The Heavenly Demon Came to Visit (1)

These days, there was hardly anyone watching internet broadcasts who didn't know the name Hwaryeong. It hadn't even been half a year since she first revealed herself to the world, yet the ripples she'd left behind were enormous. Even before she started streaming, Hwaryeong had been the goddess of kindling, setting bulletin boards ablaze whenever the mood struck her. Whether you lurked in communities, scrolled through SNS, or simply brushed against the VR world, you inevitably learned her name.

Perhaps it was because Hwaryeong had become so famous that discussions about her real-life identity frequently popped up in communities. Everyone was curious about the true identity of this comet-like figure who delivered such overwhelmingly dominant performances. Was she a current pro gamer? Maybe a famous person from overseas? The odds were high that she practiced martial arts in real life. The theories were endless, but none of them had any solid evidence.

The reason was simple: Hwaryeong almost never let anything about her real life slip while streaming. She guarded her concept with terrifying consistency. Her speech, her movements, her gestures—nothing deviated from the Heavenly Demon persona. She even maintained the act when she played alone after ending her broadcasts. Extracting any clues about her real identity from Hwaryeong was virtually impossible.

It had gotten to the point where the theory that she was an AI created by the Apis developers was gaining serious traction.

To those burning with curiosity about Hwaryeong's identity, the rumor that she had shown up to a company dinner was incredibly juicy gossip. People desperate to uncover her true self swarmed the broadcast channels of the Revenge Wanted team like a swarm of locusts. They hoped the teammates might accidentally drop even the smallest hint about Hwaryeong's real life.

However, the Revenge Wanted members were all veterans who had survived for years in the internet broadcasting scene. Having experienced similar situations countless times, they toyed with the audience's expectations, dangling information just out of reach while carefully avoiding anything truly revealing.

That was the extent of Bae Min-hwang's specific comments about Hwaryeong.

Nabi-rin only mentioned that Hwaryeong was a strong drinker and barely touched on her appearance.

Na-hee at least tried to say something meaningful, but with her limited vocabulary, she simply repeated how cool Hwaryeong was. Enry, who was usually harassed by the others, showed zero interest in the topic. And since Bunny hadn't even turned on her stream, there was no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way to ask her. The only real piece of information came from Dalbit, who mentioned that Hwaryeong wasn't someone he'd seen in the domestic leagues.

That day, when Hwaryeong finally turned on her broadcast, the locust swarm that had been hopping from channel to channel descended upon her stream en masse. They were hoping she might let something slip while talking about the company dinner.

As usual, she was puffing on her long pipe while waiting for viewers to gather. When they kept bringing up yesterday's dinner, she finally addressed it.

"Yesterday's dinner, you say? It was quite an enjoyable experience. Eating on someone else's wallet is always pleasant. Especially when it's a place too expensive to visit with your own money."

"Is that true? He didn't mention it, so I didn't ask, but I didn't realize it was that much."

"I did eat quite a lot in various ways. The price aside, it was delicious, so that's what matters."

"I am. I am a person who does not know the word 'drunk,' after all."

"Why would I throw away something that tastes so good? Do I look like someone who isn't serious about their food?!"

"Well. That is true. When I speak Korean, it naturally comes out that way."

"I shall decline. I have no desire to show you an awkward way of speaking."

"If you truly wish to hear this one speaking Korean, come find me in the real world. Then you will naturally get to hear it."

"What nonsense are you all spouting? Do you not all know what this one looks like?"

"You know me well. That is exactly what I was about to say."

"No, I'm being serious?"

Hwaryeong kept insisting that she looked identical to her avatar, but no one believed her.

"Hah. You pathetic creatures."

Despite her repeated attempts to convince them, the viewers continued to mock her. Hwaryeong grumbled, bit down on her pipe, and abruptly declared an end to the topic.

"Enough. You lot. This seat is going to play some games. Today, after a long time, I shall enter Hwaryong Muin on stream. I will probably wander around eating delicious things with Baru."

