NOVEL NEXT Chapter 696
The Heavenly Demon Tournament clearly aimed for more success in Asia than in the West, just by looking at the composition of the judges.
In an era where the belief in magic ruled and the study of aura became a shallow joke, even the production team was skeptical about whether such a niche genre would resonate with the public.
Even the executives at QBS, who believed that survival entertainment should involve intense fighting, entertained doubts.
So I replied like this:
“Right now, this might fail. But I’m confident this program will be re-evaluated one day. Don’t you want to create something that will be talked about for a long time instead of having an ambiguous success?”
It’s a world where the results of philosophical contemplation naturally manifest as aura.
And this was a fact so obvious to the people of the world.
I was baffled as to why no one considered this a blessing.
However, my concerns were quickly dismissed as the Heavenly Demon Tournament achieved great success from its very first episode.
The secret to its success was likely the 100 cameramen dispatched to each region, along with the production team that sifted through the data.
They captured the essence of participants ranging from ordinary high school students and office workers to not-so-ordinary skyscraper window cleaners, whose sharpened philosophies had become ingrained in their bodies through their intense daily lives.
The viewers empathized with the participants and wished for their rise and success.
“We’re not living in different worlds.”
As the broadcast drew to a close, I was browsing various communities for reactions to the Heavenly Demon Tournament.
“I’ll just wrap up today’s broadcast with this. In my 36 years, this is the first time I’ve used aura properly.”
(Heavenly Demon Tournament Spoiler Alert) “In my 36 years, this is the first time I’ve used aura properly.”
(Interview with Dennis Hrytsenko, elementary school teacher from Ukraine.mp4)
“Until 20 years ago, there were quite a few students in Ukraine who grew up without a father. It was due to the war. One common point among these children is that they often do not participate well in presentations and lack confidence. I tell them something after class. Courage isn’t always about shouting loudly. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice that says at the end of the day, ‘I’ll try presenting again tomorrow.’ Now, whether it takes a week or a month, I’ll keep waiting. By the end of the semester, there might be shy kids, but there won’t be any without confidence in my class.”
I too lost my father during the Middle Eastern war, so I don’t have many memories of him.
Looking back, all I remembered was being shy throughout school.
As an elementary school teacher, I mulled over how to convey that message to my students for hours.
Suddenly, I felt nauseous, and my stomach churned. Then, suddenly—
(Photo of hand.jpg)
The slight orange glow appearing on my palm—this is aura, right?
I know now it’s completely useless, but after hearing all my life from my mom that I have no talent, it genuinely brought me to tears.ㅠㅠㅠ
(Plus, they say it’s not an external manifestation. I got too excited, sorry.)
[Comments]
-Wow, congratulations!
-Watching the Heavenly Demon Tournament, aura awakening is quite impressive, haha!
-The protagonist must have awakened to reality!
-If it can be captured in a photo like that, they’re skilled. Normally, it doesn’t even show.
-Why say it’s useless? Isn’t it time to register at the Magic Battle Academy?
└ If you can use a little aura, you should definitely try it out. The mana density is higher in the training arena, making it much easier to handle aura.
-Is this person also from Wagal?
└ The post confirms it. Tanking competitive diamond 3.
└ Tanking? Haha, of course!
└ There’s something about PMAAS…
“Wow, congratulations! If the original poster contacts NoName Entertainment personally, we will cover 6 months of Magic Battle Academy tuition.”
[‘Goinggo’ gave 10,000 won in donations!]
-Are you a newbie now?
-Kya!
-Super great Na-me!
-Kya~~~
-Kya, haha!
-Did Na-me take notice of you? Now you’re set to get abused for half a year, huh?
-You can’t escape this one! Haha.
-Hrytsenko-sensei smoothly passed the first stage.
-For real, the method is different.
The Heavenly Demon Tournament, which I thought would only succeed in Asia, gained immense popularity in the West thanks in part to Teacher Hrytsenko.
[‘Hold On’ donated 10,000 won!]
