Ji-ah muttered, "That was incredible." The shadows around her had been burned away, returning everything back to normalcy.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lee Dojin sight followed the path of her light beam, which had now dissipated. The leaves and branches had burned down, leaving a gaping hole in a few trees until it landed on a stone, where a black scorch mark and crystallized glass now was.
"I still can't quite believe it." Ji-ah lifted her hands and looked at them. Her eyes were wide open, while her mouth stayed slack-jawed. "That something like that from me." As she said so, her head suddenly started aching. She groaned, rubbing her temples.
"Don't worry about that. It's the consequence of overcharging your ability. With time, the headaches will get better," he assured her. "At one point, you may not feel any at all."
"I see," she said, and already felt the headache vanish. It indeed was negligible. "There's a message hovering above me, it says to accept the reward. How do I do it?"
"Just let it happen, it will teleport in front of you."
Ji-ah heeded his advice and took the reward. Right after, the upgrading crystal appeared in her hand. Reading the description, she was in for another shock. "It says it can upgrade the rank of any skill I want. I don't know much, but that sounds pretty good, right?"
"Pretty good is an understatement. It's a miracle they even give this to you," he replied. "You should use it on your ability."
"Right now?" She hesitated. Her grip tightened. The trees continued rustling, even those burned by the light.
Lee Dojin did not understand why. "What are you waiting for?"
Ji-ah stayed silent. She looked at the glowing blue stone in her hand. Her brows furrowed, as if she thought hard about her next steps. After a rough sigh, followed by a relieved, yet somewhat sad smile, she threw the stone to Lee Dojin. "Here, you can have it."
He caught it, albeit with confusion. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"I have no need for it," she told him, steadfast. "After all, I don't have much longer to live. Instead of wasting it on me, you should use it yourself. Still, I am thankful that you showed me this new world. It was fun to experience it, so close to my deathbed." She paused. After saying her words, her mind was now serene. "Ah, if it's not too much, could you look after my father? He's old and a grump. I'm unsure if he can survive with all these new changes."
Lee Dojin let her speak without interrupting. "It would seem that there is a misunderstanding." He tightly held onto the stone. "I think it would be good if I explain this to you now. See, this is a mindset hard for us humans to understand, but for Gods and Higher Beings—including the System—death does not necessarily mean the end of lifespan or a heart that stops beating. To them, it is when their legacy is forgotten, that they truly are dead. When there's no one to remember them, to pass on their life and beliefs. It's a little hard for me to understand too."
"Uhm, okay," she replied, confused. "That's nice for them, but I am a mere human."
Lee Dojin shook his head. "You aren't anymore. You are a player that holds a legacy. That skill of yours is proof of that. I suppose I never explained to you how skills are formed. See, it is when you expand on your own legacy that you are granted new abilities." He lifted his finger. "In essence, when you complete certain tasks, and you leave behind something extraordinary, the system grants a new skill. Break a world record, kill a hundred people, cure an illness, and even more exotic ones, like revive the dead, become a deity, or break the world. But not anything works. Different Affinities have different tasks to complete. No one really knows which." He said, and a grin appeared. "Except for me."
Ji-ah felt her heart skip. The info seemingly had nothing to do with her, yet she sensed that it did. And it did tremendously so. "So, how do I fit into this equation?"
Lee Dojin reminisced about his old life. "Save a nation and become its hero. The skill you gain is called Holy Intervention." He paused. "The user gains immunity to all illnesses and negative status effects. That includes any past ones too. No exception." He patted her shoulder. "Protect your father yourself. I'm sure you'll do well."
Ji-ah held her mouth. Those words made her cry again, but this time, they were different. They were sobs of relief. "Goddamnit." She wiped her tears away. "I'm usually not that emotional, I promise." She let out a burst of self-deprecating laughter.
"It's fine," Lee Dojin said. "Let your tears flow freely, so when the time comes, you can smile without any regrets."
She nodded wholeheartedly. "But saving a nation. . . That sounds hard. Is that even doable?"
