The Heavenly Demon Offers Coaching (9)

The sand of the arena crunched beneath my feet as I asked, “How many moves would you like me to give you?”

Han Seo-woo let out a small laugh.

“I’m still a pro gamer who competes on the world stage, you know.”

“So you think you handle the Heavenly Demon Divine Art better than I do?”

In the modern world, you might be able to run circles around me, but by the standards of the Murim, you’re nothing more than a promising newcomer who barely stands out. For someone like that to not know his place and strut around claiming he’s strong… Had the version of me inside Hwaryong Muin never taught this guy how to recognize his own limits?

No, that wasn’t it. If his master truly was me, I probably hadn’t taught him on purpose. Since he couldn’t actually die, I must have figured it would be better to let him crash headfirst into reality and learn through experience.

Can’t be helped, then. I’ll just have to make him understand his place myself.

Without another word, I unfolded my footwork. It was a test to see how far he could follow with his eyes.

Han Seo-woo possessed surprisingly good vision for the level of skill he had. He managed to track me all the way until I appeared right in front of him. But no matter how sharp his eyes were, if his body couldn’t keep up, it was meaningless.

Han Seo-woo took my fist straight on and tumbled across the dirt for a long while.

“Even after that, do you still think I don’t need to give you any moves?”

Staggering back to his feet, Han Seo-woo exhaled sharply and took up a stance for his divine art.

“Then… could you give me as many as possible?”

His eyes and posture looked like he had made some grand resolution, but the words that came out of his mouth were far too sloppy. If he were a true newcomer with any spirit at all, he should have said something like, “I’ll take my chances and clash with you anyway.”

A helpless chuckle escaped me. The way he was acting was starting to annoy me.

“Very well. I shall bestow upon you the greatest number in the world.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I will give you zero. It is the smallest number, and therefore the greatest.”

The moment I said that, Han Seo-woo burst into laughter.

I had thrown out a joke, but it probably wasn’t very funny to him.

“Isn’t that too much?! You literally just said you’d give me moves!”

“Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you should have answered properly the first time.”

“Wow. That answer’s exactly the same too.”

The same? As the version of me in Hwaryong Muin? Was I really this petty back then? I thought I had been closer to cold-hearted than childish. Had the various variables inside Hwaryong Muin changed even someone like me? Or was that person simply someone else entirely?

Well. That was something I could check later. Right now, what I needed to see was Han Seo-woo’s true ability and exactly what kind of Heavenly Demon Divine Art he had learned.

“The last one was a joke. Come at me with everything you have. I will receive it.”

“You mean it?”

“As long as it’s not below my expectations.”

“Then I’ll have to work hard!”

I caught the fist Han Seo-woo threw. As expected, he wasn’t using any correction functions at all. There was no way a guy who made his living from this game wouldn’t be capable of at least this much.

When I lightly received his punch, Han Seo-woo pressed his lips into a thin line and struck again. This time, I decided to counter.

The instant our fists collided, Han Seo-woo refused to yield. Instead, he channeled his inner energy with the clear intent of shattering my fist. He understood the domineering path of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art quite well. His education had been excellent.

Back when I taught Dang So-il, he hadn’t understood any of it, so the lessons had been incredibly frustrating. After that, several more exchanges followed.

Han Seo-woo was fierce. When I chose to defend, he tried to break through my defense. When I chose to evade, he tried to eliminate my escape routes. And when I countered, he gladly accepted it. It was exactly the kind of behavior one would expect from a user of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

What I tested during that process was his combat logic. When he attacked. When he took the defensive. I constantly observed how he judged, thought, and moved.

And through that, I realized it. The one who had taught him was undoubtedly me. The combat logic Han Seo-woo possessed matched my own in far too many ways. While it was possible for the interpretation of the divine art to coincide by chance, having similar combat logic could not be a coincidence. That was something I had forged through decades of struggle.

I see. So you are the first disciple I ever took in, even though I had never kept a disciple my entire life. Then I am curious. What exactly about you caught my eye?

From what I can see right now, the talent Han Seo-woo possesses cannot be called outstanding. The world is overflowing with martial artists who have reached his level. So why would I have taken you as my disciple?

I kicked Han Seo-woo, who was charging at me, far into the distance and raised my inner energy.

“This should be enough of me receiving your attacks.”

“Are you coming at me now?”

“I am.”

I will let you experience the limit. In return, show me the qualities you possess. I look forward to it.

Han Seo-woo swallowed hard as he watched Hwaryeong spread her energy outward. He had experienced something similar once before. The first time he met his master. The moment she showed interest after seeing him use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. The energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that had ruled over the quiet bamboo forest was eerily similar to the energy now surrounding Hwaryeong.

Han Seo-woo tried his hardest to maintain composure. He calmed his increasingly ragged breathing, forcibly steadied his trembling hands, and desperately tried to forget the urge to avoid her piercing gaze as he stared at Hwaryeong.

