The Heavenly Demon Teaches (1)
Is this strange? As far as I knew, Sky's End was a magic-based game. So why was she using martial arts there?
Is Hwayeong using cheats?
Is the Heavenly Demon still a fraud even after this?!
It wasn't just him who was surprised. Everyone seemed to be thinking the exact same thing. Because she had pulled something like that, the community had been on fire the entire day yesterday. That person really was living kindling. In the best possible way.
As he scrolled down the page, watching people pour out their admiration, he paused when he realized there were still plenty of pages left to go.
It didn't end with killing the dragon? What else had she done?
If one were to summarize Hwayeong's subsequent actions in a single word, it would be nothing but a giant question mark.
That puzzle was solved with pure physics?
You could break the barrier around Harkia's castle with your fists?
Why is Hwayeong doing a one-woman army run in Sky's End?
If your eyes can't see, you can sense it another way—what does that even mean?
Why isn't she following the path but creating her own road instead?
Full-power Harkia was a boss you could actually defeat?!
Shock piled on top of shock, and Hwayeong's name was mentioned endlessly on everyone's lips. Occasionally there were comments like these, but they were in the minority.
Most people were simply in awe of Hwayeong's martial prowess.
She must have gone easy on me. If she had fought seriously, I would have been taken out in three seconds just like Dekay-nim or WhipLover-hyung.
While watching the various videos and marveling at her power, Il-su also thought that this was for the best. After all, this monster had agreed to start teaching him from today onward. His skills would surely improve at a rapid pace.
Seeing how NyangNyang, who used to be stuck at Challenger-tier with her Cat Fist, had recently improved enough to enter the pro league, he was certain he could climb much higher than his current level. He might even reach the point where he could spar with active pros in the official league.
Full of such expectations, Il-su suddenly recalled what NyangNyang had told him last time.
"When Hwayeong-nim teaches, she really goes hard, so prepare yourself mentally before you come."
When she said that, NyangNyang had been staring into empty space with dead eyes. Just how harsh could it be to make her react like that?
He worried for a brief moment, but then shook the thought away, telling himself that no matter how difficult game training was, it was still just a game. He erased NyangNyang's warning from his mind.
*
Il-su logged into the game thirty minutes before the appointed time and immediately sent a message to Hwayeong.
The unusually polite tone compared to how Hwayeong normally spoke made him wonder if she had sent the message to the wrong person, but the sender was definitely her.
Does this person usually talk like that? Maybe her speech in Apis really is just an act.
When Il-su entered the room where Hwayeong was waiting, what he saw was NyangNyang rolling around on the ground and Hwayeong staring down at her with a look of utter disdain.
"You made the exact same mistake again."
"I'm sorry!"
NyangNyang's avatar was in tatters. There wasn't a single spot on her face or clothes that wasn't covered in dirt. To think the Heavenly Demon avatar could end up looking like that. Just how much had she been rolling around?
"You're here. Dang..."
Hwayeong, upon seeing Il-su's face, frowned as she tried to recall his name.
We met just a week ago and she already forgot my name? For real?
It didn't seem like she was teasing him. Hwayeong was seriously tapping her chin, genuinely trying to remember.
Was my presence that forgettable?
Il-su smiled awkwardly and introduced himself again.
"It's Dang So-il."
"Right. Dang So-il. My apologies. For some reason, your name just refuses to stick in my head."
"I see."
Most people would have tried to phrase it more gently, but Hwayeong threw the straight ball with a completely calm tone. As a result, the corners of Il-su's mouth stiffened slightly.
"Good timing. There was actually something I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?"
"I was thinking of broadcasting today's lesson with you. Would that be all right?"
The question that came from Hwayeong's mouth was exactly what Il-su had been planning to ask. Viewers had been requesting it, so he had intended to ask if it was okay to stream the lesson, but since she offered first, there was no reason to refuse.
"I don't mind, but please let me turn on my own stream as well."
"Ah, yes. Feel free to do so."
While Hwayeong and Il-su were talking, the tattered NyangNyang shuffled over to them. Her eyes already looked completely soulless.
"How long have you been rolling around like that?"
"Since an hour ago."
"And you ended up in this state?"
"This is actually Hwayeong-nim going easy on me."
Going easy? This?
Il-su glanced sideways at Hwayeong. Even while listening to NyangNyang, she simply wore an expression that suggested it was no big deal.
So NyangNyang had been telling the truth. He had thought she was exaggerating.
