Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 118

4.
In the ancient kingdom of Lydia in the western Anatolia region, during the time when the mighty gods of Olympus roamed, there lived a skilled weaver named Arachne.

With unparalleled skill, she possessed an immense pride in her craft, believing her talent surpassed that of the gods.

"Show respect to the gods. This is the only way you can absolve your sins."
"I fear no goddess. I welcome them to come. I am confident that even if I must face a goddess, I will win."
Arachne ignored the divine messenger’s command to show humility and respect toward the gods.

"She has come."
The goddess came personally to punish Arachne for her arrogance and challenged her to a contest of weaving. In the contest, Arachne wove the tapestry of Athena and the gods’ disgraceful deeds, depicting the end of those who dared to challenge the gods.

"There is no flaw to be found."
"Your skill has reached the pinnacle of human potential."
"How regretful. It is truly regrettable. With such skill, to close your future on your own terms."
Even the gods who accompanied Athena, as judges, could not help but sigh at Arachne’s talent. She was acknowledged for her skill.
She became the first human to defeat a god with her own abilities, having won against Athena, the goddess of craftsmanship and war.

"Had your wisdom been equal to even half of your skill, this tragedy could have been avoided. Now it is time to pay the price for your foolishness."
Arachne, the human who defeated a god, and a heretic who rejected order, was not forgiven by the gods.

Even when defeated by Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, who cursed Arachne to become a spider, no one blamed her.

Athena, along with the other gods, laughed at Arachne.
They mocked her, and some even pitied her, but none offered her comfort.

The people who praised her skill, the ones who encouraged her arrogance, and those who passed her boastful actions on to the gods —
none of them came to console her.

It was then that Arachne realized that her own pride had led to her downfall.

This is the story of a human who challenged the gods, won the challenge, was cursed and became a monster, and was abandoned by both gods and men —
the story of a pitiful woman.

The record of that unfortunate history, the myth, was later sculpted by the power of the Gate.

"You cursed me, but now it’s my turn to curse you."

Arachne sat before her loom, preparing to curse all who had abandoned her.

She had lived under the laws of the gods and sought to judge those who had tried to dictate her fate. Now, she would live under her own laws, forcing others to accept her dominion.

Thus, the Living Armor was born, and a woman who resembled a god appeared.

5.
‘Beautiful.’

That was Hae Eung-eung’s first impression of Arachne.

Unlike the pitiable human-faced parasite that had suffered under its own toxins, with wrinkled skin, Arachne had not lost the beauty she possessed as a human.
She was a weaver, inheriting the ability to spin and shape thread, not poisoned by spider venom, so her beauty had never faded.

‘But she is angry.’

While Hae Eung-eung didn’t know the full extent of Arachne’s history, she could feel the raw intensity of her anger.

"A woman who resembles Athena. Let her curse, as she pleases. With a beauty and skill that rival the gods, she was far too superior for a mere human."

That was the anger of a woman cursed by the gods.
Arachne’s grudge was both a desire for revenge on the gods and a deep hatred for her foolish past.

‘It feels like a giant pillar is descending.’

Arachne’s eight massive legs were capable of crushing anything they struck with the force of an iron hammer.
If one of them landed even slightly wrong, it could snap a sword in two.

‘It’s similar to the human-faced parasite, but different. This one isn’t easy even for me with my Qi Gong.’

In truth, Arachne combined the durability of the human-faced parasite with the monstrous size of a demonic being, making her even more dangerous.

While still a human in form, Arachne was now clearly a creature beyond myth, a beast that could not be wounded by mere mortals.

Her eyes, hidden in shadow, seemed to challenge even Hae Eung-eung, who found herself struggling under the oppressive force of Arachne’s gaze.

"You possess more skill than those humans below, but in the end, you are still just human. That’s right. Humans are such weak creatures."
"...!"
"Die, human."

[Arachne’s Binding Technique]
[Octagonal Spikes]

With tremendous force, Arachne’s eight legs unleashed a storm of attacks from all sides.
The shockwaves from the barrage struck everyone, both Living Armors and humans alike, sending them crashing to the ground, unable to hold their ground.

"Silent Swordsman..."
"We can't win against that..."
"Stay focused, everyone! We need to retreat now, or we’ll be finished!"
"No. Not yet."
"What do you mean ‘not yet’? The Silent Swordsman is already dead! The raid is already..."
"We haven’t failed yet."

