The Heavenly Demon Descends
The Heavenly Demon, Myeong-yun.
As the 8th Heavenly Demon, he was the absolute ruler who had fulfilled the long-cherished dream of the Heavenly Demon Cult—unifying the world beneath his feet. He stood as the greatest martial artist of all time, a supreme expert whom no one could rival.
Both the righteous and demonic factions knelt before him. Known as the Cheon-oe-Ak-Ryong—the Evil Dragon Beyond the Heavens—he had transcended mortal limits. With no worthy opponents left in the world, he soon reached the realm of Ascension, shedding his mortal coil and departing the secular realm.
The Heavenly Demon Cult revered him for ages afterward, declaring that he had truly become the Heavenly Demon God...
And then, thousands of years later.
In an era where martial arts had been forgotten and tales of the murim only existed within the pages of wuxia novels.
Perhaps in another world entirely.
20XX, a cold winter with snow falling gently from the sky.
The Heavenly Demon Myeong-yun opened his eyes in South Korea.
* * *
"Hey, are you seriously not coming? The regular admission results are out and the CSAT is over. Let's hit the PC bang. I'm asking as your friend—won't you grant me this one wish?"
"I said no. It's a hassle."
Myeong-yun, once called the Heavenly Demon.
After being reborn in Korea, he had been deeply confused at first. Eventually, he set aside the title of Heavenly Demon.
There was a strange coincidence that his name was the same in both the murim and Korea, but that was beside the point.
In this world, he was no longer the Young Cult Leader, the Cult Leader, or the Evil Dragon Beyond the Heavens.
There was no need to fight here, and thanks to his ascension, he had cast off the demonic nature of his previous arts. He no longer carried the fate of being drenched in blood.
His parents' unconditional love had raised him this way.
The Heavenly Demon who once knew neither blood nor tears had regained his humanity and become human once more.
And so he became an ordinary person in South Korea.
Nineteen years and several months had passed.
He had just finished his college entrance exam, with about a month left until he officially became an adult.
He was waiting at the bus stop after school, on his way home, when his childhood friend Lee Sang-hyun—who had grown up with him because their parents were close—started pestering him to play games together.
"You've never played a single game since we were kids. You enjoy extreme sports sometimes, though."
"Feeling it with your actual body and clicking a mouse and keyboard are two different things."
"No, I'm telling you—this one actually moves your body! It's virtual reality, but still."
Sang-hyun shoved his smartphone screen in front of Myeong-yun.
The screen displayed an advertisement for a brand-new virtual reality model.
-Resolution indistinguishable from reality! -Everything is realized in that place! -THE NEW WORLD!
It was an ad for the virtual reality device called New World. After the VR boom ten years ago, it was the leading hardware developer among the flood of companies that had emerged.
Because of that, most games released these days were virtual reality titles.
The era of mouse-and-keyboard gaming was slowly coming to an end.
"I tried it before. It wasn't that great. The body doesn't even move properly."
"That was ten years ago! It's completely different now. The hardware has gone through several generations."
"Still not interested."
Even though Myeong-yun had set aside the memories of the Heavenly Demon and grown up as an ordinary student, he always felt a certain boredom.
He could not forget the dopamine rush from his previous life—traveling the world to unify the murim and clashing with powerful experts.
Those razor-thin moments where life and death were separated by a single sheet of paper.
With such memories, a peaceful era could only feel unbearably dull.
"Aw, come on, just once! I'll pay for everything! You're good at games. You could even go pro!"
"Well... that's true."
Even after reincarnating, he had not completely abandoned his martial arts.
Moreover, the body he had been reborn into possessed excellent natural talent. It would have been a waste to let it go unused.
He had only trained the basics to avoid being tainted by demonic nature, but this was an era where martial arts had been forgotten.
His dantian was filled with pure, refined internal energy unlike anyone else's, granting him a body on an entirely different level from ordinary people.
"Still a hassle."
"Ugh, fine, you stubborn bastard."
