episode_0001

Just as a game everyone unanimously calls garbage might be an irreplaceable god-tier game to someone else.

Therefore, rashly judging the potential of a specific game is a very dangerous act.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Everyone has probably experienced it at least once.

“Ugh, this game is trash. There’s absolutely nothing to do.”

These are the so-called “trash game parrots.”

For them, the game’s volume, content, or characters don’t matter.

Because no matter what god-tier game they play, they’ll play it to the bone and then grumble that there’s no content.

In that sense, he too could be called one of the many trash game parrots.

Among them, a somewhat special one.

[ Play Record ]

* **Cheongpungjeon (靑風傳)** * Played for over 19,472 hours * Endings collected: 299 / 299

“It’ll be 20,000 hours soon.”

20,000 hours of playtime.

Honestly, at this point, it’s a level where one has no life.

No, it would be fair to say that the game is simply a part of his life.

“It was well-made, after all.”

Cheongpungjeon.

A love-hate game.

A demonic game where he constantly chants about quitting, but when he comes to his senses, he finds himself creating a new character.

Cheongpungjeon is an adventure game set in the Murim.

It was clearly developed in Taiwan, but it hit big in an unexpected place: Korea.

The genre is Wuxia. Frankly, it was a somewhat unfamiliar genre for him, but the gameplay was excellent enough to cover that.

The plot changes moment by moment depending on the character’s abilities and choices, and the endings are also astonishingly diverse to match.

But it’s still just that.

No matter how high the freedom, for a veteran player with 20,000 hours of playtime, it’s just a trash game in the end.

He needs a new concept.

A new concept he has never experienced before.

But.

“What should I do?”

Blind Swordsman.

Reclusive hermit in the mountains.

The last Wudang disciple.

…

….

Concepts? There’s nothing he hasn’t tried.

The endings are the same.

He’s died a lonely death after reclusion, been trampled to death by a horse, and lynched after losing a battle with Beggars’ Alliance beggars.

Not just that.

He’s become a Demonic Heavenly Demon and crushed the Murim, and conversely, become the Murim Alliance Leader and achieved immortality through the Uwhadeungseon route, one of the true endings.

Indeed.

Perhaps because it’s a trash game, the content is too, too lacking.

“Are there no new modes?”

The only way to quench his thirst was through ‘custom mods’ directly created and distributed by users.

However, as mods are created individually by users, their quality varies greatly, and those with decent quality have already been played to death.

Damn it.

Is there really nothing?

“…There is?”

Found it.

A piping hot new mod just uploaded to the community.

“Myeolma (滅魔)?”

To exterminate (滅) demons (魔).

In the Murim, the only group that could be called ‘demons’ would be the Demonic Cult, so does that mean he’s supposed to go beat up the Demonic Cult?

The mod name is certainly clear and intuitive.

“Let’s see.”

High rating.

Good comments.

Simple installation.

Perfect.

He didn’t hesitate and immediately installed the mod.

Because he could figure out the detailed contents by experiencing them himself.

[ Creating a new character. ]

[ Affiliation: Random ]

[ Gender: Male ]

Affiliation, random.

In the Murim, affiliation is extremely important.

Because the martial arts one can learn are determined by which sect one comes from, and there’s a high probability of getting entangled in the grudges and favors of previous generations.

A character’s affiliation is the difficulty of the game.

For such an important element to be random.

The mod creator must be a gacha addict.

But I’m also a player with 20,000 hours, a true veteran.

The time for being scared of something as trivial as affiliation passed a long, long time ago.

[ Unique trait added. ]

[ Trait: Down with the Demonic Cult! ]

[ When facing Demonic Cult members as enemies, Cheongnyeongjeonggiche (靑靈淨氣體), Sinjeongbulchimmaek (神淨不侵脈), Geumgangbulgoe (金剛不壞), and Gongnyeongjiche (空靈之體) are activated. ]

Down with the Demonic Cult.

It certainly lives up to its name.

