The Heavenly Demon Goes to See the Plum Blossoms (1)

“The general consensus among us was that no one could become Geomseon’s disciple.”

That made sense. A martial artist of Geomseon’s caliber had impossibly high standards. Ordinary talent wouldn’t even register with him, and even those hailed as geniuses or masters were nothing more than empty husks in his eyes. What he sought was someone capable of reaching his own realm. Without that kind of worth, becoming his disciple was impossible. Only someone with talent that appeared once every few hundred years across the entire Murim could catch his interest. There was no way modern people who treated martial arts as a mere hobby would ever qualify.

“Everyone had given up. Since it was impossible anyway, there was no point competing over it.”

“But when I showed that it might actually be possible, the situation changed?”

“Exactly. You proved it wasn’t impossible.”

According to Ha-rin, in Hwaryong Muin, Geomseon was an object of distant admiration, like a figure from the heavens. The mere possibility of taking him as a master, of inheriting even a fragment of his absolute martial prowess, was incredibly tempting to those who had staked their lives on the game.

“It was absolute chaos. All the top-ranked players in Hwaryong Muin gathered in front of the forest where Geomseon resides. They started arguing about who should meet him first, and then someone brought up the classic Murim logic—if you have an opinion, prove it with your strength. That’s when the fighting broke out.”

The brawl that began among the game’s top users quickly escalated into a battle of pride between the sects they belonged to. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠original goal of meeting Geomseon and becoming his disciple was completely forgotten. Apparently, the sects had spent the entire night clashing with one another.

“My own sect was one of them. Since I’m basically an officer, I couldn’t sit it out. I had to fight people from other sects all day ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yesterday.”

“Did you win?”

“It was a draw. We fought until morning, called a temporary truce, and agreed to settle it again tonight.”

So even in a game, they didn’t risk their lives over pride. In the real Murim, there had been plenty of cases where two sects wiped each other out just to protect their honor.

“Do your best.”

In my opinion, no matter who won, none of them would become Geomseon’s disciple. Still, who knows? That old man might suddenly have a change of heart.

“And you must win. If you lose, I’ll train you even harder next time.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

How could someone I had personally taught lose to people who only copied the forms without understanding the essence? If she were defeated, it would be because I had been too lenient. If she came back defeated, I would make sure she never lost again.

“...I’ll do my best.”

Her voice trembled. It seemed that if a real fight broke out tonight, she would risk her life. No matter how much you call it training, nothing beats real combat for improving skill. Tonight’s events would be a good experience for Ha-rin.

“Going back to the main topic, you said you had something to ask me?”

“Ah, right. What is it?”

“What is the current state of the Mount Hua Sect inside Hwaryong Muin?”

What I wanted to confirm was whether Hwasan was still intact. I had accepted the divine spirit’s request, but honestly, I didn’t trust everything that little fox said. It wasn’t that I feared she would trick me. I simply found her unreliable. Despite her overflowing confidence, there were too many signs of naive ignorance about the world. To a divine spirit, one or two years was nothing but a fleeting moment. It was entirely possible that by the time I reached Hwasan, the Blood Cult’s schemes had already succeeded and the sect had been destroyed. So before heading there, I wanted to know if Hwasan was still standing, and if so, what the atmosphere was like.

“Hwasan? I don’t think anything’s happened. One of our sect members belongs to Hwasan, and since they haven’t said anything, it should be fine.”

So Hwasan hadn’t fallen yet. That was enough. At least ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wouldn’t be making a wasted trip.

“But why are you suddenly asking about Hwasan?”

“I met the divine spirit yesterday and received a quest.”

“...Yes? Yes?!”

When I explained what had happened yesterday, Ha-rin’s voice gradually rose in pitch. Even for someone who had played Hwaryong Muin for a long time, encountering a divine spirit and a hidden quest seemed extremely rare.

“Plum blossoms of Hwasan… That sounds interesting.”

“Do you have any guesses?”

“No, nothing specific, but I’ll look into it.”

Ha-rin said she would contact her sect member in Hwasan to check on the situation there. She even offered to connect me with that person if I wanted. I gladly accepted her kindness. Sects were usually closed-off and wary of outsiders. Even if you came offering help, earning their trust took a long time. However, having a connection inside the sect made the process much smoother. I had gained unexpected but significant assistance.

“You’re going to stream today too, right?”

“Will you come watch?”

“Of course I… want to say that, but I need to sleep in preparation for tonight. I’ll cheer for you in spirit!”

