The Heavenly Demon Goes on a Rampage (1)
How did things spiral this badly right from the prologue? I understood that Lady Ara had begun as an unaffiliated player and stopped by the Beggars’ Inn. But that should have ended with completing the quests they offered there. Finish the requests, become a member of the inn, unlock the game’s various systems, and that’s that. How could the situation possibly escalate to the point where she would smash every single beggar in the place to pieces?
Ha-rin simply couldn’t wrap her head around it, so she opened the broadcast’s replay and scrolled back through the footage. She skipped past the parts where the inn’s beggars were hurled through the air like discarded luggage before finally locating the moment Ara had just arrived in front of the Beggars’ Inn.
As soon as Ara stepped into the inn, every eye inside locked onto her. A shabby tavern packed with sweaty men wasn’t the sort of place where a woman and a young girl would normally draw anything but suspicion. The patrons were mostly rough, lawless types who wouldn’t hesitate to pick a fight, yet the inn remained eerily quiet. The aura radiating from her was anything but ordinary, so they were all busy reading the room.
Ara scanned the interior, let out a small sigh, and walked toward the counter to address the owner.
“Excuse me.”
“Who are you?”
The owner replied with deliberate indifference, but she couldn’t hide the wariness etched in her eyes.
“I wish to register with the Beggars’ Inn.”
“Why?”
The somewhat hostile tone made Ara frown. It was their first meeting; she couldn’t understand why the woman was already so guarded. Ha-rin, however, knew exactly why the owner was acting this way. The Beggars’ Inn was a gathering place for martial artists who couldn’t join any proper sect—basically a shelter for the dregs. It wasn’t somewhere a skilled first-class expert would willingly visit. Naturally, the owner suspected Ara had some hidden motive.
Had Ara come here right after passing Geomseon’s test, the owner would have welcomed her with open arms. In situations like this, claiming some unavoidable circumstance usually eased the suspicion enough to grant entry. But Ara had no way of knowing that.
“Is there some condition for entering the inn?”
“Not at all. This is a nest that takes in warriors with nowhere else to go.”
“Then—”
“Still, I’d like to know why someone like you—who would be welcomed anywhere—would choose this place.”
Ara let out a low groan at the owner’s question. She had no particular reason. She had simply come because the game told her to, and because finishing this prologue was necessary before she could learn regional travel.
While Ara stood there awkwardly, she glanced at the chat for help, only to be met with a united front of “no spoilers” and a flood of emoticons and lmaos. The moment she sighed at the chat window’s complete refusal to assist, Baru stepped forward.
Baru puffed out her chest like a spokesperson, but the owner didn’t take the words of a little girl seriously. She simply assumed the child was defending her companion.
“Asking for a reason when there isn’t one is rather difficult.”
“Then could you at least tell me your name?”
“MintChocolatePineapplePizza.”
At the name that left Ara’s lips, Ha-rin burst out laughing before she could stop herself. Right. That was exactly the name she had chosen.
“Mint Choco… excuse me?”
“MintChocolatePineapplePizza.”
The rather ridiculous name left the owner visibly flustered. Ara bit her lip lightly; she didn’t seem particularly thrilled to be saying it herself.
While this subtle standoff continued, one of the beggars drinking in the back stood up.
“Hey! I don’t know what fancy clan raised you, kid, but if you can’t even say your own name properly, just go back where you came from!”
It might have sounded like drunken rambling, but no one could deny the clear insult behind it. When Ara turned to look at him, the beggar flinched for a second but offered no apology. Instead, he simply glared right back.
As the atmosphere grew heavier, the owner hurriedly rose and stepped between them.
“He’s had too much to drink and isn’t in his right mind.”
“So it seems.”
“Exactly, so—”
“Even so, that doesn’t make the words he spoke disappear, does it?”
Ara gently pushed the owner’s shoulder aside and walked toward the beggar. The panicked owner shouted that she would let Ara register if she would please just stop, but Ara didn’t slow down.
“What, you wanna fight? Come on then! Damn it. I’ve beaten a first-class expert before, you know?”
The beggar thrust his chin out as if daring her to take the first swing. Ara gladly accepted the invitation he offered.
Her fist slammed into his jaw. His brain must have rattled, because his body crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
The other beggars who had been murmuring among themselves began rising one by one. Attacking a member of the inn was the same as attacking the Beggars’ Inn itself. If one of their own fell, the rest were obligated to take revenge—regardless of how stupidly that one had behaved.
A player who looked like a user screamed that the woman was dangerous, that nothing good would come from provoking her. Yet the beggars didn’t stop. They knew there were moments when you had to charge in even if you knew you would lose.
