Chapter 242

[Translator - Kiteretsu][Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 242

Learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a highly challenging task.

It wasn’t a matter of simply transferring a skill.

To learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from Dokgo Jun, one had to activate it through steadfast determination while practicing the art itself.

Skills acquired through Steadfast Will would inherently match its grade due to the nature of Martial Emperor's abilities.

In other words, as the grade of Steadfast Will increased, so did the grade of the skill learned with it.

However, no matter how much training Jeong-hoon underwent, he was unable to fully master Dokgo Jun’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

“This is strange. The mantra is correct…”

Even Dokgo Jun found it puzzling.

To him, Jeong-hoon was like a sponge—someone who remembered and replicated anything perfectly after being taught just once.

His talent was nothing short of monstrous.

Moreover, the dark energy emanating from Jeong-hoon’s fist was unmistakably proof of Demonic Arts—the martial techniques of the Demonic Sect.

So why couldn’t he complete the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?

Jeong-hoon recited the mantra for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that Dokgo Jun had passed down to him once again.

Yet, Steadfast Will still showed no reaction.

Why was this happening?

As the grade of Steadfast Will increased, the speed of skill acquisition became absurdly fast.

And yet, no matter how much Jeong-hoon tried, he couldn’t learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, leaving him equally baffled.

[“Shouldn’t you try a different method?”]

Mukho, who had been watching for some time, suddenly voiced his thoughts.

Anima also chimed in, agreeing with Mukho’s perspective.

Jeong-hoon shared their sentiment.

The lack of response from Steadfast Will suggested that the conditions for learning the technique weren’t being met.

“This method doesn’t seem to be working.”

“Hm? That’s impossible. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art has been passed down for generations.”

Dokgo Jun confidently asserted that his method was correct.

The mantra for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art could only be transmitted to the successor, and apart from the sect leader, no one else knew it.

Dokgo Jun had already taught Jeong-hoon the entire mantra.

“Still, even if I follow it perfectly, it doesn’t result in completion.”

“It’s only been three days. It took me 20 years to master the Heavenly Demon Divine Art fully.”

Twenty years.

Expecting Jeong-hoon to master such an art in just three days, even at the first form level, was utterly unreasonable.

“Hm.”

However, Jeong-hoon held a different opinion from Dokgo Jun.

If Celestial-grade Steadfast Will wasn’t responding, it was undeniable evidence that the training method was flawed.

For the first time, Jeong-hoon considered merging the Heavenly Demon Divine Art mantra with another technique.

“I’ll continue training,” he said, focusing on mastering the mantra.

Dokgo Jun decided to enter closed-door training, intending to push through the limitations.

The looming destruction of dimensions went unnoticed, as he was wholly absorbed in his martial pursuits—a reckless act unbecoming of the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"I was a fool."

Though it might already be too late, Dokgo Jun resolved to go out and exterminate the demonic beasts as soon as he finished passing down the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to Jeong-hoon.

It was at that moment.

Bwoong—

Suddenly, while simply following the mantra, Jeong-hoon's fist began perfectly executing the first form of Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

“This is it,” Jeong-hoon muttered with clarity, retracting his fist with a satisfied expression.

“H-how did you do that?!”

“I combined them.”

“Combined them?”

“Yes.”

Jeong-hoon demonstrated by unfolding the first form of Underworld King Fist and then immediately following it with the first form of Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

At that moment, Steadfast Will responded.

[The exclusive skill of Martial Artists, ‘Steadfast Will,’ is activated.]

[Skill, ‘First Form Heavenly Demon Divine Art (Legendary),’ acquired.]

[Due to ‘Steadfast Will,’ ‘Underworld King Fist (First Form)’ and ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art (First Form)’ have fused.]

[Skill, ‘True Heavenly Demon Fist (First Form),’ acquired.]

The fusion of the Underworld King Fist and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art marked the birth of the True Heavenly Demon Fist.

===

[True Heavenly Demon Fist (First Form)]

- Type: Active

- Level: 1

- Grade: Celestial

- A supreme martial art that not even the Heavenly Demon could reach.

- Currently executable up to its first form.

===

The True Heavenly Demon Fist was a Celestial-grade evolution of the Underworld King Fist.

