Tai Yu

Master / Tai Yu is Hoyoung's master.

Past
He is a sage summoned by the realm of the sages, and his job is to correct worldly affairs, during the chaotic age in the history of Grandis, he was always on the battlefield. One day, he heard the cry of a tiger in a ruined town, it was just a cub, that was Hoyoung which is an Anima. He realized that everyone except Hoyoung was killed, he took pity on him and brought him to a hermitage, the foot of Mt. Songyu, the realm of the sages. Hoyoung grew up very fast, and becomes his pupil. One day Hoyoung asked him teach him magic. That day, he saw the limitless power inside Hoyoung, but the power sleeping in him was very dangerous, wild and unpredictable. He decided to seal Hoyoung's power.

Prologue
He always tells to Hoyoung that he should not go to the mountain. One day Hoyoung steals his talisman.



One of these days, he plants a spirit he created with magic in Hoyoung. And he says he has been called away on urgent business so Hoyoung should take care of the Hermitage while he is gone.

But he does not come back. One day, Hoyoung reading a book about Tai Yu who sealed away the Four Perils (Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie) when he went out for a while. Of all the sages of Grandis, Tai Yu has got to be his favorite. In the book, it said that some say Tai Yu descended from the heavens, other say he was a monster, himself because he was crazy strong, and he could blow away a whole legion of monsters with just one swing of his fan, and he is a master shapeshifter and he could create clones of himself, and he had a heart of gold, and whenever someone asked who he was, he'd always give the same answer, "I am but a simple wanderer." Hoyoung memorized all the cool one-liners. But that was Hoyoung's last volume of the Tales of Tai Yu. After Hoyoung reading that book, he did not return. Hoyoung comes to the magic training grounds, dig up a piece of wood because of his drills. And Hoyoung sits on a wood pile at the entrance and uses a knife to engrave symbols of heaven, earth, and humanity. In the meantime, Hoyoung is attracted by someone calling him.

Hoyoung arrives in the mountain vantage. Frightened by him, Hoyoung is about to go back, but he continues to come to the rock with a talisman to find someone's voice. There someone asks to release himself from the seal in the rock, but Hoyoung refuses. But when Hoyoung heard someone say that if he removes the talisman on the rock, he will grant his wish. Hoyoung tries to remove the talisman, but soon reattaches and leaves.

But the wind blows the talisman and a monster appears. Hoyoung wakes up Taotie without his knowledge. Awakening Taotie, Hoyoung is in a crisis, but he is tricky so he asks to him that if he really wanna prove he is the Taotie, he is gonna need some real evidence, for example, move that mountain over there. Taotie really moves mountain, and Hoyoung says to him that he should move many mountains. Taotie moves many mountains, and he is tired. Hoyoung again seals Taotie to his talisman when he was stole. Taotie sealed with Hoyoung's body because of his lack of magic. But because of the small vessel of Hoyoung, all the monsters that Taotie swallowed have awakened. Now Hoyoung can use magic, but he needs to get Taotie's monsters back. Taotie becomes cute form, but he still has enough power to make Hoyoung's life miserable.

It's not like Hoyoung wanna turn over a new, helpful leaf, but thinking about it these past days, it couldn't hurt to do some good in the world. Hoyoung borrows a fan and the Magic of Mt. Songyu, Vol 1, which is one of the books of spells of his drawer.

Cheong-woon Valley
To find out more about the different monsters released from the seal of Taotie, Hoyoung journeyed to Cheong-woon Valley to find the released monsters. And he goes to a local tavern listen to the information, because in Volume 12 of the Tales of Tai Yu, he read that taverns are the best place to go if they are looking to pick up local rumors.

Hoyoung decides to be a private investigator and goes to an Information Broker Bureau. Hoyoung arrives to the information broker Kaling and calls her to kid. She is angry and says she is just short and if he wanna work here, he better cut that out. Hoyoung tries to register himself as a private investigator, but she asks him that he could pay a fee to expedite his application, that would come out to be 100 million mesos. Hoyoung fans himself because he pretends to be warm, but she finds out that she have seen that fan before. Hoyoung says it is an heirloom passed from sage to sage. She remembers that it is a fan of a great man so she registers Hoyoung as a private investigator, but she is still going to put that 100 million meso expedite fee on the ledger, he can pay it down in his own time.