The explanation is long, but to summarize, it means he can rampage against Demonic Cult members.

Essentially, a conditional cheat code.

The conditional aspect is a bit of a concern, but its utility is still boundless.

[ Stats are automatically distributed. ]

[ Strength 5 ]

[ Stamina 5 ]

[ … ]

The basic stats given are garbage.

At this level, it’s practically a penalty.

But no problem.

[ Achievement Points available ]

[ Current Achievement Points: 19,731 pt ]

[ You can use points to purchase additional stats. ]

Stats can just be raised with the achievement points accumulated over 20,000 hours.

The most important thing is none other than the Perception stat.

In fact, a character’s innate talent could be said to be determined by how high their Perception was.

[ Please enter a name. ]

Cheongun (靑雲).

A simple and easy-to-call name.

Hmm, I like it.

Enter.

A string of explanations followed.

Enter, enter, and another enter.

And finally.

[ Do you want to start the game? ]

Preparation was complete.

He lightly reviewed the previous selections, then placed his finger back on the Enter key.

And, pressed down.

That was Cheongun’s last memory before falling into the Murim.

****

When he suddenly fell into the Murim under the pretext of possession, Cheongun was truly dumbfounded.

Could this really be the transmigration he’d only heard about?

But why the Murim, of all places?

Modern fantasy, covered in advanced civilization.

Medieval fantasy, where heroes walk the streets.

Aren’t there countless better options than this damned Murim?

Raging anger and doubt.

However, in the face of the immediate crisis, these were trivial.

The three essential elements for human survival.

Clothes, food, shelter. Also known as the necessities of life (衣食住).

But for Cheongun, an orphan, what necessities?

Without parents, he had no home, and without a home, a wandering life was not a choice but a necessity.

Who could truly know the humiliation of sleeping with beggars from the Beggars’ Alliance, reeking of decay because he couldn’t find a place to sleep, not being able to eat the food he wanted because he had no money, and having to wear tattered rags worse than scraps because he had no proper clothes?

Of course, Cheongun didn’t want to know either.

That’s when he realized.

Why there were so many scoundrels scattered throughout the Murim in particular.

For Cheongun, who remembered his modern life, life in the Murim was hell itself.

However, humans are adaptable beings.

Cheongun also gradually began to adapt to the Murim as time passed.

Although there was a minor side effect of constantly swearing and becoming hopelessly shabby, wasn’t the important thing that he was still alive and breathing?

More than anything, Cheongun gained a realization.

To survive in the Murim, where the winner takes all, money is necessary.

Or possessing martial arts that wouldn’t easily be outmatched anywhere.

He didn’t want to live like a beggar anymore, and he was sick of being ignored by things worse than trash rolling in the streets.

Living hand-to-mouth.

That was not the life Cheongun wanted.

Owning his own home.

Passive income.

Overflowing wealth and a comfortable daily life.

Until he achieved those grand goals, Cheongun could not stop.

But the Murim is not lenient.

The Murim is, in other words, the wild.

A low-level, barbaric world where conspiracies flow like breath, blades come out before words, and the logic of power takes precedence over everything else—that is the true nature of the Murim.

One might say it’s an environment perfect for dying tragically if one acts without power.

Thus, for the past few years.

Cheongun endured a lot.

He traveled outside the city walls and set up a residence by decorating a suitable cave.

His physical body had been somewhat trained, so the most urgent thing was internal energy.

Perhaps it was a transmigration perk, but a [View Heart Method] button floated before his eyes, making it easy to learn martial arts.

Cheongun roughly sat down and focused on his breathing according to the oral formulas of the Three Calamities Heart Method.

Perhaps it was thanks to mindlessly raising all kinds of stats, including Perception, to their limit with achievement points.

Cheongun soon succeeded in feeling the edge of the *qi* flowing throughout his body.

His senses became increasingly sharp.

Time passed, and by the time a month had gone by, Cheongun successfully acquired internal energy for the first time.

Of course, the efficiency was terrible.

