Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 121

Vice Guild Leader of the Asan Guild, Jeong Ji-Soo, was in an extraordinarily good mood.

"See? Just rushing ahead in the dungeon raid doesn’t guarantee victory. You have to catch up with the last group to survive."

Following the plan, they arrived last at the boss room and sealed the door while the other two raiding parties were inside. The secret weapon brought by Kim Chang-Sik was none other than welders, who sealed the boss room from the outside.

"I can hear people dying inside."
"How... how sad... sob..."
"Too... tragic..."
"We won't forget their sacrifice."
"Cut, cut. Try to put more emotion into it. Look at our star, Eun-Ho."

Standing in front of the camera, Yoo Eun-Ho cried heavily, his voice choked.

"Damn it! We’re too late. The boss room won’t open! If we’d just arrived a bit earlier, we could have fought together and saved them!"

Of course, it was all an act.
As soon as the camera stopped recording, Yoo Eun-Ho, his emotional performance finished, grinned broadly.

"Haha. Bringing welders to a dungeon raid? That’s insane. They say you can make something useful out of anything, but this... this is just ridiculous. Haha."
"...What a piece of work."

Although Yoo Eun-Ho had initially complained about damaging his image with such dirty work, once the job began, he was more enthusiastic than anyone else. Since he was already in too deep, he had to make sure to bury the other raiding parties completely.

"But these guys really seem to have gotten into an accident, huh?"
"With a monster we’ve never seen before, you really think the boss room would be okay?"
"Listen to that. The crashing sounds are no joke."

The Asan Guild members, pressing their ears to the door, could feel the massive sounds and vibrations. Fear was written clearly on their faces.

"Is the boss fight usually this brutal?"
"If we had gone in, we’d have been dead for sure."
"This is insane."

What was happening beyond this door? The noise, which seemed like it would never stop, suddenly stopped.

"Uh? The vibrations stopped?"
"There’s no more loud noise."
"Is it over?"

Someone turned to Jeong Ji-Soo, suggesting they should open the door and challenge the raid. She shook her head.

"Changing the plan always causes problems. We’re sticking to the original. Destroy all the action cams. The dungeon special forces’ cameras will be inspected, so keep that in mind."

While preparing to destroy the evidence and manipulate the situation with false statements...
It came suddenly.

KRRRROOOAAANG??!

The dungeon wall exploded, shattering as if it had been demolished in a construction site.
Massive debris and rubble tumbled down as a colossal figure barreled through the debris, charging into the hallway.

"It... It’s Medusa!"
"Crazy. Not a scratch on her!"
"What the hell did the others do inside?!"

Medusa was furious.
Having lost her child and been trapped with the Living Armor and cocoon, unable to even take out her rage, the feeling of frustration had built up. Although controlled by the Living Armor, at least she now had a chance to vent her anger. And there, in front of her, were human enemies, the kind she was allowed to kill.

"GRRRRRR!"

The boss fight had begun for the Asan Guild. Kim Chang-Sik thought to himself that things had worked out well.

"If we just run around the dungeon, we’ll find some useful items in the area Medusa destroyed! We can use those to defeat her!"
"Denied! Everyone, run back to the gate entrance!"

Following Jeong Ji-Soo’s orders, the Asan Guild began to run for their lives. Kim Chang-Sik thought this was a good outcome. If they succeeded in the raid now, he would have done what the other two groups had failed at.

"We’ll end up as pawns for those damn Jeong Ji-Soo and Yoo Eun-Ho if we just go back! Better to catch that monster and change my life!"

Kim Chang-Sik’s direct subordinates, who trusted him, gathered their courage and joined the raid. They were doubtful that even if they left, they would be treated well by Jeong Ji-Soo and Yoo Eun-Ho, so they had nothing to lose by taking the risk.

"Let’s go! Now’s our chance!"
"We’ve got a giant ballista!"
"Heaven is on my side! We’ll hold the line here! Protect the ballista!"

