Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 232

Space Tourism.
At first, she hadn’t been interested in sightseeing, but with the war that had just begun and no end in sight, waiting idly had become a hardship.
Seeing Ha Eung Eung’s frustrated expression, Lee So-hye gently suggested, like scratching an itchy back.

“If you’re bored, why not check out some sightseeing spots? The viewers have created quite a few attractions here.”

Space Museum
Space Metaverse Exhibition Hall
Space Zoo

The kind of names that someone who thought anything with ‘space’ in it sounded cool might come up with.
Ha Eung Eung looked skeptically at the list of tourist spots in the guidebook.

“Don’t look at me like that! It may look like that, but the facilities might be unexpectedly decent.”

With a sense of stubbornness, Lee So-hye led the way to visit, and Ha Eung Eung reluctantly followed behind, moving slowly.
If she could, she felt like a dog on a walk who didn't want to go home.

Space Museum.
The first stop.

Lee So-hye had been prepared to complain, ready to criticize the guidebook makers if they tried to shove things like the history of pottery or changes in clothing styles at her.
But when she saw the theme of the museum, she was taken aback in fresh surprise.

[Silent Swordsman Legacy Hall 1]
[Silent Swordsman Legacy Hall 2]
[Silent Swordsman ES Space History Hall]
[Simiral Sa Strategy Hall]
[The Main Headquarters of the Half-Yokai Tribe]

Exhibition halls related to Silent Swordsman and her streams.
The content was surprisingly substantial.

“Isn’t this a highlight reel? Some of the videos from the edit are here too.”

Did they cut and display my battle scenes?
“Haha. Look at that. There's also the exhibition of the Slave Syndrome of habitual explainers. It’s about those who habitually make monsters their subordinates or slaves by explaining things well.”
1st Victim - Human-Faced Demon
2nd Victim - Maganom
3rd Victim - Porter

The impressive lineup was quite the sight.
The station attacked by the Human-Faced Demon Guild was somehow intact, and Ha Eung Eung began to suspect that places mentioning the Human-Faced Demon Guild might be protected for a reason.

Regardless of Lee So-hye’s suspicions, in Simiral Sa Strategy Hall, other streamers were introducing standard routes for each game.
They explained where to go, who to talk to, and how to progress through certain routes.
Looking at the timeline for Silent Swordsman beside them, with countless red dots indicating inconsistencies with the standard strategies, Ha Eung Eung wasn’t sure if it had any significance,
But it seemed like something every fan of Silent Swordsman should at least check out, considering how it compared to other streamers’ time attacks and hidden route guides.

“Why the long face? Isn’t this pretty fun?”

I almost got spoiled.
“Oh, spoilers are too much. Sorry, let’s get out of here.”
With analysis of things like the whip simulator, Hell’s Salvation, and Bok Aaka, they could get an idea of what events might appear in future streams.
Realizing that, Ha Eung Eung immediately turned her gaze away, and Lee So-hye, realizing she’d gotten too excited, quickly apologized.

“What’s the Metaverse Exhibition Hall? I’m kind of curious after seeing the museum’s level.”

What’s the metaverse?
“I’ve heard it’s the basic form of virtual reality. But I’m not too sure. Do we really need to know about such relics?”
Unlike Lee So-hye, who wasn’t too interested, Ha Eung Eung showed some curiosity this time.
The virtual reality world.
In the past 20 years, as she experienced the Murim Chronicles, there had been gates and monsters alongside new technology.
Reflecting on its origins, she couldn’t help but find it intriguing.

“Ugh, this is lame. Is this really the metaverse?”

It’s kind of disappointing.
Ha Eung Eung felt a deep sense of disappointment.
The essence of the metaverse was communication in a virtual world.
Electronic transactions, virtual world travels from home, and using avatar skins for a second life—these were among the many aspects.
But fundamentally, it was no different from the era when players were bound by their guild relationships, held hostage to the game.
The graphics were clumsy, and most of the features seemed unnecessary.
If socializing and communication were traps to increase user connection times and keep players as hostages in the metaverse, then the bait to lure people into it was shopping or traveling.
Vanity.
Curiosity.
Convenience.
Even if most of these didn’t meet expectations, with 10% discount coupons and limited-time gifts for the first n buyers, advertisers regularly pulled people in.
People entered the metaverse for cheap shopping, to travel comfortably, or to get free local specialties from various countries.
They soon became residents or permanent residents of the metaverse.

‘These are functions that could be called the primitive space functions, which are the origin of space.’

