The Governor's Reprimand and the Mountain Spirit

I glanced around subtly, searching for any openings. The building's security wasn't particularly tight. Was this mere sloppiness, or the confidence that it wouldn't matter who came bursting in? Either way, it was welcome news for me.

I ignored the viewers' attempts to hold me back and stopped in front of the wall. Then I leaped atop it and sprang into the air once more. Using the empty sky as stepping stones, I tapped my way upward, and before long the rooftop came into view.

There was already a visitor on the building's roof. The man who had been smoking a long pipe while staring into the void met my eyes and furrowed one eyebrow.

He didn't seem particularly startled, which suggested intrusions like this weren't exactly rare. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠As I landed after climbing over the roof's edge, the man fixed me with a glare from eyes crusted with sleep and let out a long sigh.

Even though the situation called for anger, the man only rebuked me with stern words. Whether it was because he had a kind nature or because he'd simply grown resigned after dealing with far too many incidents, I couldn't tell.

Hmm. I definitely felt like I'd seen this man's face before. Arms still crossed, I rummaged through old memories, but the recollection remained hazy. After all, my last visit to Hwaeum had been decades ago. If I couldn't remember him, he probably wasn't anyone important. If he'd been an opponent worth fighting, I wouldn't have forgotten him. And yet... why did I feel so strangely unsettled?

The man's sharp tone pulled me from my thoughts.

At the firm dismissal, I briefly considered knocking him unconscious and exploring anyway, but ultimately decided against it. His clothing and the fine quality of his pipe suggested he held a rather high position. If I provoked someone like him and earned his enmity, I might find myself being chased across the land again. Slaughtering everyone in my path had been the act of a reckless youth. These days, even causing that sort of trouble felt like too much effort.

I obediently replied that I understood, then stepped over the railing and leaped into the air.

Startled, the man hurled his pipe aside and reached out to grab my hand, but I easily slipped from his grasp. The look of pure shock on his face made a chuckle escape me. He wasn't some modern person here to play a game—he was a native of this Murim world. What was he so surprised about?

I landed lightly and looked up. The man was gripping the railing, staring down at me with wide eyes. Seeing that expression only confirmed he wasn't anyone important. No true martial artist would make a face like that.

As I scanned the chat window, one word caught my attention. That man was the governor? The governor of Hwaeum?

Only then did his face click into place. He was definitely the one who had led the government troops to block my path when I attacked Hwaeum all those years ago. Despite his frail-looking body, he'd had strikingly intense eyes. Those same eyes were now so bleary with sleep crust that it had been hard to recall him at first.

Had I spared him back then? The me from that era of rampant violence wouldn't have shown mercy. I couldn't remember. Sigh. The fact that my memory was this fuzzy probably meant I'd grown quite old after all. The governor's survival suggested that even then, I'd had one of my unpredictable mood swings. I'd been an extremely unstable person in those days.

Growing tired of pondering it, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠set the matter of the governor aside in my mind and asked the kids in chat a question.

"Is that the one you're talking about?" I asked, pointing at the tall rocky mountain behind Hwaeum. Affirmative messages flooded the chat window.

Looking down from there would certainly let me take in the entire city at a glance, but just walking all the way there would take forever. I opened the menu and checked the time. It was already two in the morning. All I'd done was go a little wild against Geomseon, yet somehow it had gotten this late. I never would have imagined the sun in Murim would set so quickly. Then again, I'd started playing late at night, so it wasn't that strange.

"Was that really you just now, Enri?"

She answered so boldly that for a moment I wondered if I'd seen it wrong. Enri, weren't you the one who told the viewers not to sway me? So why are you trying to sway me yourself?

The same goes for you, Enri. We're supposed to meet at the language institute tomorrow morning. How can you still be awake at this hour? It's time for good children to be asleep. Go get some rest, all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of you.

"I said no, you brats. I'll stream again next time, so let's continue the story then."

I brushed off the endless stream of pleas from the viewers and pressed the broadcast end button. Finally, the chat window fell silent. I had no idea why my streams were so popular that they caused this much chaos.

