The Heavenly Demon Goes to See the Plum Blossoms (3)
I tapped Baru on the head to wake her.
“What is it? Have we already arrived?”
“A guest.”
“An enemy?!”
At my words, she leapt down from my neck in a hurry and planted all four paws on the ground, staring straight ahead. She had been sleeping so peacefully just moments ago, yet the way she suddenly tried to look serious was anything but cool.
And besides. Didn’t I say it was my guest? Why did she immediately shout “enemy”? Was it because of the sinister aura that man carried? That made sense. To a divine spirit like her, such energy would be the complete opposite of her nature.
I spread my internal energy around us, blocking the man’s malevolent qi. Only then did Baru’s expression relax noticeably.
“It’s fine. Stay behind me.”
I didn’t know exactly what she was worried about, but there was no need to be tense. If the person who came looking for me remained a guest, he would simply pass by. And even if he turned hostile, he could never become my enemy.
Once Baru moved behind me and hid, the man finally reached us.
“Hello, Hwaryeong-nim.”
He smiled as he called my name.
“Who are you?”
“I am called Verdan from the Blood Death Sect.”
As the distance between us closed, I could tell exactly how he had built his martial arts. What I felt from him was death itself. He had grown his inner power by devouring human lives. Human sacrifice. A term all too familiar to me.
It was the method used by those Blood Cult bastards. Having destroyed that very religion, how could I fail to recognize it? If he were truly one of their underlings, he should have hidden his aura. There wasn’t a single place in the Murim that welcomed the Blood Cult, yet he had somehow wandered freely until now. Any martial artist who sensed this energy would have tried to eradicate him on the spot.
“What brings you here?”
“I was wondering if you might be interested in joining our sect.”
The man was smiling, but the emotion in his eyes was vicious. If I dared speak a word of refusal, his intent to drag me away by force was clear. This was exactly why ignorant fledglings were so annoying. They believed everything they saw was the whole truth and judged others by their own standards.
This man was doing the same. He looked only at my physical body and judged me inferior, looking down on me. What a truly foolish fellow. In the world of martial arts, the body is important, but it is not everything. The one who wields the body is a person, and what is needed to wield it well is the principles of martial arts and a person’s level of attainment.
I suppose I should personally teach you that there are things far more important than the flesh.
“And if I say I don’t want to?”
“Then I would have to ask you again, more politely.”
The word “politely” carried clear force in the man’s voice. It seemed the politeness he spoke of was quite different from the politeness I knew.
“I see. Then ask me again.”
If you can, that is.
As I spoke, I added more weight to the internal energy I had spread around us. The body I currently possessed wasn’t strong enough to physically crush him, but it was more than enough to scatter his qi and press down on him with overwhelming pressure.
“Won’t you ask?”
Even after I asked again, the man couldn’t utter a single word. He could only clench his mouth shut, struggling to endure the pressure. This was what happened when one only cultivated inner power without training how to handle qi. If he had practiced the art of manipulating internal energy, he could have easily shaken off this pressure.
I clicked my tongue and looked at the man’s face. This bastard was annoyingly tall. Thanks to that, I had to look up at him. I didn’t like it.
I kicked his shin, forcing him to his knees. Now our eyes were level.
“Since you won’t speak, I’ll ask. Did the Blood Cult Leader send you?”
The man still didn’t answer. He should at least be able to move his head, yet he remained silent. Was he defying me?
I stomped on his knee, crushing the bone. In a normal situation, he should have screamed in pain, but no sound escaped his mouth. Terror filled his wide eyes, but that was all. What was this? He seemed like someone who felt no sensation at all.
Come to think of it, I recalled that VR game users had a function to adjust their sense of pain. Was this man currently unable to feel pain?
This was troublesome. It was true that I had some expertise in torture, but with this current body, I lacked a proper way to torment someone who couldn’t feel pain. It wasn’t impossible if I put in a little effort, but was it worth spending time on this guy? There was no need.
At a glance, he didn’t seem to hold a high position. He probably didn’t know much. I had no desire to waste time on him.
I struck his pressure points to immobilize his body, then crouched down to meet his eyes.
“Little one. How would you like to die?”
I needed to give you a proper humiliation so that your sect would come seeking revenge against me. Among them, there would surely be someone who possessed more valuable information than you.
“Showing you your own organs up close would be entertaining, but since I’m in the middle of a broadcast, something too cruel might not be appropriate. Should I cut off your limbs and let you die slowly from blood loss? Or how about crushing all your bones and letting you starve to death? Throwing you to a suitable beast wouldn’t be bad either. Or would you like to experience being burned at the stake?”
