The Heavenly Demon Causes Chaos (2)
Previous Na-seol hadn't been like this. She had a tendency to immerse herself deeply in games, but it had always remained within the bounds of passion. At least, that was how she had been when Ha-rin met her two or three months ago. But now? There was no trace of rationality in her eyes. She looked as though she were playing the role of a lunatic straight out of a movie.
"Exactly what part of you is so special that you're receiving Hwa-ryeong-nim's affection?"
Yet this wasn't acting. The thick, viscous emotion radiating from her shrunken pupils could never be dismissed as performance. If it were truly acting, Na-seol shouldn't be wasting her time in Hwaryong Muin—she ought to be auditioning for the stage.
"Answer me."
"I haven't done anything."
Ha-rin and Hwa-ryeong's relationship had begun solely from Hwa-ryeong's goodwill. Hwa-ryeong had simply accepted Ha-rin's fan-like admiration, and that was how their connection formed. Ha-rin herself had done nothing to earn it.
"Yet someone like Hwa-ryeong-nim cherishes you?"
Even though she had spoken only the truth, Na-seol refused to believe her. The dismissive tone, as if such a thing were impossible, made Ha-rin furrow her brows slightly.
"Is there a problem with me being close to Hwa-ryeong-nim?"
"How can you even ask that? Hwa-ryeong-nim is destined to carve countless achievements into history. Her footsteps will become the very history of VR martial arts games."
Her voice grew hotter, almost ecstatic at the mere thought of that future. Ha-rin's expression soured with each passing word. This person...
"But for the one standing beside that history to be an ordinary person like you? That won't do. It absolutely shouldn't be allowed."
What the hell happened? Why had a perfectly normal person turned into this? Watching Na-seol glare at her as though she were something repulsive, Ha-rin found herself asking without thinking.
"What exactly is Hwa-ryeong-nim to you that you're acting this way?"
What she sensed from Na-seol now wasn't simple admiration. It wasn't mere liking, a desire to meet her, or even a wish to learn from her. What radiated from her was something far heavier, far more intense.
"Someone who must be revered."
The answer came without the slightest hesitation. In that instant, Ha-rin realized she had heard this tone before. Back in school, a teacher had once played a documentary about a cult. One follower had spoken of offering everything—money, time, health, even family—to their faith. That follower's voice and Na-seol's voice now were eerily, endlessly similar. At least, they sounded that way to Ha-rin.
"Do you think Hwa-ryeong-nim is some kind of god?"
Hwa-ryeong was certainly extraordinary. As someone who stood right beside her, receiving teachings as though from a master, Ha-rin could never deny that greatness. Yet Hwa-ryeong remained an extraordinary person. It was true that when she fought with a serious expression, she became the very image of a protagonist from a martial arts novel. But she was also the type to call a creepy doll from a horror game "cute," to fumble with VR functions and make ridiculous mistakes, to stubbornly refuse to admit failure, to panic when she accidentally made someone cry, and to pull mischievous pranks from time to time. She was an ordinary person who could smile brighter than anyone when delicious food was placed before her.
"A god... Perhaps so."
She was not the flawless, sacred being Na-seol imagined.
"You're insane."
Ha-rin could no longer hide her true feelings. The disgust she felt toward this person made any pretense impossible.
"Would you call it enlightenment, then?"
Even at the contemptuous remark, Na-seol remained calm. Her tone, as though she were a prophet being slandered, made Ha-rin drag a hand down her face.
Calm down. Calm down. I got too worked up. In the end, what this person wants is for me to stay away from Hwa-ryeong-nim. If I reframe it, it's just someone throwing a tantrum because they don't like seeing their favorite streamer collab with someone else. It's no different from screaming, "Why are you clinging to my bias?!"
Having befriended various streamers, Ha-rin knew exactly how to handle people like this. Ignore them. No matter what nonsense they spouted, just brush it off with a mental "the dog barks well" and move on. Since Hwa-ryeong, the other party involved, wasn't the type to be shaken by something so trivial, nothing would happen as long as Ha-rin ignored the bullshit.
Reason told her this. Emotion, however, told her something entirely different.
"You asked how we met, didn't you? I'll tell you. Hwa-ryeong-nim came to eat at the restaurant my family runs. That became our connection, and I started receiving her teachings."
"...You actually met in person?"
"Yes. I know Hwa-ryeong-nim's real appearance—something you don't—and I even have her phone number."
At the declaration that, unlike someone like her, Ha-rin was close to Hwa-ryeong, Na-seol bit down hard on her lip.
"Ha. You got lucky. Must be some famous restaurant, then?"
"Of course. How famous is our bone hangover soup?"
"...Bone hangover soup?"
No. Why are you surprised by bone hangover soup? It's not some disgusting food—it's a popular dish anyone can enjoy. Of course Hwa-ryeong-nim could come eat there. What, did you think she was some fairy who only drinks dew? Ah, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. What, are you shocked because you eat some fancy food? Are you a chaebol daughter or something?
