Meeting the Heavenly Demon's Fan (2)
Just how many people in this world expressed their emotions so directly? At this rate, it was impossible to treat them harshly. I could never get used to this feeling called goodwill. Who would have thought I'd come to prefer hatred, resentment, and fear? It was something I had never even imagined before.
“Hwaryeong-nim! There’s something I’ve been dying to ask you!”
“What is it?”
“What footwork did you use to dodge those tentacles? No matter how many times I watched, I couldn’t figure out what technique made your steps so light!”
Harin asked with innocent curiosity, saying she simply couldn’t understand what martial art could produce such movement. I was willing to explain, but could I put it into Korean? Even though my proficiency had improved compared to before, it was still lacking. I had no confidence in explaining a martial art woven from such complex terminology. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint the child whose eyes sparkled like a puppy waiting for an answer.
“The footwork itself isn’t anything special. It doesn’t contain any profound principles.”
“Really?”
“What you should be watching is qi sense.”
Imagine dozens, even hundreds of arrows raining down from the sky. Could you dodge them? If arrows suddenly appeared from unexpected directions, there would be limits to evasion. No matter how fast you moved, dodging would have its limits. But what if you could see the soldiers firing the arrows? If you knew where they were aiming, which arrows would fly first and which would fall later? Dodging the entire rain of arrows would still be difficult, but at least it would become possible. Those who had reached a certain level could seize that possibility.
“Did you notice how I spread my inner energy near the tentacles?”
“Yes! I was amazed that inner energy control could be used like that!”
She noticed? Interesting. Her eye for detail wasn’t bad at all. Raising an eyebrow at the unexpected answer, I continued explaining. At that moment, through qi sense, I had grasped every movement of the tentacles behind the black mass. Which one would come first. Which one would follow. Where. How. What kind of movement they would use to target me. I had perceived all of it the instant the Outer God moved. That was why no special footwork was needed. All I had to do was move my feet away from where the tentacles were aiming.
“Do you understand?”
When I finished, Harin repeatedly opened and closed her eyes. I had tried to simplify the explanation, but perhaps she hadn’t understood. It couldn’t be helped. I had gotten flustered midway and mixed in Murim terminology, so it was only natural she wouldn’t understand. If this were Apis, the meaning would have been conveyed automatically.
“Would you like me to explain again?”
“No! I understood that you used qi sense to read the signs, Hwaryeong-nim.”
Then what was she confused about? That meant she had understood everything I said.
“But how does that work? Can qi sense really detect such minute details?”
She still didn’t know how to properly use qi sense.
“If used well, qi sense can even capture individual muscle movements. Detecting large movements is easy, of course.”
“Easy? Really?”
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but even a Peak Realm martial artist could do that much. Since I had reached the Transcendence Realm in Apis, she should have been able to do it without difficulty if she had borrowed my body. Was this the downside of receiving a realm without enlightenment?
“Wow. Hwaryeong-nim, is Apis really your first VR game?”
“Yes. It’s been less than a month since I bought the VR device.”
“Yet you’re this skilled.”
For some reason, the curiosity in the child’s eyes grew even stronger. They were practically sparkling now. If she asked about the source of my talent, it would be difficult to answer. How could I gloss over it?
“That’s really amazing! How did you practice?!”
What came out of Harin’s mouth was completely different from what I had expected. She simply expressed pure admiration without trying to dig into anything private. Instead, she asked about martial arts. How should she train to become like me?
Become like me? I couldn’t really recommend it. The path I had walked was soaked in blood—hardly something to suggest to modern people. That said, I could at least teach her the training method for qi sense. I wasn’t stingy when it came to teaching. When I offered to give her a small bit of guidance, Harin looked overjoyed and pulled out a notebook from her bag. Her determination to not miss a single word was obvious. Just what was martial arts to her that she was so obsessed? What use would a modern child have for learning martial arts? Besides, Harin’s body didn’t even have inner energy, so she couldn’t use it in reality anyway. I didn’t understand. Well, it wasn’t my business.
I opened my mouth to explain, then hesitated. Could I properly explain the training method for qi sense in Korean right now? Even when I had been talking to Harin earlier, I had stumbled over how to phrase things. While no martial arts training was simple, training involving inner energy especially couldn’t afford mistakes. There was a reason qi deviation existed. If something went wrong, it could cause irreversible disaster. It was training done with an Apis body, but since I couldn’t be certain whether it would affect her real body, I couldn’t risk putting her in danger.
“Harin.”
“You can speak casually!”
“Well, as you can see, my Korean isn’t very good.”
“You don’t have to use formal speech either!”
Sorry, but that was impossible. When I tried to speak Korean, formal speech came out naturally.
“It’s difficult to explain right now.”
When I stubbornly maintained formal speech, disappointment flashed across Harin’s face. She also grumbled that she preferred the dignified tone I used during streams. If that was the case, there was no need to feel disappointed. She would hear it plenty soon enough.
“Would it be alright if we met in Apis later to talk?”
“In Apis? Really?”
