Episode 5: Citizenship / Chapter 77: Advancent Evaluation (11)
TL: emptycube
ED: Obelisk
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During the 2 weeks without an advancent evaluation, Choi Hyuk spent his ti thinking about fire.
What was fire?
Fire symbolized wisdom, it symbolized virtue that could not be hidden when one attempted to. It also symbolized enlightennt, but at certain tis, it also stood for humanity itself. At the sa ti, it ant destruction and annihilation as well.
What was fire?
The four states of matter are known as solid, liquid, gas and plasma. So say fire is plasma while others say that it isn’t.
Fire was sothing so close that it defined humanity, but was difficult to comprehend. If it was instead light rays or a lightning strike, he felt he would be able to describe it sowhat, but when asked what fire was, his mind would beco complicated. Just what was fire? Was it matter? Or was it simply only a heap of heat and light? If fire was matter, where would it fall between solid, liquid, gas and plasma? If fire was simply a heap of heat and light, would they have to call a hot incandescent light fire as well?
Choi Hyuk was continuously consud by this question.
The skill Choi Hyuk was training, Flaming Wing Dance, was sothing he couldn’t control by himself and was a high-level skill that he couldn’t comprehend. At first, he started to train in hopes of controlling it more efficiently. To reduce the consumption of Stamina. However, his training was t with a completely different developnt.
It was because of his eting with Fla-Rain and the flas she showed. Her flas were purer and clearer, and above all, tenacious. Choi Hyuk was captivated by this new revelation.
‘Why are her flas and mine different?’
What made the difference in flas? Just what were flas?
Choi Hyuk had no choice but to first start with the ‘fire’ he saw in nature before expanding beyond. The fire Fla-Rain and Choi Hyuk used wasn’t sothing that existed by burning matter but rather by burning karma, the retribution of living beings. Then, it beca more complicated.
‘What is fire anyways? Then just what is karma-burning fire?’
It was a completely different kind of training. The training Choi Hyuk had done until now was that of ‘looking’, ‘sensing’, and ‘trying’. If he saw it, he could get a sense of what was going on, and depending on the sensation, he could try it out. His entire training regi was centered around constantly practicing until he beca used to the skill and improving on it. It was training comprised of his instincts and physical body.
However, the training this ti demanded contemplation and enlightennt.
‘What is fire? What is karma-burning fire?’
To find the answer, he had asked Naro, Baek Seoin, and Lee Jinhee. It had been his first ti asking soone else about his training.
Naro restrained from explaining karma.
“I’m not sure. Karma isn’t sothing that falls within the logic of science. It is hard for an artificial intelligence like to explain. Since it is subjectively similar to a ‘feeling’... Instead, try asking humans, who can generate and control karma, what they think fire is. Only, the entire population will probably describe the natural phenonon they call ‘fire’. What is fire? The reason why the true nature of fire is so confusing is... the phenonon known as ‘fire’ is actually an accumulation of various different essences rather than of a single one.”
“An accumulation?”
“Yes, it’s like a guitar performance. Guitars are made up of their body and strings, correct? If either one of those is missing, then it will be impossible to play.”
“Yeah.”
“You also need a guitarist. As well as a song to play. The gathering of all these is a ‘guitar performance’. If you ask, ‘What is a guitar performance?’ Asking, ‘Is it the guitar strings? Its body? The performance? The song?’ doesn’t have any aning. From the beginning, a guitar performance is not of one essence but the continuous reaction of various essences. It’s the sa with fire. It is a phenonon which occurs when fuel is heated. If we use a candle as an example, when the wick, which is solid, is lit on fire, it will burn and turn to ash. The wax will lt into a liquid, and a portion of that will evaporate into a gas, and a portion of that gas will be ionized, temporarily turning into plasma. The plasma is unstable and will be unable to maintain its state for a long ti before returning to a gaseous state, emitting a light which creates the fire’s light. So fire is the accumulation of all these essences. Fuel, the heat applied to the fuel, the gas produced by the fuel, the temporary plasma generated from the gas, and the light due to this. So, fire, in the context of light, is similar to neon signs and auroras. Since they are phenona created through plasma. However, when humans talk about ‘fire’, they aren’t only talking about the light, but its fuel, the ashes which remain afterwards, the evaporated smoke, the light and the heat. This is the reason why the na of this combined chain of phenona feels different from everything else.”
