Chapter 3: Cheonri cup

[ Title: Discovering 4 Newly Added Overpowered Traits.txt ]

( Photo )

Traits are randomly assigned during character creation.

Naturally, the performance of each trait varies greatly, and I’ve brought over developer comments on four recently added overpowered traits.

I will not accept corrections for liberal or mistranslations.

1. Cheongryeong Jeonggiche

ㄴ The Murim’s best detoxification trait.

ㄴ Nullifies all poisonous qi and evil qi.

ㄴ Requires training for 49 days on the Cheongryeong Vein after piercing approximately 108 ‘major acupoints’ with the Cheongseong Sect’s secret manual, ‘Cheongryeong Jeonggijeong’. Success rate is extremely low. 1% chance during character creation.

2. Gongryeong Jiche

ㄴ A constitution that transcends the limits of the body and directly communicates with the qi of nature.

ㄴ Can utilize the qi of all creation as if it were one’s own.

ㄴ A state of unity between heaven and man, said to have been attained by Gongcheon Seonin, the founder of the Wudang Sect, after traveling famous mountains and great rivers for 108 years. The current Wudang Sect preserves the method of forming this constitution as a secret, but there have been no successful cases for hundreds of years. 0.5% chance during character creation.

3. Sinjeong Bulchimmaek

ㄴ A unique constitution where all meridians are arranged in reverse.

ㄴ Nullifies acupoint strikes and meridian attacks.

ㄴ Qi utilization efficiency +100%.

ㄴ A secret meridian modification technique researched by the Mount Hua Sect’s Grand Elder throughout his life. The success rate is extremely low, and failure results in death from ruptured meridians throughout the body. 0.8% chance during character creation.

4. Geumgang Bulgwoe

ㄴ An indestructible body with strong resistance to external impact.

ㄴ A vajra body that is difficult to even injure with ordinary sword blades.

ㄴ Can only be obtained by mastering the profound essence of the Geumgang Bulgwoe Divine Art, passed down in the Shaolin Temple’s Bodhidharma Hall. 2% chance during character creation.

…

…

…

****

As the sun began to set in the west, a ragged boy and a woman in martial attire entered the village.

It was Cheong-un and Namgoong Yul, who had set out to receive their promised remuneration.

“Cheong Daehyup! Let’s go together!”

Cheong-un clicked his tongue and slowed down.

To be already faltering after just one mountain trek.

How could that woman, who calls herself a martial artist, be so physically weak?

“Tsk, tsk.”

‘Bear with it.’

‘The one who pays is ultimately the client.’

‘What does it matter if her body is a bit frail?’

‘Her background is none other than the famous Namgoong Clan.’

‘Moreover, isn’t she a reliable patron who will soon cough up a golden ingot for me?’

‘No amount of kindness is wasted on her.’

“Cheong Daehyup. That mountain is Mount Cheongseong.”

“Why? Do you have business over there?”

Cheongseong (Blue City).

It was named because the evergreen forest surrounds the mountain like a castle.

It is also the stronghold of the Cheongseong Sect, a member of the traditional Nine Great Sects and One Alliance.

‘So what?’

‘Even so, its importance in the game is as tiny as mouse droppings, an unknown…’

“As I mentioned, the Justice Alliance branch is located near Mount Cheongseong.”

‘Cancel that.’

‘If it’s a place where a golden ingot awaits, that’s a different story.’

Had they walked for about Il-dagyeong (approximately 30 minutes)?

Namgoong Yul, who discovered a shabby inn located in a corner of the road, cautiously looked at Cheong-un.

“Cheong Daehyup.”

“What now?”

“It’s getting late, so how about we stay at an inn for the night?”

Namgoong Yul cautiously asked Cheong-un.

It was because her energy was depleted, and she was on the verge of collapsing.

Cheong-un stared at her with a sullen face.

Her face was black with dust, her martial attire was torn and tattered in many places, and her staggering gait suggested she had no energy left to even walk properly.

