A young man could be seen.
Dark eyebrows and distinct features. Dimples that appeared when he smiled. But in the next second the smile disappeared.
Clink.
A bowl used for washing faces was thrown to the ground, fragments scattered.
“Fuck, FUCK!”
What’s the use of looking good. I can’t even logout.
Even though three days had passed, the reply was the same.
‘To think someone thought of making something like this. Crazy bastard.’
As I was cursing, I thought of the warnings again.
–– Player cannot randomly logout.
– Player cannot resurrect in the middle of death.
To sum it up, it was simple.
I am currently in a martial art genre game called [Murim]. I cannot log out randomly, plus if my character dies then I also die for real.
Hahaha.1
‘What kind of bullshit is this.’
But this was actually happening.
I couldn’t logout and even though I waited for three days for someone to rescue me from outside, nothing happened. Although I couldn’t confirm the fact about death… It was likely to be true.
‘But there is a way.’
The words, player cannot randomly logout, meant that if I satisfied a certain condition, it would let me logout.
‘If it’s like this, level up through quests.’
It was the answer I came to because of this [Murim] game.
Once I completed a quest, I would get a reward every time I leveled up. Which was proven through Round 1 of the Tutorial.
‘First I need to focus on quests and leveling up.’
It was what I decided after three days of thinking. And there was also an essential requirement. Survival.
In order to live, I needed to stay in a safe place. And it was even better if I could get the help of someone else.
‘And I know just the place.’
At that second, Wol Hwa’s voice came from outside the room.
“Master Jin, the carriage is ready.”
The carriage was ready to take not the F rank hunter Jin Taekyung home, but the Jin Taekyung of the Jin family home.
—
The carriage Jin borrowed from the brothel was big and flamboyant.
The driver was silent but that was more comfortable in my position too.
I didn’t want to be in anyone’s way.
‘Confirming quest.’
Accept / Reject
During the past 3 days, I opened the window a dozen times. It was because I was afraid of the unknown. But now I wouldn’t hesitate.
Accept.
Ring.
But Murim is an unknown place. Starting now, you will have to use the only strength available to you, the ‘system’.
Rank: Tutorial (Quest Chain)
Restriction: First Registration
Mission: Distribute and Confirm Character Points
Distribute and Confirm Skill Set
Equip Inventory
Reward: Sharp Spear
Quest Chain Progression
… If it’s like this I can get it done quickly. It was an obvious progression.
Even though it was an abnormal game, in the end it was still just a game.
I thought of my past and the online games I used to play.
‘Confirming status window.’
Son of a Noble Family (All Abilities +5, Fame +50)
Shame of the Family (All Abilities -5, Fame -50)
‘What is this.’
I blinked my eyes. It felt like someone hit me on the back of my head.
I was from Taiyuan’s Jin family.3 I came from a Murim family… but I was only at level 10?
‘Is this real.’
I felt my neck get stiff when I read the rest of the status window.
The benefits of [Son of a Noble Family] were completely canceled out by [Shame of the Family].
‘I’m the idiot for looking forward to anything.’
Even though my character was born in a good family, training took the backburner and he was just a rich playboy lost to alcohol and woman. He wasn’t a disgrace to the family for nothing.
‘I’m fucked.’
The die is cast. I just need to swallow it and move on.
The good thing was my abilities were at the start. It was a benefit to be able to raise the abilities I wanted.
With sharp eyes, I looked at my status window.
‘This isn’t a simple game. Let me think, let me think, let me think…’
I shouldn’t think of this as a simple game.
This is an issue that has to do with life or death. Like when I was a student playing RPG games, I put it all into strength, all into agility. Doing this will make me go straight to the goal.
My eyes, which were moving restlessly, stopped.
‘Should I put it into my Qi?”
Experience, or skills.
In the real world top hunters use mana, or it can also be called Qi (氣).
Usually in martial art novels, the old man is young and is able to chew, tear into, taste and have fun with Murim masters. The reason he is able to do that is because he has a lot of skill.4
Martial arts or skill. If you’re a master, I’m a master. If it comes to it, being able to divide the masters can be considered a skill.
‘First calmly… 1 point into Experience.’
Bik!5
Right. I knew that would happen. I knew this would happen so I didn’t have any expectations.
… This fucking system.
‘So Qi is the exception.’
If I take out Qi, the remaining abilities are five.
Strength, Stamina, Agility, Intelligence, Charm.
Out of the five, I decided to take out Intelligence and Charm.
‘They’re not helpful.’
My goal is to survive and to be able to logout, it wasn’t to take exams or date.
Thankfully, I had seven years of experience as a hunter and I knew what I needed in order to survive.
‘Stamina, strength 30 points respectively. Agility 40.’
It was the final decision I came to after thinking about it painstakingly. Normal strength and the ability to excel at dodging. And finally stamina. It was the kind of combat style that I was used to for the past 7 years.
‘Yes.’
It was at that moment.
Ring.
A total of 100 points.
I felt my body change after I distributed the points.
From top to bottom, and even from inside the body. I could feel the system granting me strength. Everything. Clumping together and releasing.
Like I ate the sun, smoke started to rise from my body and after it was gone, I was able to open my eyes.
I was shocked.
“Th-this.”