===

[True Heavenly Demon Fist (First Form)]

- Proficiency: 50%

- Effect:

- Increases fist damage by 50%.

- 80% chance to nullify the opponent’s defense.

- Enhances dynamic vision by 50% within a 20-meter radius.

- Grants invincibility for 1.3 seconds when using the skill (stackable).

- Cooldown: 120 seconds.

===

"This is insane... absolutely insane."

The Heavenly Demon Fist was overpowered, even at just it's first form.

While the original Underworld King Fist (First Form) increased damage by 25%, the Heavenly Demon Fist doubled that, offering a 50% boost.

On top of that, it had an 80% chance to nullify the opponent’s defense, rendering any armor completely ineffective.

And that wasn’t all.

The enhanced dynamic vision and the 1.3-second invincibility window provided unparalleled utility.

"So, using the technique grants 1.3 seconds of invincibility, huh."

This wasn’t just for offense; it could also be a lifesaving defensive measure.

"Even if I’m caught off guard without a weapon or a Block available, I can momentarily activate the Heavenly Demon Fist to defend myself."

Unlike Block, which could be used only once and required careful timing, the Heavenly Demon Fist could provide 1.3 seconds of invincibility every 120 seconds.

"In simple terms, this is broken."

Jeong-hoon smirked slyly.

"Unfold it again!" Dokgo Jun’s voice trembled.

“Sure.”

Jeong-hoon obediently demonstrated the First Form of True Heavenly Demon Fist once more.

A martial art surpassing both the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Underworld King Fist unfolded before Dokgo Jun, whose eyes widened in astonishment.

“You... what, what have you done?”

It seemed he had finally realized.

This was not the Heavenly Demon Divine Art nor the Underworld King Fist he had devised—it was a martial art on an entirely different level.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I told you, I combined them.”

“No... I developed the Underworld King Fist based on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but it was fundamentally a different martial art. How did you merge them?”

“I just executed them back-to-back, and it came to me.”

In truth, it was thanks to Steadfast Will forcing him to master it upon reacting.

Normally, Steadfast Will only responds after reaching 100% proficiency and undergoing insane levels of training. However, Jeong-hoon’s Celestial-grade Steadfast Will allowed it to react automatically once he reached a certain level, even without excessive training.

This is why the Martial Emperor, a hidden class, is considered utterly broken.

“This is absurd...” Dokgo Jun muttered in disbelief.

“Well then, I’ll continue my training.”

“Huh? You’re going to keep going?”

“Yes. I’ve only mastered its first form.”

Only at its first form, Jeong-hoon had no intention of stopping there.

He planned to master the Heavenly Demon Divine Art mantra passed down by Dokgo Jun, combined with the Underworld King Fist, before leaving.

***

At the same time.

Jang Dae-hwi’s hands trembled as he stared at the monitor.

[Views: 1,106,344,210]

It had only been a few days since they uploaded the cleanly edited video...

“What the hell is this?”

“1.1 billion...”

“How long has it been since we uploaded this?”

“...Three days.”

“1.1 billion views in just three days... is that even possible?” seaʀᴄh thё Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

There are plenty of videos with over a billion views, but surpassing that number in such a short time—less than a week—had to be unprecedented, even for HoneyTube.

“HoneyTube has always been a little crazy.”

Ha-jin let out a hollow laugh.

As incredible as HoneyTube was, they never expected the views to skyrocket like this in such a short time.

This unprecedented surge was possible because of New World, which had become a global phenomenon after its real-world integration. As people around the world dived into the game, video content related to New World experienced a massive spike in views.

HoneyTube didn’t stop at merely exploring the hidden features of New World; they revealed secrets twice even after the game's real-world integration.

This was their third video, and the view count reflected its explosive reception.

The numbers would likely continue to soar at an insane rate over time.

"Check the estimated revenue... This is insane."

"Brother, even at a time like this, you're only thinking about money?"

"Let’s see if you can say that after seeing this."

Jang Dae-hwi switched the screen to display the estimated revenue.

[Estimated Revenue: ₩8,110,400,289]

"8... 80 billion won?!"

"Yeah, a staggering 80 billion."

