How do veterans in a game come to be?
Looking at the members of the group chat who have been stuck in this martial world game for ten years, I’ve somewhat answered that question.
Usually, one becomes a veteran in a game because there’s an irreplaceable aspect that can’t be found in other games, and among the members of the [Martial World Chat], 80% are those kinds of people.
There are ways to play that can only be realized in this game.
For example, the Three-Five Warrior enjoys pillar master play, while the Trouble in the World enjoys innkeeper play.
There’s only [Martial World] for a free-form martial arts game, so where else can you experience being a pillar master or an innkeeper in a martial setting? So, they end up becoming ghosts, unable to leave Martial World.
I loved training.
Especially, I liked the genre of martial arts where you become stronger. Unlike the fantasy style of development, which leans more towards adventure, I liked the gradual progression of realizing one hidden skill after another.
If I were to write web fiction based on my feelings now, I would probably get comments like: “Is there a protagonist who is training? Cuckoo, cucks! The story is slow; I’m dropping it. Author, go do some delivery!” or “Holding my breath until something exciting happens—oh? My throat’s already choked with sweet potato?”
So, I should just roll around in [Martial World].
The fundamental reason I’ve been playing this Martial World for ten years stems from that. The only place left where I can feel the narrative of martial arts training I love is this [Martial World].
I wanted the journey, not just the results, so the character sheet I was playing was fundamentally quite miserable. Gamer traits that would make typical players cringe were greeted with a smile instead. The tougher the trials, the longer the training process stretched, and the sweeter the results became. I managed to see the endings with such characters, so how hard could it be?
I was such a veteran that I memorized even the realizations of the characters, so what was the big deal about falling into a game world?
So, when I was sucked into the world of Martial World as the 15-year-old Ho Cheon-an, I felt a bit of confidence lurking in my heart.
That was until I opened the status window.
————————
Name: Ho Cheon-an
Age: 15
Level: Below Three-Five
Personality: Ordinary
Strength: 4 Agility: 5
Stamina: 5 Qi: 5
Luck: 5 Earth: 5
Muscle: 3 Spirit: 5
Concentration: 6 Vitality: 5
Five Elements: 5
Traits:
[Outcast] – You are unwelcome anywhere. (Relationship with others -5)
[Severed Tendon] – The tendon in your left wrist is severed. (Strength -1)
[Nutritionally Starved Body] – Your growth has been hindered due to malnutrition in childhood. (Muscle -2)
[Resilience] – Reduces injury effects and increases survival probability in life and death situations.
[Determined] – Your mental strength is outstanding despite your physical condition. (Concentration +1)
[Lowly Born] – Your origin is humble. The heavens assure this. (Final Level – ?)
Final Level: Iryu
Realization: None
————————————
Ho Cheon-an was not a player character.
Final level Iryu martial artist. That was my limit.
And it’s been eight years since I fell into the world of Martial World.
I was still Iryu.
“Ah, delivering the martial arts ledger to Gwangyang Sect, huh?”
“I’ll do it.”
I received the letter from the Intermediary and stuffed it into my bosom.
In a game, such a message probably would have popped up like this.
[You have accepted the mission to deliver the martial arts ledger to Gwangyang Sect.]
[Mission Difficulty: Low]
[Risk Level: Medium-Low]
[Please safely return and report after delivering the martial arts ledger to Gwangyang Sect.]
[Deadline: 3 days]
Gwangyang Sect isn’t located too far away either. It’s just about an hour’s walk. So, one might wonder.
Why is such a quest classified as medium-low risk? This is something a five-year-old could do!
But delivering the martial arts ledger in Sacheon City meant risking one’s life.
First, I had to stop at two places before arriving at Gwangyang Sect. The first was to buy a bag of candy from the candy seller. The second was to meet the kids playing in the alley.
While sucking on a piece of candy and running around the alley, I soon met the kids pretending to be heroes.
“Hey, kids!”
“Ah! The Unclean Swordman!”
“Filthy, devious, sneaky, petty, and sinister Unclean Swordman!”
“A third-rate martial artist Unclean Swordman!”
Having been an enemy in Sacheon for seven years, the kids’ random slurs didn’t hurt me at all. I smiled and opened the bag to show the candy, and they flocked around excitedly. A kid with bad manners tried to sneak up from behind and snatch the bag, but not a chance.
I simply lifted the bag and said, “If one of you can follow me, I’ll give you all this candy. What do you say?”
“My mom says the Unclean Swordman is worse than a beast and won’t keep promises!”
