The Heavenly Demon Heads to the Abyss (Part 1)
The videos uploaded to Myeong-yun’s YouTube channel were all dominating the charts.
Most had surpassed a million views, with the Arena of the War Gods episode breaking three million. After he dropped the Dead by Daylight video, his subscriber count had shot past seven hundred thousand.
Considering how recently he had debuted, it was an astonishing achievement. Yet Myeong-yun’s ambitions soared far higher.
He had declared he would surpass the corporate heiress who reached a million subscribers in just two weeks. He would stand at the very peak.
The summit was no longer distant. Thanks to his appearance on national television, the subscriber surge would only accelerate.
And then—
Sang-hyun didn’t fully understand, but he had once said that wuxia was a genre that stirred nostalgia in people’s hearts. The dream of becoming the strongest under heaven was something nearly everyone had cherished at least once.
Even Sang-hyun had felt it after reading a few martial arts novels at Myeong-yun’s recommendation. Myeong-yun intended to become the kind of VTuber who granted that dream through vicarious satisfaction.
“For some it’s a dream, for others it’s admiration. That’s pretty cool!”
A faint pang of envy rose in his chest.
Sang-hyun smiled with a touch of bitterness as he watched Myeong-yun stride toward the Demonic Cult. He muttered under his breath.
“Then this hyung has no choice but to make you the absolute best. Just suffer for a few more days!”
Sang-hyun had decided to pour everything he had into the Cyberpunk Murim videos. He was certain they would become the masterpiece of his career.
-You have reported the elimination of the wanted criminal ‘Strange Bird’ to the authorities.
-Your mighty reputation has spread throughout Sleepless City.
-Various organizations have begun to watch you closely.
After notifying the nearest Demonic Cult branch, Myeong-yun had blown through all the money he’d earned from annihilating the Foodie Sword Sect. Once funds ran low, he claimed the bounty on Strange Bird.
It turned out the creature had been a high-ranking target; the reward was surprisingly substantial.
“Hmm. With this, I could buy another hundred skewers.”
Still, the sum was far too large to spend solely on food. With just a little more, he could buy himself a proper house in Sleepless City.
Myeong-yun decided it would be a waste to use it only for eating. After a moment of thought, he spoke.
“Walking everywhere is rather tiresome. It would be good to have a mount.”
The Demonic Cult branch was still quite a distance away, and Sleepless City itself was enormous—larger than Seoul. Constantly traveling on foot was simply impractical.
He looked around and entered a vehicle showroom. The brand name “Thousand-Li Horse” caught his fancy, but the chat immediately exploded.
Myeong-yun soon learned why everyone was reacting so dramatically.
A sales NPC approached him and began rattling off promotional lines, but one statement couldn’t be ignored.
“There are no brakes.”
“Hmm?”
“Our Thousand-Li Horse brand values speed above all else. Therefore, we do not install devices that would reduce velocity.”
It was insanity beyond imagination. Was this what true capitalism looked like? Safety regulations were treated as luxuries; only speed and durability were emphasized.
“Lightweight yet incredibly durable armor that can withstand maximum velocity, paired with an engine boasting fifty percent more output than our competitors! Unparalleled speed! That is the motto of Thousand-Li Horse!”
“Hah.”
Even the usually unflappable Myeong-yun nearly gasped. It was an utterly insane brand. Yet that very madness somehow made it more appealing.
“Show me the fastest single-rider vehicle you have.”
“An excellent choice! Right this way, sir!”
The moment he asked for the fastest model, the NPC’s eyes practically dripped with honey as he eagerly led Myeong-yun to the upper floor.
The second floor was darker than the first. At the NPC’s clap, the lights flickered on, revealing a sleek, streamlined motorcycle displayed on a circular platform.
The two-wheeled machine had a bluish chassis designed to minimize air resistance. Its functional beauty was exceptional.
