Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 171

1.

Dashman had grown.
Not only in physical strength but also in mental fortitude.

“It’s a complete loss. I acknowledge my defeat.”

Lee Jeong-woon declared his surrender, but the host, sensing the mood, did not announce a victory just yet.
The spectators, both players and viewers alike, hoped for the two fighters to put aside their long-standing grudges and make amends, so the atmosphere was carefully managed.

• Host Level: Maxed
• Those who are quick to read the mood always like this
• Hurry up and make peace!

Dashman waved his arm, urging them on.

“My arm hurts. How long are we going to wait?”

Just shake hands.
If we just shake hands, we can go back to the way things were.
Just like how you wanted to raise me up in the Myeongho Guild, this time, I'll raise you up.
Although I haven't actually joined the Haenam faction yet,
If the Silent Swordsman’s personality, which I saw in both the broadcast and in real life, is anything like I imagined,
He might very well accept Lee Jeong-woon into the guild.
Requests like this aren't problematic unless you're trying to force someone without skill into a position or oust another candidate.
Lee Jeong-woon's skill wasn’t bad by any means.
He only lost because of bad luck in the match.
He had enough skill to aim for the finals.
And there weren’t any shortages of spots in the Haenam faction.
In fact, there were more spots than needed.

“It seems the tables have turned.”

Was it a sense of the changing times?
Lee Jeong-woon, who had been looking at his hand with a complicated expression, felt awkward in the atmosphere, which was unsettling in some way.

“You’re not thinking... you can’t be, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
Lee Jeong-woon immediately declared.

“It’s different from five years ago.”
“Lee Jeong-woon!”
“I was happy that you and So-young forgave me. Honestly, I didn’t think forgiveness would ever come.”

“Then you should accept it. Why reject the chance!”
“The department store collapse. Do you know how many people died because of that incident?”

He hadn't been the one to intentionally cause the collapse, but it was undeniable that his actions had dealt the fatal blow to the already weakened structure from a prolonged battle.
In reality, Dashman’s chat room shared a sentiment not much different from what Lee Jeong-woon had said.

• But hasn’t there been anyone who got hurt because of him, and even people who died?
• A sad story is still a sad story, arrest him first!
• Forgiveness has to be asked from the families of the victims too!

Dashman’s expression twisted.
Just by looking at his face, he could tell what the chat was saying.

‘What an idiot. What kind of nonsense is he trying to pull?’

No matter how unreasonable Lee Jeong-woon was, it was impossible for Dashman to return to the public eye.
Even if it wasn’t five years ago,
Dashman had no idea what Lee Jeong-woon had been through or how much dirt he had gotten on his hands.

‘Same as always. He’s as dumb as ever. As long as he keeps doing that, it’s fine.’

As Lee Jeong-woon stepped off the stage, the host could no longer hesitate.

“With Lee Jeong-woon’s forfeiture, the winner is Dashman! Let’s give a round of applause for both competitors’ excellent battle and friendship!”

Dashman could not accept it.
No, he didn’t want to accept it.
After thinking he wanted to raise Lee Jeong-woon, he felt like he understood how Lee had endured in the Myeongho Guild.

“Lee Jeong-woon! Wait a minute. I still have something to say…”
“Enough. Don’t go any further.”

Lee Jeong-woon gestured to the judges’ seats.

“The Haenam faction is a good guild, right? Then you should stay away from me. I... have already dirtied my hands more than you can imagine.”
“You can still clean up that past with the association, right?”
“Five years... that’s quite a long time. I didn’t think I’d hear that from you.”
“You really think it’s impossible…?”
“I’ll give you a piece of advice as a reminder for our reunion. As much as possible, forfeit the finals. The organization is moving.”

With those final words, Lee Jeong-woon headed toward the front door.

“Ah! Lee Jeong-woon, participant! You should recover from your injuries before you leave…”
“No need.”

Lee Jeong-woon brushed his hand over the cuts on his cheeks and neck, and the bleeding stopped immediately.
Before the medical staff could say anything, Lee Jeong-woon had already left.

“Great match.”
“I’m just glad the Saint was satisfied.”

[Didn’t we need to catch the friend?]

Back in the judges’ seats,
He hesitated for a moment at Haeung-eung’s question.
Was it okay to let him know that his friend might be a villain?

[Don’t worry. I don’t really discriminate against side characters.]
“Side characters...? I appreciate the thought, but Jeong-woon has already left. He won’t be joining the guild.”

Haeung-eung couldn't hide his disappointment.

[I thought I had found the right candidate for teaching side character martial arts, but now I’m disappointed.]

Ideally, he wanted to pick one from each subject, but when Dashman took it as self-comfort, he bowed his head in thanks.
It wasn’t a joke, it was 100% genuine.

‘Still, it’s a disappointment.’

As he felt a strange energy beyond the guild building, Haeung-eung thought,
“If that much power is overflowing, it would have been better if he had shown more of it in the tournament.”

2.  

Leaving behind the cheers from Haenam faction’s front door and the host’s enthusiastic commentary, Lee Jeong-woon quickened his pace.
Past the downhill path leading to the main road,
His steps halted abruptly as he was about to enter the monster-infested railway instead of the subway.

Chht

The streetlights flickered,
And thin, bone-like tree branches swayed.

“Whisper.”

Behind the row of streetlights on the open road,
A strange figure stepped forward from the narrow gap where there should not have been room for a person to slip through, moving in an eerie fashion.

“The second round of the preliminaries should have started by now. Is it okay to leave your post like this?”
“Gwang-O-Geom. I don’t recall giving you permission to leave the operation area.”

The two stopped, glaring at each other.