Sang-hyun eventually gave up on dragging the resolute Myeong-yun to the PC bang.
Claiming that playing alone wasn't fun, he headed home with Myeong-yun instead.
Since they lived in the same apartment complex and the same building, they soon boarded the arriving bus and sat side by side.
Myeong-yun quietly closed his eyes while Sang-hyun, wearing earphones, watched videos on his smartphone.
As the quiet time continued, a few specific words leaking from the earphones tickled Myeong-yun's ears.
-...Dare! -...You dare challenge this Alliance Leader! -...In the end, you bastards will have to taste my Emperor's Step and my Sky-Piercing Sword of Boundless Freedom...
Myeong-yun's eyes snapped open.
Alliance Leader.
Emperor's Step.
Sky-Piercing Sword of Boundless Freedom.
Words that revived memories of the old murim.
The Murim Alliance Leader, Namgung Yeong-seong.
The hero of the righteous path who had fought to the very end to stop the Heavenly Demon Cult's advance.
Myeong-yun's former rival, known as the Sword God.
'Is that bastard still alive? Did he reincarnate in Korea like me?'
His heart began to race.
With that pounding in his chest, Myeong-yun shifted his gaze to peer at Sang-hyun's smartphone screen.
But there was no sign of the Murim Alliance Leader he remembered.
Instead, a woman in blue martial robes was swinging a blade and cutting down enemies.
"What is that?"
"Huh?"
Sang-hyun pulled out his earphones and looked at him.
Myeong-yun pointed at the screen and asked again.
"What is that? Something about an Alliance Leader."
"Oh, this? You don't know? It's a virtual streamer."
"Virtual... streamer?"
"Yeah. Basically, people who roleplay as characters while broadcasting. They're called virtual streamers."
"I see."
Seeing Myeong-yun show interest, Sang-hyun excitedly continued the explanation.
"This person's name is Namgung Yeong-yeong. She's playing as the Murim Alliance Leader. Apparently she's from the Namgung Clan."
"Namgung, huh. A nostalgic name."
"You read some wuxia novels back in the day? Now that I think about it, you've always had a weird fondness for martial arts stuff since we were kids."
Myeong-yun focused his attention on Yeong-yeong on the screen.
It looked like some kind of FPS battle royale game. While everyone else was shooting guns, she alone charged across the battlefield with a blade.
Her movements were rather clumsy, but her concept was truly top-tier.
Perhaps he too could once again...
Myeong-yun asked, "How do you do that?"
"What? This game? It's a virtual reality game. Why didn't you just come to the PC bang with me earlier?"
"No, not the game."
"Huh?"
"Virtual stripper?"
"Streamer! You want to become a virtual streamer?"
"Yes. That. You know all about this stuff."
"Why the sudden interest? You've never cared about any of this before."
"Just because."
Myeong-yun brushed it off vaguely.
Even though Sang-hyun was his longtime friend, there were some things—like his previous life—that he simply could not share.
When Myeong-yun said he wanted to try being a virtual streamer, Sang-hyun grinned and handed him one of the earphones.
"Then let's do some prep on the way home and buy the equipment while we're at it."
Sang-hyun was, as always, a reliable friend.
* * *
"Alright, setup's done. You actually had enough saved up to buy the new New World model?"
"I've saved most of the allowance I've received since I was a kid."
Perhaps because he had achieved everything in his previous life, Myeong-yun had little desire for material things.
His family was well-off, so most of the pocket money he received had gone into savings.
Thanks to that, he was able to purchase all the equipment needed for streaming.
"The new New World unit and the streaming module. These two should be enough for now. When you connect to the New World VR lobby, I'll support you from outside on the computer."
"Got it."
"Since it's your first time in VR, there'll be a bunch of settings to adjust. Just follow the instructions inside and it'll be done quickly."
"Understood. See you inside."
Myeong-yun put on the latest New World device—shaped like sleek goggles—and lay down on his bed.
