The Heavenly Demon Gives Advice (6)
With a long pipe clenched between my lips, I observed the group standing before me. Though they all belonged to the same organization, each carried a distinctly different aura. Most of them seemed relaxed, convinced that with over a dozen of them clustered together, there was no chance they could lose. A few were frowning slightly, no doubt thinking, Who does this person think she is, looking down on us? One or two appeared genuinely delighted at the opportunity to cross blades with me personally. Those who had faced me before showed clear signs of tension.
Han Seo-woo knew full well that I was the one who had defeated his master, so his reaction was only natural. The fellow I had just given a lesson to had been thoroughly crushed, so he couldn’t help but be nervous. But why was that swordsman over there swallowing so hard? Had I encountered him before?
I pondered for a moment and recalled someone who used a sword style similar to mine. Ah. That’s right. He was the swordsman I had met at the very end of the tournament hosted by Dekai. I remembered him as one of the better players among the modern ones. I had been rather excessively harsh with him back then. It was my first time encountering an apostle of fanaticism since entering the modern world, and my mood had been far from pleasant. Some of that pent-up frustration had inevitably mixed into the way I handled him.
Come to think of it, I was curious. What might that child who had fallen into fanaticism be doing these days? The mere thought of him brought back old memories, so I had deliberately erased his face from my mind. But now… Yes. Things were a little different now. I had chosen to face it, and in facing it, I had achieved a measure of results. I still didn’t have a precise solution, but I no longer intended to turn away blindly like I had in the past.
All the participants in that tournament had been people Dekai invited through his personal connections. I should contact him later and ask about that child. Who knows? Perhaps he too had undergone some kind of change.
“Hwaryeong-nim.”
As I watched the smoke curl upward, Han Seo-woo’s voice reached me and I turned my head.
“What is it?”
“Shall we begin?”
“Do as you please.”
They could launch their attack whenever they wished. Whether it was a surprise strike or a polite frontal assault, none of it mattered to me. No matter what they attempted, could they possibly inflict even a single wound upon me?
“Then we’re coming.”
The moment Han Seo-woo spoke, the kids from QZ Gaming surged forward in unison. Leading the charge at the very front was Han Seo-woo himself. Using footwork to close the distance at three times the speed of the others, he refrained from attacking immediately and instead studied my movements carefully.
Was he planning to restrict my actions and create openings for the rest to exploit? Haha. Know your place, brat. Even possessing the body from Hwaryong Muin, I am the one who defeated your master. With the same body I possessed during my rampage across the Murim in the past, there is no way you could possibly handle me.
“I won’t be giving you any separate advice.”
You already have a master—what could I possibly say to you? I have no twisted hobby of stealing disciples from others. Besides, your talent isn’t outstanding enough to warrant such behavior.
I infused my killing intent with energy, freezing Han Seo-woo’s body in place, then clenched my fist. He reacted belatedly, but it was far too late. There was no chance he could block a strike delivered with full power from such an unstable stance.
Han Seo-woo’s body flew over the heads of those rushing toward me. It would take him quite some time to regain his senses, so for now I would watch the others.
The pro gamers from QZ Gaming faltered briefly at the sight of their fallen teammate, but quickly recovered and charged at me. The one at the very front was a hulking man wielding an axe as massive as his own frame. As he drew near, he drew his shoulders and arms far back. To the untrained eye it looked like a full-powered swing, but it was a feint. The axe movement was meant only to restrict my motion; his true aim was a crushing shoulder charge. He was pretending to swing the axe to prevent me from dodging to the side.
Not bad. In some situations he might even follow through with the actual swing. However, it’s too slow.
“There are far too many openings. Forcing your intent is commendable, but you must polish your fundamentals first.”
Instead of retreating from the charge, I stepped forward and hooked his leg. Unable to withstand the momentum of his own rush, the axe-wielder crashed face-first into the ground.
With the massive obstacle gone, the two attackers behind him who had been preparing their strikes were revealed. The big man’s role had also been to draw attention. They certainly showed the coordination of people who had trained together for a long time. Their preparation for linked attacks was solid. Since Apis featured 5:5 modes, they must have drilled these combinations in preparation.
Well. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s still riddled with gaps.
The first to move was the swordsman on the right. He swung his blade toward me. It leaned more toward power than speed. His priority seemed to be restricting my movements rather than attempting to defeat me outright. A shame. Coordination is good, but you’re so fixated on the combo that you’re neglecting your own role.
