The Heavenly Demon is Coaching (2)
As usual, I boarded the bus to attend class and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes. Yesterday had been an absolute whirlwind. My original plan was to hang out with my viewers for a while, then hop on as a battle mage to pick up some tips on magic usage. Instead, I got a sudden call, handled an ambush, and ended up raiding the Murim Alliance on top of it all.
I could still see their faces clearly—those people staring at me with pure terror in their eyes after I’d left Baek-il a broken wreck. After the way I demolished them, they wouldn’t dare think about threatening me again. And they certainly wouldn’t entertain any foolish ideas about touching anyone close to me, either.
Still, the whole mess would probably make it harder for me to move freely through Orthodox faction territory from now on. Even if they held no direct grudge against me, people who’ve been burned once tend to flinch hard the moment I show up. I don’t regret it, though. If I hadn’t delivered that kind of warning, Baru would have ended up getting hurt for sure.
The other sect members can die and revive without consequence, so they don’t matter. Hak Yeong-chung was already an enemy of the Orthodox faction anyway, so he’d figure out how to survive on his own. But Baru is different. She isn’t weak by any means, yet she isn’t strong enough to shrug off every threat the world can throw at her. If someone truly set their mind to targeting her, she’d be in real danger.
Even during the Murim Alliance raid, if I hadn’t arrived in time, Baru would have taken serious damage. The ideal solution would be to stay by her side constantly, but I have no intention of doing that. My return to Murim was driven purely by curiosity. Thanks to the whole Mount Hua situation, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Hwaryong Muin lately, but I don’t have any particular attachment to that world. I rebuilt the Hwasan Sect and became its leader, so I’ll handle sect affairs properly—but that’s where it ends.
I still have plenty of things I want to do in the modern world. I can’t stay locked away in Murim forever. That’s why I used Baek-il as an example. To make it crystal clear what would happen if anyone chose to oppose me. To secure Baru’s safety through that demonstration.
If even Baek-il—an executive of the Murim Alliance—couldn’t stop me and ended up a pathetic wreck, any martial artist with half a brain would think twice before provoking me. Thanks to that, I’ve become an object of terror for many warriors, but that was how things were in the past anyway. I’ve simply returned to form.
After turning Baek-il into a wreck, roughly dealing with the Murim Alliance brats who charged at me, and returning to Hwasan, I found every single sect member gathered together. It was late enough that they should have been asleep, but they’d all rushed over after receiving a message from Seol-ah. Looking at their faces, I thought the timing was perfect. I had something important to tell them anyway.
I’m used to earning the hatred of the Orthodox faction, but the others aren’t. Declaring hostility against an entire faction isn’t a small matter. I wanted to give them a chance to walk away. Their reactions, however, were far calmer than I expected.
“Why would we leave?”
“We can just avoid any Orthodox faction quests.”
“We’ve already taken all the good stuff anyway.”
I thought I’d at least get some complaints about why I’d attacked the Orthodox faction, but not a single one of them questioned my actions. Their attitude—that retaliation was the most natural thing in the world if you’d been attacked—actually left me feeling flustered.
Instead, they started asking whether we should raid the player-run Murim Alliance as well.
“The Alliance Leader is probably going to pull something again.”
“Yeah. Might as well strike first.”
“With Hwaryeong-nim here, we won’t lose in terms of raw power anyway.”
“Siyugeom-nim, where should we hit first?”
Watching them discuss it so casually, I realized just how differently modern people think compared to ordinary Murim folk. Thankfully, Siyugeom and Han Min-jun still had their heads on straight. The two of them stopped the other sect members who were already planning the next raid and explained that now wasn’t the time for further action. I agreed with them.
It might sound strange coming from me after I’d caused such a huge incident, but if we stirred up more trouble right after delivering a warning, those trembling beasts might decide to bare their fangs after all. For now, we needed to stay quiet and wait for the right moment.
When I said as much, the brats who’d been shouting for another raid looked disappointed. So I personally took the time to drain all that excess energy out of them. When the heat gets too high, you have to work it off with movement, don’t you?
By the time I’d exhausted the sect members to the point they couldn’t even utter the word “raid,” and finally exited the world of Hwaryong Muin, morning had already arrived.
This stop is...
The announcement pulled me out of my wandering thoughts. I stood up from my seat. Since I’d arrived a little early, maybe I’d watch some videos of cats playing around.
*
Ara was sitting in her usual spot, staring down at her smartphone. She was probably watching animal videos again, just like always. Ara doesn’t look particularly upset, does she? That was a relief for Enry. If Ara had been wearing a grim expression, Enry would have given up on speaking before she even started.
