Chapter 94
"Hello."
The Demon Dragon halted his attack, realizing it was just wasting his rain needles. If he had his way, he'd have broken as many of my ribs as the needles he'd thrown at me, but I sauntered over with shameless cheer and greeted him first.
Hold back. Just hold back.
He was a Ranubel patient, after all. I couldn't kill him like I'd done with Nam Hae-su.
"You lucky bastard. To win the heart of Mi-bong, the second most beautiful woman in the Central Plains."
"You can do it too."
"Me? I can't. No way. It's impossible. I'd die."
The Demon Dragon, whose manly looks should've matched a bolder tongue, was stammering with utter lack of confidence.
"......"
Is this protagonist for real?
The real protagonist whose body Mao Zai had hijacked must be puking blood right now. Once his flushed face calmed, he spoke in a fierce tone.
"Whether you're Master's maternal grandson or not doesn't matter to me."
"Figured as much."
I claimed to be the Heavenly Demon's grandson by blood, but he was the Heavenly Demon's disciple. You might think blood ties trumped disciple bonds, but in the martial world, master-disciple relationships outweighed family. Why? Because martial arts were valued far more than mere genes.
"Never touch the Emei Fairy or the Emei Divine Sword."
Whoosh—
A gentle breeze swirled around the warning Demon Dragon.
...He's strong.
I could tell without a real fight. I couldn't picture myself winning. Protagonists were just on another level! Not wanting pointless conflict, I replied with a smile.
"I promise. I won't touch your two wives."
"Wh-who said they're my wives?! I have to hear how they feel... No, there's no way they'd like a guy like me!"
"......"
With that face and those skills, low self-esteem seemed impossible.
Was Mao Zai really like this?
No. Absolutely not. He'd been obsessed with traditional martial arts and wuxia novels, ignoring women, but it wasn't like there'd been zero women around. Only one possibility: reliving his youth in the world of the wuxia novel Is This Heavenly Demon For Real? had changed his personality.
Anyway.
"Mr. Mao Zai."
"What—?"
"No wonder you're shocked. In this world, you're the protagonist of Is This Heavenly Demon For Real?."
"What are you talking about..."
"No need to play dumb."
"No, I seriously have no idea what you're saying. You treating me like an idiot?"
"......"
This was weird.
"Ah! I get it!"
"Finally admitting—"
"That's your secret to winning Mi-bong's heart, huh? How the hell did you stroke her head without getting slapped?! Anyone would've decked you!"
"......"
Really weird.
"See? Can't even respond—that means I hit the nail on the head!"
"Demon Dragon. Aren't you the Heavenly Demon's disciple?"
"What an idiotic question from a guy who captured Mi-bong's heart. Saying that after seeing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The absolute power only the Heavenly Demon and his successor could learn! The Demon Dragon's strength came from blending the martial world's top talent and pedigree.
"Tell me straight. Do you know Mao Zai?"
"No."
"......"
Didn't sound like a lie. No patient had ever stayed this calm upon hearing their real name. That only made it more confusing.
The protagonist's personality is totally changed, but he's not the patient? What's going on here?
Unable to make sense of it, I scanned the Demon Dragon up and down.
"What?"
"The Heavenly Demon has only one disciple, right?"
"Of course. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is a one-person lineage."
One-person lineage.
A school that takes only one disciple at a time. It demanded absolute confidence that neither master nor disciple would die mid-transmission.
"Demon Dragon. One question..."
"No."
"Cooperate, and I'll tell you how to win the Emei Divine Sword's heart."
"...For real?"
"I even know Mi-bong's underwear color."
"Heh heh. Ask away."
"......"
The suddenly groveling Demon Dragon no longer looked like the Heavenly Demon's disciple.
* * *
"Hero Kang. If you're wrong, you'd better brace yourself!"
"And if I'm right?"
"I'll serve you as my lifelong benefactor!"
"Don't forget it."
The Demon Dragon departed, dreams and hopes swelling in his chest after hearing how to win the Emei Divine Sword's heart.
Three straight wins through fair duels. Nonsense in reality, but this was the dream world based on the wuxia novel Is This Heavenly Demon For Real?.
Rules existed.
"If you're wrong, tough luck."
If he failed, it'd prove the novel's rules weren't absolute. A prime example of absoluteness? In the romance fantasy I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Count Family, finding the hidden cabin with the 'Legendary Sword.' No matter how hard you looked, it wasn't there—until you followed the original plot of the protagonist romancing hot guys, and poof, the mist cleared like magic!
Rules.
"But why this...?"
The world's strongest, the Heavenly Demon, hadn't taken the protagonist as a disciple. Wasn't that a rule? He was handsome, supremely talented, but a shy nerd who couldn't even meet a girl's eyes became the Heavenly Demon's disciple.
I need to meet the Heavenly Demon.
The novel's prologue: the Heavenly Demon spots the protagonist's talent at a glance after bandits orphan him and takes him in. That kicks off the story.
So if Mao Zai possessed the young protagonist's body, he'd definitely met the Heavenly Demon. I had to ask him about Mao Zai's whereabouts.
"Things just got complicated..."
"Young Master Kang. Not going as planned?"
I nodded at Mi-bong's question.
The Sichuan Supreme Martial Tournament. No more business here. My plan to lure Mao Zai, exploiting his love for martial arts, had flopped spectacularly.
