Veteran Customization

Yeonhwa Seonrok.

The characters, written in a bold, soaring hand, sat planted square across the black screen.

A Chinese-developed xianxia RPG. It had taken China by storm, and on the strength of that success it had been exported to Korea, where it was still riding high.

"Alright. Start as an orphan. No exceptions."

The character-creation customizer in Yeonhwa Seonrok let you set a lot of things. Among the more notable options, you could even preconfigure relationships — parents, children, and the like.

Han Yuhyeon, however, left every field blank: parents, siblings, children, sworn brothers. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was an orphan in the real world.

In this cultivation world, connections mattered. Set your parents as high-realm cultivators and they would hand you breakthrough materials. Parents were a given, and siblings or sworn brothers were good to have as well.

People in the cultivation world were, as a rule, rotten to the core — so starting out with someone you could actually trust was the smart play.

"I know, I know."

Sure enough, a warning popped up. Han Yuhyeon brushed it off without a second thought and moved on to the next customization.

In a game gamers already claimed would make you cough blood from the difficulty, the reason he was deliberately taking a penalty was simple.

First: Han Yuhyeon was a veteran.

He had already cleared every ending of Yeonhwa Seonrok, from Easy all the way through the final difficulty, Transcendence.

So if he wanted a fresh jolt of stimulation, he had to slap on a penalty right from the initial custom.

Second: the harsher the early penalty, the more compensation points you got at the end. And with those compensation points, you could build a far more concept-driven character.

"And right off the bat, smash the face in with a pestle."

He set the appearance custom to maximum ugliness as well. The uglier you were, the lower the Charm score dropped — and the more compensation points you received in return.

Charm and looks would climb anyway after a few rounds of body-reformation later on, so there was no point obsessing over them.

"Now comes the real part."

Once initial bonds and appearance were set, you chose a single innate trait.

Traits were ranked Heaven (gold), Earth (silver), and Man (bronze) — and of course gold Heaven-rank was the best.

This part was pure, endless grinding. Han Yuhyeon kept rolling the dice until the innate trait he wanted finally came up.

His target was Heaven's Secret Affinity, a Heaven-rank innate trait that jacked Luck — the single most important stat in this luck-soaked cultivation world — by a full hundred points. A broken trait, plain and simple.

He must have been clicking the dice with dead eyes for a solid hour when—

"Son of a—!"

Mindlessly clicking, he had actually rolled Heaven's Secret Affinity and then skipped right past it. True to a life of hardcore gaming, he force-quit and reloaded on the spot, calmed himself with a sip of water, and started clicking again.

Then the screen flushed red for a beat before snapping back to the game. Living alone, late at night — a monitor suddenly painting itself blood-red was enough to raise the hairs on his neck.

"Jesus."

But he figured it was just another common glitch. Five years after release and the game was still lousy with unfixed bugs — Chinese-made, after all.

When he looked back at the screen to roll again, something strange was sitting there.

An innate trait and rank he had never seen or heard of in his life. Mongan Hyeolseo wasn't gold, silver, or bronze — its background was painted pure black, and its rank was neither Heaven, Earth, nor Man. It was No-grade.

"This was a thing?"

Even Han Yuhyeon, who had poured years into this game, had never once seen a No-grade black innate trait.

"Yeah, okay. Can't not take it."

And like any true veteran, something he hadn't tried yet demanded to be tried. At the time, Han Yuhyeon didn't think much of it. At worst, he figured, it was some patch he'd simply never noticed.

Next came the free stat allocation, fueled by the compensation points earned from the penalties.

Here you could raise the five spiritual roots of the Five Spiritual Roots configuration — Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth — or pump Luck, or Charm, or whatever else you wanted.

"……?"

Something was off. Even after stacking extreme penalties like orphan start and face-destruction, compensation points usually topped out around 30P. Not nothing — but nowhere near enough to break the game.

But the number on the screen right now was 207P. Dump the whole pile into a single spiritual root — say, Fire — and you would birth a cultivator with talent so deranged it was practically a joke.

Balance is completely broken.

The thought didn't last long. More compensation points just meant a more entertaining concept character. Fun mattered more than balance.

A beginner would pour points into spiritual roots, the Four Arts of Cultivation, weapons, or the cultivation laws governing fist, palm, and foot techniques — the stats with the most immediate, intuitive payoff.

Han Yuhyeon was different. A veteran who had cleared this game dozens of times. He knew the single most important stat in this game was Luck.

The moment Luck crossed 200, a message he had never seen before appeared. He already knew that pushing certain stats past thresholds unlocked acquired traits. He just had never gotten Luck over 200 before, so Peerless Heavenly Fortune was brand new to him.

Acquired traits, unlike innate ones, were things you earned while playing. Fresh characters normally had none — but Han Yuhyeon's was walking in with one already loaded.

"Okay, this game really is cracked."

