Chapter 93 – Heavenly Demon’s Disciple (15)
[Chapter 5- Verse 6] Too Different, Almost Wrong
A clash between martial artists who can slice through solid shields with a single sword strike.
Even if no one dies, losing an arm or a leg should be a common occurrence.
Yet the protagonist, his allies, lovers, friends…
Even when they lose, the worst that happens is some torn clothing or a bit of blood.
Give them a few days and they’re perfectly fine, ready to rejoin the adventure.
But that only works because this is a commercialized world—novels, comics, movies.
That wouldn’t fly here.
For example, in <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?>, what if the protagonist’s beloved woman had her leg severed mid-battle?
More realistic? Sure.
But if the protagonist’s beloved becomes wheelchair-bound because of a single mistake…
His psyche would collapse.
Readers, who empathize with the characters, would also break.
And me too…
If I heard that Song Sun-young had been in a car accident or assaulted—
I’d lose my mind too.
Meaning:
“I’ll kill him…!”
“How dare you strike my woman?!”
“Avenge the Divine Sword of Emei!”
This is the correct reaction of a normal man.
So the men who adored the married Divine Sword of Emei—
Yes, the one who literally married her sword—
Came charging at me with weapons.
Now this is how men should behave.
Unlike Nam Hae-soo, who hid messages, spread rumors, or hired thugs and snipers—
Those cowardly tactics are unmanly.
In that sense—
“Come, then.”
I didn’t dislike these men.
Even knowing they had no chance, they still charged forward for the sake of the woman they cherished.
Courage and recklessness— Isn’t that admirable?
So for these romantic warriors throwing away their lives—
Whack—!
Thud!
—I simply ensured they’d never love another woman again.
“……”
“……”
Realizing what had happened to the comrades who’d rushed in first, the remaining men turned pale.
“Blub… blub…”
“R-r-r-r…”
They collapsed, clutching their groins with trembling hands, foaming at the mouth.
“You’re going to avenge her, right?”
“Ha… haha! Excuse us!”
“We deeply apologize for the disturbance!”
“I respect you, great hero!”
Their love instantly extinguished, they fled through the crowd like a receding tide.
As expected… nothing.
It seemed the Divine Sword of Emei was not Mao Zhai’s type.
“Lord Kang~”
“Yes?”
Beauty Phoenix—who pawned her underwear to cover my meal expenses—
Had been glued to my side all day long.
So close that I wondered how she even handled basic bodily needs.
Of course, it’s not like I was just freeloading off her.
For example—
“Guehk-?!”
Thwack!
There were thugs hiding in the chaos of the crowd, waiting for a chance to kidnap her.
But if I chased one, another would rush her from behind—
So I was forced to pick them off one by one.
“You always make me feel safe~”
Beauty Phoenix smiled brightly at the sight of a thug collapsing, skull cracked by a pebble I’d thrown.
“Does this happen often?”
Even in the original novel, the protagonist protected Beauty Phoenix—
But I never imagined it would be this annoying.
Do they know no fear?
It felt as if every thug in the entire Sichuan province was swarming like moths to a flame.
“Yes. Usually, Blade Dragon and Fist Dragon protect me.”
“They’re admirable men.”
Food, housing—and now bodyguard duty?
As a fellow man, I almost felt sympathy for them.
Is Beauty Phoenix worth all that?
High-born, beautiful…
Then I looked at the ordinary women around her—
…and immediately understood.
Modern women take good care of themselves, so the proportion of pretty or cute women is quite high.
I’d never consciously thought “many women are pretty,” But after seeing the average female appearance in this world, my thoughts changed entirely.
Is life too harsh here?
Is it because they don’t train martial arts?
Or maybe their nutrition is insufficient?
It wasn’t just Beauty Phoenix.
The Divine Sword of Emei, Sword Phoenix—
They all looked like a different species entirely compared to the general female population.
Thinking back…
Even in the romance fantasy novel I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family, noblewomen were extraordinary.
“Guwaagh?!”
Thud—!
After striking down another thug who was ogling Beauty Phoenix’s backside as he followed us—
“Let’s hurry to the arena.”
“Yes~”
Time to fight the fifth most beautiful woman in the world of <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?>
***
Wuxia.
Stories of heroes who uphold justice with overwhelming martial arts.
