Episode 1

Translation: Godtl

"Ugh, why is life like this?"

A sigh escaped his lips the moment he woke up that morning.

Cheon Mu-jin, a second-year student at Korea University's Hunter Studies Department—just hearing the name, one might think he was some outstanding hunter candidate. But reality wasn't so kind.

'Damn it, when the hell am I going to awaken?'

In modern society, hunters were an incredibly popular profession. Sure, it came with risks, but the pay was good, and so was the fame. A successful hunter's earnings could easily dwarf the annual salaries of people in most other professions.

On top of that, once you started gaining recognition, you could live a life more glamorous than most celebrities.

Most people who enrolled in the Hunter Studies Department dreamed of that dazzling future. But the dropout rate was just as high.

If you couldn't awaken your abilities even after joining the department, it was all meaningless. Only those damn talent monsters—born with innate abilities—could graduate unscathed.

'Not like I'm any different, though...'

He was no exception. By his second year, there wasn't even a hint of his abilities awakening.

The de facto deadline was third year. If he didn't awaken by then, he had no future.

Before wasting any more time, it'd be better to drop out and find another path.

'The national aptitude test clearly said I had potential, though.'

Potential.

It meant he had the latent capacity to awaken as a hunter. But in reality, it was just psychological torture. He'd seen plenty of people who were told they had "potential." Some were seniors, some were juniors.

Out of all of them, barely any actually awakened abilities strong enough to work as proper hunters. That's why it was called psychological torture.

Worse yet, he was now one of the few unawakened students left in his second year. Every single day was awkward as hell, with everyone side-eyeing him.

During classes, unlike his peers, he could only sit through lectures. If a student hadn't awakened yet, they couldn't properly participate. It pissed him off, but there was nothing he could do about it.

'I want to awaken too!'

If anyone saw him right then, they'd probably think he was some lunatic, sighing like that.

'I want to become a successful hunter, make a ton of money, get a pretty girlfriend...'

Just as he was about to drown in this sense of defeat—

Bzzzt.

"...Huh?"

Suddenly, something golden flickered before his eyes. When he looked closer, it was his own hand.

"What is this?"

Gulp.

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠swallowed hard on reflex. A golden glow enveloping the body—that was the precursor to awakening, something he'd only heard about in stories.

"A-Awakening! Awakennnning! Awake! Awaaaake!"

Anyone listening would've found it utterly pathetic, but who cared? This was the moment of awakening.

Not like anyone was around to hear him in his tiny studio anyway.

Upon awakening, a person immediately became aware of their ability. Filled with anticipation, he blinked rapidly.

[Your desperate wish has reached the heavens. Your ability is 'Gamer.']

"...Huh?"

He couldn't make heads or tails of it. What the hell was a "Gamer" ability?

Most hunters hoped for combat-related abilities. In fact, there were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plenty of ability users, but not all of them could actually work as hunters—precisely because of that.

The ability you awakened determined your future as a hunter.

And "Gamer" didn't seem combat-related at all.

'What the actual fuck is this?'

He immediately checked the ability's details.

[Gamer]

Rank: (Unmeasurable)

You are a Gamer. You can directly enter the last game you played. When you exit the game, time within it stops. The reverse applies when you enter. You can carry items based on your inventory slots.

"...What?"

The lengthy description made him blink in confusion. For a second, he was stunned.

Reading it over, it actually seemed... kinda decent? The realization left him momentarily dazed.

'For something called just a "game," this looks pretty good?'

If he understood correctly, he could take items from the game and sell them in the real world.

In a way, it was a pretty useful merchant-type ability.

The problem was—what game could he enter?

'The last game I played was...'

Damn it.

He was so screwed. There was only one game in front of him.

[Devouring the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult]

"Fuck..."

A martial arts dating sim he played before bed last night.

The game he could enter was a goddamn R-19 martial arts smut game.

Well, at least he'd awakened. First, he needed to test the ability.

Without hesitation, he clicked the Status Window floating in the air. The moment he did, his body turned pure white—and vanished.

When he thought he'd briefly lost consciousness, two choices appeared before his eyes.