Surprisingly, Choi Hyuk was able to understand this right away without much scientific knowledge. This was the not often revealed effect of his Retribution stat. Retribution improved the caliber of the living being itself. A Retribution of 421 (4★), which Choi Hyuk possessed, allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the origin of the world. His senses and cognition, which had reached a superhuman level of sensitivity, allowed him to process information humans normally wouldn’t be able to sense and allowed him to more easily comprehend these phenona. On top of that, since Naro used its telepathic abilities to light a candle in Choi Hyuk’s mind and allowed him to closely examine it, it would have been weird if he didn’t understand it.
“Aha. Thanks.”
“No, it was fun for as well. Since fire is wonderful. Like the guitar.”
The simple appearance of Naro’s hologram imitated playing a guitar. Then it stared at Choi Hyuk. Even when he was leaving, it followed behind him. In the end, Choi Hyuk reluctantly asked,
“... You like the guitar?”
Naro leaped up and down as it replied,
“Yes! The thing known as music is so surprising. Narolings didn’t have anything like it. Since they didn’t communicate through sound... Perhaps they may not have felt anything even if they heard music. But, for so reason, I, the artificial intelligence which they created, can appreciate it. So I know that music is a marvelous culture of the earthlings. I like all instrunts! However, at this mont, I like the guitar the most.”
Then, it stared at Choi Hyuk again. Feeling a strange pressure, Choi Hyuk asked,
“Don’t tell ... you want one?”
Naro leaped up and down. As expected, it wanted one. Choi Hyuk was taken aback.
“You can just make one instead.”
Naro’s spaceship was the last heritage of a highly advanced civilization. Of course, it had the ability to create any object which existed on Earth. However, as if it found Choi Hyuk’s words absurd, it exaggeratedly shook its head and arms before saying,
“Haa... How can it compare to a handcrafted instrunt made with the heart and soul of a master craftsman?”
This was the reply of a certain artificial intelligence that loved analog items.
Choi Hyuk, who had promised to buy Naro a guitar, went to find Baek Seoin and Lee Jinhee this ti. What they thought about fire was a level simpler.
“Are you talking about fire? Isn’t it sothing that spreads as it burns?”
“Fire? It’s incredible. It’s bright, and when you approach it, it’s hot. When you touch it, it hurts like stinging needles and gives off a scent. But leader, the advancent evaluation is really taking a long ti to start... Don’t tell no one participated again? Haa... I really don’t like it.”
These replies didn’t directly help Choi Hyuk. But, it beca a chance for Choi Hyuk to look back on it himself.
‘What do I think fire is?’
To him, fire was destruction. Sothing that burned everything. Killed everything. Brought pain. Perhaps it was because of this, but the flas he burned felt sowhat heavy. Instead of burning, it felt like he was smashing things with fire. On the other hand, the fire Fla-Rain showed him was light, yet strong. It possessed the power to penetrate through any strong material and lightly burn it.
After long contemplation, Choi Hyuk was finally able to realize what fire was.
Choi Hyuk had thought that fire was simply heat until now. So he could lt his opponents with this heat. Because of this, his fire didn’t comply with his will. This was because the true essence of fire wasn’t heat. Naro’s words were right. Fire was a series of processes. It was a continuous reaction which changed the state of materials. This ant that fire didn’t stop and was continuously changing. Light and heat as well as their by-products, the result of which was fire.
Its essence was the simultaneous coexistences and changes of states itself. The more states it included and the more dramatic its change was, the more destructive the result would be.