Years of play and he was still finding things he didn't know. A true life-game, through and through.

Even with a luck-related innate trait, the consensus was that cracking 150 was brutal. At 200, how overflowing with fortune could a person even be? The thought of a completely new concept character already had his heart racing.

Han Yuhyeon hit Create Character. White light erupted from the monitor and swallowed the man sitting in his chair whole.

Han Yuhyeon vanished before he could even scream. On the monitor that had swallowed a man without a trace, those words still glowed.

"Huuuuurk— ptoo!"

Han Yuhyeon opened his eyes to a foul sensation on his face.

His hand went to his cheek by reflex and came away sticky with spit. Whoever had spat on him hadn't brushed their teeth in a long time either — the stench was vile.

"Come now, Fellow Daoist Kang. What crime did that beggar commit that you spit on him?"

"Look at that face, Fellow Daoist. Doesn't it just beg to be spat on?"

"Fair enough! Hahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

Han Yuhyeon stared blankly at the people who had spat on him. This wasn't Jeonju Hanok Village — and yet the people walking past were dressed in something like modified hanbok.

Why he'd been spat on, he had no idea. And protesting it wasn't exactly easy.

Because the world filling his eyes was far too unreal. Towering mountain peaks veiled in cloud. Air that tasted strangely sweet.

The line that always appeared at the start ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the game floated unbidden into Han Yuhyeon's mind.

No matter what situation or traits you set, the opening line never changed.

Spiritual energy. The mana of the cultivation setting. According to Yeonhwa Seonrok's lore, spiritual energy had a sweet taste.

"……No way."

Han Yuhyeon scrambled to his feet and looked around. The people nearby weren't wearing modified hanbok. They were wearing Chinese-style martial robes.

Overhead, people flew through the sky with strange objects — or swords — under their feet.

"Fuck."

Han Yuhyeon felt the thick spit still crawling down his cheek and spat a curse through his teeth.

No question about it. This was the world of Yeonhwa Seonrok.

Did that even make sense? Of course it didn't. Han Yuhyeon decided he was dreaming and tried to force himself awake. No matter how much time passed, it was useless.

After a long stretch of denial, he had no choice but to humbly accept that he had been dropped into the world of Yeonhwa Seonrok.

The moment he accepted it, he tried to call up a status window. He thought it. He muttered it.

But that convenience belonged to players sitting at a keyboard. Han Yuhyeon was now possessed into the world of Yeonhwa Seonrok itself. There were no such luxuries.

Wait. How did I allocate my stats again?

Five Spiritual Roots: below average. Cultivation laws: below average. Arts and crafts: a little better than average.

Physique, spiritual power, mental strength: all below average too.

Everything sat below average for one reason — the character's default values were already dumped into Luck.

Which was exactly why he'd piled even more compensation points into Luck on top of that.

My current Luck value is…

280.

A normal person people called "lucky" sat around Luck 100. At 280, you were basically the son of a god.

But is starting out by catching a loogie to the face really how Luck 280 is supposed to work?

The thought crossed his mind unbidden.

Han Yuhyeon staggered toward a nearby well. He needed to wash the foul-smelling spit off his face.

He hauled up the bucket on its pulley.

"Holy shit—!"

The moment he saw the water in the bucket, Han Yuhyeon yelled.

Inside the water was an unbelievably ugly man. His forehead bulged as if it had a horn growing under the skin. His eyes were mismatched. His nose was smashed flat. The corners of his mouth sagged and twisted.

There was an ugliness that could grow on you. This was the kind of face that made whatever affection you'd had evaporate on contact.

Even knowing it was his own face, he could understand why a passing cultivator would want to spit on it.

Well. Luck and Charm are different stats.

Charm governed a character's likability and first impressions in interactions. Luck was pure fortune running through the entire game.

And looking at this face sealed it. An ugliness this creatively original was impossible without the customizer. This was definitely the character Han Yuhyeon had built.

"My, my. To think someone this ugly exists. How pitiful."

While he was washing his face, a woman's voice drifted down. He twisted around and looked up — a woman in a white face-veil stood above him.

"And those clothes… a beggar, by the look of it. Even more pitiful. Tsk tsk."

The woman, who carried an air of luxury and a fine fragrance, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tossed him a small pouch that was shabby to the point of reeking. Judging by her dress, she was clearly a cultivator herself.

Shamelessly, Han Yuhyeon picked the pouch up off the ground. He opened it. Nothing inside. Was this supposed to be charity? This was no different from dumping trash on him.

It was enough to make his blood boil — but Han Yuhyeon carefully kept every emotion off his face. Cultivators could tear a mortal apart with a single finger.

"Deputy Palace Mistress, to casually hand something so precious to a beggar like that…"

A woman who looked like an attendant spoke up beside her, sounding worried. Han Yuhyeon nearly choked. Precious? Was she joking right now?

