Chapter 16

“Whew. Finally done.”

Jin Wikyung set down his brush as he spoke. Wipeng, who was sitting in a chair beside the door as always, raised his head.

“You’re getting faster at handling your work. You must be exhausted toda—”

Wipeng trailed off when he noticed the mountain of documents still piled on the table.

Come to think of it, it was only around noon. There was no way anyone could have finished that much work already.

Did I hear him wrong?

“Good. This should be enough…”

This time, it wasn’t a hallucination. Jin Wikyung’s face popped up above the pile of documents, proving it.

“Wipeng, come here. This is very important.”

His voice was so serious that Wipeng grew slightly concerned.

Did something major happen?

Perhaps the documents had revealed some grave corruption. Or maybe the Council of Elders, ever watchful for an opportunity, had caused some kind of incident.

This is bad. We haven’t even finished dealing with the Mount Heng Sword Sect yet.

A moment later, Wipeng accepted the document in question from Jin Wikyung. His face twisted into a strange expression.

“…What is this?”

“You can’t tell? It’s a drawing.”

The troubling document Wipeng had imagined was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Jin Wikyung had handed him a single sheet of rice paper bearing a drawing.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Why are you suddenly—”

Jin Wikyung cut him off with a secretive smile.

“Look closely. It isn’t an ordinary drawing.”

It isn’t an ordinary drawing?

Wipeng’s eyes lit up.

All kinds of legends from across Murim flashed through his mind.

A Daoist¹ who ascended after gazing upon a single painting. An absolute master who attained enlightenment from a mural in an ancient cave!

Wipeng’s gaze roamed across the rice paper for a long while. Then it suddenly began to tremble as if struck by lightning.

“C-could this be…?”

“You noticed. That’s right.”

Jin Wikyung chuckled.

“I drew yesterday’s duel.”

“……”

“Lee Seogeun lying defeated, and Taekyung standing proudly! The sky spread above the head of the young hero who would one day become the greatest under heaven!”

“……”

“I deliberately drew it from a low angle. What do you think? It’s good, right? Isn’t it?”

Wipeng’s hands trembled around the rice paper. If he had followed his heart, he would have crumpled it up, torn it apart, covered it with a week’s worth of piss and shit, dried it thoroughly, and then burned it.

But—

“…It’s very well drawn.”

Wipeng was a rational man. He summoned the magnificent mental fortitude of a martial artist at the Peak realm.

Of course, he also had the courage to reprimand a lord whose sanity was in serious doubt.

“With all the work you have piled up, how could you spend the entire morning drawing this one picture?”

“Of course not.”

“You know that, and yet—”

“Did you think I spent three shichen² working on only one?”

“What?”

“Of course I drew another. I was going to show it to you later, but you really are quick on the uptake.”

With trembling hands, Wipeng accepted the second sheet of rice paper Jin Wikyung offered him. Grinning from ear to ear, Jin Wikyung began explaining the drawing.

“I depicted the scene immediately after the duel. The young hero declares that he won’t rest on his laurels and will return to the training hall! And the people gazing up at him in admiration!”

“Well, I agree with much of that. The Third Young Master really has changed a great deal.”

“Right? I was surprised myself.”

After defeating Lee Seogeun in the duel, Jin Taekyung had defied everyone’s expectations and returned to the training hall. Jin Wikyung’s eyes grew distant as he recalled the previous day.

“I always knew this day would come. My youngest brother is a Heavenly Eagle. Wipeng, can’t you hear it? The mighty beating of Taekyung’s wings…”

“I don’t know about wings, but I can hear you spouting nonsense.”

Wipeng lowered the rice paper with a sigh of complete resignation.

Flap.

“Gasp.”

“See? You can hear it!”

Wipeng hurriedly turned toward the window. A hawk that had just landed was preening its feathers. A small container hung from its ankle.

“It’s a messenger eagle.”

These hawks were trained intensively from the time they were fledglings before being put to use as messengers.

The Jin Family of Taiyuan had only two messenger eagles, and they were dispatched solely for matters of extreme urgency.

“We have a problem.”

Jin Wikyung muttered in a subdued voice.