The moment he pressed the power button near his temple, a low humming activation sound rang out. His consciousness felt as if it were sinking deep underwater.
Then a new landscape unfolded.
In a completely empty white space.
Vibrant green fields, snow-capped mountains, a blue ocean, and a sparkling universe.
True to its name, New World presented these vivid scenes before Myeong-yun's eyes.
But he skipped through all of it without much interest and finished the device's initial setup.
'It's certainly different from the old days.'
Myeong-yun moved his body this way and that, getting used to the sensation.
Ten years ago, the graphics had been crude and movement felt as heavy as if his entire body were wrapped in chains.
It was like trying to move underwater under immense pressure.
But now it was different.
The sensation of all restrictions being lifted.
In this place, it seemed he could display movements no different from his previous life.
He would be able to unleash the full power of the 'Heavenly Demon,' the greatest martial artist of all ages.
Even greater power than in reality!
'But if I did that, New World wouldn't be able to handle it.'
Myeong-yun instinctively realized this. He could accelerate his consciousness dozens of times over, but it was clear that New World would not be able to keep up.
With the current hardware, it seemed that even one-tenth of his power was the limit.
After adapting moderately, he waited for a moment in the white space when Sang-hyun's voice came through.
-Ah, can you hear me? Connection successful. We won't be using the streaming module today.
"Why? Aren't we broadcasting right away?"
-If it were a regular streamer, sure, but virtual streamers have a proper order to things, my friend.
"Is that so? Understood."
Since Myeong-yun knew nothing about it, he decided to follow the advice of the expert Sang-hyun.
-We're going to create an avatar. If you strongly visualize the image you want, it'll be generated exactly like that.
As technology had advanced, New World had its own built-in avatar creation system.
It read the user's desired image and materialized it. Many virtual streamers used this system in the early stages to establish their character concept.
'Of course the avatar system isn't perfect, so some adjustments will be needed later, but at least we'll know what direction you want.'
Thinking this, Sang-hyun operated the system for avatar creation.
-Starting now. Just think of the appearance you want.
"Alright."
The avatar creation sequence began, and a faint light enveloped Myeong-yun.
The bluish glow began to sculpt Myeong-yun's previously blank, white-paper-like state into something new.
A physique far larger than his current one.
A man's face that looked slightly past thirty, with strong, bold features.
Long black hair flowed freely like silk.
The black robe enveloping his body fluttered as if it were the wings of a phoenix.
Watching this, Sang-hyun frowned.
The image Myeong-yun was creating was far too detailed and beautiful.
A face possessing an indescribable, profound mystique.
Its level of completion made one wonder, 'Is this even possible with the system?'
'This is insane.'
What the avatar system could create was essentially a 'mold.'
It materialized people's images, but they were closer to clay dolls.
Because it concretized vague, general impressions, things like body proportions and hairstyles often came out haphazardly.
The current trend was to use that user-generated 'mold' as a base, then have designers and engineers work together to complete a proper 'virtual avatar.'
Yet Myeong-yun had completed his virtual avatar all by himself.
The quality was unbelievable for something an individual had made.
Sang-hyun had been estimating how much it would cost to hire professionals for the avatar.
But from every angle, there seemed to be no deficiencies at all. There would be no need for designers or engineers.
Just how intense must one's imagination and desire be to achieve this level of realization using only the basic system?
Sang-hyun had tried it once himself and only produced something that fell straight into the uncanny valley—utterly unwatchable.
If everyone were like Myeong-yun, all the designers and engineers in the virtual industry would have been out of a job.
Meanwhile, the person who had just completed his own appearance seemed somewhat dissatisfied...
Sang-hyun unconsciously muttered.
-You crazy bastard.
"What did you say?"
Sang-hyun was startled once again.
Myeong-yun's voice had changed dramatically from usual.
It was a deep, resonant, attractive baritone that perfectly suited the avatar he currently wore.
A truly beautiful voice.
It felt like a single word from that voice could enchant anyone.
He hid his shock for now.
