Chapter 21
Emergency Alert
Bang!
A bullet flew with the gunshot.
Swish-
Instead of catching the incoming bullet, Chi Yulang lightly sidestepped, effortlessly dodging it. She had already observed it once before. There was no longer any curiosity.
But the gunfire didn’t stop at a single shot.
Ratatatat!
Chi Yulang dashed sideways to avoid the hail of bullets pouring toward her.
The opponent relentlessly fired while running parallel to her, chasing after HeavenlyMaiden.
Even while running, his mechanical eye precisely tracked HeavenlyMaiden, and the bullets he fired followed suit. His aim didn’t waver.
The bullets narrowly missed the spot where HeavenlyMaiden had just been.
But she couldn’t keep dodging forever.
Breaking the parallel chase, HeavenlyMaiden curved diagonally, closing the distance.
The opponent began to backpedal, trying to maintain the gap while continuing to shoot. Yet, none of those bullets ever hit HeavenlyMaiden’s body.
The moment HeavenlyMaiden, with her mysterious footwork, evaded every bullet and closed in on him, the opponent unhesitatingly discarded the gun he’d been firing and drew a sword from his waist in a flash.
Zing-
As the sword was unsheathed, a red light gleamed along the blade. It wasn’t an ordinary blade but a high-temperature plasma blade powered by a strong magnetic field and energy field.
The blade ionized the air, creating a glowing effect like neon lights. Plasma blades were traded at a high price, with their destructive and cutting power varying greatly depending on their cost.
High-end models were said to rival even a Swordmaster’s aura blade.
Slash!
The scorching plasma blade sliced through the air. He mercilessly swung his sword at the fearless girl charging toward him.
A smile of assured victory spread across his face.
At the Gold rank, simply shooting well wasn’t enough to win. Strategy was necessary. His tactic was to pressure the opponent with gunfire, baiting them to charge, then surprise them by unsheathing and swinging the plasma blade.
That strategy had carried him to Gold. Moreover, the cyberware implanted in him was a central nervous system enhancement, dramatically boosting his reaction speed and physical abilities.
The sequence of discarding the rifle and drawing the sword was lightning-fast.
“This is the end!”
Whoosh!
“…?!”
But his surprise attack sliced through empty air. In an instant, HeavenlyMaiden had vanished from his sight. It felt like he’d been bewitched.
“Where did she go?”
“Interesting toy you’ve got there.”
A chill ran down his spine.
The voice came from below.
Thwack!
A kick struck his hand.
“Ugh!”
Caught off guard, he dropped the sword.
Whirr- Whirr-
The plasma sword, now without its master, spun a couple of times in the air before—
Click!
It landed in HeavenlyMaiden’s hand.
“Oh? So this is the sword those punk kids use? Fascinating.”
The twin-tailed girl examined the plasma sword curiously, turning it this way and that, as if inspecting a new toy.
While HeavenlyMaiden was engrossed in the sword, the opponent hurriedly picked up the discarded rifle, swapping out the magazine in a rush.
Paying him no mind, HeavenlyMaiden casually chatted with her audience.
“How do you use this thing? The blade that was glowing red is gone now.”
– Try injecting mana into it.
– She won’t understand if you say it like that.
– Gotta explain it in martial arts terms. Try channeling your inner energy.
“Oh, like this?”
Ziiiiing!
– That’s it!
– Wait, it looks kinda different from when he was holding it?
– Whoa, why’s it turning red?
– Look at that crimson glow; Is that lava or what?
– Yo, he’s shooting! He’s shooting!
“Die!”
Ratatatatat!
A barrage of bullets rained down. But none of those countless bullets ever reached HeavenlyMaiden.
“…!”
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
As HeavenlyMaiden swung the sword, the bullets, sliced in half, fell around her like scattered leaves.
“What… how?!”
It was an unbelievable feat.
The plasma sword in her hand was blazing fiercely. It was so different from when he held it that he questioned if it was the same weapon.
A red aura shimmered like heat waves from the crimson blade. The plasma blade glowed as if it had just been pulled from a furnace, practically rippling with energy.
“No way…”
Shlick-
The muzzle aimed at HeavenlyMaiden drooped. He had lost all will to fight.
HeavenlyMaiden charged forward to finish it.
Slash-slash-slash!
And so, he was cut down by his own plasma sword, collapsing in defeat.
[HeavenlyMaiden’s Victory!]
– Wowow!
– Insane!!!
– She’s good with a sword too? Her talent is unreal;;
– Wait, what was that just now? She cut flying bullets?
– Holy crap…
– I’m a Swordmaster, and even I can’t do that.
[DongpaYukIsWhat’sImportant donated 30,000 Cookies!]
Congrats on the 3rd win in a row!
[HakoDigger13 donated 33,000 Cookies!]
HeavenlyMaiden, you’re the best!
“Thanks, HeavenlyDemon nyang~!”
– If this isn’t the peak, then what is?
– Nah, she’s definitely hiding some kind of superpower.
– Probably got some crazy expensive cyberware implants.
– Most logical explanation: she’s an Awakener + top-tier cyberware user + mage.
