The Heavenly Demon Takes Viewer Challenges (3)
The moment I scattered the jets of water shooting toward me with my spear, a sword came flying straight at my throat. Compared to the fascinating magic, the opponent's swordplay wasn't all that impressive. My guess was that it came down to the difference between having the game's corrections and not having them. Still, the coordination between their magic and swordsmanship was worth watching. Even while moving their body, the spells aimed at me never faltered in the slightest. I could feel just how high their proficiency in magic truly was.
Out of all the battle mages I've met so far, this one came closest to my ideal. Just how familiar must one become with the language of magic to reach that level? Hmm. Now I was curious. I wanted to see how this fellow would try to stop me once they were driven into a corner. Whether they could still wield magic properly even when death brushed right past their side.
Up until now, I'd deliberately let myself be pushed back just to observe the harmony between their magic and swordplay, but it was about time to change the flow. Beyond the waves blocking my vision, I sensed the opponent's presence. The sound of feet stepping on water. Breaths heavy with tension. The fighting spirit directed straight at me. It was more than enough information to pinpoint their exact location.
I thrust my spear toward that spot.
The opponent reacted to the spear that pierced through the spray of water obscuring their sight. Through the gap that opened in the waves, I caught a glimpse of their face—a fresh cut on their cheek.
“Attacking is against the rules!”
“When did I ever say I wouldn’t attack?”
I had no memory of making such a promise. Even though the flow of the match had flipped in an instant, the opponent somehow managed to respond. The water that had been moving to strike me changed direction, now trying to obstruct my spear. Their reaction speed was impressive. Not bad at all. It would have been nicer if their swordsmanship had been a little better, but that was probably just my greed. They still hadn’t drawn out their full strength, so I should press them just a little more.
Calculating remaining HP...
Hah. Just when I was finally starting to enjoy myself, they pull this? While I frowned, the opponent sank to the floor as if completely exhausted. I hadn’t even launched a proper offensive yet. Was it because they were a mage and their stamina was weak?
“You worked hard.”
I meant it sincerely. Watching what they did had given me the motivation to one day achieve my dream of becoming a true battle mage.
“Thank you for your hard work. I really wanted to eat chicken, but it’s a shame.”
“If the chance comes again, challenge me once more.”
“Will you do this again next time?”
“If the mood strikes me.”
Though I said that, I probably wouldn’t do it again. At this point, the honor of those who had first applied to Mount Hua should be sufficiently preserved. The kids watching the broadcast seemed less interested in cursing the people who faced me and more curious about what kind of person I was. There was no real reason to do this again. Even if I ended up meeting the viewers in person someday, it would probably be in a different way.
“That’s enough viewer participation for today.”
“Still, it would be unfair if no one got any chicken, so I’ll pick twenty viewers at random and give them a gift.”
I’ve received far too much from all of you until now, so I should at least repay you in this way. Would you believe me if I said that the money you’ve gifted me while I’ve been streaming is more than all the money I’ve spent since coming to the modern world? It hasn’t been that long since I arrived here, and I certainly haven’t lived frugally, yet my bank balance has only grown. Given the situation, it feels a little burdensome, so if I don’t give back like this, my mind won’t be at ease.
The instant I spoke, the chat exploded with messages of people frantically typing “hand” over and over. Do you guys like free stuff that much? Just wait. I’ll hold the drawing right now.
I knew how to pick people from among the viewers. There must be a raffle function among the broadcast features. I’d seen Enry use it while watching her stream, so I was certain. The problem was that I didn’t know exactly where it was. I was thinking of just pressing random buttons when I suddenly remembered the mistake I’d made before and froze. Back when I accidentally kicked several people out of Enry’s broadcast while trying to open betting, she had scolded me. She told me that if I didn’t know what I was doing, I should ask first instead of touching things.
“Is Enry here right now?”
“From what I remember, she was supposed to be picking a team today. What happened?”
Just what on earth happened to Enry that everyone was reacting like this? While watching the viewers chatter, I turned on Enry’s stream. There, I saw her desperately swinging her spear against a grappler.
“Just die already!”
“I can’t lose on purpose!”
“Lose on purpose! It’s just a scrim anyway, one time is fine!”
“We’re both Diamond. Let’s try to win.”
“What do you mean we’re both Diamond, you crazy bastard!”
Even at a glance, the grappler standing in front of Enry clearly had superior skill. To my eyes, they looked like someone who was barely on the verge of entering Master rank. Enry had only barely reached the Diamond rank herself. She must be struggling against an opponent like that. Honestly, the reason she looked like she was putting up a good fight right now was because her opponent was fighting safely. If they charged in seriously, Enry would have no way to hold out.