After several months, Hoyoung is officially commissioned by a client, and several days later, he runs all sorts of errands. Suspicious of Handsome Monk, he fights him, but he is forced to flee and shouts "Ultimate Sage Skill: Thirty-Sixth Stategem!" (Run away) But Monster Rat loses to him and becomes a small rat and runs away.

Few days later, Taotie says it sounds to him like the villagers really believe the Handsome Monk solved this whole thing himself, none but themselves truly know what happened in the temple that right. Hoyoung says in the end, it does not really matter if anyone knows the whole story, and there are plenty of times when the real hero is the one working behind the scenes, heck, even the great sage did not always take center stage, "I am but a simple wanderer..." maybe he has finally earned the chance to use that line for real.

Hoyoung thinks there are other monsters who have fled elsewhere besides Cheong-woon Valley. Kaling pulled out a wide drawer at the bottom of a cabinet and began to fish around, pulling out a few scrolls.

There exists a portal that can spirit you away to another dimension entirely.
 * The Interdimensional Portal

They say the taking of a Transcendent's power by another Transcendent is what caused it.

There are actually several such portals in Grandis.

The surest place to encounter one of these portals, if one is so inclined, is within Pantheon's Great Temple.

That stable portal is connected to a place called Maple World.

- Anonymous Young Man A

Hoyoung read this and thinks that maybe another dimension entirely is where his master went.

Hoyoung didn't realized it, probably 'cause it happened gradually, but he have really come into his own with the spells he have been using. Taotie says unless Hoyoung plan to invent entirely new spells himself, he will need a spell book for that, and he had have to return to the Hermitage for that. Hoyoung says he snuck another of the books out last time they were there. Hoyoung should pull out that spell book his master wrote and see what more he can learn about his style of magic, and he hopes he is not angry he filched his books, it is for a good cause. Hoyoung says last time he looked at these, his eyes just glazed over, now, when he looks at the words, they actually make sense somehow.

He goes to Savage Terminal and Pantheon's Great Temple, and Henesys, Maple World.

Sealing the Fiends
Hoyoung got this feeling lately likes there is something lacked in his life, he wanna chase away the blues by learning some cool new spells, but the one he studied last time was the last volume he brought with him from home, but there is only one thing he can do, though it is gonna be a huge bother: he will have to return to the Hermitage, so he summons the Nimbus Cloud and goes to Mt. Songyu. They arrive in Cheong-woon Valley Entrance, but they can's find the entrance of Mt. Songyu and they have been wandering in circles for hours. Hoyoung says he is hallucinating or just under some hex. At this time, Taotie attacks to Hoyoung and says at least now he knows it is not a dream. Hoyoung thinks the Hermitage sink into the ground or his master did return and erase the old path, and what if he was to fly up on the Nimbus Cloud and try to find it from the air, but even if he did that, there had be too many clouds for him to get a good view. Hoyoung yawns and says if he can't find the answer in the walking world, he will find it in his dream. At the moment, Hoyoung says he will go to the Hermitage in his dreams and read the spell book he needs that way. Focusing inward, Hoyoung fells asleep with all his memories of life at the Hermitage swirling in his mind, and as he dreamed, it felt like that familiar scenery unfolded all around him. In the dream, Hoyoung arrives in the Hermitage. He says this almost feels too vivid to be a dream, it is like he really is at the Hermitage, better go see if he can find the next volume of his master's spell book series. Hoyoung scanned his shelves and cabinets and found the spell book, it really looked just like he remembered, so he guesses it was somewhere there in his subconscious all this time. Hoyoung wakes up and zips back on the Nimbus Cloud. Now he can use the spells he read about in his dream, he is only sage who has learned magic while he was asleep, and he puts out the Sky Sage medal and emblem which was he snuck out of his cabinets.

