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Etc Yellowish Green Mushroom CapSpoiler Alert!Notice
The details below contain SPOILERS, you may want to view this after completing the storyline in-game.
Job


Hoyoung / Ho Young is an Anima Thief, the first ever playable class from its branch released in KMS. They use a newly introduced weapon: Ritual Fans (different from the ones used by Kanna) as their main weapons.

The disciple of the legendary sage Tai Yu, Hoyoung accidentally freed Taotie, one of the infamous Four Perils, and inadvertently released all the fiends that Taotie had consumed while sealing the Peril inside himself. In order to rectify his mistake, Hoyoung and Taotie embark on a journey to recapture all the monsters, forming an unlikely friendship in the process, all while a mysterious woman named Kaling keeps her eye on them, hoping to claim Taotie's destructive powers for herself.

Story[]

The Foundling[]

Master and Hoyoung

Many years ago, the last white tiger Anima village in Grandis was attacked and destroyed, leaving only a single infant as the sole survivor. The legendary sage Tai Yu came across the child crying alone in the ruined village and, taking pity on it, he decided to raise the child as his own and named him Hoyoung.

Tai Yu took Hoyoung to Shangri-La, the realm of the sages, and raised him in the Hermitage where he resided, at the foot of Mount Songyu. As Hoyoung grew up, he asked Tai Yu to teach him magic, but when Tai Yu sensed the limitless energy within the boy, he sealed away Hoyoung's power in order to keep the boy from harming himself, as he knew that Hoyoung was both wild and unpredictable.

Main Story[]

Unsealing Taotie[]

One day, Hoyoung began reading his favorite book about Tai Yu, unaware that the legendary sage was actually his Master. He read how Tai Yu had sealed away the Four Perils, powerful fiends who once threatened the peace of Grandis He also read that Tai Yu's origins were mysterious, with some saying that he was descended from the heavens, while others claimed that he was a monster himself due to his inhuman strength. It was said that he could blow away a whole legion of monsters with just one swing of his fan, and that he possessed many other powers, such as shapeshifting and creating clones of himself. Even in spite of his strength, however, Tai Yu was extremely humble and would only refer to himself as “a simple wanderer”.

After Hoyoung finished reading the last volume of the series on Tai Yu, he wondered what to do next, as he had gotten bored of reading and sleeping all day. He also wondered where his Master had gone, as he should have returned long ago. His Master had been called away on urgent business and had left Hoyoung in charge of the Hermitage while he was gone. Before he had left, his Master had warned him to stay away from the other side of the mountain.

Hoyoung decided to go to the training grounds and finish the training exercises that he had been putting off. He collected Stiff Wooden Blocks from the Pine Nuts in the training grounds and carved the symbols for ‘Heaven', ‘Earth', and ‘Humanity', which were meant to represent the sky, the land, and mankind. He recalled that the intent was to help him understand that he existed between the sky above and the land below. With this understanding, he attempted to cast magic, but he failed once again. Just as he began lamenting that he was still unable to use real magic, the ground suddenly began to quake and he heard a strange voice calling to him.

Hoyoung followed the voice, but he was unable to find its source. Suddenly, he realized that he had gone to the other side of the mountain, where his Master had forbidden him to go. However, the voice called to him again and he followed it to a Stone of Sealing. The voice inside the stone asked Hoyoung to free him in exchange for a wish. Hoyoung asked for the ability to use magic in exchange for the voice's freedom. He found a warding talisman on the rock and realized that it would be simple to remove it, supposing that whoever had put it there must not have been too serious about keeping the voice trapped.

However, Hoyoung knew that the monster trapped inside the stone must be dangerous and he doubted that it could give him magic so easily, and so he decided to play a trick on it instead. Meanwhile, the monster planned to possess Hoyoung upon being freed, allowing him to cast magic as its puppet. Hoyoung lifted the talisman just an inch in order to get the monster's hopes up and then let it fall back into place again, laughing at the monster's foolishness in thinking that he was a gullible child.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew off the talisman that Hoyoung had accidentally loosened, causing the Stone of Sealing to shatter. From the stone emerged Taotie, one of the Four Perils. Hoyoung realized his mistake and formulated a plan to reseal Taotie. He laughed and told the monster that he couldn't possibly believe that it was Taotie. He then asked Taotie to prove that he was truly one of the Four Perils by moving the mountain, claiming that the real Taotie could easily accomplish such a feat.

Taotie easily lifted the mountain, but Hoyoung continued to subject him to more tests. Eventually, Taotie tired himself out and Hoyoung took the chance to use one of the talismans that he had stolen from his Master's desk to reseal him. However, Hoyoung accidentally sealed Taotie inside himself, but his weak magical mastery meant that he was unable to seal the fiends that Taotie had devoured, causing them to be unleashed upon Grandis.

Becoming an Investigator[]

Taotie, who had been reduced to a tiny creature, was furious that Hoyoung had released all the fiends that he had devoured over the ages. He then granted Hoyoung the power to use magic and explained that it was to help him track down and catch all the creatures whom he had let loose. With his newfound ability to use magic, Hoyoung read through some of his Master's notes that contained basic spells.

Armed with new skills, Hoyoung decided to head into the outside world in order to find clues on the fiends. Hoyoung - unaware that his Hermitage existed in the realm of the sages - inadvertently left the bounds of Shangri-La and emerged into the moon of Cheong-woon. Based on the stories that he had read about Tai Yu, he decided to head into the tavern in order to hear rumors about any of the released fiends.

He overheard two patrons, Ironhide and Willow, talking about the resurgence in monster activity, and how the town's private investigators were looking for answers. Ironhide mentioned that the private investigators were expensive, but that their efficiency had made them local heroes. Suddenly, Ironhide began choking on a fish bone, and after clearing his throat with a drink, he decided to order another.

Hoyoung noticed that the tavern seemed to be out of the particular drink that Ironhide had ordered and formulated a plan to impersonate a server. He obtained distilled spirits from Sikhye Crocks and brought them to the patrons so that they would continue their conversation. Ironhide then mentioned that the head monk of the temple on the outskirts of town had recently passed away, and that he had been replaced by a younger monk who was simply known as the Handsome Monk, as according to many women, and even a few men, he was easy on the eyes.

Though he was both handsome and kind, there were rumors that the Handsome Monk had sequestered himself in the temple, leading people to believe that he was praying for the safety of the town. Hoyoung wondered whether the Handsome Monk had been forced into seclusion because of the fiends that he had accidentally let loose into Grandis and decided that his next course of action would be to become a private investigator. Taotie grew annoyed by Hoyoung's antics, claiming that he had yet to witness Hoyoung's actions matching his bravado.

He explained that he had loosened the seal on Hoyoung's magic enough for the energy to trickle out, but he added that he wouldn't tamper with it any further, telling Hoyoung that he would need to do it himself from now on. Hoyoung then went to the Information Broker Bureau, where a woman named Kaling greeted them. Hoyoung saw that she had Anima features, a blue left eye, and a yellow right eye, with the right eye's sclera colored black.

Hoyoung greeted her by calling her a girl, which annoyed Kaling, who snapped that she was simply short. After interviewing Hoyoung, Kaling concluded that he was a rookie and told him that she was only looking for qualified candidates. Hoyoung protested that he was capable of handling a case, to which Kaling replied that he could pay a fee of 100 million mesos in order to expedite his application.

Hoyoung attempted to negotiate by asking her to assign him cases, with the commission being put towards the expedite fee, but Kaling denied him, explaining that it would be against the rules. Hoyoung then decided to trick her by telling her that he would need to turn her down and hoped that another legendary sage would help her.

This intrigued Kaling, and Hoyoung followed up by taking out his Master's fan. Kaling immediately recognized the fan as authentic and agreed to hire Hoyoung. When he asked why she had a sudden change of heart, Kaling explained that no ordinary sage could have gotten their hands on such a fan. However, she told him that she would still charge him the expedite fee and told him that he could pay it down on his own time.

Working with Farasi[]

Farasi and Hoyoung

For his first mission, Kaling assigned him to help another private investigator named Farasi. Farasi immediately recognized him as a fellow Anima and told him that since he had been living in the mountains, he likely didn't know where the Anima stood in the world at large. She explained that the Anima usually lived in seclusion and hid their animal features when venturing abroad, adding that she herself was an Anima from the sea, and that she had carefully styled her hair to cover her Anima ears, though she admitted that she couldn't hide her blue hair or skin. She told him that hiding his ears and tail may save him avoidable trouble, though she added that she couldn't force him to listen. With his new magic, Hoyoung invented a spell that would allow him to make his Anima features disappear and reappear at will.

Farasi then tasked him with investigating the town, as she was busy and Hoyoung needed to get familiar with the area. She told him that there had been an increase in reports of jars being shattered and told Hoyoung to look into it, and though she wondered why it even warranted an investigation, she directed him to defeat the Broken Sikhye Crocks for clues. Hoyoung found broken jar pieces on the monsters and brought them to Farasi.

He told her that he had already examined them and had found animal feces on the pieces, and that judging by the breakage of the jars, the culprit was fairly large, but the feces were abnormally small in proportion. Farasi decided that they could rule out monster involvement, jotting it down in the case files, and decided to move on to the next one.

