The Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art (2)

Ara couldn't fully grasp what the phrase "Anything but the Heavenly Demon Divine Art" truly meant. Why could other martial arts be taught, but not that one? It was the art she had wanted to learn more than anything—the very first one she had studied—yet she had given up on it because it never delivered the power she desired. Now a flicker of hope had returned, the possibility that she might finally reach the outcome she had always dreamed of. So why this refusal?

She refused to believe Hwaryeong would tell her no without reason. In every other matter he might be unpredictable, but when it came to martial arts he never joked. Still, she could not guess the reason. Why was it impossible? Why not for her, of all people? Was she simply lacking? What exactly did she lack compared to others? Didn't she possess more talent for martial arts than that Dang So-il character right now?

No matter how many times she turned the question over, no answer came. In the end, Ara decided to ask someone else for help. She didn't want to resign herself to this. Even if she ultimately had to give up, she needed to understand why it was impossible for her.

"Ara."

"Yes."

"What time is it right now?"

"It's 5:47."

"Could you add 'in the morning' before that? It makes your disturbance sound slightly less rude."

Ha-rin's voice carried a sharp edge. She had been dragged from sleep at dawn by Ara's call. It wasn't as if she had burned away her lifespan producing videos like Ara, but her own schedule had been equally brutal. She had been staring at the monitor with clenched teeth thanks to her colleague, who was always quick to point out every flaw in the footage. She had sacrificed sleep to finish the edit, received not a "well done" but a lukewarm "this is decent enough," then uploaded it. After confirming the good results with Han-sik and drinking a can of beer she couldn't even taste properly from sheer joy, she had finally collapsed into bed—only to receive a call from that irritating, bothersome, yet undeniably capable damn colleague. A pleasant tone was out of the question.

"I'm sorry."

But when the person who had been snapping at her over the phone offered a sincere apology, Ha-rin bit her lip lightly, then roughly tousled her own hair.

"Sigh. So why did you call?"

"Well..."

As she listened to Ara's story while shaking off the last traces of sleep, Ha-rin could only tilt her head in confusion. The Heavenly Demon had refused to teach her martial arts? That person loved teaching others; he wouldn't turn down a request.

"Ara. What exactly did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Tell me the truth."

"I really didn't do anything!"

"Then why would the Heavenly Demon refuse?"

"...If I knew that, would I be calling you like this?"

That was fair enough. Ha-rin carefully retraced everything Ara had done. Yet she, too, came up empty.

Did Ara lack talent? No. Among the Mount Hua users obsessed with wuxia games, she ranked firmly in the talented group. If Ara had no talent, then everyone except the top 0.1 percent of players would be talentless.

Did she lack passion? Not in the slightest. The top playtime ranking in Hwaryong Muin hadn't been achieved by accident. Ara's passion for wuxia could easily surpass that of anyone living in the modern era, so claiming she lacked perseverance was absurd.

Then why?

"Did the Heavenly Demon say anything else?"

"When I asked what the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was, I answered 'Pacheon.' He said that was exactly why it couldn't be done. That's all."

Pacheon was the very value the Heavenly Demon had publicly declared for his supreme art. She had answered exactly as he taught, yet he had shaken his head? There had to be deeper meaning behind it.

"I don't know."

Ha-rin was not a practitioner of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. She was, after all, a user of the Wind Flow Fist. There was no way she could understand the true worth contained within it. If someone at her level could grasp it so easily, it would never have been called a divine art.

"You'll have to ask another user of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Hmm. Did you ask that Dang Yunok person?"

"Yes."

Ara was no fool. She understood that the most efficient way to resolve her questions about the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was to ask its users directly. The moment she realized she could not solve it alone, she had gone to Baekju, saying she had concerns about martial arts and wished to consult Dang Yunok.

Baekju had been delighted and immediately escorted her to him. But the answer she received there did not resolve her doubts.

Dang Yunok had merely confirmed what Ara already knew. Even so, it helped greatly. The fact that he was willing to teach her any other martial arts proved he did not hate her, and it eased the anxiety that had been gnawing at the corner of her heart. Without his firm reassurance, she would still be biting her nails raw.

"Then there's no answer."

