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On the battlefield, the beasts clashed with brutal force. Watching them, it felt as though they had been transformed into living combat dummies—creatures that existed solely to fight, devoid of any other purpose.
Remembering Layla's words, Ji Hoon tried to look inward, beneath his own body. He made attempt after attempt, but no matter how hard he concentrated, nothing became clear. He couldn't identify what he was supposed to focus on or where to direct his awareness. No matter the effort, nothing responded.
As he persisted, his consciousness suddenly slipped into the depths of his own mind. Yet even there, confusion engulfed him. He didn't understand where he was, nor why the space felt so alien.
His surroundings were rendered in stark black and white, but faint streams of golden light flowed gently through the air. In every direction, an endless landscape stretched toward infinity.
Layla's voice echoed through the void.
"Hello, Ji Hoon."
Without moving, Ji Hoon replied, his tone steady but laced with confusion.
"Hello… Where am I? Can you tell me what this place is? Is this… inside my body? The place you mentioned?"
Layla let out a soft laugh.
"Yes, this is exactly what I told you about. This is your Core World. It is endless, and its form is shaped by your conscious thoughts, your patterns of thinking, and your very nature."
Ji Hoon frowned.
"How do I get out? I don't understand any of this. I can't tell what I'm feeling or what it means. Why can't I see my body? If I'm inside it, then what exactly am I inside of? None of this makes sense."
A hint of amusement colored Layla's tone.
"Don't worry about leaving just yet. This is only your Core World. You simply need to think properly, and you'll be able to exit on your own. Technically, you could even control your body from here—but that's impossible for you at the moment."
Her voice grew more serious.
"Your soul is extremely weak right now. If you linger here too long and expend too much energy, you'll fall into a deep sleep. In the real world, your body would lose consciousness. As your level increases, your soul will strengthen. And if you possess a special soul type, you could become exceptionally powerful. Right now, you're so weak that you can't even properly perceive your own soul here."
Like a diligent student, Ji Hoon nodded.
"I see… so that's how it works."
He paused before asking,
"If I stay here too long, I'll fall unconscious. And… what exactly is a soul type? What kind do I have?"
Layla replied calmly.
"Determining your soul type right now would be difficult. You're still a novice Ranker. With time, it will reveal itself naturally."
Ji Hoon thought for a moment.
"So it can't be known yet?"
He sighed.
"This world has such a strange system. I don't understand any of it—Core World, soul, body, skills… I can't even see my skills anywhere. Someone, please get me out of this mess first. At least get me out of this Core World."
Layla answered with clear annoyance.
"Stop talking like a child."
She continued,
"You suddenly want to know everything at once. It doesn't work that way. You have to learn gradually."
Then she added,
"First, you need to summon your core here."
She chuckled lightly.
"To be honest, this is quite difficult for novices. You must use the power of your soul to fuse the core beneath your navel with your mind, using your meridians as the conduit. This won't happen in a single attempt. As you rank up, you'll naturally learn and improve."
Ji Hoon nodded once more.
"I see…"
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the battlefield. The ground trembled violently, and a sharp jolt surged through Ji Hoon's body. His consciousness was violently yanked back, snapping him out of his inner world. Grabbing onto a nearby rock, he struggled to his feet.
He looked toward the opening above and muttered,
"What was that?"
Only clouds of rising dust were visible.
Another explosion erupted. Dust and debris filled the air. From within the smoke, the body of a fox—an elite-level beast that had recklessly charged a high-level elite Asura Wolf—was flung violently through the air. It smashed into a stone, shattering it completely.
From within the crack, Layla shouted urgently,
"Are you crazy?! Hurry up! You need to fully concentrate and enter your Core World again! Don't let such distractions break your focus!"
Ji Hoon responded quickly,
"Alright, fine!"
He moved a short distance away from the shattered stone and sat down cross-legged. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. The space was small and narrow, and his breathing echoed briefly through the crack before being drowned out by the roars of beasts outside.
He took one final, steadying breath and completely relaxed his body. With his eyes closed, he once more looked inward, focusing his mind to re-enter his Core World.
For a time, the external noise continued to disrupt his concentration. But he persisted without pause.
Eventually, he succeeded.
Ji Hoon re-entered his Core World. The same black-and-white space materialized around him. This time, he tried to observe his soul and his own presence more carefully.
Yet he could feel very little. He was only faintly aware of his existence within this place.
"Okay," Ji Hoon said, forcing calm into his voice. "I'm back in my Core Realm. What now?"
Layla replied,
"First, you must learn to properly perceive yourself here. To understand your skills, you need to build a foundation. You didn't become a Ranker through the proper process, so the core inside you is a natural one. You cannot yet fully control it with your will or mind."
She continued,
"To become a true Ranker, you must connect your mind to your core through your meridians. Only then will you understand what is happening inside your core and how to use the skills surrounding it."
Ji Hoon groaned.
"What? Now there's something new again? I didn't even grasp the previous part."
He sighed heavily.
"So I'm not even a fully awakened Ranker yet… what a sad life."
Then he muttered,
"At this rate, it'll take forever. I'll probably die before I finish."
Layla's response was firm.
"This was your choice."
Ji Hoon shot back,
"Yeah, because you told me all this existed. Otherwise, I would've died in some dark hole where not even light reaches."
Layla snapped angrily,
"You've changed too much. You used to struggle desperately just to survive. Now look at you—acting like a petulant child."
She added sharply,
"Stop wasting time. For now, just do exactly as I say."
The sounds of the battlefield grew louder and more violent with each passing second. Ji Hoon needed to fuse his mind and core—while outside, the battle between the beasts escalated to terrifying new heights.
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