Chapter 7: Resorting to Masochism
Back in the virtual world of the Murim, Irene finally managed to calm her breathing.
She glared fiercely at the empty air in front of her, pointing an accusing finger as if Donape were standing right there.
"Where are you?! Why are you interrupting my playtime? Is this your commitment as a shopkeeper?"
She huffed, crossing her arms tightly.
"What you just did was a complete violation of a paying customer’s privacy! You have zero credibility!"
Outside the capsule, Donape rubbed his face and let out a deep, heavy sigh. But he knew he only had himself to blame for losing his temper earlier.
"Alright, listen up. Say the words ’VR system settings,’ and an options window will appear. Go to the audio tab, look for Share Track, then external sound. Turn the volume all the way down."
Donape didn’t want to drag out a long explanation. He had completely lost interest in watching the actual lore of Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts. It was obvious Irene was going to play the game completely differently anyway, doing whatever she wanted.
Besides, the paying user was king. It was better to avoid doing anything that could irritate his customers.
He needed them to get addicted and keep coming back for more—just like the internet addiction epidemics of the past.
By then, the money would start rolling in, allowing him to finally earn the meager salary he needed to buy out this ex-warehouse.
That financial matter had to be solved as soon as possible, unless he actually dared to retaliate against the System.
’This System surely suffered from a glitch that caused it to act like a total tyrant at times,’ he thought, and he had absolutely no desire to get swept up in its wrath.
Meanwhile, back in the game, Irene was already busy exploring her new world, completely abandoning the storyline to become unrivaled under heaven in her own ridiculous way.
After listening to Donape’s instructions, she quickly realized that navigating the system settings was almost identical to playing a modern PC or console game. Curious to see how deep the simulation went, she decided to initiate the basic tutorial.
For the next hour, she was utterly transfixed.
The tutorial walked her through the core mechanics of the Murim—how to track quests, earn loose change via side jobs, practice basic self-defense, and trade items at a bustling marketplace.
But the moment the tutorial ended, she completely ignored the glowing marker pointing toward the main storyline. Irene had absolutely no intention of becoming a martial arts master or fighting rival sects; she just wanted to look around.
Because the VR capsule’s advanced technology engaged all five of her senses, her sightseeing experience was utterly maximized.
She could feel the gentle breeze against her skin, smell the distinct scent of damp earth, and hear the distant chatter of a thriving ancient village.
It felt less like playing a video game and more like taking a luxury vacation to a pristine historical resort—all without the exhausting travel hassles of the real world.
Even better than the scenery was the populace. When she stopped to speak with a roaming street vendor, there was no repeating dialogue tree. The AI adapted seamlessly to her tone, responding with natural, unscripted wit.
As a tech enthusiast, her eyes practically lit up. She knew the current gaming industry’s AI was nowhere near this level; this machine was easily a hundred years ahead of its time.
Thoroughly charmed, she wandered aimlessly down a winding dirt path, letting her curiosity guide her away from the village until she crested a small hill.
Before her lay a serene, crystal-clear lake tucked away on the outskirts, its water rippling gently under the sunlight, completely untouched by modern pollution.
"Wow..." Irene gasped, turning in a slow circle to take it all in. "This place is endlessly amazing. I want to live right here—just build a small house with a garden overlooking the water."
Inside the VR cafe, Donape almost stumbled and fell to the floor after hearing those words while setting a chair back into its spot. His face twitched uncontrollably as reality finally sank in.
Irene wasn’t just unusual—she was a complete anomaly.
A game entirely centered around martial arts, bloodshed, and reaching the absolute peak of power, and she had suddenly turned it into a cozy, sim-like lifestyle game?
Really?! That could no longer be considered just going astray; it was a total derailment of the game.
However, he didn’t bother to correct her bizarre playstyle.
"Yeah, well... every player has the right to play how they want," he muttered under his breath, letting out a long, weary sigh. "Whether they want chaos or seek peace, as long as the gameplay mechanics allow it, it’s all good."
Instead, a deep anxiety crept into his mind—a worry that had been weighing heavily on him ever since he had received the manual.
’I just hope the next shop-leveling quest arrives soon,’ he thought grimly. ’Certain features are locked. After all, this place is only at Level 1. If high-profile players realize the lack of freedom, they’ll run away, no matter how alluring this technology is.’