I slipped inside the arc of the swinging sword and seized the swordsman’s wrist.
“Carrying out a set plan is fine, but your response to variables is clumsy.”
Combat isn’t completed simply by performing your own part well. I’m sure you know this, but I recommend training yourself to adapt to any situation.
I twisted the captured wrist and hurled him toward the opponent preparing an attack from the opposite side, then turned my head. An arrow embedded itself precisely where my head had been moments before.
The accuracy was decent and the aim wasn’t bad. However, his ability to conceal killing intent was severely lacking. How could someone aiming for a surprise attack from afar reveal their emotions so honestly? Those tiny details determine whether an ambush succeeds or fails.
Hmm. Watching them one by one like this, there are more than a few things I need to point out. After the fight, I should gather them all and drill each one thoroughly.
With that thought in mind, I caught the spear shaft flying toward my back.
Yi Sun let out a soft chuckle as he watched his seniors being smashed apart like NPCs in a martial arts game. Having faced Hwaryeong before, he had somewhat anticipated this outcome. She was the one who had previously crushed more than a dozen opponents without suffering a single scratch. Even if she struggled somewhat, there was no doubt she would emerge victorious. But to think the dominance would be this overwhelming.
The people currently charging at Hwaryeong were hardly street thugs. Far from it. These were the pinnacle players who reigned over the upper echelons of the Apis world—objects of envy and admiration for countless others. Yet every single one of them was being crushed like a mantis before a carriage wheel in front of the person known as Hwaryeong.
And now it was Yi Sun’s turn to stand before that wheel. He watched Hwaryeong walking leisurely toward him, then gripped his sword tightly and charged.
He held no illusions of victory. His opponent was not someone he could defeat. Instead, he simply wanted to show her how much his sword had grown since their last encounter. A sword built upon her advice. A sword he had trained by practicing the principles of martial arts that she had spread throughout the world, refined to the point where even other pro gamers acknowledged its quality.
Inserting another sword strike between strikes. His own secret technique that could appear like afterimages to observers. Yi Sun’s full power.
Hwaryeong quietly observed the blade, then stopped it cold by catching the edge between two fingers, just as she had before. She studied him for a moment as if gauging something, then offered a faint smile.
“First, let me say that the direction of your training is not wrong. It’s simply that you still lack time.”
Upon hearing those words, Yi Sun smiled back at her, just as she had smiled at him. That was more than enough. With the joy of having his efforts recognized, he faced the black screen.
By the time I had thoroughly rolled around the QZ Gaming kids until none of them could stand and finally returned home, evening had already fallen. I hadn’t originally intended to go that far, but I ended up getting carried away by the fun of it. Giving advice to those who desperately tried to apply every word I spoke turned out to be rather enjoyable. I felt like I could somewhat understand the mindset of the people who spammed “do this, do that” during my or Enry’s streams. It must be human instinct.
While I was lying on a bed covered in cute dolls, enjoying a well-deserved rest, Siyugeom sent me a message.
What is it? Was there paperwork that required my approval? Didn’t I already tell you to handle that yourself? I didn’t hand over all that authority for no reason.
Aah. That kid. I had told her that if she had something to request from Han Seo-woo, she should come find me directly—and she actually did. Since no one but me can restrain Baek Hwaryeong, it can’t be helped. If I don’t go, Baru will end up being treated like a toy again.
I had planned to spend the day lazing around without streaming, but it seems that won’t be possible. What a shame.
Upon connecting to the world of Hwaryong Muin, I immediately moved toward Baek Hwaryeong’s energy. She wasn’t inside any of the Mount Hua buildings but wandering through the mountain’s forest.
“What are you doing?”
When I called out to Baek Hwaryeong, who was standing in the middle of the forest that had died once and was slowly reviving, she turned with a bright smile.
“Perfect timing. I was looking for Baru, but I couldn’t find that fellow anywhere.”
Baru. It seems she finally fled because she couldn’t endure Baek Hwaryeong’s harassment. For this kid—who could detect most Taoist magic—to be wandering around searching for her, it clearly wasn’t something prepared in a day or two. Kid, did you really hate it that much when she clung to you?
“Anyway, that’s not the main issue, is it? Speak quickly.”
“How cold. I came all this way to give you the answer to your request.”
“Request?”
“Yes. Last time when you came to observe the solitude, didn’t you say you wanted to examine the place where it forms together with Baru?”