And that problem soon made itself known.

“My name is Han Yeop.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

The introduction came out of nowhere. Of course, I recognized his face.

I had seen him more often than anyone else since entering the training hall.

Should I call him the training hall guard?

Guard. Martial-artist guard. Whatever the proper term was, the NPC in front of me was a Jin Family of Taiyuan martial artist assigned to the training hall. Bringing me meals and herbal decoctions was one of his duties, too.

But why is he introducing himself all of a sudden?

I had never exchanged a single word with this NPC. He didn’t seem to bear me any ill will, but he had never been especially friendly, either.

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, too.”

Despite my lukewarm response, the guard’s—or rather, Han Yeop’s—face lit up.

What the hell? Why is he suddenly acting like this?

“I was there yesterday, too.”

“There? Oh.”

He meant the duel. So many people had gathered that it wasn’t surprising Han Yeop had been among them.

“I watched from beginning to end. I saw how heroically you fought against that vicious Lee Seogeun of the Mount Heng Sword Sect!”

Vicious? Heroic?

That’s how it looked?

Honestly, from a modern man’s perspective, they were both as bad as each other.

No, I almost wanted to take Lee Seogeun’s side. As an older brother myself, no matter how fucking awful my little sister’s personality was, I’d lose my mind if she said she was dating a guy like Jin Taekyung.

Of course, the Mount Heng Sword Sect’s attitude and proposal had been absurd. That was why I had no choice but to fight.

“My heart pounded the entire time. I’m sure everyone else there felt the same way.”

Han Yeop continued, his face flushed with excitement. He seemed to be under a serious misunderstanding, and I had no idea when I was supposed to stop him.

“I once misunderstood you as well, Young Master. But now everyone in the family knows the truth.”

This time, I couldn’t help asking.

“The truth? What truth?”

“Well…”

Han Yeop lowered his voice to a whisper. His hot breath against my ear was bad enough, but what he said gave me goose bumps.

In other words—

“I’m the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s secret weapon?”

“Yes, yes!”

Han Yeop nodded furiously.

“My behavior until now was all an act, and ever since I was young, I’ve undergone bone-shattering training, becoming a man accomplished in both civil and martial arts, with virtue and righteousness, a sl—sl—”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that word. Han Yeop came to my rescue before my hands and feet could curl up from embarrassment.

“The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi! Everyone in the family knows now! You are Shanxi’s Sleeping Dragon, still hiding beneath the water instead of ascending to the heavens!”

Oh, please. Somebody save me. And don’t shout it out loud.

The Sleeping Dragon? Everyone in the family knew?

If I die, the cause of death will be death by embarrassment.

As I writhed in mental agony, Han Yeop asked with shining eyes,

“It’s true, isn’t it? I know it’s rude of me to ask, but just between us…”

This wouldn’t do. I decided to stamp out this ridiculous, cringe-inducing rumor, wherever it had come from, and opened my mouth.

“I don’t know who started such an absurd rumor, but…”

That was when it happened.

Ding.

System

A rumor about the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi is spreading throughout the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

Fame has risen by 10 due to the influence of the rumor.

The more people believe the rumor, the more Fame will rise.

I continued with a solemn expression.

“Every word of it is true.”

“I knew it! I believed it with all my heart!”

I watched Han Yeop walk away with rapture on his face and shed a single tear.

Fuck…

Ah, I miss my mom.

My duel with Lee Seogeun had taught me several things.

First.

I’m strong.

Early in the game, I had taken down the Heavenly Axe, the tutorial NPC, with a single strike. What had been a suspicion back then was now a certainty.

I was strong. Strong enough to defeat a Level 30 like Lee Seogeun without much trouble. The difference in combat experience had certainly played a part, but my basic stats were overwhelmingly superior.

Strength, Stamina, Agility. We were about even in all three, or I had a slight edge.

Stats. In other words, the difference in our abilities. In this game, I was a player, and I had continued to grow through the System.

By learning martial arts, training, and completing various Quests, I had raised my stats at remarkable speed. The result had been plain to see in the duel.

And second.

I don’t have enough internal energy.