"It's fine. I was going to discard it anyway. Though that pitiful beggar doesn't even seem to know he's received something precious."

The Deputy Palace Mistress covered her mouth and laughed. She was already wearing a face-veil — why cover her mouth too? Not that he could ask. He only had one life.

"Beggar. Shall I tell you what that is?"

"…Excuse me? It just looks like a pouch."

Han Yuhyeon answered in a dull voice. The lifeless tone made the Deputy Palace Mistress laugh again.

"That is what we call a storage vessel. A pouch of the kind cultivators use. Try putting your hand inside."

She spoke with solemn gravity. Han Yuhyeon's eyes went wide. Of course he knew what a storage vessel was. In fantasy terms, it was a spatial inventory.

In practice, storage vessels were common among cultivators — but for a mortal like Han Yuhyeon, they were rare magical treasures. Magical treasures belonged to cultivators by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nature.

He pushed his hand in. It vanished completely into the darkness inside the pouch. The sight of what looked like a severed wrist made him yank his hand back in alarm — and the moment it left the pouch, the hand reappeared.

"Hoho. What an amusing beggar. And that face — filthy ugly, truly."

"……"

Did she really have to add that last part? Still, she had given him a magical treasure like a storage vessel. To him, she was a benefactor all the same.

"Th-thank you! How can I ever repay this kindness!"

Han Yuhyeon immediately threw himself into a full prostration and slammed his forehead into the dirt.

"Using a storage vessel is simple. When you put something in, think of putting it in. When you take something out, think of the thing you placed inside. You cannot store living things. That one is old, so it won't hold a great deal — but a hundred jin should be no trouble."

"Thank you, thank you!"

"Yes. You just stay like that, looking at the ground. Not seeing your face makes things far more pleasant."

This damned woman always had to tack on one more line that made you want to swear. But that was basic cultivation-world personality. If you were strong enough, nothing was a problem.

"How could I ever repay such a debt of gratitude…"

"Your jokes go too far. What could a mere mortal beggar possibly repay to the Deputy Palace Mistress of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace?"

Her words made Han Yuhyeon flinch. The Heavenly Phoenix Palace was an endgame faction that barely showed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up near the finale of the game. A Deputy Palace Mistress of a place like that meant she had at least entered the True Immortal Realm — a genuine immortal.

The True Immortal Realm meant a cultivator standing on the threshold of ascension to immortality. In game terms, a high-ranker.

"I misspoke! Forgive me!"

Han Yuhyeon slammed his head into the ground again. Anyone who had reached the True Immortal Realm was a true monster.

"It wasn't that you misspoke. And for reference — put only your hand into the storage vessel. If you try to put a whole person in, the person dies and the vessel breaks."

"I will engrave it upon my bones and carve it into my heart."

"An ugly man using literary phrases just makes him uglier. As if he's trying to scrub away the inferiority complex his face gives him with fancy words."

"……"

Alright, that was enough. This bitch could say anything, couldn't she. Of course, in total contradiction to his thoughts, Han Yuhyeon stayed pressed flat to the ground.

Even so, his mind was racing. The Deputy Palace Mistress of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace was here — did that mean this was Choyeol Province, where the Heavenly Phoenix Palace stood? Choyeol Province was no place for a mortal to live.

Han Yuhyeon was simply thinking hard, but the Deputy Palace Mistress seemed to take it for extreme reverence and continued a little further.

"If you ever reach the Heavenly Phoenix Palace and seek me out, I'll give you something else then. This, too, is fate. Huhu."

"Deputy Palace Mistress, such a promise…"

"You worry too much. How could a mortal from Yeongil-ju ever make it all the way to Choyeol Province, where the Heavenly Phoenix Palace stands?"

Han Yuhyeon relaxed at those words. Yeongil-ju was the standard Easy-difficulty starting region. These two had either come for a leisure trip out of boredom, or for some kind of business.

"That may be so, but…"

"Are you saying this lady misspoke, then?"

The air turned ice-cold in an instant. Han Yuhyeon felt his breath catch. There was no emotion in the Deputy Palace Mistress's voice — and that made the pressure crushing.

"Forgive me. This lowly girl misspoke."

The attendant immediately dropped to the ground and slammed her forehead down. A personal attendant to the Deputy Palace Mistress of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace would be at least Nascent Soul herself. Watching a Nascent Soul cultivator prostrate herself like that drove home all over again just how high this woman stood.

"Do not show such discourtesy before me again."

"Yes, Deputy Palace Mistress."

"Rise. We're leaving."

The order to rise seemed aimed only at the attendant, so Han Yuhyeon kept his forehead pressed to the dirt.

Only after a long silence did he carefully lift his head. The Deputy Palace Mistress of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace and her attendant were already gone.

Crazy bitches.

Han Yuhyeon spat the curse inwardly and tucked the storage vessel into his robes.

At the very least, when it came to Luck — that part seemed rock solid.