As I listed the various ways he could die right in front of him, the man’s face gradually turned deathly pale.
Why are you like this? You’re a user, so even if you die, you won’t truly die, right? I couldn’t understand why he was looking at me like I was a monster. He should have been prepared for this the moment he decided to threaten me.
While I was pondering because no good method came to mind, the man’s body suddenly vanished.
“Hmm?”
What was that? How did he hide himself? He shouldn’t have been able to do anything except think inside his head. Wondering if anyone knew about this phenomenon, I turned my gaze toward the chat window, but it was filled only with talk about what I had just done.
I had tried to be somewhat merciful because I didn’t want it to look too bad, yet this was the reaction I got. How troublesome. When I finally meet the Blood Cult Leader, I’ll have to be completely serious. I hope no one runs away in fear.
“Hey kids. Do any of you know why that guy disappeared?”
I see. So because he’s a game user, there’s a way to escape like that. Thanks to that, I didn’t have to get blood on my hands. I suppose I can consider it less work.
When I stood up and turned around, Baru was looking up at me with her tail tucked between her legs.
“Why are you so scared?”
I could understand modern people being startled, but why was someone from the Murim making that face?
“...You showed no hesitation at all.”
“I didn’t really do anything, though?”
I had been planning to give him an interesting experience, but the opponent ran away, so I couldn’t do anything. Before that, all I did was break his leg a little. There shouldn’t be any room for the word “cruel” here.
From the beginning, it was that man who showed hostility toward me first. I simply responded appropriately, yet I had to receive such a look. It felt a bit unfair. Wasn’t it common sense in the Murim that hostility should be met with an appropriate price?
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“...Never mind. Forget it.”
Baru shook her head, then jumped up and settled back onto my shoulder.
You little rascal. Doesn’t stopping mid-sentence make people even more curious? If you have something to say, say it clearly.
“If you think you know, then explain it to me.”
I couldn’t understand what the viewers were saying.
“Sloppy usually? When have I ever been like that?”
When have I ever not been serious?
“Instead of talking like that, explain it properly—”
MaBangSeok has donated 10,000 won.
[Take this and calm down.]
“I’m not angry. Haah… Fine, forget it.”
If I kept pressing the issue, I would only end up annoyed. Let’s stop here.
“Anyway, does anyone among you know about the sect that man belonged to?”
The man was a user. Naturally, the sect he belonged to was likely one created by users. In that case, there should be some players who knew about the sect he was part of.
My prediction was correct.
BlackBird has donated 1,000 won.
[The Blood Death Sect is a notorious evil sect in Hwaryong Muin.]
“What do you mean by notorious?”
It seemed their reputation was quite poor. And it was true that they were connected to the Blood Cult.
“If they’re connected to the Blood Cult, I might see them again at Mount Hua.”
After all, the ones plotting something at Mount Hua right now were those Blood Cult underlings.
Let’s see. It was supposed to take another thirty minutes to reach Mount Hua. We had already come halfway, so going back to learn regional travel wasn’t an option. For now, let’s just keep walking diligently toward Mount Hua.
*
“Fuck.”
Park Do-yoon, having exited VR, threw off his device and spat out a curse.
“What the hell is that bitch?”
Hwaryeong. A user who had recently been heating up various communities in Apis with her outstanding skills. A monster who had received recognition from the Sword Immortal the moment she started Hwaryong Muin.
Do-yoon knew that Hwaryeong possessed exceptional skill. Just looking at the feats she had accomplished in Apis was enough. There wasn’t a single person who could deny that her abilities were good enough for a professional debut.
But that was only in Apis.
Hwaryong Muin and Apis were completely different games. Unlike Apis, where everyone had similar specs, Hwaryong Muin was closer to an RPG. The gap between long-time veterans and complete beginners was an insurmountable wall.
Knowing that, Do-yoon hadn’t thought he would lose when he went to meet Hwaryeong. He was a mid-tier player, even if not top rank. He believed there was no way he could lose to a character who had just finished the tutorial.
But that had been a mistake.
Do-yoon recalled what had just happened to him. The pressure that made even breathing difficult. Those cold eyes looking down at him after forcing him to his knees. The movement that shattered his leg without the slightest hesitation. That indifferent voice that listed ways to die while looking him in the eye.
And she was a user who had just started Hwaryong Muin?
“Bullshit.”
It didn’t make any sense. Damn it. He should have realized something was off the moment the sect leader dumped this job on him.