Assuming they walked at a normal pace, the time required to reach Mount Cheongseong from now would be roughly half a day.

Even that was assuming they maintained their current speed.

If she were to collapse from exhaustion on the road during their journey, there would truly be no solution.

‘No choice, huh.’

‘There’s no choice but to take one step back for two steps forward.’

Cheong-un, uncharacteristically, smiled kindly and replied.

“Alright.”

“Really?!”

“But you said you don’t have any money?”

‘No money, so how would she pay for the inn?’

‘Surely she’s not telling me to pay, is she?’

It was Namgoong Yul, who somehow felt as if she could hear Cheong-un’s thoughts.

“Once we arrive at the headquarters, I’ll make sure to give you extra payment.”

“Oh, come on. You really don’t have to. However, to coldly refuse such sincerity could also be a great discourtesy, so I shall gratefully accept the young lady’s sincerity along with her kind intentions.”

“…”

‘He intended to leech off me from the start.’

‘Now that I see it, he doesn’t even seem to be trying to hide it.’

Namgoong Yul let out a hollow laugh.

His strange obsession with material possessions, despite possessing such profound martial arts.

Perhaps it was a side effect of the isolated years he had spent holed up in the mountains.

****

Thousand Li Inn.

A boy and a woman entered the inn at a slightly late hour for lunch.

It was Cheong-un and Namgoong Yul.

As the waiter was nowhere to be seen, Cheong-un and Namgoong Yul set out to find an empty spot themselves.

Surprisingly, there were no empty tables, but it wasn’t particularly strange.

Unlike a tavern, an inn was smaller in scale, and various people, from ordinary customers to low-ranking escorts and wandering merchants, frequented it, so it was natural for it to be full of people even at this late hour.

This was especially true around noon, like now.

It was common to share a table if there were no empty seats.

As Cheong-un approached a table with an empty chair, the waiter, who had been dozing inside, scurried over.

“Hehe, you can share a table over here. How about it, would you like to order right away?”

Cheong-un immediately shared a table nearby.

The people already eating didn’t seem to care at all and said nothing.

Cheong-un only began to order once Namgoong Yul sat down beside him.

“What’s the best thing here?”

“The lamb soup, sizzling beef, and chicken noodle soup are delicious.”

“Then bring all of those.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll prepare them right away.”

As the waiter returned to the kitchen, he glanced curiously at Cheong-un and Namgoong Yul.

Seeing the sword at his waist suggested he was a martial artist, but his appearance was no different from the beggars of the Beggars’ Sect, so it seemed quite unfamiliar to him.

Cheong-un subtly turned his head out of curiosity.

As if confirming the waiter’s words weren’t false, most people were eating either lamb soup or noodles, as if by arrangement.

Just then, Namgoong Yul spoke softly.

“Cheong Daehyup, look over there.”

Instantly, Cheong-un’s eyes gleamed.

He knew whom she was pointing at without having to ask.

In a secluded corner, three men and one woman were frantically devouring the food laid out on their table.

All of them had outstanding appearances and exuded an unusual aura, making it clear at a glance that they were martial artists.

They crammed the food into their mouths without a single word, as if in a great hurry.

Their appearance was almost combat-like.

Cheong-un involuntarily smacked his lips.

His appetite was already stimulated by the smell of food, and seeing them eat like that made it hard to resist his hunger.

‘Above all, it’s free, isn’t it?’

‘Cheong-un would pay for it now, but he had even secured a promise to receive additional payment once they reached the Justice Alliance branch.’

‘Surely, with the prestige of the great Namgoong Clan, they wouldn’t skip out on the meal payment, would they?’

Since he had been hunting animals or fish and simply grilling them to save money every day, seeing properly cooked food made hunger rush over him intensely.

Namgoong Yul, sitting next to him, was also the same.