If the person closest to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art besides Hwaryeong had spoken that way, it truly meant something was wrong with Ara. In that case, perhaps it was better to give up on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

When Ha-rin said as much, Ara lowered her voice.

"Ha-rin, could you give up on your Wind Flow Fist without even knowing the reason?"

Ha-rin closed her mouth. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The answer was obvious—so obvious it hardly needed to be spoken. Of course she couldn't. She had lived half her life alongside that art; how could she abandon it now?

"But there's no one who can give us the answer."

She understood the feeling, yet understanding did not produce a solution. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art had been shunned by wuxia game users because of its extreme inefficiency. It was considered the exclusive domain of NPCs. How many players could possibly understand its principles and intent?

Most of the top-tier Heavenly Demon users in Apis were only just beginning to touch the principles. Who among them could explain the reason to Ara? In Ha-rin's opinion, Ara likely understood the Heavenly Demon Divine Art better than any of them.

"What about Dang So-il?"

"That man won't do."

The moment Ara mentioned his name, Ha-rin shook her head. It was true his skills had improved greatly from training under the Heavenly Demon, but as a martial artist he remained far from any true realization. How many times had the Heavenly Demon muttered while training him, "When will you ever realize the principles of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?" Asking someone like that would yield nothing useful.

"Then is there anyone else?"

"Give me a moment."

There was no one in the Hwaryong Muin circle who properly wielded the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Asking the Heavenly Demon directly seemed unlikely to produce an answer. The Apis side was still hopeless. Ah. There was one exception.

"Han Seo-woo. Maybe that person could give us an answer."

"The pro gamer Han Seo-woo?"

"Yes."

The man called Apis's living Heavenly Demon, the one who had achieved meaningful results with the Heavenly Demon character across multiple competitions—he would surely be able to provide insight.

"Does ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that person understand the principles of martial arts?"

"...Ara. Do you not watch the Apis Pro League?"

"I'm busy enough editing Hwaryong Muin content. Where would I find time for that?"

"Are you serious?!"

It was possible for a VR gamer to avoid Apis. That wasn't strange. Only playing other wuxia games? That was understandable. But for someone who played wuxia games to have never watched videos of the person widely regarded as the best at handling the most popular character in the modern era...

"It's not that I've never seen them. I used to watch before."

"Aha. Then watch them again now. You'll see them differently."

If Ha-rin was recommending it this strongly, there had to be something worth seeing. Ara respected Ha-rin's martial ability if nothing else. How could she not, when he had been personally taught by the Heavenly Demon?

"But do you have a way to contact someone that famous?"

"I don't, but Dang So-il probably does. He must have received the contact information during his coaching session last time."

After saying she would reach out and call back if she got an answer, Ha-rin ended the call. Ara opened MyTube and searched for the name Han Seo-woo.

When she had watched him handle the Heavenly Demon character before, she had only thought it was impressive. But now?

The moment she searched "Han Seo-woo Highlights," the top result was this year's Apis Summer League 1:1 Match Finals.

The opponent was a berserker user wielding a giant axe. From the commentator's introduction, he seemed to be a supernova who had debuted recently. Since Ara had almost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no interest in Apis, she skipped the opening and focused on the battle.

The instant Han Seo-woo began displaying his martial arts, Ara understood why Ha-rin had told her to watch. His movements clearly contained the principles of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

It might still fall far short of what Hwaryeong displayed, but the principles Hwaryeong said every martial artist should pursue were unmistakably present.

His movements are so natural. There's no feeling that he's gritting his teeth and desperately chasing after it like me or Ha-rin. Just how long has this person trained in the principles?

Did Han Seo-woo already understand them even before Hwaryeong revealed the concept of principles to the world? Did he realize them on his own without a teacher?

...What an incredible person. Is that what talent looks like? Of course, it is nothing compared to the Heavenly Demon, but he is an exception to the rules. No wonder he earned the arrogant nickname of the Living Heavenly Demon.

Ha-rin had been right. That person. Someone who pursued the principles and had grown intimately familiar with them. Among everyone living in the modern era, he was likely the only one who could give a proper answer.

It would be good if Ha-rin managed to contact him.