In internal energy, Lee Seogeun had been ahead of me. Far ahead.

What the hell had he been eating growing up? I smashed him dozens of times with the shaft of my spear and pounded him one-sidedly from the mount, but he held out. He even counterattacked and managed to draw up more internal energy at the very end.

I currently have ten years of internal energy.

Lee Seogeun probably had twenty years—twice as much as I did. That led me to a third realization.

The difference in internal energy determines the stage of one’s martial arts.

I had defeated Lee Seogeun, who was First Rate. But the realm displayed by the System still had me at Second Rate.

I thought the reason lay in internal energy. Once I raised the one ability I lacked, wouldn’t my realm finally rise as well?

After organizing my thoughts that far, another idea suddenly occurred to me.

This is exactly like Hunter rank classification.

Every newly awakened Hunter had to visit a designated center to have their abilities, occupational aptitude, and mana capacity assessed. No matter how high their physical abilities were, a low mana capacity earned them a cold reception during the rank evaluation.

That was also why mages started at D-rank at the lowest. Because of their profession, mages had plenty of basic mana from the start.

Still, the game is better than reality.

At least you could grow here. Reality had no such thing. Even I had only managed to get lumped in with the E-ranks after working my ass off for seven years. I was still an F-rank Hunter.

Anyway, I had a rough plan now.

My stats are good enough. I’ll cycle the Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique whenever I have time and focus on Quests that reward EXP.

It had been more than a week since I was trapped in this godforsaken game. I had no idea what the hell was happening in the real world, but clearly no rescue was coming.

I needed to prepare properly and see this through.

“Open Quest window.”

Ding.

System

Quest

Logout

You must now make your way through this harsh Murim.

Become stronger and more famous.

For the day that will come someday…

Grade: Main Quest
Restriction: Jin Taekyung
Mission: Achieve the First Rate realm (Incomplete)

    Reach Level 30 (17 / 30)

    Reach Fame 500 (70 / 500)

Reward: Logout

“Ugh. This is brutal.”

I sat cross-legged. Two days remained before my seclusion ended. I intended to accumulate as much internal energy as possible.

System

Fame has risen by 3 due to the influence of the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi rumor.

The Fame-increase messages that chimed from time to time offered a small measure of comfort.

Late at night, the lights came on in the main assembly hall. At the request of the Lesser Family Head, a secret meeting of the family council was taking place.

The hour was late and the summons sudden, leaving several senior members wearing sour expressions.

“A sudden summons? What could this be about?”

“Exactly. Calling us here at this hour without even telling us why.”

“That’s what happens when the Lesser Family Head is still young. He doesn’t know procedure or etiquette.”

“He must be feeling rather full of himself after yesterday. Though I suppose his only weakness has disappeared. No one expected the Third Young Master to be so capable.”

“The Council of Elders must be disappointed. They were probably preparing to make a major move over the Third Young Master.”

“Hmph. Even now, the Head Elder should step forward and set the family straight.”

“Careful. Watch your tongue…”

At that moment, every sound abruptly stopped. The doors to the meeting room opened from both sides, and Jin Wikyung entered.

The senior members held widely differing opinions of their Lesser Family Head, but the silence that descended the instant he appeared proved that he possessed the qualities of a leader.

“Thank you all for answering my summons at this late hour.”

Jin Wikyung took the seat of honor and spoke his opening words, but he found it difficult to continue.

What should he say? Where should he begin, and how?

His head throbbed. But this was something he had to tell them.

“The reason I called everyone here today is…”

That was when a strange voice interrupted him.

“It must be because of the Mount Heng Sword Sect.”

It was a bizarre voice. At first it sounded like an old man’s, yet at the same time it seemed young—rough one moment and smooth the next. Beneath it all lay an inexplicable resonance.

Could it be…?

Jin Wikyung’s face twisted.

The doors to the meeting room, which had seemed as though they would never open again, began to part.

Step. Step. Step.

Five old men glided into the room. The moment everyone recognized the man at their head, they hurriedly rose and bowed.

“We pay our respects, Old Master!”

The Head Elder. He had appeared after keeping himself shut away from the world for years.