Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 184

1.

The betrayal of the animals.
The reason was simple.

?Blessing?
[Animal Friend]: The probability of becoming friends with all animal-type creatures greatly increases.

The Dancer Miniature, now wearing the angel's wing garment, had its "charm" ability enhanced, and Haeung-eung's "familiarity" ability was offset, shaking the dominance. Among them, the animals charmed by Haeung-eung first became allies.

‘This situation is becoming interesting. If my charm is strong enough, can I turn those animals to my side?’

[!!!]

When the animals showed signs of changing their minds, the Dancer Miniature hastily began to sway and perform a seductive dance. The translucent blue veil of the winged garment captured the animals’ gaze.

Thwip

[!]
[!]
[?]

Haeung-eung’s palm stretched toward the ground.
The friendly gesture of the giant player captivated the hearts of the animals.

Thundering footsteps

The baby animals crawled up onto the palm.
Rather than being drawn to the dance of the small miniature, they were charmed by the friendly relationship with the giant player.
As Haeung-eung raised her hand, the baby animals let out high-pitched squeals but quickly relished the view from above, gazing down with bright eyes.

• If I just threw them in my mouth, it would be so sweet.
• How can you think such terrible thoughts about those tiny creatures?
• Is this a breeding villain?
• Not just a cursed killer, but now her heart has turned monstrous too.

The Dancer Miniature trembled and showed an angry emoji.

‘So what can I do when I’m angry?’

These small, insignificant creatures, lacking even decent resistance.
They were easily struck by the whip, captured, and thrown away—such a harsh fate. But now, with the legendary equipment and the increasing number of allies, the resistance that once seemed possible was dissipating with a single wave of her hand.

• Why is our leader acting so selfish?
• Even in Half-Demon's domain, this guy managed to charm several people.
• He only charmed the Man-Faced Spider, Wandering Merchant, Demon Prince, Boogeyman, Wendigo, and various monsters, right?
• Two thousand people easily crossed over there, is that really okay?
• Chain charm, lmao.

With a hand as big as an amusement park ride, Haeung-eung raised and lowered it, causing the animals to squeal excitedly.
The animals that had been gently placed down quickly turned their hearts toward her, forming hearts above their heads as they changed sides.
Other animals, envious and full of jealousy, glanced around, feeling sorry for themselves, unsure if they should join in.

‘The world of these tiny, insignificant miniatures.’

The ease of it.
The foolishness of it.
It made Haeung-eung feel uneasy, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

• Breaking news> Manager cleared 51st mission.

She forgot about the contest with the manager.
She ignored the baby animals’ attention.
Her focus was now entirely on the Dancer Miniature.

Whip crack

Even knowing the irrational position she was in, she pushed forward relentlessly.
The giant player's gesture alone could easily cause the baby animals to betray, but the Dancer Miniature fought desperately, sweating and dancing to capture their hearts.
In her struggle, Haeung-eung discovered an unexpected past.

• "Hae So-jeo, the palace is a place where even a mere command from Empress Seo, the second wife of the Emperor, turns those who have been painstakingly recruited into enemies."
• "No matter how hard you strive to find freedom, in the end, all that awaits you is the authority of power and futile resistance. So, why continue this meaningless struggle?"

The efforts that didn’t bear fruit.
The overwhelming enemy who mocked her efforts.

‘How could I not know? That painful struggle. The overwhelming sense of helplessness.’

The animals surrounding the Dancer Miniature gradually thinned out.
It wasn't that they lacked effort.
It wasn't that they lacked talent.
It wasn't even that.
It was the mercy shown by the powerful figure who could enforce absolute violence, and that mercy led the animals to submit before the violence turned into something even more brutal.

‘I won’t say that it was all in vain. True friends can be found in difficult situations, and true heroes are born in troubled times.’

Only a small handful of baby animals still stood by the Dancer Miniature.
In their eyes, there was a flash of poison and resolve.

99% submission and 1% resistance.
No matter how determined they were to fight,
they were ultimately just a handful of troops.

‘With a single charge, those animals would be swept away.’

Haeung-eung's colleagues from her time at the palace had been like that too.
Chang Eung-gong, who taught her the power of authority.
Sam Tae-sa, who showed her what true virtue was.
Lee So-cheon of the Hwasan Sect, who shook her heart with love, not desire.
Pang Cheol-san of the Hebei Pang clan, her rival, who competed with her in martial arts.
Choi-hee, the palace maid who sacrificed herself for her escape.
Many others, both famous and anonymous, had helped her escape, with most of them dying in the process.

‘Even if this isn’t the Murim, do I need to repeat such a tragedy against these innocent miniatures?’

No, this wasn’t right.
It wasn’t just about the past.
It was an insult to those who had sacrificed their lives for her, to the righteous who didn’t bow to the authority of the royal court.
And that was why Haeung-eung made a decision.

No Killing

She would walk the path where she would not harm anyone.

2.
The change in Silent Swordsman’s playstyle left viewers bewildered.

• This is so obviously intentional!
• Match-fixing, lmao!
• Is he really losing like this?
• You should have predicted match-fixing, tsk tsk.
• Underdog’s justice, see ya.
• The manager has already reached level 58, right?

Unlike Lee So-hye, who steadily advanced,
Silent Swordsman was only fending off attacking animals and the audience miniatures.
He didn’t land a single decisive blow.

