Chapter 7
Demon Realm
- HeavenlyMaiden, where are you going?
Chi Yulang pointed to a sharply rising peak in the distance.
“I’m heading to a high place.”
- Why?
“So I can see the true nature of this cursed island at a glance.”
- Cursed island?
- Don’t bullshit. With elixirs scattered everywhere like that, how’s it cursed? It’s a blessed island!
- Wasn’t that Sun Grass just now? That stuff’s worth a fortune!
- There’s a Phantom Mushroom too. Alchemists would kill for that.
- A whole patch of Deathbell Flowers? What kind of place is this?
- Curse me too, please send me there!
The chat was practically drooling, exclaiming over the rare plants glimpsed on the screen.
At that moment, a loud crash echoed.
Boom! A tree shattered as a massive beast came hurtling through.
It was a creature covered in white fur, with a head as red as a lion’s mane.
Spiky quills, like a porcupine’s, protruded from its white fur, some broken and stained with blood, as if it had been thoroughly beaten.
Chi Yulang stopped in his tracks.
The beast had crashed onto the path ahead of him.
It scrambled to its feet, spotted the Heavenly Demon, and bristled its quills.
Kyaaaah!
The chat went wild.
- Run!
- Oh my god!
- What the hell is that?!
- At least a Level 3 danger!
At that moment—
A massive foot descended from the sky.
Boom!
The white beast, bristling at Chi Yulang, didn’t even have time to squeak before it was crushed to death.
The camera panned to the foot that had killed the beast, slowly moving upward.
A long, elegant leg.
The creature was dozens of meters tall, with a giraffe-like neck and a head resembling a seahorse.
- Holy crap!
- What’s that?!
- Emergency, emergency, emergency!
- At least a Level 2 danger or higher!
- Insane, insane, insane!
- Run! What are you doing?!
The beast, a mix of giraffe and seahorse, turned its head to look down at Chi Yulang.
It tilted its head for a moment, then—
Kieeeeeek!
It let out a scream and fled.
- ?
- It’s running away?
- That was a scream, right?
- Why’s it running?
- ????
Step, step—
Chi Yulang calmly walked toward the white beast crushed by the unknown creature.
Then, rip!
He tore into its chest and pulled out a magic stone gleaming like a jewel.
Holding it up to the sunlight, he muttered,
“Hm. Not particularly large.”
- Excuse me?
- Not large, you say?
- That’d appraise at least mid-high grade.
- More importantly, why’s she casually pulling it out of its chest?!
- Like she’s grabbing a snack from her pocket.
Chi Yulang wiped the bloodied magic stone on the beast’s fur and tucked it away.
Then, he snapped off one of its quills, using it as a walking stick as he strolled past, humming cheerfully.
“Got lucky.”
- Lucky, you say?
- I just got literal chills.
- She’s scary. Doesn’t she realize she almost died?
- No, seriously, you were this close to dying!
- Gotta have that kind of guts to survive there, huh?
Chi Yulang continued walking, speaking in a calm tone.
“This island has plenty of rare elixirs and powerful monsters. Why is that?”
- Sudden quiz time.
- How would we know?!
“Probably because of the dense qi permeating the island. The precious herbs grow rapidly by feeding on the land’s energy, the monsters eat those herbs, and then the monsters eat each other. They fight and devour one another daily. It’s a common occurrence.”
- Huh?
- Common?
- It is a cursed island.
- Sorry for saying it’s blessed, I was foolish, please forgive me. I wanna live there!
- So HeavenlyMaiden survived ten years in a place crawling with beasts?
“Something like that. It wasn’t easy.”
It wasn’t the beasts that made it hard but the loneliness and boredom, though no one picked up on that.
- Surviving a beast-infested cursed island, damn.
- How’d you do it?
- But seriously, why did that thing run away earlier?
- It bolted the moment it saw HeavenlyMaiden.
- No way.
- Probably had something urgent to do.
- Must’ve left the gas on at home.
Chi Yulang leisurely climbed the mountain, as if on a stroll.
He showed the surroundings with the camera, continuing to interact with viewers.
Checking the viewer count, he noticed it had surpassed 300.
Oh.
Was it because of the beasts?
They said it was scary and chilling, but deep down, the viewers seemed to love the beasts.
Chi Yulang grinned at the camera.
These dishonest little rascals.
- ?
- Why’s she grinning?
- Why’s she suddenly smiling like that?
- So cute.
Maybe I should show some hunting in the next outdoor stream.
Chi Yulang climbed the mountain, beaming.
- Why’s she been giggling like that?
- I’m getting scared.
- If I saw that beast earlier, I’d have fainted on the spot.
- Kids these days are terrifying.
- Can’t take my eyes off in case another beast pops out, damn.
Fortunately (?), no other beasts appeared until he reached the peak.
Tap, tap—
Chi Yulang lightly ascended the sharp peak and filmed the area, saying,
“Look. This is the cursed island where I am.”
From above, the vast island came into view.
