Simulation

My dad, Baek Ho-ryang, had been silent the entire time.

Wearing leather clothes with a bow strapped to his waist, he sat gazing beyond the Red Tree Crossroad into the wilderness.

As I approached, he asked without turning to look at me.

“You must be exhausted after such a difficult fight. Why don’t you get some rest first?”

Certainly, I wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep, but… I quietly sat down beside him.

“Are you angry with me?”

Dad immediately raised his head.

“No.”

“But you’re so quiet…”

“I just have something on my mind, that’s all.”

Dad turned to look at me. His eyes were calm. He gazed steadily into my eyes and asked.

“Aren’t you the one who’s angry with yourself?”

It was a question that struck right at the core. I admitted it.

“I was clumsy. I could have put everyone in danger.”

Whoosh-

Without answering, Dad stirred the crackling campfire in front of us. The night air was cold, and I could hear insects chirping.

“Have you heard this saying? A thousand nomads have a thousand paths.”

“Huh? Yes, I’ve heard it before…”

“What do you think it means?”

“Well… it means there’s no need to compare yourself to others, right? There’s no royal road. It’s not the strong who survive longest, but those who survive longest who are strong. Don’t fear taking the wrong path; fear stopping in your tracks… But this situation is different. I acted on my own, and I was clumsy. The good outcome was probably just…”

Luck. If it weren’t for Yuria, if I hadn’t awakened at just the right moment, I might have lost my life and caused great harm to the nomad… That’s what I wanted to say, but I didn’t voice it.

The magical powers watching me from everywhere—I didn’t want to show weakness to them.

To receive mana’s recognition, I needed to accomplish everything according to my will. Or at least pretend to.

Dad nodded.

“You understand well. But living all these years has made that saying sound different to me. We spend our lives moving from nomad to nomad, some even joining caravans. We hope our nomad will protect us forever, and we obey its rules. But does that really mean the nomad will be our shelter forever?”

“That’s…”

Dad once again cast his gaze toward the distant wilderness.

“A thousand nomads have a thousand paths… perhaps it means that each nomad ultimately walks alone, that at the crossroads between life and death, we’re ultimately by ourselves? In the face of calamities that bring death indiscriminately, nomads, caravans, even cities… and… yes, even family, none of them can last forever. No one can protect you all the way. So walk the path you believe is right.”

Those words sounded exactly like.

‘If you’re going to risk your life so recklessly, live however you want. Abandon your family and nomad, and live as you please!’

I glumly replied.

“So you are angry. …That’s cold. Living like that is how you become a vagrant, isn’t it?”

Dad shook his head. He turned his gaze from the wilderness to look at me. His eyes were unwavering and serious.

“No, Jun-woo. No. I’m not angry. I’m telling you the truth.”

I had been about to apologize again, but his serious tone made me swallow my words.

“Think about it. If a thousand nomads have a thousand paths before them, then a single nomad among those thousand also has a thousand paths. Some paths are difficult, others easy. The thousand nomads scatter and walk all those paths. What I’m saying is… there’s no need to boast if you walk an easy path, or despair if you walk a difficult one. In the end, no one knows who will die and who will survive… Just walk toward your own star. If you survive… then you were right. So… at least right now, you’re alive, aren’t you? You’ve become a Mana User, haven’t you? So, it’s all right.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure I understand.”

“Maybe not…? Then let me put it this way.”

Dad stared at me for a moment before ruffling my hair.

“You survived, and that’s what matters.”

I felt embarrassed and averted my gaze. Watching the crackling campfire, I muttered.

“But with more wisdom, with more finesse, couldn’t we find better, easier paths among those thousand?”

Dad shook his head.

“Well… what if you had heaven-reaching wisdom that could calculate everything in the world? Even those calculations would fail. The conditions you factor in will inevitably change. That’s what we call calamities. Just remember this. Nothing in this world lasts forever. Perhaps… Yuria already understands that.”

Is that so…?

Yuria’s previous nomad had been annihilated by a calamity in the wilderness.

She lost her family, her acquaintances—everyone—and survived alone in the world.

She wandered as a vagrant, then as a dependent in various nomads until finally becoming a member of the Sena School Nomad.

She probably did understand already.

That we’re ultimately alone in this world.

That we must find our own path.

That’s why she meticulously prepared her revenge over those two days. Without anyone’s help.

And here we were, thinking Yuria was in despair, hiding in her tent.

“Dad.”

“Yes?”

“What about your path? From those thousand paths? The one you chose.”

Dad smiled bitterly at my question.

“Well… I’m not sure if I really had a choice in the path. But I do have a path I want to follow. Right now, it’s going to the Talon School Caravan with you and your mother. Now that you’re a Mana User, you can enter the School Caravan, and with your talent, entering a city shouldn’t be difficult either. Wouldn’t that put our lives on easy street? We’d be living off your success.”

Dad suddenly shifted to a playful tone.

“But even that… who knows how it will turn out~ right? What if tomorrow a calamity strikes, kills everyone, and I alone survive?”

There was laughter in Dad’s voice. But it wasn’t entirely jesting.

In the wilderness, they call this kind of smile a “leaf smile.”

Like frost-covered leaves shaking off frozen dewdrops. A smile that senses despair but chooses to laugh today anyway.

