Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 138

While the Stratosphere Bench Villain disappeared,
in the real-world training hall, one disciple visited the Master’s Room with a stomach burning with energy.

“Sister… my lower abdomen feels strange…”
[It seems like the heat is high, is it okay?]
“My stomach is rumbling, and my body feels hot…”

Hae Eung-eung grabbed Ju Ah-young’s wrist for a moment, checking her pulse and projecting her energy to assess her condition.
After blinking her eyes a few times,
she suddenly lifted Ju Ah-young’s top up to her chest and placed her hand on her abdomen.

“Sister…?!”
[Stay still.]

Hae Eung-eung gently brushed around the solar plexus area, checking the rigidity and heat of her abdomen, before nodding.

[Congratulations. You’ve made progress in your training.]

Ju Ah-young.
After long years of training, she had attained internal energy.

“Hahhh…”

Thanks to the internal energy incident last night, Ju Ah-young had a hard time calming her unsettled mind.
She was startled when her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and was taken aback when her clothes were lifted and her abdomen was touched.
Even though she knew there were no improper intentions, it made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

‘Who would have thought that attaining internal energy would make me feel this way?’

It was supposed to be just admiration.
She thought that if she focused on training, she could suppress any improper feelings.
But unexpectedly, the physical closeness had made her heart race.

‘Does sister feel this way every time she uses her internal energy?’

Every time she practiced energy circulation, her lower abdomen and dantian would hum and vibrate, and heat would flow through her body.
Enduring the gentle waves of heat and pushing the energy through its full circulation was incredibly difficult.

“How do you feel when you use your internal energy, sister?”
[It feels like pain for me.]
“Huh?!”
[The body’s reaction to energy cultivation depends on the person’s constitution. The worse the compatibility, the more pain there is.]
“Then, does that mean I have good compatibility?”
[...It could be considered excellent.]

Ju Ah-young’s health was not in danger.
But the reaction to the energy shouldn’t be this intense.
The martial technique she had been taught was a basic one, the Three Calamity Internal Energy (????),
a technique that was intended for stable energy circulation through basic meridians.
It had little practical effect but was stable enough that even those with serious illnesses like Energy Blockage Syndrome wouldn’t experience much pain while practicing it.
Yet, Ju Ah-young, who was unable to sense any problems, showed hundreds of times more sensitive reactions than expected.
It was clear that something abnormal was happening to her body.

[Would you like to bring up the status window?]
“Status window? Let me try.”

Without thinking, Ju Ah-young mentally brought up the status window.
Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes darted nervously, and she swallowed dryly.

“Sister.”
[What has changed?]
“The status window has… two windows now.”

It seemed like she had found the cause of the abnormal energy reaction.

[Status Window Selection]
? Awakened Status Window (Inactive)
? Martial Arts Almanac Status Window (Active)

With trembling hands, Ju Ah-young hesitantly scrolled through the Martial Arts Almanac status window.

[Status Window]
[Name] Ju Ah-young (Female, 25 years old)
[Level] Low-Class (Lv30)
[Occupation] Training Disciple
[Title] Master’s Best Disciple
[Muscle] 12
[Meridian] 17
[Talent] 22
[Intelligence] 27
[Five Elements] 73 (+5P)
[Charm] 65
[Energy Power] 1
? Remaining Points: 0
Energy Wasteland: Living in an area with a very low natural energy field, making energy cultivation extremely difficult.
Master’s Best Disciple: You are the best disciple of your master.

Master’s Best Disciple: You are the best disciple of your master.

Title Effect: +5 to Five Elements
Title Effect: +1 to Five Elements
Hae Eung-eung looked worriedly at the notebook.

[Can you write down everything that appears on the screen?]
“Of course!”

Ju Ah-young willingly transcribed the status window.
Hae Eung-eung’s lips tightened.

[It’s the same status window as mine.]
“So you also have two windows, sister? I knew you were strong, but this is unbelievable!”
[Let me show you more. I’ll teach you some other commands.]

Hae Eung-eung shared four commands.
Blessings.
Prohibitions.
Martial Arts Skills.
Level Status.
All were features she commonly used.

[Blessings]
[Jump Enthusiast] - You gain peace of mind while jumping.
[Sensory Assimilation] - You have a natural talent for sensory assimilation.
[Imitation] - You can imitate anything your favorite person does. Of course, if you try harder, you might do it even better.
[Sister Bond (Hae Eung-eung)] - The closer you become physically and mentally to the designated target (Hae Eung-eung), the more your stats and effect modifiers increase.
[Slow Growth] - You gain a growth speed bonus proportional to how long you’ve been training.

[Prohibitions]
[Lock in the Heart] - You have a strong trauma associated with a specific emotion. Every time that emotion surfaces, you suffer from intense guilt.
[Stop Fooling Around!] - You’re no longer a prankster. Every time you realize you’ve unknowingly played a prank on someone, you become melancholic.
[Wrongly Taken] - You took some of the prohibitions by mistake, desiring to resemble your sister too much. The power of the permanent tattoo seeps into your internal energy.
[Maiden’s Power] - While maintaining your maidenhood, your growth speed increases with the power of pure energy. This blessing disappears when you engage in a relationship with the opposite sex.
[???] - Your subconscious chose this prohibition. The full details are yet to be revealed.

