Chapter 3. Synchronization
“So who are you guys?”
“……”
The masked men just stared at each other in silence.
The old man became enraged.
“You dare ask for an elder’s name when you bastards can’t even identify yourselves?! I don’t want to get my hands dirty so get out of here at once. This is your last chance.”
Annoyed, the man turned his back to them.
Four of the masked men gave each other quick glances.
Then with the movement of the masked leader’s hand they all ran towards the man at the same time.
Their swords moved perfectly at the same time to cut the man down.
They’re movements were a lot more restrained than he had initially thought.
They surrounded the man as if they were doing a battle formation.
There was no doubt that they were truly professional martial artists.
The man mumbled after seeing them.
“How annoying.”
At that moment.
A piercing light came from the man’s eyes.
No…to describe it in more detail, it was a dark light.
It is an oxymoron but…
The white part of the man’s eyes disappeared and turned all black as it emitted an eerie energy.
‘Gasp.’
After seeing the man’s appearance, Han Yibi unknowingly gasped and rubbed his eyes.
He was right.
He wasn’t mistaken.
He wondered if this was what the devil looked like in real life.
The man’s veins instantly turned black.
And at that moment what appeared on the back of his hand and his forehead…
‘Is that…a lotus?’
It was hard to describe but a geometric shape similar to a flower was blooming on his body.
In an instant he raised his stick.
Flash!
An illusion of a flash had appeared as if lightning had struck.
The man’s movements were faster than all four of the masked men combined.
Bam!
He saw one of the masked men get hit in the face with the stick causing his teeth to fall out and his face to turn all the way around his neck.
But that wasn’t the end.
Before he knew it, with the sound of someone getting hit, another man’s face was sent flying in the opposite direction… blood spattered everywhere.
Before the masked man hit the floor.
The man grabbed him by the throat with his left hand and jumped into the air.
“Gurghh!”
The masked man made a noise as he started foaming from his mouth.
Crack!
The bones in his neck broke while his eyes rolled back into his head as he was dangling in the air.
If he was still alive it would be a miracle.
The man immediately threw the masked man in his hand towards the other masked men.
But before they even had time to catch him, the man was already approaching.
A horrible scream could also be heard from another one of the masked men.
The man had slightly twisted his body and sent his stick flying up in a diagonal direction.
He heard the masked man’s horrible scream as his jaw and skull broke at the same time.
In an instant, the masked man had become unrecognizable as a human being.
It soon stopped…
In the palm of his cruel hands, only tension and silence remained in the field.
The man’s black eyes.
His mouth was now slightly ajar and he had a strange expression where you couldn’t tell if he was smiling or if he was angry.
It was a horrifyingly evil sight to behold.
Even so, the masked leader yelled with all the courage he could muster.
He was a tenacious person who had survived in the murim world.
“How dare a bastard like you!”
The remaining two masked men began to prepare a joint attack.
One of the masked men was a big man with a head three times as big as the other men.
He swung around a sword as big as him with one hand.
The giant was above and the masked leader was below.
The blades came simultaneously from above and below.
But the man spun his body around and swung his right leg and grabbed the giant by his ankle.
The giant lost his balance as if he was stuck on a hook and floated into the air.
But that was only for a moment.
‘Bam!’
The stick mercilessly stabbed him in the abdomen and struck him down through the air.
The tremendous shock that went through his fat.
He left him folded on the ground as if he was a piece of cloth that he had just finished washing.
He didn’t even need to look to see that the giant’s spine was destroyed.
The masked leader who had now lost it and was blinded by rage yelled in a loud voice and attacked with his sword.
“Die!”
The man had an ominous smile as he spoke.
“Hahaha. No, you die.”
He stepped forward and instantly teleported past the path of the masked leader’s sword and stabbed him deeply.
Into the mouth of the masked leader who was yelling…
His whole body went flying into a cedar tree and dangled there.
He was hanging from the stick…
Han Yibi’s mouth was hanging wide open without him knowing.
Everything happened in a matter of seconds.
As soon as the man pulled out the stick, the masked leader fell to the ground and sprawled out.
The man who was watching this silently shook off the blood that was on his stick as it spattered over the floor.
At the same time the black lines that looked like stems and the patterns gradually faded away.
Then he heard a weak voice.