This was something his master had taught him. No matter how overwhelmingly powerful the opponent, if you were caught by fear you would only collapse on your own. The stronger the opponent, the more you had to stay calm and observe them. His master had hammered that lesson into him countless times by crushing him beneath her power.

Thanks to that, Han Seo-woo was able to hold his stance even in front of an overwhelmingly superior expert. What had Master said after that again? “Don’t even imagine a future where you lose.” Since he was a body that didn’t know death, he should simply think that dying was fine and only imagine victory.

But right now, Han Seo-woo could not imagine himself winning no matter how hard he tried. It was impossible. No matter what move he pictured, all that followed was the image of himself being shattered to pieces.

His master had given him advice about this situation as well.

“What should you do if you can’t see a future where you win?”

“The best thing is to never fall into such a situation, but if it does happen, then you simply have to die. What else can you do?”

“Just prepare yourself to die and do what you believe is your best.”

It was an incredibly irresponsible thing for a master to say to her disciple, but Han Seo-woo’s master had added one more thing.

“If you die and somehow survive, come back to me. I will take revenge for you.”

This time, the latter part probably wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered was the first part. Doing his absolute best.

Han Seo-woo closed his eyes. He knew his eyes saw more than most people’s. He trusted them because they had helped him overcome many trials. But now was the time to step away from them for a moment.

From their previous exchange, he had realized he couldn’t follow Hwaryeong’s movements with his eyes. And even if he barely managed to track them, his body couldn’t keep up with what his eyes saw. If he stubbornly clung to his greatest strength now, he would only be devoured by it and lose.

He closed his eyes and focused on his other senses. Hwaryeong’s movements were endlessly close to his master’s. Therefore, her charge would also be endlessly similar to his master’s. If so, the way to respond should be similar too.

He listened to the sound of her footsteps. The very faint but heavy footsteps coming from far away. The moment her foot stamped the ground, the energy of her divine art began to devour the world.

Within that, Han Seo-woo continuously chased Hwaryeong while operating the inner energy inside himself. What he prepared was a killing blow. The best punch that had brought him many victories until now.

Han Seo-woo threw his fist toward the energy rushing at him. Pouring every ounce of his power into it, he hoped a single ray ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of light would appear within the jet-black darkness.

But no matter how bright the sun, if it was covered by dark clouds, no light would reach the earth. Han Seo-woo’s strike was swallowed up far too futilely and disappeared.

In that instant, Han Seo-woo instinctively understood his fate.

Why has someone like this been hiding away in the countryside all this time?

I looked down at Han Seo-woo sprawled across the floor. His effort to hold onto his best even in the worst moment was quite pleasing to see. That kind of talent wasn’t something one could easily possess. People tended to shrink back when faced with despair, didn’t they? It was far easier and more comfortable to bow one’s head to frustration than to overcome it, so everyone embraced resignation first.

This guy had eventually given in to resignation at the end, but until then he had resisted the sky above him with everything he possibly could. I felt like I could now somewhat guess what part of him the version of me inside Hwaryong Muin had taken a liking to.

“Get up. You think I wouldn’t notice that you’ve already come to your senses?”

“Can’t we just talk like this?”

No matter how exhausted he was from the sparring just now, that was far too disrespectful. I frowned and released killing intent, but Han Seo-woo remained calm. It was as if he was used to this sort of thing. The way he trembled with chattering teeth yet still refused to get up was either impressive or pathetic. I decided it was the former and thought, Fine, do as you please, before putting my long pipe in my mouth.

“Was the one who taught you the Heavenly Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Heavenly Demon Cult inside Hwaryong Muin?”

“I don’t know how you figured it out, but yes. That’s correct. I’ve been training under Heavenly Demon-nim for the past few years.”

“What is the Heavenly Demon’s name?”

“She uses the characters Baek, Hwa, and Ryeong. It’s the same as your current name, Hwaryeong-nim.”

I wasn’t surprised. I had already been certain during our spar. The reason I asked now was simply to confirm. If the one who taught him was indeed me, then it wasn’t hard to guess what this guy wanted to ask of me.

“Did your master say she wanted to see me?”

“Are you reading my mind or something?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Yes. She said she wants to meet once and have a conversation.”

The version of me that exists in the Cult. She wasn’t exactly someone I wanted to meet. The me who stayed in the Cult back then was still trapped in delusion, so in today’s terms, she was basically my dark history. I didn’t particularly want to face that. Still, it seemed that version of me had changed quite a bit inside the world of Hwaryong Muin. After all, the me I remembered would never have taken a disciple.

Hmm. This is troublesome.

“Tell your master this. I have no intention of setting foot in the Cult, so if she wants to meet, she should come to the grounds of Mount Hua. If she goes through that much trouble, I might consider it once.”