The Heavenly Demon Teaches (1)
"So who is that person really? Does she practice martial arts in real life?"
"I wonder."
Enry didn't know exactly what Baek Ara had done before. After all, it hadn't even been a full month since the two of them had met. It was clear she had learned martial arts previously. Seeing her easily overpower a man twice her size confirmed it. Beyond that, she knew nothing. She had no intention of pressing the issue. Asking about someone's past when they hadn't offered the information themselves would be rude.
"I'd rather keep it a secret. My friend isn't a streamer, you know."
If Ara chose to reveal anything later, Enry wouldn't stop her, but she had no plans to dig into her friend's past first. She had only just made this friend, after all. Enry hoped Ara wouldn't be disappointed in her.
"Enry. It's over."
Baek Ara approached Enry's side. Behind her, a bear doll lay sprawled across the floor like a broken machine. Or perhaps it really was broken. Either way, the creaking bear doll looked utterly pitiful.
"Is it really over now?"
"Seems like it. They say that doll was the boss."
"Time to see the ending, then."
She wondered if ending a horror game this way was acceptable, but the viewers didn't seem particularly upset. As she always did while playing, Enry clung to Ara's arm.
"Something else might still pop out."
Seeing Enry declare the game over with her own mouth yet still unable to shake her anxiety, Ara let out a small laugh and shrugged.
One of the traits I acquired while growing up as the Heavenly Demon was that my heart would only find peace after delivering proper punishment to those who dared ignore me. I must not be ignored. The Heavenly Demon is an existence that must command fear from all. The Third Elder's brainwashing had taken deep root. This disposition remained even after all this time. Of course, the severity of the punishment had decreased compared to the past. Where I once claimed heads immediately, now I could be satisfied with minor harassment.
After finishing the horror game broadcast with Enry, I immediately launched Apis. There was only one reason. To make that bastard Dekay, who had humiliated me, feel my wrath.
From the information I dredged out of the vast ocean of data, Dekay resided in the Challenger bracket. Since he made his living from Apis, he apparently spent most of his time playing with multiple characters. In short, if I reached Challenger tier and queued during his streaming hours, I would be able to meet him.
Having learned this, I started ranked games immediately. I never considered that I might fail to reach Challenger. That Dekay fellow was practically a novice compared to me. How could those beneath even him possibly wound me? It was merely a matter of time. Reaching that rank was inevitable.
I had jumped into ranked expecting low standards, but the reality was even worse. Every opponent I faced in ranked games was utterly ignorant about combat. I understood why. How often did modern people devote themselves to struggling against others? Still, you aren't playing the game just to lose, are you? Why make no effort to win!
The ranked games began at Silver. The silver warriors had no thoughts in their heads. Thanks to the Correction System, their techniques were excellent, but that was all. Even if one possessed a spear that could pierce anything, what meaning would it have if the attack never landed?
When the rank color shifted to gold, the children at least developed some brains. They pondered technique distribution, tried to read their opponent's intentions, and mixed various attacks to achieve their goals. However, it was only pretense. The moment they were even slightly cornered, they became no different from the silver players. It went without saying that none of their attacks reached me.
Eventually, before even a full day had passed, I obtained Platinum.
Congratulations! You have been promoted to Platinum!
We wish you the glorious battles of a warrior!
There was no joy. The struggle I desired existed nowhere in those ranked games.
"So you actually hit Platinum?"
"Yes."
On the way home after language school classes ended, I shared my impressions of ranked games with Enry. She let out a hollow laugh.
"I've been playing for years and never once reached Plat."
Was Enry struggling in that same place? Not knowing that, my talk of levels and such might have sounded like deception. However, I didn't correct myself. Their low standard was simply an undeniable fact. Enry was certainly a good person, but being a good person didn't automatically make one excel as a warrior.
"Talent really is important, huh?"
"No. This is a problem that comes before talent."
When most players didn't even know the basics of the weapons they wielded, how could they possibly fight well?
"Does that mean I need to learn real martial arts to get good at Apis?"
"It would help."
The difference between knowing why, where, and what kind of movement to make versus not knowing was enormous. Even if one couldn't execute it perfectly, the knowledge itself held great importance.
"If you're going to learn, I could teach you."
I had received plenty of favors from her, after all. I was usually stingy with my teachings, but for Enry, the effort would be worthwhile.
"I'd be grateful, but..."
"Is there a problem?"
"It's my pride, I suppose."
When Enry said it was depressing to need lessons from a newbie after years of playing Apis, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Ara. Several people tried to teach me before."
The character Enry selected in Apis was a woman wielding a long spear. Her build wasn't particularly large, but the well-defined muscles in all the right places and the numerous scars covering her skin made it clear she had lived a life of constant battle. Her name was Dragon Hunter, if I recalled correctly. Considering my own title was the same as in my previous life, there was a high chance she had truly hunted dragons in her past existence.