It was natural since he deliberately chose the Three Calamities Heart Method, a third-rate martial art, over other more efficient heart methods.

However, Cheongun did not regret it.

Although slow, the Three Calamities Heart Method was the only heart method among all that didn’t require worrying about qi deviation.

Without a master to guide his internal energy, wouldn’t learning just any heart method and suffering qi deviation send him straight to the afterlife?

No matter how good money was, it couldn’t be more important than his own life.

Slowly, but honestly.

Cheongun accumulated qi and built up his internal energy that way.

It seemed to be progressing a little too easily, like magic, but he didn’t bother to think too deeply about it.

Maybe this body was just a talent.

“It’s somewhat usable now.”

The somewhat completed heart method was quite usable.

As qi accumulated, his body’s durability increased, and thanks to internal energy, he didn’t tire easily.

That meant.

It was finally time to start serious economic activity.

“Die gracefully!”

“Squeal!”

Beast hunting.

The most basic of economic activities.

To save money, one must first reduce expenses.

That is, one must be self-sufficient in terms of eating, sleeping, and clothing.

Animals have many uses in various ways.

Their carcasses can be roasted and eaten, their hides refined and used as blankets, and some parts can be sold for money.

For Cheongun, with his knowledge from the game, it wasn’t a difficult task at all.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it.”

Cheongun diligently saved money, with curses constantly on his lips.

The more he did, the more desperately he craved profound martial arts.

His mind was filled with all sorts of oral formulas and techniques.

But for Cheongun, who had just begun accumulating and utilizing internal energy, they were still a pie in the sky.

His one unique trait only activated when he met a Demonic Cult member, and Demonic Cult members were by no means easy to encounter in the Murim.

Being a fanatical group that worships martial arts, they are fundamentally reclusive, and due to their unnecessarily strong cohesion, they are holed up at the peak of Ilwoldaesan and never come out.

Ah, what a dog-like life.

Meanwhile, his empty stomach began to rumble, pleading for food.

“Sigh.”

Cheongun slung the fishing rod he had bought a few days ago over his shoulder and moved to a nearby riverside.

After days of only eating raw, grilled meat, it was about time to change the menu.

Arriving at the riverside, Cheongun subtly cast his fishing line into the water.

Not too many, not too few, just five big ones.

With that thought, Cheongun sat blankly, diligently moving his fishing line.

As he was desperately moving the fishing rod.

An unexpected uninvited guest appeared.

“Pant! Pant!”

A woman suddenly emerged from beyond the dense undergrowth.

Her combat uniform was drenched in sweat, and her ragged breathing clearly indicated she was being chased.

She stood still for a long time, calming her ragged breaths.

“Haha, how noisy. Is this the burial spot you found after all that effort? It certainly is a good place to die without a trace.”

The woman turned her head at the voice coming from behind her.

There stood a masked man, swaggering.

The man casually scanned her up and down, then asked indifferently.

“You preach justice so much, but what you ultimately do is use spies to infiltrate the Heuksalmun. How is what you lot do any different from the nefarious path?”

“……”

The woman did not answer.

Because the spy he was talking about was herself.

She let his ridiculous threats pass through one ear and desperately darted her eyes around.

This was to ascertain an escape route while the masked man rambled on, ignorant.

The masked man also noticed this and followed her gaze.

He was confident he could easily catch her no matter where she ran, as she was exhausted, so he did not stop her futile efforts.

This too was the essence of the hunt.

“Are you ready?”

The man sneered, drawing a massive bladed polearm and resting it on his shoulder.

The woman’s gaze grew more desperate.

Just then, Cheongun, sitting on a rock by the river and fishing, entered her field of vision.

Wait.

Now, surely… is he fishing?

“Hmm?”

The man also discovered Cheongun, who was fishing.

And then, Cheongun turned his head, and their eyes met.

Cheongun blinked, then clicked his tongue and turned his head away again.

And pretended he hadn’t seen anything, returning his focus to fishing.

