The Heavenly Demon Gives Advice (4)
The Heavenly Demon's fist, wrapped in the inner energy of the Divine Art, was dodged with a mere tilt of the head. An elbow then pressed into the man's back, sending him tumbling across the dirt once more. Yet he refused to yield. In an instant he regained his balance and charged again. This time it was a kick technique. He was trying to increase its power and widen its range, making it harder to block or evade. Not a bad idea. But it was far from the best choice in this situation. No matter what he tried, it could not prevent his martial arts from being dismantled.
I caught the ankle flying toward my neck. The direction of his force was far too linear. With such a straightforward attack, wasn't it far too easy for the opponent to toy with that power? Had none of the people he had faced until now used this kind of move? If that was the case, then it could not be helped. In the world of martial arts, ignorance itself was a sin.
I absorbed the force contained in the kick and hurled the man's body away, returning that same power to him. His form was sent flying far into the air. His skill in handling martial arts was poor, but his actual fighting ability was not bad. He observed his opponent to understand them. He set up feints. When his plans were blocked, he did not give up and kept charging forward. There were countless other factors, but he was not without skill. If we were only talking about proficiency in martial arts, Ha-rin and Dang So-il were superior. Even so, if those two were to face this man in a one-on-one spar, they would likely lose. Out of ten matches, they might win only two. Handling weapons well and fighting well were similar yet different things.
So this was the level of someone who made gaming their profession. He was better than Dalbit, whom I had faced last time. Though only by that much. Hmm. A little disappointing. If Han Seo-woo had properly taught this fellow, he would have been far better than he was now.
Watching the martial arts the opponent displayed, one could naturally understand what they were chasing. To my eyes, this man was someone who followed the martial arts Han Seo-woo used. It was not that he had received direct instruction from Han Seo-woo. If that had been the case, it would have been better. Instead, without receiving any teachings, he was blindly trying to imitate the martial arts Han Seo-woo displayed. If they belonged to the same organization, he could have simply asked Han Seo-woo to teach him. Han Seo-woo did not seem like the type to be stingy about such things.
While thinking this, I recalled Han Seo-woo's catastrophically poor way with words. Haah. Right. There was no way this fellow had not asked Han Seo-woo for guidance. That fool Han Seo-woo simply could not teach properly, so the man had tried to find his own answers. Setting aside his lack of self-awareness, it was rather pitiful. The person he admired was right beside him, yet he could not even receive instruction from him. Since even a bad relationship was still a relationship, perhaps I should offer a small lesson. Of course, that was that, and I would still have to make him understand his own limits.
I looked at the fellow sprawled on the ground as he rose once more. Let us continue playing until the moment you collapse.
*
After finishing a light spar with his team senior, Yi Sun emerged from the VR capsule and tilted his head at the noisy atmosphere of the training room. What was going on? Though he had not been with QZ Gaming for long, he knew that the current situation was strange. Normally, a few people would have spoken to him the moment he stepped out of the capsule, yet no one paid him any attention.
He approached the group and spoke to Jeong Han, who was around his age. "Jeong Han hyung. What's happening right now?"
"Huh? Oh. You just logged out, so you wouldn't know. Look at the screen over there."
Following Jeong Han's words, Yi Sun turned his gaze toward the monitor. On it were two people fighting in an Apis arena. Both characters were Heavenly Demons. Checking the IDs, one was Yoo Chan senior, and the other was... huh?
"Hwaryeong-nim's character looks similar, doesn't it?"
"Of course. That's Hwaryeong-nim herself."
"...What?"
"Hwaryeong-nim came here a little while ago."
According to the explanation, Hwaryeong had visited the building at Han Seo-woo's invitation and happened to stop by the training room. Upon seeing the fight between Yi Sun and the guild senior playing on the monitor, she had given a harsh critique. Yoo Chan, who overheard, had gotten angry and challenged her to a spar, which Seong Yoon then explained had been accepted.
After hearing the whole story, Yi Sun showed no particular reaction.
"You're not upset?"
"Why would I be?"
"Because you got criticized, after all."
"If Hwaryeong-nim said it, then there's nothing to argue about."
Having faced Hwaryeong in the tournament hosted by Decay last time, Yi Sun understood very well just how extraordinary she was. Even now, after growing based on her advice and joining QZ Gaming, he doubted he could even land a single hit on her. There was no reason to feel upset just because she had said something.
When Yi Sun answered so readily, Jeong Han shrugged and turned his eyes back to the monitor.
"Quite some time has passed since the match started. The flow of the fight is completely one-sided. One person is only attacking while the other is only receiving. Usually in these situations, the attacker is the more skilled one. After all, the word 'initiative' comes with the condition that you have to fight better than your opponent. But that is not always the case. If the opponent deliberately throws away the initiative like in the current match, then the other side has no choice but to hold onto it."