"Don't worry. I'm quite strong," he assured her. There wasn't an ounce of worry in his voice, which helped Ji-ah relax. "With me helping you, it will be as fast as light. " He then walked away. "Well then, you can mull over what to do with the stone. Though in the first place, you can't give it to me anyway since it's bound to you. Meanwhile please take a step back. It might get ugly otherwise." Lee Dojin looked at the sky. There was something he hadn't done yet; he took out the sand in his bag—an amount incomparable to the previous times. Even though the sun had gone down considerably, it was still enough for its intended purposes.
The time had come for him to fight against his own shadows.
Ji-ah thought that she had managed pretty well, fending off against the shadows, but what she witnessed now had subverted all her silly preconceptions. Her little squabble was nothing compared to how Lee Dojin handled them. It looked like he was performing an intricate dance, swaying through the world, the shadows—whether they wanted or not—simply became props to showcase his skills. "Amazing," was all she could mutter in a daze.
Lee Dojin stopped moving after a while. Not because he was out of juice, no, it was that the shadows had been turned to mush and wholly dissipated. He had cleared the Hidden Quest once more. A broad smile appeared on him. He had finally achieved his long-awaited[ goal—and that, so close to the deadline too.
[Congratulations! You have reached rank 1 in the Hidden Quest: Shadows of the Past!]
[The warrior has successfully created a legacy. An additional reward will be issued. Please prepare to receive it.]
...
"Sensei, Sensei!" A young boy ran into the dojo, screaming. He burst into an old room, which has decorated with nothing but tatami flooring and a Tayama, dedicated to the deceased ancestors, in the middle. An older man sat in the middle. his hands clasped, praying. The boy panted, out of breath. "You have to check the rankings!"
"I've seen it, Uzuwara. Calm down." The man offered an incense stick. On his side lay a long Naginata that remained sheathed. "Looks like I'm placed fourth now."
The boy was unsure of how to react. Seeing his teacher this serene, he felt awkward making such a scene. "Then what does that mean?"
"Maybe that they are stronger than me. Who knows?"
"Stronger than Sensei," the boy muttered, finding it hard to believe. To him, the man was the pinnacle of human evolution, meaning, a being stronger than his teacher could not be human. "Is that even possible?"
"There are many kinds of wonders in this wide world, some that are inborn with talent. It isn't out of question." He took the Nagitata and walked outside. The garden greeted him with a fresh wind. The man rubbed his chin. "But I'd love to meet that person someday."
...
"What is the meaning of this!" An old man somewhere in a rural town of Brazil shouted. He had several scars running down his face, and wore beige camouflaged clothes with a bulletproof vest. Strapped to his side was a gun. "I don't give a damn if you are lacking behind the first ranked, since that guy is an uncontrollable wildcard anyway, but now you aren't even second?" He slammed on the desk.
"Oh don't be so loud." The woman picked her ears. She sat relaxed, leaning against a chair with her bare feet on the table. She had golden-brown skin with hair color as white as snow. "Also, that guy, what was his title? Ah, that Bodhisattva isn't rank one anymore."
"Don't give me that bullshit. Do you know how much money we paid?" The commander shouted, his neck red. "Do you know what will happen if you don't get this sorted out?"
Immediately, the woman's face turned frosty. "Are you threatening me?" her eyes turned dark, and she showed her teeth, as if a feral beast.
The man gulped, feeling the temperature in the room change. "That's not what I mean. Just see if you can do something about it."
"I was thinking to do so anyway," The woman laughed, returning to her playful nature. "You know, I've never gotten a silver medal in my life, but now it's even bronze? Crazy world, huh?"
...
"Hohoho, what a surprise," a blond man, with European facial features said and laughed. He looked at the screen with a smile. "Someone has surpassed me." The sun shone brightly on him, illuminating his bare chest. By itself, it would not look out of the ordinary, if only he was not in the middle of Western Siberia, at the coldest time of the year. Though it was great for the creation of shadows—especially when it hailed.
Surrounding him was nothing but snow, burying him knee-deep. A harsh wind that seemed to freeze skin and flesh kept baragging him, but he appeared not to care. "Inheritor of the Universe. And here I thought my name was exaggerated," he joked. "Well, may his or her life be bountiful, and their spirit rest without worry. Amitābha."
The man dredged himself through the snow, behind him a pool of fresh blood, littered with corpses and carcasses.