The Heavenly Demon Ranks Up (2)
"If someone saw this, they'd believe it was a hack for sure."
The only stain on Ara's status window was that single loss from a normal match—the one she took against an Outer God on her very first day playing Apis.
"Doesn't this mean the more famous Hwaryeong gets, the more Dekay gets re-evaluated too?"
"I suppose so?"
Ara couldn't understand why Enri and the viewers were making such a fuss. There hadn't been a single opponent who could threaten her, so what was so impressive about never losing? She stayed out of the conversation and queued for the next match. It didn't take long before the final game for Master promotion was ready.
The moment the opponent's nickname appeared, the chat exploded into whispers.
"Eek. A real pro?"
Startled by the chat, Enri immediately searched the opponent's nickname online. SID Karisfo. It was real. Although he was still playing in the second-tier team, he was considered a promising prospect.
"Enri. Is he truly a professional?"
"Yes, he is. He's from the second string."
"Hoo. Then that means he makes his living with this game."
At the very least, he was on a higher level than Dekay. How interesting.
When she first met Dekay, he had entertained her quite a bit. She wondered how much entertainment this one could provide. She was looking forward to it.
"Wow. Thirty straight wins and now promoting to Master? Why is climbing points so brutal?"
SID Karisfo—Seo Ju-han stood in the center of his VR room decorated like a training hall, swinging his sword. He wasn't originally a Sword Saint player. If anything, he used to dislike the character. The Sword Saint spammed aggressive attacks that made opponents complain about "playing the game by yourself," which didn't match Ju-han's preference for heavy, decisive strikes.
Yet the reason he had been playing Sword Saint lately was the crushing defeat he suffered against one during the recent Apis 1v1 tournament. There was no excuse. He had lost because he was lacking. People often pointed out that he struggled against Sword Saint, but he had never bothered fixing the weakness. His teammates comforted him by saying it was just bad luck and that he would have won if it hadn't been a Sword Saint, but Ju-han ignored every word.
He was a pro. And a pro never made excuses for his own shortcomings no matter the situation. After that day of utter defeat, Ju-han logged into Apis all day every day to practice Sword Saint. The best way to understand and counter a character was to play it yourself. He had no intention of stopping until he reached the pro league.
While he was deep in sword practice, a match was found. His opponent was the Heavenly Demon. A Heavenly Demon in the Diamond-Master bracket? Not even worth thinking about. Another Heavenly Demon fanboy, no doubt. Sigh. Why were there so many of these people who couldn't even practice properly?
The Heavenly Demon was a character you shouldn't touch unless you had the skill for it. Even pro league players couldn't bring out all of its potential. The Heavenly Demon users in this bracket were no different from moths flying straight into the flame.
The recent surge in Heavenly Demon fanboys was all because of Hwaryeong. The character had always been so difficult that most people avoided it. Naturally its player base was small, and it was even called the exclusive domain of masters. Then Hwaryeong appeared and changed everything.
The user who suddenly showed up not long ago displayed a version of the Heavenly Demon that surpassed everyone's imagination. A human body challenging a god and felling it with a single fist! It didn't matter if you were Bronze or a pro. After watching Hwaryeong's videos, anyone would feel the urge to play the Heavenly Demon.
Even Ju-han had been the same. He had never touched the character after pinning his own in the pro league, but the day he saw Hwaryeong's video he couldn't hold back and went to play it. The result was disastrous. Demoted all the way to Challenger, he had to spend days clawing his way back up. Even as an active pro, the Heavenly Demon wasn't an easy character for him.
Just who was this person called Hwaryeong to handle the Heavenly Demon so perfectly? Honestly, Ju-han even wondered if the person was actually human. He was confident he would simply nod if the Apis developers later announced, "Hwaryeong was actually an AI we created." Though seeing how close she seemed to be with the streamer Enri, she was probably a real person.
Then the game was found. The map was the Arena, one of the skill-based maps. The opponent's nickname was Hwaryeong. The Hwaryeong.
The monster among monsters who had defeated the Third Elder, soloed an Outer God, and recently overwhelmed the former pro Dekay. Hadn't that person started playing Apis less than a month ago? And she had already climbed this high?
