Chapter 5

“One, be good. Two, live. Come on, one.”

“Be good!”

“Two.”

“Live!”

“Louder.”

“Be gooood!”

Is this hell?

That was the coachman’s first thought when he came to. His body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, and his head was spinning. All the while, scream-like cries continued in the distance.

“Liiive!”

“Louder!”

…This has to be hell. Every time the grim reaper’s merciless voice rang out, the screams of the dead followed.

“Be gooood!”

Eyes closed, he wept bitter tears of regret. To think he had ended up in hell. If he’d known he would meet such an untimely death, he would at least have made more donations to a temple.

Oh, Mother!

The coachman began to sob, too consumed by grief to notice someone quietly looking down at him.

“Excuse me.”

The coachman’s heart stopped for a split second, then started pounding again. Clutching his chest, he shrieked.

“You nearly scared me to death!”

“…”

“…?”

Now that he’d said it, something seemed off. The coachman stared blankly down at his chest and placed a hand over it.

It was beating. His heart was beating.

And that wasn’t all. The horses were there. So was the carriage. The cold early-winter wind made him shiver.

“I’m alive?”

Hardly daring to believe it, he turned around and saw a man with one eye bruised deep purple. The man’s expression was rather strange, but there was no doubt about it.

He was alive.

I’m alive!

“I survived! I’m alive!”

The man pushed the coachman away from his exuberant embrace and answered awkwardly.

“Congratulations.”

“Sniff. Sob. Thank you. Thank you so much. But who are you…?”

“Ah, well. We met briefly earlier.”

Earlier? Who did I meet earlier? The coachman knew everyone at Honghwaru by sight, and the day’s first guest had been the wastrel of the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

Where had he seen this traveler he was so grateful to before? The coachman stared intently at his face, then suddenly sucked in a breath.

“That bandit from earlier!”

“Yes. That was me—”

“The one standing next to the big guy! One of those five idiots who looked like morons!”

“…That’s right.”

“The shortest one of them!”

“…”

“The ugliest one!”

“…”

“And the one with the smallest package!”

“No, I’m not!”

The bandit’s shout brought the coachman to his senses.

What did I just say?

Regret and despair surged over him like a rising tide.

Now I’m really dead.

He almost wished he were already dead. At least then there wouldn’t be any pain.

But then—

“Whew. Enough nonsense. Just follow me.”

The bandit, who looked like a ferocious demon, calmed down in an instant and started walking ahead. The coachman found himself following and was struck by a strange sense of déjà vu.

This really feels like he’s escorting me.

Compared to before the coachman had passed out, the bandit’s manner wasn’t merely subdued—it was downright polite. Mustering every ounce of courage he had, the coachman spoke.

“Um, where are we going?”

“To the boss.”

The coachman’s face went white. He remembered what he had said to the Heavenly Axe. I’ll gouge out your eyes, grind your limbs to powder in a mortar…

I need to run. Right now.

But the next moment, his legs began to tremble, and cold sweat poured off him like rain. He couldn’t take a single step.

Dark red blood was splattered everywhere. A leg that seemed to belong to a corpse jutted from the bushes beside the road.

These lunatics.

He had feared as much, but they had actually killed someone in broad daylight—and not just anyone, but a young master of the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

The coachman knew he was going to die.

Until someone emerged from the grass.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Behind him, the bandits were panting with their arms slung over one another’s shoulders.

Each of them sported a matching bruise around one eye.

“What are you doing, punk? Can’t you see your comrades busting their asses? Get over here and help.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“You little bastard. How many times have I told you not to call me that?”

The coachman watched the scene in a daze and thought:

At least I’m still alive.

“So that’s what happened.”

The coachman’s eyes lit up like flashlights as he listened to the story.

Ow, my eyes. He’s blinding me. I can barely look at him.

“Um, excuse me.”

What now?

“Are you really Young Master Jin Mukyung?”

“…Please, just stop.”

How many times do I have to tell him? I’m Jin Taekyung.

He was an NPC who drove me insane in every possible way. I couldn’t decide whether to call it a triumph of artificial intelligence or a failure.

If I knew how to drive a carriage, I would’ve ditched him ages ago.

“Are you finished?”

The coachman answered as he tied the final knot.

“Yes. It’s all done.”

What knot, you ask? The knots in the ropes binding the five bandits hand and foot. He had tied them so tightly that their pitiful groans never stopped.

“Boss. Could you loosen them just a little?”

“Nope. Can’t do that. No exchanges, either. You’re staying right here.”

“Please, Boss. Give your little brothers the chance to serve you—”

“Call me Boss one more time, and I’ll give you the chance to serve the King of the Underworld.”