Hoyoung says to Taotie that he is going to dream for a while because he is going to read the spell book in his dream again. Hoyoung dreaming again and Taotie says he is a heavy sleeper. In the dream, Hoyoung arrives in the Hermitage again and opens his master's drawer, but the spell book is not there. Hoyoung says the spell book is gone so it seems that he is distracted. At this time, he who is blue appears and gives a spell book to Hoyoung. Hoyoung surprised a little but thinks that it is not strange that he is here, because this place is the Hermitage. He asks why Hoyoung is so flustered, it is like he has seen a ghost, and he is looking for the spell book so it seems that he is trying to make trouble. Hoyoung answers he already made trouble, and he wants to master new magic skills, so he was about to borrow his spell book for just a moment. Hoyoung explains to him what had happened to him so far, you had better face your difficulties as early as possible. Hoyoung asks he should give him strong punishment. He shouts Hoyoung rascal, but he is not angry at him and he will not grab a rod, there is no use crying over split milk, he should move on, because it seems like he is paying the price, and he thinks that is enough, he means the burden he will carry from now on. Hoyoung asks why he did hide the entrance to the Hermitage, he tried his best, but he still could not find it, that is why he is here now. He answers the realm of the sages is a forbidden area only those with permission can enter, and since he can use magic now. Hoyoung surprised. He says he guesses it is time Hoyoung knew, about his past and the story of the realm of the sages. He tells the story. Hoyoung says now he understand why all his efforts were in vain, and he should not told him earlier. He says then Hoyoung would have neglected his training, anyway, it seems like he has enlightened himself and broken the seal, because his magic ability has also reached a certain level. Hoyoung says maybe he is stronger than him. He says Hoyoung is cheeky little one, anyway, he is sorry that he hid the truth from him, in hindsight, he thinks he should have trusted him more, he must have been frustrated, so as an apology, let him give him a new magic skill and a present. He stretches out his hand and put it on Hoyoung's head, with a flash before his eyes, a new magic skill is transferred into his head. He says this is the last magic skill Hoyoung can teach him, from now on, it is all up to him, he should keep developing his skills. Hoyoung says he does not have to worry, someday, he will surpass him. He says Hoyoung never lose that spirit. Hoyoung wakes up from his dream, he is holding the medal which is his gift. The magic skill Hoyoung handed down is now in him, this is a kind of magic only high-level sages can use. Hoyoung sees the medal and thinks it was not a dream, but it doesn't matter, anyway, he will try this new skill.


 * Lv. 190: Hoyoung thinks Cocoon Monsters seem to take care of each other, and seeing them, his master whom he have not seen for a long time comes to mind, he would worry about him all the time, just like those cocoons.

The Final Act
In the Broken Corridor, after resisting hard, now the last monster has almost exhausted its energy, it will all be once Hoyoung's final strike is made. The monster is absorbed by Taotie. Taotie says he feels powerful. Hoyoung reseals the last monster, Taotie retains his original form, exactly the form he had when they met at the Hermitage for the first time, he can see the dignity and figure of a great monster who has swallowed many monsters, he was originally that outstanding of a monster. Hoyoung says he actually feels bad that he mocked Taotie everyday.

At this time, Hoyoung meets Kaling. She says she has something she likes more than money, she loves collecting powerful monsters, but, unfortunately someone intercepted the monster she had been long seeking a little while ago. Hoyoung says it seems that someone is him, but she has been hunting monsters too, but he is afraid he can not help her, those monsters were supposed to be inside the stomach of a monster named Taotie, so she can go back to where she came from. She darkens her face, says Hoyoung should not mock her, and he does not know the true power of the Four Perils, so he can not deserve Taotie, and let's help him go on a rampage, and bring miserable disasters to the world, that is the reason he exists, so he can hand him to her. Hoyoung says Taotie is not something she can use at her discretion, whether he deserve him or whether he will bring about disasters, that is merely her opinion, whatever monster Taotie was in the past, he is different now, he is the only friend. Taotie is surprised. She says if Hoyoung says so, in that case, she has no choice but to force him, he can protect Taotie and prepare to die. At this moment, Hoyoung can not move. Suddenly, she pulls out her big dark hand and attacks Hoyoung.

The monster that comes out of her swallows Hoyoung, and he feels like his life is burning away. Hoyoung receives Taotie's power and comes out of the monster. Hoyoung says he thinks now he deserve him. She says Hoyoung managed to survive, but she does not think he have a second chance, now it is time to say goodbye.



She pulls out her monster and tries to attack Hoyoung, but his master suddenly appears and stops the monster. Taotie is surprised to see him. He says he does not like watching his dearest pupil get hurt. She angry and says Hoyoung is from the realm of the sages. He says she had better back off now, because he is quite strong for a spirit, and he really likes young blood, so it is time for her to die. Hoyoung and Taotie are nervous. But he shouts "Ultimate Sage Skill: Thirty-Sixth Stategem!" (Run away) He takes Hoyoung and Taotie and runs away. She angry and says he willy sage, and things have gotten complicated.