A dragon, hmm. She must have been strong. It would be nice to face her someday.
"But they all gave up and ran away. Do you think you can teach me, Ara?!"
"Are you bragging?"
When I replied in the tone of Murim, Enry let out a small laugh.
"Would it count as bragging?"
"It would."
How curious. Enry was a sharp person. I found it difficult to imagine her struggling to receive instruction. If multiple people had given up on her, the problem likely lay with Enry rather than the teachers.
"For now, come at me. I need to identify the issues."
"Go easy on me, please."
"Worry not. Controlling my strength is my specialty."
Enry's first attack was a charge. The overly straightforward assault made me laugh involuntarily. Her momentum was fierce, but a spear user charging forward? Why would someone who needed to maintain distance choose to rush in? Furthermore, the follow-up attack was a thrust aimed at the head. It was so honest that prediction wasn't even necessary. Why aim for the head right from the start? Success would certainly be fatal, but openly showing your intention to target the head makes it far too easy to dodge.
I tilted my head slightly to evade the spear tip, then pushed Enry's chest to regain distance.
"How did you dodge that?"
Was she truly asking out of ignorance? There was so much I could say, but I kept my mouth firmly shut. We had only just begun sparring. I couldn't crush her spirit this early.
As the sparring continued, the question in my mind only grew. How could someone lack basics to this degree? Since Enry was the one who had introduced me to Apis, she couldn't have only fought in the game for a day or two. What truly made me laugh was the fact that despite her foolish repeated actions, her techniques weren't bad at all thanks to the Correction System.
After roughly ten minutes of sparring, I finally understood Enry's condition. The words "What exactly did your previous teachers teach you?" nearly escaped my lips. Enry was a perfect blank slate. Naturally, if she had studied under a teacher, she should have learned something no matter how inept that teacher was. Why was she this unskilled?
"Ara. How did I do?"
"You truly are a pure soul."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Would it be?"
Let's think positively. If it was a blank slate, I simply needed to paint upon it. However, my personal concern was the possibility that Enry wasn't a white canvas but a black one. No matter how skilled the artist, one could not paint with a brush upon black paper.
"Enry. Have you ever heard that distance is crucial in combat?"
"Yes. You need to adjust distance based on the weapon, right? Fists for ultra-close range, swords for close range, spears for mid-range, and bows or magic for long range. That's what I remember."
To be precise it was different, but it was close enough, so I let it pass.
"The principle applies to other weapons as well, but maintaining distance is especially vital for the spear. A skilled spear user never yields distance to their opponent. By any means necessary, they maintain a range where their attacks reach while their opponent's do not."
Even after explaining verbally, it was obvious from Enry's mechanical responses of "Yes, yes" that she had barely understood. The usually sharp Enry became like a child when it came to martial principles. Well, even I was still failing at the most basic aspects of language. Everyone had things they excelled at and things they struggled with. In such cases, showing through action was the fastest method.
"Wait a moment. I will switch characters."
When I changed from the Heavenly Demon to the Dragon Hunter, I felt something other than qi residing within the body. What was this? Having never experienced this form of energy before, it felt disconcerting. It didn't seem to be demonic energy, at least.
"What's wrong?"
"There is something strange inside this body."
"Is this your first time playing a mana-based character?"
"Mana?"
When I expressed confusion at the unfamiliar term, Enry explained. From what I gathered, mana was something similar to qi. It was a power that enabled one to do what ordinary people could not.
"Give me a moment. I must understand the energy within this body. It won't take long."
I tried moving the mana inside, but it didn't respond well. Was it because this was my first attempt? I reactivated the Correction System I had disabled earlier and swung the spear. Just as before, my body moved on its own according to the system, along with the energy residing within.
With my eyes closed, I focused solely on the energy moving inside me. The energy circulating through my body was alien, yet precisely because of that, its essence was easier to grasp. Mana was similar to qi yet completely different. Qi operated according to the laws of nature to manifest martial arts. In other words, it interpreted nature's principles to produce the result known as martial techniques. It was no coincidence that many warriors ascended to the rank of Shinseon.
This power called mana was the complete opposite. Mana was a force that directly inscribed principles using one's own power. It ignored the laws of the world and wrote one's will upon them instead. A self-willed, domineering energy. That was mana.
How interesting. If utilized properly, it seemed capable of many things. Depending on the application, reproducing martial arts using only mana appeared possible. Though I was still clumsy with this mana and could not say for certain.
After roughly grasping it and opening my eyes, I found Enry watching me with fascination.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You used the Correction System just now, didn't you?"
"Correct."
"Even with the same Correction System, the difference can be this vast."
At Enry's admiration, I simply shrugged. The years we had devoted to martial arts were different. How could the results possibly be the same?