Ultraman: It turns out this is the easy mode.

The wind on the training field was still a bit hot. Cui Ming leaned against the railing, watching Daigo practice fighting moves repeatedly, and suddenly spoke up: "Daigo, do you know?"

Daigo paused, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and turned around to look at him with a puzzled expression: "Instructor, what do you know?"

“Ultraman.” Cui Ming uttered these three words, gazing at the distant blue sky as if recalling something.

"Hmm," Daigo's heart tightened, and he subconsciously touched the transformation device on his chest, feeling the familiar cold touch on his fingertips—he knew that Cui Ming had long seen through his identity, but he still couldn't help but feel nervous every time they talked about Ultraman.

“Ultraman himself is actually more like a mechanical god descending to earth.” Cui Ming’s voice was calm, but it was like a pebble thrown into Daigo’s heart, stirring up ripples.

"Huh?" Daigo was completely stunned, and he almost dropped the training gloves in his hand. "The arrival of the mechanical god?" He had never thought of this description before. In his eyes, Ultraman was a light that brought hope and a hero who protected the earth. He had nothing to do with "mechanical".

"Don't understand?" Cui Ming turned to look at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Hmm," the old man nodded honestly, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge—he desperately wanted to know what Ultraman was in the eyes of someone like Cui Ming, who could always see through the essence of things.

“Ultraman’s power isn’t meant for humanity to depend on.” Cui Ming walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Think about it, every time Ultraman appears, isn’t it when humanity’s weapons malfunction, defenses collapse, and they’re completely helpless?”

Daigo thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true: when fighting Golza, the Flying Swallow's beam cannon was useless against the monster; when facing Zetton, even the original Ultraman was defeated, and humans were helpless. Every time Ultraman descended, it was the most desperate moment for humanity.

"So, Ultraman is an existence that appears on time, like a mechanical god, when humanity is unable to face a huge natural disaster." Cui Ming's tone was a bit serious. "What does this mean? It means that humanity should first try to fight and find solutions on its own. Only when we are truly powerless should Ultraman step in. If we always hope that Ultraman will come to our rescue whenever we encounter trouble, then humanity will never grow."

"Is that so?" Daigo lowered his head, his heart filled with mixed feelings. He had always thought that he transformed into Ultraman to protect humanity, but he never imagined that over-reliance on this power would hinder humanity's progress.

“But you are different.” Cui Ming suddenly changed the subject, his eyes softening. “Daigo, you are light, and you are also human. You can understand human fear and despair, and you can understand the meaning of protection. This is different from Ultraman who simply descends.”

Daigo suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming: "Instructor, what should I do?"

“Listen to your heart.” Cui Ming pointed to his chest. “Don’t deliberately think ‘I must transform into Ultraman’, and don’t worry about ‘Should I hide?’ Just follow your feelings. As long as what you do makes you feel at peace with yourself, that’s enough.”

Daigo nodded thoughtfully, but quickly frowned again: "...But shouldn't 'with great power comes great responsibility'? I have the ability to transform into Ultraman, so shouldn't I shoulder more responsibility and be ready to fight at any time?" Hearing this, Cui Ming suddenly laughed and patted his head: "That depends on the situation. Do you know what happened to the last person who always said 'with great power comes great responsibility'?"

Daigo asked curiously, "Um, how is it?"

"He's become a character who's destined to die in all sorts of comics or movies," Cui Ming said seriously, even shrugging his shoulders deliberately.

"Huh?" Daigo was completely dumbfounded, his eyes wide open. "No, is it really that outrageous?!" He never expected that such a classic line would have such a "tragic" ending.

"Otherwise, what do you think?" Cui Ming smiled and spread his hands. "Trying to treat 'responsibility' as a shackle will only drive you to the brink. You are Ultraman, but also Daigo. Focus on yourself first, then talk about protecting others. Don't end up becoming a 'tragic character' before you can shoulder your responsibilities. That would be a huge loss."

Daigo couldn't help but laugh at Choi Myung's teasing, and his inner turmoil instantly vanished. He finally understood that Choi Myung wasn't telling him to abandon his responsibilities, but rather that he shouldn't be bound by them—to do what he wanted to do, and to protect what he wanted to protect; this was the true meaning of being "light and humanity."

The wind on the training field seemed to have cooled down a bit. Daigo picked up his training gloves again, his eyes filled with determination. He knew that he would no longer be lost when facing monsters in the future, because he knew the path he should take.

Daigo has the power of Ultraman, but he is first and foremost Daigo, a member of the GUTS team, not a born "savior." Cui Ming has seen too many people push themselves to the brink because of this statement. Some have exhausted their bodies, some have collapsed under pressure, and some, like him back then, have knowingly chosen safer methods but, because of their obsession with "taking responsibility," have stubbornly rushed forward and risked everything.

“I’m not kidding you.” Cui Ming withdrew his gaze, his tone becoming more serious. “I was really screwed over by that sentence before. I always felt like I had to step up, and even if there were people around who could help, I didn’t dare to let go easily.” He paused, then pointed to the Victory Team members who were training together on the training field. “Look, things are different now. The Victory Team can stand on its own, the Earth Defense Force’s firepower is strong enough, and there’s Saeko Busujima, Miyuki, and the others. You don’t have to carry the load alone.”

Daigo clenched his fist, a sudden pang of sadness gripping his heart—he now understood how much helplessness lay hidden behind Cui Ming's joking remark.

"Besides, it hasn't reached the point where Ultraman has to step in yet," Cui Ming continued, his tone tinged with relief. "When we fought Gabarga before, we used human weapons and tactics to solve the problem, didn't we? If we transformed into Ultraman every time something happened, what would be the point of the GUTS training team and the defense force deployment? Humans can't always hide in Ultraman's light, right?"

Daigo nodded vigorously, his eyes lighting up. He used to think that since he had Ultraman's power, he should be ready to transform at any time, even if it was just a small problem, and he wanted to quickly solve it with the power of light. But now he understood. Cui Ming wasn't telling him to shirk responsibility, but to make him realize that responsibility isn't a burden one person carries alone, but a team effort; Ultraman's light should be a "backbone" for humanity after giving it its all, not a "crutch" to rely on from the start.

Cui Ming patted him on the shoulder, his tone becoming more relaxed: "So, don't push yourself too hard. Train when you need to train, rest when you need to rest. When humanity really has no other choice, then you can transform into Ultraman. That's what light should look like."

The wind blew across the training ground again, carrying the scent of grass. Daigo watched Choi Myung's retreating figure and suddenly felt a sense of peace—it was truly good to have an instructor who had suffered himself but didn't want his juniors to make the same mistakes. He gripped his training gloves tightly, silently resolving: from now on, he would first be a good "Daigo," then a good "Light," living up to Choi Myung's advice, and also living up to his identity as a human being. (End of Chapter)