As of right now, Irene’s VR capsule still displayed her active gameplay on its outer lid screen and broadcast her in-game audio directly into the shop. His previous instructions had only taught her how to reduce ambient noise leaking from the real world into the virtual world.
Privacy features—like disabling the external screen and muting the outward audio stream—were currently locked due to the baseline limitations of Origins VR Cafe’s current state.
Inside the game, Irene completely committed to her new lifestyle. While any typical player would be out risking their lives to learn peerless internal arts, she spent the next few hours happily helping old village NPCs chop wood, carry water, and pick weeds.
She was treating a legendary martial arts world exactly like a cozy farming simulator, entirely focused on saving up enough game currency to buy lumber for her dream lake house.
Outside, Donape could only watch the external lid screen in a state of numbness.
He shook his head, trying to focus on the future instead. Reaching Level 2 wouldn’t just solve this privacy issues; it would also bring significantly more profit.
According to the manual, upgrading the shop would unlock several new, randomized products alongside The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts. It was a milestone he desperately needed to reach.
Ping!
As time finally ran out on her session, the lid screen on Irene’s VR capsule snapped black. A moment later, the pneumatic lid hissed and slid open.
Irene sat up with wide, stunned eyes, her expression instantly twisting into utter frustration.
"What did you do, shopkeeper?!" she rattled off, her voice reaching a frantic, high pitch.
"Why did I just wake up in this place?! I was right in the middle of my side quest! I almost had enough money to buy the lumber for my tiny lake house!"
She glared at him with a deadly, accusing stare.
Donape, completely immune to her tantrum at this point, simply stood behind the counter with a perfectly flat, deadpan expression.
An awkward silence ensued.
Irene blinked her eyes, trying to process the situation. After a moment, she straightened her body and held her hands neatly down, like a student caught by her teacher.
"W—Is my time up? Time really flies. Ahem," she said, blushing fiercely while avoiding Donape’s gaze.
Donape rolled his eyes. He slowly reached under the counter, picked up his lukewarm mug of coffee, and took a long, steady sip.
He watched her dramatic chest-heaving huff over the rim of the cup, his mind completely blank except for a single, universal thought echoing in his head.
’Women,’ he thought, mentally raising a toast to the void. ’Blasting the rage first, then thinking about it later. Classic.’
He set his mug down with a soft click.
"The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts operates on a four-to-one time dilation ratio," Donape explained dryly. "You were in Murim for four hours, but your real-world session was exactly sixty minutes. And your sixty minutes are up."
Suddenly, the shop door swung open.
"Hehehe. Boss, I’m here to use my remaining time!" Young Master Baek grinned.
Behind him entered Butler Lee and two new bodyguards—noticeably slimmer than the massive brutes who had been escorted to the hospital earlier. Both wore crisp black suits with earpieces.
"Sure," Donape replied, taking a casual sip of his coffee.
But it wasn’t Young Master Baek who stepped forward; it was the two bodyguards. They approached the counter, faces cold. "While we wait, make us three coffees."
Donape shrugged, pointing to the digital screen above the counter. "No coffee on the product list, so I can’t serve you. Besides, the rule says: YOU PAY TO PLAY, OTHERWISE GET OUT. Please heed it."
Butler Lee’s frown deepened. This time, Donape was acting a little more arrogant than before.
The two bodyguards didn’t say a word. Instead, they reached up with their thick hands, popping open the top two buttons of their shirts. As the tight collars loosened, they stretched their necks.
Sensing trouble, Irene quickly backed away, pressing against VR Capsule 2.
Donape swallowed hard. "Look, I see you all as potential customers. So, I don’t want you getting blacklisted."
He took a step back, trying to maintain his front. "Making a scene or beating me up is pointless. Don’t believe me? Take a good look. This is the first and last time I’m doing this."
’Ah, shit! Why did I resort to this?!’ Donape regretted it inwardly. Letting his nerves loose, he shouted toward the ceiling, "Oi, you bastard System! You’re completely useless! Come out, you motherfu—"
ZAP! ZAP!
A blinding bolt of blue lightning materialized out of thin air, striking Donape dead center.
Irene, Young Master Baek, Butler Lee, and the bodyguards scrambled backward all at once, scared absolutely shitless.