Chapter 165
Chapter 165: Jeon Ra-hwa
Jeon Ra-hwa was a slave.
It wasn't always that way from birth. Originally, she was a descendant of a great sect, but after her family met with an unexpected calamity and was exterminated, the men were executed along with nine generations of relatives, and the women became as she was.
After that, with the unbearable brand 'Money' seared into her shoulder, she was a slave when passed through six masters, and of course still a slave when sold to her seventh master. Naturally, she remained so when captured by bandits called Plum Blossom Stronghold along the way.
Though she had lived through such harsh circumstances, she still wanted to live. She wanted to survive. It wasn't some luxurious emotion like surviving to the end and taking revenge on the world.
Just... something like an instinct for survival, that was all.
But slaves—especially slaves captured by bandits—had either death or a life worse than death confirmed for them in this cruel and merciless world.
Becoming a sex slave would be fortunate, and in the worst case, she could become a Lewd Jiangshi.
Had Heaven taken pity on her?
Her wish was granted and a savior fell from the sky.
Suddenly, with a tremendous explosion as if heaven and earth were collapsing, a nearby giant peak crumbled and a man appeared.
The time it took to slaughter all the bandits was even shorter than the time it took for him to appear.
When she was first rescued, she worried whether he might be yet another outlaw...
He wasn't.
Without saying a word, he smiled at her and left. To be precise, he entered the Plum Blossom Stronghold Leader's quarters, but in any case, he didn't demand anything or claim ownership of the slaves.
As a result, most of those who were freed soon scrambled to flee from Plum Blossom Stronghold.
Then what about her?
Jeon Ra-hwa waited quietly.
This place was near Azure Dragon Lake.
Wandering around without an escort in this place teeming with water bandits and mountain bandits?
Wouldn't that be no different from shouting everywhere to come eat her?
She recalled the smile of the man who had saved her.
She had never seen such a pure smile. Such laughter that could never be seen in this Martial World.
At the very least, it was utterly different from the sinister, lust-filled sneers of the men she had seen until now.
Really...
'Could he be a chivalrous warrior rare to see in this Great Viet Empire?'
She didn't know what he was doing inside, but somehow she had to escape this place with him. To survive, she absolutely had to do so.
So she waited.
She waited and waited again.
One day passed.
'He'll come out soon.'
Two days passed.
'Why isn't he coming out?'
Three days went by.
'Did he leave without me knowing?'
Thinking that, she was about to reluctantly leave when she hesitated.
In this Martial World, trespassing on a strongman's quarters or following them without obtaining the strongman's permission meant immediate death, but the time she had waited felt too precious to waste, and besides, wouldn't going outside mean dying all the same?
Above all, his pure smile came to mind again.
If it was someone like him...
'Wouldn't he definitely be different from the common outlaws of the Martial World?'
After long deliberation, she entered the Plum Blossom Stronghold Leader's quarters and began climbing the stairs.
***
[Becoming a Hero... 24%]
All online games belong to one specific genre.
Major categories: Action, Shooting, Simulation.
Minor categories: Hack and Slash, Gun Shooting, Strategy Simulation, and so on.
'Murim Online' was the same.
Action MMORPG.
Originally programmed that way, released that way, and serviced that way. If only Dong Bong-soo hadn't logged into Murim Online, it probably would have remained fixed in that genre forever.
Log in, log out, log in again, log out again...
Through countless logins and logouts, Murim Online's genre was undergoing yet another great transformation.
...
...
..
.
After countless logins and logouts beyond counting.
[Becoming a Hero... 75%]
Thud-
A mechanical sound in the form of a drum beat, now somewhat familiar to his ears, rang in his mind. At the same time, the pain that had been tearing at his soul subsided.
[Play is now possible.]
"Huuuu-."
With a deep exhale rising from his Dantian, Dong Bong-soo's eyes gradually opened.
A feeling that had sunken even colder.
What first entered that cold gaze was, of course, the interface of [Murim Online].
The front was still damaged and cracked in places like a shattered car window, with cracks running here and there. Nevertheless, the system itself of [Murim Online] was intact.
However, one thing had been added there.
The point that he could now recall [Murim Online]'s interface at will, or make the interface of [What is Hero] appear in all directions as the base. It was similar to being able to open and operate virtual desktop 1 and 2 simultaneously on a single computer.
In gaming or hardware terms: dual core.
'In the terminology of this place, I suppose I've gained two Spirit Roots.'
Not just any Spirit Roots, but two Karma Roots.
One could say he had become a Dual Karma Root Clan member.
Wouldn't it be shocking news if the cultivation seekers from Kim Rae-won's memories found out?