But if the whole story is nothing but nonstop fighting, the repetition quickly gets boring and hurts commercial value.
The author of <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?> Was also a slave to capitalism and did not give up commercial appeal.
Love! Romance! Jealousy!
These themes have thrived from ancient times to modern day,
No matter how repetitive the development is.
But there is one condition—
“You are as beautiful as the rumors say.”
—The protagonist must be pretty or handsome.
Otherwise, popularity nosedives.
It’s even more important in comics and films, where visual appeal matters a lot…
Anyway—
“Lord Kang, compared to me?”
“…No. Surpassing Beauty Phoenix would break the setting.”
“The… setting?”
“There are rules, you know.”
In the original novel, the author (the protagonist himself) ranked women’s beauty based on his personal taste.
1st. The Greatest Beauty Under Heaven
2nd. Beauty Phoenix
3rd. The Azure-Eyed Princess
4th. Emei Fairy
… etc.
Even if it’s subjective, this is a “rule” determined by the creator of the world.
It cannot be overturned.
Just like in I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family, where stunningly handsome men obsessed over the protagonist.
A law of the world.
Hah. I’m becoming quite the shaman, aren’t I?
When Song Sun-young tried to kill herself, I’d panicked—
But now, I fully understand the dream world and navigate it smoothly.
“Lord Kang! Aim for the proud Emei Fairy’s face!”
“Hah…”
Receiving Beauty Phoenix’s very biased encouragement, I entered the arena.
This was the second match of the main tournament.
The last surviving female martial artist in the Sichuan Tournament was staring straight at me with cold hostility.
Well… that’s unavoidable.
Emei Fairy is the senior disciple of Emei Divine Sword—
More like an older-sister classmate.
It’s only natural she desired revenge for Emei Divine Sword.
But regardless of her feelings—
Mao Zhai… Are you watching?
A situation where the 4th most beautiful woman in the world is about to be struck by a wicked man—
A perfect scenario to stir the chivalrous impulses of Mao Zhai, who adored heroes.
“Kang Moon-soo.”
“……”
Emei Fairy refused to acknowledge my greeting, revealing only killing intent.
I ignored it, crouched once more into my sprinter’s starting stance—
Clink!
The referee tossed the coin.
Hoh? Bold of her, isn’t it?
Shoom—!
Deciding she couldn’t match my speed, Emei Fairy moved before the coin hit the ground.
A blatant foul!
“……”
But the referee—whose job included being a judge—pretended not to notice.
Are they in cahoots?
Whatever.
It didn’t matter.
“Hyap—!”
Still crouched low, my head exposed, Emei Fairy let out a sharp cry as she brought her sword straight down, ready to split my skull.
Tok.
That was the exact moment the coin struck the ground under gravity.
‘Yeah, no way I’m letting that slide.’
As planned, I kicked off the ground—!
In an instant, I closed in on her and smashed my forehead into her chest.
Crack—!
“……”
“……”
I value my brain cells, so I held back my strength.
I didn’t kill her—
But it was enough to shatter her balance.
And her nose, as a bonus.
I had no intention of giving her a chance to counterattack.
‘Before she can even surrender…’
CRACK!
A spinning kick—one of Taekwondo’s simplest yet most powerful moves.
A civilian who uses internal energy is strong.
But an athlete who uses internal energy is overwhelmingly strong.
“…Impressive.”
“……”
I intended to finish her in one blow, but she sacrificed her left arm, dispersing the impact point, and wrapped her organs in internal energy to protect them.
So for the finishing strike—
“Stop this at once.”
“Do you intend to make enemies of the Emei Sect?”
“The match is already decided.”
A group of aunties and grandmas rushed into the arena, forcing me to step back.
Emei Sect.
If Shaolin is a Buddhist academy for men, then Emei Sect is an academy strictly for women.
That’s all you really need to know.
“…Fine.”
I had already achieved my objective, so I had no complaints.
I glanced down.
There was a finger-sized throwing knife planted in the earth between me and Emei Fairy—
As if drawing a line to separate us.
A throwing dagger.
If that hadn’t interfered, Emei Fairy would’ve been dead before the Emei aunties arrived.
And the direction it came from…
“……”
A young man in the audience was glaring at me with a stiff, frigid expression.
“Bingo.”
I think I found Mao Zhai.