For his next assignment, Farasi gave him a case from a local farmer named Mr. Mark, who had reported that his fully-grown gourds were disappearing, with some even rolling away on their own. After investigating, Hoyoung returned with some of the gourds. He pointed out teeth marks that had likely come from an animal and explained that the gnaw patterns showed large incisors, likely belonging to rats. He theorized that the gourds moving around on their own were likely rats who had chewed their way inside.

Farasi wondered if the rats had also been the ones who had broken the jars. Hoyoung believed that it warranted further investigation, to which Farasi told him that she had run across something similar in one of her previous cases, though she couldn't remember what it was. She then decided to take him out for lunch, though Hoyoung protested that she shouldn't be hungry when he had been the one doing all the work.

The Missing Trainees[]

Over the next several months, Hoyoung continued to work with Farasi on small-time cases. During one of their lunches, Farasi asked him why he had decided to become an investigator. Hoyoung told her that he had always aspired to become like the sages in his stories who traveled the world and helped people. Farasi replied that she had once felt the same way. Hoyoung asked her what had changed, but Farasi replied that she would tell him some other time.

She then told him that she had good news for him and explained that he had been given a new case, one which was actually serious and necessitated real detective work. Hoyoung went to see Kaling, who told him that the case involved a theft and a mysterious disappearance, as shiny objects had lately begun to disappear from the temple near the town.

A few days ago, some of the temple's trainees had gone missing as well, and Kaling explained that the client who had filed both requests suspected that the incidents were connected. Hoyoung asked Kaling if she thought that the cases were indeed connected, but Kaling told him that he would see when he met the client for himself. She told him that the client was a trainee who lived at the temple, and that he would be waiting at the temple entrance for him.

Hoyoung met the trainee at the temple and noticed that he was wearing a fancy necklace. Initially, he hadn't thought that monks wore such extravagant jewelry, but seeing it helped him understand the link between the thefts and abductions. The trainee noticed that Hoyoung was eyeing his jewelry and showed its glistening surface, explaining that it was meant to reflect one's face, which was the mirror of the soul.

He told Hoyoung that the pendants meant a great deal to the monks, and that he couldn't imagine that anyone would have allowed theirs to be stolen, including the trainees who had been abducted. Hoyoung marveled at the responsibility that they carried, with Taotie pointing out that it must be a foreign word to Hoyoung.

The trainee then began telling him the details of the case, explaining that a monster would appear when the temple was quiet, usually stealing something shiny before disappearing again. Those who had disappeared along with the monster were fellow trainees who had been standing watch at the time of the incidents. Hoyoung asked if there were any clues to help identify the monster, but the trainee explained that the only witnesses had been the abducted.

Undeterred, Hoyoung began his investigation at the site where the abductions had taken place. As they walked there, the trainee mentioned that soon after the abductions had started happening, the temple had begun having rat problems. Hoyoung then fought the Sewer Rats and discovered a black feather, a ring-handled wooden board, and a crumpled note that the rats were carrying, which he brought back to the trainee.

Hoyoung noted that based on the size of the feather, the monster had to be gigantic, possibly even large enough to carry off a trainee by itself. He then showed the wooden board to the trainee, who recognized that it matched the color and pattern of the door at the rear of the temple grounds. There, they found a large footprint, which Hoyoung noted to be bird-like.

The trainee realized that the rear gate led to the highest mountain in the area, meaning that the bird monster must have taken the missing trainees there. Hoyoung then opened the crumpled note, which said: “It was an animal… A beast! Flee while you can!” Hoyoung believed that the trainee who had written the note had known what was coming, and that they had tried to warn everyone else.

Just then, Taotie told him that he recognized the monster that they were facing and explained that the monster was a giant magpie, which was obsessed with hoarding all that glittered and shined. However, Taotie added that the magpie was afraid of bells, having once flown face-first into a large bell. Hoyoung realized that it explained why the magpie only came to the temple grounds when it was quiet. He then told the trainee what he had learned and asked him to show them the shrine's largest bell, which helped Hoyoung formulate his plan to deal with the magpie.

He and Taotie climbed to the top of the mountain, where they encountered the magpie sitting in a nest full of shiny objects, along with one of the trainees. As the magpie flew to attack, Hoyoung unleashed a gust of wind from his fan that caused the shrine bell to ring, which weakened the magpie and caused it to return to its spirit form.

As the spirit rushed away, Hoyoung chased after it and accidentally fell off the mountain. As he plummeted to the ground, he tried to summon his Master's Nimbus Cloud. Focusing on the heaven, earth, and humanity trigram, Hoyoung successfully summoned the Nimbus Cloud, allowing him to chase after the spirit through the air. Taotie successfully consumed the spirit and regained a portion of his power.

The Faceless Monster[]

Over the next few months, Hoyoung continued to take on advanced cases involving the escaped fiends. As he grew more famous, Taotie also grew stronger by consuming the fiends. Hoyoung quickly became the talk of the town, with the Handsome Monk even coming out of seclusion after the recovery of the missing trainees.

Taotie told Hoyoung that all but one of the fiends in the area had been hunted down. However, the last fiend had an elusive presence that allowed it to hide from Taotie, a fact which frustrated him, as he had thought that he had recovered enough of his power to sense any monsters in the area. Meanwhile, Hoyoung went to meet Farasi for lunch as usual. Farasi told Hoyoung that she was planning to retire after her current job, as she wanted to think about her future plans. Hoyoung agreed with her, claiming that he also didn't plan on staying an investigator forever.

After lunch, Hoyoung left for his new case, promising Farasi that they would have a proper goodbye later. He reported to Kaling, who told him that a Faceless Monster had appeared in town and instructed him to speak to Ironhide in the village. Ironhide told Hoyoung that the Faceless Monster had first appeared several months ago, back when people had only caught glimpses of it wandering around, as though it were lost.

Recently, however, it had started stealing from the town, which had caused the townspeople to grow concerned. Ironhide was worried that since the monster had stolen from his neighbor the day before, it would likely target his house next. Hoyoung decided to set a trap for the monster by collecting Gourd Vines from the Chunky Striped Gourd monsters. After having his magic clones set the trap, Hoyoung waited for the monster on the roof of Ironhide's house.

Soon after, the Faceless Monster, which was really just a normal man without his face, got caught in Hoyoung's trap. Though the monster managed to escape, it dropped some of the stolen items that it had been carrying. Hoyoung was surprised that the monster had seen through his trap, as he hadn't been able to sense a strong spiritual aura from it. Just then, Taotie emerged and told Hoyoung that he could sense something.

Hoyoung asked if Taotie recognized the Faceless Monster as one of the fiends that he had consumed, but Taotie explained that it wasn't the monster that he was sensing, but something in the bag that it had dropped. Hoyoung opened the bag and found stolen mojo dolls. Hoyoung recognized the dolls as the same ones that the Handsome Monk was making and having the trainees hand out to protect people from misfortune.

Taotie suddenly realized that the dolls were hanging from every house, which was why he was sensing the energy no matter where they went in town. Hoyoung asked if he knew where the monster was hiding, but Taotie told him that they would likely learn everything that they needed once they found the one who had made the dolls.

The King of Rats[]

Meanwhile, Farasi was finishing her last mission by investigating the temple. Suddenly, a trainee emerged and told her that the Handsome Monk would be delighted to have her for dinner. Back in town, Hoyoung began to grow suspicious about the Handsome Monk and decided to go to the temple. As they flew there on the Nimbus Cloud, Hoyoung wondered whether he would be allowed to see the Handsome Monk since he was an outsider. Furthermore, he suspected that the trainees would pose a problem if they were in on the conspiracy. Just then, he spotted one of the trainees getting down on all fours and eating off the ground while squeaking like a rat.

Hoyoung infiltrated the temple, where he discovered rats all around the area. He asked Taotie whether the last fiend was a rat, but Taotie explained that he wouldn't eat a rodent monster, as such lowly cuisine was beneath him. Hoyoung then found a locked door, which he believed to be suspicious. Suddenly, he saw a rat scurrying across with a key, getting lost amidst the many other rats with keys. Unable to keep track of which rat had the right key, Hoyoung defeated them all and took all the keys that they were carrying, trying each one until he found the right key.

Inside, he found the trainees tied up and asked them what had happened. One of the trainees, the same one whom Hoyoung had encountered on his first mission, explained that the rats had captured them. He told Hoyoung that the trainees whom he had rescued from the magpie monster were rats who had shapeshifted themselves to look like the monks, and that the rats had locked them up in the storage room. He then explained that even though he had managed to evade the magpie, the rats had eventually gotten him too. Each of the trainees told him that when they had regained consciousness, they had found themselves tied up in the storage room. Furthermore, they had realized that their faces had been stolen as well.

However, the trainee added that it was more than just their faces - the mirrors of their souls - that had been stolen. He explained that the spiritual powers that they had honed through their training had also been stolen, preventing them from being able to fight back or escape. Hoyoung wondered why the Handsome Monk hadn't done anything, as he was meant to be upstanding and powerful. The trainee then revealed that the Handsome Monk was the one controlling the rats, and so Hoyoung decided that he would make his way into the inner sanctum and confront the Handsome Monk.

