The Heavenly Demon Descends into the Abyss
“Well met, children.”
A pure white cyber space with nothing in it.
Myeong-yun, clad in a black robe, descended into it with a flutter, smiling as he watched the chat scroll upward at lightning speed.
The moment the stream began, the viewer count hovered near ten thousand.
His current platform stats were as follows.
Tswitter followers: 100,000.
Nutuber subscribers: 250,000.
Total views across live streams and uploaded videos had already surpassed four million.
That number combined both long-form and short-form content, yet it was still an enormous figure.
Moreover, his gameplay footage had apparently been exported overseas as well; foreign viewers occasionally appeared in the chat.
‘Not yet. Not yet.’
He could climb even higher.
The same conviction he had once felt while honing his martial arts returned to him.
After skimming through the viewers’ messages, Myeong-yun moved on to the main topic.
“I granted you all a day’s reprieve, yet none reached the abyss. That must mean the rabble lacks even the qualification to challenge it.”
Arrogant words.
Yet in reality, thousands upon thousands had challenged Narak, and not a single person besides Myeong-yun had reached the abyss.
Because of that, the moment he went live, viewers desperate to see the sixth floor began flooding in.
Myeong-yun stared straight into the camera.
The viewers’ screens filled with his face, its resolve as firm as iron.
Even through the virtual reality, his presence seemed to radiate across the screen.
The chat was instantly flooded with donations and praises for the Heavenly Demon.
Perhaps because he had accomplished so much in just a few days, the atmosphere bordered on frenzy.
Myeong-yun read out the donor names and expressed his thanks amid the torrent of donations.
“I once again offer my gratitude for the previous tribute to the cult’s strength. An urgent matter arose at the time, so I had no choice but to leave quickly.”
He could hardly mention New World’s overload incident.
After a brief explanation, Myeong-yun immediately launched Narak.
The same grand opening BGM and cinematic from before played.
Yet at some point, the tone of the opening shifted.
Instead of showing martial artists, the cinematic displayed only an endless darkness—a black hole.
As Narak truly began, the viewer count soared without end.
From the very start, live viewers exceeded twenty thousand.
Even though the minimum donation amount had been raised, donations kept pouring in, so he turned off notifications from the beginning.
The game started.
Resuming the previous session, the surrounding scenery changed rapidly.
The fifth floor’s landscape came into view.
The traces of the battle between Myeong-yun and Bi-ryeong remained intact.
“Come to think of it, I never chose a reward.”
Three options were presented to him.
The first was Bi-ryeong’s spear.
The second was the belt wrapped around Bi-ryeong’s waist.
The third was a martial arts manual.
Since they were items dropped by someone who had contended for the title of the greatest under heaven, all three were legendary grade.
Myeong-yun read the name of the manual.
“So it is the Flying Dragon World-Destroying Spear.”
He had little interest in divine weapons, but the manual piqued his curiosity somewhat.
In reality he would have chosen it without hesitation, yet since this was a game, it likely would not record the full details anyway.
The viewers were curious about the effects of the three choices, but Myeong-yun coolly ignored them and walked on.
Those watching Myeong-yun’s stream for the first time reacted with disbelief.
The self-proclaimed old-timers (who had been watching for less than a week) boasted that this was the true taste of the Heavenly Demon.
“Now then, let us head for the abyss.”
Myeong-yun stood before the entrance leading to the sixth floor, the abyss.
Black mist flowed from the entrance he had opened with the key, trying to devour anyone who entered.
However, Myeong-yun had subdued Bi-ryeong and obtained the Unyielding trait.
A white light radiated from him, repelling the black mist.
The sight of him pushing back the sinister energy somehow looked almost sacred.
Wasn’t the Heavenly Demon supposed to be black and red by tradition?
Viewers laughed at the sight of Myeong-yun emitting white light, and even Myeong-yun himself found it a little amusing.
“Anyone seeing this would think I’m from the Wudang Sect.”
Chuckling softly, he stepped into the abyss.
In the pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen, a single ray of light emanating from Myeong-yun showed him the way.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Myeong-yun followed the light before suddenly stopping.
The viewers wondered why he had halted, but soon understood.
Along with the sound of splashing footsteps in the darkness, enemies burst forth.