That was when an ambush flew in from behind Enry. I remembered that this tournament was based on 5v5. Since she was already slowly being pushed back even against one person, there was no way she could endure a coordinated attack from two. Sure enough, she met her death not long after.
When she revived, she stared at the wall blocking her from leaving the spawn, then wildly shook her head.
“No, fuck! How am I supposed to win this?!”
I couldn’t tell exactly how the situation was unfolding, but I could at least tell that Enry was on the verge of exploding. The room where she had respawned wasn’t just occupied by her. The expressions of what appeared to be her teammates didn’t look very bright either.
“Um. Is there anyone who can explain this situation to me?”
The moment I spoke, the viewers began explaining as if they had been waiting for it. So, the former ‘Apis Trash Tournament,’ now the ‘Apis Streamer Tournament,’ didn’t start with pre-made teams. Instead, it accepted individual participants, then the managers who entered as coaches would form teams through an auction after the tournament began. Because teams weren’t set from the beginning, the chance of forming the team you wanted was practically zero. Every round, there were teams that got good auction results and teams that got terrible ones. And this time, Enry had ended up on one of the terribly failed teams. Not just any failure, but one so bad that people were saying it was one of the worst in the entire history of the tournament.
From what I’d heard from Enry, once your team was decided poorly, you’d suffer the whole time you were broadcasting. So it really turned out that way? …Hah. When I see Enry tomorrow, I should buy her something sweet and feed it to her.
Given the situation, I couldn’t ask Enry for help. I turned off her stream, crossed my arms, and spoke to the viewers with confidence.
“Alright. Hurry up and tell me how to do the raffle.”
* Baru, who had been trying to sleep in the room that Min-ga usually used, woke up from the noise coming from outside. Who in the world was making such a racket in the middle of the night?
Baru frowned and perked up her ears, then stood up on all fours and stretched. She had been sleeping so comfortably on the cushion that Min-ga had bought for her on the way back. What an inconsiderate fellow. Grumbling to herself, Baru hopped up and took on her human form once more. Because she was still half-asleep, her ears remained on her head, but since everything felt bothersome, Baru decided to just leave them as they were. According to Min-ga, everyone belonging to this Mount Hua already knew she was a divine spirit, so there was no need to hide it.
Staggering slightly, Baru opened the window and saw a woman training alone in the middle of the training grounds. She was pretty sure that child’s name was Na-seol. How diligent. She had been at it nonstop ever since they arrived at Mount Hua earlier that day.
Resting her chin on her hand, Baru watched the people training their martial arts with a blank stare and realized that she had grown quite close to humans. As a divine spirit, Baru had lived an incomprehensibly long life. They were beings born from concepts rather than life itself. They came into existence naturally as life settled upon the mountain and were born with the mission to protect it.
At first, like the other divine spirits, Baru had never doubted her mission. But as time passed, doubts began to form. The rocky mountain where Baru resided was a boring place. Its terrain was rugged, so few people visited, and there were no precious treasures worth protecting. All that existed there were rocks. Living in loneliness while guarding such a place, Baru gradually began to question what she was doing.
What am I doing here? Is there any reason for me to be here?
Those doubts only grew stronger as time passed and she met others. Whenever other divine spirits met Baru, they would boast about how lively their own mountains were. Or they would lament that there were so many treasures that protecting the mountain was exhausting. Baru was envious of both. My mountain has nothing.
The people she happened to meet by chance always wore bright, cheerful smiles. They told her how vast and amazing the world was. Listening to their stories, Baru felt envy. I have to stay stuck here.
So a day passed. Then a month. A year. Ten years. After an even more distant stretch of time, Baru had already made up her mind. If the chance came, she would leave this mountain. She would go out and see the wider world.
Then one day, a calamity struck the volcanic mountain not far from her own rocky mountain. The divine spirit of Mount Hua said that she could not stop it with her power alone and begged for help protecting the mountain. Most divine spirits paid it no mind. Their highest priority had always been their own mountain. Even if danger came to another mountain, they would not leave their own empty. But Baru was different. She had always wanted to leave the mountain, and since she had frequent exchanges with the divine spirit of Mount Hua, the moment she received the message, she decided to go to Mount Hua.
However, there was one problem. The divine spirit of Mount Hua was among the stronger ones. If even she could not handle the disaster, then even if Baru went, the result would be the same. She needed an ally. An ally strong enough to defeat the calamity.
But finding such an ally was truly a daunting task. Aside from the few divine spirits she knew, she was practically a loner. Where could she find such a powerful ally? Deep in thought, Baru had just reached the conclusion that she should at least go and try when, from the barren rocky mountain with nothing on it, she felt the aura of a Shinseon.