As Hoyoung made his way deeper into the sanctum, he found another locked door blocking the way. Just like before, he hunted down the rats and collected their keys in order to find the right one. Arriving at the sanctum entrance, he found two rat trainees guarding the way. Hoyoung used his powers to shapeshift into a trainee in order to get past them. The trainees told him that he was late to the service that the Handsome Monk regularly conducted. Suddenly, one of them realized that if he were truly a rat, he would have known about the service.

Hoyoung managed to talk his way out of it, tricking the rats into letting him enter. Upon arriving, however, Hoyoung was dumbfounded to see that the service was nothing more than a disco club. Hoyoung then saw the Handsome Monk, whom Taotie explained was a Monster Rat who had stolen the face of the real Handsome Monk. However, unlike the regular rats, the Monster Rat had the ability to use magic. Taotie suspected that the Monster Rat had been siphoning chi from those who had hung his dolls on their houses.

Just then, the Monster Rat addressed his subjects and congratulated them on completing the first stage in their plan, which was to spread the life-siphoning dolls throughout the town. With their first objective achieved, he told them that it was time to move to the main phase of their mission. In three days, when the full moon would rise, the cursed power woven into the dolls would ensorcel the residents and turn them into his puppets. However, he explained that his ambitions surpassed Cheong-woon Valley, vowing that they would surge forth and cross over to the continents beyond the sea, allowing them to take over the world.

As the rats cheered for their master, the Monster Rat told them that he had brought a special guest and presented a captured Farasi. Hoyoung then revealed himself to the rats and ordered the Monster Rat to transform back into a spirit for Taotie to consume. The Monster Rat was confused, but it decided to eliminate Hoyoung anyways, as he had seen too much. As Hoyoung rushed to attack, the Monster Rat trapped Hoyoung inside a purple ball of magic and bounced him around the room. Realizing that he was no match for the Monster Rat, Hoyoung used the Ultimate Sage Skill: Thirty-Sixth Stratagem, which was to simply run away.

The Handsome Monk[]

Hoyoung and soup
Handsome Monk and Hoyoung (1)
Handsome Monk and Hoyoung (2)

Back in town, Taotie grew annoyed and asked what Hoyoung's plan was to deal with the Monster Rat. Hoyoung reassured him that he was formulating a plan, though he was really just planning to leave town in order to save himself. He rationalized that if the rats' goal was to slowly leech the villagers' life force, nothing bad would happen to them or Farasi right away, and that the other private investigators could deal with it instead. He told himself that he had never signed up to put his life on the line for the town when he had started, though his heart still felt heavy with guilt nevertheless. He went to order lunch, but he found that he had no appetite.

He then asked Taotie if he would be alright with hunting down the other fiends in the countryside and then coming back to Cheong-woon Valley later. Taotie told him that he didn't mind the order in which he devoured the fiends, so long as he got them all, but he was surprised that Hoyoung cared about what he thought. Hoyoung then told Taotie to forget about it, after which he thought to himself that he knew that monster-hunting would eventually bring him face-to-face with genuine danger, but even in spite of that, he wasn't sure of what to do. Taotie silently wondered whether Hoyoung was afraid of his foe, or whether it was fear of his own weakness.

Hoyoung then told Taotie that it was time to execute his plan. As he headed to the Information Broker Bureau in order to give an update on the Handsome Monk case, he encountered a group of thugs beating up a poor beggar. As he approached them to put a stop to it, Taotie grew annoyed at Hoyoung getting sidetracked. Hoyoung himself wondered why he always felt the need to leap into such situations, even when they didn't concern him.

Nevertheless, he defeated the thugs and forced them to retreat. As the beggar had fallen into a stupor, Hoyoung went to get mineral water from the Jar of Stagnant Water monsters. As he gave the water to the beggar, he was shocked to see that it was actually the Faceless Monster, who thanked Hoyoung and called him a great sage.

The Faceless Monster began to explain what had happened to him. His troubles had begun months ago, several days before a day of ill omen when the earth had pitched and heaved, and the waters had surged. Against his master's instructions, he had thrown his nail clippings out, as he had seen no harm in it. He explained that their town had a legend that the king of rats lurked in the shadows, waiting to eat nail clippings.

Once it had done so, the one who had thrown them out would lose their face and the Monster Rat would walk amongst the people, wearing the stolen face as his own. He revealed that he was the true Handsome Monk, but as he had lost his face and his powers, he had become a wanderer in a beggar's guise.

Before becoming a beggar, however, he had hidden himself in the temple storeroom for several days after having lost his face, which was when he had recalled his master's wisdom on the Monster Rat: should one make it regurgitate the nail clippings that it had eaten, one could reclaim their face. The Handsome Monk explained that he had confronted the Monster Rat, though it had become too strong for him to fight against. Realizing that it was because of the mojo dolls, the Handsome Monk had tried to get rid of them, which was when the townspeople had reported him to the Bureau as a thief.

Just then, Taotie spoke to Hoyoung and explained that the Monster Rat posed little significance. Under ordinary circumstances, even if the Handsome Monk had lost most of his powers, he still would have been able to handle it on his own. The fact that he had lost meant that the Monster Rat was getting help from someone or something else.

Hoyoung asked if one of the fiends who had escaped from Taotie was fueling the Monster Rat with power. Taotie told Hoyoung about the Flea Monster, which could split into multiples of itself, draining other creatures' life force and sharing the energy with its host. The Handsome Monk then asked if Hoyoung would help him defeat the Monster Rat, but Hoyoung told him that he still hadn't decided whether he was willing to put his life on the line.

He then decided to play a game with the Handsome Monk in order to let fate decide his course of action. Hoyoung picked up a stone and shifted it around between his hands, telling the Handsome Monk to pick which hand held the stone. The Handsome Monk picked the left hand, which held nothing. Seeing the Handsome Monk's disappointment, Hoyoung told him that they would play another round. After twenty-nine rounds, the Handsome Monk finally won. Hoyoung realized that he had let the Handsome Monk win because if he were to have simply left without looking back, his conscience would have been heavy forever.

Defeating the Monster Rat[]

After formulating their plan, Hoyoung and the Handsome Monk went their separate ways in order to take their positions. At the temple entrance, Hoyoung and Taotie found a thick purple miasma hanging in the air. Hoyoung forced his way into the temple and defeated the rats that attacked him. Inside the sanctum, he confronted the Monster Rat, who explained that once the full moon had fully risen, Hoyoung and everyone else in the town would fall under the thrall of the rats. Hoyoung and the Monster Rat then engaged in battle.

As the Monster Rat gained the upper hand, Hoyoung begged for mercy. The Monster Rat laughed and told him that it was too late for mercy, but as it launched its attack, Hoyoung revealed himself to be a clone, with his real self attacking from behind. He swiftly hit the Monster Rat's back, forcing it to regurgitate the Handsome Monk's nail clippings, which caused the Monster Rat to transform back into its true form.

Meanwhile in town, the investigators of the Bureau were fighting off the villagers who had transformed into rats, with the thick purple miasma covering the entirety of the town. Suddenly, the Handsome Monk appeared, and with his face and powers restored, he cast a spell to turn the rats back into people. On top of the Bureau roof, Kaling surveyed the battle and spoke to herself that it had been a bold move on Hoyoung's part to hire every private investigator in the Bureau, though she hoped that he wouldn't complain about the bill.

In the temple, the Monster Rat lamented that its handsome form had been taken away. Without its stolen powers, Hoyoung easily managed to defeat it. The Monster Rat claimed that it would one day succeed in conquering the world, but Hoyoung replied that even if it were to conquer the town, the moon, or even the whole Grandis system, none of it would bring it peace. As the Monster Rat rushed to attack, Hoyoung's counterattack successfully pried the Flea Monster off the Monster Rat, transforming it back into a regular sewer rat. The Flea Monster then turned into a spirit, which Taotie immediately consumed.

Second Job Advancement[]

A few days later, the town gradually fell back into quiet peace. Hoyoung, disguised as a trainee, was disappointed to overhear that the villagers believed that the Handsome Monk had solved everything himself. Taotie asked Hoyoung why he didn't simply publish his own account of what had really happened. Hoyoung told him that it ultimately didn't matter, as even Tai Yu would occasionally work behind the scenes. He laughed to himself, wondering if he had finally earned the chance to use Tai Yu's catchphrase, “I am but a simple wanderer”.

He then told Taotie that he had been eavesdropping at the tavern in order to pick up more leads, but it seemed as though there were no more fiends in town. He realized that he would likely need to venture outside Cheong-woon Valley in order to find the other fiends, but he decided that he would first start learning new spells. Taotie pointed out that he would need to return to the Hermitage unless he planned on creating new spells himself. However, Hoyoung showed him a spellbook which he had stolen from his Master, which he then read through in order to learn more advanced spells.

Leaving Cheong-woon Valley[]

Armed with new powers, Hoyoung decided to make a final round around town in order to pick up leads before heading out, which would give him a chance to say goodbye. He first went to the Information Broker Bureau in order to see Farasi, to whom he apologized for leaving her behind the first time that he had encountered the Monster Rat.