As Enry approached cautiously, Ara looked up as if she’d sensed her coming.
“Hello.”
“Hello! Ara! What are you watching today?!”
Ara tilted her head at Enry’s unnaturally high-pitched voice. It was obvious to anyone that Enry was tense and creaking under the pressure, but Ara didn’t press her about it. She simply shrugged and began talking about the video she’d been watching.
Enry listened with a relaxed expression as Ara narrated how the cats were unrolling a roll of toilet paper, all the while desperately trying to figure out how to bring up the real reason she was here. But the worry turned out to be pointless. The moment the MyTube video ended, Ara spoke first.
“So what favor did you come to ask for?”
“...Huh? I don’t really—”
“It’s written all over your face.”
How did she notice? Was it that obvious? Enry mentally retraced her own behavior. Even she had to admit it looked incredibly suspicious. Ugh. I really am an idiot.
“If it’s a request from you, Enry, I’ll probably grant it as long as it’s reasonable. Just tell me.”
While Enry was busy mentally scolding herself, Ara let out a small laugh and spoke. The person being asked for a favor was showing consideration for the one asking. Ara really is an angel.
Enry, who had been hesitating, finally accepted that kindness.
“Ara. Last time I mentioned I was entering a tournament, right?”
“You did.”
“Well… yesterday was the day we had to form teams for it.”
For Enry, last night had been more nightmarish than an actual nightmare. The viewers who started off teasing her eventually reached the point of openly typing that the situation looked completely fucked. It was the first time she’d ever seen her own audience telling each other they should probably hold back.
The team atmosphere yesterday had been utterly disastrous. The coach knew he’d messed up but kept forcing himself to say their team was great. Bae Min-hwang—the heavenly clown—and Enry had struggled to lift the mood, while the other broadcaster teammates joined in to try creating some semblance of good energy. But all of it crumbled the instant they scrimmed against another team.
Even though Bunny, the master of sword-room knights, had shown everything he possibly could, the crushing defeat completely shattered the team’s morale. By the time they hit a six-game losing streak, the audio had started to fill with awkward silences despite having five entertainers who were supposed to guarantee some level of fun.
Around the time the broadcast ended, Enry had come to a decision. This can’t continue. If things kept going this way, they’d suffer for two weeks straight and finish the tournament with a pathetic early elimination. That was something she had to prevent at all costs.
“Please help me, Ara! Just like you turned me into a proper human being, please turn our team’s beasts into people too!”
*
I could roughly guess what Enry wanted. She hoped I would do for her teammates what I’d done for her—identify their problems and raise their skills in a single day. For low-level beginners, fixing one or two major flaws could lead to noticeable improvement, so it wasn’t impossible.
However.
“Have you gotten their consent?”
That was only if the others were willing to follow my lead. If they had no real intention of obeying me, then no matter how useful my teachings were, it would all be meaningless.
“Of course! They all said they’d welcome it if you taught them!”
According to Enry, they’d been deeply impressed by how drastically she—who had once floundered at the bottom with them—had changed recently. They’d all nodded, saying that if they could grow like her, they were willing to endure any amount of hardship.
“I even got the coach’s approval. If you’re willing to help, there’s no one who can stop it!”
“Is that so? Then I’ll help.”
In truth, I’d already decided to help her the moment she first showed up with that suspicious look on her face. After everything she’d done for me since my return to the modern world, I intended to grant most of her requests.
Of course, I refused to become a doll. That was a matter of dignity.
“Really?!”
“Yes.”
The moment I agreed, Enry’s eyes sparkled. She grabbed my hand and began jumping up and down with joy. Even though it was still uncertain whether I could actually produce results, she was this happy. It seemed she placed quite a lot of trust in me.
I couldn’t betray that expectation, so I’d have to pay proper attention to this. Besides, thanks to what I’d done, the atmosphere in Hwaryong Muin would likely remain tense for a while. That meant I wouldn’t have much to do there anyway. Dropping in occasionally to check on Hak Yeong-chung and spending time with Baru should be enough.
Come to think of it, I needed to have a word with that Hak Yeong-chung fellow. Not showing his face even once while Hwasan was under threat from the Murim Alliance? That was far too irresponsible for an instructor. Next time I saw him, I’d have to instill some proper sense of duty in that man.
“Thank you! Ara! You really are an angel!”
“An angel?”
Hmm. This guy. The one who nearly became a pastor—can he really throw around the word “angel” so casually? Just the sins I’ve committed would be enough to drop me straight to the bottom of hell.
That thought came first, but it felt strange to question Enry while she was smiling like an idiot, so I simply smiled back.
Yes. I’ll do my best.