***
A true knight-errant of the martial world must protect beautiful women without question.
If a man acts otherwise?
Sooner or later, he dies at the hands of a protagonist who does know romance.
It’s practically a natural law.
“Elder Fist King.”
“Don’t talk to me. I’m suffering because of you. Why did I recommend you…?”
Even as he complained about how “hard” this was, he still followed me around. Unbelievable.
“What exactly did I do?”
“How could you trample the promising disciples of the Emei Sect like that?!”
“So you want me to lose on purpose?”
“Who said to lose?! Let them show their skills first! Then praise them—tell them they fought splendidly—and then—”
“Kill them?”
“Don’t kill anyone!! I’m telling you to take hints from how other martial artists fight!”
“Hm…”
I did look.
I thought middle schoolers were possessing them.
“So I’m supposed to shout the name of my technique like a shonen manga and take turns exchanging blows?”
The mere thought of me doing that made me dizzy.
“Lord Kang, if you fight like this, the death toll will skyrocket.”
“There are no rules saying how I have to fight in a martial arts tournament.”
“It’s the etiquette of martial artists.”
“Aha!”
Just like the old-fashioned chivalry I learned from Valentine—
Except somehow even more outdated.
“Listen carefully. Use your internal energy efficiently. Drain your opponent’s internal energy first.”
“……”
“That’s why martial artists risk their lives on supreme techniques. With the same talent and training time, the outcome can differ—Young Master Kang?”
“……”
“Are you listening to this old man?”
“I’m not listening.”
“Good grief… At least next time, give your opponent a chance to display their martial arts. That is—honoring their effort and showing consideration to the weaker party.”
“Ah, yes.”
One thing became very clear.
The reason martial artists recklessly join martial arts tournaments.
Because as long as they fight until their internal energy runs low and then surrender,
The risk of losing limbs or dying is extremely low.
‘It’s practically… a VR game.’
I’ve never played a VR game myself, but I heard plenty from my convenience store boss.
HP, MP, stamina bars…
If either the red or blue bar hits zero, the avatar dies.
But the player doesn’t, so there’s no real fear of death.
“Young Master Kang~”
“Yes?”
“Who are you looking for?”
Beauty Phoenix eyed me suspiciously as I scanned the empty seats where Mao Zhai had been sitting.
Reading her thoughts, I casually replied:
“It’s not a woman.”
“Would you like me to help you find them?”
Beauty Phoenix’s fox-like eyes softened into a gentle, caring expression as she offered.
“Hm. A young man in his mid-twenties wearing a gray martial uniform embroidered with a black dragon. Handsome enough that you ladies would fall for him at first sight.”
“That’s… obviously Demon Dragon.”
At my description, Beauty Phoeniximmediately named the person.
Demon Dragon (Ma Ryong - 마룡).
Disciple of Heavenly Demon.
The protagonist.
He was the strongest candidate for Mao Zhai’s possession even before I entered this dream world.
“I thought so too, but I’ve never seen him in person.”
“He’s right over there.”
“Hm?”
I followed the direction of Beauty Phoenix’s slender finger.
‘Ah… it really is him.’
Mao Zhai—who threw a dagger at me and fled—was now calmly sitting a short distance away in the stands.
Whip!
The moment our eyes met, he quickly turned his head away.
“…What is that?”
“You didn’t know? Demon Dragon is so shy he can’t make eye contact with women.”
“……”
Ridiculous.
The protagonist, who takes every beautiful woman in the martial world as his wife—
Except the married ones—
Is suddenly too timid to meet a woman’s gaze?
He was far too different.
Which meant only one thing…
‘Now I’m certain.’
The person inside the protagonist’s body was someone else entirely.
“Elder Fist King, please look after Lady Beauty Phoenix. If she comes along, Demon Dragon will just run away again.”
“Very well.”
Securing the safety of the young lady who pawned her underwear to fund my food and lodging—
A matter of utmost importance.
“Young Master Kang, please be careful. Demon Dragon is only weak against women.”
“Don’t worry. I’m also only weak against women.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll be back.”
I gently patted her head in reassurance.
Ping—Tak!
A dagger instantly flew toward me!
If I hadn’t snatched it out of the air, it would’ve pierced through my skull.
‘So it’s confirmed.’
I began walking slowly toward Mao Zhai,
Who showed no mercy toward men.
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