Leaving their silence behind, I climbed into the carriage.

I had confiscated the bandits’ weapons long ago and placed them in my Inventory, and the level-up effect had restored me to perfect condition.

“We’re leaving.”

The coachman took up the reins, and the four-horse carriage began to move.

The mountain road was as well maintained as the hiking trails behind town. Cool wind and mountain air flowed in through the carriage window.

It’s incredible, no matter how I look at it.

I shook my head.

Science. Technology. Whatever you called it, it was beyond my comprehension.

Besides, in my current situation, even thinking about that was a luxury.

Damn it. What the hell is the time ratio in this game?

Virtual-reality games had something called a time ratio. If the ratio between reality and virtual reality was one to three, three hours in virtual reality would mean only one hour had passed in the real world.

That was why I had forced myself to hold out at Honghwaru for three days.

I had been clinging to the hope that someone would get me out by then.

What the hell is Seong Jinho doing?

A deep sigh escaped me. At the same time, a sliver of unease began to creep in.

What if the time ratio is wildly different?

No way.

It couldn’t be. Jinho had once told me that a capsule’s time ratio was proportional to its performance and price. A piece of junk like this had no chance of having an extreme ratio.

Though it was performing better than I’d expected.

No. For a piece of junk, it’s performing unbelievably well.

I hadn’t played a game in years, but I wasn’t so clueless that I couldn’t recognize that. Murim was clearly a high-spec game, yet this old capsule was running it without any trouble.

That alone was astonishing. Which meant—

Please stop giving me new things to be astonished by.

Please. I muttered the word like a spell and opened my Skill Window.

System

Skill Window

LV. 11 Jin Taekyung

Cultivation Technique: Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique

Martial Arts: Jin Family’s Spear Technique / Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique (Unavailable)

Bones: 70

Sinews: 50

Remaining Points: 10

Distribute your remaining points.

You have forgotten the formulas because you have not trained in martial arts for a long time.

You can view information about your acquired skills.

It was astonishing even the second time I saw it. I couldn’t use my martial arts because I hadn’t trained?

How much had this guy slacked off?

With a sigh, I moved on. The first thing was the remaining points.

It seemed I received ten points each time I gained a Level. The Status Window probably worked the same way.

If I combine the Skill Window and Status Window, do I get twenty points every time I level up?

The number felt oddly ambiguous. I put off distributing my points and touched the final sentence.

System

Would you like to view your acquired skills?

View all.

Ding.

System

Skill Window

Jin Family’s Spear Technique

Grade: First Rate

Restriction: Must have learned Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique

Realm: Unknown

Effect: Unknown

Description: A hereditary martial art of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. Can be learned through a martial arts manual. Currently unavailable because you have forgotten the formula.

Skill Window

Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique

Grade: First Rate

Restriction: Must have learned Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique

Realm: Unknown

Effect: Unknown

Description: A hereditary martial art of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. Can be learned through a martial arts manual. Currently unavailable because you have forgotten the formula.

Skill Window

Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique

Grade: Peak

Restriction: Direct descendant of the Jin Family of Taiyuan

Realm: Second Stage

Effect: Allows you to circulate and accumulate internal energy by circulating your qi.

Description: Exceptionally stable, but slow to accumulate internal energy.

Hmm.

The first thing that caught my eye was the grade.

The Spear Technique and Manoeuvre Technique were First Rate. Only the Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique was Peak. It was also the only one with a clearly listed realm and effect.

I haven’t even been able to try the Spear Technique or Manoeuvre Technique. As for the Cultivation Technique…not bad.

Who cared how slowly it accumulated internal energy? Exceptionally stable. That was all I needed. My motto in life was to keep my head down and live a long time.

That was when—

System

Quest

Tutorial—Stage 4

You can now use Circulate Qi to control internal energy.

However, uncontrolled internal energy is a double-edged sword.

Do not let your guard down until the very end!

Grade: Tutorial (Final)

Restriction: First-time player

Objective: Circulate Qi (Incomplete)

Reward: Item Chest

Qi Sense acquired

Main Quest unlocked

Failure: Status Effect Qi Deviation or Death

Would you like to accept the Quest?

Accept / Decline

I answered without hesitation.

Nope. Not doing it.

A reward? I didn’t need some lousy reward. There had to be a limit to this bullshit. Were these lunatics really trying to bargain with me, putting game items on one side and my life on the other?

System

Your response is being delayed.

Look at it trying to pull a cheap trick.

Ignoring the coachman’s stare, I enunciated each syllable.

“De-cline.”