It was a phenomenon beyond mysterious to the point of being mystical, but Dong Bong-soo examined the newly added second interface as casually as eating breakfast, finding it peculiar.
[Becoming a Hero... 86%]
Since [What is Hero] was a console game, it was fundamentally different from Murim Online in many ways.
Was it because it was in package form, above all?
"This one's intact."
Unlike Murim Online, which had all sorts of broken parts and was full of errors, most of the interface and system had almost no blank spaces or broken errors.
Dong Bong-soo continued scanning the holograms with even more emotionless eyes.
Two shortcut slots in the lower left, a red HP gauge bar in the upper left, equipped items and their durability gauges in the lower right corner, a quest list window folded small in the uppermost right corner as if barely present, and so on.
Many things caught his eye, but they weren't important elements.
Since he had already absorbed Kim Rae-won's memories, there was no particular need or reason to check such parts again.
Dong Bong-soo immediately opened the character information window.
There were various stat values like Health, Agility, Intelligence, and so on, but one thing he focused on:
'It's here.'
Hero History.
Not power.
History.
The quintessence of this system, so to speak.
A kind of coin system where as one becomes more of a hero in this world, one is granted the ability to unlock various capabilities.
How to obtain it?
[There is '1' person who desperately needs you.]
[Please satisfy or resolve his or her need.]
A presence sensed from below.
Drawing closer. No hostility.
Above all, it was someone with an energy he already knew.
"Ex-Excuse me, Great Hero. Are you still here by any chance?"
A cautious voice coming from the landing between the second and third floors.
[Becoming a Hero... 93%]
"I haven't left yet."
Thanks to Kim Rae-won, Dong Bong-soo's gentle voice, now that of a native speaker in language, flowed from his lips.
Dong Bong-soo slowly stood up and stepped outside the room.
As expected, she was there—Jeon Ra-hwa, the woman he had rescued before.
"What a relief."
[Becoming a Hero... 99%]
***
[What is Hero]
Genre: Open World Action RPG
The continent of Irtea, once filled with the splendid blessings of the gods.
Seven kingdoms each worshipped their guardian deities and prospered, but everything changed 100 years ago when an unknown existence called 'The Void' invaded through rifts in the world.
The Void absorbed life force and magic, turning the land into ashen wastelands and mutating contaminated life forms into 'Servants of the Void.' The gods vanished or fell to corruption one by one, and only Lumina, the last remaining goddess of hope, barely prevented the world's complete collapse.
Seoul, South Korea.
Kim Rae-won, an ordinary first-year high school student, was an average student who liked games. With mid-range grades, fond of hanging out with friends, he was living an unremarkable daily life.
One night.
In a dream, Rae-won encounters a dim form of light. A desperate voice is heard.
"Please... save our world..."
At some point, Rae-won was standing in the middle of a ruined temple. Before him was a female figure of light, nearly transparent from how faint she was. It was the goddess Lumina.
Lumina squeezed out her last remaining power to grant Rae-won a single authority.
『Faith Manifestation』
A true hero doesn't fight alone but fights together with people. When you 'receive' faith and adoration, hope and courage 'increase.'
The more people believe in and recognize Rae-won as a 'hero,' the stronger his abilities become.
Physical abilities, magical abilities, special skills, etc., are unlocked according to trust level.
Trust is measured individually for each region/person and is reflected in his power in real-time.
When first summoned, Rae-won is as powerless as an ordinary person. What saved him from being chased by Servants of the Void was... (continued)...
This game depicts not a simple power fantasy, but a true hero's journey of growth through relationships and trust.
***
[Becoming a Hero... 100%]
Huuuum—
The loading finally completed.
[You have become a 'weak' Hero.]
Over Dong Bong-soo's emotionless vision, the words of goddess Lumina overlapped as hologram script along with a benevolent voice.
─ Thank you. For answering our call. You are our last hope. Please save this world.
Tchk.
Dong Bong-soo's lips faintly drew an inverted seagull shape. His teeth flickering as if about to show but not quite.
"Happy to help."
The innocent expression that even a god would misunderstand was a bonus.
A smile spread across Jeon Ra-hwa's rabbit-like face filled with worry.
At the same time, hologram letters floated abundantly above her head.
─ Remember. Being a hero isn't something decided by someone else. It's choosing for yourself and being recognized by people.
I know. I know well. Hero.
[Relationship Quest]
: Please respond to the 'First Belief.'
Belief always brings corresponding rewards.
Now he could become stronger without killing.
The demon had succeeded in yet another evolution.
Of course, demonic methods were still valid as well.