The Heavenly Demon Puts Out the Fire (2)
The chat exploded the moment the stream went live the next day.
At this point it no longer felt like they were protesting. It seemed they were simply setting fires because arson was fun. I leisurely watched the chaos and launched Apis. Perhaps because I gave no reaction, the chat grew even more heated. Some viewers admitted they had no idea what was happening, while others questioned whether the anger was justified, but most comments ran along the same lines.
I offered no reply. Instead I entered the tutorial inside Apis and opened the character list. What should I pick first? Choosing someone who used martial arts would make the outcome too predictable, so something else would be better. I decided to start with a familiar face. Thinking that, I selected the Dragon Hunter, and the scenery around me changed.
He stood in a corner of a campsite filled with countless tents. A man stood before me. He swung his spear ostentatiously in every direction, then slammed the butt into the ground and asked,
“Do you remember how to wield a spear?”
[Would you like to proceed with the Basic Combat Tutorial?]
“I am not in a position to learn martial arts from others.”
[Skipping tutorial.]
Even if I did not specialize in the spear, I was confident I handled it better than most. After all, there were far more weapons in the world that I could not use than those I could. How could I possibly be unable to wield a spear, one of the most renowned weapons among all arms?
“Thank you for the donation. Why did none of you complain that only I get to see the fun spectacle?”
“That is why I intend to show you all a spectacle entertaining enough to satisfy you today.”
Enri had once said that overwhelming game skill could quell any controversy. I did not know what controversy I had supposedly caused, but she claimed that if I displayed overwhelming prowess, even those ready to carry out the burning would drop their torches in awe. So I planned to give them exactly what they wanted.
Plenty of people were still criticizing me, but it would be fine. No matter how much they hurled at me, I paid it no mind, and Enri had guaranteed that if I simply pushed forward stubbornly, everything would work out.
“Then let’s see some skill!”
The man on the opposite side gripped his spear with both hands. His stance was textbook for a spearman.
“You seem well trained.”
The way he held the spear. The way he stepped. The direction of his gaze. The way he tensed his body. Nothing was lacking, so he had clearly received proper instruction from a skilled teacher. If he continued to grow like this, he would become a spearman capable of fulfilling his role.
“Huh? Why are you evaluating me? You’re just a regular member.”
The man tilted his head, unable to understand my words. Was I supposed to be his subordinate in this scenario? Hmm. That did not sit right with me. In the world of martial artists, the strong ruled. Yet this whelp, whose path ahead was still longer than the one he had walked, wanted to stand above me.
“Do you wish to be respected?”
“It’s not that I want respect. It’s that you have to respect me. I’m your senior.”
“Then prove it.”
Respect came from strength, so if he wanted to be treated with deference, he had to demonstrate his power. When I said that, the man snorted and narrowed his eyes.
“You think you can beat me?”
“Is that strange?”
The man before me possessed far superior physical abilities. This body was nothing more than a soldier who had just picked up a spear, while he was a seasoned mercenary. But what did that matter?
“You’ll regret this!”
I gripped the spear I had received upon choosing the Dragon Hunter with one hand and dodged the man’s thrust using only footwork. He still lacked experience. His attacks were far too honest. He tried to threaten me with thrusts at first, then grew visibly desperate when they failed to connect. I had briefly wondered if he might be someone like the Third Elder, but the more I watched, the clearer it became that he was not. This level was adequate for testing my skill. It was not the kind of oppressive presence that would make an ordinary person feel they could never win.
That meant I simply had to deal with him. I took a large step back to create distance, then seized the spear shaft with both hands.
“My turn.”
I knew many spear techniques, but the one I favored most was the Plum Blossom Spear Art. The reason was simple: the intent embedded within the art aligned best with what I considered the true essence of the spear. To me, a spear was fundamentally a weapon for hunting. It used its long reach and sharp tip to wear down the opponent, allowing one to look down from an advantageous position and finish the fight. Therefore, a spearman must never be deceived by the illusion of a quick, decisive victory. A slow yet stable victory was the true path the spear art should pursue. The Plum Blossom Spear Art suited this value of mine perfectly. Like plum blossoms scattering in the wind, its endlessly changing techniques bewitched the opponent so they could no longer judge advantage or disadvantage. The opponent would accumulate wounds without realizing it, only understanding they had been played when defeat became certain.