Farasi accepted his apology, explaining that it had been a clever plan to pretend to flee and return when the Monster Rat least expected it. Hoyoung admitted that he had fled for real, surprising Farasi, who realized that Hoyoung really had planned on leaving her behind. However, she quickly forgave him and explained that she had been rescued by the other investigators, whom she had heard had all been hired by Hoyoung, and so she told him that even if it had been indirectly, it was thanks to him that she had been saved.

Hoyoung then told her about his encounter with the real Handsome Monk and their plan to defeat the Monster Rat. He also told her that he was planning to leave town and then asked Farasi what her plan was once she stopped being an investigator. She told him that she was planning to go back to the sea, just as she had told him before, though she admitted that her dreams had fallen by the wayside long ago.

At Hoyoung's sad face, she told him that just because a dream had fallen by the wayside, it didn't mean that one couldn't find it again. She explained that she was returning to the sea in order to pick up her old dreams, or to perhaps even find a new one. Hoyoung told her that he would miss their lunches together, but Farasi pointed out that he was leaving as well. Hoyoung realized that they were both packing up and moving on with their lives, but he hoped that they would meet again one day. He told her that even if they didn't run into each other, they could leave letters with the tavern keeper in order to tell each other how they were doing.

After saying their goodbyes, Hoyoung went to see Kaling, though he was less than enthusiastic about the debt that he still owed her. Kaling calculated Hoyoung's final bill to be a figure that nearly bowled him over. He realized that it was almost as much as he had to his name, but he knew that there was no way that he could talk his way out of it. After paying her with nearly everything that he had, Kaling confirmed that his account was clear. She then amusedly revealed that the private investigators would have taken action on their own, even if he hadn't hired them.

At Hoyoung's surprised face, Kaling laughed and explained that it was part of the private investigators' code to defend the town in times of crisis. Hoyoung put up his bravado act and told her that it had been a preventative measure to ensure that all his bases had been covered. He then gave her the rest of his money and asked to buy whatever information about the outside world that he could with the amount that he had. Kaling then pulled out several scrolls and presented them to Hoyoung.

The first scroll was a guide to Grandis, which explained the three major races of Grandis: the Flora, the Anima, and the Nova, with the Flora being the most populous race. It also detailed the three Transcendents: Gerand Darmoor, Chronica, and Aeona. Finally, it detailed Chronica's whereabouts to be in the Chronica Sanctuary, where Darmoor had imprisoned them and stolen their power, and also offered no information on Aeona's status or whereabouts. The information in the scroll was gathered by Young Swordsman K.

The second scroll detailed the history of the Flora, namely the Flora Civil War and the awakening of Gerand Darmoor as the Transcendent of Life. It also mentioned that around that time, the Anima had disappeared without a trace, with only the Nova in Pantheon fighting back against Darmoor's forces. The information in the scroll was gathered by Curious Girl AB.

The third scroll was information about the Interdimensional Portal, namely its creation and the fact that several existed in Grandis, with the most well-known being in Pantheon's Great Temple, which connected to Maple World. The information in the scroll was gathered by Anonymous Young Man A. Hoyoung, after reading the scroll, wondered whether his Master had gone to Maple World.

The fourth and final scroll detailed Maple World, namely that one could get to Pantheon from Savage Terminal in order to access the Interdimensional Portal, and mentioned the rumors that the Black Mage might soon escape from his seal. The information in the scroll was gathered by Brawler C.

Based on the scrolls, Hoyoung realized that he needed to first make it to Savage Terminal in order to reach the Interdimensional Portal. Kaling told him that Maple World was far away, but wished him luck on his journey, promising that she would see him again. As Hoyoung left to see the Handsome Monk, Kaling spoke to herself that once she had her eye on something, she never let it out of her sight, no matter where it went.

At the Temple Entrance, Hoyoung greeted the Handsome Monk and jokingly asked if he was really a rat. The Handsome Monk stammered that he was exercising great caution in disposing of his nail clippings, but Hoyoung laughed and told him that he had only been teasing. He then explained that he wanted to say goodbye, and to thank him for all his help. The Handsome Monk replied that it was he who was in Hoyoung's debt, and that he prayed for Hoyoung's well-being on his path.

Hoyoung confessed that when his heart had been wavering, meeting the Handsome Monk had helped him realize that he already knew what he had wanted to do, deep down. He added that if he hadn't met him on the road, he might not have had the courage to follow through on it. The Handsome Monk explained that it was in Hoyoung's nature, as he had the spirit of a hero. After saying their farewells, he returned to the town. Taotie was annoyed that it had taken Hoyoung so long to finish his business, but Hoyoung then explained that they were heading to Maple World. When Taotie asked why Hoyoung thought that the escaped fiends would be there, Hoyoung jokingly replied that it was Taotie's job to find them.

Hoyoung then found Sosori, who was capable of crossing great distances in the blink of an eye. With Sosori's help, they crossed over to Savage Terminal, from which they took a portal to Pantheon. At the Great Temple, Hoyoung encountered Fenelle, who recognized Hoyoung as an Anima. She told him that they had seen an increase in the number of heroes who had come to the Interdimensional Portal for training, but Hoyoung was the first Anima who had ever visited them.

Hoyoung explained that even if another Anima had come through, they likely would have hidden their animal features, and so Fenelle might not have recognized an Anima if she saw one. He then asked her what he had to do in order to cross over to Maple World, to which Fenelle told him that she wanted to look into his soul in order to see if he aligned with good or evil.

She sensed that Hoyoung didn't differentiate between good and evil in the methods that he used to accomplish his goals, though his will itself cherished that which was good. She then explained that Athena Pierce was the de-facto representative of Maple World's Explorers and offered to let her know of his arrival in advance. After she contacted Athena Pierce, Fenelle activated the portal and allowed Hoyoung to pass through.

Hoyoung and Taotie were surprised by how quiet and peaceful Maple World seemed in comparison to Grandis. Hoyoung told Taotie to remain on the lookout for any of the fiends who had escaped. He then went to Henesys in order to meet Athena Pierce. At the Bowman Instructional School, Athena greeted Hoyoung and explained that starting out on his adventuring career required building relationships. She then suggested that Hoyoung help out some of the locals. Hoyoung noted that it seemed peaceful in Henesys, and that he was surprised that people needed help there.

Athena explained that even though Henesys was a quiet town, Maple World itself was a vast place, and that there was more trouble lurking out there beneath its idyllic exterior than Hoyoung would first suspect. She then gave Hoyoung several case files and told him that he could choose any of them to help out with.

The Ant Monster[]

Soon after, Taotie sensed a fiend at the Ellinel Fairy Academy. After forcing the fiend out of the Mole King, Taotie swallowed it. He explained that it was an Ant Monster, which used to dig tunnels deep in the earth and stir up trouble. He noted that it was interesting that it would possess a mole monster. Hoyoung asked if it meant that Taotie always ate troublemaker spirits, but Taotie explained that sometimes he devoured gentle spirits, or even spirits that Hoyoung might consider cute.

The Swamp Region Fiend[]

Soon after, Taotie sensed another fiend in the Swamp Region and directed Hoyoung there. Hoyoung was surprised to find a portal, which Taotie explained had been created by the fiend distorting the surrounding space, as it had gained much more of its old strength. Inside the space, they found the Crocodile Bird monster. After Taotie swallowed it, Hoyoung asked how many fiends Taotie had consumed. Taotie told him that he had consumed well over a thousand, meaning that Hoyoung had much more work to look forward to.

Third Job Advancement[]

Some time later, Hoyoung felt that it was time to add new spells to his arsenal. Taotie suggested that he look at one of the spellbooks that he had stolen from his Master's library. However, Hoyoung explained that the spellbook which he had used last time was the last volume that he had brought with him, meaning that he would need to use the Nimbus Cloud in order to return to the Hermitage. They returned to Cheong-woon, where Hoyoung spent hours circling Mount Songyu. He wondered whether the Hermitage had sunk into the ground, or if his Master had returned and erased the old path.

Hoyoung then had the idea of entering the Hermitage through his dreams and reading the spellbook that he needed. He then fell asleep, with all his memories of life at the Hermitage swirling in his head. As he dreamed, he felt the scenery of the Hermitage unfold around him. He felt that it was too vivid to be a dream, as though he really was at the Hermitage. After finding the spellbook, he read through it and awoke, recollecting all of the spells that he had read. Taotie then gave him a rare compliment for his unorthodox solution.

The Talisman Monster[]

Taotie found traces of another fiend in the Ant Tunnel Square in Sleepywood. They found the Talisman Monster possessing a Zombie Mushroom and Taotie explained that the fiend only appeared in dark places. Hoyoung then had the idea of lighting the cave in order to weaken it. After lighting candles around the area, Hoyoung was able to defeat the fiend, allowing Taotie to consume its spirit.

Joining the Alliance[]

As Hoyoung grew stronger, Athena Pierce reached out to him and invited him to join the Maple Alliance. Hoyoung traveled to Ereve in order to meet with Neinheart and Cygnus. Hoyoung felt as though Neinheart was gauging his skills, and so he attempted to prove himself by stealing Neinheart's pocket watch and appearing behind him. Neinheart laughed, but warned that he would be less than amused if he did something like that to the Empress. With that, Cygnus formally welcomed him to the Alliance.