-Why are there so many people awakening to aura after watching entertainment lately? Did Na-me’s videos mess with them?
“I learned at Philips Academy that they’re almost directly borrowing the Eastern Qi theory.”
-Oh my!
-Oh my!
-Oh my, haha!
-Oh my!
-Na-me, protect yourself!!!
“Why? Did I say something wrong?”
[‘HuhHuh’ donated 10,000 won!]
-Ignore the viewers acting crazy and just explain!
[Message from Luri (3)]
I continued explaining while reading the personal messages.
“You guys are now using PMAAS in virtual reality, right? Through the system, you gain the ability to perceive and understand aura flow more clearly, thus leading to meaningful changes from an energetic perspective.”
[Luri: Erichiton is starting to have a fit.]
[Luri: However, the intensity of the fit isn’t severe; maybe just a cough or gagging a bit.]
“Moreover, with your efforts and the body added in, you can finally complete the Imaginary World.”
[Luri: How should I respond, sister?]
I guess I need to hurry up and go.
“It’s about time to wrap up. Oh, I actually got the inspiration for the Heavenly Demon Tournament from Kariri.”
-Kariri?
-Who is Kariri?
-Who is that?
-You don’t mean that Honey Badger I know, right…?
-If Na-me knows Kariri, it can only be that one! Haha!
-Damn, another virtual YouTuber!
“Kariri mentioned a few months ago that she awakened her aura using PMAAS, and I found that fascinating! She had so much fun learning Magic Battle, so I figured everyone should have the opportunity to as well, including participants and viewers.”
-Can’t believe Kariri was the start of it! Haha!
-What the heck! Haha!
-I can only laugh; this is so random!
-Who is Kariri, anyway?
-If you don’t know Kariri, why are you watching Na-me’s broadcast?
“It seems many people don’t know more than I expected… Oh, it’s broadcasting! Let’s host it! It was fun today, bye-bye.”
-What? How many people are here?
-Isn’t Kariri also a big deal?
-But you can’t throw a meteor at a big company, haha!
-Really going? Really going? Really going?
[The broadcast has ended.]
Hearing the story about Kariri being struck by a meteor was something I learned much later.
[Kariri’s Broadcasting Station]
[‘Revive’ donated 1,000 won!]
-Did you hear, Kariri? NoName is going to host in your room?
“Eh? What does that mean—”
[NoName is hosting 359,831 people!]
“Have I seen this scene…? Nooo! Ahhh! Wait, lag! LAG! The broadcast is crashing!”
—
[Private Room]
Mansion of NoName, Adella, and Luri
CoughCough—
I stepped into the large room at the end of the 3rd floor hallway.
CoughCough—
“Eomeoni.”
As I pushed aside the red curtain, a wrought-iron barrier dividing the room came into view.
And on the floor next to the bed, Lady Erichiton lay collapsed too.
“Luri, I’m back. Give me a status report.”
“Yeah. It’s been 45 hours since Lady Erichiton woke up from her inactive state. Of those, 16 hours were spent in sleep, and 29 hours have been like this, with her body taking form.”
“I’ve overlaid a semi-automated avatar on the spirit of erosion, so there’s no real substance. And?”
“Until the second sleep, there was no movement at all. But 10 hours ago, she started coughing for the first time. And 30 minutes ago, she began gagging—”
“Have you tried talking?”
“There was a reaction, but she never answered.”
“I see. Thank you for your hard work while I was away, Luri.”
Clang—
I opened the barred window and stepped inside.
CoughCough! Ugh… Uweck…
The girl with red roll-like hair pretended to puke while clutching her stomach.
Since it’s virtual reality, there’s no way something could come out.
‘There’s a little drool, but… It’s disgusting even knowing it’s fake.’
The extent of her suffering was evidence that some bad memories were returning.
I expected it, but I never thought Lady Erichiton would suffer this much.
“Hold on a second, puppy. You’ll feel better soon.”