"Na-seol-nim. I understand you don't want to see me and Hwa-ryeong-nim together. That's fine. Affection isn't rational to begin with. But would you please stop acting crazy when you're nothing to Hwa-ryeong-nim?"
Death penalty or whatever—it didn't matter. She could just rebuild her internal energy again. It was something she'd done to the point of boredom. She could do it as many times as needed. But she didn't know when else she'd get the chance to smash her fist into this damn woman's face.
"Acting crazy?"
"Yes. Acting crazy. Honestly, it's a bit disgusting, don't you think?"
The air around them grew heavier. Both began to manifest their internal energy, pressing against each other. Ha-rin and Na-seol were both among the highest-ranked players in Hwaryong Muin. The sheer volume of internal energy they possessed was more than enough to mark them as Murim masters, so their clash of auras wasn't merely a staring contest—it influenced everything around them.
"Come at me. Murim respects the strong, doesn't it? Prove you're right by defeating me."
"I was planning to anyway."
The two assumed their stances. Both wielded fist techniques—only the styles differed. While Ha-rin had been captivated by the wind and pursued Wind Flow Fist, Na-seol had sought efficiency to grow stronger. Eight Extremes Fist—or rather, a derivative version users had arbitrarily modified to maximize their corrections—was the technique Na-seol employed.
Ha-rin struck first. Her fist technique, which chased the wind, was built upon constant motion. It was threatening while on the offensive, but grew powerless when forced onto the defensive. To seize the initiative, she extended her fist first.
Na-seol's response was closer to the center, meeting Ha-rin's pursuit of extreme speed. Rather than counterattacking hastily, she received the blows and waited for an opening. Ha-rin studied Na-seol's sharp eyes and kept thinking. The derivative Eight Extremes Fist was, in animal terms, like a crocodile—waiting beneath the surface for an opportunity before ending the fight with a single strike. So what Ha-rin needed was a victory without a single mistake.
"You claim to like Hwa-ryeong-nim so much, yet you don't use the Heavenly Demon Divine Fist?!"
"You're using Wind Flow Fist too!"
"I've only ever used this!"
"Same here!"
Even as they traded words, their fists never stopped. Ha-rin felt something strange as she watched Na-seol receive her strikes. It was only natural that Na-seol's specs were higher. No matter how much of a veteran Ha-rin was in Hwaryong Muin, she couldn't compare to the madwoman before her. Against someone who seemed to have sold their entire life to the game world, Ha-rin was inevitably lacking. But that wasn't what felt off. Having learned martial arts from Hwa-ryeong, she could now roughly distinguish between following principles and merely following movements. To her eyes, Na-seol was following principles—albeit clumsily.
How long has it been since Hwa-ryeong-nim lectured about principles, and she learned it on her own? Abandoning her old methods? Impressive. I'll give her that. It's obvious how much she must have struggled to learn alone what I had to die over and over to master from Hwa-ryeong-nim. But she's still clumsy. Because she's not used to following principles, her body is stiff instead. If she ever reaches the point where she can unfold principles as naturally as breathing, I don't know what'll happen then—but for now, I can win.
The moment she confirmed the gap in skill, Ha-rin decided to end it quickly. If she dragged things out, Murim Alliance members would surely swarm the area. She deliberately left an opening—one an Eight Extremes Fist user couldn't help but target. A trap so obvious that even Na-seol hesitated for a split second, yet she still prepared her fist. She was confident that even if it was a trap, such a gap could be crushed. But that was exactly what Ha-rin had been waiting for.
Na-seol's fist, thrust with all her might, shot forward like a spear aimed to pierce Ha-rin. For a moment, victory seemed certain—until she realized something was wrong. There was no impact. No sensation in her hand. It felt as though she had swung at empty air. Turning her gaze aside, she saw Ha-rin preparing to strike.
BOOM!
Na-seol's body flew backward, crashing through bamboo. Ha-rin had landed a solid hit, but she didn't relax her stance. Na-seol wouldn't fall from just this. Her specs were top-tier in Hwaryong Muin. It would take several more strikes to bring her down.
Na-seol staggered to her feet, gritted her teeth, and assumed her stance once more. Ha-rin spoke with a playful lilt.
"I could let you run away now, you know."
"Eat shit."
The negotiation collapsed in an instant. Do I have to go all the way? I'll have to kill her and prepare to die at the hands of the Murim Alliance. As Ha-rin watched Na-seol's movements with that thought, Na-seol's body suddenly pitched forward. Neither she nor Ha-rin understood what had happened. There had been no warning. Like accidentally skipping ten seconds while watching a video, the process vanished and only the result remained.
Na-seol collapsed to the ground. Footsteps echoed from behind.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of hard, heavy wooden clogs.
"I watched well, kid."
Parting the bamboo as he emerged was—
"For an outsider, you fought rather well."
Geomseon.