Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Possession
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A game's fate as a flop or a masterpiece lies in the players' judgment.
Even a game everyone unanimously calls trash might be someone's irreplaceable gem.
That's why it's quite dangerous to hastily judge a game's potential.
Of course, there are exceptions.
Everyone's probably experienced it at least once.
"Ah, what a flop. Nothing worth playing."
They are known as flop game complainers.
To them, volume, content, characters—none of it matters.
No matter what masterpiece they play, they suck it dry to the bone and whine about a lack of content.
In that sense, he was just one of many flop game complainers.
Though a bit special among them.
"Almost 20,000 hours soon."
20,000 hours of playtime.
At this point, it's safe to say life doesn't exist outside the game.
No, you could even call the game a part of life.
"Well, it's well-made."
Azure Wind Saga.
A game of love and hate.
You chant about quitting every day, but before you know it, you're creating a new character.
The devil's game.
Azure Wind Saga is a murim adventure game.
Developed in Taiwan, but it exploded in popularity in Korea.
The genre is wuxia—somewhat unfamiliar to me—but the gameplay covers that and more.
The story branches endlessly based on character abilities and choices, with endings to match that are shockingly diverse.
But so what?
No matter the freedom, it's still a flop to a 20,000-hour veteran.
It needs a new concept.
Something truly fresh, never experienced before.
But...
"What now?"
Blind swordsman.
Recluse in the mountains.
Last disciple of Wudang...
...
....
Those concepts? He'd done them all.
Their endings too.
Died alone in seclusion, trampled by a horse, lynched after losing to Beggars' Gang beggars.
And more.
He became the Heavenly Demon and wrecked the murim, or as the Righteous Murim Alliance Leader, took the true ending Apotheosis Ascension route to become an immortal.
Indeed.
As expected of a flop—content shortage is too severe.
"Any new modes?"
The only way to quench his thirst: custom modes made and shared by players.
But user-made modes vary wildly in quality, and the good ones have been milked dry long ago.
Damn.
Is there really nothing?
"...There is."
He found it.
A steaming new mode just posted on the community.
"Demon Extermination?"
Exterminate the demons.
The only demons in murim are the Demonic Cult, so does that mean beat the Demonic Cult senseless?
It was a straightforward and intuitive name.
"Let's see."
It has a high rating.
Good comments.
And the installation was simple.
Perfect.
He installed the mode without hesitation.
Details can be figured out in-game.
Affiliation is crucial in murim.
Your sect determines learnable martial arts and often drags you into predecessors' grudges.
Character affiliation sets the game's difficulty.
And it's random? The mod maker must be a gacha addict.
But with 20,000 hours under my belt, I'm no rotten newbie scared of affiliation.
Overthrow the Demonic Cult!
When facing Demonic Cult members as enemies, Pure Azure Spirit Body, Divine Purity Impervious Meridians, Diamond Indestructible, and Void Spirit Body activate.
Overthrow the Demonic Cult.
The mode lives up to the name.
It had a long description, but basically: he could go musou mode against the Demonic Cult only.
Essentially a conditional cheat key.
The condition is a drawback, but the utility is endless.
Base stats are trash.
It was practically a penalty.
No problem.
Stats? He could pump them with achievement points from 20,000 hours.
The most important: the perception stat.
Your character's talent basically depends on perception.
Cheongun.
Concise, easy to call.
Yeah, I like it.
He hit enter.
Streams of explanations followed.
Enter, enter, enter.
And finally.
Ready.
He lightly reviewed his choices, the placed finger on enter.
And pressed down.
That was Cheongun's last memory before descending into murim.
He plunged straight into murim under the guise of possession, Cheongun was utterly dumbfounded.
Possession, as in the stories?
Why murim of all places?
Modern fantasy was teeming with advanced tech.
Medieval fantasy with heroes strolling the streets.
Plenty of better options than damn murim.
He was boiling with rage and doubt.
But that was trivial before the immediate crisis.
The basics of Human survival: clothing, food, shelter.
For orphan Cheongun, those are luxuries.
No parents, no home—vagabond life is mandatory.
Sleeping with stinking Beggars' for lack of shelter, starving despite craving food for lack of coin, clad in rags worse than scraps—who could know that shame?
Cheongun certainly didn't want to.
That's when he realized.
Why murim crawls with scumbags.
To Cheongun remembering modern life, murim was hell itself.
Yet humans adapt.
Cheongun gradually adjusted to murim.
Sure, there were side effects like constant cursing and wretched poverty, but alive and breathing matters.
Above all, Cheongun gained enlightenment.
To survive murim's winner-takes-all setting, you need money.
Or martial arts of such a level you wouldn't be looked down on anywhere.
No more beggar life, he was sick of contempt from the street trash.
Day labor for daily bread? That was not Cheongun's dream.
Own a home.
Earn passive income.
Live in wealth and comfort.
Until that grand goal was achieved, there would be no stopping.
But murim is no pushover.
Murim means wilderness.
Conspiracies flow like breath, blades precede words, raw power rules—a barbaric world.
Powerless bluster invites death.
Thus, over the years.
Cheongun worked hard.
He fixed up a cave outside town as his home.
His body was somewhat trained; next, internal energy.
His possession perk: [Mind Method View] the menu floated before him, easing martial arts learning.
Cheongun sat, focused his breath per the Three Disasters Mind Method formula.
Was this thanks to maxing all stats including perception with achievement points?
