The Heavenly Demon Gives Advice (3)
Objectively speaking, the raw talent itself was higher for the one controlling the Sword God. Slipping another blade between swords to pressure his opponent wasn’t a bad approach. At first he had tried to follow the principles of martial arts, but the moment urgency set in he began swinging according to nothing but his own whims—that was a clear deduction. No matter how dire the situation, losing your composure is fatal. A seasoned opponent would know exactly how to lure and exploit that opening. The one controlling the Fist King on the opposite side was precisely that kind of fighter. He deliberately turned the match into a brutal slugfest, denying his opponent even a moment to think.
No matter how lofty one’s talent, without accumulated experience there will always come a day when that talent cannot be used. The Fist King user knew how to devour the gifted. Still, judging by how little he understood even the smallest fragment of martial principle, he would soon be overtaken and utterly crushed by the Sword God user.
“Hwaryeong-nim!”
While I quietly observed these obvious underdogs desperately trying to devour each other, someone called out to me. It was the boy who had received my autograph earlier.
“What brings you out here? Where’s Seo-woo hyung?”
“He’s in a meeting inside. I just stepped out for some fresh air.”
Seeing how close he seemed to Han Seo-woo, the boy was clearly familiar with the building. Excellent. I could ask him where one might smoke a pipe in peace.
“You were watching that screen just now, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your impression, Hwaryeong-nim?”
“They’re both terrible.”
The boy’s eyes darted about as if he didn’t know what expression to wear. He probably hadn’t expected such words from my mouth. Still, what could he do? It was simply the truth.
As for me, when it comes to martial arts I have no interest in dressing up my opinions with polite lies.
“I… I see?”
“They’re both being swung around by martial arts rather than wielding them. At that level, expecting any real growth is difficult. No matter how long they train that way, there is a hard limit. They couldn’t even reach Han Seo-woo, let alone me. I don’t know who taught them that method, but it’s pathetic.”
Even that was me being generous. Never mind Han Seo-woo—if those two fought purely on martial skill rather than accumulated battle experience, both Harin and Dang So-il would surpass them. I could confidently declare that within a year Harin would leave them in the dust.
Seeing this only reaffirmed that, among modern people, Han Seo-woo was actually quite decent.
“Who do you think you are to say something like that?”
As I offered my casual assessment, one of the men watching the monitor turned his head. A gaunt man glared at me sharply through his glasses. Apparently my evaluation had offended him.
“Ah, Yoo-chan hyung. This is Hwaryeong-nim. You know—the famous one lately.”
“Oh, that person? I’ve heard of her. But isn’t she worse than Seo-woo hyung? So why is she saying they’re terrible and going in the wrong direction? I don’t get it.”
“That’s because… I asked her first, so…”
I stepped forward, leaving the boy fumbling to smooth things over. Spirited is fine, but he clearly didn’t know his place. Just because he carried the title of pro gamer, did he believe himself special? There were countless ways to teach someone like this exactly where he stood. Simply crushing him with killing intent would make him wet himself and beg for mercy. But that wouldn’t fully awaken his awareness of his own mediocrity.
“What do you want?”
“Care to spar?”
Originally, the simplest way to teach types like this their place was to shatter them head-on.
“Why should I?”
“No confidence?”
Come now. Destroying one man doesn’t take long. A few seconds would suffice. No matter how busy he claimed to be, he could spare that much time. The match on screen had just ended, so the timing was perfect. Bring it on.
When I smiled and said as much, the man soon nodded.
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
“Yoo-chan, what’s with the sudden temper tantrum?”
While Tae-yoon escorted Hwaryeong to the guest capsule, a teammate sharing the same table asked.
“They disrespected us first.”
“That’s true, but it’s not like we only hear that kind of talk once or twice.”
Pro gamers who perform before the public must grow accustomed to harsh criticism. No matter how well you played before, lose a single match and every voice turns against you. Those who can’t endure it don’t last long in this industry.
Yoo-chan had been the same. He used to lose sleep over every bad comment, but now he had grown mostly numb. Yet Hwaryeong’s words had struck a nerve—specifically one sentence.
Saying their skill was mediocre was fine. He’d heard that plenty. Saying they showed no progress? He could laugh that off too. But what she said next was different.
‘You probably can’t even beat Han Seo-woo, right?’
‘I don’t know who taught you that way, but it’s pathetic.’
She had casually placed Han Seo-woo beneath her. Worse, she had insulted the very methods he created and called them pathetic.
