Meeting a Heavenly Demon Fan (5)

The moment the game started, a low narration began to play. It was the voice of a cynical woman—cold, composed, the kind that would make anyone flinch if they heard it suddenly.

“For someone born into a martial family, learning martial arts was simply fate. I never properly attended school; I only trained in the martial ways.”

The black screen faded, replaced by footage of a young girl striking a wooden cylinder. Her fists were still at the most basic level, yet one could glimpse the spark of talent within her. If she grew up normally, she would have become a rather useful martial artist.

“It wasn’t such a bad life. Aside from the strictness of martial training, my parents were good people.”

The scene changed. A man and woman stood before the child, smiling warmly as they spoke. Their faces lit up with bright laughter when they looked at her.

“Everything was good. Yes. Until that day came.”

Suddenly, an assassin’s blade pierced both their abdomens. The faces once filled with affection were now twisted by agony and shock.

“It was an attack by the Sapa. They had declared war on the righteous factions that interfered with their activities.”

“Our family was their first target. There was no warning whatsoever. We were ambushed completely unprepared, and our once peaceful home filled with screams.”

“Everything crumbled. Human lives turned to blood and became fertilizer for the earth. Our family’s centuries of history burned to ash and scattered to the wind.”

A child, dragged along by what appeared to be a nanny, fled until she found herself alone in a narrow passage. A sturdy formation blocked the entrance—strong enough that ordinary people would find it impossible to break.

“The only reason I survived was because everything else was sacrificed. My life was built upon the blood of my entire family.”

The girl walking along the escape route gradually grew older. From around ten years old to twelve. Then fourteen. Then eighteen.

“The word ‘revenge’ held no grand meaning for me. It was neither a mission nor a wish.”

“It was simply something that had to be done.”

When the girl, now past twenty, stood before a certain building, the surrounding scenery changed. Beneath a sky crisscrossed with power lines, she spat out the cigarette she’d been holding between her lips and stepped forward.

A man approached with open arms—toward the girl. No, toward me. A scar on his cheek. Muscles exaggerated far beyond practicality. A face that always looked irritated. The word “thug” suited him perfectly.

“That three-story office over there is the place you’re looking for. I just saw Paulo go inside.”

The words skipped over the context, but I could roughly understand. One of the people the girl needed to take revenge on was inside.

“Good luck. It’d be a pain if my regular disappeared.”

The man gave my back a light pat, and at that moment my body regained its freedom.

This is quite the novel experience. It felt like I had become a character inside a created story, walking through a movie.

I moved my hands and feet, checking my internal energy. It seemed to belong to a first-class expert on the verge of the Peak Realm. Just as I was about to examine it more closely, Harin spoke up.

Her voice was so lively it was hard to believe she had been sobbing in fear just moments ago.

“It’s nothing special. Just a common story.”

Revenge tales were everywhere in the Murim. In a world where death was closer than life, every martial artist carried at least some hatred in their heart. So I had no particular feelings about what the game’s protagonist had gone through.

Harin sounded sulky, perhaps because my response lacked enthusiasm. Had she wanted me to call it a sad story? Too bad. Unfortunately, I’ve carried out far too many acts of revenge myself—and been the target of just as many. The tears for stories like this had dried up long ago.

“More importantly, Harin. Are you really fine with just watching?”

If that’s what she wanted, I wouldn’t argue further. But was watching a game really that fun? Usually, wouldn’t it make your blood boil with the urge to join in? At least when I watch others fight, my blood heats up.

“So I just need to go in there and smash everything, right?”

That was my specialty. I’d charged into organizations like this alone and torn them apart more times than I could count.

Ah, right. I should turn off the Correction System. I couldn’t possibly use such pathetic techniques again.

“What is it?”

“Do as you like. It doesn’t matter.”

Tap, tap. While I was talking with Harin, someone patted my shoulder. It was one of the men guarding the building I was about to destroy.

“Hey, miss. If you don’t have any business here, get lost.”

The way he growled was like a tiny puppy barking. How cute. Did you know? In the modern world, they say all pets get neutered. It’s supposed to be good for their health. Since you’re as adorable as a puppy, I’ll specially take care of your health for you.

I drove my knee into his groin. The man collapsed instantly. He fell to the floor foaming at the mouth, unlikely to ever get up again.

Ignoring Harin’s words, I opened the building’s door.

“What the—?”