While we faced each other, I watched him draw breath and stepped forward. Movement inevitably slowed while inhaling, so I seized the initiative. An average spearman would have twisted his body desperately in this situation to regain the upper hand, unaware that doing so would only worsen his position. But the man was different. He acknowledged his disadvantage, took a defensive stance, and quietly waited for an opening.
“Not bad. If Enri possessed even this much talent, teaching her would have been far easier.”
If Enri had this level of aptitude, what need would there be for the Diamond Body? Given time, I could have raised her to the level where Ha-rin currently resided.
“Enri. Were you watching? Then learn from this. You should be able to do at least this much.”
“If you dislike it, there is nothing to be done.”
Even while Enri’s donation and chatter continued, my offensive never ceased. Whenever the opponent tried to retreat, I followed with footwork and applied more pressure. Whenever he prepared a hidden dagger, I moved first to deny him the chance to draw it. When he could no longer endure and attempted a desperate counter, I stepped back to nullify the move and resumed the pressure. The man who had pretended to be relaxed at first now wore a completely different expression. Desperately blocking my thrusts, he could think of nothing but surviving. A spearman unable to escape a defensive position had already lost the power to turn the tide. When I aimed my spear at his throat, the man gave a hollow laugh and raised both hands.
“I lost. Wow, you’re disgustingly strong.”
“Why are you speaking informally? And you call yourself the weak one?”
“...I lost. I’m sorry.”
Now that I had defeated this fellow, the real opponent should appear next. With the spear resting on my shoulder, I waited leisurely when I sensed an enormous presence descending from the sky. Raising my head, I saw a Western dragon with dark-red scales flying toward me.
“What is this? So the final opponent in the Dragon Hunter tutorial is not a martial artist but a large beast?”
“Facing a skilled martial artist is enjoyable, but beating a mindless beast is nothing more than a tedious hunt.”
“Disappointing. Next time I would like a tutorial featuring a skilled martial artist.”
First, I had to hunt that lizard. It was bothersome, but I had no intention of losing to something like that, so I decided to exert a little effort.
Ara kept her word. As she had said, hunting the dragon was nothing more than a hunt. She allowed none of its attacks while landing all of her own, steadily whittling away its health. There was no romance, no inspiration, nothing. It was simply repetitive work.
Enri watched her and thought it was incredible. As someone who mained the Dragon Hunter, she had tried several times to kill that dragon. When it appeared as a broadcast mission, she had even risked her life fighting it for days. That was why Enri knew how difficult it was to face that dragon. Its claws and tail were fast—fast enough that dodging by sight alone seemed impossible. The damage was also disgustingly high; one solid hit meant instant death. And its flames? The casting time was short, the range was disgustingly wide, and even a slight delay in reaction would paint your entire body black. Yet Ara handled it all with ridiculous ease, as if she could read the future. Her movements were so relaxed that the chat began producing comments like this:
Those who knew the truth scoffed at such reactions, but the very fact that those reactions appeared proved just how overwhelming Ara was.
“Everyone’s only talking about the game now.”
Enri, who had been watching the chat, let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that. Honestly, she had been worried about Ara’s stream today. The problem was that Ara had recently received far too much attention. Attention was always welcome for a streamer, but it did not always produce positive results. The more people watched, the more people there were ready to tear you apart. In truth, Enri did not think this incident was worth getting worked up over. At most, it would have ended with Ara’s regular viewers complaining. It was only because people looking to exploit the situation began gathering one by one that public opinion gradually overheated. That was why Enri had brought up the topic with Ara first. Once you started getting swayed by things like this, you would keep getting swayed. She had intended to tell her how to suppress it. Even after giving that advice, Enri had remained anxious inside. What if, just maybe, the fire could not be put out and only grew worse? But that worry had been completely meaningless. Ara was not someone Enri’s imagination could predict.
“Now let’s try something else. Give me some recommendations.”
Having slit the dragon’s throat, Ara spoke of the next thing with no particular excitement. At this moment, no one in the chat was saying anything other than game-related comments.