Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 129

5.
After the massive destruction,
Lee So-hye became notably kinder and started sharing tips.

“Earlier missions, before level 10, tested your ability to hit targets, but from level 10 onward, the missions start testing a different skill.”
[The ability to read the timing, right?]
“Exactly. After level 10, missions test your ability to read the timing, and at level 20, it’s about disrupting the timing.”

Disrupting the timing.
It reminded her of the martial arts concepts of real strike and phantom strike.

“The longer the whip, the more intricate it becomes. It’s heavier and harder to move, but it also makes it easier to distract and deceive the eyes.”

Hae Eung-eung was obsessed with swinging the whip forcefully.
Her whip was extremely focused on the strength attribute, one of the four basic elements of martial arts.
On the other hand, Lee So-hye’s whip leaned more towards the flow element.

Flow – flowing smoothly, naturally, as if it were meant to be.

Her whip had that softness.
Thus, it incorporated the concept of curve from the specialized attributes.

Curve – bending and twisting inward.

The attack honed with a specialized attribute embraced the concept of curves.
It wasn’t difficult to awaken the illusion attribute, which is an advanced characteristic.

Illusion – changing and enchanting like a phantom.

This was a martial art capable of freely adding phantom strikes between real strikes.
Lee So-hye’s whip embodied this principle.

“You’ve been swinging blindly, guessing the force and timing, right?”
[Correct.]
“With that method, you’ve reached your limit. If you keep smashing everything like this, you won’t be able to hit targets efficiently.”

If you draw a line connecting the starting point and the end point,
a straight line connects them faster than a curve.
In martial arts, the concept that the shortest distance is the fastest doesn’t apply.
Once you distort a clear principle,
the moment the weak challenge the strong in survival,
martial arts are born.

“In the time before ascendants, all you had to worry about was the wrist snap, the angle, and strength. The whip’s intricacies couldn’t go as deep as now.”

Once magic, a supernatural power, was involved in martial arts,
its power multiplied.

“Think of magic as a pillar or steel bar. It supports the middle of the whip and keeps it from bending. What happens then?”
[It becomes stiff.]
“Even without adding too much snap, you can increase the whip’s dynamics.”

The magic used is minimal.
While Hae Eung-eung forcefully injected internal energy and created devastation,
Lee So-hye only adds small amounts of reinforcement to specific areas, increasing control and gaining efficiency.

‘The direction is different, and the force is different, but this is still martial arts. Iryu martial arts is just an inevitable result.’

Lee So-hye took the whip herself.

“Now, watch closely. You need to pay attention to the trajectory of the whip I’m about to swing.”

The whip curled like a snake, hitting the air and returning.
It coiled like a spring, compressed, and then shot out, grabbing the prey in a motion similar to a snake.
The end of the whip broke the sound barrier, and the whip-cracking sound became briefly sharp.

Crack!

Even from just the sound, one could tell the difference in their whip styles.

“Can you do that?”

Hae Eung-eung tried swinging the whip in the air.
The first time was clumsy.
The next time, it was exaggerated.
The whip, practicing its curve,
within just three attempts, reached the concept of Yugok Hwan (the circular principle).

‘I’m not unfamiliar with this concept. I’ve known it from the start but never applied it.’

The whip strike, now incorporating the principle, quickly became a technique of value.
The continuous application of skills, honed for specific targets – or mission objectives – had developed into a new form.

“If you use this technique in a real fight, you could easily take down the dancer miniature spinning at supersonic speed. Like this, and like this.”

Lee So-hye’s whip cracked next to the dancer miniature.
Crack!
The short, sharp sound hit the eardrum, and the dancer miniature, startled, dropped the pole and rolled across the shelf, falling over.

Dizzy

A speech bubble rose above her head, saying:
[@@@]
Unable to bear the dizziness, she stopped.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
The dancer miniature’s evasion trait had been blocked.
Lee So-hye took the chance with a single whip strike.
Whipping the whip itself wasn’t the only way to attack.
The whip sound was an attack technique in itself.
The opportunity created by the whip was caught by the whip.
The following whip strike, like a snake, snatched the prey – the dancer miniature.
Lee So-hye displayed a brilliant example.