After confirming the broadcast was completely off, I moved my feet instead of logging out of the game. It might be a double standard, but I was someone who could stay awake for an entire year without issue. My circumstances were completely different from theirs. Still, out of consideration for my viewers, I wouldn't advance the story and would simply enjoy the mountain scenery at a leisurely pace. That should be fine, shouldn't it?

I headed toward the rocky mountain, taking my time to admire the city's interior. Since the sun was setting, the people who actually lived here were all preparing to return home. A man urging his companions to have just one more drink. A woman busily gathering the goods from her street stall. Children saying they had to go home now, arguing with a group that wanted to play a little longer. These were probably the true residents of Murim. Every movement carried a natural ease.

In contrast, there were others who gave me a distinct sense of awkwardness. A man covered head to toe in blood who rushed to a stall and shouted that he'd buy all the medicinal herbs. Another who walked out of the city with a weapon slung over his shoulder even as darkness fell. Someone standing in the middle of the city, shouting into empty air. These scenes were obviously out of place, yet the people of Murim paid them no mind. It was as if those people didn't exist in their world at all.

Witnessing this truly made me feel like this was a game world. If this had been reality, everyone would have been staring at those people.

A sudden question occurred to me. How did food taste in this game? Weren't VR games supposed to feel as vivid as reality? Did the taste of food here feel real as well?

I considered entering any restaurant in the city to satisfy my curiosity, but unfortunately every eatery had already closed its doors. Sigh. If only I'd thought of it before ending the broadcast, I could have asked the kids. What a shame. Oh well. I'd just have to visit a restaurant the next time I logged in.

Wait, no. There was no need to bother with the tasteless food of Murim. If I was going to experience flavors, I should go somewhere better. I'd have to ask Enri about it later.

Lost in these idle thoughts, I soon arrived at the foot of the mountain. The distance had been farther than I'd expected. Even though I'd folded the ground beneath my steps, the sun had long since vanished below the horizon. For someone unfamiliar with mountains, entering one at night was practically a declaration of intent to get lost. However, that only applied if you walked between the trees. If you traveled above them, there was no fear of losing your way.

Tap. Tap. I stepped on the empty air as I ascended the mountain. From below the forest came the constant sounds of battle. The users playing Hwaryong Muin must have been fighting something. Ordinary people wouldn't enter the forest after the sun had set, after all. The night forest should have offered a tranquil charm, but with all this noise, it completely lost its atmosphere.

After walking for quite some time, I reached the very peak of the rocky mountain and took in the view. A round moon hung in the sky, surrounded by countless stars clustered together like bodyguards, each shining with its own light. It was a sight difficult to see in the modern world. There, no matter how much you looked up, you couldn't see the stars.

Watching the clouds drift by and obscure part of the starlight, I lowered my gaze. The cityscape spread out before me. The viewer hadn't been exaggerating. This was indeed an excellent spot for viewing the entire city at once.

I leisurely observed Hwaeum as it drifted toward sleep. Lights turning off one by one. A cat leaping between walls. The government office in the city's center that still glowed even this late at night.

Then I turned my head at the presence I felt behind me.

There stood a young girl. She looked no more than ten years old, and atop her small head were a pair of animal ears. How fascinating. Those fluffy scarlet ears—were they from a fox? Just looking at those perked ears made me want to touch them.

The girl looked me over and tilted her head.

She was no ordinary child. Despite her youthful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠appearance, the energy I sensed from her was remarkably clear and powerful. There was no room for the word "ordinary" here. Her aura was pure, so she probably wasn't a youkai. There was a high chance she was a spirit.

Just as I thought. Hmm. Was she strong? Her realm wasn't low, but...

I released my energy, gently pressing down on the surroundings so that anyone with skill would realize they were being provoked. However, the spirit didn't seem to sense my qi precisely. She only felt the pressure, staring at me with a slightly pale face.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem worth fighting.

Seeing her shrink her shoulders in fear, looking exactly like a small frightened animal, a laugh escaped me.