For your average factory worker at some mid-tier shithole company, gaming isn't just a hobby – it's a basic survival skill.
Now, some folks might argue that the mobile trash clogging up our phones, with their auto-farming (Idle-Games), endless gacha pulls, and pay-to-win mechanics, don't even count as "games." And yeah, sure, whatever.
But for us, the glorious, underpaid, perpetually exhausted production line grunts, these "games" are worth more than just what's on the screen.
I mean, come on, what other genre lets your character level up inside a locker while you're busting your ass on the clock? Your paycheck ain't going up, but your character's stats are. And that's a win in my book. Plus, these games account for, like, 70% of our conversations with co-workers. Forget social life, these are our social lives.
PC or console games, though? Nah, those were a distant dream for most of us. Our main hobbies revolved around booze (after work), booze (company dinners), and booze (with women). Or fishing. Mostly booze, though.
So, yeah, it was pretty rare for one of us to be into gaming.
But he? He was a dedicated gamer. A proper one.
Two shifts, baby. Day, then night. That's the factory life. Two days off, maybe three, every other week. Not a lot of time to breathe, let alone play.
What did he do with that precious time? He'd crash, sleep like the dead, then wake up, pour himself a cold beer into a thermos, and park his ass in front of the monitor until his pitiful "vacation" was gone.
He wasn't picky about his games.
Sometimes, he was a wild west outlaw, riding across dusty plains. Other times, he was a badass commander, nuking a few planets to save humanity from alien invaders, eventually managing to save one Earth.
Playing as a god-slaying, rebellious son of a god? Also, hella fun.
But mostly, he stuck to the medieval fantasy stuff—warriors or mages in some generic Western setting.
Then, one day, he posted asking for game recommendations, and someone dropped a comment:
L Try "Murim Chronicles". It's fun.
L A shitty Chinese game, fuck off.
L No, srsly;; it's actually fun;; there's even a Korean patch. Hey, try it try it.
Murim, huh?
The extent of his Murim knowledge was a few Stephen Chow movies. You know, like Shaolin Soccer.
Wasn't the ultimate technique thingy that appeared in Kung Fu Hustle called Buddha's Palm or something?
The thought sparked his curiosity.
He didn't hesitate. Bought the game on the spot. What's there to hesitate about? A single production line guy's wallet is surprisingly thick.
While the game downloaded, he did a quick search.
Developed in China (Unofficial Korean patch:99.6% Translated), an open-world RPG with high freedom.
The fact that a user-made Korean patch even existed was a good sign. Who bothers translating a shitty game?
You farm, grow, and explore freely. Once your reputation reaches a certain level, major events – early-game crisis, mid-game crisis, late-game crisis – trigger randomly.
Beat 'em, and you get an ending. You can keep playing afterward, or start over as a descendant for a new playthrough. Multiple endings, too, depending on your choices.
He didn't know much about Wuxia games, but it seemed pretty well-known.
He wasn't one for overcoming hard difficulties. He preferred the thrill of clearing out enemies with overwhelming power—a classic "munchkin play" where you're just a powerhouse. Why bother exploring new routes when you can just pick the strongest, most verified build and cruise through?
He started digging through character creation and build recommendation guides, planning out his future OP character.
A satisfied smile spread across his face. He could already tell this was gonna be good.
Soon, the game was installed. He slapped on the Korean patch.
And then, it was time for the start of the game.
With all those guides fresh in his mind, he zipped through character creation.
Difficulty: Wandering Swordsman (Easy Mode).
It said there were multiple playthroughs, right? If it was fun, he'd just bump up the difficulty for the second run.
Constitution: Blood Poison Body. Apparently, it made gameplay smoother.
The Star of Destiny: Heavenly Slaughtering Star. Supposedly, the strongest.
And gender? No hesitation. Female.
He had an unwavering belief that if a game offered female characters, you always picked a female character.
No customization, unfortunately. So, he just picked the preset with the biggest boob- I mean, the best illustration.
Might as well enjoy some eye candy in a game, right?
His favorite pastime, when he took a smoke and beer break, was to swivel the camera around and admire his female character's ample chest. The privilege of a single man.
Then, for the character name, he hit
Ctrl+V.
阿靑 (A-Qing)
The pre-copied Chinese characters popped in.
He had no idea why anyone would name a person "A-Qing," but the guide said to do it.
It claimed that if you entered this name, you'd start with the "True Yue Maiden Sword Art",[1] one of the most broken martial arts in the game.
Character creation was done.
Before hitting the "Enter Murim" button, he pulled up a guide on his smartphone that detailed the optimal early-game farming route.
I mean, it's an open-world game. Isn't it standard procedure to sprint and grab all the good loot right at the start before diving into the real grind?
Turns out, all that preparation was a waste.
The moment he pressed "Enter Murim"—
He was standing in a cold cave.
And then, a sudden, heavy weight settled on his chest.
[1] Yue is the name of a place, it also means moon, so there will be times in the story where moon will be used as a pun