The Sand Monster[]

Hoyoung then continued to travel Maple World until Taotie sensed another monster in Ariant. At the town, they continued chasing rumors until they learned that a dried-up cactus had drained an entire oasis. In the desert, they encountered a warp in space created by the Sand Monster, which Taotie believed had possessed the cactus, Deo. After Hoyoung defeated it, Taotie emerged to consume the Sand Monster's spirit.

Fourth Job Advancement[]

Hoyoung continued his training and soon felt that it was time for him to learn more of his Master's spells. Just like before, he fell asleep and arrived at the Hermitage in his dreams. However, he was unable to find the next volume of spell books until the spirit of his Master appeared within his dream. Hoyoung explained everything that had happened with Taotie to his Master, but to his surprise, his Master wasn't angry, as he explained that Hoyoung was already paying for the trouble that he had created.

Hoyoung asked his Master why he had blocked him from entering the Hermitage, but his Master explained that the Hermitage dwelled within the realm of the sages, where only those who were granted permission could gain entry. He told Hoyoung that his role as a Master had been ordained by the elders from the realm of the sages, and that he had been entrusted with making right what had gone awry in the outside world.

He explained that many years ago, when Grandis had been embroiled in chaos, he would spend his days upon the fields of battle, until one day when he had encountered an infant Hoyoung abandoned in a ruined town. Taking pity on the child, he had raised Hoyoung as his own, but when Hoyoung had asked to learn magic, he had sensed the limitless energy within the boy.

As Hoyoung was both wild and unpredictable, he had decided to seal away Hoyoung's powers in order to keep him from harming himself. Hoyoung asked why his Master hadn't just told him, to which he explained that Hoyoung would have grown negligent in his training if he had believed success to be impossible simply because it didn't come easily. To apologize for hiding the truth, he transferred the knowledge of his final spells to Hoyoung and told him that from now on, Hoyoung would need to create his own spells.

The Wolf Monster[]

With his new powers, Hoyoung and Taotie traveled around Maple World and Grandis in order to catch the other fiends. In El Nath, Hoyoung captured a Wolf Monster, which had hidden inside a powerful creature called the Nyalmo, as it was afraid of conflict. After catching the fiend, Hoyoung and Taotie had a snowball fight, which ended in a draw when neither refused to yield.

The Book Monster[]

Next, they captured a Book Monster, which had possessed King Sage Cat. Taotie explained that the Book Monster was bad at making friends, and in order to avoid loneliness, it forced others to stay by having them solve challenging riddles. After answering countless riddles, Hoyoung convinced the Book Monster to emerge from within King Sage Cat, after which Taotie immediately consumed it.

Temple of Time[]

While exploring the Temple of Time, Hoyoung's memories were drained by Dodo. After being told by the Record Keeper to return to where his adventure began, Hoyoung recalled how he had first left the Hermitage with Taotie, thinking that he might be able to do some good as he tracked down the fiends. He then realized that his whole journey had started because he had broke Taotie's seal and decided to talk to Taotie about old times.

He tricked Taotie into coming out by pretending as though they were under attack, after which he began reminiscing about how their meeting had led to them traveling in another dimension. Taotie replied that it was unlike Hoyoung to be sentimental and asked if he had fallen under a spell. Hoyoung laughed that it was good to stop and reflect every now and then, as running forward with one's eyes set straight ahead only made them tired, causing them to miss the scenery around them.

Taotie then recalled how weak Hoyoung used to be, as he only used to have a big mouth and no strength to back it up. However, he admitted that Hoyoung had overcome his weakness and had become stronger through facing adversity, and that he had become a halfway decent sage. Hoyoung asked him if he was really only halfway decent, to which Taotie replied that he might categorize Hoyoung on the bottom rung of “good” if he were to down all the escaped fiends. After bickering and reminiscing with Taotie, Hoyoung felt warmth in a way that only traveling with someone as grumpy as Taotie could bring.

The Lizard Monster[]

In Wyvern Canyon, Hoyoung heard rumors that Leviathan, the master of the canyon, had disappeared. Believing it to be the work of a fiend, Hoyoung and Taotie tracked it to the Warped Path that it had created. Taotie explained that the fiend was a Lizard Monster, which could blend in with its surroundings. Hoyoung formulated a plan to feign ignorance when he entered the Warped Path in order to get the Lizard Monster to drop its guard and deactivate its camouflage to attack them. Sure enough, Hoyoung was able to force it to release Leviathan, allowing Taotie to consume it.

The Magnet Monster[]

Some time later, Hoyoung heard stories about aliens in Omega Sector and convinced Taotie to visit under the pretense of hunting for fiends. Hoyoung was thrilled to find proof of aliens after being beamed up to their mothership, where they found the Magnet Monster possessing Chief Gray. He was surprised to know that the Magnet Monster made its hosts even weaker, as opposed to the other fiends. Even after consuming it, Taotie noted that Chief Gray's body aches likely wouldn't go away, as they came from old age. Hoyoung then asked how much body pain Taotie had because of his age, much to Taotie's annoyance.

The Frog Monster[]

Soon after, Taotie sensed another fiend in Savage Terminal and teleported Hoyoung to the Scrapyard, where they found the Frog Monster bathed in toxic waste. Taotie explained that the Frog Monster sought the most disgusting place that it could find, which allowed it to become the very essence of filth over time. Having grown up near vegetation and clean water, Hoyoung nearly passed out from the stench and quickly defeated it before it became too much for him to bear.

The Cocoon Monster[]

Some time later, Taotie teleported Hoyoung to Fox Valley in Vulpes, where they encountered a Cocoon Monster. Taotie explained that it was in the process of maturing into an adult insect fiend. The Cocoon Monster noticed Taotie and told him that it almost hadn't recognized him because of how small he had become, much to Hoyoung's amusement and Taotie's irritation.

Taotie then asked the fiend where its brothers were, explaining to Hoyoung that the Cocoon Monster had two brothers, and that the three siblings were seldom seen apart. The Cocoon Monster explained that it had lost them when they had fallen into Fox Valley, and that their timidity prevented them from searching for each other.

Taotie told Hoyoung that because of the siblings' bond, he needed all three spirits to be present before he could consume them. Hoyoung then found its brothers and reunited the siblings. As the siblings happily spoke with each other, Hoyoung recalled how he used to ramble to his Master as a child, who would always patiently listen whenever Hoyoung wanted to talk. Satisfied at being together again, the three Cocoon Monsters willingly allowed themselves to be consumed by Taotie once again. Taotie then told Hoyoung that there was just one more fiend left to find.

Final Quest[]

Hoyoung, Tae-ul and Kaling

Hoyoung traveled to the Temple of Time, where the final fiend awaited him. After Taotie consumed it, his full power and original form returned. As Hoyoung cautiously asked what came next, the ground began rumbling and Taotie told Hoyoung that they weren't alone. Hoyoung asked if it was another fiend, which Taotie confirmed, though he admitted that it wasn't one that he had consumed, and that it felt strangely familiar.

Unexpectedly, Kaling appeared before them and told them that she was a collector of monsters, and that she had her sights set on a particular monster in the possession of someone else. Hoyoung realized that she was referring to him and told her that Taotie had already swallowed the monster that she wanted.

Kaling grew irritated and told him that it was Taotie himself who she was after, claiming that he deserved someone who wouldn't hesitate to unleash his destructive powers. However, Hoyoung refused to hand Taotie over, claiming that despite Taotie's destructive powers, he was Hoyoung's friend, which surprised Taotie.

Frustrated, Kaling used a mysterious power to create a demonic hand that engulfed Hoyoung and began draining his life force. Taotie asked Hoyoung why he didn't just let her take him, to which Hoyoung replied that he couldn't afford to let Kaling seize control over his destructive power. He asked Taotie to help him, but Taotie explained that he was still bound inside Hoyoung, and so he couldn't use his powers against her.

However, he recognized that Kaling was using another one of the Four Perils against them and told Hoyoung that he could cancel out its power, though he couldn't guarantee that Hoyoung would survive the process. Nevertheless, Hoyoung told him to do it, and so Taotie used his powers to free them from Kaling's grasp. However, Kaling recognized that Hoyoung was barely able to stand after Taotie had used his powers, and so she decided to press her advantage and moved to attack.

To everyone's surprise, however, Hoyoung's Master appeared as an astral projection and blocked Kaling's attack. Kaling was shocked and angered that a true sage had appeared. She declared that she could easily defeat his astral projection, to which Hoyoung's Master used his powers to teleport Hoyoung to the Hermitage. After Hoyoung awoke, he asked his Master what he was doing there. His Master explained that before leaving on his journey, he had implanted a copy of his soul inside Hoyoung in case his apprentice ran into real trouble.

Hoyoung asked his Master where he was, to which his Master explained that it was confidential information. He apologized for leaving Hoyoung to fend for himself, but explained that there was a great darkness that loomed over the outside world. He then asked Hoyoung whether he would choose to leave the Hermitage to face that darkness, or to remain safe inside.