[Hello Erichiton]
[-Talk to Erichiton-]
[PW: C124C544C0ACB791D574]
[
Switching to Admin Mode]
[Language Censoring: ‘Puppy’]
Pop—
A puppy headband appeared on Erichiton’s head.
[Language Censor Level: Lv.5]
Wag—
I attached a fluffy puppy tail item to her tailbone and observed her progress.
“Uugh! CoughCough! Cough… Hwooo. Hoo… Heya.”
“Um, how did you do that?”
“Hehe. It just seemed like it would work if I did it like this.”
Luri looked at me with admiration.
I raised my nose proudly.
“Is this really working?”
I laid Lady Erichiton down on the bed.
Her coughing began to lessen, and the grip of her hands that were choking her throat relaxed.
“Are you okay?”
Before I could even finish my question, Erichiton shot up.
She stared at me intensely and said,
“Who are you, Woof? Ugh…! What’s this Wooof! Why am I still cursed Woof?”
“Calm down and let me—”
“You wicked witch! Woof! If you show your face to me, I might just turn that pretty face into clam chowder Woof.”
“How dare you speak to Eomeoni like that…!”
Luri suddenly raised her voice to rush out.
I held her collar to stop her.
“Woof? You’re the maid in this room, huh? That’s great, Woof. Is there anything to drink or some snacks here, Woof?”
“Luri, she doesn’t seem to recognize our faces.”
“Really? Is that true?”
Lady Erichiton has never met polymorphed Luri in her past life.
It’s only natural that she wouldn’t know me in this life either.
Given the erosion, she would typically reveal her teeth regardless of how I looked.
‘She’s somewhat freed from the erosion’s contamination…!’
Finally, it seems I can have a proper conversation.
“Are you Lady Zakario?”
“Then you are Woof…”
“I am the owner of this mansion.”
“Is that so, Woof? You look quite young, Woof.”
“I’m Menano Duke’s eldest daughter.”
Snort.
“Don’t laugh, Luri.”
There are over 500 dukes in the borders of the Kaizen Empire.
There’s no way a clueless lady would memorize all those names.
“It seems Your Grace’s memory is somewhat confused.”
“Woof! Just to correct one thing, I’m a Crown Princess, Woof! Pleased to meet you, Lady Menano Woof. I hope you can forgive my speech, as I’m cursed right now, Woof.”
“I apologize, Your Grace. Since the weather is nice, would you consider having tea time?”
Luri and I glanced out the window.
“Tea time, Woof? Earlier, there was thunder and lightning, Woof…”
Beep—
In an instant, the weather changed from a storm to a sunny day.
“The shower has cleared, and the sun is out. I’ll have it ready for you shortly.”
“The weather changes so quickly, Woof…”
“That’s because it’s the southern continent.”
Luri exited the room with excellent role-playing.
“By the way, why am I here again, Woof…”
Lady Erichiton, or rather the Crown Princess, appeared confused due to her memory gaps.
“What was your last memory?”
“I was, Woof…”
Lady Erichiton thought hard, scratching her ample bosom, before breaking into a goofy grin.
“I was on my way to celebrate His Majesty the Emperor’s fifty-fifth birthday, Woof!”
The timing overlaps with when I took the Emperor’s life with my own hands.
That day, Lady Zakario was probably killed by nameless Demon King’s forces.
And then she was reborn as an Erosion’s Doll created by me.
So I could take her heart whenever I wanted.
—
Oho, this is interesting. Please continue, Your Grace.
“Well, I really didn’t like that girl’s eyes, Woof. It felt like luck was slipping away just by looking at her, Woof. I wonder if the Lady Menano has heard the rumors going around, Woof? They say the princess has sided with the Demon King’s Army, Woof.”
“Hmm?”
“That girl allegedly stole treasures from Praha and personally presented them to the Demon King, Woof. Anyway, that’s the nature of lowborns, Woof. They don’t appreciate the Empire’s kindness, Woof.”
“Hmm, and?”
It was pretty entertaining.
Hearing gossip while it’s still fresh.