"Whoa."
Yi Sun let out an involuntary exclamation as he watched the screen. Even to him, who had become a pro, Hwaryeong's movements as she dodged Yoo Chan's barrage of attacks were awe-inspiring.
"I really can't believe that person is the same as me. Yoo Chan senior isn't someone who should be treated like a toy."
After joining QZ Gaming, Yi Sun had sparred multiple times with the pro gamers in the same team. Of course, that included Han Seo-woo, the team's representative, as well as many others. Naturally, he had also fought Yoo Chan several times. What he had realized through those experiences was that pros were pros. There were times when Yi Sun's natural physical talent allowed him to win, but the pro gamers simply understood the game of Apis itself on a deeper level. Just how much had he struggled against Yoo Chan's experience? Yet that same person was now rolling on the ground without landing even a single clean hit.
"I was wondering why you weren't coming back, and here you are, doing this."
Yi Sun, who had been blankly staring at the scene, turned his head at the voice coming from behind. The owner of the voice was Han Seo-woo.
"What is Yoo Chan doing over there?"
"It's a good experience, isn't it, Seo-woo? You have to get beaten once to grow."
"That's true, but there was still something I needed to talk to him about."
After hearing another pro gamer's answer, Han Seo-woo rubbed his neck and let out a sigh as he looked at the monitor with a complicated expression.
"It doesn't look like it'll take much longer, so I'll have to ask the director and coaches to wait a bit."
*
It did not reach. Even though there was clearly a person right in front of him, the moment he threw a punch, that person vanished like a mirage. It was not merely that his attacks were being read. It felt as if the system itself was analyzing every move he made and responding accordingly.
Yoo Chan knew a single word to describe this. Hack. A term that had become a relic of the past. It had once tormented countless gamers, but now the program had disappeared without a trace. Yoo Chan momentarily recalled the word in his mind before letting out a hollow laugh. Of course, it was nonsense. In the modern VR gaming world, the word "hack" had gone completely extinct. Which meant that all of this was simply this woman's skill.
Now he understood why all the people who were active on MyTube and communities made such a fuss over Hwaryeong. With this level of skill, it was impossible not to make a big deal out of it.
Haah. If he had known it would come to this, he should have spent less time burying his head in Apis and more time wandering around communities to understand the world. Yoo Chan staggered to his feet from the ground and observed the woman who, even after a considerable amount of time had passed, had not taken a single step from her starting position. Indifferent eyes. A black martial robe without a single crease. A long smoking pipe held in one hand. Nothing had changed from the beginning of the match.
All the effort Yoo Chan had poured into his life meant nothing in front of this woman. Now that every feint he had practiced was shattered, Yoo Chan could not bring himself to charge forward. There was still time left in the game. Since Hwaryeong had not launched any attacks, his stamina was overflowing. The inner energy in his body had decreased, but he still had enough to attempt a few more moves. Yet Yoo Chan could not move his feet. He could not move. No matter what he did, it would be destroyed. If he could not reach her even at the very end, it felt as though even his last remaining pride would be shattered.
"Is this the end?"
At the bored tone, Yoo Chan quietly looked at Hwaryeong's face before nodding. What would change if he struggled any further? It would only add a few meaningless scenes to the movie. The ending would be the same.
"It was not bad. You have the skill to be proud of."
"Th... thank you."
It was praise from someone more skilled than him, but Yoo Chan could not feel happy. After all, he was the one who had just been thoroughly beaten by her.
"Since even a bad relationship is still a relationship, I will give you a few pieces of advice. First, subscribe to my MyTube channel."
"Excuse me?"
"I have uploaded content about how to learn the principles of martial arts. There is also information on how to properly utilize the Heavenly Demon Divine Art by training Dang So-il. Watch it and learn from it. That must come first."
Yoo Chan did not particularly like tips that came from MyTube or internet broadcasts. Most of them were things he already knew, and the truly important parts were often kept secret as personal knowledge. However, the person in front of him was different. What she knew was clearly something Yoo Chan did not. He would check it out later. Partly to see why everyone made such a fuss.
Who knows? Maybe if he listened to her lectures, he would finally understand the explanations Han Seo-woo had given?
"As for the rest... hmm. Right. Come at me again. While you move your body, I will point out a few things you need to fix."
Seeing Hwaryeong beckon with her hand, Yoo Chan let out a small breath. Advice, huh. If he charged, he would obviously be destroyed again. Still, he had to go. Receiving advice from someone of that caliber was an incredibly valuable opportunity. Once Hwaryeong left, he would have to listen to Han Seo-woo's vague explanations again. He could not miss this.
"I'm coming."
Move. Until you fall.