...
Silence.
Complete silence filled the hall.
Every disciple was staring at Lee Hyun.
Including the instructor.
The small golden-and-brown Gu remained calmly inside his aperture as if nothing had happened.
Lee Hyun was still trying to process everything.
"..."
"...Can I return this?"
The instructor raised an eyebrow.
"No."
An immediate answer.
Cold.
Merciless.
Lee Hyun felt a deep emotional pain.
"But I didn't even choose it."
The old man slowly approached.
His expression seemed more curious than concerned.
"Gu possess spirituality and will."
"They live, feed, and die."
"Some choose where they wish to stay."
"Heaven follows paths mortals cannot comprehend, and perhaps should not."
Lee Hyun stared at him for several seconds.
"...That seems unfair."
"Heaven is unfair as well, young man."
The conversation ended there.
Naturally.
Nobody argued philosophy with a Rank 3 Gu Master.
The other disciples immediately began whispering.
"A Gu chose him by itself..."
"I've never heard of that before..."
"Maybe it's an inheritance."
"Or bad luck."
"Probably bad luck."
Lee Hyun strongly agreed with the last opinion.
The instructor then looked directly at him.
"Your Gu will be registered as temporarily unknown."
"Until we discover its function."
"Congratulations."
"..."
That definitely did not sound like congratulations.
It sounded more like:
"Good luck not dying."
Liling quietly approached after the disciples began leaving the hall.
She looked at him.
Then at the now-open entrance.
Then back at Lee Hyun.
"...So..."
She hesitated.
"...Is that a good thing?"
Lee Hyun answered immediately.
"I have no idea."
And that was honestly terrifying.
In that world—
Information was survival.
An unknown Gu could easily kill its user.
Or worse.
Be completely useless.
And uselessness was almost as dangerous as death.
There was a reason children were often born afraid of the dark.
A gift from evolution.
Darkness hid the unknown, and the unknown could mean danger.
Fear could sometimes become an obstacle.
But it also kept people away from the unknown and preserved their lives.
As he walked, Lee Hyun immediately began doing calculations in his head.
"Unknown function."
"Unknown food."
"Unknown origin."
Each word worsened his mood.
"How does someone feed an unknown thing?"
"What if it eats something rare?"
"What if it requires too much essence?"
"What if it dies?"
"What if it explodes?"
His expression gradually darkened.
Then he remembered the instructor's words.
"There are no useless Gu, only useless Gu Masters."
The old man had said that while looking directly at him.
And then he had added:
"If you discover its function, the clan generously rewards good results."
That was enough to stop Lee Hyun from immediately falling into financial depression.
"Generously..."
That was a good word.
A very good word.
A righteous clan survived through trust and relationships.
Not that it made them any less cruel or insane than demonic cultivators.
But it meant their words and promises carried weight.
If a righteous clan didn't at least appear honest, who would trust them?
Who would trade with them?
Who would care whether they lived or died?
Thus, an "honest" clan had to maintain its image.
Planting appearances.
Harvesting trust.
Of course, that only remained useful as long as there was profit involved.
'Perhaps this little disaster still had some value.'
After the commotion, the instructor finally allowed the disciples to continue making their selections.
The remaining Rank B students were called.
Including Liling.
She calmly walked between the shelves until she stopped in front of a bright red Gu.
It looked like a small butterfly made from translucent rubies.
Beautiful.
Very beautiful.
Lee Hyun immediately felt concerned.
"She actually chose based on appearance..."
The Gu belonged to the Poison Path.
Weed recognized it from the catalog.
Its ability allowed it to release a toxic powder that caused vomiting and diarrhea after prolonged exposure.
Liling seemed extremely satisfied.
"...She chose a biological warfare Gu because it was pretty."
It had never been one of his own considerations.
The poison acted too slowly for practical combat, and the danger to the user made a detoxification Gu practically mandatory.
Lee Hyun decided not to comment.
Or think about it any further.
Then came the Class C disciples.
Far more numerous than everyone else combined.
The hall remained busy for quite some time.
Finally, once everything was over, the instructor stood before the students once more.
"Now that you've obtained your first Gu..."
Everyone immediately paid attention.
"...you have a mission."
The old man's expression became serious.
"In fact, two."
The disciples immediately became tense.
"You must refine them as quickly as possible."
"Laziness will not be tolerated."
Many swallowed nervously.
Refining a Gu was not easy for beginners.
Especially when using only Rank 1 primeval essence.
"However..."
The instructor paused.
The students became even more attentive.
"The first person to refine their Gu will receive two hundred primeval stones."
The hall erupted into noise.
"TWO HUNDRED?!"
"That's a fortune!"
"That's months of resources!"
Even Lee Hyun felt his heart speed up.
Two hundred primeval stones.
That was practically starting capital.
The instructor then looked toward the sky.
In silence.
...
Everyone waited.
...
...
...
The old man continued staring upward.
"I forgot."
...
The students exchanged confused glances.
Lee Hyun narrowed his eyes.
"...He forgot???"
The instructor finally blinked.
"Ah, right."
"There will also be a reward for the first person to reach Rank 1 Middle Stage."
The students immediately became excited again.
"And even if you aren't the first..."
The old man crossed his arms.
"...there will be a tournament among the disciples."
"Anyone who reaches Rank 1 Middle Stage may participate."
The entire hall exploded with excitement.
A tournament meant:
rewards.
resources.
recognition.
Perhaps even the attention of the elders.
The disciples' eyes began shining with competitiveness.
As for Lee Hyun...
He was thinking about something else entirely.
"Two hundred primeval stones..."
His mind immediately began calculating.
"If I save enough..."
"And get another Gu... maybe even two..."
"Perhaps I can start over..."
Then he remembered the small unknown Gu inside his aperture.
His mood died instantly.
"...I need to figure out what the hell this thing does."
Lee Hyun let out a deep sigh.
It didn't matter if it was a rare Gu.
It didn't matter if it was a heavenly inheritance.
It didn't matter if it hid some extraordinary secret.
None of that mattered right now.
What truly mattered was:
two hundred primeval stones.
His resolve remained firm.
First:
refine the Gu.
Second:
claim the reward.
Everything else could wait.
"But I need to focus on refining it regardless of its power if I want the prize."
Even if it meant staying awake for days without eating,
Lee Hyun was ready and willing.