“Oh savior”
The man turned around.
The middle aged man that was tortured had limped his way over.
The hand on his right arm that had been chopped off was bleeding profusely and on his left hand not a single finger could be found.
The middle aged man spoke again.
“Savior.”
The man’s face contorted into a grimace as he spoke.
“Who are you to call me that?”
The middle aged man bit his mouth as if to hold in the pain he was going through.
“I am…Jongri Kang from the Jongri clan.”
The man replied indifferently.
“So?”
The middle-aged man spoke.
“Ah Ah! My uncle and the previous head of the family, Lord Jongri Mundo, is no longer… He died protecting us from these evil men. And…the people that followed my decision to evacuate were also all murdered by these bastards.”
His eyes turned red and teared up as he looked at the horribly mutilated corpses of his clan members.
However, the man still was still expressionless.
Nevertheless, Jongri Kang pointed at Han Yibi with his fingerless hand.
“This child is…my nephew, Jongri Mae. Mae. Hurry and greet the lord.”
‘Huk!’
As soon as Han Yibi heard the name Jongri Mae he was surprised.
It was because he remembered the name from the novel.
Jongri Mae.
The main character, Jongri Hyuk’s half younger brother.
Unlike the Jongri Hyuk who was born from the consort who died an early death, he was born from a concubine and was the son of ‘Keum Naryeon’.
Han Yibi thought.
‘Of course. There’s no way I’d be the main character…’
It was so.
Jongri Mae was an infamous scumbag, trash among trash.
His existence was cancer itself.
Since he was young it was the norm for him to bother Jongri Hyuk with Keum Naryeon, the evil stepmother.
Using the title of being the son of the family head he did all sorts of shameful and mean acts. He was what you would call a ‘trash’ character.
Are…Are you telling me I possessed a foolish character like him…
Even if this is a dream that’s too much!
***
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Grass]
[Proofreader – Imagine]
***
“What are you doing just standing there, hurry up and greet him!”
Eek.
Jongri Kang suddenly yelled. Han Yibi unconsciously bowed his head and spoke.
“H- Hello.”
The man didn’t say anything and turned away.
It was then.
Thud Thud Thud!
A loud noise resonated.
Jongri Kang had dragged his bloodied body to the floor and was banging his forehead to the ground.
“What are you doing?”
Han Yibi, shocked, grabbed him by the shoulders and tried to bring him back up.
But Jongri Kang didn’t budge.
He was squeezing out the remainder of his strength.
Jongri Kang spoke with a sorrow filled voice.
“Oh savior, from seeing your outstanding martial arts, I can see that without a doubt that you are a retired great hero of the murim world. This child is the last of the Jongri bloodline. Please look kindly on him and take this lacking child as a disciple.”
He couldn’t hold in the surge of emotions and was dripping tears.
Han Yibi thought.
‘This uncle person is definitely lying…the main character, Jongri Hyeok should be alive.’
But the man was already walking away towards the shack.
He wasn’t the least bit interested
Han Yibi was on the verge of ‘exploding’ after seeing the man’s unfriendly behavior.
“Child. Are you…are you okay?
“Ah…yes.”
How could he be okay? Especially when he was going through such an absurd situation.
Jongri Kang continued.
“There’s no way to know if that person is a good person or an evil person…but right now…he’s the only one who can save you and the Jongri clan.”
‘I know that. Because the Jongri Clan is an outcast in the murim world.’
Then Jongri Kang ended up coughing up blood.
It was clear that he was barely holding on.
Han Yibi spoke.
“Ahjusshi…ah, no. Uncle. Are you okay?”
Jongri Kang’s face started to become pale at a rapid pace.
His body was spilling blood so it was obvious that he was short on blood.
Han Yibi quickly ran over and held him in his arms.
Jongri Kang spoke.
“I think…this is it for me.”
A common clique when people are dying.
Han Yibi was a little taken aback but he quickly imitated a historical drama he saw in the past and spoke.
“What are you saying! You will definitely get better, uncle. Don’t say such a thing.”
Well. It made sense why he said that seeing how badly he was hurt.
Jongri Kang closed his eyes and spoke while gasping for air. He barely had any air left in him.
“Huk, Huk. Child. Turn to…that man. Then you will be able to live. And no matter what…”
The last words were so faint that Han Yibi had no choice but to lean his ears close to his mouth.
