The First Lesson
As the guidance voice faded, a pure white light enveloped Cindy. When she opened her eyes, a strangely familiar scene unfolded before her.
“Fourth form, upward strike—one hundred repetitions, begin!”
“““Upward strike, one hundred times! Hah!”””
“Oh my? This is…?”
It was a sight she had seen countless times in Cheongcheon Murim. A massive training ground where young disciples from powerful clans and sects practiced together. In front of each person hung a thick log suspended by ropes, and the trainees swung wooden swords at them in rhythmic practice. Yet it wasn’t only children—people of various ages filled the field. Of course, there were no middle-aged or elderly practitioners, but the group ranged from young children to those who had just passed their coming-of-age.
Cindy quickly assessed the situation and opened her status window.
— Dokgo Clan Outer Disciple Training Uniform
— Dokgo Clan Training Wooden Sword
— Earth Standard Bio Device
“…Hmm. So this is how it starts. It would’ve been nicer if I’d ended up in the Jegal Clan… What’s this…?”
Cindy tapped her Bio Device. Just like everyone else, the moment she activated it, knowledge of its functions flooded into her mind. As she gathered information, she thought to herself, This feels like a tutorial. It reminds me of what Kang-hyun told me back then… I miss him~
Having experienced her very first game through Cheongcheon Murim, Cindy reminisced about the time she had logged in with Yoo Kang-hyun. A faint smile touched her lips as she manipulated the Bio Device, quickly learning its controls. A translucent window appeared before her eyes, displaying Earth’s network and countless streams of information. She felt as if she were browsing the internet, growing more comfortable with the device by the second.
After collecting data on her current situation through the Bio Device, Cindy looked around at the people nearby. They all wore similar training uniforms, confirming they were fellow outer disciples like herself. Spotting a young man nearby who was wiping sweat from his brow and drinking water, she approached him with a friendly smile.
“Hello. Are you an outer disciple too?”
The man initially frowned at the interruption, but the moment he saw Cindy’s face, he swallowed hard. His cheeks flushed bright red as he began to speak. Watching his classic, awkward reaction to a beautiful woman, Cindy found him rather cute. At the same time, it reminded her of the young boy Hyuk-bi who had once admired her in the past.
“Ah… Nice to meet you. Yes, that’s right. I also became an outer disciple of the Dokgo Clan not long ago. My family is a distant collateral branch of the Dokgo Clan… May I ask your name…?”
“I’m Cindy. Cindy Macglen.”
“Ah, so you’re from the Western Regions. N-nice to meet you. Or are you from another planet?”
“No. Just as you said, I’m from the Western Regions.”
From another planet, huh… It seems the worldview has become much more open compared to the original Cheongcheon Murim. This is getting more interesting by the minute.
“Everyone seemed so stiff and cold despite us having the same status, so I thought I’d say hello. After all, we’re basically senior and junior disciples. May I ask your name?”
“Yes, I’m Jang Il-shin, from the Jang Clan…”
Just as their conversation began, the training session ended and break time arrived. Cindy, who had started the game at the perfect moment, used her natural sociability to gather information about her fellow disciples and the current state of the world. In doing so, she learned roughly how Cheongcheon Murim had changed.
There aren’t many non-human lifeforms, but they definitely exist… None in the Dokgo Clan, though. It feels less like pure wuxia and more like a mixed-genre universe.
Combining the information she had gathered from both people and the Bio Device, Cindy realized the world of Cheongcheon Murim had undergone significant changes. Not only had aliens settled on Earth in large numbers, but the Western Regions were now actively trading and interacting with the Central Plains. Merchant guilds traded not just across Earth but with other planets in the universe. While martial arts hadn’t weakened, various new weapons and systems had been added—including martial techniques that incorporated modern firearms. Still, in the Central Plains, true to its wuxia roots, martial arts remained the primary means of combat and power.
Though she still lacked information, Cindy didn’t have much time left.
“Hey! Break time is over. Everyone gather up! We’re resuming training!”
“What a shame. I suppose we’ll have to continue this conversation later.”
“Y-yes, it was nice talking with you, Miss Cindy.”
As Cindy chatted with Jang Il-shin and gathered intel, a middle-aged man dressed in something resembling a Taoist robe called out to the resting disciples—including Cindy—and ordered them back to the training ground. Gripping her wooden sword, Cindy headed toward the field while thinking, I wonder what the others are going through right now…?
Having begun her life in the Dokgo Clan, Cindy moved to her next destination, imagining the situations Su-a, Hwa-ryun, and Kang-hyun might be facing.
As the guidance voice ended, a pure white light wrapped around Jung Hwa-ryun. When she slowly opened her eyes, she was the most flustered among everyone who had logged in. The reason was…
?! W-what is this…?
“Assuming the military forces must retreat in this situation, what is the safest strategic retreat…?”
She was sitting in a massive lecture hall, attending a class.
Though flustered, Hwa-ryun calmly scanned her surroundings before opening her status window to assess the situation.
— Imperial Cadet Formal Uniform
— Empire Standard Bio Device
Since I chose the Empire, it makes sense I’d end up here… But I never imagined the game would start like this…
More than anything, seeing that she had once again been placed in the role of a strategist who relied on her mind rather than physical combat, Hwa-ryun seriously began to wonder if she was destined to play a tactical, advisor-type character. The location itself resembled a university lecture hall, arranged in a semicircle with a professor teaching tactical studies from a raised platform below.
She activated her Bio Device. Just like Su-a and Cindy, she was able to grasp her current circumstances. The place she was in was the Ark Military Academy—one of many military schools within the Omega Empire—and she had been assigned as a newly enrolled cadet.
…It’s not certain, but it seems I’ve become a cadet specializing in tactical officer studies… I wonder where my brother-in-law is right now…
While organizing the information flowing through her mind, the lecture ended. A system message appeared before Hwa-ryun.
> You have completed the Omega Empire Military Education course (Tactical Studies IV: Principle of Preparedness).
> Intelligence has increased by +5.
….? Does that mean listening to lectures or accumulating knowledge increases Intelligence?
Hwa-ryun checked her status window and saw that her Intelligence had risen from 10 to 15. She had learned something new about the game’s system.
…In any case, both Sister and Cindy will find it difficult to meet Brother-in-law for a while… Brother-in-law, please wait. I will come find you.
Thinking of her goal, Hwa-ryun steeled her resolve to play this new game in a new way. Burning with determination to be the first one to locate Yoo Kang-hyun, she began making her way back to her dormitory.