“My dad is a martial artist from Nakyeongmun! Hurry up and give me that candy before I call my dad!”
“If we all jump this weak Unclean Swordman, we could win! Shall we attack?”
“So you want candy or not? Do you think the adults will let you eat the candy given by the Unclean Swordman? If you follow me, I’ll give you the candy.”
The kids were flustered but eventually couldn’t resist the lure of the candy and nodded to follow me.
Adults usually think children are foolish and naive, but kids do have thoughts and experiences of their own.
No matter how many times adults insult outcasts as dirty and dangerous, the children likely wouldn’t have encountered those kinds themselves. In fact, they might feel safer than the regular folks who shout at and beat the kids.
Sacheon outcasts never harm children.
Anyway, I led the kids like the Pied Piper towards Gwangyang Sect. As soon as I approached Gwangyang Sect, the gatekeepers drew their weapons and aimed at me.
Who are the enemies of the gatekeepers watching over Sacheon City? Just people like me, the outcasts.
“Don’t come closer! Unclean Swordman!”
“The great Gwangyang Sect is no place for a mere Unclean Swordman like you!”
After adjusting my Black Rib, the evidence of being an outcast in this martial world, I took out the letter.
The moment I pulled it out, two martial artists were about to charge at me, but when I gestured behind me, they halted.
Dozens of kids were watching with wide eyes, and I could see some adults sending suspicious glances at the kids following me.
The righteous Gwangyang Sect cannot start a brawl with a two-on-one ambush against an outcast without following proper martial etiquette. Of course, if no one was watching, that might change, but this martial world operates on the assumption that if there are no witnesses or evidence, the outcast is always in the wrong. They might subdue you first and then come up with any excuses afterward.
So I brought the kids as witnesses. I also brought along the cautious gazes of the adults who would doubt an outcast parading with children.
It’s impossible for a martial artist belonging to a sect to wield their sword recklessly under such scrutiny.
I gathered my strength and unfolded the letter.
“To Gwangyang Sect! The outcast Gong Young-ho-geon, Yeong Ji-hu-yeol greatly admires the righteousness of Gwangyang Sect! Though I am of low birth, I have the desire to learn from Gwangyang Sect! Particularly since the esteemed name of Cheonso-kyul has resounded throughout the martial world of Sacheon! Hoping to share styles of Cheonso-kyul and sword and fist, I wish to propose a duel on the auspicious day of the 11th, to discuss martial arts!”
Although there were many taunting remarks in the letter and I summarized the message about the outcast wishing to duel with the Cheonso-kyul of Gwangyang Sect, the main point was conveyed.
I folded the martial arts ledger and stuffed it into the displeased gatekeeper’s chest, giving it a pat.
Gwangyang Sect would turn upside down from this point. Their sect standing on the brink of collapse would likely hold endless strategy meetings day and night until the dueling day, and these two gatekeepers, having received an outcast’s ledger, would face countless rounds of reprimands.
Perhaps foreseeing this tragic future, the two gatekeepers trembled, ready to chew me out at any moment. What can I say? If they wanted to butcher someone, they should have joined the Outcast Faction.
In this martial world of Sacheon, you wouldn’t find any Outcast Faction even if you looked hard enough, so it can’t be helped, but that’s their problem, not mine.
The only thing I cared about was getting out of here as quickly as possible.
“Eat this, brats!”
“Wowww!!”
“Strange, why do I feel like I got insulted?”
“Hey, hey, you all did well. Good job, now eat your candy, kids.”
I handed the kids candy from the bag and quickly started moving away from Gwangyang Sect. As soon as I turned the corner, I gave the kids their candy bags and started running fast.
Using all my qi and energy, I dashed through alleys, moving here and there until I slipped into a back alley.
“Phew…”
What method would be most suitable for negating the martial arts ledger? Naturally, that would be to make it seem like it never existed. So, if I were to eliminate myself, the messenger, they could easily say, “Martial arts ledger? We never received anything like that!”
I had the kids as witnesses for insurance, but if Gwangyang Sect was determined, it wouldn’t be hard to brush that aside.
So I had to be careful.
Just being an Iryu, confronting even an ordinary first-rate martial artist on the street could mean risking my life.
Perhaps it was thanks to following the escape routes I’d prepared while roaming Sacheon that luckily, I sensed no one following me.
Feeling somewhat relieved as I rose from a box in the back alley.
“Somebody running hurriedly like that—oh, it’s the guy wearing the Black Rib.”
A voice came from behind.
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