“So this is what it means to become one with Narak.”
The enemies that emerged from the abyss like zombies were the very people Myeong-yun had defeated so far.
From the various trash mobs that had blocked the paths…
To the first-floor boss, the Treasure Collector Dokgo Gudok.
The second-floor boss, the Hwasan Sect’s great disciple Cheonggyeong.
The third-floor boss, one of the Five Great Evildoers, the Severing Sword Yuncheon.
The fourth-floor boss, the fallen monk Cheolwoo.
And the fifth-floor boss, the greatest spear under heaven, Bi-ryeong.
What awaited Myeong-yun in the abyss of Narak was a boss rush of despair-inducing difficulty.
An endgame content seen in countless games, where one must defeat endless waves of mobs and bosses without rest!
Yet there was one key difference: in other games, bosses were usually faced one at a time.
In Narak’s abyss, all the bosses attacked simultaneously.
The viewers thought that even Myeong-yun would find this impossible.
If he had weapons and martial arts, maybe, but so far he had only consumed elixirs and reached this point barehanded.
-----!!!
As the enemies let out incomprehensible cries and charged, Myeong-yun lightly leapt over their heads and spoke.
“From here on, I recommend watching at a slower speed. 0.25x should be appropriate.”
After giving that advice, Myeong-yun began to move in earnest.
Using the enemies’ heads as stepping stones, he bounded about like crossing a river on stepping stones, then suddenly leapt high and spun.
“…Revolving Asura Kick.”
At the end of the spin, he thrust his foot downward. As he fell, every enemy beneath him was crushed and became one with Narak.
Landing on the ground, Myeong-yun grinned and released his hands from behind his back.
Curving both hands like a beast’s claws, he lowered his stance and shot forward like a bullet.
Once unleashed, Myeong-yun moved through the swarm of enemies without pause, striking from every direction.
Maintaining his momentum, he grew faster and faster.
Wherever he passed, enemies’ heads burst or were severed, becoming one with Narak.
One strike, one kill. Every vital point struck true.
With the bare minimum of movement, Myeong-yun dispatched his foes with certainty.
In an instant the enemies were swept away, and the viewers watching could only click their tongues in awe.
It was as if everything he had shown until now had not been his full strength.
He was truly a man among tigers. Moving as fluidly as if dancing, he swept the enemies away like autumn leaves.
Thanks to the spectacle Myeong-yun displayed, even the bosses looked like a disorganized rabble.
Yet the viewers’ assumptions soon vanished.
Bi-ryeong, whom Myeong-yun had faced, displayed the same majesty as before his death.
Thrusting his spear at a speed no human could follow, he dragged everything around him into the fray.
Even in death, his martial prowess had not disappeared.
A black dragon opened its jaws wide, devouring every nearby mob before lunging at Myeong-yun.
Having just ripped off the fallen monk Cheolwoo’s head, Myeong-yun charged straight toward the approaching dragon.
Just before colliding, he spun sideways, pushed the dragon’s flank away with his right hand, then drove his left hand toward the approaching Bi-ryeong.
Evading the spear’s trajectory, his left hand moved like a serpent and struck Bi-ryeong squarely in the solar plexus.
Both Bi-ryeong and the black dragon’s forms collapsed and became one with Narak once more.
With even Bi-ryeong defeated, nothing stood in Myeong-yun’s way.
Myeong-yun lightly dusted off his hands and clasped them behind his back again.
His face was calm, as though nothing had happened.
“There was a brief commotion. Let us continue.”
The chat scrolled at an incredible speed. It was proof of how impressive the previous scene had been.
While walking and reading the chat, Myeong-yun replied to the whining messages.
“Just watch carefully, dodge, and attack. Like this lord does.”
“Pro gamer? Hulge? You people certainly use difficult words.”
Myeong-yun chuckled, then stopped walking.
By now familiar with the pattern, the viewers focused their attention on the darkness.
The chat filled with messages wondering what would appear this time.
And what emerged from the darkness was an unexpected figure.
“…Hmm.”
Current live viewer count: 34,000.
At what could be considered peak viewership, the figure blocking Myeong-yun’s path was…
A black-clad “Myeong-yun” that had revealed itself from within the abyss.
“This should be entertaining.”