“…find out the identities of the evil men…huk huk. You must…avenge huk huk. The Jongri Clan.”
Eeuk. What does he mean, avenge?
But he wasn’t going to say that to a dying man.
Han Yibi spoke with some strength in his voice.
“Yes. I understand, uncle.”
Jongri Kang’s face that was as white as sheet suddenly turned solemn.
“You’re. Kind. My. Child. Finally…finally…you listen to your uncle…”
Han Yibi waited but Jongri Kang didn’t say anything else.
Was he dead? Han Yibi used his index finger and placed it in front of Jongri Kang’s nose.
He couldn’t feel anything.
How could this be.
Another person had died right in front of his eyes.
No. Since they’re characters from a novel, is it different? Regardless this was too vivid.
If this is a dream, please just let me wake up!
Han Yibi sat there for a while.
He wasn’t sure if Jongri Kang would suddenly start moving again.
He stood up in dismay. And quietly walked towards the grass while avoiding the messy corpses.
‘What am I supposed to do now…’
Then suddenly he remembered the voice that he heard in his ear.
“Miss?”
There was no reaction.
Was there some kind of unique word that needed to be used?
“Excuse me. Woman!”
As expected, there was no reaction.
“Hello! Is anyone there?”
Then, surprisingly, as if it had been waiting he heard the ‘Ding’ and the woman’s voice.
[Two rewards are on hold.]
Wow. Look at this.
She ignored me when I called her woman but reacted when I called her something else?
[Tip : To talk with the system both external and internal voices can be used.]
Oho. So…I can call the woman just by saying it in my head.
‘Woman.’
As expected, there was no reaction.
‘Hello. What should I call you…so…for example…system?’
[Awaiting response.]
Hm. So that’s what it is.
‘Who are you exactly?’
[According to GGQ Protocol #002, the question cannot be answered.]
Hm. Is that so?
‘Where am I?’
[According to GGQ Protocol #001, the question cannot be answered.]
What the. Then nothing works.
[Tip : Actively raise your level and obey the ‘mission’. If you successfully complete the ‘mission’, an appropriate ‘reward’ will be given.]
‘Okay. I get it. That’s just the basics. Just tell me about that reward from earlier.’
Ding.
[Reward 1 : Synchronization with your character is possible. Will you synchronize now? (Yes/No)]
Hm…You’re telling me to synchronize with this crazy character?
How can this be a reward…but still…it’s probably better than not doing it, right?
‘Yes.’
[Starting synchronization with character ‘Jongri Mae’.]
Then suddenly it became bright. It felt like the whole world was being enveloped with light
‘W-What is this. Did something go wrong?’
He heard a voice.
[Synchronization 50% Complete.]
[Synchronization 70% Complete.]
……
[Synchronization 100% Complete. Synchronization with character, ‘Jongri Mae’, is now complete.]
He heard a medium-tone ‘Ding’.
And at the same time his vision returned to normal.
And on top of that…
‘For some reason, it feels like I’m overflowing with strength.’
That wasn’t the end.
He felt ‘Jongri Mae’s’ memories and consciousness overcome him like a tsunami.
The feeling of all this knowledge filling him all at once felt as uncomfortable as food one had to force down.
And…
There wasn’t a single happy memory in all of them…
Then he heard the ‘Ding’ again.
[Reward 2 : Status Window is available. You can change the voice information and see it on a status window. Will you use it? (Yes/No)]
Ahah! At last the famous status window.
An essential item in most fantasy and martial arts novels.
Of course ‘Yes’.
Then a half transparent scroll unraveled in front of him and words written in calligraphy appeared.
‘Oho. This is new. It’s a little uncomfortable cause it looks messy but…anyways I’ll remove the unnecessary information…’
Han Yibi concentrated his sight on the ‘Status Window’ icon. Then there was a reaction.
[Player’s current state is being reported.]
[Player Information]
Name : Han Yibi (Jongri Mae)
Level : 8
Rank : Low-Class Warrior
Nickname : Jongri the Selfish
Job : None
Ki Strength : 24
Physical Strength : 22
Agility : 18
Wisdom : 4
Charm : 3
Reputation : -35
[Internal Energy]
[External Energy]
None
[Movement]