[Martial Arts Skills]
[Heart Technique]
[Three Calamity Internal Energy] (3 Stars) (Low-Class)
[Fist Technique]
[Six Harmonies Fist] (4 Stars) (Low-Class)
[Footwork Technique]
[Golden Lotus] (3 Stars) (Low-Class)
[Sword Technique]
[Three Calamity Sword Technique] (10 Stars) (Great Success) (Low-Class)
[Movement Technique]
[Three Calamity Movement] (10 Stars) (Great Success) (Low-Class)

[Level Status]
[Level] Low-Class (Lv30)
[Promotion Conditions]

Defeat Low-Class Enemies (0/100)
Defeat Intermediate-Class Enemies (0/1)
Reach Level 50 (30/50)
Learn an Intermediate-Class Martial Art (0/1)
Achieve two or more of the above four conditions to promote at any time.
If a Martial Art of Intermediate-Class or higher reaches 5 Stars, your level will automatically promote.
[Maintenance Conditions]
Your Qi level cannot exceed your current level.
Your internal energy must not become contaminated with toxic energy.
Ju Ah-young felt like she could die from embarrassment.
Imitation.
Sister Bond.
Lock in the Heart.
Each one felt like an embarrassing secret of hers being laid bare.
Her sister had asked her to reveal everything, but she couldn’t bear to do it.
Hae Eung-eung, seeing her downcast face, realized something was going on.
There was indeed something more to it.

[If it’s too hard to reveal everything, you can just tell me what you’re comfortable with.]

Hae Eung-eung’s pure concern for Ju Ah-young’s wellbeing filled her heart with even more guilt.
Ju Ah-young, overwhelmed with embarrassment, fell deeper into self-doubt.

‘What does this mean, really? Is everything from that day, and today, nothing to you, sister?’

She felt like the only one conscious of their relationship.
Even though she knew she couldn’t, emotions continued to rise within her.
The moment she realized this, her heart raced with pain.

‘Ah.’

This was it.
The lock in her heart.
Ju Ah-young bit her lip to hold back the sharp pain in her chest.

“….”

Hae Eung-eung watched her silently.
Her handwriting was not beautiful.
Even though she could speak, there were things she couldn’t say.
With a slightly rebellious thought,
she became absorbed not in her writing, but in Ju Ah-young’s profile.

‘She’s worked so hard.’

To awaken internal energy in such a barren world,
how difficult must it have been?
Even if there had been help, it wouldn’t have been easy.
The bandages on her cheek from her injuries during training,
the hardened calluses on her hands that seemed more like those of a warrior than a woman’s,
all looked out of place on someone her age.

‘Ah-young wanted this path, so I can’t stop her.’

It was too late to turn back now.
Once she stepped onto this path, she would have to take full responsibility.
Hae Eung-eung carefully read the paper Ju Ah-young had written, determined not to miss a single word.

“How do you feel…? Am I okay?”
“……”
“Sister?”

Only then did Hae Eung-eung realize.
Her assumption had been right all along:
When one attains internal energy, they might awaken the Martial Arts Almanac’s status window.
She realized how much Ju Ah-young liked her, wanted to be like her, and was influenced by her.
She realized that her curiosity had inadvertently led her into the curse of the Lock in the Heart
and that she would forever be burdened by this curse.

[Lock in the Heart]
[You took part of the curse because your desire to resemble your sister was too strong. The power of the permanent tattoo is now embedded in your internal energy.]

It wasn’t just a compatibility effect.
It was a far more sinister force.

‘The permanent tattoo. At first, I just thought it was a bothersome restriction that would make my internal energy glow while I practiced.’

But the tattoo had hidden effects.

[Blessing]
[Perfect Purity] - Your skin automatically stays clean without needing to wash, and it emits a feminine fragrance.

The Perfect Purity blessing purifies the surrounding air and generates clean oxygen, supplying your body with oxygen even without breathing.

[Blessing]
[Perverted Physics] - Your body possesses abnormal flexibility, pain relief, and healing abilities.

The effects of Perverted Physics influenced the recovery of her nervous system and meridians.

[Prohibition]
[Permanent Tattoo (Lower Abdomen)] - You have a uterus tattoo with an automatic recovery function on your lower abdomen.

The tattoo’s self-repair function uses internal energy to store energy within it and changes the nature of the Qi.
It’s as though the Qi is being manipulated, stimulating sexual energy.

‘Every time I tried to tear away or extract the internal energy stored in the tattoo, I had to suffer from the cursed energy that tormented me.’

The pain turned to pleasure, and the repeated urges to surrender myself were overwhelming.
As the energy surged through her body like a wave,
she clenched her fists until blood came out, bit her lips, and scratched herself with a blade.

She wanted to become a courtesan for the Heavenly Sect
or the emperor’s woman,
or a toy for the Blood Sect.

She was tormented by the impulse to fall into the role of a mere female,
having to endure the curse of her own desires.
The internal energy stored in the tattoo was her backup energy and lifeline,
but at the same time, it was a constant reminder of the despairing impulses.

Anyone would do.
As long as they were close,
no matter who they were,
what they did,
she would want to embrace them and experience the joy of being a woman.
This disgusting impulse,
this unwanted curse,
was something Ju Ah-young had to face every time she used her internal energy.
All because of her admiration for her sister.
Because of her, and only her.

“Sister, are you crying?”

If anyone was to blame, it should be herself for her carelessness, not the innocent Ah-young.

‘The curse is a form of mental domination, almost like brainwashing or a curse. It’s hard to break, but it’s not impossible.’

Just like how Ju Ah-young had transformed herself with confidence in her martial arts,
and overcome her silent disorder,
she too could escape this curse if certain conditions were met.
The way to do so was very close.

[Stop learning martial arts.]
“Sister…?”
[To break the curse, you need to use the Awakened’s Qi, not the martial arts practitioner’s internal energy.]

If she stopped learning martial arts,
it would be like giving up on becoming a martial artist.

“That means… I can’t be your disciple anymore.”

Ju Ah-young’s eyes lost focus.