Some areas were deserts filled with sand and rocks, others were frozen white with ice and snow, and some glowed red as if flowing with lava.
A valley emitted acrid smoke, and another area shimmered with vibrant, flower-like colors.
No matter where you looked, wildly different environments were jumbled together.
It was an utterly nonsensical landscape.
Chi Yulang rotated the camera to slowly capture the island’s scenery and asked,
“What do you think? Do you know where this is?”
The chat was scrolling furiously, and one comment caught his eye.
- Isn’t this the Demon Realm?
————
[Broadcast Statistics]
- Peak Viewers: 337
- Average Viewers: 202
- Followers: 101 (+54)
————
In a ramshackle hideout.
“…I’m sorry, boss.”
A man in a floral shirt knelt.
He was Grandma’sCartThief, the rising RealFight streamer who had been humiliatingly defeated by HeavenlyMaiden in front of everyone.
Around him stood men who looked like obvious delinquents, all slouching and wearing various floral shirts, as if it were a uniform.
A burly man in a bright red floral shirt exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke.
Crouching in front of Grandma’sCartThief, he slid his sunglasses down slightly. A long sword at his waist scraped the floor.
“Samdol.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Getting beaten by a kid not even fifteen? Does that make sense?”
“….”
“You’ve dragged the reputation of our Extermination Squad through the mud.”
The youngest member of the Extermination Squad, Harley Samdol, hung his head.
“No excuses, boss.”
“You’re banned from using guns for a while.”
He was the leader of the Extermination Squad, Bloodflower Sword Nam Dusik, whose red floral shirt was said to have once been white but stained red with the blood of his enemies.
Nam Dusik chewed out his immature youngest member for a while before standing up.
He’d heard rumors of Samdol sniping weak streamers and causing trouble, but he hadn’t expected him to get so thoroughly crushed by a kid who hadn’t even lost her baby fat.
With a heavy expression, puffing on his cigarette, another floral-shirted member quietly approached and asked, “What do we do, boss?”
“Deokjo.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Is Samdol one of us or not?”
“Of course, he’s one of us.”
Nam Dusik nodded.
“Even if Samdol’s a bit lacking, he’s a full-fledged member of the Extermination Squad. We can’t let someone who messed with our family walk away.”
“Boss…!”
Samdol shed tears of gratitude.
Nam Dusik kicked him.
“Stop crying, punk.”
“Sob, sob. Yes, sir.”
“Anyone who messes with our Extermination Squad gets blood for blood. No exceptions, even if it’s a kid.”
“Got it. Shall we send the boys?”
“What if they get wrecked too?”
“She’s just a kid, isn’t she? I’ll handle it myself.”
“…Alright.”
Nam Dusik exhaled another puff of smoke.
Something didn’t sit right with him.
“What’s her name?”
“Pardon?”
“The cocky kid who turned our Samdol into a piss-pants. What’s her name?”
“HeavenlyMaiden, boss.”
“HeavenlyMaiden?”
He let out a chuckle.
“The name Heavenly Demon isn’t something to be used so lightly…”
“What?”
Deputy leader Pang Deokjo blinked, confused.
“Is she famous?”
Nam Dusik looked at him with pity.
“You call yourself a martial artist and don’t know the name Heavenly Demon? Didn’t you hear about it as a kid?”
“Uh, not really… Is she that big a deal?”
Puffing out smoke, Nam Dusik muttered, “More like a god than a person.”
“Haha, a god?”
“What, you think it’s funny?”
“A person being a god? Even if she’s a big deal, that’s a bit much.”
“Yeah, times have changed. The Heavenly Demon’s become a laughingstock…”
With a bitter expression, Nam Dusik finished his cigarette, flicked the stub away, and turned around.
“Do it clean.”
“Yes, boss.”
As Nam Dusik left the hideout, a booming voice echoed behind him.
- Listen up! The blade of vengeance has been raised!
- Our revenge spares no one! Be it an old man, a woman, or a child!
- Because we are the Extermination Squad, without blood or tears!
- The target is HeavenlyMaiden! Understood?
- Yes!
“…Bit over-the-top for just a kid.”
Feeling a flush of embarrassment, Nam Dusik rubbed his face.
————
[Title: Spooky Facts About the Demon Realm, Araboja]
Hello, hello! It’s your nosy Speedwagon!
Today, we’re diving into the Demon Realm.
The Demon Realm is an unknown land beyond the rifts, discovered in the very early days of the Great Cataclysm, before the Rift Wars.
The first discoverer was a mage named Meilin.
While fleeing from a beast, she recklessly jumped into a rift and found herself in a place overflowing with rare herbs and fruits.
It was a strange yet breathtakingly beautiful island where winter, summer, spring, and autumn coexisted.
Is this paradise?
…That thought shattered the moment she encountered a beast.
Level 3 or higher danger beasts were roaming around, and she even saw a Level 1!
She barely escaped by jumping into another rift that appeared while being chased.
That’s when the Demon Realm was first revealed to the world.
