am-books Chapter 26
Chapter 26
1.
The Inmyeon Jiju was begging for her life. She claimed that all she wanted was a friend. Her consistent plea struck a chord.
Since the beginning of Banhyogok, for the first time, the tip of the Mute Swordswoman’s blade began to waver.
Thud, thud, thud...
Her sword trembled as if it was mirroring her inner turmoil. Inside, Hae Eung Eung felt the same way.
‘I thought killing them without pain was the only mercy.’
But what if that wasn’t true?
What if even in such a miserable state, as a Banhyo, there were beings who merely wanted to survive, to coexist with humans, and to find satisfaction in mimicking human life?
‘She’s different from the Executioner or the Su-gwi Captain.’
This Banhyo was clearly yearning for life— a life not as a Banhyo, but one shared with humans.
But she was still a Banhyo, a being with the face of an old woman and the body of a spider. A half-human, half-yo that belonged neither to the human world nor the realm of demons.
【Interaction Choices】
[After the surrender of the Banhyo Inmyeon Jiju, you...]
1. How did you become a Banhyo? (Unlock Hidden Event)
2. I’ll be your friend. (Recruit Ally)
3. Who are you? (Reveal True Name)
4. (Grant her mercy with death.)
It was the usual list. This was now the third time encountering these interaction choices after a field boss battle.
– Run away!!
– The one standing before you is the Annihilation Swordswoman!!
– I can’t think of any reason why the Mute Swordswoman wouldn’t pick option 4.
– Poor Inmyeon Jiju (25 years old).
– Age 25, the Inmyeon Jiju rests here.@@@@
– Even Mookteacher didn’t see this event, but the Mute Swordswoman just unlocked it.
– But what’s the point if she just kills everyone after unlocking it!!
– There’s never any clarity, everything remains a mystery! Haha.
– Well, if you’re so mad, why don’t you play it yourself? Haha.
– How can we when we don’t have the physical skills for it, you idiot!
Everyone expected it.
The Mute Swordswoman, without a moment’s hesitation, would behead the Inmyeon Jiju.
[(Grant her mercy with death.)]
Even if such a notification appeared, no one would have been surprised.
[How did you become a Banhyo?]
And that’s why it was all the more shocking.
The Mute Swordswoman, or rather, the Annihilation Swordswoman as she was known, showed curiosity towards another person for the first time— during a game, and during a live broadcast.
The chat froze for a few seconds before the messages started flooding in so fast that they couldn’t be read, but the Mute Swordswoman inside the game seemed completely oblivious to the chaos. She remained focused only on the Inmyeon Jiju and the situation at hand.
[25 years ago, there was a tribe living in the Great Forest.]
[It wasn’t a lavish life, but we managed without much trouble.]
[But before I became an adult, disaster struck.]
The Inmyeon Jiju gazed into the distance as if recalling events from a far-off past.
[Blood began to flow into the river from upstream.]
[The skies opened, and relentless storms came.]
[Then a plague swept through, and soon the entire forest began to rot.]
The decaying Great Forest, slowly turning into a swamp. The hidden backstory of the field was starting to unfold.
[At that time, a man came to our tribe.]
[He called himself a Seonin and said that in order to stop the plague, we had to pretend to be afflicted with an even worse disease to fool it.]
[The villagers who didn’t believe him died from the plague.]
[But those who drank the Seonin’s medicine turned into Su-gwis.]
[They didn’t die from the plague, but...]
[Neither alive nor truly dead...]
[They became grotesque monsters, neither one nor the other.]
The Su-gwis that filled the field, the very monsters that Hae Eung Eung had just slain, were all once human. They were once members of the same tribe as the Inmyeon Jiju.
[I don’t blame you.]
[They always said that.]
[That they’d rather die than live like this.]
[The same goes for me.]
[So, if you kill me, it’s okay.]
[But please, be my friend.]
Who would have thought a mere friend could mean so much?
Even in that miserable state, she still wanted a friend. Or perhaps, it was precisely because of her wretched condition that the need for friendship became even more desperate.
Standing silently before her, the Mute Swordswoman pondered as the chat behind her devolved into chaos, nearly becoming a sea of tears.