“You’re not supposed to do anything that harms Dashman. That was the [condition].”
“This break won’t be easy to make up. We’re just tools to achieve [his] mission. Don’t mistake mercy for something that will last forever.”

Tools.
At the word, Lee Jeong-woon drew his sword, almost in anger.
His sword cut through Whisper’s form.

Ssssss

Whisper scattered like a ghost into the air, her efforts to elevate her power thwarted.
Just as he had thought of attacking seriously,
Lee Jeong-woon suddenly felt a tremendous presence looming over him, causing him to retreat instinctively.

‘This person is truly monstrous.’

Did she have any idea how far she had walked from the judges’ seats?
That distance was inconceivable by normal standards.
But it was real.
There was no mistaking it.
The same overwhelming pressure he had felt many times during the tournament.
It was the same feeling.

‘Maybe it would have been better when the Myeongho Guild still existed.’

The guild leader of Haenam faction.
The Silent Swordsman of Ban-yo-gok.
The one who destroyed the Myeongho Guild, Haeung-eung.
As long as she was aware of his presence here,
Lee Jeong-woon could not reveal his full strength carelessly.
He irritably sheathed his sword.

The senior member of the organization, Whisper, and the boss.
Did they plan on declaring war despite sensing the presence of such a monster?
Or was it only Lee Jeong-woon who felt that presence?

‘Doesn’t matter anymore.’

Lee Jeong-woon disappeared into the subway platform entrance,
And after his footsteps faded,
A leaf that had been suspended in the air fluttered and fell to the ground.

“Hey, wasn’t there someone just now?”
The convenience store across the street.
One of the players, trying to forget the sting of elimination, blinked in confusion.

“What person?”
“Uh... Never mind. It’s probably nothing.”
“You’re so out of it, no wonder you got eliminated.”
“Didn’t I get eliminated too? You’re the one who got eliminated.”
“Bap-ting, the ramen’s all soggy.”
“Ugh! It’s ruined!”

The strange feeling quickly faded, forgotten in the light banter.
The discomfort, like the fallen leaves of winter, had vanished.
Just as trees shed their leaves to conserve energy for the coming winter,
The falling leaves might be a sign of something harsher than winter, a bad omen.
Yet, no one noticed that omen yet.

3.  

The immense popularity of the first round of the preliminaries led the broadcasting company to hastily dispatch additional staff.

“16% viewership rating at noon on a weekday! We can’t let this opportunity slip! Got it?”

The filming support team rushed to Haenam faction, but upon seeing the uphill road, they clicked their tongues.

“Man, it’d be quicker to walk up there.”
“Damn it. Get the equipment out. We’ll carry it up.”

Reporters who rushed to the scene after watching the broadcast were practically adorable.
The real spectacle was the two thousand live viewers who had gathered just to watch the thrilling real-life combat.
On a weekday morning, when most streamers were sound asleep, the nearby residents had gathered to watch this epic fantasy event.

“Man, didn’t you say you were doing mining part-time? What are you doing here?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? You came to watch the martial arts tournament too.”

They had graduated from a nearby high school and were both deep into making money through gaming.
Although they didn’t know celebrities, the name of the Silent Swordsman was famous even among the hardcore gamers ranking high in Epic Fantasy.

“Is entry allowed?”
“They say it’s too dangerous to go inside. But at least they’ll broadcast it on an external screen, so it’s better than nothing.”
“You can’t watch inside? It’s cold outside.”

Even so, the crowd had grown so dense that plastic chairs were hastily set up, and people had to take tickets, waiting for their turn to sit.
Despite the complaints, seeing that more than 100 tickets were still available, they quieted down, grateful for the accommodations.

“Hey, look. All three major broadcasters are here.”
“Those are the public broadcasters, right?”
“Look, there are even people carrying screen phones. Those must be streamers.”

The crowd continued to swell.
Even though the uphill road was already filled with vehicles,
The line of people showed no sign of stopping.

“Seat 934! Please sit here.”
“Oh, it’s my turn.”
“935!”
“Phew. I thought the seats would be all gone.”

Excited youths sat down, warming their hands with their breath, thinking it was better than standing around like others who couldn’t find seats.

“Oh, that’s the guy who got eliminated from the second round of preliminaries.”
“Looks like he’s coming out the main gate.”

The eliminated participant, shoulders slumped, exited through the main gate.
With flashes bursting in his face, he screamed in agony, unable to even look ahead.

“What... what’s going on here?”

Seated on plastic chairs, leaning against walls, or unfolding screen phones in their vehicles,
Countless spectators were watching the event unfold.
They gazed at Bearman, who was standing still, then erupted in cheers above their heads.

“It’s Bearman!”

A shout from the crowd.
At the sound, the people reacted with intense enthusiasm.

“You fought well, Bearman!”
“Show us the bear headbutt!”
“Is he going to show anything?”
“Show us! Show us! Show us!”

The defeated tournament participant was now bombarded with requests for performances from the live viewers!

“SXS reporter here! Bearman, could you share your thoughts on the defeat?”
“MXC reporter! Is the reason you call the body slam the bear headbutt because it looks cool?”
“YXN reporter! During the live broadcast, viewers flooded the chat with comments like ‘Wah, help! Baby Bearman, save me!’ after seeing you get beaten up. Can you explain the origins of this meme?”

The cruel interview barrage!
Bearman realized.

‘These damn viewers are all Silent Swordsman’s fans.’

From now on, the defeated would have to endure not only the live broadcast viewers but also the on-site audience and the reporters from all kinds of broadcast stations, all grilling them relentlessly.
It was a humiliating combo, as painful as the defeat itself.