After hanging up, I thought of the divine spirit waiting on the mountain. She was probably still waiting where I had logged out yesterday. Should I go meet her? First, I should carefully store the dolls in their box. Once the display case arrives, I’ll take you all out.

I closed the box, pushed it aside, and lay down inside the VR device. The moment I entered the world of Hwaryong Muin, the bright scenery of a rocky mountain unfolded before me. It seemed to be the time between morning and noon in the game. There was plenty of time to move around.

Now then, where was the divine spirit? While looking around, I spotted a fox curled up at my feet, snoring softly in her sleep. The way her tiny belly rose and fell was so fascinating that I poked it, but the fox didn’t wake up. No matter how much of a divine spirit she was, wasn’t she being far too unguarded? At this rate, she might get kidnapped by hunters or dragged off by wild beasts.

Hmm. It wasn’t urgent, so there was no need to wake her right away. I might as well turn on the stream.

“This is the rocky mountain you all recommended last time. I came to enjoy the scenery.”

With those words, I walked toward the cliff and showed the viewers the view of the city. Hwaeum, bathed in daylight, was full of vitality. Even from this distance, the constant movement of people was clearly visible.

However, the viewers didn’t seem particularly interested in the scenery of Hwaeum. What cold-hearted people. If they had any sense of emotion, they would surely feel something from this view.

“Don’t worry. All I did yesterday was take a night stroll on this rocky mountain. I do enjoy your mischievous comments, but sometimes I need time alone to reflect, don’t I?”

At that, the viewers didn’t protest much. They seemed to acknowledge that I needed my own personal time.

“Ah, right. Before I go to progress the story, there’s something I need to tell you. I gained a companion yesterday.”

I stepped forward and stood in front of the fox, whose tail was slowly swaying as she dreamed.

“She’s the companion I gained while taking a night stroll. Allow me to introduce her.”

I crouched down to wake the divine spirit and poked her cheek. Her tail moved first, then her head suddenly shot up. With her ears flattened, she looked around with big eyes before letting out a small sound upon seeing my face.

“It was you?”

“Were you asleep when I arrived?”

“Mm. Since we had to depart immediately upon your arrival, I thought I’d get some sleep in advance.”

After speaking, the divine spirit stretched in her fox form, rolled once, and transformed into her human shape amidst a puff of smoke. This time, without the ears on her head, she looked like an ordinary young girl.

“Why don’t you have ears this time?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to a place where people live. It would be foolish to show my ears.”

It was a logical answer, but I couldn’t help feeling disappointed. I had thought I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would get to see those freely moving fox ears today. And I had assumed the viewers would enjoy seeing them too.

“Wait a moment. I’ll introduce her first and explain everything gradually. This child is the divine spirit of the rocky mountain… Now that I think about it, I still don’t know your name.”

“I am called Baru!”

“This is Baru.”

I had thought that seeing the adorable Baru would make everyone happy, but for some reason, the chat atmosphere was far from warm. Why? What part of this didn’t sit well with them?

“Aren’t we leaving?”

The chat was running wild like a horse struck by an arrow. Baru, unaware of my situation, tilted her head in confusion. It was a shame she couldn’t perceive the communication between me and the viewers. If I could show her this chat window, she would understand immediately.

“Please wait a moment.”

“Understood. A short while is fine.”

After asking Baru for patience, I turned my attention back to the chat.

“I didn’t seek her out on purpose. She came looking for me.”

These damn people. They were so busy throwing stones at me that they wouldn’t even listen to what I had to say. At this rate, even if I wanted to explain, I couldn’t. I needed to calm them down somehow.

From my experience in the Divine Cult, the fastest way to quiet things down when it got this noisy was to suppress them with sheer will. But I wasn’t sure if my pressure could reach beyond the screen. Still, there was no harm in trying.

“Hiiik!”

I scattered my internal energy just like I did in the Divine Cult, filling the entire space with oppressive pressure. Although my physical realm was lacking and there were many shortcomings, it should have been enough to freeze modern people in their tracks. The fact that Baru behind me let out a startled gasp proved it.

The chat didn’t stop. Of course it wouldn’t. How could a Second-class body overcome the limits of space? I pulled out my long pipe and put it in my mouth. How should I stop their tantrum?

While I was pondering, Enry’s voice suddenly cut in.

“Did you come to help?”

Even you, Enry, are abandoning me!

When I widened my eyes, Enry burst into laughter.