Ara watched them draw their weapons one after another and rolled her neck.
“Baru, go watch from somewhere safe.”
“Understood!”
Having traveled with her long enough to instantly grasp Ara’s meaning, Baru scampered off to a secure corner.
“Come at me, you worthless lot. I’ll teach you your proper place.”
“Everyone, please calm down! This isn’t how things should go!”
The owner’s desperate shout fell on deaf ears. And so the fight began.
So that’s how it happened. Pure bad luck for the beggars at the inn.
There was no need to watch the outcome. Ara was the same person who had single-handedly crushed the sect leader of Mount Hua, a calamity given human form. There was no way she would struggle against the pathetic warriors of the Beggars’ Inn.
When Ha-rin returned to the live broadcast, the situation had grown even worse. She let out a helpless laugh. Baru was exclaiming in admiration that Ara truly showed no mercy. The viewers were cackling that she was no different from a villain. The owner was muttering that everything was ruined while a player stared in horror at the devastated inn. And right in the middle of the chaos, Ara stood with a deep frown on her face.
No matter how she looked at it, the situation didn’t seem like it would be resolved easily.
Since she had been planning to quit Hwaryong Muin anyway, maybe she should log in and help.
Ha-rin turned off her smartphone, put on her VR headset, and re-entered the world of Hwaryong Muin. The moment she opened her eyes, she found herself in the same bamboo forest where she had fought the other sects earlier. The once picturesque grove had been reduced to scorched earth from the intensity of those battles.
If I meet Geomseon like this, won’t he get angry that I destroyed the place where he lives? It felt like he might cut her down before she could even speak. She had to get to Hwaeum quickly. The situation was deteriorating by the minute; at this rate Ara might soon be chased by the authorities.
While manipulating the regional travel function, Ha-rin suddenly sensed a presence nearby and instantly dropped into a fighting stance.
“So there were still people from other sects left?”
The voice was one Ha-rin knew well. Having played Hwaryong Muin for a long time, she was familiar with every high-ranking player.
“Oh. It’s MeowMeow.”
A regular in the top fifty of Hwaryong Muin’s rankings and one of the very few female character rankers among the player base.
“Hello, Naseol.”
Naseol. The player famous for pouring her entire life into Hwaryong Muin. Checking the playtime rankings, it was always faster to start counting from the top. The kind of user who would instantly nod if someone offered to reincarnate her into a martial arts world. And, before she began training under Ara, the opponent Ha-rin could never have beaten no matter what she tried.
But things were different now. After receiving steady instruction from Ara and improving her skills, Ha-rin was confident she could defeat Naseol. Even so, she refrained from attacking because she feared the coordinated assault from the Murim Alliance that occupied this area. No matter how strong Ha-rin had become, her power was still within human limits. She had not reached the transcendent realm Ara inhabited. If the number-one faction—the Murim Alliance—ganged up on her, she would be helpless.
“I’ll leave quietly, so could you just let me go?”
The death penalty in Hwaryong Muin was severe. A portion of accumulated inner energy would vanish. Because martial arts disappeared in proportion to one’s total power rather than a fixed amount, those with vast internal energy feared death like a disease. If they fought now, Naseol would undoubtedly be the one to die. Then the Murim Alliance would arrive after hearing the commotion and Ha-rin would die as well. Rather than both of them suffering losses, it would be more profitable to let her go peacefully.
“Why should I?”
It seemed Naseol had no intention of doing so.
“Actually, I’ve been wanting to talk with you.”
“Did we have anything to talk about?”
“Of course we do.”
Ha-rin decided to play along with the conversation for now and look for an opening.
“What are you so curious about?”
“How did you catch Lady Ara’s eye?”
Why is Ara’s name suddenly coming up here? While Ha-rin faltered, unable to follow the sudden shift, Naseol continued on her own.
“Think about it. Before you met her, you were only famous for your gimmick. You weren’t known for skill.”
Naseol wasn’t wrong. Ha-rin had been well-known under the name MeowMeow, but she had never been among the top-tier players. Still, hearing the truth stated so bluntly wasn’t pleasant.
“And what about it?”
When Ha-rin’s voice rose slightly, the corner of Naseol’s mouth curved upward.
“Lady Ara is the epitome of a true martial artist. The martial arts she displays are more beautiful than any work of art. And the way she circulates her inner energy? It’s like breathing. Every time I see it, I can’t help but gasp in awe. So I’m asking why someone like her—who wouldn’t spare a glance for ordinary warriors—would take interest in a person like you. What kind of trick did you use?”
As Ha-rin listened quietly, she suddenly met Naseol’s gaze and took an involuntary step back. Madness was swirling in the other woman’s eyes.