“Who are you? You don’t look like a customer.”

I am a customer. Just one who’s bringing you misfortune.

I answered with a smile and leisurely stepped forward. The men seemed to have been ordered to guard the entrance; they stood up and growled just like the previous one. These kids sure love putting on airs. Instead of barking, they should’ve thrown a punch first. Giving your opponent time to prepare is foolish.

Since they barely deserved to be called martial artists, I didn’t hold back. I sent one flying into the ceiling and slammed another into the wall. People immediately came pouring out from all over the building. The others barked too, but the difference was that they now clearly recognized me as an enemy.

“What are you staring at? Come at me already.”

As I knocked each charging opponent unconscious, old memories resurfaced. Back when I was ruthlessly carrying out my revenge, this kind of thing had been everyday life. Destroy one sect, then find the next. Destroy that one, then find another. The methods varied too—sneaking in secretly, infiltrating as a disciple to tear them apart from within, or even blackmailing one sect into fighting another.

Through all that, I realized the most efficient method was the straightforward approach. Marching through the front gate and crushing everyone who came at me one by one took the least time. Best of all, it required no thinking, which was comfortable. The saying that a bad body makes the head suffer was truly accurate. Or was it the other way around?

Bang!

At the unfamiliar sound, I turned my head and saw a round object flying toward me. It was sharp and fast. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wrapped internal energy around my thumb and index finger, then caught it mid-flight.

A bullet. I crushed the bullet between both hands and looked ahead to see a man trembling while holding a pistol. It was my first time seeing a gun with my own eyes, but it wasn’t bad. With a weapon like this, even ordinary people could stand against decent martial artists.

“Fuuuuck!”

The man spat out a curse and pulled the trigger repeatedly. I brushed aside the flying bullets and reached him just as the gun clicked empty.

I tapped his chin to knock him out and took the pistol from his hand. I was pretty sure this was how you used it. I pulled the trigger a few times, but the gun gave no response. Was it broken?

So I’d been pulling an empty bowstring. This is exactly why you shouldn’t use weapons you don’t understand. I tossed the gun aside carelessly and moved forward.

For some reason, both my cheeks felt hot. Maybe because it was a tutorial, but the game’s difficulty was easy. Everyone inside the office was just a thug—not even worthy of being called a martial artist. Dealing with them was easier than snapping the neck of a flower. Even after clearing out everyone on the second floor, I remained completely fine.

When I entered the third floor, silence greeted me. No one was there. Had they heard the commotion below and fled somewhere? Or were they hiding?

I spread out my Qi Sense and immediately detected only one person on this floor. The energy definitely belonged to a skilled martial artist, yet strangely, the amount of energy he possessed didn’t match his actual skill level. The one waiting inside was at least at the level of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a Peak Realm expert. However, the sheer volume of energy he held was far greater than what should have been allowed for someone of his realm.

How was something like that even sustainable? Normally, he should have fallen into qi deviation and become a cripple. Did the people who made this game misjudge how much power a Peak Realm expert should have? I wasn’t sure, but it was interesting.

What could it be? I just hoped it wasn’t some sorcery from the Blood Cult. Their methods were neither fun nor intriguing—they only ruined one’s mood.

With a pounding heart, I opened the door. A man appeared before me. He sat in a brown leather chair, resting his chin on his hand. He wore a gas mask, making it impossible to read his expression.

The moment the man spoke in a hoarse voice, my body began moving on its own.

The man stood up and removed his coat, which was far too heavy for the warm weather. Beneath it, a suit and various mechanical devices were revealed. I couldn’t identify them, but I understood they were somehow related to internal energy. Their operating principles, however, were beyond my comprehension.

Was the setting that they had combined modern technology with martial arts? How interesting.

The instant the man threw a punch, my body received it. I didn’t like having my techniques forcibly activated, but something astonishing unfolded before me regardless. The moment the mechanical martial artist’s hand touched my arm, it began sucking away my internal energy.

I urgently shook the man off, but the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mark where his hand had touched remained on my arm. What was that? I wasn’t surprised simply because he had used a qi absorption technique. After all, I knew how to use Absorption Arts too.

What shocked me was that it hadn’t been martial arts at all. That’s right. What the man had just used wasn’t martial arts. There was no underlying principle or logic to it. It had produced the exact same result as a martial technique using internal energy, yet it was not martial arts. It had simply recreated the martial way through something else entirely.