Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 167

Kim Moru, named as the opponent of Yang Gwi-ho,
His name, given by his parents with the hope that he would become a strong man like "Moru," was often mispronounced as "Mo?ru" instead.

• Don't worry anymore! I will guard this place!
• Huh? Mo?ru!
• Wow! Mo?ru Man!
• I’m not Mo?ru or Mo?lu, I’m Moru...
• Mo?ru Man! Please sign!
• Huh? Why didn’t you write Mo?ru Man on your signature?
• ….

After being constantly harassed by fans, Moru finally decided to shake off the annoying name and gave himself a new nickname.
Codename <Chaser>
His awakened ability, <Chasing>, inspired the new name and marked the beginning of his second prime.

• Wow, why is Chaser so fast?
• Isn’t he the fastest among domestic awakeners?
• Oh, Chasing is challenging Speedmaster!
• A virtual world race between a current top-tier awakener and a top streamer, amazing!
• Yeah, he got wrecked.
• Haha.
• Fake Speedmaster, here we go!
• The Speedmaster, faster than bullets, couldn’t keep up, huh?
• This awakened one is embarrassing us all.
• Ugh, idiot.
• Get lost.

Chaser, who was defeated by Speedmaster.
The prime days that spread the infamous label of "Fake Speedmaster Chaser" to many game stream viewers.

‘My recognition has gone up, but my personal brand value has plummeted, and I realized the meaning of "destroyed without a single advertisement" during those days.’

No matter how hard he trained, Chaser could never escape the shadow of Speedmaster’s dominance.
However, after a long time, someone began to rise to the level of Speedmaster, surpassing him, and Chaser started gaining attention from top-tier streamers who had once been equal to Speedmaster.
Silent Swordmaster.
The newcomer, who overwhelmed Speedmaster's debut game <Fallen Valley> with her incredible skill, was starting to gain recognition as both a streamer and an awakener.

‘This is the one!’
The label of Fake Speedmaster, which Chaser thought he would never shake off after losing to Speedmaster, was something he could escape from.
Not only would he escape the hateful nickname more than Mo?ru, but he could also escape the miserable fate.
If he could train under her, the famous Silent Swordmaster, who was even more famous than Speedmaster, perhaps he could free himself from the stigma once and for all.
With that single thought in mind, he joined the interview and the suddenly held martial arts tournament.

“Compared to Kim Je-cheol of the Andong Sword Clan, Yang Gwi-ho, who has caught so much attention, is now showing his hidden power. How powerful is his hidden skill, one that has been veiled so far?”
As an awakener with some experience, he felt confident.
But even so, he could not afford to be careless.

“You… I don’t know what kind of guy you are, but it looks like you’re insanely strong. I absolutely cannot let my guard down.”
He would not make the same mistake of being arrogant toward an opponent praised like that by the host.
Such a terrible mistake was enough to be made once with Speedmaster.

“I’ll crush you with all my power.”
“No, you crazy bastard. That’s against the rules!”

The fake Speedmaster Chaser.
From his hand, an assault rifle appeared.

Assault Rifle.
This firearm, designed for automatic firing of handgun ammunition, shoots 30 rounds with a speed of 300m/s when the trigger is pulled.
While it is a somewhat ridiculous weapon for an awakener, it is undoubtedly more suited to a soldier.
However, in Chaser’s hands, this weapon transforms into a highly effective weapon for him, more so than any other.

<Awakened Ability - Chasing>
The ability to chase moving targets.
What if the target of this ability becomes a bullet?
Chaser’s extraordinary speed, which once challenged Korea’s fastest streamer, was crushed by Speedmaster, who was faster than bullets.
Yet, the techniques he developed, the skill honed in the hopes of revenge, were not completely useless.

‘Now I have control over the speed I didn’t have before. I’m no longer controlled by the linear speed.’
Ta-da-dang.
Two assault rifles.
Chaser, weaving through the bullets fired in opposite directions, altered his course, skillfully dodging them.
Yang Gwi-ho gritted his teeth and unleashed a new technique.

<New Skill> <Tiger Strength Divine Skill (Ho Mok Shin Gong)> This divine technique is as strong as a tiger climbing a tree with the strength of its hind legs. His understanding and variations of this skill were acknowledged by even Silent Swordmaster.

Ta-da-dang!
Blocking the bullets with his gauntlet, Yang Gwi-ho swiftly extended his palm into Chaser’s trajectory, preparing a counterattack aimed at his neck.
If Chaser continued charging, his neck would be pierced before his body even hit.

“Chit—”
Chaser’s expression twisted.
It was good that he hadn’t let his guard down.
His opponent had the reflexes and responses to deal with his lightning speed.
Although he hadn’t realized it was in preparation to fight a strange woman with long hair climbing a cliff,
He narrowly avoided public humiliation, thanks to staying alert and careful.

• Wow, what was that? So fast!
• Did you see that? Did they just zip past each other?
• Did you catch the slow-mo on the broadcast camera?
• One charging at the speed of a bullet, and the other deflecting and counterattacking.
• Incredible match this time.
• Is this the fake Speedmaster?
• Even if he's fake, if he’s challenging Speedmaster, he’s definitely not just some average player.
• Yang Gwi-ho is also being noticed by Silent Swordmaster.
• Any average awakener would’ve been hit by that.
• Fake Speedmaster vs Silent Swordmaster, my pick.
• Isn't this a special match between S Sensei and Silent Swordmaster?
• It's turning into a proxy match, huh?

