I'm starting to feel disturbed when I see that mysterious man in the void. It's as if I'm experiencing a familiar sensation that I've never felt before. I feel anger, happiness, sadness, peace, regret, and other mixed feelings that have never happened yet feel utterly real.
Who is he? What is his connection to me? I'm still confused.
I opened my eyes. The sensation was almost the same as when I first lost consciousness from hunger. Physician Sugeng was beside me. But he wasn't grinding medicine now. Instead, he was still unconscious.
Perhaps his body was too fragile for him to continue working. It was time for him to retire.
I still remember that. Physician Sugeng was kind and cheerful, but he actually harbored deep wounds in his heart. Every night, he cried while looking at the painting of his child that he always carried with him.
He once told me that his child was around my age. But an incident caused him to lose his child:
The Blood Cult. His child was one of the Blood Cult's kidnapping victims. They were a heretical sect that committed atrocities just for fun. That name always made my blood boil.
"So you're awake."
A deep voice from Elder Hartono broke my reverie.
"Elder Hartono, I'm not..." I mean..."
"I was wrong. It turns out you're not the person I meant. But I want to confirm one thing. Do you know about the strange condition of your body?"
"You mean my body's ability to regenerate? I don't—"
"No, not regeneration. It's about you. Your body doesn't just regenerate; it's as if it refuses to die."
"What do you mean?"
"You have a unique body. But that's all. Your body is too weak. That's why you easily lose consciousness," said Elder Hartono. "You have potential. But you have absolutely no foundation."
I fell silent. Then, Elder Hartono handed me a book.
"Study this."
"Yes, sir!"
"I will test you once a month. If you're lazy, prepare to be beaten to death."
Elder Hartono left the clinic and hurried to his master's grave. Upon arriving at the location, "Master, I won't think about revenge anymore. Now, I've been given the fortune of having a potential-filled disciple. I will train him, not for revenge, but to become a gem and protect Murim," he murmured while pouring wine. "Perhaps that child is the only one capable of mastering the Golden Body technique because it doesn't require qi but life energy."
Once again, tears fell on Elder Hartono's cheeks.
---
Thooong... Thooong...
A bell rang, summoning all the disciples to gather in the middle of the field. Even the new disciples lined up, filling the field.
"Good morning, my disciples," said the Sect Leader. "I have good news for all of you. Kidang Alas will be opening. Every disciple who completes it will receive credits to exchange for pills, weapons, and rare technique manuals."
Some were enthusiastic, while others complained and looked confused.
"So, prepare yourselves. The student with the highest contribution will participate in the annual tournament," the Sect Leader added.
—
"Karman, what are you doing today?" Tono asked.
"Huh? Uh, yeah."
"Answer properly, man!"
"I'm focusing. What kind of book is this? The movements are weird."
"Don't you care at all about what the Sect Leader said earlier?" Tono asked. "Rumor has it that even if you want to eat at the canteen, you have to pay with contribution points."
"What?"
"Lol, I thought so. You only listen when it's about food."
"So, what is this Kidang Alas thing?"
"Kidang Alas is a secret realm that brought our sect to the peak of its glory. But..."
"But what?"
"In recent decades, it's been closed because it claimed many victims," Tono said seriously. "That secret realm contains the world of beasts. It was initially used as a training ground and resource mine for the sect. However, after a tragedy killed many of the sect's geniuses, the secret realm was closed for safety reasons. That also caused our sect's decline."
"Oh, yeah, yeah."
"You don't seem curious at all. You're not even asking what disaster befell that secret realm."
"Sighhhh...." Tono exhaled. "Due to overexploitation for hundreds of years, the realm eventually formed its own defense."
"What do you mean?"
"A beast king awakened: the White Tiger. Where we used to hunt beasts, the White Tiger now hunts us. That day became known as the Kidang Alas Disaster, marking the beginning of our sect's decline. But there's good news. The White Tiger won't leave its nest unless provoked. This time, the secret realm will be limited to explorable areas."
Karman nodded and returned to reading the book given to him by Elder Hartono because he didn't want to be beaten again.
—
The next day, during breakfast at the canteen: Everything looked normal. Except...
Tak!
Karman's hand was hit with a vegetable ladle.
"If you want more, pay with contribution points," said Bi Ijah, the sect's cook.
"Just this once, please," Karman begged for mercy.
"No, no, no. I don't want lazy students eating my food."
"Come on. Don't embarrass us. Let's just go," Tono said.
"Oh, so the greedy village kid wants to act tough and cause trouble in the cafeteria," said Bonar.
Karman looked at the source of the voice and saw that it was Bonar. He immediately avoided him; he didn't want to get into another fight and receive stupid penalties.
"Where are you going? Scared of me?"
"Wherever I want. I want to go to Kidang Alas. I want to earn points for food. I'm still not full."
Bonar was deeply insulted because it was the first time someone had ignored him like that. After all, he was the son of one of the city's richest merchants.
Finally, Karman and Tono arrived at Kidang Alas. They registered and were given entry permits for new disciples.
Specifically, they were given entry permits for the peripheral areas of Kidang Alas.
"What is this? Where are the beasts?!"
"You're so noisy, Karman! Besides, it's better than being surrounded."
After looking around, they finally found a squirrel beast.
"Are you serious, Tono? What kind of squirrel is that big?"
"I told you we have to be careful."
"According to the guidebook, the way to defeat a squirrel beast is... Hey! Don't be reckless!"
"No matter how big a squirrel is, it's still just a squirrel."
Karman immediately charged forward without thinking. Meanwhile, far away on the mountaintop, the sleeping White Tiger began to open its eyes.