Chapter 28: Your Hour Is Up
Donape sighed and rested his hands on the counter. "I told you before. This place strictly enforces its rules, and when people don’t abide by them... well, that’s what happens." He ended his brief lecture with a casual wave of his hand toward the front door.
"Don’t talk nonsense, brat! That was clearly a trick of the eye!" Si-Jin growled through gritted teeth, issuing a furious ultimatum. "Speak the truth! If you don’t, I will tear this place apart, brick by brick, without a shred of mercy!"
Donape could see their hostility reaching a dangerous new high—the bodyguards were practically on hair-trigger alert, and Si-Yeon stood frozen, visibly tense in front of him.
Yet, there was nothing he could do to mend the situation other than try to explain the reality of the Origins VR Cafe.
"Supernatural phenomena? Superpowers? Those aren’t fictional concepts in this shop," Donape said, crossing his arms. "The mystical and fantastical are brought to life through the VR Capsule technology available here. That includes how your man was hurled out by an invisible force and struck by localized lightning—despite the cloudless sky outside."
He leaned back slightly, his tone remaining infuriatingly calm.
"Look, elder. You and I don’t know each other, and there’s no enmity between us. Wouldn’t it be better to just sit down and talk? I don’t understand why I’m being treated with such hostility, but if you insist on causing trouble, go right ahead."
He then scanned the room, looking at those people, and continued.
"No matter how hard you try, this building won’t take a single scratch, and troublemakers will only receive divine punishment. Your eyes aren’t blind—you’ve witnessed the proof firsthand. Feel free to pinch your cheeks if you need to check whether you’re dreaming... or just in deep trouble."
Yes, Donape’s words carried weight—even to someone as cautious as Si-Jin.
Yet, because the shopkeeper appeared so utterly ordinary and unimposing, Si-Jin couldn’t bring himself to process them as an actual threat.
He was caught in a sharp dilemma.
He had come to assert his dominance and force out every detail about this shop—specifically why Ji-Hong was so addicted to coming here daily. But now, Si-Jin had completely lost the upper hand.
Deep down, his cold logic urged him to order an all-out assault, convincing himself that whatever lightning trick the shop possessed couldn’t possibly strike them all down at once.
Yet, his martial instincts screamed at him to retreat. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and a chilling shudder ran down his spine—even though Donape wasn’t exuding a single shred of pressure.
It was infuriatingly strange.
His pride and survival instincts fought a fierce battle in his mind, desperately weighing countermeasures. Finally, gritting his teeth and tightening his fists, Si-Jin chose to take a step back.
"The rest of you, get out and stand guard outside the shop. Two of you take your comrade to the hospital immediately," Si-Jin commanded, his voice cold. He then pointed to a single bodyguard. "You stay inside with Si-Yeon and me."
Meanwhile, Donape felt a wave of relief—and a touch of genuine admiration for the old man.
Not many people could remain this calm under such absurd circumstances, let alone use their heads to think rationally.
’Well, he’s a martial arts expert, so his instincts must be sharp,’ Donape thought to himself.
By now, Donape was no longer easily intimidated or awed by martial arts masters, even if Si-Jin was undeniably the strongest human he had ever laid eyes on.
But that was only the pinnacle of ordinary humanity.
With his Qi Perception, Donape could gauge the elder’s full power at a single glance. Defeating Si-Jin wouldn’t be much of a struggle for him at this point.
After all, while Donape was still human himself, he had already taken his first step across the threshold into the realm of superhumans the moment the Tyrannical System entered his life.
He wasn’t a full-fledged superhuman just yet—but he was already far beyond a normal mortal.
Si-Yeon and the bodyguard took their seats on the counter stools, while Si-Jin paused to glance around the shop before finally settling down beside them.
"That... that lightning... it wasn’t fake?" Si-Yeon asked, her face full of lingering doubt.
Donape simply smiled.
"May I borrow your smartphone?" he asked, looking at Si-Yeon.
Instead of handing it over immediately, Si-Yeon glanced at Si-Jin for approval. Si-Jin didn’t utter a word; instead, he slid his own smartphone across the table.
Donape picked up the phone in one swift motion and tossed it straight into the air.
The bodyguard twitched, instinctively preparing to spring up from his seat, but Si-Jin raised a hand signaling him to stay still while Si-Yeon merely knitted her brows in confusion.