Yoo-chan found that unbearable. He didn’t know how things were before, but QZ Gaming was now a team built around Han Seo-woo. Most members had gathered because of him—the living Heavenly Demon, the pride of Korean pro gamers. There was a reason so many players in QZ specialized in unusual characters. Yoo-chan, who had started playing Apis because of Han Seo-woo and eventually turned pro, felt it especially strongly. So while he might tolerate criticism of himself, he could not tolerate anyone looking down on Han Seo-woo.
“Sigh. Well, it’s come to this, so there’s no helping it. But can you actually win?”
“No matter how good she is for a civilian, I’m a pro.”
“…Hey. You haven’t watched many of Hwaryeong-nim’s streams, have you?”
“No.”
He had seen a few clips because the name Hwaryeong was so famous, but that was all. Yoo-chan didn’t know much about the user called Hwaryeong. If he had spare time, he would rather play another round of Apis.
Hearing the answer, his senior stared blankly before letting out a hollow laugh.
“Good luck.”
Why that reaction? No matter how talented, she was still an amateur. No matter how outstanding the talent, she couldn’t possibly defeat a pro who researched desperately every single day to win.
“Since you really seem completely clueless, I’ll explain. You know Dalbit, right?”
“The retired pro from the previous generation?”
“He awakened as a Spirit Archer on the Market map and still couldn’t land a single scratch on her.”
“…Excuse me?”
It was an absurd claim. Awakening on the Market map was essentially a cheat code—the game itself declaring victory for you. To possess a fraudulent item that let a Diamond-rank user defeat active professionals yet fail to inflict even one wound? Impossible.
“What about Dalbit?”
“Of course I know him. We faced each other in tournaments until recently.”
A pro famous enough to earn the nickname of the nation’s top performer. He had produced meaningful results in competitions right up until retirement.
“Even he got completely crushed in a one-on-one against Hwaryeong-nim. Only after six of them ganged up on her did they finally land one hit.”
Yoo-chan simply could not believe what his senior was saying. Having faced Dalbit in multiple tournaments, he had personally experienced that skill. Even while contemplating retirement, Dalbit had possessed the ability to trade blows evenly with active pros. For such a person to be overwhelmed…
“…Are you messing with me?”
“I wish I was.”
When Yoo-chan questioned the illogical story, his senior rubbed his face wearily. If everything his senior just said was true, then exactly what was that Hwaryeong person? Was she even human?
“Shall we begin?”
While Yoo-chan was still blinking at the realization that he had provoked a monster beyond imagination, Hwaryeong’s voice rang out from inside the capsule.
“For now, give it everything you have. Facing her will definitely be valuable experience.”
At the pat on his shoulder from his senior, Yoo-chan slowly rose to his feet.
The VR capsules used by professional Apis facilities had truly outstanding performance. Even when I had switched from the head-mounted device to the capsule before, the sensation had been excellent, but this was on another level. At this point there was almost no difference from moving my real body.
Entering Apis and controlling the Heavenly Demon’s form brought a smile to my lips. Hmm. Later I should ask Han Seo-woo exactly how much this VR capsule costs. When I first arrived I had simply spent the money Baekho gave me, but things were different now. Between streaming revenue and earnings from my MyTube channel, I had gained considerable financial freedom. I didn’t know the exact price, but with enough effort I should eventually be able to afford one.
While thinking such things, I lifted my head at the presence approaching from the opposite side. The man who had picked a fight with me had chosen the Heavenly Demon character.
Hmm. Just from the way he handled the inner energy in his body, I could tell his understanding of divine techniques was shallow. To be in such a state with Han Seo-woo right beside him… It wasn’t that Han Seo-woo had failed to teach his colleague. He had probably explained, but they simply couldn’t comprehend.
“Are you prepared?”
“You’re pretty arrogant inside the VR.”
“I am a man who can afford to be arrogant.”
If the strongest under heaven could not be arrogant, then who could?
“I ask again. Are you prepared?”
“Yes.”
“Come. I will grant you a few moves.”
The man clenched his fist, watched me carefully, then used swift footwork to close the distance. From the very first strike he poured everything into a lethal blow. The strategy of seizing dominance with an overwhelming first move wasn’t bad. Unfortunately for him, what he considered lethal was nothing of the sort to me.
When I lightly caught the incoming fist in my palm, the man’s eyes widened in shock. Haha. We’ve only just begun—being startled already is rather problematic.
“Didn’t you claim to have the confidence to defeat me?”
“…What is this?”
“Continue. I told you I would receive several moves from you.”
Show me everything you possess. I will personally crush it all.