Games.

For the past 20 years, games were a concept completely unrelated to Hae Eung-eung.

What kind of games could one even play in the Murim world?

Cat’s cradle.

Jacks.

Rock-paper-scissors.

All were primitive amusements.

If some item had been discovered in ancient ruins and called an ancient artifact, it might have been used joyfully as a fortuitous encounter.

But old games didn’t exactly inspire a sense of romance.

Arcade classics.

Mobile gacha games.

None of them could hold a candle to these modern games.

‘I never had the luxury to play anyway.’

In the Murim world, she had too many enemies.

There was vengeance she had to carry out.

Now, things were different.

All of her grudges had vanished.

Until mid-October, when the gate tour was scheduled, she had decided to allow herself some rest.

And there just so happened to be a game recommended to her.

Joo Ahyoung: Sister, the games by the company “Simiral” suit you! They’re physical games, which are great for Awakeners.

Physical.

In  gaming, “physical” refers to the ability to quickly kill enemies and hit targets accurately.

Fast aiming.

Maintaining headshot lines.

Bullet control.

Spacing adjustments.

Close combat execution—just to name a few.

There are many elements that make up physical skills, but the player doesn’t need to be a swordsman or sniper in real life.

Reality is reality.

Games are games.

There’s a clear distinction between the two.

But virtual reality games are different.

They do recognize brainwaves.

But it’s the body in the virtual world that gets controlled.

Physical techniques.

Martial arts.

Combat-related physical skills.

These all benefit greatly from real-life experience.

And Hae Eung-eung was a martial artist from the Murim world.

In terms of combat experience, no modern person could match the vast amount she had accumulated.

In other words, she already met most of the physical requirements for virtual reality games at an expert level.

[You have purchased Simiral’s virtual reality game <Ban Yogok> for 99,000 won.]

That confidence led her to boldly purchase the game.

Now the time had come to see just how much talent she truly had.

2.

Thick fog spread out around her.

Through the hazy view, vast farmlands and an old castle came into sight.

A battlefield.

A riverbank stained with blood.

Humans wielding spears and swords clashed with monstrous yokai.

The high-angle view, starting from the sky, descended along the riverbank and into the winding canyon below.

Whoosh

A waterfall drenched in blood.

As the view lowered deeper into the canyon, a narration began.

[In an era when humans and yokai fought a long and bitter war.]

[A canyon veiled in thick mist.]

[In the deep crevice, hidden from human footsteps, lay the den of a tainted group.]

[This place is called the Ban Yogok.]

[Yokai with powerful bloodlines.]

[Humans with weak but stable blood.]

[The half-human, half-yokai hybrids belong neither to human nor yokai societies.]

[Becoming cruel for the sake of survival.]

[These beings, closer to beasts than either human or yokai.]

[A stranger has arrived here.]

[Is this person a mighty predator?]

[A new comrade to become one of the hybrids?]

[Or merely prey destined to become a meal?]

[Everything depends on your actions.]

[Now, tell us.]

[Who are you?]

‘Wow, the opening video is intense.’

At the entrance to the canyon.

The view stopped at a small trail.

The sound of the waterfall and the eerie wind all froze in gray, as a selection screen appeared.

【Character Selection】

1.Choose one of the <Story Characters>.

2.Customize a new character.

3.[Unavailable] Select one of your previously created characters. – No characters have been created.

4.Load real-world physical data.

For the Story Characters, only one was initially available for selection.

【Story Character】

1.A mysterious wanderer.

2.[Unavailable] (Unlock condition: Defeat the first boss.)

3.[Unavailable] (Unlock condition: Reach the Temple of the Sage.)

4.[Unavailable] (Unlock condition: Encounter the Hermit of the Swamp.)

New Character: Unlock conditions for additional Story Characters will be revealed upon unlocking all characters above.

At a glance, the game seemed to boast considerable depth.

Unlocking stronger or more useful characters starting from a weaker one.

Ultimately, the goal was to clear the game—a high-difficulty challenge.

Multiple playthroughs were expected.

But rather than feeling exhausting, this added to the excitement, perfectly delivering the sense of a massive, masterpiece game.

‘This is on a completely different level from the last game I played 20 years ago.’

Before she was forcibly dragged into the Murim world.

Back when she was still him.

The last game she had played was an MMORPG.

It was filled with all sorts of cash items, where you had to roll the gacha with a 1% chance of getting the item you wanted.

A typical RPG from a Korean game company, where the time spent playing felt more regrettable than fun, making it hard to quit.

Back then, she never imagined that such high-quality  virtual reality games would ever exist.

Somehow, it made her feel nostalgic.

‘Really, what am I doing, getting all sentimental while playing a game by myself?’