The disappointed expression from moments ago had vanished completely as Harin looked at me with an excited face. If I said it was a joke now, she looked like she might burst into tears. I considered teasing her but stopped. At my age, I couldn’t bully a child.
“What’s your Apis ID?”
“It’s Nyangnyang Fist Technique!”
Nyangnyang Fist Technique. An amusing name. Usually, fist techniques imitating cats were called Cat Fist. “Send me a friend request. This is fate, after all. I’ll take a look at how you use martial arts. I’m curious what modern people’s self-taught martial arts feel like.”
“Really?! Thank you so much!”
As I stopped Harin from bowing her head, a clay pot suddenly appeared in front of me. Bubbling red broth, bones standing tall without a care in the world, and dried greens draped over them. At least the appearance passed. “Harin-ah. What were you happily chatting about with this person?” “She plays the game I play.” “Well, what else would you talk about besides games?” “Mom!” Harin and the woman were having some conversation, but it didn’t reach my ears. Carefully picking up my spoon, I scooped up a mouthful of broth and brought it to my lips. The moment it touched my tongue, a rich, deep flavor spread through my mouth. The spicy yet savory taste urged me to move my spoon faster. This… this needed to be eaten with rice! I opened the still-warm bowl of rice, took a large spoonful, soaked it thoroughly in the broth, and put it in my mouth. A sound like “Kyaah” nearly escaped me. One bowl probably wouldn’t be enough. Should I try the meat now? I picked up a large bone with my hand. Broth got on my fingers, but I didn’t care. Eating the meat quickly was more important. No matter how well it had been boiled, the meat attached to the bone fell off the moment my teeth touched it. Once in my mouth, it melted away like ice cream. Meat could be this tender! When I came to my senses, all the meat on the bone in my hand had disappeared. “Hwaryeong-nim, is it good?” “Yes. Very.” “My mom’s cooking is excellent.” Pride could be felt in Harin’s words. If her parents had this level of skill, it was only natural. If it were me, I would have bragged about it to the entire neighborhood. “Try eating the meat with the greens together.” “Thank you for the advice.” I scraped the meat off the bone, wrapped it in the greens, and put it in my mouth. The combination of the greens bursting with broth the moment I chewed and the meat that didn’t lose its presence even then was truly fantastic. At this point, I forgot Harin was even in front of me and devoured the bone hangover soup. How could I pay attention to anything else with such food in front of me? Without giving my jaw any rest, I kept shoving food in until the bone hangover soup was soon empty. Though my stomach was full from the large portion, I somehow felt regretful. It was like the treasure that had been in front of me had disappeared. “You really enjoyed it.” Harin said this while handing me a wet wipe she had gotten from somewhere. I would have to come back again when I had the chance. I couldn’t visit a place like this only once. Haa. Since Harin’s parents had treated me to something this wonderful, I should show proper courtesy as well. Should I put in a bit of sincerity?
*
“I never thought I’d see this with my own eyes!”
The moment Harin met me in Apis, she started making a fuss. There might be differences depending on customization, but weren’t we both using the same character? Why was she so excited? And another thing—stop running around taking pictures while wearing my face. Didn’t it look too undignified?
“This is such an honor! Being friends with Hwaryeong-nim! Receiving direct guidance! Is this a dream? It must be a dream, right?”
“Shall I confirm it for you directly?”
“That way of speaking! That’s it! That’s the one! Your voice really is nice. It feels like my ears are being purified.”
Why did talking with her make me feel more mentally exhausted the longer we conversed? I dragged a hand down my face and took a long breath. Calm down. I had come here to teach, hadn’t I? As someone who had reached the Transcendence Realm, I needed to display dignity.
“First, come at me. I need to gauge your level.”
I could already see what level Harin was at. Just by observing how she operated her inner energy, one could tell a martial artist’s level. She wasn’t utilizing my body at all. To think she could only use the body of a martial artist who had reached the peak of the Transcendence Realm in such a way—other martial artists would sigh if they saw this. The reason I told her to attack despite knowing all this was to see how she used martial arts. If her inner energy operation was like that, the martial arts she displayed probably weren’t normal either.
“Yes! Here I come!”
Her footwork was light. Had she chosen speed as the foundation of her martial arts? It was quite a unique interpretation, considering that those who wielded the Heavenly Demon Divine Art usually focused on weight or power. Harin quickly closed the distance and, before attacking, first observed my movements. Only after confirming that I wasn’t making any moves did she prepare her attack. Caution was good, but she was overly cautious. Someone who dealt with speed shouldn’t be like that. They needed to trust their speed and cross the line.
Harin was using fist techniques. This too was focused more on speed than power. Let’s see. The first attack was a probe, and the real attack would come after. She had tried to add some intent, but it wasn’t enough. Anyone with decent eyes could notice it. I grabbed the fist she had thrown as a feint, spun her body around once, and threw her into the air.
“Kyaaaaah!”
A scream burst from Harin’s mouth as she took flight without wings. Before long, she fell to the ground according to gravity’s pull, staggered to her feet, and started whining.
“Wasn’t that too much?!”
“Doesn’t it feel fun, like riding an amusement park ride?”
“I think it’s too violent for an amusement park ride!”