“Got it...”

Whoosh

And then, Lee So-hye’s silhouette and voice disappeared.

Hahaha?
Where’s the instructor going?
Seriously, where is she going?
She’s taught as much as needed. Follow along yourself.
This is what a teacher is...?!
The chatroom fell into confusion.
Soon after, Lee So-hye’s donation arrived.

<Lee So-hye donated 10,000 won!>
The field theme changes after mission 21, and space travel is now underway. Clear it and come back quickly.

Haha, she moved to the next map and disappeared.
If we don’t get it after one try, are we going to keep watching the Silent Swordmaster’s angry whip show here?
We can just get some advice with the donation.
Shocking. There’s a teacher who gives advice through donations for tuition fees?
The dumber they are, the more they win, haha.
If Um Gil-dong were a student, the tuition would be 100% cashback, haha.
What do you mean 100%? More like 200%—it’s a huge profit, easy!
The shocking tuition fee theft scene!
The real-time theft of tuition fees!
The viewers were excited.
How much would the Silent Swordmaster steal for Lee So-hye’s tuition?
It’s going to be under 100,000 won.
Or over 100,000 won?
The chat flooded with opinions,
and Lee So-hye, watching the conversation,
set up a betting game for them to enjoy.

[Point Toto]
? Under 100,000 won
Betting points: 37.5 million
Betting participants: 2,522
Underdog odds: 4.53x
? Over 100,000 won
Betting points: 132.5 million
Betting participants: 6,112
Favorite odds: 1.28x

With no betting for a long time,
the points that had been awarded during the broadcast
had accumulated into a betting fund!

Let’s make a huge profit with the underdog and buy some alloys for the spaceship.
Your alloys are replaced with 100,000 burning benches falling through the atmosphere.
Haha, the Bench Villain bet on the favorite.
Guys, shouldn’t we build houses first?
Seriously, let’s build a space station.
Nah, I’m not going to the space station. I’ll make my own small secret base on an asteroid with the underdog.
No, I’m going to make a huge Silent Swordmaster statue and let it float in space.
Haha, is the underdog a villain’s gathering place?
Suicide Squad (underdog) vs. Bench Villains (favorite)
Is this the frontline representative?
Saying it’s easy to imitate someone’s technique is easier said than done.
Lee So-hye only gave a few simple tips.
She didn’t explain how to use magic to support the whip and reinforce it like a pillar or steel bar.
That part needed to be experienced directly.
Trial and error was necessary.
More contemplation leads to deeper understanding.

‘The Silent Swordmaster can probably catch up. But can she do it within ten tries?’

Lee So-hye knew how skilled she was.
The ingenuity and sharpness she showed in every moment were obvious.
But ten tries were too few.
The theory of the pillar and steel bar was an essential element of her whip technique.
It was too vast to grasp all at once.

‘Even if she doesn’t succeed in ten tries, it doesn’t matter. This betting thing is just a bit of fun. Anyway, the Silent Swordmaster will make it.’

So, even if she doesn’t succeed in ten tries, don’t be disappointed.
That’s what the underdog, Lee So-hye, thought.

[Special Task Completed]
[Mission Task - 20 Completed]

Until Hae Eung-eung succeeded in one go.

“Is this even possible?!”

Having reached the level of Hwa Gyeong and mastered the principles of martial arts,
Lee So-hye’s tips and insights were nothing compared to Hae Eung-eung’s skills.
Her technique wasn’t small.
It was just that Hae Eung-eung, the giant, was too vast.
A dwarf’s hundreds of steps could be caught by a giant’s single step.
In the world of martial arts,
Lee So-hye was the dwarf,
and Hae Eung-eung was the giant.
That was all there was to it.

[Point Toto]
[Under 100,000 won won.]

Looking at the chatroom with a complicated gaze, Lee So-hye finally pressed the button to reveal the result.

“Pride? The Silent Swordmaster is someone I’m no match for.”

[The underdog bet pays out 4.53x.]

The underdog’s win was sweet.
Trying to calm the burning inside, Lee So-hye forced a smile.
The 4.53x payout didn’t make it feel any less bitter.