Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 158

1.
The pointed remark from Ayeong hit its mark.
Ha Eung Eung couldn’t bring herself to meet her gaze directly and turned her eyes to the side.

[Please don’t tell anyone else.]
“Are you worried they’ll be concerned about you?”
[Just this one instance of coughing up blood, and they’re already so worried.]

If they were to learn she was suffering from a more severe condition like internal hemorrhaging, they would surely tie her to a hospital bed and insist she stay there for 365 days a year receiving treatment.
She appreciates the concern, but such well-meaning care doesn’t offer any practical help; it’s nothing more than a form of restraint.

[Let it be our secret, just between the two of us.]
“A secret between us...”

Ayeong’s eyes grew hazy.

[The secret of my body.]
[The secret that will be marked on Ayeong’s body.]
[It will be a secret only we two will keep.]

Ayeong’s eyes filled with shyness.

“Promise me it won’t hurt.”
[I promise.]

Lying on the bed, Ayeong shyly lifted her shirt, exposing her abdomen.
Ha Eung Eung’s hand was gently placed on Ayeong’s abdomen.

2.
The tattoo was successfully etched.
Now that the only obstacle, the lack of internal energy, had been resolved, success was a foregone conclusion.

“This is your tattoo, Unni...”

Ayeong gently caressed her own abdomen with her hands.
Thanks to the tattoo that sealed her elemental energy, she could now channel her internal energy without feeling discomfort or her lower abdomen tightening with a strange sensation.
That was how it should have been.
But, unfortunately, a different problem had arisen.

‘Is this the same sensation I felt even without channeling my internal energy? Could it be…?’

It’s because she’s my sister.
Though there was no faster, rhythmic tightening in her lower abdomen as the elemental energy forced,
the slow, lingering sensation of tightness still made itself known and could not be denied.

‘I can never tell Unni about this.’

If she did, she would be so embarrassed she might die.
Ayeong buried her face in the pillow.

3.
After the successful tattoo ceremony,
Ha Eung Eung regained her composure.

‘I’ve passed the difficult part. Ayeong won’t have any more problems with her body heating up from the elemental energy.’

However, although her body is heating up because she’s thinking about Ha Eung Eung, that’s something Ayeong will never know.

“Thank you. I’m always in your debt.”
[Does the gate patrol help?]
“Of course. The living armor of Arakne has gathered a bunch of useful monsters, so with the hunting that we do every three days, experience is stacking up.”

After a long time, the holy wall’s magic disease had been treated.
The healing process was much more effective now compared to when her internal energy was low.

‘Definitely, the amount of mana is increasing, and it looks like the main veins are moving now.’

Apart from the weak endurance of the muscle veins, the holy wall is on the verge of a breakthrough. If things go as they are, a significant achievement is expected soon.

[Please take care of your health. Leveling up is great, but if the elder collapses from overwork, it’s like losing a pillar of the sect.]
“Heh heh. My old age has made me worry the guild leader. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

They say that the more urgent things are, the more you need to go slowly.
What the holy wall needs right now isn’t many hunts or fast leveling, but it’s important to protect the muscle veins until I reach level 251 as an A-class awakened.
As long as I don’t overstrain myself, I’ll surely advance.

“By the way, when are you going to stop letting Jiwoo waste his time? The young fellow seems lost, and if he’s left to me, I’ll make sure he works hard.”

The holy wall’s attempt at kindness.
Ha Eung Eung shook her head.

[For now, I’m planning to reorganize the sect and create new positions.]
[I want to make Jiwoo the leader of the Inner Hall where the VIP disciples or guests will gather.]
“Heh heh. The young fellow’s luck is extraordinary. He’s receiving more than he deserves.”
[Jiwoo is more than qualified.]
“I’m not unaware of his contributions. But compared to his ability, he’s wearing too much of a burden.”

By giving Jiwoo a position, a leader for the VIP disciples, Ha Eung Eung only had to focus on training instructors for the training hall.

[This is how we’ll do it. Do you think you can teach them?]
“It’s not difficult. It wouldn’t be bad to teach the basics to the instructors.”

Baek Socheon gave him the position of Chief Instructor and helped him with the training.
There were so many talented individuals that it would be a waste to have them individually teach disciples, and Baek Socheon himself didn’t want to dedicate that much effort.

“There are many awakened ones and martial artists who applied to be instructors. If we bring in outside help, the foundation will be set.”
[How about So Gyeongseok?]
“He’s a rewarding student. Maybe it’s because he’s a mantis-man, but his compatibility with the praying mantis style isn’t bad. He does have some nasty habits, but it’s not a major problem.”

So Gyeongseok, who had developed espionage skills, infiltration, and assassination techniques during his time with the association, had a hard time acting confidently with martial arts.
Just like a mantis in front of a cart, he tended to underestimate himself, which interfered with his martial arts training.
If he had a useless master, those habits and mindsets might never have been corrected, but Baek Socheon was a capable master.

