The Heavenly Demon Ascends (1)

Now I feel like I can breathe a bit. As expected, smashing something when you're annoyed is the best. VR really is great. Back in Murim, when I smashed something like a rocky mountain, I had to clean up the mess myself afterward, but in VR there's no need for that kind of trouble. Returning with a light heart, for some reason Enri was glancing at me nervously.

"What's with you all of a sudden? Did something happen?" I asked, but Enri didn't answer.

"More importantly, Ara-ssi! You're going to queue for ranked games, right?"

"I was thinking of it, but there's something I want to ask about that."

"What is it?"

"Do you people actually enjoy watching one-sided fights?"

In Apis ranked games, no one had ever posed a real threat to me. Every match only made me realize how decent Decay had been. Even after reaching Diamond, it wasn't much different. To me, fighting in Apis was no different from playing with infants.

"One-sided matches have their own kind of fun."

If that's how you see it, then fine. Well, the match is already found, so just watch what I do and give your opinions. If you say it's boring, I can play the clown and put on an exciting fight for you.

Let's see. This place is... a lake. A battlefield where you fight with your ankles submerged in rippling water. No special variables, but the unstable lakebed and the water itself are annoying. For someone like me who can walk on water, this lake is no different from flat ground.

"Acey!"

At the rough voice, I looked up to see a muscular man who had taken off his top. A long-brimmed hat covering his eyes, and shoulders and arm muscles that were absurdly massive. The effort he put into looking intimidating was admirable.

"Abandon all hope if you've seen this Marine Corps!"

"Is he famous?"

Yes. He's a well-known concept player who stays in the Master bracket.

"How's his skill?"

In short, he's far below Decay. Should be enough to toy with. I don't want to show him getting completely crushed from the start, though.

The man charged straight ahead without caring about front or back. His intention was far too obvious. He was probably thinking he'd grab me somehow. Whether he twisted my joints or whatever, he chose to close the distance so I couldn't even reach him with my fists. Not a bad option, but being predictable still costs points. If you want to land your move on the opponent, you have to hide your intent first, you fool.

The moment the man spread both arms to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pounce on me, I kicked up water to block his vision. Then I stepped on the water and leaped upward, and the man crashed into the spot where I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just been. After firmly stepping on the crown of his head once, I jumped again and landed on the water. I could feel his burning gaze.

"Again. That was too sloppy just now. Do it properly."

"You bastard... Ki-yeol!"

Still, his charge was obvious. I get the feeling. He thinks that if he can just grab the opponent, he'll win. That's how it's always been, and since he won that way every time, he never doubted himself. He probably thought even his losses were just because he failed to grab them.

But there's something he doesn't know. Facing someone above a certain level is a completely different matter from facing the weak. The strong don't fall for such obvious moves.

Well, this is fate too. I'll give him a lesson, just this once.

*

The Marine Corps embraced empty air once again.

"Hwaryeong-ssi. You really won't let yourself get grabbed."

Throughout the entire game, the Marine kept trying to land a grapple somehow. But Ara never once allowed his hands to touch her. As if toying with him, she always nullified the Marine's moves by the slimmest or second-slimmest margin.

"Seeing it like this, the Marine doesn't seem like much."

"I know my own level."

It was just that the opponent was bad; the Marine was still one of the skilled players who stayed in Master. Far better than ordinary people. Especially after hearing stories about the Marine from Master-rank streamers, Enri knew how formidable he was. An opponent you could beat if you didn't get grabbed, but once grabbed, you'd be endlessly tormented until you lost. A weirdo who brought real UFC into the fantasy UFC that was Apis. Someone you didn't want to meet whether you won or lost. That was the Marine.

"Dahhhhk!"

"Again. Try it one more time. Still sloppy."

Why did he turn into a toy in front of Ara-ssi?

"Hwaryeong-ssi seems to have a lot of worries. There's no way this wouldn't be fun."

"Come to think of it, this is a matchup between two concept players."

A fight between the recently rising Heavenly Demon concept user and the Marine who had stubbornly maintained his concept for years. It was almost embarrassing to call it a fight, but it was certainly a curious sight.

After half the match time had passed while toying with the Marine, Ara sighed as she watched him repeat the same charge without any change.

"You brat. Why do you only think about grabbing?"

Her tone carried deep frustration.

"That thing on your neck—is it just decoration? If the opponent is only thinking about grabbing, you should mix in strikes."

At the scolding tone, the Marine's movement, which had been about to charge again, stopped.

"Haa. At this point, you must've realized winning is impossible anyway."

"A Marine never gives up!..."

"Shut up. The weak have no right to choose."

When Ara cut him off and pressed down with her presence, the Marine flinched backward and closed his mouth.

The Marine was a user famous even among Apis's veteran players for being consumed by his concept. Whether meeting famous streamers, pros, or anyone else, he never abandoned his concept. To communicate with the Marine, you had to use that literary style called "Marine Literature," yet Ara had finished a normal conversation with him.

"A bit eccentric, but not a bad kid at heart?"

Ara, who had just finished a perfectly normal conversation, couldn't understand Enri and the viewers' fuss at all. He had some strange parts, but when she pressed him with her aura, he obediently yielded. She couldn't understand why they said conversation was impossible.

In the end, unable to close the gap with others, Ara queued for another ranked game. After that, Ara faced countless users. Among them were those who wanted recognition from her as the Heavenly Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠user.

"Brat. With that level of skill, it'll take a thousand years to earn my recognition."

There were those who ran away desperately, struggling to win somehow.

"Can't you just let me win?! If I lose this, I'll get demoted!"

"If you want to win that badly, then beat me with your skill."

"Like that's possible!"

Impressed by what she'd done for the Marine, there were also those who asked for guidance the moment they saw her.

"Do you know where your shortcomings are?"

"Yes. Thank you so much."

There were even those who resigned themselves to defeat and offered their necks the moment they met Ara.

"Just kill me. Let me go play other games quickly."

Through all these encounters, there was only one common point. Ara never suffered a single defeat, not even a single hit. It was an overwhelmingly dominant display, a sight that was pleasing to the eye just to watch.

Contrary to what Ara had worried about, her very existence had something that captivated people. By the time she had added nineteen more consecutive wins, a window appeared before Ara's eyes.

"If I win the next game, I'll be promoted to Master."

"Master?! Already?!"

It hadn't even been a month since Ara started playing games. And already Master? She hadn't devoted her life to Apis either. She was someone who played seriously for a while then quit repeatedly—how was reaching Master in a month even possible?

"Undefeated?"

Unable to believe the words that flew in via donation, Enri checked Ara's status window. It was true. Ara's ranked game record was 162 wins, 0 losses. In 162 fights, Ara had never once been defeated.