They say children like me aren’t yet capable of such expressions.

“Ugh… that’s not funny.”

“It’s just a manner of speaking. In the end, we walk paths through the wilderness. No one knows if they’re good paths or bad ones. So… don’t fear taking the wrong path; fear stopping in your tracks. No matter how difficult the path you walk… if you remember that someone among those thousand would have walked it anyway, it makes things a little easier.”

So, Dad’s words were meant as comfort after all.

Don’t worry too much. No need to fear what path lies ahead. Once you’ve chosen, keep walking. Don’t look back with regret. Just keep moving forward.

Of course… my perspective was different.

Now, I could know in advance what path lay before me.

By running simulations with different conditions multiple times, I could find better methods. Better paths.

All I needed was reflection, feedback, and effort.

Among those thousand paths, I wouldn’t walk the bad ones. Let such paths be for people like… Kallin or Mukuru.

+ – + – +

The Sena School Nomad was bustling from dawn.

After quickly filling our stomachs with hot meat broth, we immediately broke down the tents and checked the securing of horses and wagons.

Creak, creak.

As always, the mobile barrier was placed on a wagon at the center of the caravan. A sacred stone embedded with D-class barrier magic.

Following Teacher Sena’s instructions, the adults wove willow branches inscribed with charms like a crown and placed them atop the barrier stone. This was an auxiliary barrier to strengthen the mobile barrier.

-Since student Baek Jun-woo has become a Mana User, our nomad’s aggro level will have increased further. We need to strengthen the barrier, even temporarily.

This measure was taken based on this single statement from Teacher Sena. And half the cost for the auxiliary barrier was covered by my parents.

The auxiliary barrier normally cost around 100 Mornings. But purchasing it urgently at the crossroad drove the price up to 150 Mornings.

Converted to Light, that’s 15,000 Light. In Korean won, about 15 million.

My parents not only covered 75 Mornings of that but also exchanged my protective talisman for one suitable for a Mana User.

They exchanged my E-minus class for an E class… and got ripped off again, paying 25 Mornings. If they had traded directly with a large caravan, they could have gotten it for 15 Mornings by exchanging my old talisman.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but it seemed like my parents had spent most of their life savings this time.

That was partly why I stood my ground and argued vehemently.

“No! I’m telling you, instead of weaving and placing the auxiliary barrier like that, it would be more effective to make a net-like pattern and cover it!”

“You punk! Are you crazy? Just because you became a Mana User, you think you know everything? Who are you to contradict? Think with that head of yours! Who knows better, Teacher Sena or you?”

Do Gyeong-su’s dad, Do Mak-jin.

As the carpentry technician, he was leading the task of weaving the magic-imbued willow branches into an auxiliary barrier.

He should have been banished at this crossroad, but circumstances had changed.

No one, not even Teacher Sena, had anticipated that our crossroad stay would be limited to just four days.

In such a situation, expelling the nomad’s best carpentry technician would be quite regrettable.

Sensing this atmosphere, Do Mak-jin had knelt before everyone, begging to remain with the nomad. He desperately wanted to follow Teacher Sena and at least secure education for his other children.

After nightly discussions among the adults, Teacher Sena finally agreed to accept Do Mak-jin, with both sides agreeing to forget the past.

Do Mak-jin, with his quick temper and shrewd survival instincts, glared at me with eyes bulging, looking ready to breathe fire.

Of course, I didn’t back down in the slightest.

“But that’s just how it is! How can I help it? This auxiliary barrier costs how much? We should use it properly! Rather than weaving and placing it on top, making a net-like pattern to cover it would be much better!”

“How would a punk like you know that?! If we listen to you and something goes wrong, will you take responsibility when we all die?!”

Do Mak-jin spewed harsh words.

My parents were nearby but couldn’t stop him and just fidgeted anxiously. Instead, they gave me looks signaling me to stop.

It was understandable.

Matters related to the mobile barrier fell under the jurisdiction of the nomad’s highest magical authority—the nomad leader, which meant Teacher Sena.

For a mere student like me to question Teacher Sena’s instructions… I deserved the verbal abuse.

But,

wrong is wrong.

“How would I know? It’s my Gift!”

I shouted loudly.

Do Mak-jin flinched and closed his mouth in surprise.

A Mana User’s Gift. Claiming to know through the power of that supernatural ability… as a mere Mana Beginner, he couldn’t easily dispute that.

While Do Mak-jin was rolling his eyes, unsure how to respond, a voice came to his rescue.

“Is that so? That’s good to know. I was curious anyway. I was going to ask later because time is short, but… Baek Jun-woo? Explain it now. What Gift have you awakened? What could it be that makes you insist on installing the auxiliary barrier in an unheard-of way, ignoring long-standing tradition?”

Teacher Sena’s voice was cold, perhaps from anger.

The immense magical power of a Mana User at her peak—no, someone who could potentially form two Circles—created a heavy, oppressive feeling.

But I kept my head held high and stared directly at Teacher Sena.

My dad’s words from last night came to mind.

In the end, we can’t know what path lies ahead of us, so find your path with courage.

But this isn’t about courage.

This is a conclusion reached after confirming through simulation multiple times,