Shin Seong-gwak and Min Woo-seong, who had known the true power of the Silent Swordsman since the beginning of the raid, were the only ones who understood Hae Eung-eung’s strength.
No matter how dire the situation, she was a master of martial arts who could summon a wide variety of techniques at the right time.
Her skill was like a bottomless ocean, deep and unfathomable.

The founder of Haenampa, the true power of the woman named Hae Eung-eung, would only reveal itself in the face of adversity.

[Martial Technique]
[Top-tier Martial Arts]
[Half Moon Extreme Technique]

Just ten more levels to surpass the barrier of second-tier mastery.
Though she was still on the brink of mastering one martial art, that did not mean she was unable to use top-tier techniques.

‘I can use it, just once.’

As long as she didn’t exceed the threshold of 5 stars in a martial art, forced ascension would not happen.

Her body’s balance, and her physical attributes, had diverged greatly from when she was in the martial world.
However, with her current state, she could still unleash the power of any top-tier technique, as long as it was within the 5-star threshold.

‘I will use every top-tier martial art I have. I will unleash a single strike here.’

The move from a top-tier martial artist was limited to that tier, but when the realization beyond its peak was added...

The power could easily reach the rank of a first-tier martial artist.

But surpassing even that, adding the enlightenment of a transcendent warrior, would bring it to the ultimate level.

Even using second-tier strength to perform the move from top-tier martial arts, Hae Eung-eung...

"This... is impossible! You must be lying! You were supposed to be human! No human should be allowed this kind of power! If not... why... why am I...?!"

[Combo Technique]
[Top-tier Martial Arts Twelve Strike Chain]

Arachne’s Octagonal Spikes were perfectly broken by the twelve-strike combo of top-tier martial arts.

"Why... aren’t you finishing this, human?"

With her abdomen wide open, Arachne’s body was exposed.
Hae Eung-eung, like a ghost, slipped through the gap, her palm striking towards Arachne’s lower abdomen in a move called "Palm Strike".

She extended her hand and pulled back without landing a hit, her eyes tightly closed, her body trembling.

Tears welled up in Arachne’s eyes.

She realized something.

‘Endless hatred for humans. The aggression is the same, but there’s something more in this Arachne’s emotions. It’s almost... human.’

A being that isn’t quite human, yet not entirely a monster.
Gripped by rage, but still human at its core.
Hae Eung-eung had known such beings.
One was the human-faced parasite, another was the tragic fate of Ban-Yo, and then there was herself—once consumed by hatred and vengeance in her own past.

‘Perhaps this monster is walking the same path I did. Is it really my task to kill you with my own hands?’

"Do humans and Ban-Yo always have to kill each other?"

The voice of the human-faced parasite echoed in her mind.

"Stop! Please! If I keep using my powers like this, I’ll die!"

The screams of Taebaek Guild members who were being forced to use their abilities by the Living Armor rang out.

Unlike the human-faced parasite incident, this time, the situation was different.
Even now, the cameras of the halftime crew were capturing Hae Eung-eung’s every move.
Her choices, her decisions, every action she took would reshape her relationships with everyone around her.

‘Could you change, too?’

Just as she had returned from the bloodthirsty Blood Rangers to a full human.

‘Could you put down your grudges, even for a moment?’

Just as she, too, had once wished for the deaths of the Emperor and the Martial Arts League master, but paused to rest.

‘If I can’t understand you, I will have to kill you. But even then, will you still not release your hatred?’

A human she wished to understand, and a monster she couldn’t comprehend.
Between them, Hae Eung-eung was about to give up on understanding Arachne, her desire to save her wavering...

"Guild Master."

Min Woo-seong, covered in blood and dirt, rushed up the broken stairs in a neat suit.
He nudged someone in front of him.

"This person knows the legend of Arachne."

The previously unnoticed psychologist, blending into the raid team as if invisible.

‘Get your act together, you useless baggage.’

While some of them nervously looked around, Min Woo-seong couldn't stand how silently they had been lurking.

"U-um... Arachne is a human who was cursed by the gods and turned into a monster. Her grudge is based on Nietzsche’s concept of resentment..."

[Summarize it in one line.]
"Uh... it’s the moral sense of slaves."
"…?"
"Did I go too far? Maybe... the envy of the defeated...? Self-justification gone wrong...?"

Unexpectedly, the psychologist had become useful.

‘What is this? A new method of suicide?’

The Silent Swordsman tilted her head at the unexpected use and

"Slaves? The defeated?"

Moved by the aggro from the excellent tank who managed to pull Arachne’s attention away with her sharp tongue, leading to further useful actions.