The Yachaowang paid no attention to Lee Han’s words.

Because they were obvious.

Osu’s disciple. If the world called for you, then the answer is already clear.

“...What kind of answer?”

As I said, it’s obvious. At your current level, you should begin entering small worlds. And considering your lineage... Osu’s small worlds would suit you well. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“That sounds too excessive. Wouldn’t it be better to start with something easier?”

The moment he said it, Lee Han felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

Why did this conversation feel so familiar?

Osu’s disciple. I have lived through countless ages beyond memory, met innumerable mages, and heard the secrets of their magic. Yet you casually doubt my wisdom. Arrogance is natural in the young, but one must also learn restraint.

“...I remember now.”

What do you remember?

“Isn’t this exactly what you said when you tricked me into that star contract?!”

Lee Han clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the irritation rising inside him.

No wonder it sounded familiar. He’d already been deceived like this once before.

Back then, hadn’t the Yachaowang lured him in by offering help with his exams, only to push him into a completely unrelated star contract?

The more Lee Han thought about it, the more convinced he became that every ridiculous hardship and trial he had suffered afterward was somehow connected to that contract.

That damned wandering star and all the nonsense surrounding it...!

Yet the Yachaowang truly possessed the shamelessness worthy of a king. Without changing expression, the being merely blinked those golden eyes and replied:

Osu’s disciple. To judge that matter so narrowly is foolish. A finger extended before your eyes is only a dot when seen from above. Therefore—

Seriously shameless.

The Yachaowang calmly explained that worldly affairs could not be understood properly when viewed from too close a perspective.

For example, imagine a boy attempting to cross a river to the neighboring village.

Because of flooding, the bridge would soon collapse, and under normal circumstances the boy would have been swept away as well.

Knowing this future, the Yachaowang transformed into a rat, stole the boy’s luggage, and fled.

Naturally, the boy became furious over the theft. But later, after witnessing the bridge washed away by the floodwaters, he finally realized how fortunate he had been.

“...”

Of course, Lee Han wasn’t fooled.

The majestic and mysterious image the Yachaowang had possessed during their first meeting had long since shattered. At this point, the being had fallen somewhere around Professor Verdus’s level.

“So you’re saying the star contract was actually preparation for future exams?”

At last, you {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} show a little wisdom.

If I fought him, I’d definitely lose, right?

Lee Han glanced around cautiously.

No matter how he looked at it, starting a fight inside the opponent’s palace seemed hopeless.

And Osu’s disciple. Think carefully. Even if one prediction happened to be wrong, does that mean every prediction afterward must also be false?

“...No.”

Do you have any other theories regarding the magic you should learn now?

“I don’t.”

Then there is no reason to disparage the king’s judgment, is there?

Lee Han fell silent.

If there was anything more irritating than Professor Verdus, it was Professor Verdus being right.

The Yachaowang wasn’t much different.

Small worlds existed on an entirely different level from any magic Lee Han had learned so far.

And if it involved the Skeleton Principal’s small worlds, that was even more true.

Having guidance from a transcendent being like the Yachaowang was undeniably valuable.

There was no reason to reject help out of stubbornness.

“...Please teach me.”

At the same time, Lee Han secretly hoped he would wake from this dream before the lesson truly began.

***

For ordinary mages, their journey ends after mastering even a single small world.

The Yachaowang seated Lee Han and began the lecture.

Unlike unique worlds, small worlds can be passed from master to disciple. Yet such inheritance remains rare. Why do you think that is, Osu’s disciple?

“Probably because complete understanding and mastery are difficult.”

Compared to unique worlds, small worlds were narrower in scope and less demanding in qualifications, but they still rewrote the laws of the world itself.

Their principles fundamentally differed from ordinary magic that merely utilized existing laws.

At first, Lee Han hadn’t fully understood what that meant.

Now he understood at least a little.

Just as some spells could never be mastered through memorization and repetition alone, small worlds belonged to that category.

A single world.

To wield one, a mage had to completely understand and accept the intent of the mage who created it.

A person couldn’t forcibly wield a small world fundamentally incompatible with their nature. If there were a small world called 【Lavishly Wasting Gold Coins】, Lee Han would probably fail to master it for the rest of his life.

Correct. Small worlds passed down through master and disciple possess comparatively high compatibility.

Masters and disciples often share similar ways of thinking. That increases the likelihood of inheritance.

“That may be difficult for me. My way of thinking is very different from my master’s.”

The Yachaowang ignored the remark as though hearing a dog bark somewhere in the distance.

To the king, who had witnessed countless mages over endless ages, Osu possessed qualities close to those of a heavenly being. That was why the mage could inherit and create so many small worlds. Osu’s disciple. Tell me first about the small worlds you’ve witnessed.

“Hm.”

Lee Han slowly organized his thoughts.

First came Dendrobium and Basilios.

The powerful small worlds the Black Book had forcibly manifested before him.

Represented respectively by a colossal tree and a humble crown, both remained mysteries Lee Han still hadn’t fully grasped.

Dendrobium appeared to alter laws depending on the colors of flowers blooming at the branch tips, while Basilios seemed to require several specific conditions...

“And there’s also the small world Whidor. I saw it before. It annihilated demons with a single drop of water.”

Whidor is difficult for you to learn at your current stage, Osu’s disciple.

“...I wasn’t saying I wanted to learn it immediately...”

