Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 117

2.
The combination of fear, petrification, and the Living Armor parasite was too much for the Taebaek Guild raid team to handle. They were helpless in the face of such a vicious combo.

"Senior, what do we do now?"
"We need to stop the raid and retreat."
"Is there no other way?"

Shin Seong-gwak shook his head.
If they pushed forward now, not only would the Taebaek Guild raid team suffer heavy casualties, but Haenampa Guild would too. Considering that six cameramen and even a psychologist had been mobilized, their effective force wasn’t 20, but 13. The number of ascendants controlled by the Living Armor was similar, but there were still more behind them.

"Run. I'll cover the rear."
"Senior!!"
"Or do you all plan to die here?"

The security team couldn't hide their anxiety as they turned toward the two young star ascendants on halftime duty. These two had only just started making a name for themselves in public, full of dreams and talent. They were too young and too good-hearted to die now.

As the security team prepared to salute Shin Seong-gwak’s sacrifice with tears in their eyes, a massive sword slammed into the ground, drawing everyone's attention.

[Shin Seong-gwak. Do you really think we can’t win?]
"...Unfortunately, yes. I’ve failed the guild leader. Because of my greed, I led the raid team to a place we shouldn’t have been."
[I don’t agree with that.]

She fixed the strap of her battle gear, and instead of the massive sword, she drew the sword she herself had been wielding.
Hae Eung-eung stepped out of the safety zone alone.

"Are you insane? This isn't a game; it’s reality. If you die here, you can’t start over!"
"Don’t worry, Senior."

Min Woo-seong, startled, raised his voice to Shin Seong-gwak.
Having monitored all of her gameplay to verify the notorious returnee’s true capabilities, Min Woo-seong was certain of what she could do.

"The Silent Swordsman has never lost, not even once, even in more difficult situations than this."

The time of the notebook swordsman was over.
Now, it was the time of the Silent Swordsman.

3.

Please, save us.
I don’t want to die.
We didn’t choose this!
Martial artists who had been kidnapped by the Blood Cult and modified into Blood Rangers.
Hae Eung-eung had once lived as a Blood Ranger, just like them.

Please, save the child!
Aaahh!
You demonic creatures! The Martial Arts League will never forgive you!
In the past, she had been consumed by hatred for the Emperor and the Martial Arts League, which had turned her into a fugitive.
Unwanted slaughter had become an act she now carried out by her own will.

‘You’ll be like this soon enough.’

The Taebaek Guild raid team, now swallowed by the Living Armor, were moving involuntarily, their faces desperately shaking in fear.

"Grkgrk!"
"Grggrggggkk!"

Those who struggled the most were foaming at the mouth, convulsing, then collapsing in exhaustion. Their bodies were still controlled, their heads lowered, unconscious.

"Shit, don’t resist! You’ll suffer worse!"
"Save me, Captain!"
"Aaaah! My arm hurts! It hurts so much!!"

There was no clever solution for Bang Bae-deok.
The Living Armor, which didn’t care for the safety of its host, manipulated their muscles.
Even if it caused muscle rupture, tearing flesh and breaking bones, if the Living Armor willed it, there was no avoiding it.
Thus, they had to obey, attacking their own comrades without resistance.
If they didn’t break their enemies, they would be the ones torn apart.

"Silent Swordsman! The core of the armor is in the back. If you strike from behind or destroy the links, you’ll expose the inner workings. Can you do it?"

Bang Bae-deok, the leader of the Taebaek Guild raid team, was abrasive, but his mental fortitude to remain calm in such a crisis was commendable.

Hae Eung-eung nodded in response.

Bang Bae-deok twisted his face into a grimace, showing his teeth as he laughed.
"Then hurry up and do something about this damn thing. I feel like I’m going to be torn apart alive."

The moment Bang Bae-deok gave up controlling himself, his body charged forward, following the commands of the Living Armor.

Kkhaang!

The sword raised high struck down Bang Bae-deok's arms as they tried to block the charge.

Kkaggang!