* The viewers don't believe me even when I tell them the truth. This avatar was created from my real appearance, so it would be fair to call us the same person. Yet why do they insist on treating me like a liar? Well. Thinking back to when Harin spoke to me before, those who will believe will believe, I suppose.

After stepping into the world of Hwaryong Muin, the sound of people shouting in sync reached me from outside. It seemed training was in full swing. I opened the window of the room where I was staying and looked out. All the members of Mount Hua had gathered and were receiving instruction under Hak Yeong-chung.

Everyone's skills have improved greatly. In the beginning, even those who were just beginning to grasp the principles of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mount Hua were rare, but that was no longer the case. They were all following the principles, albeit clumsily. It was clear they would soon show results.

It made sense. These were all people who had used Mount Hua's martial arts for a long time. Once they understood the underlying principles, they would naturally realize what they had been doing all along and grow rapidly. It had been the same for Harin and Dang So-il before them, so I believed these people would follow the same path.

"Baru worked very hard."

I left the building and walked toward those training. Starting with Hak Yeong-chung, they all offered polite greetings.

"Is the training progressing well?"

"Yes. Everyone's level has risen significantly. It seems that having practiced Mount Hua's martial arts beforehand has been a great help."

"Is there anyone ready to learn the Purple Mist Divine Art?"

"We will need to observe a bit longer, but I believe Murim Choegang and Na-seol are both strong candidates."

Hak Yeong-chung's expression was bright as he spoke. It was probably because I had promised to teach the Plum Blossom Swordplay to whoever learned the Purple Mist Divine Art first. Hmm. I would need to think about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how to teach the Plum Blossom Sword to this fellow. Given his current realm, he should understand if I explained it appropriately. But since he had been working hard, I should offer him a reward that matched his efforts.

By the way, the first candidates to learn the Purple Mist Divine Art were Han Min-jun and Seol-ah. Han Min-jun had been practicing Mount Hua's arts for a long time and had even felt the beginning stages of the Purple Mist Divine Art, so it wasn't particularly surprising. But Na-seol becoming a candidate was quite interesting. Although I had selected her, she had essentially been a complete outsider to Mount Hua's martial arts. Had her efforts—staying up all night immersing herself in Mount Hua's techniques—finally borne fruit?

When my gaze fell on him, Han Min-jun smiled. Na-seol, on the other hand, looked at me with eyes full of expectation. I knew what she wanted. She hoped that her idol would acknowledge her hard work. Objectively speaking, she certainly deserved praise. She had devoted herself to training more diligently than most martial artists in Murim and had achieved results.

But was it all right to praise her? What if my words caused the seed inside her to sprout? Various worries swirled in my head, but in the end, I walked over to Seol-ah. After all, hadn't I decided to treat these children differently from the others? If I did nothing out of fear, I would simply be repeating the mistakes of my past.

"Seol-ah."

"Yes! Hwaryeong-nim!"

The moment I was about to tell her she had worked hard, an enormous qi sense revealed itself from below Mount Hua. It was an energy I was familiar with. How could I not be? It was the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that I myself possessed. I had known that Baek Hwaryeong would visit again, but I hadn't expected it to be this soon. That fellow is actually doing her job in the Heavenly Demon Cult, right?

"Hwaryeong-nim?"

Seeing me turn my gaze, Seol-ah tilted her head. Since I now had to greet a guest, I couldn't say much more.

"You worked hard."

I lightly patted her shoulder and moved my feet.

"Sect Leader."

Hak Yeong-chung's face had also turned pale, as if he too had sensed Baek Hwaryeong's energy. Come to think of it, when Baek Hwaryeong visited last time, Hak Yeong-chung had been absent. Since he hadn't seen her making that foolish smile while looking at Baru, to him, Baek Hwaryeong would remain an object of terror. It was natural for him to react this way.

"The Heavenly Demon is approaching."

"I know."

"Just why..."

"She came to play."

"...Pardon?"

"She said she came to play."