Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 159

1.
The number of awakened ones gathered in the interview hall was enormous.
Even just counting those above C-rank, the crowd reached a staggering three hundred people!
And today was only the first day of the interviews.
Tomorrow and the day after could bring an equal or even greater number of applicants.
This fact was revealed by the professional reporter accompanying the camera crew.

"According to the report from our reporter, Bang Ji-cheol, who is on site, there are about three hundred C-rank awakened individuals here today. We’ll have an in-depth discussion and live coverage of this with today’s special MC."
"Let’s welcome today’s special MC, Director Jo Seung-hoon. Director?"
"Hello, everyone. I’m Jo Seung-hoon."

At the call from the main MC, Jo Seung-hoon, who had been specially invited for the broadcast, bowed with a solemn expression.
As a 50-year-old man dressed in a formal suit, the kind of attire you’d expect for a political program, subtitles displaying his credentials began to appear beside his face.

<Former Positions>
[Chief Researcher, Energy Division, Janghwa Guild]
[Executive Director, Energy Business Division, Janghwa Guild]
[Vice Chair, Masuk Energy Commission]
[Emergency Response Committee Member for the Energy Crisis]
...
<Current Position>
[Permanent Advisor, Janghwa Guild]

When the screen beside the camera showed his full career, the director gave a signal.

"We’re curious to hear Director Jo Seung-hoon’s thoughts. What’s it like at the interview for a major guild?"

"Yes. Usually, when an awakened individual is recruited for an experienced position at a guild, about thirty applicants will gather."
"That’s fewer than expected?"
"Yes. Usually, the guilds set strict conditions for hiring external individuals, so it’s rare for anyone to meet the requirements."
"Ah, so that’s the difference? Then, what do you think of the hiring conditions for Haenampa?"
"They’re exceptional."

Jo Seung-hoon solemnly shared his thoughts.

"An interview with unclear hiring conditions isn’t something applicants like. It tends to be perceived as a trap interview, where you don’t know what will get you filtered out."
"A trap interview? That doesn’t sound good."
"You could say it’s a show-off interview, where the hiring decision has already been made."
"Are you referring to a 'fall guy' interview?"
"Or it could be a fake interview conducted to legally bypass the hiring laws set by the association, even if no one is actually hired."

Main MC Eom Bo-gil gave a pointed look off-camera.

‘Is this guy crazy? What is he saying in this broadcast that Han Chaerin set up to boost Haenampa?’

Fortunately, Jo Seung-hoon wasn’t trying to undermine Haenampa, but was instead setting up a buildup to elevate Haenampa.

"But when we look at the participants and the lineup of Haenampa this time, there’s no sign of any concerns."
"Director Jo, you seem to have an interesting perspective on the interview. Are there any differences compared to interviews for other guilds?"
"There’s a huge difference. It’s the high level of trust the applicants have in the guild."

Jo Seung-hoon, a director of Janghwa Guild, one of the top 50 guilds in South Korea, was an elite in the awakened industry.
He certainly lived up to the value of being invited to this position.

"If the hiring conditions are unclear, high-ranking awakened ones won’t even bother. They know they’re just there to sell their image as a mere backdrop."
"So, they participated in the interview despite that—there must be a special reason?"
"Main MC Eom Bo-gil, what do you think the reason is?"

Eom Bo-gil, a mid-40s MC, wasn’t an awakened one, but thanks to his years of experience as a secondary MC for related programs, he quickly came up with a reasonable hypothesis.

"First, since it’s a newly established guild, they must urgently need to recruit talent. Am I right?"
"That’s not a bad guess, but it’s not the right answer."
"Could it be because they’ve grown so much that they even absorbed the management zone of the Myeongho Guild?"
"That could be one reason."
"Or is it because the guild leader is the famous streamer 'Silent Swordsman'?"
"You’re getting closer to the answer."
"I can’t think of any more reasons. Please just tell us."
"If you participate in an interview with 'Silent Swordsman,' your recognition will increase."

Recognition.
It was a somewhat ridiculous factor for applicants hoping to become employees.

"Why would recognition matter for employees?"
"Not everyone who applies gets hired. In that sense, Haenampa’s interview is more like a competition than a traditional interview."
"A competition?"
"In a competition, you narrow down the candidates through challenges and pick the winner. The top beneficiary is the winner, but other participants often gain popularity too."
"Like a supporting role who gains fame?"
"Exactly. Even in the martial arts competition, which was an official hiring event hosted by Silent Swordsman, many awakened ones gained recognition and experienced varying degrees of success."

Despite being older, Jo Seung-hoon had keen insight into the world of martial arts tournaments.

"Do you know Lightning Man, who was said to have single-handedly wiped out more than half of the participants in the recent Silent Swordsman Martial Arts Tournament?"
"I’ve heard the name. There were many who didn’t expect him to be such a powerful awakened one."
"After the tournament, Lightning Man became the advertising model for a company specializing in electric fences and shock barriers, making a fortune."

Electric shock barriers, used to repel monsters, had become one of the top products in the post-gate emergence era.
With frequent monster encounters, maintenance, replacement, and product turnover rates had skyrocketed, leading top companies to jump into this lucrative market.

