A Regrassor's Tale of Cultivation

There is no warning.

No flash of light.

No portal.

No strange voice from the heavens.

One moment, you are living an ordinary life on Earth.

The next—

THUD.

Your body hits unfamiliar ground.

For several seconds, there is only silence.

Then—

“What the hell?!”

“Where are we?!”

“Where's my phone?!”

“Call the police!”

“I can't get a signal!”

“Everyone calm down!”

Nobody listens.

Around you, seven other people are desperately trying to understand what has happened.

Seo Eun-Hyun.

Kim Young-Hoon.

Jeon Myeong-Hoon.

Kang Min-Hee.

Oh Hyun-Seok.

Oh Hye-Seo.

Kim Yeon.

And you.

Eight people.

Eight ordinary human beings who, only moments ago, had been living normal lives.

Now you are standing in a place none of you recognize.

There are no buildings.

No roads.

No cars.

No signs of civilization.

Only an enormous forest stretching in every direction.

The trees are far too large.

The mountains in the distance are far too vast.

Even the sky feels strangely unfamiliar.

A young woman desperately tries to call her family.

“Mom... please pick up...”

Nothing.

No signal.

No connection.

Her hands begin trembling.

Nearby, Kim Young-Hoon slowly looks around the forest.

“This isn't anywhere near the city.”

Jeon Myeong-Hoon scoffs.

“Obviously.”

“Then where the hell are we?”

“I don't know.”

“That doesn't make any sense!”

Voices begin overlapping.

Some insist that they were kidnapped.

Others believe this must be some kind of elaborate experiment.

Someone suggests that they might have been transported somewhere overseas.

Another person insists that this is impossible.

Fear quickly turns into anger.

Then—

A man suddenly grabs Seo Eun-Hyun by the collar.

“You.”

Seo Eun-Hyun looks at him.

“What?”

“You've been acting strangely ever since we got here.”

Seo Eun-Hyun's expression remains restrained.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Don't lie to me!”

The man's voice trembles.

“We're trapped in the middle of nowhere, nobody can contact anyone, and you're just standing there like this is nothing!”

“I told you. I don't know where we are.”

“You expect me to believe that?!”

BAM!

The punch lands against Seo Eun-Hyun's face.

Several people gasp.

“Hey! Stop!”

Kim Young-Hoon immediately steps forward.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“He knows something!”

“I don't know anything!” Seo Eun-Hyun says.

Blood slowly trickles from the corner of his mouth.

The man releases his collar.

For several seconds, nobody speaks.

The silence is heavy.

Then Kang Min-Hee suddenly looks toward the forest.

“...Wait.”

Everyone turns toward her.

“What?”

“I thought I heard something.”

The group falls silent.

Nothing.

Only the wind moving through the enormous trees.

Kim Young-Hoon narrows his eyes.

“Stay together.”

Nobody argues.

For the first time, everyone seems to realize the same thing.

They have no idea where they are.

They have no idea why they are here.

And they have absolutely no idea what exists beyond the trees.

Seo Eun-Hyun slowly wipes the blood from his mouth.

His eyes move across the group.

Then toward the unfamiliar forest.

There is no explanation.

No rescue.

No way home.

Only an unfamiliar world waiting beyond the trees.

For now, there are only eight survivors.

Eight ordinary people.

And none of them know that this seemingly peaceful forest is only the beginning of something far larger than they could possibly imagine.

The first day in this world has begun.

The first thing you remember is the earth shaking.

Then—

Silence.

When you finally open your eyes, you are lying beneath an unfamiliar sky.

The air is different.

The trees are enormous.

There is no road.

No city.

No familiar sound of civilization.

Only an endless forest stretching into the distance.

You are not alone.

Eight people are scattered around the clearing.

Seo Eun-Hyun.

Kim Young-Hoon.

Jeon Myeong-Hoon.

Kang Min-Hee.

Oh Hyun-Seok.

Oh Hye-Seo.

Kim Yeon.

And {{user}}.

Your coworkers.

People you knew from Earth.

People who, only moments ago, had been living ordinary lives.

Now, none of you know where you are.

No one understands what happened.

No one knows why you are here.

For a while, everyone simply argues, panics, and tries to make sense of the situation.

Eventually, you find shelter inside a cave.

Night falls.

The forest becomes strangely quiet.

Then—

The next morning.

Something approaches.

Rustle.

Rustle.

From between the trees emerges a beautiful, enormous three-tailed fox.

Its appearance is almost harmless.

Almost.

It looks over the group.

Then its gaze settles upon you all.

A strange voice suddenly enters your minds.

[Humans.]

Everyone freezes.

The fox slowly smiles.

[I am the Master of this Forest.]

Nobody knows what that means.

Nobody understands how the creature is speaking without moving its mouth.

Then the fox raises one paw.

[Give me a limb.]

Silence.

Fear spreads through the cave.

The fox doesn't appear angry.

It simply waits.

As though this is the most natural demand in the world.

One of the survivors trembles.

Someone whispers.

"What... is this thing?"

Then—

The fox moves.

Before anyone can properly react—

CRUNCH.

A scream tears through the cave.

Blood splashes across the ground.

The fox calmly withdraws its jaws.

[Delicious.]

Everyone stares in horror.

This is not a dream.

This world is not normal.

And you are not safe.

But the nightmare has only begun.

Later, another creature appears.

A two-headed red snake slithers from the darkness.

Its forked tongues flicker as it examines the survivors.

[Blood...]

Its gaze moves from person to person.

[Give me blood.]

Before anyone can understand what is happening, the snake selects one of the survivors and takes its share.

Then it disappears into the forest.

Days pass.

The group barely has time to understand what happened.

Then—

The sky changes.

Several figures descend from above.

They do not walk.

They fly.

The pressure surrounding them makes the entire group instinctively freeze.

For the first time, you realize something terrifying.

There are beings in this world who stand so far above ordinary humans that you cannot even comprehend their strength.

The newcomers look over the survivors.

And their eyes stop on certain individuals.

Jeon Myeong-Hoon.

Kang Min-Hee.

Oh Hyun-Seok.

Oh Hye-Seo.

Kim Yeon.

One by one, the survivors begin to disappear from your side.

Gwak Am takes Jeon Myeong-Hoon and Oh Hye-Seo, recognizing their immense potential and seeing use in their futures.

Cheongmun San takes Kang Min-Hee after recognizing her extraordinary affinity for pure ice and snow.

Jin Gwi and Myeong Gwi take another of the talented survivors, including Oh Hyun-Seok, intending to cultivate their potential for their own purposes.

The group that had once consisted of eight people is being torn apart.

One by one.

Five disappear.

Until only three remain.

Seo Eun-Hyun.

Kim Young-Hoon.

And {{user}}.

The forest suddenly feels much larger.

Much quieter.

Much more dangerous.

Then a gentle voice comes from behind you.

"Do not be afraid."

You turn.

A handsome man stands there with a calm smile.

His presence is strangely comforting.

Almost too comforting.

He introduces himself simply.

Seo Hweol.

The Sea Dragon King.

He speaks kindly.

He explains that this place is called the Ascension Path.

He warns you about the dangers of the island.

He tells you that powerful cultivators inhabit this place.

His words sound reasonable.

His smile is gentle.

His manner is almost fatherly.

Yet—

Something about him feels wrong.

Something you cannot explain.

And far away, another presence has begun to notice you.

A presence belonging to a man who has long since abandoned sanity.

A puppeteer.

A madman.

A man whose obsession with recreating someone he lost has consumed countless lives.

The world has begun moving.

And {{user}} has no idea what awaits them.

This is only the beginning of the first life.