Soon he sensed qi flowing through his body.
The sensation sharpened.
A month later, was his first success with internal energy .
Of course, the efficiency was abysmal.
He chose the third-rate Three Disasters over a more efficient method—so it was expected.
He had no regrets.
It was slow, but it was the only mind method free of the risk of Qi Deviation .
He had no master for qi purification; so random methods could mean death by deviation.
No coin was worth more than his life.
Slow but steady.
Cheongun accumulated qi, and built internal energy.
His progress was suspiciously smooth, but he ignored that.
Guess this body's talented.
"Finally usable."
Decent mind method boosted durability, reduced fatigue.
Meaning...
Time for real economic activity.
"Die!"
"Kweeeek!"
Beast hunting.
The basics of earning money.
To save money, cut spending.
Self-sufficiency in food, sleep, clothes.
Beasts were versatile: you could roast their meat, tan hides for blankets or sell their parts for cash.
It was easy with game knowledge.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck."
Cheongun cursed nonstop, he diligently saved.
He craved superior martial arts more.
His head full of formulas and forms.
But being fresh to qi operation, they were still pie in sky.
His sole trait needs a Demonic Cult encounter—which was rare in murim.
They were mad martial worshippers: insular, cohesive, holed up in peaks somewhere.
Ah, what a dogshit life.
Meanwhile, his empty stomach growled.
"Sigh."
Cheongun slung his fishing rod over his shoulder and headed to the river.
After weeks of raw meat it was time for change.
At the riverbank, he dangled the line.
Just five big ones.
With that thought, he blankly worked the rod.
Amid frantic fishing...
He had an uninvited guest.
"Haa! Haa!"
A woman burst from thickets.
In a sweat-soaked uniform, with ragged breath—she was clearly being pursued.
She stood stunned, calming her breath.
"Ha, what a racket. Is this the hideout grave? It's perfect for killing unseen."
The voice came from behind; she turned.
A masked man stood there cockily.
He eyed her up-down,and asked indifferently.
"You were screaming of justice, yet using spies to infiltrate the Darkwood Sect. How's that different from the black path?"
"..."
No answer.
She was the spy.
Ignoring empty threats, she scanned the are desperately for escape.
The Masked man noticed and followed her gaze.
He was confident he could catch her anywhere, he would let attempt her futile efforts.
That was part of what made a hunt fun.
"Prepared?"
The man smirked, the drew a massive cleaver and rested it on his shoulder.
Her eyes grew frantic.
Then she spotted Cheongun fishing on riverside rock.
Wait.
He was fishing... now?
"Hm?"
The man spotted Cheongun too.
Cheongun turned, their eyes met.
He blinked, clicked his tongue, then turned back.
He pretended not to see, focused on fishing.
"..."
The Masked man swallowed a sigh and stepped forward.
Toward the sole witness Cheongun.
Then.
Whirrr.
Thuk.
Before reaching, a crude dagger flew, and stabbed the ground before his feet.
The dagger in ground pulsed with internal energy.
'...A martial artist.'
This was trouble.
No witnesses were allowed.
"Hey, mister."
"Mister? Me?"
"Who else, if not you?"
"I am Sa Uncheon of Darkwood Sect..."
"Whatever. Finish your business quick. Don't come here. I saw nothing."
Cheongun spat those words and turned away.
Sa Uncheon shut his mouth.
What kind of guy was this?
"Young hero!"
Woman watching called.
"I'm Namgung Yeol of Namgung Clan, Justice Alliance!"
"So?"
"...Pardon?"
"I don't care about Namgung or whatever. Don't call me. The fish'll flee—are you paying?"
"No, fish aren't the priority here..."
"Can't you take a hint? Why shoul I help you? I don't want your grudges. I help you then I have to deal with a Darkwood Sect warrant? Too much of a hassle. Is the Namgung covering it? No? Then go."
Cheongun's response popped a vein on her forehead.
She couldn't retort.
His words rang true.
Murim: was an endless grudge chains.
Helping in a crisis requires resolve.
"I'll reward you!"
Whip.
Cheongun's head snapped back at "reward".
"How much?"
"Pardon?"
"How much?"
Cheongun's empty eyes blazed.
Namgung Yeol chuckled calmly.
"The sword's will is heavier than the sky, it's grace taller than mountains. That's the Namgung Clan creed."
"So, how much?"
"..."
Crunch.
'Calm down. You need his help now.'
"One Gold Ingot Note."
One Gold Ingot Note: 50 gold taels.
50 gold: 10,000 silver taels.
One silver: five sacks rice.
Five sacks: 4-5 person family month easy.
Thus.
One Gold Ingot Note: 4-5 family survives 833 years!
"You're sure?"
"Of course."
That was excessive, but fair for the Namgung direct heir's life.
Heh heh.
Cheongun's lips twitched.
It was best to ignore filth, but it was worth it for one Gold Ingot Note.
It would be a complete life reversal.
A once-in-lifetime chance walked in.
"Alright."
Cheongun stood beside Namgung Yeol.
Sa Uncheon sneered.
"A kid that doesn't know life's value."
"You're old and all talk."
"You bastard!"
Cheongun is thoroughly selfish.
Money is vital, but his life even more so.
Yet he planned to step in from the start.
The Initial hesitation? Just bait for more gain.
Why was he so confident?
Because he was certain.
That Sa Uncheon punk.
...
...
He was of the Demonic Cult origin.