Masterclass in Webtoon. "Enrolling in the Transcendent Academy" 01

Being a junior in high school, most of my time is dedicated to working towards my goals. But behind my work, I am a secret Webtoon enthusiast, having pretty much read all the works in the action genre on Webtoons. Because of this, I have quite a lot to say about them.

The general view on Webtoons is that they are for procrastination, with no academic value. I myself thought of this as the case, but a Webtoon I read in the past- "Enrolling in the Transcendent Academy"- completely changed that view.

The story starts off relatively generic: the weak protagonist stumbles upon the Transcendent Academy, which offers lessons from mythical beings in exchange for Karma. (Kind of like Masterclass, except instead of Stephen Curry we have figures like Sun Wukong or Merlin. )

I thought the story would continue being another strong-protagonist-beats-up-all-their-enemies plotline that I would speed run from top to bottom, but somewhere along the read I realised that this story had incredible life lessons hidden within. In fact, many Webtoons I’ve read have brought me a new perspective, a new experience, a new lesson — something different from what I learned in classrooms. Markings that ingrain into my soul and make me a better person.

So this is a collection of all the stories I’ve read from “Enrolling in the Transcendent Academy”, and the lessons I hope to bring to life with me. More posts may be made as the webtoon is still progressing.

Enrolling in the Transcendent Academy, Episode 37

Siddhartha Gautama, a.k.a. The Buddha.

“What do you see when you look upon the world? In truth, the world is not as beautiful as we’d like to think. The Law of the Jungle. Survival of the Fittest. The very laws of nature select the strongest and eliminate the weak. This is why we are hard on ourselves. If you don’t want to be eliminated. If you don’t want to fall behind everyone else. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Every day, you must be more. The young monk asks himself, “Have you ever escaped this way of thinking?” Even once? And looked upon the world with a different point of view? 

Here is a story from when I walked the earth as a young monk: A child is seen racing with other kids, yet he comes in last every single time. The monk asks, “Why do you run, child? You are always beaten.” He replies, “How could they ever beat me? The finish line is simply a checkpoint for me.” And the child continued to come in last. Many years later, a race was held, the biggest later. And the story goes, the child set a magnificent record.

Until then, the young monk had thought of life as a sort of tower… built through hard work… stacking your accomplishments one by one. So the young monk worked at his ascetic practice, building his own tower of hard work. But the young monk, reflecting on the boy’s words, suddenly realised: There was no need to finish the tower, it’s fine to let it fall. Why has he never realised that before? 

So a long time ago, a small child helped a young monk make a deep realisation. Our society is a competitive society. If you don’t improve every day, you’ll be eliminated. If you fall behind, you disappear. 

The law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest. That’s why I worked so hard every day. To develop quickly and thus tell myself that I wasn’t falling behind. But that just leads to more anxiety and more obsession. 

We shouldn’t care. Those who put us down don’t make us less of a person. As long as we are trying our best, every finish line is just a checkpoint, and our end goal will extend beyond the horizons.”

Enrolling in the Transcendent Academy, Episode 52

Hercules, Greek and Roman Hero.

“What do you think strength is? Strength is thought of as merely physical, but that is not the strength I’m talking about. You might wonder then, what is the strength I’m talking about?

I committed an unforgivable sin. Cursed with madness by Hera, I killed my own beloved wife and child in my delirium. Overcome with guilt, I considered taking my own life. But my great friend, Theseus, convinced me to seek atonement by taking on the Twelve Labours. 

As I completed each task, my fame spread far and wide. And yet, some began to mock me. What a joke they said. How can someone who killed their own wife and child ever be considered a hero? They were right. I had committed too great a sin to ever be considered a hero. They piled thousands of reasons I could never be a hero onto me. Facing their barbs, I again questioned whether I’d be better off dead. But I persisted.

If I dedicated my life to others, sacrificed myself to the point it was almost foolish, maybe a day would come, far from now. If I became someone who took it as given, that one must sacrifice for others… Perhaps the day would finally come, that I could forgive the person I was. 

It was through atonement, I found the strength to come this far. If you do want to do something, if you want to become something, people will say it’s not possible. They’ll shake their heads, no. They’ll tell you the countless reasons that you cannot and will not make it. As they did when I went through the twelve labours.

But let me tell you, none of that matters. The countless reasons they say you can’t become something. The countless reasons they say you can’t do something.  The countless reasons, you don’t need to overcome them. Instead, focus on one thing. If you want to become something, find your reason to do it. That’s what makes someone a hero.

Remember, when the world whispers that you can’t do it. The you can feel your limit. When the thought that this is impossible won’t stop. Push forward. Keep going. Stand tall. That’s true strength. The strength that flows to your muscles from the soul itself. The strength of Gods. An overwhelming strength that crushes everything.”

Enrolling in the Transcendent Academy, Episode 59

Siddhartha Gautama

“Don’t get tied up inside yourself. Chance becomes fate. Fate becomes destiny. Destiny is merely chance, strung together. 

Those in despair, speak of the past. Those in uncertainty, speak of the future. Those at peace, can speak to the present. If a painter gets overly ambitious and adds colour upon colour to a painting, the result is a black canvas. Thus, you must learn to clear your mind. 

If your mind is troubled, look to what is present around you. Climb the greenest mountain to lie upon its summit. Listen to the whispering waters. Look up to the clouds floating in the sky. Be as the mountains, the water, and the ground. 

You are a child of the same universe. You deserve your place among them. Even when you can’t feel it. 

A humble monk stands before you. What do you see? How will humanity remember him? As one who has mastery over everything? As one who stood in full splendour? But one is not defined by the great moments that people remember. One learns to be, by accepting each and every moment of life. The greatness that people remember, is simply a giving back from all that we have taken in. If you do not accept those moments in life, you will have nothing to give. If you’ve held nothing inside you, there is nothing to share. Each breath we take, and each moment between, makes us who we are. And gives us strength in times of need.”

Thoughts

Following Siddhartha, I strive to treat each finish line as a checkpoint. Our jouney to learn never truly ends. What's important is to keep looking forward, at the next checkpoint.

As a student in a competitive school, I constantly hold myself to high standards -- reaching towards overachievement and accomplishing everything I do flawlessly. Yet in this race towards perfection, it is easy to get caught up in things that don't matter in the long run. Winning isn't always everything (though it is nice). In my process of growing up, I've learnt that becoming a better version of myself is what matters. An experience isn't quantified by the result, but rather the impact. If failure leads to me making bigger strides the next time I try, then it would have been more valuable than a victory.

And whilst I probably won’t be fighting monsters with Hercules power like Seojun Kim — protagonist in the Webtoon— I like to think that I still have a bit of the demigod power within myself. A power that can’t crush everything, but one that can help me crush my goals.

I spend my days finding a reason I get up from bed every day, a reason why I do what I do. Thus, I focus on my passion, what makes my blood rush and my heart sing. I work on environmental sustainability, motorsports, economics, writing, basketball… And I feel the power sing in my veins, willing my dreams to reality.

This power is within all of us, we just need to believe in ourselves. People may judge us for our supposed 'greatness', but behind that, we are defined by all our moments, big or small. Gather your strength, dare to dream.