If she hadn’t brought back a handful of rare elixirs, no one would’ve believed her.
Scholars analyzed the soil on her shoes and clothes.
The mana was unusually dense, leading to speculation that the coexistence of all seasons was a magical phenomenon caused by excessive mana.
The second discovery came after the Rift Wars, by a Rift Exploration Team.
As soon as they entered the unfamiliar land, they were certain it was the Demon Realm Meilin described.
Why? The mana concentration in the air was a staggering 0.0819 ppm.
Compared to the air we breathe, that’s over thirty times higher.
Absolutely insane levels.
But they couldn’t stay long.
The team was chased by terrifying beasts.
In their short time there, they saw three beasts estimated to be Level 1.
They described it as a living hell teeming with monstrous creatures.
The team escaped immediately, and that was the last record of the Demon Realm.
No matter how much they searched afterward, the Demon Realm couldn’t be found again.
Among scholars, the prevailing theory is that it was accessible during the early Cataclysm when space-time was unstable.
The Demon Realm is so astonishing that even rational people might doubt its existence.
It’s truly a fantastical island.
There’s still a lot of debate about it.
Some say it’s a made-up story, others believe it absolutely exists.
Which side are you on?
- Info upvote.
- Damn, Level 1 beasts everywhere? That’s actual hell.
- For real, you’d need to be Nine Heroes-level to even take on a Level 1.
- Isn’t that like the beasts’ hometown?
- What do you think about the conspiracy that Kwitch funds the Rift Exploration Team to find the Demon Realm?
└ Speedwagon: Well, it doesn’t seem very credible. Honestly, it looks like there’s more to lose than gain.
└ True. With Level 1 beasts crawling around, what’s the big deal about rare elixirs? Your life’s more important.
└ Speedwagon: But on the flip side, if the gains outweigh the losses, it could be true. No idea what those gains are, though.
└ Damn, maybe there’s a king of beasts?
“…Fascinating.”
Chi Yulang muttered while reading the post.
During the previous day’s outdoor stream, he showed the cursed island he was on, and there was a plausible theory about its identity.
The Demon Realm.
The name, meaning ‘where demons live,’ felt a bit too grim.
There were plenty of beautiful places here too.
Whether this was truly the legendary Demon Realm wasn’t certain.
But if it was, it meant there was hope of leaving.
If someone had come here and left, why couldn’t he?
“The rift, was it?”
Tap, tap—
Chi Yulang searched for rifts.
They looked like cracked glass windows.
The difference was that another space lay beyond them.
In ten years of exploring the island, he’d never seen one.
“Just in case, I should keep an eye out during outdoor streams.”
Organizing his thoughts, Chi Yulang started the stream.
[HeavenlyMaiden’s Kwitch Conquest Day 4 / Part 1: Even Tastier Dongpo Pork Mukbang / Part 2: Exciting RealFight Thrills]
- HeavenlyMaiden, hi!
- Demon Realm resident, hi!
- Saw the clip. Is it really the Demon Realm?
The viewer count skyrocketed as soon as the stream started.
The previous day’s outdoor stream must’ve caused quite a stir.
Chi Yulang smiled proudly.
The positive response to his carefully prepared content was rewarding.
If the outdoor stream, prepared over two days while practicing camera-control techniques all night, hadn’t been popular, he’d have been quite upset.
“Welcome.”
[Viewers: 311]
Despite just starting, the count had already soared past 300, making Chi Yulang tremble with excitement.
“As announced, I’ll start with a mukbang.”
Chi Yulang carefully chose a restaurant selling Dongpo Pork.
Not that there were many options, so it didn’t take long.
“I’ll go with this one today.”
A whopping 150,000-cookie Dongpo Pork.
It was 50,000 cookies more expensive than the 100,000-cookie one from the first day.
The taste should match the price.
Other high-end restaurants even sold 1,000,000-cookie Dongpo Pork.
Chi Yulang gazed longingly at the screen, stroking the image of the premium Dongpo Pork.
One day, I’ll eat that high-end Dongpo Pork.
- What’s she looking at?
- Staring at a family photo or something?
- Look at that wistful expression.
After ordering and waiting, the FoodWarp device soon trembled, and pop—the Dongpo Pork appeared.
Taking a bite of the 150,000-cookie Dongpo Pork—
“Mmm!”
- HeavenlyMaiden, is it good?
“It’s delicious! Worth every cookie!”
- Lol, look at her eyes sparkling.
- She looks happiest when eating.
- HeavenlyMaiden, eat lots!
- Slow down, no one’s stealing it.
“I wish someone would try to steal it.”
- T_T T_T T_T
- Did you have to say it like that?
Chi Yulang savored the 150,000-cookie Dongpo Pork, chewing slowly while interacting with the chat.
There were many questions about the Demon Realm, which he answered to the best of his knowledge.
Then, he received private messages.
One was from the troll HeavenlyDemonForever, and the other was from a group introducing themselves as the Extermination Squad.
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