– LOL, does that even make sense?
– The important thing is that HeavenlyMaiden is cute and OP as hell.
The chat buzzed with debates about HeavenlyMaiden’s skills, but Chi Yulang herself was more interested in the sword she’d taken from her opponent than in having defeated him.
She examined the plasma sword closely, muttering to herself.
“What an interesting sword.”
But soon, the defeated opponent disappeared, and with him, the plasma sword she’d taken vanished in a flash.
Chi Yulang clicked her tongue in disappointment, looking like a girl whose toy had been taken away.
“What kind of sword is that?”
– It’s called a plasma sword, HeavenlyMaiden.
– Some people call it a lightsaber for convenience, lol.
“It’s fun. How much is it?”
The glowing, shimmering blade had a certain appeal to a warrior’s heart, and it felt good in her hands.
Getting one didn’t seem like a bad idea.
– It’s pretty expensive.
– Once you look into plasma swords, you’ll understand why guns are considered the cheapest option.
HeavenlyMaiden snorted confidently, crossing her arms.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty of money.”
– Oof!
– So cute lol.
“So, how much?”
– The cheapest ones are around 3 million.
– But the cheap ones are so low-quality they break after a few uses. For something cost-effective that’ll last a few years, you’re looking at 30 million or more.
– High-end ones easily go for hundreds of millions.
“Gasp.”
– LOLOLOL.
– Look at her shock.
“Actually, it wasn’t that great. All flash and no substance. How do you even use something that shiny for a night ambush?”
– LOL, why’s she suddenly talking about night ambushes?
– Haha, she’s like, “I didn’t want it anyway.”
– ??? : Those grapes were sour anyway, right?
– Bet she’s thinking she’d rather buy some dongpo pork with that money lol.
Chi Yulang quickly changed the subject.
“Gold rank is tough. The points you earn drop so much.”
– Yeah, that’s why going from Gold to Platinum is so hard.
– No wonder they lump Bronze, Silver, and Gold together.
– Why leave Iron out tho? ㅠㅠ
– “Rank-up is slow” (says the one on a 3-win streak:.
– Didn’t she skip straight from Silver to Gold? Maybe that’s why it feels slower.
“I wish some higher-tier guys would challenge me.”
– LOL, you think they’re crazy enough to do that?
– There’s nothing in it for them.
– Even if they win, they barely get points, but if they lose by mistake, it’s instant demotion.
– Low rewards, high risk.
– Those Extermination Squad guys were the weird ones lol.
– They’re weird, but they’ve got some loyalty among themselves lol.
– For real lol.
Chi Yulang clicked her tongue.
“No wonder I’m only getting challenges from lower tiers.”
That’s why she’d blocked all challenge requests from lower tiers.
– Does our HeavenlyMaiden look like an easy target?
– She does kinda look like one lol.
– So cute tho.
Chi Yulang plopped down on the ground.
After spamming matches non-stop, she figured it was time to take a break and interact with her chat.
“By the way, I wonder how Romero’s doing.”
– Romero?
– That mage from Part 1 who was rolling around like crazy during the raid.
– Oh, that guy lol. He was half-dead.
– Poor dude.
– He’s busy plowing fields in Stardew Valley lol.
– Plowing fields and suddenly hit Circle 4?
– ?
– For real?
– Yeah, go check if you don’t believe me.
– He flipped the whole farm with Earthquake.
“I don’t quite get it, but does that mean he’s reached a higher realm?”
– Yup.
– Elemental mages who handle multiple attributes usually struggle to advance.
– How’d he do it?
– ??? : What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.
– ??? : But the process hurts like hell.
– LOLOL.
– Is this HeavenlyMaiden’s training method or something?
– ??? : Got chased by HeavenlyMaiden in-game and suddenly hit Circle 4 lol.
“That’s good to hear.”
Chi Yulang smiled.
“I should send him a congratulatory gift.”
– What you gonna give him?
“Hmm. Maybe some kind of tonic good for the body? He’d like that, right?”
– Whoa.
– Jealous ㅠ.
– Gimme one too! Gimme one! Gimme one!
– Just one for me too!
– Now that you mention it, the stuff HeavenlyMaiden gathered from the Snowfield Region is slowly hitting the auction house.
– I’m an alchemist from Stardust Workshop. Our industry’s going nuts over it.
– You too? My guild’s freaking out over it too.
– They’re trickling it out bit by bit, so we’re glued to the auction house, barely sleeping. My eyes hurt ㅠㅠ.
– They’re probably releasing it slowly to keep prices high.
– Yeah, but they’re selling stuff like Snow Ginseng, Ice Grass, Snow Mushroom, and Ice Roses—things that only show up a few times a year. You think the price would drop?
– True. Just release it all at once, please ㅠㅠ.
– But then some big player would buy it all up.
– Oh no.
– Never mind, keep trickling it out ㅠㅠ.
– LOL, this is hilarious.
– [HakoDigger13] HeavenlyMaiden, your videos are up on C-Tube!
– Oh, for real?