After considering it, Hoyoung told him that he couldn't stand by when people were in danger anymore. His Master was pleased by Hoyoung's answer, though he added that their time was growing short before his apparition would disappear. Before he left, he gave Hoyoung a special spellbook and told him to give Taotie his best regards.

After he left, Taotie revealed that Hoyoung's master was actually Tai Yu, the legendary sage who had sealed away the Four Perils. Hoyoung was awed to know that his master was the same sage whom he looked up to. Though Taotie was irritated to know that Hoyoung was the apprentice of the man who had sealed him away, he begrudgingly agreed to continue traveling with Hoyoung, as a small part of him had secretly grown fond of the boy as well.

Hoyoung then opened the spellbook and read that his master had written, “I look forward to the day I get to hear all the tales of your journey,” and that his Master had also included a strange spell that augmented Hoyoung's power.

Fifth Job Advancement[]

Upon entering the Erda Flow and meeting with the Goddess of Maple World, the Goddess asks the player what it is that they cherish most in the world. Hoyoung gets to choose between dreaming of the blue sky or the bond of the outside world. His dream of the blue sky is his dream to become a sage and surpass even Tai Yu, while the bond of the outside world is all the things outside the Hermitage, such as food, people, and more.

Upon entering the Erda Flow and meeting with the Goddess of Grandis, the Goddess greets him and explains that she's been monitoring her performance for some time. She notes that it seems that he and Taotie have developed what she can only assume to be some tentative form of friendship.

Sixth Job Advancement[]

After the player frees the Goddess of Grandis, the Goddess will recognize Hoyoung and greet him by name.

Heliseum Reclamation HQ[]

Hoyoung received a letter from Fenelle asking for his aid in retaking Heliseum. He traveled to Pantheon and introduced himself to Beldar, who was surprised to see an Anima not in hiding. He told Hoyoung to meet Tiron, who told him about the surprise attack from the Specters.

Fox Valley[]

When Hoyoung first arrives at Fox Point Village, he sees that the villagers have fox ears and tails, and he wonders whether he's stumbled across a hidden village of fox Anima.

When Hoyoung first meets Maru, he introduces himself as a sage and explains that he's received Maru's letter. Maru then sniffs Hoyoung and realizes that he smells familiar, causing him to realize that Hoyoung is a fellow Anima. He explains that Hoyoung is the first Anima that he's met from outside the village, and so he decides to test Hoyoung's strength.

After reaching the domain of the Fox God, Hoyoung notes that it has the same sort of smell as the Hermitage. He and Maru then encounter the Sky Guardian, who is surprised to see Hoyoung and asks why he has left the realm of the sages and come down to the outside world. In an exclusive dialogue for Shangri-La, it is later revealed that the Sky Guardian had momentarily mistaken Hoyoung for Baekyeon, one of the Four Symbols who protects Shangri-La and, similar to Hoyoung, is also a white tiger Anima.

Black Heaven[]

Before the battle, Hoyoung returned to Cheong-woon, feeling nostalgic for the town where he had first made a name for himself. There, he ordered a large bowl of rice soup before he committed himself to defending Maple World. He asked the tavern keeper if she had seen Farasi, or if she had received any notes from her, but the tavern keeper told him that she hadn't. Hoyoung was dejected that their paths wouldn't cross that day, as it was difficult for him to visit frequently.

Just then, Farasi arrived and greeted him. As they ate lunch together, they caught up and Hoyoung learned that Farasi had been traveling the seas, looking for a new dream to spark her passion. After explaining that he was about to protect Maple World, Farasi warned him to be careful, though she laughed at Hoyoung's bravado. As he set off, he recalled how it was because of Farasi that he had learned the joys of helping others and hoped to eat lunch with her at the tavern again one day.

After Athena Pierce and the player fight their way to the main deck, Athena gives a word of encouragement to the player as they charge into battle, which depends on their class. For Hoyoung, Athena tells him to show the enemies his power.

Vanishing Journey[]

After the player defeats Arma, Kao will speak to the player while being carried through the cave. Hoyoung asks Kao where he has left his Taotie. Kao notes that his Taotie must have sacrificed himself. Hoyoung's Taotie then emerges from him and calls Kao a buffoon before telling him to stop it with his sob stories. Kao smiles sadly at hearing Taotie calling him a buffoon, adding that it's been a while since he's heard that.

Yum Yum Island[]

When Hoyoung meets Caster and sees the button that identifies him as a resident of Yum Yum Island, Hoyoung has exclusive dialogue, in which he notes that the button seems familiar. Taotie adds that the energy in the button feels familiar, though he can't recall what it is.

When Chief Lyon destroys Caster's button, a massive claw with ominous energy emerges from it, which disappears when Lyon breaks the button. Hoyoung has exclusive dialogue, in which he recognizes the claw attack from his encounter with Kaling. Taotie adds that he now remembers the energy as being what Kaling had unleashed at the Temple of Time using another one of the Four Perils.

Upon realizing that the Erda fusions in Yum Yum Island have the potential to become extremely powerful enemies, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which he notes to himself that he hadn't expected Kaling to go so far. Taotie adds that Kaling is something else entirely and suggests that they be more careful.

Esfera[]

Upon meeting Melange, Hoyoung will note that he's never seen anyone of Melange's species before in Grandis.

After seeing the Black Moon in the skies above Esfera, the Adversary notes to themselves that their long struggle against the Black Mage is finally coming to an end. Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue, in which he also notes to himself that defeating the Black Mage will also take him one step closer towards defeating Gerand Darmoor, which will allow Grandis to know peace once more.

After witnessing how Aeona and Tana received their names, Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue, in which he recalls rumors that Aeona had once faced Gerand Darmoor.

After learning about the origin of the Executors from Melange, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which he notes that Melange's explanation is completely new to him, and that he doesn't think that anyone has ever seen the Executors before.

When Melange points out that Aeona had seemed to have wiped out seven races of Grandis against her will, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which he asks Melange if there were more races in the past that they never knew about. When Melange tells the Adversary about how the Transcendents of Grandis had actively shaped their world, he will preclude his explanation by saying that they might already know that if the player is Hoyoung.

Labyrinth of Suffering[]

After the Adversary collapses into despair as a result of Hilla's machinations, they pass out in a void of darkness within their own mind. As their morale and strength threaten to diminish completely, the mysterious divine light speaks to them in the form of someone close to them and provides them motivation to continue.

For Hoyoung, the voice of Master Tai Yu asks him why he risks his life to save others. Hoyoung tells him that it's because everyone is that precious to him, to which Tai Yu asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, which is nothing like his home. Hoyoung replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it's a precious place, filled with happy memories.

Tai Yu asks him if he can remember what he needs to do, to which Hoyoung begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he has nowhere to go back to. He adds that there's nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Tai Yu asks him if that's really what he had seen and tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. He asks Hoyoung to open his eyes, get up, dust himself off, and do what he has to do. Calling Hoyoung his dear disciple, Tai Yu reminds him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Illium recognizes the voice as belonging to his Master.

Limina[]

When the Adversary faces the Black Mage, he tells them that their path has always been preordained. In response to his words, Hoyoung vows that he'll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created for the sake of everyone who calls Maple World their home.

After the Adversary scatters into Erda after killing the Black Mage, they awaken in the Erda Flow, where the White Mage thanks them for putting an end to the battle and helping him liberate the world from the influence of the Overseers. After the conversation, the Adversary will return back to the real world. As they do, the White Mage will give them a unique title based on their class; the title he gives to Hoyoung is "Conqueror of Destiny".

After the final battle, the Adversary will return back to the Outpost and speak with Neinheart and the other leaders of the Alliance. For Hoyoung, Neinheart tells him that all of Maple World owes him a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus adds that the Alliance's allies in Grandis played a major role in bringing peace to Maple World, for which they have her utmost gratitude.

Edea notes that they were fortunate enough that the situation on Grandis was quiet enough for them to come. She adds that there's no telling what will happen next, though this was a nice enough break. Cygnus then promises that Maple World will be there when Grandis needs help, just as Hoyoung was there for Maple World.

Aftermath[]

Hoyoung (1)

In Cheong-woon Valley, two children were talking about a mysterious sage claiming to be the disciple of Master Tai Yu who traveled across Maple World and Grandis and helped those in need. Though he had vanished after defeating the Black Mage, rumors continued to circulate that the sage still roamed from town to town.

On the roof of the tavern, Hoyoung listened to the children excitedly spreading his story and wished that they would go somewhere else, as they were making it difficult for all his potential customers to find him. Taotie then mocked Hoyoung for taking on petty cases and odd jobs, even after his reputation as a legendary sage had inflated.

Hoyoung (2)

Hoyoung laughed and reminded Taotie of the large serpent which had almost killed them in their last ‘petty' job. Taotie seethed that if he had been able to use his full powers, the monster would have been a mere snack. He asked Hoyoung if he remembered Lord Choi's offer, which would have given them a grand house with a host of servants and decadent food.

Hoyoung conceded that the spread was nice, but he told Taotie that he really only needed basic spicy soup. He also added that he didn't see the need to get involved if evil spirits plagued those like Lord Choi, who milked the people of the province dry. Just then, two patrons in the tavern began talking about rumors that a new Transcendent was preparing for war in Grandis, as well as a warrior in Pantheon with dragon horns and a tail who was gathering forces to stand against them, though they wondered if even a Nova Guardian had the power to take on a Transcendent.

