am-books Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Three days later, she arrived in the human realm.
The first to greet her was not a crowd of welcoming people or the clamor of Youkai, but rather Jeongsan Chang, who was reviewing the recent field play.
[Hidden Route: Simultaneous Subjugation Achieved]
[Hidden Route: Prince’s Return Achieved]
[Challenges]
[Simultaneously subjugate the Youkai Queen and Youkai General (Achieved)]
[Clear the field within the time limit (Achieved)]
[The bastard prince returns to the palace (Achieved)]
[Turning Point]
[The bastard prince seizes the power of the Youkai realm (Achieved)]
[Extermination Rank: SSS]
[Subjugation Rank: SSS]
[Challenge Rank: SSS]
[Overall Rank: 10★/3★ (+700%)]
[TOWARDS THE LEGEND]
[The difficulty level of all fields reaches its maximum.]
[Random and hidden events will occur “almost always.”]
[WARNING! WARNING!]
[Strong signs of a historical alteration have appeared (1/3)]
[If two more significant turning points are triggered, the planned outcome of the half-youkai realm may change.]
The potential for an unknown change in the outcome, one she could not predict.
To her, it was a distant, pointless tale of the far-off future.
But for the viewers who had seen multiple endings and knew how things could unfold,
this was a clue that would keep the community busy for at least a month.
‘It seems I’ve reached a strange place.’
With no recognition of the chat room, the silent swordsman’s attention shifted elsewhere.
[Story mode]@@@@
Upon arriving in the human realm,
the atmosphere here was notably different.
Compared to the usual fields filled with artificial objects,
this place had more natural elements, but the glaring artificial structures stood out much more.
The amount of garbage piled up was so immense, it was almost believable to think that an entire city had been destroyed.
Ash and dust scattered with the wind,
the smell of burning trash mixed in the air,
and beyond a mound of refuse,
there lay a massive trash heap.
[Random Ghosts]
These half-youkai were mindlessly scavenging,
eating whatever trash they could find and spitting it out without care.
At their feet, a narration appeared in front of the silent swordsman,
who had just opened her eyes in the middle of the path leading beneath the mound of trash.
[The dirtiest and most degraded of places, a landfill where no Youkai dare approach.]
[In the center of this place, the exit to the dimension door awaits.]
[This is the Queen's outpost for advancing into the human realm.]
Clank. Screech. Clank.
[The faint sound of a massive compactor crushing trash comes from somewhere.]
[What reason does the Queen have to make this filthy and disgusting den of cowards her base?]
[If you’re in a hurry, escape quickly.]
[If you’re curious about the secrets, wander through the trash heap.]
[Before your corpse joins the pile of burning, crushed trash.]
The trash heap seemed insignificant, but the warning sign hinted at something secretive hidden beneath its surface.
[Player mode]
Like a mountain of trash,
this heap formed from the ruins of a destroyed city.
“Cleared a field and didn’t even finish the broadcast?”
“Mom, are we going to space?”
“Did this person just become the King of the Game?”
“When do you even sleep? Haha.”
“We’re sorry, please stop playing the game, you madman.”
“Isn’t this like a return from the dead? I’m scared it won’t come back after this broadcast ends.”
“Isn’t this an NPC merchant map?”
“Yeah, it's a map for treasure hunting with a wandering merchant.”
“Wait, this isn’t a special quest field for repeatable quests?”
“But the treasure’s only visible if the wandering merchant is there, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, why are we even here if we can’t find treasure?”
“Where’s the wandering merchant who would trade it?”
“No idea.”
Lost in the overwhelming size of the trash heap,
Ha Eun-eung wandered aimlessly for a while until she found something oddly familiar in the midst of the endless piles.
‘How should I face this world?’
Her serious reflection on the half-youkai realm
led to another question:
‘How do other people play this game?’
She became curious.
Not how she saw the half-youkai realm,
but how others viewed it.
Were they also playing this game with such exhaustion and tension,
just like her?
[Search: Half-Youkai Realm Gameplay]
[Results: About 2,760,000 entries]
Gameplay videos of the half-youkai realm.
[Executioner 1 Death 3rd Clear]
[Swordsmanship Skill Tree Recommended]
[Full Body Blessing Play]
"?"
There was something missing in their gameplay.
"Die."
"Pretty good."
"Heh, got me."
The NPCs spoke in mechanical tones,
only giving short responses.
The bosses, once high-level AI,
now looked awkward, like puppets controlled by something else.
‘They really do look like zombies.’
Even with self-awareness, they couldn’t act freely,
controlled by some sorcerer.
In the martial world, they would call them "zombies,"
and she had once been a part of the Blood Sect, under the control of its cursed brand.
It wasn’t hard to figure out why.
At the start of each video,
the cause was blatantly written out.
[This strategy was started after the 2nd death.]
[Beginners should clear the Boss Subjugation with at least 3 deaths for easier strategies.]
[You know the difficulty drops after dying, right?]
The difficulty drops upon death,
leading to weakened boss patterns and degraded AI.
The NPCs she had fought against,
who she had considered real,
were rejected by other players who didn’t want emotional exchanges or complex communication.
What they wanted was a game with manageable difficulty,
a playstyle that matched their own skill level,
not a real experience.
‘No one will understand this feeling.’
Ha Eun-eung felt the weight of loneliness.
In the martial world, in the half-youkai realm,
and even in the real world, she had always ended up alone.
With her sword resting on the wall,
she gazed at the window outside,
feeling the loneliness growing deeper as the sun slowly set.
She was reminded of life’s transience and the futility of existence.
Then, she was interrupted by a notification.
Jua-Young: Sis!! Are you free right now??
Ha Eun-eung: What’s going on?
Jua-Young: Let’s go buy clothes! I’ve been noticed everywhere, and I haven’t been able to do anything outside recently.
The only person who could speak to her comfortably,
Jua-Young, reached out.
Ha Eun-eung: Sounds good.
Jua-Young: Nice!!
Jua-Young: (Seal clapping photo)
Jua-Young: (Dog wagging its tail photo)
Jua-Young: (Selfie with a serious expression)
Jua-Young: Then, come by here by 9 PM! I’ll coordinate your outfit from head to toe, so be prepared!!
She wasn’t even buying clothes for herself but for someone else.
Was it really such a joyful task?
She didn’t usually enjoy shopping for clothes,
but...
‘Seeing her so excited, I don’t want to disappoint her.’
A soft smile crept across Ha Eun-eung’s lips.