"This is crazy! Is this really the estimated monthly revenue?"

"How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Wow... I finally understand why you're obsessed with money."

"This amount leaves me speechless."

Even Ha-jin couldn’t help but be amazed by the mind-blowing figure.

"And the comments—1.1 billion of them?"

The comments were an even bigger shock.

One video alone had amassed 1.1 billion comments, meaning 100% of viewers took the time to leave a comment—a rare occurrence.

"Of course. The discovery was a mining vein for farming experience points."

"Still, that's incredible."

"And that’s not all. Right now, the volcano is so crowded people can’t even move."

"Wow..."

Ha-jin scrolled through the comments with his mouth agape.

└ Why didn’t you stream this live?

└ For real, the volcano is way too crowded T_T

└ People are coming and going because of the tickets. Crowds from all over the world are rushing in.

└ But seriously... how did you climb this cliff?

└ This is insane... How are players without flying skills supposed to handle this T_T

└ Subscribed to HoneyTube. Please keep sharing great tips!

└ I’m from America. I wish I could block everyone else so I can keep HoneyTube all to myself.

"Jeong-hoon will be shocked when he sees this, right?"

Jang Dae-hwi smiled proudly.

Ha-jin nodded vigorously. "He’ll definitely be surprised. The subscribers just passed 100 million."

HoneyTube’s subscriber count had skyrocketed, already surpassing 120 million.

"But that’s not even the most surprising thing."

Jang Dae-hwi switched the screen again, this time opening his email.

"Why the email?"

"Just wait. You’re about to be blown away."

He began scrolling through the messages, stopping at a particular one and clicking on it.

"Is it an ad inquiry?"

"No. This isn’t some mere ad offer."

"Then what is it?"

"Look at the sender."

The sender: James Marcus.

A name no one who plays New World could fail to recognize.

"J-James Marcus?!"

"That's right! James Marcus wants to meet us!"

"Wow! This is huge!"

The number one warrior in the Americas, globally recognized as the best tank and a star player—James Marcus—had sent them a direct invitation.

***

[The Martial Artist-exclusive skill, 'Steadfast Will,' has been activated.]

[Skill 'Heavenly Demon Lord's Steps (Legendary)' has been acquired.]

['Steadfast Will' has fused 'Heavenly Step Manual' and 'Heavenly Demon Lord's Steps.']

[The skill 'True Heavenly Demon Lord's Steps' has been acquired.]

It wasn’t just about merging the Underworld King’s Fist Technique.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art reacted with almost all of Jeong-hoon's skills, causing multiple evolutions.

First, by mastering the Heavenly Demon Lord's Steps, it fused with the Heavenly Step Manual, evolving into True Heavenly Demon Lord's Steps—Celestial grade.

The Heavenly Body, an evolution of his Indomitable Body, further transformed into the True Heavenly Demon Divine Body, also reaching Celestial grade.

Lastly, his sword technique, Annihilation Sword, merged with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, evolving into the Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword.

"The Heavenly Demon Fist seems to cap at Level 3."

The Heavenly Demon Fist had reached its third level. Beyond that, no matter how much he deployed the Underworld King’s Fist, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art wouldn’t respond.

"His speed is insane."

From afar, Dokgo Jun watched with his mouth agape.

Jeong-hoon's growth rate was beyond belief—inhumanly fast.

"Every single one of them surpasses the original Heavenly Demon Divine Art."

Traditionally, inheriting such skills required decades to reach the same level.

Yet Jeong-hoon had advanced the Heavenly Demon Divine Art several times in a single week—his physique, movement techniques, swordsmanship, and martial arts alike.

Although still incomplete, when perfected in due time...

"He'll rewrite history."

He might even be able to end this cursed game.

No, Dokgo Jun was sure—he would end it.

"I think it’s time to head back now."

Jeong-hoon approached Dokgo Jun, his martial arts training complete.

"...Yeah. Let’s head out."

Having passed down the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it was time for Dokgo Jun to finish his remaining tasks.

"I'll help you with that."

"Help? You want to help me?"

"Yes."

Jeong-hoon didn’t select the return option.

The reason was simple: the question mark blinking above Dokgo Jun's head.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]