Overhearing their conversation, Hoyoung realized that there was someone else with animal ears and a tail making a name for themselves and supposed that they would easily become friends. Taotie clarified that the warrior sounded more like a Nova than an Anima. Hoyoung decided that he would help the Nova Guardian as a friend, against Taotie's protests that they hadn't even met yet for him to call them a friend.

Hoyoung then jumped off the roof and told the two children telling his story that he would be out traveling for a while. He then asked them to protect the town with the magic that he had taught them, to which the children protested that he hadn't even taught them real magic and demanded that he teach them more than just tricks when he returned.

Taotie asked Hoyoung why he insisted on concealing his true identity, as he would have a whole throng of followers if he revealed that he was the legendary sage. Hoyoung replied that in his travels, he had learned that there was no need to chase after the world, but rather, he would be there to take action when the world needed him instead. He added that stories were best when they stayed as stories that could inspire and encourage. Before he left, the children asked for his name, to which he told them that he was but a simple wanderer, echoing his master's words before him.

Karote[]

When Oz reports that an eyewitness in Grandis who had met Kaling had helped the Alliance learn more about her, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which Neinheart realizes that Hoyoung was the eyewitness in question. Hoyoung feels awkward and tells Neinheart that there's no need to point it out when he's standing right there. Taotie then laughs to Hoyoung that it's unlike him to feel embarrassed.

Odium[]

During a meeting at the Secret Plaza, Oz explained that the Blaze Wizards had been chasing after Kaling, and that her trail had disappeared around Karote. Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which he's shocked to hear about Kaling and wonders what she would want all the way up there. Taotie then emerges from Hoyoung and tells him that he ought to be careful, as there's going to be trouble at the laboratory.

Hoyoung teases Taotie for sounding afraid and asks if he's suggesting that they give up in advance. Taotie gets annoyed, but he silently notes to himself that Kaling seems to want the Four Perils so badly that she's even going to the laboratory herself. He then hopes to himself that he's wrong about what it is that he thinks that Kaling is after.

Upon initially seeing Alter, Hoyoung wonders whether Alter is an Anima because of his mechanical animal features.

When Tai Yu first appears to vouch for the Adversary, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which Tai Yu tells Na-Sol that he's Hoyoung's Master, and that he had helped Hoyoung out with a few things as well. Hoyoung is shocked to see his Master after such a long period of time.

After recalling that Cosim had sent someone to help them, Hoyoung notes that he hadn't expected that the help that Cosim had sent would be his Master. He then confronts Tai Yu, claiming that Tai Yu hadn't even explained where he was going after leaving the Hermitage, and asks what he's doing all the way out in Odium. Oz asks Hoyoung if he knows Tai Yu, to which Hoyoung explains that he's the famous sage, Tai Yu, who's also his Master.

He then adds that Tai Yu had left him alone in the Hermitage before disappearing and asks Tai Yu if he has any idea how worried he was. Tai Yu laughs and says that there's no need to shout, noting that Hoyoung is looking healthy. He asks Hoyoung how he's been, noting that he doesn't seem to be afraid of getting scolded anymore. He then smiles and adds that it looks like Hoyoung is all grown up now.

After the Constables revealed that Kaling had once been a researcher of Odium, Taotie emerges and notes that he was right earlier about Kaling's goals. Hoyoung is surprised that Taotie, of all people, knows something that he doesn't before asking how it is that he's the only one out of the loop. Taotie replies that his own memory is still a bit fuzzy about the whole thing, and that there's nothing helpful that he could share anyways. He then adds that if he's right, then Hoyoung will see it all himself soon enough. After Taotie disappears, Hoyoung wonders what's gotten into Taotie today before concluding that he's still mad about Tai Yu sealing him away.

While reading through the research journals about Kaling, Hoyoung discovers that Kaling had created the Four Perils, and that they had started out as small plush-like robots before gaining consciousness. Taotie clarifies that he and the plush robot in the photo are are technically different, as the plush was him from before he gained consciousness.

A surprised Hoyoung asks him whether he's going to turn back into a plush if he loses all his power, noting that Taotie had still been able to move when he had become small after losing all the fiends that he had consumed. Taotie explains that he can't return back to being inert now that he's gained sentience, adding that he wouldn't want to either.

After reading through the journals, the Adversary returns back to Tai Yu. Hoyoung receives a unique script in place of the generic one, in which Tai Yu asks him where he had run off to and jokingly asks if he's incapable of staying in one spot. Hoyoung defensively retorts that he had only been off reading the research journals, to which Tai Yu notes that judging by the look on Hoyoung's face, he hadn't liked what he had read.

Hoyoung then notes that the records had mentioned that a Vessel had sealed the Four Perils away before explaining that he had been wondering how Tai Yu had gotten to Odium in the first place. He then asks Tai Yu whether he's really a Vessel, to which Tai Yu replies that he is, though unlike Hoyoung, he's only a defective Vessel. He then tells Hoyoung that no matter how hard Kaling tries, she'll never be able to gather the Four Perils because one of them had been taken care of by the elders, while the other was clinging onto Hoyoung.

Taotie then emerges and angrily retorts that he's not clinging and threateningly asks Tai Yu whether he's asking to see the full power of the great Taotie that badly. Hoyoung then amusedly notes that Taotie is starting to sound like himself again, adding that he had been worried about Taotie for a while there.

When Kaling reveals herself in Odium, she recognizes him as the mannerless investigator from Cheong-woon and laughs that she hadn't expected them to meet in such a place. She asks him whether he still has Taotie, though she adds that it doesn't matter because she doesn't even need him anymore.

Upon meeting Hundun in the heart of Odium, Hundun senses Taotie inside Hoyoung. He tells Taotie that though he doesn't know which hole he's crawled out of, Taotie is quite strange for clinging to a Vessel of all things. Hoyoung laughs and tells Taotie that Hundun sounds just like him. He then jokingly adds that Taotie should get to know Hundun in order to see what he can find out. Taotie angrily asks Hoyoung whether what he said even makes sense in his head.

When Tai Yu begins opening a path to Shangri-La with a hanging scroll, Hoyoung asks Tai Yu why he's suddenly created the scroll. Tai Yu asks Hoyoung if he's forgotten already, reminding him that that the realm of the sages is a land that few can enter. He explains that in the past, Hoyoung had entered Shangri-La through his dreams, and that this time, they would enter with the hanging scroll.

Shangri-La[]

When the Adversary first awakens in Shangri-La, Hoyoung gets a unique script in place of the generic one, in which Tai Yu shakes his head and tells Hoyoung that he's too old to be crying over such a fall. Hoyoung retorts by asking what his age has to do with anything, as anyone would be in shock after getting pulled around in such a way. Tai Yu reminds Hoyoung that he was the one who had used to drag Tai Yu all over the place before adding that if Hoyoung has had enough of being a kid, then it was time to get going.

When Tai Yu explains who the Four Symbols are, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which he's surprised to hear about the White Tiger, the Symbol of Autumn. Tai Yu tells him that the White Tiger is likely Hoyoung's distant ancestor. Hoyoung realizes that if the White Tiger is a living ancestor of his, then there might be a chance that the White Tiger knows of him and the Anima villager where he had been born.

Tai Yu explains that all the Four Symbols had left behind their previous ties when they had been chosen to protect the elders, though he admits that the White Tiger is rather headstrong and willful, much like Hoyoung, and that he had likely been passively keeping an eye on the village, even while pretending not to. Hoyoung is surprised to know that there's another white tiger Anima aside from himself and wonders whether he'll be able to meet the White Tiger.

When Gaon chides Tai Yu for bringing outsiders into Shangri-La, if the player is Hoyoung, Gaon will also ask Tai Yu if he hadn't heard what the elders had said the last time that he had freely used his powers in the outside world, adding that he couldn't overlook it this time.

When the Four Symbols meet the Adversary, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which Baekyeon the White Tiger says that after hearing that Tai Yu had brought someone in, he had hoped that it would be Hoyoung, adding that there's no way that he wouldn't recognize him. Looking closer at Hoyoung, Baekyeon jokingly asks the other Symbols if the resemblance between them isn't striking. However, Shuli the Vermillion Bird will merely tell him not to change the subject.

When Gaon resolves to imprison the Adversary, Hoyoung gets a unique script in place of the generic one. After Gaon changes his mind and orders the Adversary to follow him, Taotie will note that Hoyoung seems conflicted and asks what he plans to do. Hoyoung tells Taotie that he doesn't have much of a choice, since Gaon has practically covered his ears to anything that he would say. He notes that resisting will cause trouble for Oz and Brighton, though he adds that his Master will probably be fine, since he's the legendary sage of Grandis. He then decides that he'll follow Gaon's orders for the time being.

When Baekyeon thanks Tai Yu for taking care of Hoyoung, if the player is Hoyoung, Baekyeon will note how much Hoyoung has grown, having become such a renowned sage under Tai Yu's tutelage.