Without me knowing, I could feel my voice shake. It wasn’t because I was unfamiliar with this feeling. I felt like this once before. It was because I couldn’t forget the feeling.
How could I forget. That day 7 years ago.
‘Awakening…!’
The awakening that came without notice when I was a helpless 20 year old.
And when I opened my eyes again, I felt like I was chosen. The 0.1% chosen. Awakened.
The happiness I felt startled even me that day.
“This why, here?”
Feeling at a loss, the system woke me up.
Ring.
I liked my dry lips and thought.
Right, let’s focus. I only have to complete two more.
‘Confirming skill window.’
Remaining Points: 100
You are unable to use martial arts.
Due to not training for a long time, you have forgotten how to use techniques.
Opening the skill window was a good idea. I looked at the skill window and found wise man time.6
‘One, two, three.’
Did I count wrong? Or maybe I was seeing it wrong since the text was so small. I focused on the text in front of me.
One, two, three… and three.
The Jin Family Cultivation Technique, the Jin Family Spear Technique, plus the Jin Family Footwork. That was all the skills Jin Taekyung, that I, had. And on top of it all, I forgot all three.
‘I’m going crazy.’
And if I died the cause of death would be hwabyeong. Hwabyeong.7
I calmed myself down and looked at the skill window with a cool head.
Right. In the future, I just needed to learn martial arts.
‘Having remaining points is better than nothing.’
So I controlled myself and looked at the skill window one more time. Maybe it was because my skill window was so empty but certain phrases caught my eye.
‘External State and Internal State. I’ve seen this in a lot of martial art novels.’
External State had to do with your physical strength and veins, while Internal State had to do with your muscles and bones.
That meant that Internal Force was essential to maintaining your Internal State, while an External Force was essential to maintaining your External State. But I decided to focus more on my External State.
The reason was simple.
‘I needed to choose what was most familiar to me in order to survive.’
In reality, I was a F rank hunter. To compare it to Murim, I could be considered a third rate warrior. Or it could even be below that.
Using magic, reading auras… although I’ve seen it with my eyes, how dare I with my abilities. It was something I couldn’t even dream about.
‘Someone who has eaten meat, eats it well.’8
Someone who is already using Internal Energy, is the one using it. The combat style I was used to was similar to External Energy.
‘External State 60. Internal State 40.’
“Yes, apply.’
At that moment, I felt a different kind of pleasure sweep over me. Or it could have been pain. From deep within my body, I could hear my bones twisting.
‘Kuk.’
How many seconds? How many minutes? I don’t know. As the pain passed, I gasped for breath and my reward was patiently waiting for me.
‘My physique…’
It was different. My shoulders became broader and from front to back, my muscles became firmer. My clothes, which used to be loose, were now too tight.
Before I wasn’t able to feel anything even if I made a fist, but now I could feel the strength and tendons. I became stronger. It was a sensation I haven’t felt before in real life.
‘Because I don’t have a system.’
Stamina, physical strength, flexibility were all things I could grow through training but I could only feel growth after measuring myself.
But this place–Murim was different.
Through the status window, not only was I able to see my abilities but I was also able to improve them. Although I wasn’t sure where the end was, I could only know by going.
‘I’m going to get stronger. And I’ll survive.’
For the past seven years, I’ve fought dozens and dozens of monsters. There were days where I didn’t come home with one scratch and days where I skipped death.
There was no Murim Jin Taekyung without the F rank hunter Jin Taekyung. Experience. And courage.
I’m going to get more, more, more stronger. And I’m going to survive.
As I made that decision and clenched my fist, at that moment the system alarm went off.
Ring.
There was just one left.
‘Confirming Inventory.’
Ring.
For a basic item, the description was simple too.
‘Use item.’
I felt my body feel refreshed for one second and before I knew it, I wore a set of black robes.
In martial art novels, the hero wore a bandana tightly around his forehead and instead of silk shoes, wore leather shoes.
Will I even seem like a warrior?
‘Store item.’
At that thought, the silk clothes I was holding, disappeared.
Inventory. This is really convenient? Depending on how I used it, it could be useful in battles.
‘If I had an inventory, raids would be really comfortable.’
You wouldn’t even have to fight monsters, you could easily earn money by collecting magic stones.
‘But it’s not going to work.’
Because it’s a game. It’s over once I logout.
… Although it’s a mystery whether I’ll be able to logout or not.
Ring.
A new reward! I instantly went to go check my inventory.
“…”
If the status window and the skill window are both a mess, then wouldn’t it make sense to give a good item. But then again, if I thought about what happened before, if its this much then I’m a yangban.9
‘Equip item.’
The instant I grabbed the spear.
Ring.
“… What?”
Ready? For what?
I haven’t even opened up the quest window yet though?
The answer came from an unexpected place.
The driver spoke up for the first time.
“Master-nim.”10
“Yes?”
“There’s a small problem.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden.”
Ring.
There is a saying that there need to be results from what you’ve learned.
Defeat the bandits that have appeared suddenly!
Rank: Tutorial (Quest Chain)
Restriction: First Registration
Mission: Eradicate Bandits (Incomplete)
Reward: Full Recovery
Quest Chain
Failure: Death
… Bullshit, it’s a small problem.