When Ju-han checked Hwaryeong's status window, he couldn't help letting out a gasp. There it showed a win streak that easily surpassed one hundred. She had reached this point without losing even once. Wow. Damn. Was something like this even possible? Was this what real talent looked like?
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Enri tells me you are an active professional. Is that correct?"
"Yes, it is."
Wait, was this being broadcast right now? Was his encounter with Hwaryeong being streamed live?! Ju-han clicked his tongue.
"Are you streaming at the moment?"
"I am."
"May I ask how many people are watching?"
"Enri. How many? Mm. Mm. Right. Roughly ten thousand, she says."
Ten thousand?! Ten thousand people watching an individual streamer's broadcast was enormous. The official broadcast of the tournament Ju-han had participated in last time averaged twelve thousand viewers. That meant a similar number of people were currently watching this match.
...If he lost to Hwaryeong in front of ten thousand people, his name would be permanently tied to hers in the community. Then his teammates would come to tease him. The coach might even say something. He had to avoid that future at all costs.
But could he actually beat her? Using a Sword Saint he still wasn't fully comfortable with? As a pro, Ju-han had better fundamentals than most, but in Apis character proficiency was just as important as fundamentals. Executing every technique without relying on the Correction System was no easy task. For Ju-han, who was still dependent on the Correction System, the odds of beating Hwaryeong weren't high.
"Well then. I'll give you a few moves. Come at me."
Even so, he couldn't back down. Running away without fighting would look even more pathetic. There was only one choice left for Ju-han. Moving forward. Whether victory or defeat waited at the end, he had to take that first step.
The first move Ju-han chose was one any Sword Saint user would pick at the start. Yellow Dragon Strike. A charging skill that rushed forward like a dragon opening its maw. Whether the attack succeeded or failed wasn't important. The only thing that mattered was closing the distance with this skill.
Hwaryeong didn't move even as she watched him charge. She simply stood in place, carefully observing his movements, then clicked her tongue. The moment Ju-han reached her and swung his sword down, the blade stopped completely. Hwaryeong had caught his wrist.
"It seems you don't usually handle a sword."
"You can tell?"
"Obviously. It's so clumsy, how could I not?"
He knew he wasn't good with Sword Saint, but was it to the point of hearing such words? The thought crossed his mind, but having his attack perfectly countered left him unable to argue.
Hwaryeong released his arm and kicked him away to create distance again.
"Tsk. I had expectations since you're a pro, but it seems I won't be able to enjoy this while you're holding a sword."
"I'm truly sorry for falling short of your expectations!"
"Very well. Let's do this. From now on, I will not take a single step from this spot."
"Excuse me?"
"If you can make me move even a little, I will grant you victory."
He thought she might be joking, but Hwaryeong's expression was completely serious. She genuinely believed she needed to take on this handicap to make the fight fair.
"If you wish, I can even use only one arm."
"I'm still a pro, you know!"
This was a matter of pride. No matter how absurdly skilled Hwaryeong was, being looked down on this much made anger flare up. Even if Sword Saint wasn't his main, he was still a pro. Hwaryeong's disregard ignited his competitive spirit.
"Child. Say those words after you manage to make my feet move."
Seeing Hwaryeong's smile, Ju-han grit his teeth. Fine. If that's what you want, I'll do it. And if your precious win streak breaks because you lose, that's not my problem. I hope you don't change your words after I make you move.
Ju-han charged at Hwaryeong once more. The characteristic of Sword Saint's swordplay was speed. The storm of slashes forced the opponent into defense. Trying to clumsily escape this onslaught would only drag you into the storm and lead to defeat. No matter how strong you are, Hwaryeong, can you really stand still and counter the entire sword dance of the Sword Saint?!
Watching Ju-han rush in, Hwaryeong simply pursed her lips and let out a small sigh.
"As expected, it's not enough."
With one hand behind her back, she responded to Ju-han's sword strikes using only her other hand. It was a bizarre sight. Not a single one of the relentless slashes reached her. As if a barrier surrounded her, every strike simply brushed past and cut through empty air.
"Where did that initial momentum go?"
"It's only just beginning!"
"Yes, yes. Do your best."
Seeing Hwaryeong look at him with eyes that seemed ready to yawn from boredom, Ju-han's fighting spirit burned even hotter. No matter what. By any means necessary. He would definitely land at least one hit on this person!