A new set of options appeared before her.
– Her feet barely touch the ground.
– She just taps for 0.3 seconds and then leaps forward.
– But who cares, there’s a survivor for once!
– Congrats Inmyeon Jiju has survived for 25 minutes!
Five minutes of intense combat ensued.
Five minutes of conversation. Fifteen minutes of travel. With just her appearance, the Inmyeon Jiju managed to take up twenty-five minutes of screen time, gaining immense popularity with the viewers, not only for being the first survivor but also for her entertainment value.
– She’s a blessing, giving us extra streaming time!
– If this were a regular stream, the boss would’ve been dead, and the stream would be over already.
– From today, the Inmyeon Jiju is the mascot of this channel.
– Who said you could decide that?!
– Majority rules, my dude.*
– LOL, Google poll opened, here’s the link, go vote!
[87% in favor]
[11% against]
[2% others]
– Democracy has spoken! The Inmyeon Jiju is the new mascot!
– Is this really democracy...?
– LOL, it’s like the infamous Choco Corn Checks debate.
– We did it!
– Marx was right, comrades!
– Democracy still failing in 2050.
– Raise your pitchforks!!
– Sorry, but even the pitchfork belongs to the Inmyeon Jiju now.
Despite 87% voting in favor, the chat remained divided, with those against the decision causing chaos.
– Who’s the idiot who nominated a vertical take-off attack helicopter as mascot?!
– LOL, that 2% “other” was pure gold.
Meanwhile, amidst the turmoil, the Inmyeon Jiju, the mascot supported by 87% of the stream’s viewers, was busy setting up more ominous plot flags.
“When I finish my revenge, I’ll go look for my parents.”
“I’ve never seen the villagers either.”
“Where could they have gone?”
– Please, just stop talking!!
– I can already see the tragic story unfolding...
– It’s even sadder because she’s saying it so cheerfully...
– Wait, was the Inmyeon Jiju always this kind of NPC?
– Back in my day, you got caught in her web, then something swooped down and killed you from above.
Some felt pity. Others were confused. But no matter their feelings, everyone shared the same level of immersion in this unexpected new development. Even Speedmaster wasn’t immune to the storyline’s pull.
“This is some next-level streaming genius.”
It wasn’t just his gaming skills that made him a genius. His ability to lead the stream without saying a word was also remarkable.
The planned progression. The predictable flow. It was no longer the Banhyo Cave that everyone knew.
This was a new game route, one she alone had pioneered.
“Usually, you’d meet the Seonin and go to the shrine at the edge of the map to find the treasure, right?”
– Yeah, but only because you’re Mookteacher!
– Normally, you meet the Seonin, get the quest, and then run.
– The fact that you broke it is weird, too.
“Really? It wasn’t easy for me either. When I got to the edge of the map, killed the boss, and destroyed the shrine, the way back was gone, and I couldn’t find the Seonin. It left me with an uneasy feeling.”
Once the
He revealed the reason why the forest was sinking, the location of the shrine, and how to destroy it. But in the end, he disappeared along with the Great Forest, a tragic NPC doomed to be forgotten.
Everyone thought of him that way, even Speedmaster.
“But apparently, this Seonin is a villain. Kinda makes me feel like I’ve been backstabbed.”
– This requires hearing the Seonin’s side of the story.
– Are you accusing the Inmyeon Jiju of lying?!
– Our Inmyeon Jiju doesn’t lie.
– Our Inmyeon Jiju doesn’t bite people either!
– Dude, she bit me.
– Yeah, but you’re not human.
– LOL, controlling noobs aren’t human anyway.
– Goddamn splash damage.
– How many of those damned exploding Su-gwi do they have?
– It’s like a hero who’s caused massive AOE damage to at least 10,000 enemies.
Caught between the growing distrust of the Seonin and anticipation of the changing story, the Inmyeon Jiju suddenly stopped.
“I think we’re a bit late. The path’s grown much longer.”
One side of the ground had already sunken, leaving the stepping stones broken in the middle. Only a single rope bridge remained between the cliffs.
“Are you really sure you want to keep going?”