Her eyes returned to the default character.

A brutish-looking man who seemed capable of slaughtering ten people purely by brute force, without any inner energy.

Tall, muscular, and burly.

A macho.

A typical “muscle man” character.

‘It’s a shame. It would’ve been nice if I could’ve lived in that body from the beginning.’

Although she now had the chance to claim the body of that robust man, at least within the virtual game, she chose to ignore the bulky muscles and selected another option.

▶Load real-world physical data.]

The black silhouette resembling a culprit from an old detective manga transformed into her real form.

Long, flowing hair.

Smooth skin.

A chest, slightly smaller than before.

Yet, still an alluring figure.

Eyes as cold as ice.

Lips firmly set in a straight line.

Now, she was certain—this was who she was.

‘For the first playthrough, it’s recommended to use your real body rather than the default character.’

Ju Ahyoung had mentioned it.

Synchronization is the key to talent in the virtual world.

The gamer’s aptitude.

To bridge the gap between the real body and the virtual one, it’s important to handle a body that mirrors reality as closely as possible.

The penalties for low synchronization aren’t something to be taken lightly.

[Low Synchronization]: When synchronization is low, pain is greatly reduced, but the downsides include decreased precision in actions and slower reaction times.

It’s maddening when you think you’ve narrowly dodged an attack, only to be hit in the face.

Or when you think you’ve landed a strike, but instead, you hit empty air.

[Bloodline Selection]

[Please select a bloodline.]

1. Blessing of the Bloodline (Consumes bloodline points)

2. Curse of the Bloodline (Adds bloodline points)

3. Finish bloodline selection.

Choosing the character was easy.

The unexpected challenge came with the bloodline selection.

Everyone who has experienced a terrible ordeal is bound to have a trauma or two.

For Hae Eung-eung, her trauma was linked to choosing traits like blessings or restrictions.

Once, she had chosen the wrong concept and suffered for 20 years in the Murim world, now dealing with Gu Eumjeolmaek and mutism.

Logically, she knew that picking a blessing wouldn’t cause any issues.

But on a primal level, she just couldn’t shake the aversion.

Known as the beginner’s national blessing set.

The three entry-level blessings of Banyo Valley:

[Strength Enhancement 1]
[Running 1]
[Vision Enhancement 1]

Without choosing any of these, she skipped the bloodline selection with her pure, unmodified body.

[Name Selection]
[What is your name?]

1. Hae Eung Eung (Player Name)
2. Enter a New Name
3. Random Name (Random Combination)
4. [Unavailable] True Name Succession – No true name available for succession.

Name.

Hae Eung Eung stared at the blinking cursor in the input box, her expression full of thoughts.

How many reincarnators from Earth had suffered because they chose the wrong name?

Magokdong Fist.

Namjugyeogeop.

Cheonma Jjang Jjang Man.

Countless reincarnators had experienced the bitter taste of rejection in the martial world because of names, often being mistaken for low-ranking bandits or spies from the demonic sect.

‘I was on the brink of that too.’

Her original nickname was “Haeuung.”

Luckily, there was no “He” surname in the martial world, and her name was automatically changed to the closest surname, “Hae.”

If not for that automatic change, she would have been forced to endure embarrassing moments during every duel, just like her senior, “Anggimo Ottigo,” who was subjected to half-forced humiliation whenever he fought.

‘I won’t leave room for even the slightest chance of such a horrible thing happening.’

[Enter a new name.]

[▶ Silent Swordsman]

A silent swordsman.

Given that she suffered from mutism, there was no nickname more fitting than this.

Afterward, there were options to choose starting outfits and weapons, but martial artists’ choices were typically similar.

She wore a shabby warrior’s robe, pressed a straw hat over her head instead of a bamboo hat, and strapped a longsword to her waist.

[Final Selection]
[Is this you?]

1. Yes (Start Game)
2. No (Apply Changes)
[▶ Yes.]

[This is you.]
[Welcome, female swordsman hiding her beauty.]
[Welcome to the final destination of dreams and hope, Banyo Valley.]

Finally, the real game began.

3.

[New VTuber BJ]
[Silent Swordsman has started streaming.]

[Banyo Valley (Simiral Inc.) Game]
[Playtime – 00:00:01]
[Capsule Model – Hwayang Electronics Standard Capsule DZ002]

When she was installing the game, there was one button she had clicked without much thought.

[Agree to all terms and conditions]

A trap every Korean falls into at least once.

That agreement included terms for automatic streaming.

Unbeknownst to Hae Eung Eung, while she remained unaware, her first playthrough was being streamed live on VTube, destined to become a legendary noob stream that people would talk about for years to come.