He wanted to ask how he'd done it, but there was something more important at the moment.
-Ah, it's nothing. Want to get used to the body by trying a mannequin duel?
Myeong-yun moved his body slightly at Sang-hyun's suggestion.
'It's heavy.'
As expected, he couldn't even reproduce one-tenth of his previous life's movements.
If he went any further, New World would not be able to endure it.
"Alright. Begin."
-Got it.
The mirror disappeared and a single doll appeared.
The doll creaked as it moved, then assumed a stance.
It looked like a martial artist, which piqued Myeong-yun's interest.
-Since it's your first time... should we start on easy mode? That okay?
"No. The hardest difficulty."
-Come on, even for you that's a bit much. Even world champions say they can't last on that.
"Then it'll be even more fun."
-This will be the first time I get to see you lose. Starting now.
What Sang-hyun had summoned with a mischievous grin was the Fighting God difficulty AI doll that came pre-installed in New World.
Martial artists said to be the best in the world, physical YouTubers who boasted about their bodies.
Even UFC champions and Olympic gold medalists in combat sports could be counted on one hand for those who had conquered the Fighting God difficulty.
It was a kind of end-game content that even skilled players challenged once, only to be thoroughly defeated.
Knowing Myeong-yun's stubbornness well, Sang-hyun started the match with the thought of letting him suffer a little humiliation for once.
The moment the 3, 2, 1 countdown ended in front of Myeong-yun's eyes, the doll began to move.
The wooden doll charged forward at high speed.
Myeong-yun recalled the past.
The countless experts who had rushed at him to bring him down.
The wooden doll resembled them.
Just as he had done when facing them, Myeong-yun kept one hand behind his back and confronted the doll.
There was a slight sense of dissonance with the virtual body, but handling a single doll posed no problem.
"Excellent movement."
The approaching doll thrust out a sharp fist.
Myeong-yun turned his head to the side to dodge, then hooked his leg to trip it.
The wooden doll that floated briefly in the air braced itself on the ground with its palm and extended its leg, but Myeong-yun—as if he had known it would—deflected it with his own palm.
Still keeping its palm on the ground, the doll moved its legs in a dance-like motion and launched a continuous barrage.
Capoeira. The various martial arts programmed into the doll poured toward Myeong-yun.
Taekwondo, hapkido, wrestling, sambo, muay thai, boxing, taekkyeon, krav maga...
A comprehensive collection of modern martial arts. A well-blended combination.
But as the saying went, all streams return to the sea. The same was true for modern martial arts.
To Myeong-yun, who had mastered every kind of martial art and seen their end, none of it worked.
He dodged and redirected every single one of the doll's flowing attacks as if he had analyzed all martial arts.
From outside, watching on the screen, Sang-hyun thought the two looked like they were performing a perfectly choreographed dance.
-Insane...
However, the balance soon collapsed.
Myeong-yun's leg shot out long, striking the wooden doll's opening.
The doll that took the hit to its abdomen stood up again and charged, but the same scene repeated.
Myeong-yun dodged the doll's fist and landed a clean counter on its face.
He redirected the extending leg with his palm and drove a palm strike into its chest.
A heavy fist then slammed into the staggering doll's solar plexus. Finally, the wooden doll collapsed and vanished.
The three letters 'WIN' floated before Myeong-yun's eyes.
As Myeong-yun stared at the letters after defeating the doll, Sang-hyun spoke urgently.
-...Hey, strike a pose and say something. We're going to use it for the PV.
Strike a pose and say something.
There was only one thing Myeong-yun could think of.
He clasped both hands behind his back with dignity and raised his head.
An arrogant, haughty expression appeared on his face.
But because he was a being worthy of such arrogance, no one could object.
Even Sang-hyun, who was watching, felt the same.
Myeong-yun opened his mouth.
"This seat is the Supreme of the Heavenly Demon Cult. This seat is the Heavenly Demon."
It was the first moment the Heavenly Demon descended upon the internet world.