‘If I want to manipulate fire, I need to focus on the effects and changes of these essences instead of its destructive power.’
Like how he needed to grab his collar instead of his shirt to take it off, and how he needed to grab the handle of a fan and shake it open rather than opening each and every fold.
When he realized this, Choi Hyuk’s flas evolved.
These flas first made their appearance during the ‘3rd Stage – Wasps’ Nest Inner Region’ of the fourth advancent evaluation.
The fourth advancent evaluation.
When they were about to start the 3rd stage, the atmosphere felt hopeless. There were simply too few experienced colonizers remaining. During the 3rd stage, the beginner warriors played a supportive role. No matter how many there were, it was useless with only them. Many sovereigns felt that it was better to retreat rather than causing needless sacrifices.
‘Will a billion people die again?’
‘Are humans consumables as expected?’
Although they hated it, their strength was insufficient. They despaired.
The speeches began within this heavy silence. Choi Hyuk was the first to start speaking. Like always, he didn’t have retreating on his mind this ti as well. He simply issued the order in which they would infiltrate.
“The first to infiltrate will be . Next will be the Berserkers. After that... do what you want.”
Then he really jumped down towards the dinsional wasps’ nest by himself. As if he didn’t care whether they followed behind him or not.
Everyone thought he was crazy.
Pssssh!
Vooom!
The dinsional wasps densely gathered towards the falling Choi Hyuk. Each one was a monster at the level of a veteran colonizer. Choi Hyuk looked incredibly small in the middle of them. They couldn’t watch with open eyes.
On top of that, at first, Choi Hyuk absentmindedly stood there. People were suspicious whether he was stricken with fear or not.
However, soon, there was a reversal.
Choi Hyuk wasn’t standing there absentmindedly, but he was preparing to burn his flas. He linked his thumping Karma Heart to his mind.
At first, his Karma Heart was filled with emptiness and despair.
When he closed his eyes, his Karma Heart, which had been hollow with emptiness, achieved a calm peace.
As the tips of his lips curved upwards, he started to beco excited.
When he opened his eyes and looked straight at his enemies, his eyes were dyed with hostility.
The hostility turned into rage.
The rage then turned into madness, and the madness left behind ashes, returning back into emptiness and despair.
It was a sequential change, but at the sa ti, it was a simultaneous change. His Karma Heart simultaneously went through emptiness, despair, peace, joy, hatred, hostility, rage, and madness as it changed into each one in succession. Karma boiled. No, it burned.
“Flaming Wing Dance – Choi Hyuk Style.”
His flas, which started in one corner of the dinsional wasps’ nest, spread endlessly. It was different from Fla-Rain’s clear flas. His distinctive scarlet flas, which looked like gushing blood, burned the wasps’ nest as well as the dinsional wasps. The dinsional walls, which divided the dinsional wasps’ rooms, lted down. They shriveled up. The nest itself let out a scream. This wasn’t the ‘Flaming Wing Dance’ which had been deteriorated to the 4-star level. It was a true Flaming Wing Dance which Choi Hyuk, who had beco enlightened in what fire was, created. The purification of the essence of karma flas.
{You have attained a deep understanding of karma on your own. Retribution increased by 30, free karma points increased by 40.}
The wasps let out a scream the onlookers had never heard before as they died.
Victory was decided that mont.
**
“As expected, the Berserk Sovereign did one for us.”
When Richard, who had been inwardly anxious, heard that they won the fourth advancent evaluation, he clenched his fists. It was the mont where, if they weren’t careful, all his preparations would have been for naught.
“Now, if it’s a best three out of five... It will start soon?”
Richard thought.
If it was a best three out of five, then there was one more evaluation left. If they were in the middle of testing humanity, then when would humans reveal their weakest point? In Richard’s mind, that was...
“Now.”
The mont they were drunk with victory. It hadn’t even been 2 hours since the fourth advancent evaluation ended when the always insincere announcent woke those who were asleep up and awakened those who were drunk with alcohol.