She hadn’t eaten or rested properly since the moment she began fleeing from the pursuit of the Black Forest Gate.

Her eyes had been hazy from the moment she entered the inn, her energy already depleted.

She was so hungry that sweat was beading on her palms.

Gulp.

The saliva gathered in her mouth went down her throat.

It was then, as they smacked their lips and waited for their food.

CRASH—!

Someone roughly flung open the inn’s door.

The old wooden door creaked open violently, and the doorknob rattled as it hit the wall.

The customers who were eating all stopped their spoons and turned their heads towards the door.

Soon, with a boisterous clamor, more than ten men surged into the inn.

The man at the front surveyed the inn with sharp eyes, then his gaze met the four martial artists frantically eating in the corner.

The man drew a weapon from his waist and wore a shallow smile.

“Hehehe, just as I thought. Were you hiding here like rats? You even had the leisure to stop at an inn to eat while fleeing, did you?”

Cheong-un’s curiosity was piqued by the man’s words.

‘Rats?’ It was clear at a glance that they had rushed here, breathless, chasing after them.

It was certain when the four martial artists, who had been greedily eating, turned pale the moment they met the man’s gaze.

‘What is martial arts?’

‘Although these so-called martial artists embellish it with all sorts of flowery words, the essence of martial arts is ultimately nothing more than a means to kill people more efficiently.’

‘It’s not cultivation for advancement, but the fastest and most efficient tool for power; that is what martial arts can be called in this era.’

‘That’s why martial artists are in such a state.’

‘They interfere with people eating and cause troublesome scenes.’

‘They are virtually no different from strong thugs.’

The man who had drawn his weapon took a threatening step.

“Oh, look at these bastards? Do you want to die with them? Get out now!”

‘Still, this much could be considered thugs with some conscience.’

‘Seeing as they drive people out before truly causing a ruckus.’

“What are you staring at? Get up quickly!”

“Damn it! Look how slow you are, move it!”

At their shouts, the customers who had been eating hurriedly left the inn, abandoning their food.

Of course, Cheong-un and Namgoong Yul didn’t budge.

Cheong-un had already paid for the food and had no intention of leaving before finishing his meal, and Namgoong Yul knew Cheong-un’s profound martial arts level, so she had no reason to be afraid.

However, the waiter, startled by the sudden commotion, was about to take the finished dishes to Cheong-un’s table when his eyes met those of the man chasing out customers.

“What’s this bastard doing now! Not leaving?”

A martial artist causing a ruckus is akin to a disaster for ordinary people.

At least, if one leaves when told to, one can save their life.

Therefore, the waiter also intended to abandon the food he was carrying and run out immediately.

But Cheong-un, seeing that sight, casually tossed out a remark.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes?”

“It’s fine if you leave, but leave the food.”

“…Huh?!”

The waiter’s mouth gaped open, his face dumbfounded.

‘He’s about to die, but he’s telling me to leave the food?’

He wondered if he was sane.

Soon, the waiter glanced between Cheong-un and the man, then carefully placed the dishes on Cheong-un’s table and swiftly exited the inn.

Lamb soup, sizzling beef, and chicken noodle soup.

Steaming hot dishes were lavishly served on the table.

Cheong-un began slurping the noodles straight from the bowl, and Namgoong Yul crammed the sizzling beef from the hot plate into her mouth, chewing happily with her eyes closed.

With her mouth covered in grease and smacking her lips, she looked as if she hadn’t eaten for days.

Just then, Cheong-un, who was slurping his noodles, suddenly reached out his hand.

In an instant, his finger, imbued with internal energy, sliced through the air and snatched a piece of sizzling beef placed in front of Namgoong Yul.

Before Namgoong Yul could protest, Cheong-un already had the meat in his mouth, chewing.

“No, my beef!”

“A martial artist never misses an opportunity.”

“Cheong Daehyup!”

At that insane sight, the man blinked his eyes with a dumbfounded expression.