In the foot of Mt. Songyu, Hoyoung says this is the Hermitage, it is not magic; it is real. Actually, he is the spirit of him, the created by magic. Hoyoung asks why he is here. He answers he had planted a spirit he created with magic in Hoyoung before he left, to help him when he is in danger. Hoyoung asks where have he been and why he is not coming back. He answers he can not tell Hoyoung that and he is sorry. Hoyoung says he is always like that. He says the darkness is eating into the world, Hoyoung may also have sensed that, the reality is more cruel than the story, nevertheless, he decided to jump into this world, however, he will give him one more chance, does he wish to leave this Hermitage and return to the world. When Hoyoung refuse, he thinks that is not what he meant, that is not it. When Hoyoung accept, he says he still want to give it a shot, sometimes he make terrible mistakes, and he is distressed when things do not go the way he expected, but he has finally come to realize that he is the one the world needs, and being that person makes everything worth it, although he sometimes encounter danger, he can not simply turn away now, he can not simply go back to his previous life. He says he prays for the safety to Hoyoung, and he will stop nagging and go now. Hoyoung says he should not leave. He says his spiritual body can not last that long, he should not pulling Hoyoung and let them say goodbye to each other. Hoyoung says he does not forget to bring him a gift when they see each other again, he need to read him the best part of the Story of Sage Tai Yu. He says he promise he will read the book to Hoyoung, as for the gift, he will give him this. He takes a scroll out of his clothes and hands the magic book to Hoyoung. Master says he hopes next time he see Hoyoung, he will be a better sage, the one next to him seems like he is become a good friend of his. Hoyoung says it is a long story.

His spirit disappears, and Taotie appears. Hoyoung says he is gone. Taotie says he never expected Hoyoung's master to be that bastard, because he is the one who sealed him. Hoyoung is surprised because Taotie means he is Sage Tai Yu, his idol, so he feels sort of happy, or maybe disillusioned, it would have been better now knowing. Taotie says if he had known Hoyoung was Tai Yu's pupil, he would have crushed him. Hoyoung says he knows Taotie do not mean that, so cute. Hoyoung says many things happened all of a sudden, but there is no change in the fact that they are going to continue their journey. Taotie says he does not want to cooperate with Hoyoung but, he guesses it would be better to travel with him rather than being sealed by other bastards.

Hoyoung has the scroll he gave him in his hand, so he opens it. Hoyoung obtains a medal and a magic, Exclusive Spell, and there is a line. "I will look forward to listening to the story of your journey." Hoyoung says until he see his master again someday, and he will become an excellent sage who can surprise even his master, or Sage Tai Yu, he can look forward to it.

5th Job: Blessings of the Goddess
The goddess of Maple World asks what is it that Hoyoung want to protect the most in this world. When Hoyoung select aspiring dream, he says the day he left behind the Hermitage, he made up his mind to become someone needed in this world, that if he continued pushing, some day, he would become an even greater ascetic than his master, Sage Tai Yu, he told himself that it was an irreplaceable dream.

Aftermath
"If people are in danger and you can't see it, how can you be called a sage?" Child 1 says someone has always saying this and helped with the many villages of Maple World and Grandis, and he is a new sage who is following Tai Yu and appear briefly and then vanish, and his sparkling eyes are more courageous than tiger, and his spiritual magic is very unusual, and he disappeared after defeating Maple World's Transcendent, the Black Mage, and is still wandering somewhere in this world.

Child 1 asks to Hoyoung that he can give him his name before he leave town. Grandis felt a variety of unclean energies, and in a turbulent period of public sentiment, someone asked his name to the sage who helped the people and left, and then he who is radiated a mystical energy, said something. "I am but a simple wanderer."

Trivia

 * Tai Yu's name refers to Taiyi Zhenren (太乙真人, 태을진인, Korean pronunciation: Taeeuljinin or Tae-eul-jin-in or Taeeul Jinin), who is a deity in Chinese religion and Taoism + 仙人 (선인, Seonin).
 * 태을선인 (太乙仙人, Taeeulseonin) means Exorcist of Dungeon Fighter Online, which is a game developed and published by Neople, a South Korean subsidiary of Nexon.