Anomaly Detector (4)
‘Anomaly Detector’ was well-known among horror game enthusiasts.
It not only carried over the gameplay from the monitor era but also had a knack for making people feel chills with its even more terrifying direction.
A game that anyone who enjoys horror games should try at least once.
Even for those immune to fear, its direction that could startle a person once was truly exceptional.
Many streamers had challenged this game, and countless memorable scenes had emerged from it.
People who confidently attempted the reality difficulty only to get game over in five minutes.
Those who screamed upon seeing an intruder and were killed by that very intruder.
Those who charged at a ghost and met a game over.
It was a gateway horror game that countless broadcasters passed through at least once.
That was why whenever a streamer they subscribed to played ‘Anomaly Detector,’ people naturally expected to see them get startled.
The viewers watching Myeong-yun’s stream this time were no different.
When he announced he would play a horror game, they hoped he might show a startled reaction.
Even though Myeong-yun possessed the courage to leap from a high-rise building without so much as blinking, they wondered if he might be weak to these kinds of horror presentations.
It was the opposite.
Myeong-yun dealt with the sudden anomalies without batting an eye.
Whether it was a poltergeist phenomenon where objects flew through the air or grotesque shapes appearing out of nowhere, he simply observed them with interest while operating the tablet.
The highlight came when he subdued the monster under the bed.
A creature with a massive hand that could drag the player to their death with a single swipe.
Anyone who approached would almost certainly die, unable to react in time due to its speed.
Yet Myeong-yun casually stepped on the back of the monster’s hand.
The game had not accounted for such an interaction, making the monster’s flailing all the more impressive.
The community was also flooded with discussions about Myeong-yun’s stream.
Those who had tuned in hoping to see him get startled found themselves even more captivated by his composure and strength.
Furthermore, posts that could be described as either testimonials or worship began appearing.
The influence of the ‘Heavenly Demon Cult’ was slowly spreading across the internet.
Like a contagious disease.
“Hmm, it’s nothing special. If only these easy ones keep appearing, is reality truly the hardest difficulty?”
Fifteen minutes into the game.
Having resolved over twenty anomalies, Myeong-yun moved from the study toward the living room.
What kind of anomaly would appear this time?
With his hands clasped behind his back, Myeong-yun walked down the hallway and stepped into the living room, only to stop abruptly.
“……?”
Both Myeong-yun and the viewers displayed question marks at the same time.
What appeared before Myeong-yun, standing in the middle of the living room, was…
An existence beyond imagination.
“A bear… I see.”
Standing on all fours in the center of the living room, staring at him while drooling, was a massive grizzly bear.
Its sheer volume seemed to fill the entire room.
It was so large that if it stood on two legs, it would likely reach nearly three meters.
The bear let out sharp “shik-shik” sounds while glaring at him threateningly.
The viewers erupted in panic at the sight of it looking ready to charge at any moment.
Even Myeong-yun paused for a moment, not expecting to encounter a bear.
After slowly observing the bear with his hands behind his back, he eventually spoke.
“This Lord shall take this opportunity to teach you how to handle encountering a bear in the mountains. It is the basics of Daeung-gong, so watch carefully, practice, and apply it when you meet a bear.”
As Myeong-yun took a step toward the bear, the grizzly roared with its mouth wide open and charged at him.
Every time it took a step, the floor shook with a heavy thud.
Even knowing it was a game, its ferocious presence felt so real it could be mistaken for reality.
A bear running on all fours could reach speeds of about 50 km/h.
The creature rushed at him far faster than a human and raised its right forepaw to tear him apart.
“Bears may be large, but they are dull. Watch closely.”
Myeong-yun twisted his body to the right and stepped to the bear’s side.
With just two steps, the bear’s paw sliced through empty air.
Myeong-yun extended his knee and struck the bear’s flank. A dull sound rang out as the bear faltered for a moment.
“A bear’s hide is thick, so it is a difficult opponent to bring down with physical strikes.”
As Myeong-yun said, the grizzly did not seem greatly affected by the knee strike.
It turned and approached again to kill him, an utterly terrifying sight.
Myeong-yun remained calm, but what about ordinary players?
If they went expecting an anomaly only to find a bear standing in the living room, they would panic and try to run.
“If you encounter a bear, do not panic. Though bears are higher animals, they are surprisingly simple and straightforward.”
While dodging all of the bear’s attacks, Myeong-yun continued his calm explanation.
“There are many ways to subdue a bear, but I shall introduce a method you can also use. It is the Tagyeong technique of Daeung-gong.”
Myeong-yun tossed the tablet into the air and moved swiftly.
Dodging the swinging forepaw, he slipped inside and struck the bear’s jaw upward with his palm.
In an instant, the bear’s body was lifted.
Myeong-yun seized the opening, used the bear’s head as a handle to leap high into the air, planted his foot on the ceiling to gain more speed, and drove his leg down like lightning onto the bear’s nape.
It happened in a single moment.
The instant Myeong-yun’s foot struck the bear’s cervical vertebrae, the bear’s movements ceased.
Its massive body froze and collapsed forward with a loud crash.
Myeong-yun landed lightly atop the fallen bear and caught the tablet that had just fallen from the air.
Then, while operating the tablet to correct the bear, he spoke.
“Did you all see that? That is Daeung-gong’s Tagyeong. A martial art created to deal with bears. If physical strikes cannot penetrate its thick hide, simply target its relatively weaker points.”
Daeung-gong. A martial art Myeong-yun had just created on the spot.
He wondered how many viewers could actually follow it, but if he gradually instilled martial arts into them this way…
Martial arts would become familiar, and they would develop greater interest in the ‘murim.’
Myeong-yun’s virtual murim project was progressing splendidly.
His bear-handling tip drew a flood of complaints in the chat, questioning whether it made any sense.
Myeong-yun twitched at the corner of his eye, feeling as though he was being insulted despite sharing a useful martial art.
If it were a martial art personally created by the Heavenly Demon, no murim-in would refuse it.
Myeong-yun smiled bitterly and continued the game.
Nearly thirty minutes had passed in real time.
Now accustomed to handling anomalies, Myeong-yun could process them skillfully while chatting.
“Is this really a horror game stream? Even this Lord is starting to doubt it. So far, nothing worthy of being called horror has appeared……”
Despite clearly playing on the reality difficulty with its abysmal clear rate, to the viewers it looked as though he were playing on ‘Easy.’
And as time was nearly up, the final anomaly appeared in the attic.
Myeong-yun immediately headed toward the attic.
The moment he climbed the stairs, the tablet in his hand flew out of his grasp and into the attic.
The tablet was an essential item for progressing through the game.
Turning his head in the direction it flew, he saw the tablet floating in the middle of the attic.
“Hmm?”
The viewers’ urgent messages flooded in, saying it was over and asking what he would do.
Then the magic circle in the attic began to glow.
Candles ignited in an instant, and the magic circle shone red.
Papers inscribed with unknown characters fluttered in a sudden gust of wind.
And from within the magic circle, a figure slowly emerged.
Dark red flesh, membranous wings, black goat-like horns……
A ‘demon’ from fantasy appeared before Myeong-yun.