The deliberation didn't take long.

Naturally, the choice was obvious—the former.

The latter was not only older, but being from a collateral branch wasn't particularly appealing.

'It's just a game anyway. Better to be the tail of a dragon than the head of a snake.'

Wouldn't it be better to have the bloodline of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Heavenly Demon?

Above all, since the game's title was Devouring the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, it made sense to go where the main stage was set. Most of what he knew was related to it anyway.

'What else can I do? Might as well enjoy the game properly.'

With the mindset ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of diving into a 4D augmented reality game, he entered the world.

***

Martial artists of the Central Plains cultivated martial arts based on Internal Energy. What had once been mere combat techniques evolved alongside different factions, growing increasingly complex and dazzling in their forms.

Eventually, those who mastered martial arts became incomparably stronger than ordinary people, and the world came to call them Murim Masters.

Among these masters, some lived in seclusion as recluses, while others formed factions to nurture and teach disciples.

Thanks to them, the current Murim was divided into three major forces: the Righteous Faction, which upheld virtue and righteousness; the Heterodox Path, which walked the unorthodox way, unbound by moral constraints; and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which revered strength and tyranny.

These three factions maintained a precarious balance.

The moment he opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted him. Judging by the interior, it really did resemble the game he had played.

"Inventory."

He called out instinctively, and an empty inventory appeared before him. It didn't matter—he could fill it up later.

"Young Master Cheon, may I enter?"

"Ah—just wait a moment."

The boy's name was Cheon Mu-jin.

He was a descendant of the Cult Leader, possessing an absolute qualification within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Most of those who bore the surname Cheon within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were descendants of the four great clans married into the Cult Leader's lineage.

The previous Young Cult Leader Succession Battles had mostly proceeded that way. But this time, things were slightly different.

The protagonist, Cheon Mu-jin, was not from one of the four great clans—he was the son of a maid who worked in the Cult Leader's Palace. Though his origins were humble, the other half of his bloodline was of the Cheon family, granting him the right to participate in the Succession Battle.

Of course, that didn't mean much. If anything, it only ensured he started with countless enemies.

For him, this situation alone was already an immense ordeal.

'At least, that's how the original story went.'

If he had truly entered the game without knowing its plot, this was undoubtedly how things would unfold. In fact, in the bad endings, the protagonist died before ever ascending to the position of Heavenly Demon.

"But I can't just let that happen."

Now that he was inside the game, he had no intention of letting things end in a bad ending.

According to the story, in two days, he would enter the Demon Path Pavilion. The Demon Path Pavilion was a space where all of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's late-stage disciples gathered. Inside, one's external status held little importance.

In keeping with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's doctrine of "strength above all," the pavilion was a place where one could train in martial arts and grow stronger based on merit. It was often used as a means to build factions—most disciples would pledge themselves to one of the Young Cult Leader candidates.

Ultimately, it was a test of which faction one would choose to stand with. And from the original protagonist's perspective, the Demon Path Pavilion was practically his last chance.

Assassination within the pavilion was virtually impossible. It was considered an insult to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's leader, so even the four great clans couldn't act recklessly inside.

'I will definitely become the Heavenly Demon.'

And in line with the game's purpose, enjoying a thrilling adult-rated life was just as important.

With that, two days passed, and the day to enter the Demon Path Pavilion arrived.

***

Demon Path Pavilion.

Located in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, it was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's martial training grounds, where disciples from all affiliated sects honed their skills. Under normal circumstances, the pavilion was merely a place to train ordinary martial artists.

But there was one occasion when the Demon Path Pavilion became fiercely competitive—when the Young Cult Leader candidates participated.

During the Young Cult Leader Succession Battle, which occurred once every few decades, the candidates from the Sword Demon Clan, Blade Demon Clan, Fist Demon Clan, and Poison Demon Clan would always clash in a fierce struggle for supremacy.

The women of each clan had married the Cult Leader, each bearing one descendant. This time, the candidates were:

After this brutal Succession Battle concluded, the sole remaining victor would claim the position of Young Cult Leader, securing the future of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

This was the basic premise of the game's story.