After countless sacrifices, the opportunity had finally arrived. Though the petrification made it hard to see, they fought with all their might. Thanks to their desperate resistance, Kim Chang-Sik finally shot the ballista.

PING?

The giant arrow, aimed to pierce Medusa’s scales and her body, absurdly bounced off with no effect.

"The arrow didn’t work?!"
"Wait a minute, those aren’t scales."
"Armor? Wait... is that... Living Armor?"

The Ascendants couldn’t believe it.
And they were instantly killed when Medusa’s massive tail struck them. Kim Chang-Sik was left alone.

"Ha. To think that Kim Chang-Sik would die this way. Where did it all go wrong..."

BOOM?

Medusa’s foot stomped down, crushing everything in its wake.
Where the ballista had been, only its broken remains and flattened corpses were left.

On TV, Jeong Ji-Soo's official press conference continued to be discussed widely.

"Due to the increased difficulty of the gate, many casualties occurred. We sincerely express our condolences to the raiders and other parties involved in the incident."
"The Asan Guild will not let this matter slide."
"Since all other competitors in the Myeongho-dong Gate have disappeared, we feel deeply responsible, and we will use our full strength to conquer the dungeon."

After the press conference, interview materials and videos were widely disseminated across various media outlets.

[Shock. Teen Guild’s raid team wiped out. The tragedy of those who couldn’t escape after the boss room was sealed.]
[Ascendant Association Coordination Committee Chairperson: "An urgent response is necessary in this exceptional situation."]
[Three hours of desperate escape. How did they survive?]
[Star ascendant Yoo Eun-Ho’s tearful confession: "I wanted to help."]
[The newly formed guild without a guild leader: Where will they merge?]

The Asan Guild announced that everyone except for themselves had perished, which sent shockwaves through many people.

"Wait, the Taebaek Guild's raid team was wiped out? Those crazy macho idiots?"
"Has it been that long since a dungeon like this wiped out a strong guild?"
"Gates with powerful ascendants usually get harder, right? Probably because of the Silent Swordsman."
Those who were already interested in the ascendant industry thought this was a tragedy they had seen coming.

"Wait, what about the Silent Swordsman?"
"Did our guild leader pass away?"
"What the hell."
"No way, how could the Silent Swordsman die?"
"Is Asan pulling some crap?"
"Watch the video! The guy who beat the demon general in a straight-up fight! How could he die in a dungeon raid?!"
"Why isn’t Asan showing the action cams? They need to release them, now!"
"No wonder I’ve seen the Silent Swordsman’s face twice this week, it seemed like good luck. Looks like he ran into some bad luck, huh?"
"He should’ve stayed in the safe half-demon valley. Why did he have to go out into the open..."
"It’s finally happened, Silent Swordsman Mk-1 is dead. Silent Swordsman Mk-2, the world is now yours! Come and take it! Mk-2? Mk-2... Wait, why am I crying..."
"He loved silence so much, now the viewers are the ones who are silent..."
"Silent Swordsman, we’ll hold a cosmic funeral... Viewers, please gather..."
The viewers of Silent Swordsman were furious about the news, but at the same time, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness. They had been excited to see the streamer grow after going mainstream, but now, to learn that he died without even leaving a body... it was disheartening.

Fan reactions were divided.

Collective protests for an investigation.
A joint funeral held in outer space.
The fans dealt with Silent Swordsman’s death in their own way.
Joo Ah-Young was among the latter group.

"Sob... I miss you, unnie..."
"Sniff. Sniff..."
"I’ll never forget the posture you taught me, instructor... Waaaah..."
"Hey, don’t cry. I was holding it in too... Hrrk. Hrk."
"Uwaaaaah."

The Haenampa Guild was in a sea of tears.
The staff, who had lost their guild leader overnight, couldn’t hold back their sorrow, and Joo Ah-Young felt a heavy sense of responsibility.