{Advancent Evaluation. Sa as before. Participate? Or not?}
Richard smiled.
“I knew it.”
It had already been a long while since he had finished his preparations. The mont he had a hunch they would lose the second and third advancent evaluation, Richard put everything on the final evaluation.
He used both carrot and stick thods. He gathered experienced colonizers and promised them benefits within his colonized land. He persuaded the sovereigns who had yet to participate and rallied the non-awakenees within their groups before promising them suitable benefits if they cooperated. On the other hand, he quietly purged those who did nothing but speak negatively and had a lukewarm response to participating. Also, he requested to all the cooperators, excluding the sovereigns,
“You will not participate in any of the evaluations. We will risk it all on the final evaluation. You will keep choosing not to participate and will choose to participate in the final evaluation. Also, pray. That during this ti, soone, no matter which sovereign it is, will win once.”
Then he issued ‘tickets’. He printed off multiple tickets and gave them to the colonizers and non-awakenees who promised to cooperate.
“You will always keep these tickets with you. You will carry them with you even during the advancent evaluation, and when you et mbers of predesignated clans, you will give them this ticket. Later, we will collect them all and check whether you participated or not.”
The reason why this system worked was because of the trust Richard had accumulated until now. ‘Trust’ was the driving force which allowed him to diate the countless conflicts between different forces, giving him the na ‘Sovereign of Balance’. Colonizers trusted in the fairness of his thods as well as the advantages and disadvantages he promised. They also trusted the collectors of these ‘tickets’, whom he chose.
Although it was completely different from Choi Hyuk’s thod, the thod Richard used to gather strength may perhaps have been the most ideal and natural thod for humans.
The result of this was victory.
Choi Hyuk, who had returned from the fourth advancent evaluation, heard the news of the fifth advancent evaluation victory after he woke up.
“Already? Who?”
Baek Seoin replied,
“The Sovereign of Balance.”
“Huh...”
It had been a long ti since Choi Hyuk admired soone else besides himself.
**
The place where enormous stone slabs gathered, the ‘Brain’ of the Fla Wing Alliance.
The Exalted Wings were discussing new information.
“The humans have passed the advancent evaluation. We have to grant them citizenship.”
“However, if you look at the process, it is hard to say they were united. In reality, wasn’t it a success created by the strength, coercion, or conciliation of individual sovereigns?”
“That is correct. The result was a victory, but there is a problem with the process. Although there were individuals who showed power beyond our expectations, we cannot grant them citizenship because of this. Amongst 5-star experts, so many species are still consumables.”
“... You say strange things. If we decided to go with the advancent evaluation from the start, then it is only right we accept the result of the advancent evaluation. I worry that the standard for granting citizenship is getting more difficult as days go on. If we don’t respect other species as karmalings like us and use them as tools, how are we different from monsters?”
“I am not saying we shouldn’t grant them citizenship. I am only suggesting to limit their rights. Earthlings are a species that will not be able to function properly without an outstanding sovereign. Also, we observed that they cannot unite if there are too many sovereigns. Following this, I request we limit the number of sovereigns who can represent the earthlings. We need to only acknowledge three sovereigns to have the political rights and right of passage as mbers of the alliance. Sovereigns besides them... Even if, in reality, they possess an occupation as a sovereign, we cannot acknowledge them as representatives of Earth as per the alliance’s principle.”
“... Three is too few. It’s not like the number of earthlings is small, we cannot reflect their will with only three people. It makes no sense to restrict a species’ potential for our own convenience.”
“Then let’s go with seven people.”
“...”
The decision of the Exalted Wings was normally very quick. Even if they didn’t speak, they knew each other’s circumstances, and thus, the conversation and compromise ended in an instant. Seven people. Even the objectors felt this was the best they could do.
Silence. This ant agreent.
“Then, we will leave the thod of selecting the seven up to the earthlings. As they are now a species that possesses the right of autonomy and is affiliated with the alliance.”
That was how the fate of Earth was decided once again.
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