When the Adversary reunites with Tai Yu in Autumn, Hoyoung gets a unique script in place of the generic one. Hoyoung will express his relief that Tai Yu is in one piece, adding that he'd been worried sick. Tai Yu asks Hoyoung if that's really the first thing that someone would say to their master after seeing them survive a battle. Hoyoung then asks Tai Yu where his ancestor, the White Tiger, has gone, as Tai Yu was supposed to have been with him.

When Tai Yu offers to restore Shangri-La, Hoyoung gets a unique script in place of the generic one. Rather than Brighton, Hoyoung speaks up and asks Tai Yu how he could possibly take responsibility for all of Shangri-La on his own, reminding him that he still has responsibilities towards the Hermitage and Hoyoung himself. Tai Yu tells Hoyoung to calm down, adding that he has everything covered. He explains that the Hermitage is part of Shangri-La in the first place, and as for Hoyoung, he points out that Hoyoung himself had been so eager to prove how much he'd grown up and how he could fearlessly stand on his own.

When the Adversary says goodbye to Tai Yu before leaving Shangri-La, Hoyoung gets a unique script in place of the generic one. Hoyoung thanks Tai Yu for always being there for him, to which Tai Yu tells him to not to make it sound like they'll never see each other again. He teasingly asks Hoyoung if he doesn't plan to come back and visit, to which Hoyoung stammers that he will. He then promises Tai Yu that he'll defeat Darmoor and return back home. Tai Yu approvingly nods at Hoyoung's determination and adds that he'll be waiting before wishing Hoyoung safe travels.

When the Adversary interrupts Tai Yu speaking with the researchers, Hoyoung will greet Tai Yu as 'Master'.

When Tai Yu asks the Adversary and Gaon to patrol Shangri-La for him, Hoyoung will call Tai Yu 'Master' and tell him to leave it all to him.

After seeing the memory of Kaling being freed from her seal by the private investigators of Cheong-woon, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which he notes his surprise tha the investigators were the ones who freed Kaling. Taotie then adds that he has a bad feeling about it all, though he also notes that now isn't the time to be worrying about others, explaining that he can sense the spirit of Hoyoung's Master nearby, much to Hoyoung's confusion. For regular playthroughs, the Adversary will wake up from the flashback after hearing Tai Yu speaking to them, but for Hoyoung, he will wake up as soon as Taotie finishes talking.

When Tai Yu asks the player if they are alright after witnessing Kaling's memories, the player will normally say that they aren't seriously hurt. Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this line, in which he reminds Tai Yu that he's been in situations like this before. He then tells Tai Yu that he hasn't broken anything.

After Tai Yu tells the Adversary to stop their investigation, he will ask Gaon to escort them safely out of Shangri-La. For Hoyoung, Tai Yu will instead tell Gaon that since he can't trust Hoyoung, he's putting Gaon in charge. With that, he says goodbye to Hoyoung and tells him not to sulk, and to call him when the time comes.

After the Adversary convinces Gaon to disobey Tai Yu's instructions, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue, in which Taotie amusedly asks Hoyoung how long it's been since he's known the Black Tortoise. He then laughs that Gaon is about to be chopped in the foot by a trusted axe.[8] Worrying that Tai Yu will hear them, Hoyoung shushes Taotie quiet.

When Tai Yu scolds the Adversary for disobeying his instructions, Hoyoung gets an exclusive script that replaces the regular dialogue. Tai Yu begins to scold Hoyoung and Gaon for ignoring his instructions after he trusted them. Hoyoung laughs and asks his Master whether he's really surprised after knowing him for so long. Tai Yu then explains that just to be clear, Gaon was the one whom he had trusted.

When Tai Yu tells the Adversary that they should have considered how much he had worried about them, Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this line, with Tai Yu instead tells Hoyoung that he should've at least thought about his worried Master.

After Tai Yu praises the Adversary for being mature enough to meet Zigang in the middle, Hoyoung gets additional dialogue, in which Tai Yu adds on that it seems like only yesterday when Hoyoung used to shut himself inside his room, skipping meals and reading books.

If the player has completed Fox Valley and speaks with the Sky Guardian in the pavilion, Hoyoung gets an exclusive script, in which the Sky Guardian recognizes him from Fox Valley and explains that when they had last met, he had momentarily mistaken them for Baekyeon the White Tiger, which was why he had asked Hoyoung why he had come down to the world below. He explains that he's heard that Hoyoung has saved not only Fox Valley, but Shangri-La as well, and so he explains that he can't be rude to him anymore. After thanking Hoyoung, he adds that Baekyeon must've been happy to hear his story as well.

Arteria[]

Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue right before leaving Shangri-La. Tai Yu asks Hoyoung to take good care of the world in his place, to which Hoyoung replies that he'll be fine, jokingly reminding Tai Yu that he's his disciple. Tai Yu laughs and tells Hoyoung to come back and visit him once in a while before sending him on his way.

Before the Adversary leaves to rescue Cygnus, Shinsoo calls to the Adversary and addresses them with a unique title based on their class; the title she gives to Hoyoung is "You who've come from another world".

Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue with Cygnus at the end of her dialogue when she sacrifices herself, in which she tells him that he's too kind for having come to save her people from another world.

Carcion[]

When Gaon retorts to Duhan's claim about the snake Anima aiding the High Flora, Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue, in which he adds that there's no way that an Anima would ever betray a fellow Anima. Taotie then chimes in and asks Hoyoung whether he's forgotten about how an entire group of Anima had betrayed him not that long ago, to which Hoyoung tells him to lay off.

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Videos[]

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Trivia[]

  • 호영 (虎影, Hoyeong) means (tiger) + (shadow or figure), so it means tiger shadow or tiger figure.
  • Hoyoung is based of White Tiger (白虎), one of the Four Symbols in the Chinese constellations, and is known as Bái Hǔ in Chinese, びゃっこ (Byakko) in Japanese, and 백호 (Baekho) in Korean.
    • In the Shangri-La storyline, the White Tiger was made into a character as one of the Four Symbols of Shangri-La, with the Symbols being based on the Four Symbols in Chinese mythology. Baekyeon, the White Tiger, is revealed to be a distant ancestor of Hoyoung.
  • Hoyoung is a commonly used male name in Korea.
    • In 2016, there was an interview when there was V patch in South Korea, the head of the system department was Ho-young Baek (백호영).
  • Some of Hoyoung's stories are based off Korean folk tales.
  • Hoyoung really likes Gukbap (국밥). Gukbap is a Korean food which is hot soup with rice.

Availability of Hoyoung
Korea Japan China Global SEA Taiwan
Available Available Available Available Available Available

References[]

  1. Comments of MapleStory Reddit, and confirmed by the Community Manager, and announcement on his Twitter page
  2. Confirmed by the Community Manager, and announcement on her Twitter page
  3. Announcement on his Twitter page
  4. Also provides the voice(s) of Senya Angler.
  5. Announcement on Doh-hyeong Nam's Twitter page
  6. Announcement on Maple Party 2019
  7. Announcement on JMS Twitter page
  8. This is a Korean proverb which is roughly equivalent to the English idiom of being stabbed in the back.

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Characters and Skills
Class
Job and Skills (Click on icon for skills)
Beginner

Class Beginner Beginner Skill Link Manager Link Skills

Explorers
Warrior

Class Warrior Hero Class Warrior Paladin Class Warrior Dark Knight

Magician

Class Magician Magician (Fire, Poison) Class Magician Magician (Ice, Lightning) Class Magician Bishop

Bowman

Class Bowman Bowmaster Class Bowman Marksman

Special

Class Pathfinder Pathfinder

Thief

Class Thief Night Lord Class Thief Shadower

Special

Class Dual Blade Dual Blade

Pirate

Class Pirate Buccaneer Class Pirate Corsair

Special

Class Cannoneer Cannoneer Class Jett Jett Class Dragon Warrior Zen

Cygnus Knights

Class Warrior Dawn Warrior Class Magician Blaze Wizard Class Bowman Wind Archer Class Thief Night Walker Class Pirate Thunder Breaker

Special

Class Mihile Mihile

Heroes

Class Aran Aran Class Evan Evan Class Mercedes Mercedes Class Phantom Phantom Class Luminous Luminous Class Shade Shade

Resistance

Class Blaster Blaster Class Battle Mage Battle Mage Class Wild Hunter Wild Hunter Class Mechanic Mechanic Class Xenon Xenon

Demon

Class Demon Slayer Demon Slayer Class Demon Avenger Demon Avenger

Nova

Class Kaiser Kaiser Class Angelic Angelic Buster Class Cadena Cadena Class Kain Kain

Flora

Class Illium Illium Class Ark Ark Class Adele Adele Skill Summon Chakri Khali

Sengoku

Class Hayato Hayato Class Kanna Kanna

Anima

Class Hoyoung Hoyoung Skill Land's Connection Lara

Monster

Skill Pink Powerhouse Pink Bean Pet Mini Yeti Yeti

Beast Tamer

Class Beast Tamer Chase

Child of God

Class Zero Zero

Kinesis

Class Kinesis Kinesis

Wu Shen

Class Mo Xuan Mo Xuan

Miscellaneous

Skill Macro Test Game Master Skill Banner of Plenty I Guild Skills Skill Monster Riding Miscellaneous Skills

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