More hands came at her, trying to grab her.
Hae Eung-eung parried them with ease, using the arm guards to deflect the strikes and send them flying.
She didn’t take a single step back.

‘If we drag this out, it will only get more dangerous.’

Once the body was controlled, either through drugs or marking, it would gradually wear out and deform.
If they crossed the point of no return, even if freed, the body would be shattered, and they could never live a normal life again.

‘So I need to block all the attacks head-on.’

So that no one else is targeted.
So that the Living Armor can’t take any other action.

Kkaggang!
Kkaggaggang!

If three strikes weren’t enough, she would strike five times.
If five weren’t enough, she would use seven.

She deftly avoided Bang Bae-deok’s mace, repeatedly striking at the wrist guards.

‘This is decent armor, but it’s essentially just cloth armor woven from spider silk.’

Metal would always cut through fabric.
After repeatedly targeting the same spot, Hae Eung-eung finally shattered Bang Bae-deok’s wrist guard.

"I’m back! I can move my arm!"

As the controlled part of his body shrank, it became easier to strike from behind.
With continued destruction of his armor, Hae Eung-eung easily got behind him and destroyed the core.

[Nina. Nana-se. It’s time to prove that your training wasn’t in vain. After parrying, it’s time to destroy the weak spots. Can you do it?]

The two women stepped out of the safety zone with bright expressions.

"Of course!"
"We’ve practiced until we were sick of it."

Hae Eung-eung’s bravery inspired not just the two women, but Shin Seong-gwak and the security team as well.

"We can’t fall behind either. Let’s go!"
"Yes, Senior!"

With renewed spirit, the Haenampa Guild raid team clashed with the Taebaek Guild raid team.

"Ugh, these guys are no joke!"
"They’re already strong, and now they’ve gained the power of the Living Armor!"
"How do you parry this? Just one clash of swords sends vibrations through my hand!"

No matter how skilled the Silent Swordsman was, she wasn’t larger than them.
This meant that, in terms of strength, she was no match.

"Remember! You said ‘parry,’ right?"
"You have to block it with technique."

Perfect timing, perfectly executed parries.
Hae Eung-eung naturally performed the signature move, parrying with precision.

Ten times, twenty times.
With each parry, she avoided being stiffened by the strikes and directed the damage to her opponents instead.

"As expected, the Silent Swordsman was an ascendant even before she became a streamer. She’s truly a remarkable fighter."

"Stop just admiring! Everyone here is strong, not just Bang Bae-deok!"

Bang!

"My wrist..."
"Don’t just stand there! Dodge!"

The security member, caught off-guard by the overwhelming force, was barely saved by the warning behind him.
Suddenly, a heavy warning rang out from behind him.

"Bow your head. Your head will fly off."

[Ascended Ability - Stone Wall]
[Combo Skill - Rapid Fire]

Boom!

The wall, fired like a bullet, struck the Living Armor, knocking them back and buying time.

"Everyone with injuries, fall back and treat them."
"But there are too many enemies..."
"If we rush in, the number of hostages controlled by the Living Armor will only increase. Just hold your ground."

Thanks to Hae Eung-eung’s decisive move, the morale of the Haenampa Guild raid team was high.
The young ascendants, unaware of the danger to their own lives, fought valiantly, and Shin Seong-gwak felt the old feelings he had long forgotten rise up again.
Blood boiling with youthful vigor and the fight of beasts.

"When you get old, you realize this stuff isn’t good. I can’t even believe how wild I was when I was younger."

With his aura rising, Shin Seong-gwak unleashed a massive surge of mana.

[Ascended Ability - Stone Wall]
[Siege Mode - Multiple Wall Launcher]

Before meeting Hae Eung-eung, this would have been an insane move that would exacerbate his mana sickness, but now, he had the courage to use it.

"I’ll open the path. Can you climb up?"

Hae Eung-eung nodded, as though the word "impossible" didn’t even exist in her vocabulary.
Shin Seong-gwak smiled as he watched her confident figure from behind.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shin Seong-gwak launched the walls one after another like a multiple rocket launcher, creating a path that led up to the heavens.

"They’re going that way!"
"Guard the stairs!"

