D.I.O

Chapter 210

Dream Water

*** Acclimation & Development, But… ***

“Hello, Mr. Merlin! Welcome to our university.”

“Nice to meet you. Where’s the lecture hall?”

“I’ll guide you. Please follow me.”

Merlin- no, Yongno, arrived at the most prestigious university in Korea. One would gain instant credibility and respect from simply being a student here, let alone graduating.

However, these people affiliated with that same university were respectfully attending to and serving Yongno. Amongst them were faculty members, professors, and even the chancellor.

“From what I’ve heard, Mr. Merlin hasn’t-”

“Please, just call me Yongno. We’re not in DIO, so calling me by my in-game name sounds a little weird.”

“Hahaha! Of course, certainly. Mr. Yongno, I heard that you didn’t matriculate into a university after your high school studies.”

“I didn’t find a university offering anything that would retain my interest.”

If Yongno had said something similar in the past, people would have scoffed and laughed at him. Who would believe a high schooler stating that there wasn’t a university challenging and interesting enough to retain their interest and attention?

In South Korea, connections and education-focused degrees dominated social and business life; furthermore, the general Korean populace viewed these degrees as a measure of one’s intelligence.

“Hahaha, such confidence and self-assurance. Undoubtedly, no university could fulfill the needs of one of the Heaven above the Heavens. However, for your future, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make connections with those who’ll lead the next generation of leaders and decision-makers. If you dislike the idea of being a student, perhaps you’d like to join us as a professor….”

“I really don’t have the time, chancellor.”

“Hmm.”

The chancellor coughed to clear his throat, probably because he felt awkward and couldn’t extend the conversation. Soon, the two arrived at the lecture hall’s backroom, and the chancellor excused himself. Yongno could feel the presence of numerous people on the other side of the wall.

‘It isn’t a lecture hall; it’s a large auditorium.’

Yongno felt the presence of at least 4,000 to 5,000 people. The auditorium had two floors and 3,000 seats, so the place was packed to the brim without any empty seats. Those gathered eagerly looked towards the front dais. Rather than a lecture, the scene seemed closer to a popular singer’s concert.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Yoon Yongno.”

Like the constant sound of water splashing on a water wheel, the audience applauded. Everyone looking at Yongno had eyes filled with fascination and curiosity.

Over 5,000 ‘students’ had gathered to watch and listen to Yongno. Yet, these 5,000 were the lucky ones filtered from a much larger applicant pool of current students, alumni, professors, and many mainstream popular figures. There was even a small camera crew and a few reporters filming the entire scene, something that Yongno was now all too familiar with.

It had been one month since DIO revealed its true nature.

The appearance of the extraterrestrial beings invading Earth, as well as the Masters countering them, brought tremendous change across the world. Despite the short time period, the constant exhibition of the Masters’ overwhelming powers, which were equal, if not higher than an entire nation, was quite impactful and significant.

“From the start, the skills and abilities present in Dynamic Island have many similarities to the traditional fields of study we are familiar with on Earth. Since this is the case, one may assume that Earth’s professors and specialists should have a higher chance of becoming Masters in the game. However, as you have probably observed, that isn’t quite the case.”

Yongno wasn’t lecturing on magic or martial arts. No one attending this lecture was at a high enough level to benefit from his high-level magic or martial arts knowledge. In addition, Yongno had reached his level in-game through his genius rather than persistent study and hard work. So, it was no surprise that his teaching skills were awful. As such, he attended these lectures to talk about his realizations as a representative of the Masters.

“There is also an overlap between the supernatural abilities observed in DIO and the traditional fields of study in reality, but in most cases, the path diverges completely once one passes a certain point.”

Earth was gradually turning into a meritocratic and skill-focused society due to DIO. In fact, high-level professors were respected by their students, and being a [high-level user] in and of itself became a social qualification and symbol that commanded respect.

For the same reason, students, scholars, and athletes were able to prove their ability with their in-game levels. People’s level within DIO was rapidly growing to stand as one of the most critical indicators to represent an individual’s competence and excellence in a field.

Skill was the only factor needed to become a Master.

DIO’s level system gave people a sense of trust because personal connections, background, and greed couldn’t affect the rate of leveling up. Unsurprisingly, some individuals rejected the system and expressed disgust, but others criticized those people for not having the requisite skills and abilities for their positions.

“Since this is the case, young people who are quick to learn [a new subject] have an advantage. In fact, there are many cases where scientists who have devoted their whole lives to research cannot easily adapt and utilize smartphones. In contrast, elementary schoolers lack in-depth knowledge but can use smartphones with the same ease as using their hands or feet."