“This is our pride and joy—the finest steed of Thousand-Li Horse! The Blue Fragrance Meteor! Top speed of 598 kilometers per hour! Stunning body design! It won awards at Sleepless City’s motor show—”
While the NPC and the viewers chattered noisily, Myeong-yun approached the Blue Fragrance Meteor, ran his hand over the seat, then turned his gaze elsewhere.
From the moment he’d stepped onto the second floor, something had been tugging at his attention. Unlike the Meteor, this motorcycle sat below the platform, completely covered by a black cloth.
Myeong-yun removed his hand from the Meteor and walked toward it. The NPC, who had been monologuing alone, hurriedly rushed over.
“S-Sir! That one is—!”
“Why? Is it not for sale?”
Without waiting for an answer, Myeong-yun grabbed the cloth and yanked it away.
Beneath the fluttering fabric appeared a chassis as black as the night sky. Accents of crimson added an air of luxury, and above all, two golden Chinese characters were engraved on the side.
Heavenly Demon.
A smile spread across his face at the motorcycle that seemed prepared solely for him.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Ah… I’m afraid that particular model is a bit problematic.”
“Speak. Why?”
“…Truthfully, this was a special custom order commissioned by the Demonic Cult for their Cult Leader. It’s a literal wild horse that only the Cult Leader can handle. But the Cult canceled the order, so it’s been rotting away in storage. This thing is genuinely lethal.”
“Did you all hear that, my dear children? It was made for this seat.”
“Pardon?”
“What is its name?”
“Pardon? I am Palace Man-o.”
“No. I asked for the name of this motorcycle.”
“Ah! Yes! It is the Nether King Dragon. Its graceful curves represent a dragon’s spine, the headlight is its eye, and there is no taillight, by the way.”
“Why not?”
“Because you wouldn’t be able to see it anyway. In theory, the Nether King Dragon’s top speed exceeds 900 kilometers per hour. However, we lack both a suitable testing location and a rider capable of handling it, so those are merely theoretical specifications.”
“I’ll take this one.”
“…Understood. Honestly, it pained me to leave it on display like this. It’s like my own child. Better to let it run free at least once than let it rot away.”
The NPC even gave him a discount. It felt like he was handing over travel money for the journey to the afterlife, assuming the rider would die anyway.
“The Nether King Dragon operates via biometric recognition. Once registered, it remains permanently linked. It also features a ‘miniaturization’ function for when you aren’t riding it.”
After listening to the explanation of the game-friendly miniaturization system that allowed him to carry it anywhere, Myeong-yun straddled the motorcycle, completed the biometric registration, and started the engine.
A thunderous exhaust roar filled the entire showroom. It sounded exactly like a dragon’s roar, and Myeong-yun liked it even more.
“Open the window.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Myeong-yun’s command, Palace Man-o immediately opened the window. Myeong-yun gestured for him to step back and spoke.
“For your information, this seat has no license. My dear children, feel free to report me if you can.”
The instant he twisted the throttle, a deafening roar erupted and the motorcycle accelerated in the blink of an eye.
Motorcycles already had fast zero-to-sixty times, but the ones in this game had specs that far exceeded reality. It took less than a second to reach 100 kilometers per hour. Breaking 200 took only another second.
Myeong-yun shot out of the showroom and immediately understood why this machine was called a wild horse. Controlling it was extraordinarily difficult. Anyone without supreme balance and dynamic vision would have died the moment they twisted the throttle.
But Myeong-yun possessed both. He burst through the showroom window, landed cleanly on the ground, and successfully merged onto the road.
Then came the terrifying acceleration. The speedometer climbed past 300, then 400 kilometers per hour. Yet Myeong-yun controlled the chassis without the slightest wobble, weaving through every vehicle ahead of him.
When necessary, he even performed stunts by lifting the entire bike into the air. The viewers watching in third-person were losing their minds with excitement.
While performing every stunt imaginable on the motorcycle, Myeong-yun declared:
“I am heading to the Demonic Cult.”
The Demonic Cult was not coming to the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon was going to the Demonic Cult.