It is not impossible. You created the Lightning Spear of Demon Annihilation and defeated the Blasphemer, did you not? Whidor is likewise a small world completed through similar principles. Though naturally, it compresses concepts far more advanced than your own.

“...How do you even know about that?!”

Lee Han was genuinely startled.

The fact that Whidor shared similarities with the Lightning Spear of Demon Annihilation wasn’t shocking in itself.

A technique meant to eradicate all enemies with a single drop of water would inevitably arrive at similar principles through convergent evolution.

But the fact that the Yachaowang knew what had happened in Granden City was alarming.

Could Alshicle Pengerine actually be a spy...?

Osu’s disciple. Never forget that rumors spread surprisingly quickly across dimensions. The undead realm is still in uproar over the Blasphemer’s humiliation.

“...”

Just as Imperial mages monitored powerful beings from other dimensions, those beings likewise kept watch over exceptional mages from the continent.

And after the recent battle, the undead dimension had taken considerable interest in the mage named Lee Han.

I’ll pretend I never heard that.

Lee Han immediately denied reality.

He already had far too many problems to worry about.

“And Dynamis... what exactly is Dynamis? You told me to say it before.”

Back when the insane duplicate had completely lost control, the Yachaowang had instructed Lee Han to say, I discovered new possibilities within the secrets of Dynamis, so I intend to cast Despotis.

Despite his doubts at the time, the effect had been extraordinary. The insane duplicate, normally so cautious and terrifying, had recklessly rushed forward and fallen straight into the trap.

Dynamis is dangerous for you to learn right now, Osu’s disciple.

“...”

Lee Han’s expression darkened.

Unlike the Yachaowang, he had already mentioned Dynamis directly to the insane duplicate.

At the time it had been an emergency, so perhaps it would pass unnoticed, but if the duplicate later asked, How is your research into Dynamis progressing?—

“So that leaves Dendrobium and Basilios?”

Of those two, Basilios would suit you best. Dendrobium requires royal saplings, making immediate study impossible, Osu’s disciple.

Lee Han obediently nodded.

Special conditions for learning magic weren’t unusual in the first place.

“What do I need to do to enter Basilios?”

Think intuitively. Basilios is a crown. To wear a crown, one must possess the proper qualifications.

“Do you mean the bloodline of some ancient royal family?”

The Yachaowang looked at him with pity.

If this were an earthly kingdom, perhaps. But Osu’s disciple. How could the crown of a mage be something so materialistic? The kingdom of heaven does not choose rulers through bloodline alone. Think carefully.

“?”

Lee Han pondered for a moment before tilting his head.

“You’re not going to explain further?”

Osu’s disciple. If the king tells you directly, it would only hinder you—

No, what is wrong with this person?

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

The entire reason he had endured all these long-winded explanations was because the Yachaowang possessed extraordinary insight.

Naturally, he had expected detailed explanations about suitable small worlds and the proper methods of entering them.

Instead, he was suddenly being told to figure it out himself.

“If I could’ve done that, I would’ve entered on my own already.”

Exactly. Now do you understand why the world called for you? It called you because you are capable of entering on your own.

“...”

For the first time in a while, Lee Han found himself missing the upperclassmen from the divination magic school.

Suppressing a sigh, he rose from his seat. He felt like he needed to walk around and clear his head before this conversation drove him insane.

As his gaze drifted into the distance, the dimension of Gusanbalhai spread before him—vast and immeasurably greater than the continent itself.

The landscape, where light and darkness constantly shifted, changed as though fog were lifting and frozen ice were thawing.

Far below the palace stretched a forest.

A closer look revealed that every tree and blade of grass in that forest was formed from steel and sharpened blades, blood dripping endlessly from the leaves.

The horrifying sight immediately produced a single phrase in Lee Han’s mind.

Dao Mountain Sword Forest.

“What is that place?”

Hm. A forest where sinners are imprisoned.

“There’s something like that here too?”

It is uncommon. Osu’s disciple. Normally, we do not imprison sinners. But those particular individuals are somewhat special.

The Yachaowang laughed loudly as the explanation continued.

Long ago, when Osu first arrived in this dimension, the Yachaowang had observed the mage’s ascetic journey from nearby.

Those gathered there now were the same people from that era.

Vagrants and rogues who flocked around him, believing a new king—a new supreme being—would arise.

“...Wait. You imprisoned them like that just for following my master?!”

Osu’s disciple. Sometimes your imagination is remarkably excessive. I imprisoned them because they betrayed Osu.

“Ah.”

In his youth, the Skeleton Principal had wandered throughout this dimension in search of secret arts.

Naturally, such a journey could never have been peaceful. Betrayal and ambushes would have been inevitable.

It wasn’t surprising that some of those followers eventually turned against him.

“I see.”

Losing interest, Lee Han returned to his own thoughts.

What exactly qualified someone to enter Basilios...?

...Osu’s disciple. Do you not hate those who betrayed your master?

“Huh? Well... it feels a little late for that now.”

The sudden question left Lee Han puzzled.

If the Skeleton Principal had truly held deep resentment toward them, he would have dragged them personally to Einroguard long ago.

There was little reason for Lee Han to hate people already suffering enough.

A good beginning. Continue thinking that way.

“...”

Lee Han became even more confused.

A good beginning?

Did that mean the qualification for Basilios involved avoiding attachment to the Skeleton Principal entirely?

Then isn’t it already far too late for me?