Prologue: The Definition of Ordinary/Not Ordinary

Ordinary Person (범부), what does it mean?

The terms Ordinary Person (범부), Different Life Ordinary Person (이생범부), or Ordinary Sentient Being (범부중생) refer to ‘ordinary people’ and ‘sentient beings’—in other words, ‘common folk’ or ‘all living ordinary people.’

Originally, this was a Buddhist term meaning ‘people of the secular world who, failing to awaken to the truth of the Buddhist Path (불도), remain bound by afflictions (번뇌) and live entangled in worldly life’… or so the explanation goes.

But if you ask many people today, “What is an Ordinary Person (범부)?” they’ll likely mention terms like Ordinary/Not Ordinary (범/부), Split in Half (반갈죽), or Heat Hunting (더위사냥), showing how drastically its perception has shifted.

After a shocking incident where a character who had overwhelmingly dominated as the strongest in the early stages was suddenly sealed away, only to be torn in half by the final boss upon release, the term suddenly gained massive popularity.

Since there was a similar character in a game I often played, I really loved that meme.

Little did I know I’d actually end up possessing that character.