"Besides Lightning Man, other participants like Spiky Man, Kim Je-cheol from Andong Sword House, and Lee So-hye from Poisonous Eyes also gained tremendous popularity."
"Did others get ads too?"
"Spiky Man signed a contract with a research lab to study enhancing the strength of thorns using monster materials."
"Artificial enhancement through experiments, sounds really exciting!"
"So-hye from Poisonous Eyes was hired as Silent Swordsman’s personal broadcast manager, and she’s been seen visiting Haenampa."
"Haenampa and Silent Swordsman really show great care for the participants!"
"Kim Je-cheol from Andong Sword House gained a huge fan club by rejecting women’s confessions in a bold manner."
"Haha, there were some fun participants. I should look up the tournament videos when I get home."

Though only one participant would be hired, the supporting roles in the tournament had all been successful.

"Even awakened ones who are not freelancers but belong to a guild saw a huge improvement in their image. It’s clear how powerful Silent Swordsman’s influence is."
"What kind of improvement?"
"For example, Changwon Guild, which was once known as the 'Fool Trio,' gained a more public-friendly image due to their solid performance and creative use of abilities."
"Changing a guild's image usually costs hundreds of billions, right?"
"Yes. But typically, those efforts only provoke indifference or backlash from consumers, making it hard to see any real results, so it’s even more impressive."

Though it might have been Changwon Guild’s own strategy, the involvement of their board members and guild representatives, further solidified their image after the event.

"If there’s a guild that benefited the most from being associated with Silent Swordsman, it’s definitely Changwon Guild."
"So, that means there’s a number one beneficiary, right?"
"The first place goes to Ocean World Guild, the guild of the martial arts tournament champion, Lex. They’re the real winners."
"Ocean World Guild is already one of the top guilds in South Korea. How could they benefit from a tournament they didn’t even host?"
"Lex’s victory in the tournament was due to climbing the highest peak on a mountaineering-themed martial arts map."
"So, by climbing, they gained benefits?"
"It sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. The image of Ocean World Guild as a mountain-climbing guild contributed greatly to securing extra points during the bidding for the new gate in Jirisan."

Eom Bo-gil, unable to hide his curiosity, asked further.

"If you had to estimate the benefit Ocean World Guild gained from this, what would it be?"
"According to the estimates from the Gate Research Institute at my guild, Janghwa Guild, the Jirisan Gate is valued at about 25 trillion won."
"Wait, what?! You mean they obtained such an enormous gate?"
"When the gate appeared, a rare monster was discovered that hadn’t been noticed before, and the by-products of that monster were found to have commercial value."
"So it’s like a stroke of luck?"
"Because of that, Lex received permanent leasing and incentives for equipment worth 5 billion won. It was a huge jackpot, one that’s very rare in the industry."

The participants in this tournament had a stroke of luck like no other, with results that were as diverse as they were remarkable.
With all of this, it was impossible not to pay attention to Silent Swordsman’s recruitment announcement.

"Silent Swordsman’s tournament really captured the participants’ deep interest. Even I, the main MC, want to submit an application right now. Haha."
"Among guild officials, there’s a trend called the 'Silent Swordsman Syndrome.' It’s a new term that means you strike big when you’re associated with Silent Swordsman."
"Silent Swordsman Syndrome, sounds great."

No matter how much of a promotional broadcast it was, there’s a difference between packaging trash nicely and making something inherently beautiful even better.
Just listening to Jo Seung-hoon’s words, it was clear that Silent Swordsman and Haenampa were top-tier broadcast material.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere in the studio was lively and cheerful.

"Now, let’s go back to reporter Bang Ji-cheol at the Haenampa interview site for a live update. Bang Ji-cheol? What’s happening on-site?"

Main MC Eom Bo-gil, who had been calculating that a quick shot of a few applicants’ faces and a few friendly interviews would give them another 15 minutes of airtime, was completely caught off guard by the sight of a person flying and screams echoing across the broadcast screen.

"Oh no! What’s happening? Is there a terrorist attack at the scene?"

Through the wildly shaking camera screen, Bang Ji-cheol’s face appeared briefly, his voice trembling.

"The tournament has started!"
"What?"
"The 2nd Silent Swordsman Martial Arts Tournament is being held! And this time, it’s not virtual—it's real!"
"What if there are casualties?"
"By coincidence, a famous war hero from Eastern Europe, known as the Saint, has taken an interest in the tournament and promised to treat the participants!"

The real-life Silent Swordsman Martial Arts Tournament was now underway, and with it came an incredible spike in ratings for the broadcast.

"PD, check our ratings!"
"What were they before the breaking news?"
"5%!"
"Now, how much is it?"
"8% in just one minute!"

With the broadcast of the Silent Swordsman interview already drawing massive attention, the sudden breaking news only fueled the growing excitement.
The PD, overwhelmed by the surge in viewership, was so grateful he was almost ready to deliver gifts to Han Chaerin's house and bow in thanks for the boost.

"Is this what they mean by Silent Swordsman Syndrome?"

Eom Bo-gil, stunned and still processing, muttered the words aloud, oblivious to the cameras catching his every reaction.
This moment would become a meme, and the term Silent Swordsman Syndrome would likely be a viral sensation for years to come.