DIO not only allowed individuals to recognize their talents but also suggested an efficient and effective way to develop those talents. Strictly speaking, DIO wasn’t just a game; it was a completely new concept and paradigm shift.

DIO not only tested users’ abilities but also taught them how to further these skills; at the same time, this game provided a space where people could freely interact with others from all over the world, regardless of distance or language. For this reason, the more restrictive and authoritarian countries banned their citizens from accessing DIO. This was because DIO gave its players unfettered communication with people all over the world, and with the ability to further one’s skills, these countries would not be able to exert total control over their citizens.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean that existing scholars and specialists are completely at a disadvantage. Once they adapt to the new system, the philosophy, experience, and knowledge they have accumulated will benefit and accelerate their pursuits. Hmm… While we’re on this subject, shall we talk about superpowers?”

Yongno proceeded with the lecture in a natural manner. He used to be afraid of being the center of attention, and he still didn’t like it, but it was necessary to get his message across.

‘I need to gain the social standing, political power, and financial heights required to make it so that no one can ignore me in the future.’

Yongno could wield tremendous physical force, so he was working towards obtaining the other needed elements to survive within society. He had already acquired a considerable amount of political power and goodwill, and he was earning enormous amounts of money. Thus, the only factor left was to create a positive public image.

“Hmm… you there, what type of person do you think has the most advantage in learning martial arts?”

A seated female student thought for a while before answering.

She soon stated, “Wouldn’t it be an athlete? An athlete seems like they would be better suited for fighting.”

Then, other people around her started offering their opinions.

“I heard that there are many martial arts Masters among university professors and religious figures….”

“I think I’ve heard that there aren’t many martial artists who’ve become martial arts Masters. Rather, athletes seem to have great success in becoming Masters.”

“Aren’t martial arts focused on utilizing a technique to properly control one’s body?”

As the murmurs grew, Yongno raised his hand to refocus the audience’s attention on him. He then continued his lecture.

“Magic, in its simplest terms, is science. As mentioned by countless others, fighting techniques, or the battle sense and physical skills required by these techniques, are actually vital for life force users.”

“Then what about martial arts?”

“Philosophy.”

At its lower levels, the physical skills required for martial arts were no different from life force, but beyond a certain point, people needed a mature mind to develop further.

“Eh, does it have anything to do with obtaining enlightenment, like when fantasy novel main characters suddenly state, ‘Mountains are mountains, and water is water’?”

Yongno nodded after a young male student offered this comment.

“Similar. After all, the concept of Idea is what moves martial arts and transcends realms. Idea - the concept of notion and imagery. Philosophy is an essential concept for high-level martial arts because philosophical thinking is necessary to reach advanced stages of mental development. Aura power also follows a similar concept.”

Yongno smiled as he continued his explanation.

“You never know… if Confucius, Mencius, Nietzsche, or Schopenhauer were alive right now and DIO was accessible to them, they might have been beating monsters to death while performing something like the Heavenly Magic Divine Technique.”

At Yongno’s clever words and analogy, laughter erupted across the auditorium. If it were a lecture with ordinary people, most of his words would have been incomprehensible, but those present in the crowd possessed a great deal of interest and skill in recognizing talents and developmental training.

“In contrast, magic requires clearer, more objective, and holistic knowledge. It is literally science, so it is necessary to analyze and acquire all kinds of knowledge to find the essential truth. As such, unlike martial arts, where skills suddenly increase in a step-by-step fashion, magic power-fueled abilities tend to rise slowly. This is not to say that there is no concept of enlightenment or awakening in magic, but those are rare and considered an anomaly rather than the norm. This is why Masters of martial arts often appear from those who practice religion or philosophy, and Masters of magic power appear from physicists or chemists. Going back to my starting point, realizing one's talents and area of competence is different for each individual….”

“What was your realization?”

Suddenly, a girl spoke aloud as she raised her hand. The black-haired girl wore a thin T-shirt and cotton pants, alluding to the relatively mild temperature this season. Yongno answered calmly without panicking.josei

“Why pursue unnecessary objectives? Pursue what you desire.”

“That’s similar to my own philosophy. I don’t feel that your realization was groundbreaking or anything transcendent.”

Her cheeky tone attracted the attention of the people around her. It was a difficult and uncomfortable atmosphere for even the most impudent person to endure, but the girl wearing sunglasses large enough to cover half her face sat calmly as if nothing mattered. Seeing this, Yongno asked,

“What was your realization?”

“I don’t like to use pretentious words… but if I had to put my realization into words, I would say that ‘all forms are non-forms.”

Yongno smiled after hearing her answer.