• Why aren’t the numbers decreasing?
• Kill some while you're at it!
• The baby animals are being torn apart??
• Just kill them already...
• It’s too pitiful to watch with my eyes open.
• Then close your eyes and watch.
• Miracle logic is back.
• Yeah, just close your eyes, right? Lmao.

Even though the audience miniatures and baby archers were closing in from behind, Silent Swordsman wasn’t trying to end the match.
His sluggishness ultimately allowed the large group to catch up.

[@#$%!]

Under the command of the baby archer leader, the archers strung their bows, aiming at the player and shooting a barrage of arrows.
Silent Swordsman’s whip crackled, deflecting the arrows into the air.

• He’s blocking the arrows with shockwaves!
• If he was stalling to show this, I agree.
• Worth the subscription fee!

But the enemies weren’t just the baby archers.
The audience miniatures were pushing forward with brute force, and the rampaging Dancer's animals were charging too.
Even the animals weren’t just on the ground.
Flying birds and monkeys were grabbing the baby monkeys and soaring high, throwing poison darts and bananas, launching aerial attacks like fighter jets and bombers.
Aquatic animals in the water,
soaking up water from ponds and lakes,
shot water cannons, trying to block the player’s sight or knock him down.

A full-scale front on land, sea, and air.
Even attacks that only reduced 1 HP at a time were no longer trivial as they accumulated.
If he failed to respond to even one front, his HP would drop dramatically.
In the center of such a dangerous battlefield,
Silent Swordsman’s whip moved through every direction, cutting off paths for the audience miniatures to approach,
deflecting the arrows with shockwaves,
blocking poison darts and bananas with the whip,
even withstanding massive water cannon attacks by using the whip’s fluid motion to balance and absorb the damage.

• Why is he raiding alone?
• This is a raid boss simulator, not a whip simulator, lmao.
• It’s majestic for real.
• Just add some war music, and it’s perfect.
• Wow, he really didn’t back down...
• I’d be dead in 1 second if I stood there.
• Normally, when you’re caught up by the main character, you’re supposed to get wiped out, but he’s surviving purely by physical prowess, lmao.

Skills don’t always evolve just to kill.
Starting with Haenampa’s martial arts, then beyond the central Murim, to the demon factions of Xingan, and further still to the martial world outside the map,
Silent Swordsman, who had mastered a much more brutal killing sword through relentless wandering,
yet not everyone could learn that sword.
Haeung-eung, who had felt that truth more than anyone else when rebuilding Haenampa, hoped her martial arts would not kill, but rather preserve life.
If there is a martial art for killing, there is also one for saving lives.
A life-preserving sword, not a killing sword.
Defensive techniques to protect someone,
countermeasures to keep someone in check.
A sword that does not always choose the best move but retains practicality, even if it doesn’t shed all its stubbornness and regret.
However, it was also because of that sword that, among the masters who gathered to seek the number one in the world, she was the one who didn’t kill.

• No one blocks your way anymore, why do you continue to chase after the empty glory of being the best in the world?
• Go back, the world’s number one is a lie. But you, at least, are recognized as one of the best.
• Leave the earthly regrets behind and live your life. This is the first and last mercy I offer you.

She, who had lived in constant fear that someone stronger would always come to dominate her,
was freed from those long chains by the man who gave her freedom.

‘The World’s Number One, Ki Geuk-jo.’

On the day the 24 superhumans clashed,
within the legendary heart of Murim history,
her sword still carried regret.

‘The reason he saved me, unlike others, was not just for mercy.’

That regret was the reason her sword had limits.
Not the strongest sword, not even the best sword she could wield.
But because of that inefficiency,
the world’s number one, Ki Geuk-jo, saved her.

‘He just wanted to see how far a sword that was neither the best nor the strongest could grow.’

There was insight in it.
But she never had the chance to fully realize it.
Leaving the Murim,
returning to the modern world,
wandering through virtual worlds,
finally, Haeung-eung was presented with the opportunity.
With a whip instead of a sword,
with a first-class realm instead of a magic realm,
and even with her form as a giant,
her martial arts, born from a body full of flaws, began to test her limits.

[-1HP]
[-1HP]
[-1HP]

A small mistake.
A minor deviation.
The HP gauge, steadily decreasing like wet clothes in the drizzle,
had dropped below 50% from a level that had never fallen below 90%.

‘Was it foolish to insist on this?’

As her body became exhausted, her mind began to waver.
If she died here, she couldn’t win the bet.
Lee So-hye wouldn’t miss this chance.
She couldn’t guarantee the lives of the betrayed animals either.
Betrayers always face the harshest punishment.

‘It’s a pity. If only this time had lasted a bit longer, I might have opened my eyes to new insight.’

[Player]
[HP 9.9%(99/1000)]

With barely any HP left.
It was impossible to block all the attacks now.
The betraying baby animals, sensing the end, tightly shut their eyes.
And with the onslaught of arrows, ready to strike at the betrayers...

‘Foolish.’

In her final act, she spread her arms to shield them.
Unable to survive, she chose to block the arrows for them and fall, knowing she would perish in their place.
It was no longer an act that could even be called martial arts.

[Hidden Trigger Achieved.]

That gesture,
that mercy,

[Kill log: Zero in Boss Battle]
[Remaining HP: Below 10%]
[Survived for over 5 minutes]

The angel’s winged garment blocking the torrential arrows.

[(?Ò?Ó)]

The Dancer Miniature.

[?]

She turned the enemy into an ally.