As the smartphone plummeted back down, Donape casually swung his hand out as if to catch it.
However, his timing seemed entirely off.
To a martial master like Si-Jin, it was immediately clear that the phone was about to crash directly onto the hard table.
Yet, reality defied all expectations.
As Donape swung his hand, the surrounding air along the smartphone’s path visibly twisted, abruptly halting the phone’s velocity and slowing its descent.
Ultimately, Donape plucked the phone from the air right before it hit the table, moving with such casual ease that it felt as though the entire sequence took place over a long minute rather than a fraction of a second.
Si-Jin, Si-Yeon, and the bodyguard sat there utterly bewildered, witnessing something akin to magic unfolding right in front of them.
The phone’s initial drop had moved at normal gravitational speed—fast, but still perfectly easy for their eyes to track. But watching it suddenly decelerate and hover motionless in midair broke their ability to process what they were seeing.
Only after Donape set the smartphone back down on the counter were they finally able to react and regain their composure.
"Is... is that your power? Not a trick?" Si-Yeon asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"It isn’t a trick, nor is it an optical illusion," Donape replied calmly. "Just like the depictions you see in stories and media, the air around us is simply where energy flows."
As he spoke, Donape traced a gentle Yin-and-Yang motion with his hands. His palms carved out a seamless, hypnotic arc through the empty space—a purely visual demonstration, devoid of any overwhelming pressure, yet so mesmerizing in its effortless grace that all three of them stared in sheer, spellbound awe.
"As I said before—everything you see here is real," Donape said, bringing his demonstration to an end.
Naturally, the three of them were still struggling to digest the sheer absurdity of what they had just witnessed.
It was Si-Jin who broke the silence first, his sharp eyes locking onto the shopkeeper. "Whether it’s real or an elaborate illusion, there is only one way left to truly prove it. Spar with me."
Donape stared at the three of them for a brief moment—before his deadpan expression vanished, instantly flipping into full customer-service business mode.
"Hehe. Elder, I’m no martial artist, and I’d certainly lose in a fight against a master like you," Donape chuckled smoothly in his excuse. "However, for martial artists such as yourself, my shop offers something that will more than satisfy your desires."
Si-Jin remained silent, his expression unreadable and stony.
"Activation of The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts is 80 BC, and daily playtime is 20 BC per hour," Donape explained with a practiced smile. "I guarantee it will fulfill every desire you have as a warrior."
Both Si-Yeon and the bodyguard twitched at his words. As martial artists themselves, those words immediately spiked their curiosity.
"Is the VR here actually like the stories depict?" Si-Yeon asked critically, leaning forward. "Full-dive? Like stepping into a completely different world? Not like those gimmick VR headsets on the market?!"
"Ey, how could a beautiful lady like you compare my VR Capsules to those primitive headsets?" Donape scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Not a chance! Mine are on an entirely different plane of existence. All five of your senses are fully engaged, delivering a transcendent experience that directly influences your physical body. In simple terms? It turns virtual reality into true reality."
Under Donape’s smooth persuasion, Si-Yeon and Si-Jin ultimately agreed to try the VR Capsules despite their lingering doubts, while the bodyguard remained behind on high alert, standing guard inside the counter area.
The moment the grandfather-granddaughter duo were plunged into the virtual environment, total awe hit them. The sheer perfection of the realism was mind-boggling—every blade of grass, every breath of wind felt identical to the real world.
Before they could even process their amazement, the grand introduction to The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts unfolded right before their eyes, sweeping them straight through to the end of the tutorial.
The experience was nothing short of miraculous.
It was so extraordinary that every single tech mega-corporation on the planet ought to shut down and file for bankruptcy out of pure shame.
Yet, just as they were beginning to truly immerse themselves in the virtual realm... the VR Capsule lids suddenly hissed open.
Light flooded back into their eyes.
Si-Jin and Si-Yeon sat up, utterly dumbfounded, while the standing bodyguard immediately shot a sharp, suspicious glare straight at Donape.
Facing their bewildered and hostile stares, Donape simply offered a casual, customer-service smile.
"Ah, that?" Donape shrugged, wiping down the counter. "Their one hour of playtime is up. Nothing to worry about."