System

Tutorial Quests cannot be declined.

“…?”

System

Would you like to accept the Quest?

Accept / Accept

“I said decline! Why are both options Accept?”

System

Quest forcibly accepted!

“Hey! You sons of bitches!”

The string of curses I had been holding back finally burst out.

System

Beginning qi circulation.

The effect of Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique greatly increases stability.

I had never missed my family as much as I did then. My beloved mother. My adorable little sister…or rather, my pain-in-the-ass little sister, Hayeon.

When I get out, your big brother will buy you enough fried chicken to make your stomach burst.

If I ever get out.

System

The Qi Circulation Helper will run for the first session only.

This wasn’t a case of stabbing someone and then applying medicine to the wound…

System

Would you like to skip the Helper System?

Accept / Decline

I fixed my trembling gaze on the message window.

“D-Decline.”

System

Continuing.

That was a coincidence, right? Yeah. It had to be.

Before my uneasy feeling had even faded, my vision flipped upside down.

And when I came to, I was in an unfamiliar gray space.

“Over here.”

I whipped my head around in surprise and saw an old man beckoning me.

If an old man who looked like that called me over in a dream, I’d turn around and run for my life. But this was a game.

So he’s the helper.

Even if I hadn’t reasoned it out, I would have followed him without much suspicion.

It was strange, even to me, but that was how I felt. An inexplicable sense of familiarity. And trust.

“Take the most comfortable position.”

Huh? Aren’t you supposed to sit cross-legged when circulating qi?

As if he had read my thoughts, the old man answered.

“Weaklings fuss over things like that. Masters don’t need to.”

I could smell it in his calm voice. I could smell it.

This was the scent of a master. The real deal had finally appeared!

“Good grief. What a handful.”

His wrinkled hand seemed to reach toward me, then vanished in a blur. Huh?

Tap. Tap-tap.

Something flashed past, and the next moment, I was frozen stiff.

Was this what it felt like to be a corpse with its eyes still open?

I couldn’t move a muscle.

“It’s only a simple acupoint-sealing technique, so don’t be alarmed. Focus from this point on.”

As he spoke, the old man placed a hand on my back. Then he rapidly rattled off words in a low voice.

“Circulating qi is the most important training for a martial artist. It not only allows you to accumulate internal energy, but also refines essence, qi, and spirit, enabling you to advance to a higher realm. Therefore…”

I listened closely, but I couldn’t understand a word of what came after that. I only understood that circulating qi was extremely important.

“Clear your mind like a stream, maintain your focus, and draw out the flow. Now I will recite the formula of the Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique.”

Without giving me time to stop him, he rattled off the formula at breakneck speed—like beans popping in a pan—but I could hear it all. It felt as though words in a foreign language were being translated automatically inside my head.

What is this?

The formula was exactly 318 characters long. The moment I felt it become perfectly engraved in my mind, something changed.

“Descend.”

One word from the old man.

Where to?

Before the question could fade, I felt myself being drawn somewhere deep.

No—it only felt as though I was being drawn in.

My eyes were definitely closed, but I could see. I could feel.

The breeze that gently blew in before scattering. Sunlight. The coachman’s breathing and the horses’ snorts…

I pushed all of it away.

There was only one place to focus on: my body.

System

Beginning the circulation of Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique. Follow the glowing acupoints.

I didn’t notice the old man disappear. I didn’t even hear the System’s voice.

My consciousness, awakened in my head, slid downward. I didn’t know the points shining like stars were acupoints. Everything simply felt familiar, as though it had always been this way.

At last, I reached my dantian.

A small but pure energy.

Ten years of internal energy.

But what’s that?

In one corner of my dantian was something else, as large and hard as a boulder.

I understood instinctively.

More internal energy.

It was energy that I—Jin Taekyung—had not yet assimilated and made my own. It was almost as vast as the internal energy I already possessed.

What if I absorb it?

There was no question that I would become stronger.

But for me, right now, it would be a reckless challenge. An adventure without a purpose.

I can’t push my luck and die out here.

I steadied my mind and stirred my internal energy. Following the path the System voice had shown me, I slowly guided it along.

At some point, I thought I faintly heard someone’s voice.

“Good judgment.”

System

Qi circulation complete.

Tutorial—Stage 4 complete. Rewards will be distributed!

You have gained insight into the Skill Qi Sense. You can now manipulate qi more freely and sense the energy of others.

A small amount of turbid qi has been expelled.

.

.

.

You have completed all Tutorial stages.

Main Quest created.

With the System’s final voice, the coachman spoke.

“We’ve arrived. This is the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

Yeah. At last.