The Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art (5)
Living in this world, there really are quite a few strange things. Here I am, in the position of paying people to work for me, yet somehow I’ve ended up begging someone to take my money. No matter how I think about it, the weird one this time isn’t me—it’s that girl, Seol-ah. People work for others solely for their own benefit, so does it make any sense to kick that benefit away with your own two hands? Really. I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even find the words.
When I arrived in front of the villa where Seol-ah lived and called her, she picked up almost instantly.
Was she having some kind of internal conflict? Even over the phone, Seol-ah’s flustered stuttering was so obvious it was almost visible. After asking me to wait a moment, she hung up. Not long after, I heard a loud clatter from inside the villa, and soon Seol-ah came bursting out, breathing hard as if she’d just run a marathon.
I watched her panting for a moment, then noticed the flow of energy swirling around her. It was unstable, shooting out in every direction like it could collapse at any second. That wasn’t the only problem. The energy flowing inside her body was just as precarious.
Even without learning a proper mental technique, people still possess innate energy in their bodies—the so-called pre-heaven true qi. Right now, Seol-ah’s true qi was beginning to twist in on itself.
My head hurts.
When I saw her just a short while ago, there hadn’t been any major issues. How had it gotten this bad so suddenly? Is throwing your life away really that enjoyable?
The effects still seemed minor for now, but if she kept going like this, her body would eventually fail to endure the strain and self-destruct.
Maybe she felt uneasy about me staring at her. Seol-ah spoke cautiously.
Did she bite her tongue mid-sentence? Her voice suddenly jumped into a high squeak, and she clutched her mouth with both hands, clearly in pain.
If you’re going to lie, at least do it properly so I can pretend not to notice. At this level, pretending not to know would be even more suspicious.
When I let out a sigh, Seol-ah glanced at me nervously.
Is there something in the house she doesn’t want me to see? Her eyes looked so desperate that I couldn’t refuse.
Even so, wouldn’t you at least know what’s around your own house? Does she really live without taking a single step outside? Goodness. Even when I lived in seclusion, I don’t think I was quite this bad.
These days, cafés were so common that you’d see one on every street corner, so finding one wasn’t difficult at all.
Once we settled into a seat inside the café, I asked her directly.
I wanted to know what on earth she’d done to wreck her own body in such a short time.
Seol-ah’s eyes darted sideways like a dog that knew it had done something wrong. Then she spoke in a tiny voice.
There was no reason for me to criticize someone for borrowing help from others to resolve their questions. As long as they eventually reach their own realization, that’s enough for me.
What?
If it wasn’t me, there shouldn’t be anyone around her who could teach her the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. There’s no way my benefactor would have taught her against my wishes. Was it that bastard Baek Hwaryeong? …No. No, this suspicion itself is meaningless.
With Seol-ah’s talent, mastering the mental technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in a single day is impossible. If that were possible, she would have already completed the Purple Mist Divine Art. Even if she trained with obsessive fervor bordering on madness, she couldn’t possibly be devoured by the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in just one day. No matter how ferocious the internal energy of a divine art is, it is still just internal energy. If the quantity is small, it can never devour its master.
No matter how I think about it, it’s impossible. Where on earth…
Apis. She used the body that belongs to me there!
In that case, it was theoretically possible. However, the body I have in that place already has the Heavenly Demon Divine Art somewhat under control. Breaking that balance and causing it to run wild shouldn’t be easy. And Seol-ah managed to do it?
Should I call her amazing, or should I call her insane? There’s no need to choose. It’s both.
This is what happens when someone who doesn’t understand the principles or anything else tries to imitate a person from a far higher realm without even stabilizing their own center. Still, the fact that she managed to collapse a body that wouldn’t easily break just through sheer obsession with imitating me is certainly impressive. At the same time, it’s completely deranged.
Being devoured by the internal energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is not pain that ordinary people can endure. Especially for modern people who rarely experience real pain. Even if it was another world’s body, pain is still pain. And she repeated that countless times?
Of course her true qi got twisted after doing something so crazy!
It seems she hadn’t even noticed the tangling inside her own body. Well, the effects are still faint, so that’s possible. She doesn’t even realize something is going wrong. Haah. It’s a good thing I came to see this cursed girl in person. If I hadn’t, she would have kept repeating her insane behavior without knowing she was destroying herself until she died a meaningless death.
When I declared that I would make sure she could never create my videos again, Seol-ah’s pupils trembled. In the end, her attachment to me seemed greater than her obsession with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and she nodded.
I wonder if this idiot even realizes I just saved her life.
Among the orthodox sects’ arts, there are many that don’t come with such side effects. In fact, some even improve the body’s flow and are learned by high society as a form of cultivation. I could teach her any of those.
If she were truly obsessed with it as a martial art, she would have stormed the Demonic Cult like Han Seo-woo did before. Right?
Seol-ah spoke of the emotion she felt when she saw me bring down the black thing. The thrill of watching something that should have been impossible to overcome being defeated by nothingness. The shock of facing the ideal she had imagined in reality.
It seems she’s under some serious misunderstanding. Haah. Even if I explain, she probably won’t listen, so I don’t feel like talking. Still, if I leave her alone, she might do something even crazier, so I should at least give her some direction.
She might think I’m spouting some vague nonsense, but unless she does this, I will never teach her the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. From the way she muttered “My own sky?” it doesn’t seem like she’s dismissing it as complete nonsense. The answer to that isn’t something she can give easily, so for the time being, I’ll just have to watch and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.
*
When Enly shouted, the person on the other end of the phone—Haneul—sounded troubled.
The reason the two of them were arguing so desperately was because of the game Haneul had recommended to Enly.
Dawn Escape.
The premise of this recently released game was simple. You become a survivor in a world hit by a zombie apocalypse and try to survive as long as possible. What set it apart from other zombie games was that the player was the only survivor. In a world filled only with zombies, you struggle desperately until you meet your end in death. Enly couldn’t understand what was fun about a game like that, but it was popular nonetheless. Even Enly, who was currently shaking her head furiously, had to admit that the view count would probably be good.
But just because it was popular didn’t mean she could play it without hesitation. Even just watching zombie movies kept her up at night. There was no way a professional coward like her could properly fight zombies in a zombie world. She’d probably die of a heart attack before that.
At the editor’s venomous words, Enly could only stammer “Uh… uh…” in bewilderment, her eyes darting around as she tried to think of a response. It was true that she had done a lot of things wrong.
The moment she mentioned Hwaryeong’s name, the editor’s voice brightened noticeably. Enly let out a sigh of relief.
At least she wouldn’t have to die alone.