– HeavenlyMaiden’s mukbang / HeavenlyMaiden’s martial arts stream / HeavenlyMaiden’s gaming stream—all three are up!
– That was fast, damn.
– I’m watching now. No idea who edited it, but it’s clean as hell.
– This quality for free…?
– Already hit 1,000 views.
– Chilbok’s doing some solid work lol.
As they were chatting about this and that—
– What the?
– An emergency alert just popped up?
– Did a rift open?
– You too?
– [HakoDigger] Yo, HeavenlyMaiden! I gotta run, something urgent came up!
The chat suddenly erupted in chaos.
– This is insane.
– Is this for real?
– Holy crap, I’m too scared to go outside today.
“What’s going on?”
– A Pilgrim showed up in the Abyss Forest.
– Emergency! Emergency!
– If you live nearby, be careful.
“Pilgrim?”
It sounded vaguely familiar.
As Chi Yulang racked her brain—
– To be precise, it’s the Blood Pilgrim, one of the Seven Great Evils.
– Scary as hell, for real.
“Oh.”
Now she remembered hearing about it briefly during Chilbok’s announcement.
HeavenlyMaiden tilted her head.
“Why’s it called the Blood Pilgrim?”
– They say it makes a path of blood as it wanders.
– A red carpet made of blood, yikes.
– It kills every beast it sees and rips open their stomachs.
– And it mumbles to itself like a lunatic, but no one knows what it’s saying.
“What does it say?”
– “Did you devour our god?”
– Freaky as hell!
– I just got chills for real.
– Scary, right? Scary, right?
But our HeavenlyMaiden merely clapped her hands in realization.
“Oh! So that’s why it’s called a Pilgrim? Because it wanders in search of traces of a god.”
– Uh… yeah, I guess?
– Why isn’t she freaked out?
– She’s seen scarier beasts in the Demonic Realm, so why would she be scared?
– Fair point.
Chi Yulang touched her lips, muttering.
“A creature looking for a god in the bellies of beasts? How bizarre.”
– If a beast eats you, does that make you a god? Or just an idiot?
– I’m confident I could get eaten too lol. Does that make me a god?
– Lmao, for real.
“But why call it one of the Seven Great Evils? Sounds like it just cuts open beast bellies.”
– That’s how it started.
– Later, it started killing everything—people, beasts, anything in sight—and earned a spot among the Seven Great Evils.
– It’s just a lunatic.
– A walking disaster, basically.
– Good thing HeavenlyMaiden won’t run into the Pilgrim.
“What a pity. If I were there, I’d have taken it down on the spot.”
– (Clenching her tiny fists)
– LOLOL.
– Why’s she so cute?
– Yeah, if HeavenlyMaiden was there, the alert wouldn’t even have time to go off.
– Haha, too funny.
Suddenly worried, Chi Yulang called out to her loyal follower.
“Chilbok, are you there?”
– Chilbok, the boss is calling!
– No response?
But his chat didn’t appear. He seemed busy.
– Chilbok’s out cold lol.
“No big deal, right…?”
– Didn’t Chilbok say he was near the Martial Alliance?
– The Martial Alliance is close to the Abyss Forest.
– It’s just a caution alert for now, no worries.
– Yeah, no word yet of the Pilgrim attacking anywhere.
– Plus, if it’s near the Martial Alliance, the Alliance Leader will handle it.
“That’s a relief, then…”
As Chi Yulang touched her lips again, her thoughts drifted to the baby fox she’d brought home the day before.
She’d given it some ginseng, but had it still not eaten?
Beast meat was disgustingly bad, so she’d given it that instead.
Surely it wasn’t starving, right?
Chi Yulang decided to end the stream.
“It’s getting late. I’ll call it a day.”
– Huh?
– So sudden?
– Noooo!
– Tbf, she streamed a lot today.
– Just one more match!
– One last round, let’s go!
Chi Yulang nodded reluctantly, appeasing her disappointed viewers.
“Fine. One last round.”
She queued up.
– Hope this last one’s fun.
– Bet it’s another cyberware-stacked punk kid.
Chi Yulang propped her chin, saying,
“I’d like to face a Hunter.”
She’d fought martial artists, cyberpunks, and mages, but never an Awakener called a Hunter.
– To be clear, some Hunters are Awakeners.
– Even among Hunters, Awakeners are super rare.
– No wonder they’re called Celestial Dragons. They’re straight-up broken.
– For real, look at Psycho. How is that not broken?
Then, a match was found.
[Challenger Enters!]
“Oh.”
A very ordinary-looking man appeared.
– Looks like a nobody.
– Free win, lol.
“Let’s do this last one.”
Chi Yulang stood up.
At that moment, the ordinary-looking man grinned, then suddenly split into two.
“?”
The two became four, and the four became eight.
– ???
– What the hell?
– Am I seeing things?
Chi Yulang checked the opponent’s nickname.
[CloneMasterKimClone]
“Hi.”
CloneMasterKimClone waved innocently, then each clone raised a firearm.
Click-
“Bye.”
– What the hell!
[3, 2, 1]
[Fight!]
Ratatatat!
A storm of bullets poured out.