The Living Armors, like a hornet’s nest disturbed, charged toward the stairs in unison.

"No one’s letting them go!"

Nina and Nana-se, rushing ahead, faced them head-on.

[Ascended Ability - Frozen Hand]
[Combo Skill - Giant Frozen Hand]

[Ascended Ability - Vector Manipulation]
[Combo Skill - All Down]

Huge hands of ice materialized from Nina’s hands, grabbing four or five Living Armors each and bringing them down to the ground with rapid vector manipulation.

Bang! Bang!

As the Living Armors fell, one managed to grab the middle of the stairs.

[Ascended Ability - Bomberman]
[Evolution Trait (D) - Range Expansion]
[Evolution Trait (C) - Power Increase]

"This armor... it understood my ability?!"

Boom!

With a loud explosion, the stairs collapsed, and the thick smoke rushed in.
Hae Eung-eung charged forward, cutting through the smoke.

[Ascended Ability - Sharpshooter]
[Evolution Trait (E) - Quick Shot]
[Evolution Trait (C) - Mana Arrow]

Like a volley of arrows from dozens of archers, magic arrows shot through the smoke, sensed not by eyes or ears, but by Hae Eung-eung’s keen instincts.

[New Skill]
[Wind-Swift Waves]

Her feet slipped sideways, not straight ahead, as she avoided the blows.
Whether charging forward, standing still, or jumping upwards, the Living Armors were sure to be hit. But Hae Eung-eung’s movement was flawless.

‘Controlling ascendants and manipulating their abilities. It’s surprising, but not much more.’

Although she could understand their powers, these monsters still lacked an understanding of the human body.
As she retreated into a perfect defensive position, she felt as though she was becoming an unfathomable presence, as if a ghost that slipped unnoticed into the darkness.

[Unorthodox Method]
[Ghostly Spirit Whip]

While the Living Armors were struggling, she whipped the air, her whip snaking around the decorative features of the workshop.

[The Winds Are Colliding]

With a swift, upward motion, the whip drew strength, pushing her forward with the force of a Jumping Rabbit, sending her higher.

Crash!

The workshop, woven from spider webs, shattered, and the true boss of Myeongho-dong Gate, Arachne, had finally been reached by Hae Eung-eung.

‘A spider. We share a deep connection, don’t we?’

Hae Eung-eung was confident.
She knew full well that animals had always been drawn to her.

[Blessing]
[Animal Friends] : The chance to befriend animal-like creatures is greatly increased.

Not a lowly insect, but a creature of equal standing, Hae Eung-eung stood before Arachne, meeting her gaze.

And as she faced the once-immaculate face of Arachne, which seemed forever unchanged like a statue of the heavens, a subtle shift occurred.

"You are..."
"?"
"Beautiful."

Arachne’s legs, which had been spinning the loom, stopped their work and began to move toward Hae Eung-eung.

‘Is she asking for a handshake?’

[Warning. Warning. Your charm is too high.]
[Blessing - Animal Friends’ power does not work here.]

"Like the goddesses of Olympus. You resemble those hypocritical and cruel deities."

For a moment, Hae Eung-eung tilted her head at the strange notification that appeared above her, and just then, a shadow loomed above her head.

Crash!

Arachne’s leg swung like a sickle.
Behind it, a red warning appeared.

[Legend]
[The Cursed Woman of the Gods]

"I hate you, beauty. You are second only to her."

It was a relationship of clear antagonism, close to a true enemy.

And that was not the end.

"You even resemble her."

Hae Eung-eung’s sword slashed through Arachne’s leg.
But the other legs immediately attacked.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unlike the Living Armors, these strikes were powerful enough to make Hae Eung-eung’s sword tremble.
The red warnings expanded beyond Arachne’s legs.

[Legend]
[The Great Rival of Athena, Goddess of War and Craft]

"Athena, the goddess of war and technology. The one who cursed me and turned me into a monster. The one I hate most in this world."

For Hae Eung-eung, Arachne was the number one rival.
Their relationship wasn’t just a matter of dislike—it was a true clash of opposites.