Speedmaster and Silent Swordmaster.
Two awakeners, each carrying heavy names.
In the increasingly intense battle,
People started realizing.

• By the way, what’s Yang Gwi-ho’s awakened ability?
• Is it like the X Lost?
• Does he have the strength of a tiger?
• Mo?

Yang Gwi-ho.
The divine technique he used was just a skill,
Not an awakened ability.

“Such a unique skill.”
[Is this your first time seeing martial arts?]
“Is that also a martial arts skill? It’s not my first time encountering it. But it’s quite rare.”
Saint Eve.
She showed interest in Yang Gwi-ho’s divine technique.

“Does this martial art also have a unique mana flow, like magic?”
[What’s mana flow?]
“You’re joking, right?”
[Is it similar to internal energy cultivation?]
“…You really don’t know? This skill originates from epic fantasy and can use mana to enhance physical abilities or unleash special powers.”

Like how returnees and awakeners seem similar yet different,
Awakeners and players also have some similar but distinct characteristics.
One of the few commonalities between the two fields was mana flow.

“It’s strange, right? To think that a skill from a game would be used in real life. In Eastern Europe, many awakeners gained strength through epic fantasy.”
[That’s interesting. Eve. Did you learn mana flow too?]
“Unfortunately, my awakened ability couldn’t use mana flow. All techniques require specific qualities or affinities, and there wasn’t any mana flow that matched mine.”

From just hearing it, it sounded like an internal cultivation method.
Eve’s inability to learn mana flow made sense.

‘If you’re born with special meridians that differ from others, or if the power you wield requires unlocking the dantian to use it, then ordinary cultivation methods can’t be learned.’

Ha Eung Eung cautiously suggested.

[Eve, may I examine your body?]
“Huh?”
[Perhaps we can figure out why you couldn’t learn mana flow.]

Eve’s ears turned red.
How could she say something so embarrassing so calmly?
For Eve, just hearing it made her heart race.

“Later, after the competition, when no one is watching… Can I ask you then?”
Though Ha Eung Eung was puzzled, thinking there was no need to make such a big deal of it,
She understood when she thought of the shy Seo Hye or Ju Ayoung.

‘Maybe it’s because, unlike others, I was once a man, and my sensitivities are different.’

Even though Ha Eung Eung had become more feminine than anyone, she still carried the traits of her past as a man.
Since returning to modern times, her reintroduction to gaming and her strong competitive spirit reflected this side of her.

‘Maybe that’s why I feel more comfortable as a woman.’

Though she likes cute women, she’s also fine with less attractive men, treating them like friends.
Her indifferent care for appearances was influenced by her faint masculine traits.

[That’s true.]

Ha Eung Eung nodded.
The two, waiting for the end of the competition,
Dashman, who had overheard this private conversation, started questioning whether he should be hearing it.

“By the way, who do you think will win this match?”
Dashman, trying to change the subject, asked.
To him, both Chaser, who was firing rapid rounds, and Yang Gwi-ho, who was skillfully handling them, seemed incredible.
What would Eve and Silent Swordmaster think?
Who would they favor as the winner?

Curiously, Dashman asked. But the answer he received exceeded his expectations.

“I think it’ll be Yang Gwi-ho.”
[Of course, Yang Gwi-ho.]

It was an answer with no worth questioning.
Dashman was surprised.

“Even so, Chaser is quite a remarkable awakener, isn’t he? He’s even using a gun.”
“Guns are great weapons. But there are countless monsters you can’t kill with one.”
[If you use martial arts, even a gun should be easy to defeat.]

Whether an awakener or a martial artist,
If you want to surpass a certain level, defeating a gun should be obvious.
Ha Eung Eung casually said this, but Dashman and his viewers thought:

‘According to these people, if you want to be seen as human, you need to defeat a machine gun.’

Such an unreasonable mindset!
But in Ha Eung Eung’s eyes, it was perfectly reasonable.

‘If you can dodge curveballs and changeups, then the honest bullet is nothing.’

A bullet is much easier to dodge than a curveball from a top expert.
It was common sense for her.
And it was true.
Even the fireballs thrown by the Demon King of the Fallen Valley were comparable to curveballs or even stronger than those thrown by top-tier players.
Compared to that, machine guns were really nothing.
But the viewers misinterpreted her views completely.

• If martial arts can beat guns, would gunmen be able to participate in martial arts competitions? So, swordmen can participate too, right?
• Miracle logic.
• I don't care, I’ll join the competition tomorrow anyway.
• Martial arts tournament (including shooting).
• Haha, anyway, shooting is martial arts, right?
• Just wait, I’m bringing a gun to the tournament tomorrow.
• XX company veteran machine gunner, can I bring my homemade machine gun?
• We’re screwed, this will be an otherworldly competition.
• Those who didn’t compete today will regret it tomorrow.
• Haha, these crazy idiots are interpreting everything however they want.

It was the day before the creation of the Gunner-type competition in the martial arts tournament.