I Possessed the Final Boss
I possessed the final boss.
Before starting any game, I always make it a rule to look up the story on wikis or community forums first. The reason is simple: I want to know if the game is actually worth my time. If I play it only to find it boring and unimmersive, I've wasted both my time and money. That's why, unlike most people, I don't really mind spoilers for movies or games. If a story sounds interesting, I play it; if not, I pass.
Recently, during my leave of absence from university, I was browsing the discount list to see if there was anything worth playing.
"Hmm, there were so many games I wanted to play, but now that I'm actually looking to buy one, there's nothing."
I immediately opened a gaming community to dig around. After searching for a while, one game caught my eye, popping up far more frequently than the others.
Moorim Ganghojeon.
"What kind of game is this that everyone's talking about it?"
Curious, I browsed the forums and wikis to see what it was about. To sum it up in a single sentence: it was a story-driven soul-like game. The player starts as a character from either an orthodox or unorthodox sect, fighting against an evil force known as the Heavenly Demon Sect.
The general plot was typical of what you'd find in a standard martial arts novel. Even though I didn't have much interest in the genre, I had a rough idea of what the Demonic Cult was.
They're basically the bad guys, right? It's the 'Demonic' Cult, after all. Probably a bunch of demon-like bastards. How predictable.
Story score: deducted. I hate clichés.
Next, I looked into the gameplay. It was a high-freedom open-world game, and besides the main quest, the map was packed with various side stories. Since open-world is my favorite genre, this was a pass.
As I dug deeper into the lore, I finally understood why it had been generating so much buzz lately.
While the Heavenly Demon Sect served as the main antagonist of the base game, the upcoming expansion was set to reveal the true mastermind behind the scenes. The mastermind was none other than the Blood Heaven Sect. The upcoming DLC focused on the Blood Ghouls, led by the Blood Demon, launching a full-scale conspiracy to dye the Central Plains in blood.
It was practically a sequel-sized expansion, and since the final chapter of the story was releasing tomorrow, the community was flooded with hype.
After doing nothing but releasing skins and weapons for three years, they're finally dropping their last major DLC. Apparently, the story is even more massive than the base game, and there's a hidden true ending. Just like the base game, you can hunt down and kill all the bosses, or you can take a specific route to unlock the hidden ending. You can really tell the devs poured their souls into this one.
I browsed the Moorim Ganghojeon forum. Since it seemed like an incredibly difficult game, I wrote a post asking if a complete beginner to soul-likes could handle it.
I've barely played soul-likes and my reflexes are slow. How is it?
Looking at the replies, it didn't seem like my slow reflexes would be a major issue.
Well, a single-player game can't be that impossibly hard, right? They must have made it beatable.
I immediately purchased the game along with the DLC package and started the download. Judging by the massive file size, the story was bound to be incredibly vast. As if to prove it, the playtimes of the people who reviewed the game were staggering.
"Wait, what?"
This was bizarre. Usually, playtimes shouldn't be this long, right? For some reason, it reminded me of a certain dinosaur survival game and a grand strategy war game that had completely consumed my previous winter break.
"Well, whatever. My break is long anyway. It just means the game is good."
While waiting for the download—which was going to take half a day—I looked up some strategy guides to decide how to play.
First, the Tang Clan... They're strong early on but fall off in the late game.
Specializing in poison and hidden weapons, the Tang Clan was incredibly efficient at clearing mobs, but required intense mechanical skill in one-on-one boss fights. They relied heavily on damage-over-time and status ailments, and their lack of burst damage was a major drawback.
"Then what should I play?"
According to the guides, almost every orthodox sect was decent, except for the Tang Clan, the Emei Sect, and the Jeomchang Sect.
The Emei Sect had limited external activities, which led to funding issues, and forced you to play as a female character.
The Jeomchang Sect was decent, but it was an all-or-nothing playstyle. With almost zero defense or defensive skills, you had to constantly dodge and attack, requiring insane reflexes.
For someone with slow reflexes like me, the Wudang Sect (which balanced offense and defense), the Jongnam Sect (which crushed enemies with overwhelming firepower), or noble clans like the Namgung Clan and the Hebei Peng Clan seemed like much better options.
I grasped the general outline of the story but didn't dig too deep. Over-analyzing can spoil the fun. It ruins the excitement, so I only looked up the soundtrack and the basic plot. I checked out just one or two major characters before closing the tabs.
Once the grueling half-day download finally finished, I hovered my mouse over the play button with anticipation.
"That took forever. Shall we give it a spin?"
The moment I clicked the play button, my consciousness plunged into darkness.
"Well, I'm screwed."
I stared at the reflection of a man standing tall and solitary beyond a pool of thick blood.
Long, flowing white hair. Eerie black-red eyes. Pale skin and a tall, commanding stature. An incredibly handsome, sculpted face.
It was the exact image of the 'Blood Demon' I had seen in the Moorim Ganghojeon DLC trailer.
"I am completely, utterly screwed."
A captivating, low baritone voice echoed through the cavern, which was flooded with blood.
By all accounts, I had possessed the body of the Blood Heaven Sect's leader—the final boss of the Moorim Ganghojeon DLC.
You might think possessing the body of a powerful final boss is a good thing. But you have to remember one crucial detail: every boss is destined to die at the hands of the player.
Even if I could enjoy this immense power for now, my ultimate end would be dying in battle against the protagonist.
I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to survive. In the midst of my deep contemplation, a brilliant idea struck me.
I just shouldn't do anything bad.
The player isn't a psychopath; they wouldn't just pick a fight with a strong, peaceful NPC for no reason. What if I went even further and did good deeds to build a stellar reputation?
Then we could walk together all the way to the ending.
It was decided. I didn't know if the player—the protagonist—was already active in this world or if they would appear later, but as long as I didn't give them a reason to target me, I'd be safe.
"Yes. To survive, I just need to help others and avoid doing evil."
I'm sorry, dear player, but you'll have to settle for killing the base game's final boss, the Cheonma. I have no intention of playing the role of a DLC boss just to be slaughtered by you.
Inside a cavern filled with crimson blood, a dark ritual was performed, sacrificing the entire membership of the Blood Heaven Sect.
An entity forged from the sacrifice of tens of thousands of lives slowly began to take shape. Before long, countless vengeful spirits and raw power coalesced, giving birth to a single living being.
The name of this race was the Blood Ghoul.
A god-like being that the Blood Heaven Sect had spent decades researching to create. Their desperate wish to unleash an absolute predator upon the martial artists of the world had finally manifested in this very place.
Born with the tragic destiny of a demon, the man was named Unwol.
He slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings before speaking.
"How wretched."
Within Unwol, countless scarred and vengeful souls wailed. They begged him to dye this world in blood, to slaughter the martial artists who had brought them to this wretched state, and to eradicate the very seeds of the Moorim that had plunged the Central Plains into chaos.
From their whispers, he suddenly realized the purpose of his existence.
"I was born to save this world. I shall comfort these countless scarred souls with my own hands."
As his cold footsteps led him out of the cavern, a dark terror began to loom over the martial world.
The moment he stepped outside, the warm sunlight was swallowed by dark clouds, and rain began to pour like tears from the heavens. Watching the downpour, the first Blood Ghoul, Unwol, spoke:
"Do not fear. I shall create a world where no one suffers."