Not a total loss, though.
I was now convinced Mao Zai was the original protagonist. The Heavenly Demon's disciple had become some random guy.
Mao Zai must've messed around in the protagonist's body, derailing the plot.
"The Fist Demon is incredibly strong!"
Fist Dragon looked anxious, having bet on the Fist Demon—who now seemed likely to lose to me.
"Giving up makes it easier."
Someone as weak to women as the Demon Dragon was the only one here who made me tense.
"Disciple."
"Yes, Master!"
"Listen well. The Fist Demon is no longer a match for this old man."
"R-really?!"
Fist Dragon gaped at his master's shameless lie.
"You'll see. The Fist Demon can't beat Hero Kang."
You can't either.
I wanted to snap at him, but the more he lied, the more he'd fear me, so I let it slide.
"N-no way..."
Fist Dragon, who blindly trusted his master, was already crumbling.
"I'll be back. To face the Fist Demon, who's weaker than Elder Fist King."
"Haha! Flatten the Fist Demon in one shot!"
Fist King's face split into a grin as I played along. A shame. If I were a local, I'd have a solid mark on the hook.
What could I expect from a dream?
"Let's end this quick."
"But don't kill him!"
"Got it."
Did he think I'd killed anyone besides bandits so far? I brushed off Fist King's rude advice and headed to the arena.
Fist Demon. A mid-rank officer in the 'Demonic Cult,' the evil faction in Is This Heavenly Demon For Real?. Terrifyingly skilled as a villain should be, but also a total punching bag who always lost to the protagonist...
"Kang Moon-soo."
"Fist Demon!"
Bang bang!
The man calling himself Fist Demon clapped his fists, psyching himself up.
How to handle this one?
Internal energy depletion...
As long as he didn't break rules like the Emei Fairy, I was willing to honor martial courtesy.
"Hoo."
"Your stance changed."
"Yeah. Something different."
This time, basic taekwondo stance. I bounced lightly in place, finding my rhythm.
Did that amuse him? Fist Demon's face hardened slightly.
"You mocking this lord?"
"No. I messed around earlier. This is serious."
"You call fighting the Emei Fairy and Emei Divine Sword 'messing around'?"
"Yes."
Using crouching start against the Demon Dragon? I'd have a needle in my skull before I began.
Ping~!
The coin flipped into the air.
"......"
"......"
Tok.
Our eyes met at the fallen coin on the ground.
"Asura Demon Fist...!"
"Oho!"
Fist Demon's fist rocketed up in a cannonball arc, a goblin visage bursting forth. Internal energy effect. Fun to watch, impressive even—but that was it for me.
What a waste.
Imagine adding pink floral effects to every modern bomb blast. Dye and such would cut lethality and jack up costs. Complicated process, shitty efficiency!
Compared to that.
Modern martial arts pursued practicality through scientific refinement. Battle taekwondo learned amid Coach Gomushin's brutal foot stench.
No frills.
Whoosh~
Fist Demon plummeted straight at me in his arc. Just as his extended right fist nearly grazed me, I pivoted on my right foot and unleashed a spinning back kick with my left.
Internal energy for extra oomph.
"What—"
Crack—!
For adults of similar height, legs outrange arms—common sense. And a common misconception: boxers' punches are slower than taekwondo kicks.
Power gap even wider.
Drawbacks too, though.
Painful memories of losing to Go Yun-jeong, world #1 women's taekwondo and Coach Gomushin's descendant.
Thud.
But Fist Demon lacked her caliber or skill. What's the point of long-honed arts that pop like firecrackers, not nukes?
Waste of time.
"Not too late. Find another technique."
"......"
Fist Demon, temple smashed by my heel, lay still as a corpse.
Boring match. Go Yun-jeong's sneaky point-scoring retreats were way more threatening.
Finals might be better?
Thwack—!
Sichuan Supreme Martial Tournament finals. Coin hit ground, and Poison King bolted, frantically hurling poison needles.
Sneaky like Go Yun-jeong.
"Gahk~?!"
"Slow."
Even internal-energy boosted, those needles were slower than bullets—nowhere near me.
Thud.
Poison King tumbled from my side kick to the face.
"My money..."
"Sigh..."
"Ruined..."
Losers' laments echoed everywhere. Soon-to-be-homeless husbands dotted the crowd...
Thanks. I'll put it to good use.
Your donations will fund capturing Mao Zai, disruptor of peace in Is This Heavenly Demon For Real?!
"Young Hero Kang."
"Yes."
"Please wait a moment. The awards ceremony will proceed shortly."
"Sounds good."
The announcer returned to the arena and shouted.
"Victory to Sichuan's Supreme Demon, Kang Moon-soo!"
"Supreme Demon?"
"Yes."
"Why 'Demon'?"
Labeling a fine upstanding cultural citizen like me a villain!
"Th-the lowly one merely followed orders from above."
The announcer eyed me warily, answering cautiously.
Sichuan Supreme Demon.
The title for the undisputed champ of Sichuan Province's top martial tournament.
A hint of malice, sure!
"Get on with it."
"Yes. The awards are presented by His Majesty's cherished blue gem, the 28th Princess, Princess Blue-Eyes!"
"Huh?"
Why was the emperor's daughter popping up here? Totally out of left field.