"Everyone. I’m so sorry. Without unnie, our guild is no more... no more..."
"Don’t overdo it. I’ll help with the funeral arrangements."
"Thank you, Kyung-Seok oppa. What about Ji-Woo oppa?"
"He seems deeply saddened. I can’t get in touch with him, no matter what."
"...Once the funeral is over, let’s look for him together."

At first, she didn’t want to do any of this. She didn’t want to believe that her unnie had died.
But as someone who had received years of training at the Ascendant Academy, she could no longer deny it.

"Asan Guild... they must be behind this, right?"
"Don’t think like that. Revenge requires the right power."
"I didn’t say I would do it immediately. When the time comes, if we gain enough strength, then..."

Sok Gyeong-Seok didn’t stop her from thinking that way.

"I’ll help with that revenge, too."
"Our kids will lend a hand as well."
"Cheer up. I don’t like seeing women cry. It makes me feel down too."

A funeral with no body.
Despite not revealing the address at first, many people gathered, having somehow found out.

"Whip Manager, Daesan Guild members. Representative Han Chae-Rin...!"

People connected to Hae Eung-eung had managed to find out the funeral schedule and arrived.

"As a part-time manager, I still do my job as a manager. Do you think I’d just take the crown and disappear?"
"If it weren’t for Hae, Daesan Guild would never have learned real martial arts. I’ll use what I learned from them to help you all."
"Whoever touches my people will pay. I’ll support Haenampa Guild until Asan Guild falls, so remember that."

Hae Eung-eung’s efforts weren’t in vain. This was evident even from the 30,000 viewers watching the online funeral.

"Here’s the incredible mad movie of the late hero’s life."
"????"
"The only super rookie after Living Legend Black..."
"(Sad emoji) (Sad emoji) (Sad emoji)"
"(Tear emoji) (Tear emoji) (Tear emoji)"
Speedmaster donated 10,000,000 Won!
"At the ending, I was going to go for the half-demon valley, but I guess I'll stick to the hidden route for now... In tribute, I won’t do the Silent Swordsman route..."

Eom Gil-Dong donated 300,000 Won!
"Unblock the ban and leave, please..."

Lee Hye-Chan donated 500,000 Won!
"Sigh. It was my first love..."

Lee So-Hye donated 100,000 Won!
"It’s small, but please use this for the funeral expenses."

Not only famous streamers but also regular viewers continued to send donations for the funeral.
If the deceased had known just how much love they had received from so many people, it might have brought them a small amount of joy.
Wiping her tears, Joo Ah-Young steeled her resolve.

‘The teachings unnie gave me, the one-of-a-kind martial arts manual she made for me... I’ll master it and become stronger.’

As she was about to announce the end of the funeral broadcast with a determined face...

"The Silent Swordsman isn’t dead!!!"
"Are you stupid? Get lost."
"Turn on the news, you idiot!"
"Is this for real?"
"It’s a scam."
"Really?"
"No way, it’s not true?"
A small uproar broke out in the chat room, which spread all the way to the real funeral site.

"Everyone, you have to see this!"

With an excited face, Sok Gyeong-Seok rushed over. He opened up his screen phone.

[BREAKING NEWS> Haenampa Guild's raid team survives!]
[Haenampa Guild’s urgent press conference]

Having just escaped the gate, the Haenampa Guild’s raid team emerged.
Among them, two entertainers from halftime stepped up in front of the reporters and revealed the shocking truth.

"Asan Guild tried to kill us!"
"We can’t forgive them!"

The world was turned upside down with the Asan Guild welding incident.
And amidst the revelation of the shocking truth, Hae Eung-eung, standing at one corner of the screen, was...

"No way, lol."
"Seriously, they’re reacting so ridiculously."
"If you’re going to act dumb, just go do it somewhere else!"
While trying to stay unnoticed, she was in the corner, making a tiny V-sign in celebration of her survival.