The Emperor's Sword
Until now, Myeong-yun had always fought his enemies barehanded.
In Narak, and in Devade as well.
He had thrown daggers in Devade, but he had never shown himself wielding a blade directly in combat.
Yet here he was, facing the Sword Gate Sect's leader with nothing but a broken chair leg in his hand.
"Listen well, children. To analyze the Sword Gate Sect's martial arts, one must first understand their roots. Their swordsmanship stems from the Namgung style—emphasizing raw power over speed."
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The sect leader, convinced he was being mocked, ground his teeth and charged, swinging his sword with full force.
A faint blue glow radiated from his chest. Inner energy surged from his core, enhancing his physical abilities and sharpening the blade.
Yet against that strike, Myeong-yun simply extended the broken chair leg.
The seemingly fragile piece of wood deflected the sect leader's sword with effortless grace, then slammed into his body and sent him crashing to the floor.
"What the Namgung style represents is overwhelming dominance. A single blade that subjugates all things—an emperor's sword."
"Their focus on raw power comes at the cost of precision. Unless they've mastered both to the extreme... someone like this sect leader lacks both strength and finesse. Even wielding a Namgung sword, all he produces is garbage."
Myeong-yun's scathing critique continued as he casually parried the sect leader's next desperate charge.
A sect leader was treated as a field boss in-game. An existence no fresh newbie could possibly defeat.
Neither in speed nor in strength. Until one gained sufficient upgrades, crossing paths with them was to be avoided at all costs.
Yet Myeong-yun handled the Sword Gate Sect's leader as if disciplining a child, making viewers wonder if he was even human.
Those seeing Cyberpunk in Murim for the first time asked if the game was simply easy.
Viewers familiar with Cyberpunk in Murim fiercely defended the notion, emphasizing just how absurd Myeong-yun's skill was.
Even as the chat erupted, Myeong-yun continued his martial arts lecture.
"Try again. If you've learned the Namgung sword, you should at least be able to infuse it with the essence of power."
"Damn it, just take a hit already!"
"I have no intention of being struck by such a slow and feeble blade."
Perhaps growing tired of mere explanation, Myeong-yun began giving the sect leader a one-on-one lesson in real time.
However, the sect leader—overflowing with nothing but killing intent—paid no heed to the advice.
Even if he had listened, he wouldn't have understood. The martial arts in his head were nothing more than pre-programmed skills. There was no room for adaptation or creativity.
"...Hopeless. His foundation is completely ruined. The fact that he replaced both arms with machines just to generate more power says it all."
Having judged the sect leader's talent beyond saving, Myeong-yun deflected his sword one final time and brought the chair leg down squarely on his crown.
With a crisp clang, the man's eyes rolled back as he collapsed unconscious.
Myeong-yun used the large man's body as a makeshift chair and let out a deep sigh.
"The juniors have all gone to ruin. The martial world of this era is one where those with larger inner energy cores and those who downloaded superior techniques reign supreme."
"In the martial world where this seat once stood, it was not so. No matter how profound the technique one learned, no matter how vast one's inner energy... if one fails to understand what martial arts truly means, they remain nothing more than a dull blade."
Myeong-yun rose to his feet, hands clasped behind his back.
"Martial techniques are the blade. Martial studies are the one who wields it. Techniques must be guided by understanding—if one cannot grasp cause and effect, even the most divine art is inferior to street brawling."
Myeong-yun sighed once more at the bleak state of the world and stepped outside.
At that moment, the "Sword Gate Sect" signboard hanging on the building fell and shattered.
Simultaneously, system messages appeared.
You have annihilated the "Sword Gate Sect."
Your misdeeds have become known throughout Sleepless City.
Your favorability with the "Namgung" has dropped to "Worst."
"I've never had good luck when getting involved with the Namgung bastards."
Having never intended to form good relations with the Namgung from the start, Myeong-yun dismissed the messages and felt a subtle change in his body.
By defeating the Sword Gate Sect, he had gained experience and leveled up.
As a result, his avatar's "Inner Energy" stat had increased, bringing about this sensation.
"...Hmm."
It was similar to when he played Narak.
A virtual reality with over 80% similarity to the real world.
If in-game systems increased one's physical abilities, how exactly did that function?
The sense of dissonance remained, yet Myeong-yun slowly clenched his hands behind his back.
Believing that one day, it might truly be possible.
"Well then, since we've wiped out the Sword Gate Sect, let's move on to the next target."
"Since it has the Namgung sword as its foundation, it should be something like the Complete Power Sword. That might be why they're called the Sword Gate Sect."
While Myeong-yun played Cyberpunk in Murim, Sang-hyun monitored the stream from outside and edited in real time.
In such a short span, how many short-form clips had he already extracted?
From his very first appearance, it was extraordinary.
Free-diving from a skyscraper with his bare body, landing lightly without a single scratch.
Then the first battle, followed by the fight against the Sword Gate Sect.
He had proven he could handle not only one-on-one combat but also outnumbered fights against armed opponents.
"The viewer count keeps climbing."
The live viewer count had already surpassed 30,000.
The clips Myeong-yun had just shown were spreading across communities, and once the edited shorts were uploaded, even more people would flock to the next stream.
Streams showcasing overwhelming skill never went out of style.
And the flavorful roleplay was a bonus.
Moreover, Cyberpunk in Murim was a popular game with a dedicated fanbase.
Though not a roguelike, it offered multiple branching routes depending on the character, along with the joy of customizing one's growth.
When a VTuber with a "martial artist" concept played Cyberpunk in Murim, people naturally came to take a look.
What kind of concept would they pursue? Would they actually maintain it?
Considering that unique appeal, this stream might even surpass the viewer numbers from Narak.
"Thinking about it, very few people have managed to maintain their setting so far. The difficulty is quite high."
Many martial artist VTubers had attempted Cyberpunk in Murim, but most failed to uphold their concepts.
No matter how promising an heir or how revered a clan prodigy, they inevitably knelt before the game's systems.
But Myeong-yun was different.
True to his "Heavenly Demon" concept, he remained overwhelmingly dominant throughout.
And he never forgot the roleplay.
"...But is this guy actually acting? Sometimes it doesn't feel like acting at all."
As if he had truly been the Heavenly Demon in a past life.
If that were the case, everything would make sense. Sang-hyun chuckled at his own ridiculous thought.
"No way that's possible."
Just as he was about to resume monitoring, an alert notified him of a new email.
With some time to spare, Sang-hyun checked it and smiled.
"This might be worth considering."
Following his tastes, following his whims.
After annihilating the Sword Gate Sect, Myeong-yun emerged back onto the night streets and bought a few snacks from a street stall.
They weren't particularly delicious, nor perfect, but the mere fact that virtual reality could produce flavor was fascinating.
"...It wouldn't be bad to go on a food tour."
Since his reincarnation, Myeong-yun's greatest interests were exactly two things.
Extreme sports and gourmet food.
The culinary pleasures he had rarely enjoyed in his previous life had become his sole hobby.
Holding a skewer of unidentifiable meat from the stall, he wandered about as chat messages poured in.
Having never received such a compliment before, Myeong-yun wore an awkward expression.
As he plucked pieces of meat from the skewer one by one, his gaze shifted toward a certain direction.
A gaunt, shabby-looking man was furtively glancing around before slipping into a dark alleyway untouched by light.
"Oh?"
Still holding the empty wooden skewer, Myeong-yun turned toward the alley and explained.
"Children, it seems this seat has discovered a master. He looks interesting, so let's follow him."