“……”

The masked man swallowed a sigh and took a step.

This was to approach Cheongun, the sole witness.

And then.

*Whizz!*

*Thud!*

Before the masked man could even get close, a crude dagger flew and embedded itself right at his feet.

The dagger embedded in the ground clearly contained internal energy.

‘…A martial artist.’

Things just got troublesome.

This was an incident that was supposed to have no witnesses.

“Hey, old man.”

“Old man? Are you perhaps calling me?”

“Well, who else is there but an old man here, old man?”

“I am Sauncheon of the Heukrimmun…”

“Oh, never mind. Just get back to your business. Don’t even think about coming this way. I didn’t see anything.”

Cheongun simply threw out his words and abruptly turned his head.

Sauncheon shut his mouth.

What kind of person is this?

“Young Hero!”

Just then, the woman who had been observing the situation shouted.

“I am Namgung Yul of the Namgung Family, affiliated with the Righteous Alliance!”

“So what?”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t care about Namgung or anything, so don’t call me. If the fish get scared away, will you take responsibility?”

“No, it’s not the fish that’s important right now…”

“You really don’t get it. Why would I help you? I have no intention of getting entangled in your grudges and favors, okay? What if I needlessly step in and an arrest warrant is issued by the Heukrimmun or whatever? Ugh, just thinking about it is annoying. Will the Namgung Family take responsibility? No, right? Then go your way.”

At Cheongun’s astonishing response, a vein slightly bulged on the woman’s forehead.

However, she couldn’t offer any rebuttal.

Because there was no falsehood in his words.

The Murim is a world entangled in an endless chain of grudges and favors.

As Cheongun said, even helping someone in crisis requires a great deal of resolve.

“I’ll compensate you!”

*Whoosh!*

At the word ‘compensation,’ Cheongun’s head snapped back like lightning.

“How much?”

“Pardon?”

“How much will you give me?”

Cheongun’s formerly vacant eyes suddenly burned brightly.

Namgung Yul let out a hollow laugh and calmly replied.

“For grudges, twofold; for favors, tenfold. That is the creed of our Namgung Family.”

“So, how much?”

“……”

*Gritting her teeth.*

Calm down. His help is needed right now.

“One gold sycee.”

One gold sycee is 50 gold taels.

50 gold taels is 10,000 silver taels.

One silver tael can buy five sacks of rice.

Five sacks of rice are enough for a family of 4-5 to comfortably last at least 1 month.

In other words.

One gold sycee is an amount that a family of 4-5 could survive on for 833 years!

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Although it was a significantly excessive amount, it was a price sufficiently worth paying for the life of a direct descendant of the Namgung Family.

Grinning.

Cheongun’s lips twitched.

It was best not to look at such dirty situations, but one gold sycee was an amount that even that could be endured.

A life-changing opportunity.

A once-in-a-lifetime chance had walked right into his lap.

“Let’s go.”

Cheongun stood up from his spot and was soon standing next to Namgung Yul.

Seeing this, Sauncheon let out a sneering laugh.

“The young fellow doesn’t know how precious his life is.”

“And you, at your age, have a long tongue.”

“You insolent brat!”

Cheongun was thoroughly selfish.

No matter how important money was, his own life was more important than money.

However, Cheongun had intended to step forward from the start.

His initial hesitation was merely a ploy to extract more.

The reason why the thoroughly selfish Cheongun stepped forward so confidently.

It was because he had that much certainty.

[ You have encountered a Demonic Cult member as an enemy! ]

The status window spoke.

[ Unique Trait: 「Down with the Demonic Cult!」 is activated! ]

That guy, Sauncheon.

[ Cheongnyeongjeonggiche (靑靈淨氣體) is activated! ]

[ Sinjeongbulchimmaek (神淨不侵脈) is activated! ]

[ Geumgangbulgoe (金剛不壞) is activated! ]

[ Gongnyeongjiche (空靈之體) is activated! ]

…

…

He was from that precious Demonic Cult.