“If he fixes that habit, I’ll consider making him my top disciple.”
[It seems like Gyeongseok has had some luck.]
“Luck? It’s all due to the strategy of the great tactician.”

Becoming Baek Socheon’s top disciple was the kind of fortune that could truly be called fate.
He said that the fortune was granted because of Ha Eung Eung, but Ha Eung Eung attributed that credit to Jiwoo.
If Jiwoo hadn’t looked after So Gyeongseok, Baek Socheon would never have noticed him, so that wasn’t a wrong assessment.

“Before I go, there’s one thing I want to ask.”
[?]
“Have you fixed the internal hemorrhaging?”

The emperor’s favorite martial artist.
The fact that the world’s most beautiful woman, Ha Eung Eung, had an incurable disease was something every powerful person in the martial world knew.
It wasn’t strange for Baek Socheon, a former martial army member, to know this secret.

[There’s a way.]

Baek Socheon nodded.
He believed that Ha Eung Eung, who had survived for 10 more years after leaving the martial world, surely had a method to overcome the internal hemorrhaging.
Though he trusted Ha Eung Eung, there was still something that made him uneasy.

“I saw you using the Absorption technique in that treacherous game.”
[Are you trying to stop me?]

Could he stop her?
Baek Socheon shook his head.

“I’ve seen the technique of refining energy, something I could never attempt. How could I interfere in such a complex matter?”

He recognized her skill, but there was still a concern.

“All energy is tamed by its owner, and it’s infused with attributes. Even the energy of monsters will be like that.”
[Are you worried about the possession of the energy?]
“I won’t deny that. It’s impossible to completely purge the attributes of previous owners. Those attributes might unintentionally manifest in critical moments.”

An unpredictable variable even for the one handling the internal energy.
This is a threat to herself, even more so than the enemy.

“Not just the holy wall, but there are others who shouldn’t rush.”

Ha Eung Eung nodded in agreement.

[I plan to take my time and tame it as my own.]
“If you do that, the Absorption technique...”
[Maybe I should avoid it for about half a year?]

Baek Socheon nodded in satisfaction.

“Half a year of refinement. Make sure you stick to that.”
[I will.]

Feeling the concern from Baek Socheon, Ha Eung Eung felt unexpectedly comforted.
As she smiled faintly, a wind blew, making the plum tree sway and filling the air with a thick scent of plum blossoms.

‘The plum blossom among plum blossoms blooms in midwinter, and it’s truly beautiful.’

Now, she could almost understand the emperor’s feelings.
How could one’s heart not move, seeing such noble beauty and desiring to claim it as their own?
But some beauty should not be touched.

“Be well.”
[You too.]

Baek Socheon didn’t cross the line.
Despite being at the center of power for so long, the secret to his longevity was his self-control.

4.
A few days later. The instructors who had gathered after seeing the recruitment notice lined up to visit the training hall.
Since it was an event to select instructors who would teach martial arts to their disciples and also learn martial arts themselves, it was natural for Jangmun to be absent.
Ha Eung Eung also took her place as the chief examiner for the interviews.

• Since outsiders will be coming and going, I ask for your understanding, though it might be uncomfortable.

Upon hearing Baek Socheon’s words, Ha Eung Eung thought he was referring to the instructor candidates.
When talking about outsiders at an interview, one would naturally think of the candidates.

“Alright, turn the camera to Camera 1.”
“Raise the drone. Make sure to get a wide shot of the Haenam faction’s surrounding scenery.”
“Camera 3’s angle is locked!”
“Good, don’t mess up and get ready quickly. Thanks to Ha Eung Eung, the broadcast is doing well, so let’s capture this moment properly.”
“Yes!”

She never expected that the camera crew would be visiting.

[Who are these people?]
“Thanks to Han Chaerin’s broadcast, the halftime show was a huge success. She decided to help with this interview by setting up a special broadcast episode.”
[Why am I just hearing about this now?]
“Business partner So Gyeongseok told the guild leader to let you know about the visit that day. He said it’s revenge for losing the bench.”

So Gyeongseok, in his own way, had arranged the filming plan to benefit the guild and, at the same time, take a small, sly revenge.

[So, our interview is going to be broadcast?]
“I heard the interviews will take place over three days. They’ll shoot it in one day, but watching the broadcast will surely bring in more applicants over the next two days!”
[When does it start?]
“It’s already filming! This is being used for an interview video.”
[Ah.]
“Do you want to do a quick reaction for the viewers?”

A hand slowly raised.

“Not a V-sign.”

Not a V-sign?
Ha Eung Eung’s mind short-circuited.
Should she swing a whip at the camera?