's left and right before scattering evenly behind him.

He could not help feeling the passage of time. Did this not have the refined air of a true cultivator?

After making a burrow wider and cozier than before, he went to a nearby rocky area, found the same boulder as last time, and even brought it back floating through the air with the Object Manipulation Art.

What he was waiting for was none other than that monkey monster's attack.

'It dared to scare me.'

The thought made Han Yujin smile.

'This time, I'll teach it what fear is.'

This petty yet surely satisfying revenge was worth investing any amount of mental energy into.

Was he worried it might turn the tables on him?

That would be impossible unless he let his guard down terribly.

He had won back when he had been on the path of immortality for barely half a day. In this place overflowing with spiritual energy, he could not imagine himself losing.

* * *

Time passed quickly as he sat in the cozy pit and circulated the Returning to the Origin Art.

It was midnight, and the surroundings had darkened like ink.

The primeval forest was quiet at night, yet not quiet at all. The chirping of insects nearby, the faint calls of nocturnal birds in the distance, and the howls of unknown beasts even farther away.

In a sense, it was an exceedingly noisy and fierce place.

Han Yujin had used the Concealment Art to give off an aura similar to the one he had possessed back then. Preparing for the creature's arrival, he concentrated on the movements outside.

This was not merely for revenge. It was also a necessary step if he wanted to meet the Rabbit-Weasel, his secondary objective.

As he waited patiently, a faint smile appeared on Han Yujin's lips.

Rustle.

Then came that unfamiliar sound that had startled him so badly in the past. A little more time passed.

Rattle!

Just as before, the boulder blocking the entrance shook violently. Han Yujin covered his mouth to keep from laughing and pointed the Five Elements Sword toward it.

'You're dead. Seriously.'

Of course, it had died back then too, but this time it was going to die differently.

Just as he thought that, the rather heavy boulder flew off behind him and vanished. Then, yellow eyes appeared in the opening to the outside, along with the monkey monster's face.

When it saw Han Yujin aiming a strange rod at it while covering his mouth with his other hand, it seemed to instinctively sense that something was wrong and pulled its head back slightly.

"Where do you think you're going, you Planet of the Apes monkey bastard?"

At last, Han Yujin stopped holding back his laughter and activated the Five Elements Sword's inscribed spell restrictions.

A bluish-gray light flowed across the blade, and a fierce wind surged from the sword, striking the monkey monster and knocking it down. Before it could even scream, the wind whipped around it wildly and left it reeling.

It could not fail to notice the invisible blades mixed into the wind repeatedly slicing across its fur. Realizing it had picked the wrong opponent, it looked completely panicked.

"Scared? Huh?"

Threatening the creature, Han Yujin forced it backward and climbed out of the pit at his leisure. Then he looked down at the monkey monster, now curled up in complete terror.

"I was fucking scared back then too. Just you wait!"

When he raised his sword and stimulated the inscribed spell restrictions, the sound of the raging wind grew even more vicious. The monkey monster flinched and curled up tighter. It was rather funny, yet also pitiful.

"Anyway, I won back then too, so I won't torture you."

Han Yujin was not a psychopath. There was no way he enjoyed that sort of thing. He merely felt the satisfying sense of repaying the fear he had felt before, then lightly moved the Five Elements Sword.

A sharp blade of wind shot out at high speed and beheaded the creature before it could react. Flames immediately burst forth, burning only the severed head along with the nearby brush.

He had preserved the body for no other reason.

'It's nice that it gives off a burnt smell like back then, but it'd be a waste to burn the meat too.'

The head was a part he could not stomach eating anyway, so he disposed of it along with the brush. He could butcher the body later. The scent of blood might draw in the Rabbit-Weasels as well.

He stood in roughly the same place as before and waited for more monkey monsters to appear. Naturally, he maintained the Concealment Art so that he would seem easy to take on.

'Whether I lured them here first or not, I'll kill every one that attacks me.'

It was a perfectly natural principle. If someone tried to kill him, they should be prepared to die themselves. This was not a matter of right or wrong, but the law of nature.

A short while later.

The seven monkey monsters appeared sooner than he expected. He must have felt the time pass more slowly back then because he had been so tense.

Still, one thought suddenly came to him.

It was the thought he had had when he first learned the Flame Projectile Art. Could he not have seized the initiative against the monkey monsters in one blow with this?

"Nice to see you, you bastards."

So Han Yujin did not hesitate. With the Five Elements Sword floating in the air beside him, he formed the Flame Projectile Art in his right hand and threw it at the nearby ground.

Kaboom!!

The flash and thunderous blast of the spell he had thrown with intent were indeed tremendous. The creatures, who had been brimming with ferocity, perhaps driven by vengeful fury over what had been done to their kin, suddenly lost their momentum and flinched in fear.

Han Yujin smiled at them.

"Why don't you roar like you did back then?"

He did not shout. He simply spoke in a relaxed tone. Yet the creatures flinched even harder, deepening Han Yujin's smile.

"Don't tell me you're going to run away. Wasn't this your territory?"

Beasts did not easily flee when their own territory was invaded. On an instinctive level, they knew they would have to fight anyway to settle somewhere else.

Rooaaaar!

At that moment, one monkey monster let out the familiar roar. It was clearly trying to bolster their fighting spirit, and the others followed suit, roaring as they bravely charged Han Yujin.

Han Yujin laughed aloud and controlled the Five Elements Sword.

The inscribed spell restrictions flashed, and streams of golden energy shot out, slaughtering the charging creatures one after another. The monkey monsters, which had rushed forward hard enough to shake the earth, were effortlessly split apart and thrown across the ground. If not for the blood and entrails that spilled out, the sight might have seemed like an illusion.

The battle ended in the time it took to draw a breath. Han Yujin felt refreshed, yet somehow a little empty.

'Those creatures that scared me so badly back then...'

Power truly was relative. If he encountered a stronger opponent, he too would die as futilely as those creatures had.

After examining the aftermath of the battle for a while longer, he remembered that he had to wait here until dawn anyway. The Rabbit-Weasels would probably appear then.

'Then I shouldn't waste the time. I should check out these creatures' nest.'

He needed to visit before those wolf beasts looted the monkey monsters' nest anyway. The image of that withered black tree and the spiritual-energy-rich seeds scattered around it remained clear in his mind.

'I should see what kind of fruit it bore.'

It might be the first spirit plant on which he could properly use the alchemy he had learned.

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