"It's still a little early, but shall we begin? I'll start the stream as well."
"Ah. I'll turn mine on too."
"Hello. I'm supposed to be learning from Hwayeong-nim today. She said it was fine to stream it, so I turned on the broadcast."
"She said I rolled around a bit before you got here."
"Looking at me right now, how can you call it 'a bit'?!"
"No, you just said you didn't roll around that much."
"That's from Hwayeong-nim's standards! It was insanely hard for me!"
While Il-su comforted the grumbling NyangNyang, Hwayeong was also chatting with the gathered viewers.
"Yes. Today's broadcast is going to be a rather boring instructional stream."
Hwayeong pouted her lips and grumbled, apparently in response to something her viewers had said.
Was this person always so expressive? During the last tournament she had seemed perpetually bored.
"Ugh! So noisy. If it's fun, watch. If not, then leave. I'm starting the lesson now, so do as you please!"
After scolding the viewers, Hwayeong approached NyangNyang and Il-su. A long pipe that seemed to have appeared from nowhere was now held in her hand. She took a deep drag, exhaled the smoke toward the sky, and turned her gaze toward Il-su.
"I already identified the issues with you last time. For someone who handles the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, you are excessively cautious, stable, and fearful."
Il-su gave an awkward smile at the barrage of blunt facts. It was practically an insult, but he couldn't bring himself to refute her. Everything she said was a problem he himself had already noticed.
"If I were to list them all, it would never end, but the biggest problem is something else entirely."
"What is it?"
"The fact that you do not understand the principles of martial arts."
Martial? Principles? The phrase sounded like something from the early days of VR martial arts games, so Il-su tilted his head. Hwayeong continued regardless.
"Martial arts are something that unfolds naturally once you follow their principles. Yet you are trying to fit principles into your movements. Naturally, you cannot gain enlightenment and your realm remains stuck at the bottom. This is not a problem unique to you. It is an issue that plagues everyone who practices martial arts in VR, whether in Apis or anywhere else."
As Hwayeong continued speaking, question marks began flooding the chat window one after another. Most reactions were that it sounded like something from an old martial arts manual, like dialogue from a manhwa, or that they had no idea what she was talking about. Her own chat seemed no different; she frowned, choosing her next words carefully.
"Hmm. Let us say I throw a punch."
Hwayeong raised her arm and threw a light fist forward. However, its aftermath was anything but light. The wind chased after her fist, whipping NyangNyang's and Il-su's hair about.
"If I were a character inside a game and used this technique thanks to system assistance, you all would have focused on my movement. You would have seen nothing but the fact that I raised my arm and threw a punch, then tried to copy it."
Is that wrong? Il-su asked himself inwardly. Everyone learned games that way. By copying the system's assistance to learn the basics of a character, then building their own research of martial arts on top of it. Using collective intelligence—discussing which approach had more power, which was more stable, which motion was better—they went through countless trials and errors to reach completion. That was what martial arts in VR meant.
"It is not necessarily bad. If you are satisfied with the results gained through imitation, then that is enough. However, if you wish to look higher, you must not simply watch the movement itself but see the principle contained within the movement."
Only then could one see the end of martial arts, Hwayeong explained, but neither Il-su nor most of the viewers could understand what she meant.
Hwayeong, who had been quietly observing people's reactions, bit down on her pipe for a long time before exhaling smoke as if sighing.
"Fine. Let us start from the beginning. From the very beginning."
Her words carried both irritation and resignation.
"Dang So-il, what do you think the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is?"
Il-su could not answer Hwayeong's question. To him, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was nothing more than a weapon the Heavenly Demon used. Just as the Sword Saint used a sword and the Dragon Hunter used a spear, he had thought the Heavenly Demon simply used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Therefore, he had never given it any deep consideration.
Hwayeong smiled as if she had expected his silence and asked again.
"No matter how clumsy the answer, it is fine. Just tell me."
"Um. I just thought of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art as a weapon."
"What kind of weapon?"
"Pardon?"
"Weapons have different types. What kind of weapon do you think the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is?"
What kind of weapon...
Il-su had never pondered such a thing. Yet the moment she asked, an image rose in his mind. Something that smashed everything standing in his way with pure power...
"A hammer."
To Il-su, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a hammer. A massive hammer so large it would require both hands just to lift. The kind of hammer that would pulverize everything blocking its path when brought down. The moment he gave that answer, a smile appeared on Hwayeong's lips for the first time.