Since it was considered the origin of the virtual reality world, many of its functions overlapped with space itself.
But there were two crucial things missing here.
One was technological capability.
Brain-science technology to deceive the brain and synchronize sensory inputs.
It was an incredibly advanced technology that couldn’t have developed in just 20 years.
Even the quality of early virtual reality games was unprecedented.
The kinds of games were changing, but the quality was exceptional enough to make one suspect that it was technology extracted from aliens.

The other was the existence of inner power.
The inner power learned from the Murim Chronicles could be used in the virtual world, for some reason.
It worked as if the world was actually real.
Games from Simiral Sa like Half-Yokai Tribe and Hell’s Salvation, and Banibani Sa’s Jumping Rabbit, and Lupin Sa’s Whip Simulator,
At least these all allowed the use of inner power, and while it was just an assumption for now, perhaps inner power could be used in all virtual reality games.

‘It’s hard to think of the emergence of virtual reality games and gates, with awakening monsters, as just a coincidence.’

She half-considered it a fact.
The virtual reality world was an opposing force to the gates, a tool to help awakeners grow, and a training program for real combat.
Although the difficulty level was too high for training disciples to play, those who had accumulated a certain amount of skill were encouraged to engage in the gameplay.

“How was it? We’ve kind of seen everything, right?”

I’m satisfied.
“Really? I thought you’d be the type to get bored easily, but you like all this old stuff.”
By 2030, it wouldn’t even be that old anymore.
Ha Eung Eung felt like an old person for no reason, and a somewhat gloomy feeling rose in her chest.

The final sightseeing stop: the Space Zoo.
It was the facility with the highest satisfaction rating among the three attractions, according to the guidebook, so both of them had high expectations.
Space Zoo.
What kind of animals were waiting for them?
Radioactive creatures?
Aliens floating in the vacuum?
Carbon-based rock creatures?
Pictures of legendary mythological creatures that destroyed planets?

The sightseeing began with anticipation.
The zoo’s composition was also quite fresh.

“Welcome, adventurers! Our space zoo is full of animals who need your help!”
“Huh? What’s this? A game concept?”
“Alright, first, take this guidebook and GPS tracking map, and here’s your capture case.”

[Animal Guidebook]
[GPS Tracking Map]
[Guidebook Camera]
[Capture Case]

“All of our zoo’s animals have GPS trackers inside them, so you can check their location anytime, anywhere.”
“A capture case? The animals are inside our zoo, though.”
“Sometimes, the animals wander outside their enclosures. When that happens, you can use the capture case to shock them unconscious and call the zookeepers!”

Lee So-hye turned to Ha Eung Eung with a bright face.

“Shall we head back?”
“Nooo, don’t go! The cute little animals run away all the time! The big, dangerous beasts can’t escape because their feet are stuck!”
“Feet? I don’t understand what you mean, but if a released beast comes out, you’re putting Silent Swordsman and the manager in danger.”
“Even if a dinosaur comes out, those who can take them down will—what? You’re making weak excuses~ Haha, just kidding. This way to the entrance.”

The zoo's content involved capturing the animals with the capture case to fill up the guidebook.
Depending on how many animals were captured, visitors could receive discounts on the entrance fee, special performance invitation vouchers, or the opportunity to experience being a daily animal.

“Wow, this content is pretty rich. I need to learn from this. I don’t know why these guys, with such capable skills, are just playing around here.”

Thus began the zoo exploration.
Lee So-hye pouted while taking pictures with the guidebook camera of lions, tigers, and bears that were slumped inside their enclosures.

“Why are they all like this? They look so droopy.”

Zoos are usually like this.
“Have you ever been to a zoo?”
When I was very young.
“...Really? Who did you go with back then?”
People I can’t go with anymore.
She stepped on a landmine. The mood turned heavy. Lee So-hye forced a cheerful smile and pointed at the map.

“Look, there’s a rabbit over there! Don’t you think A-young would like it? Let’s go!”

They arrived at the rabbit enclosure.
What awaited them was an empty cage and rabbits hopping around outside.

“Rabbit-eee”
“Hop-eee”
“Ki-ki-ki-ki”

The strange sounds of the rabbits as they hopped, with their butts sticking out.

“...Is that how rabbits sound?”

Why do these animals have zippers on their backs?
“Ugh. What is this? These are all people.”
While Mesugaki Girl was having her struggles, the two of them experienced space tourism.

“Snake-snake-snake”
“Monkey-monkey-monkey”
“Compso Gnatus Compso Gnatus”

The eerie animals with the names of creatures on their costume heads, saying their names like a chant, and the bizarre charm of taking pictures of them with a camera.

“Compso something, that’s a dinosaur, right? Haha, crazy guys. They’ve prepared every animal costume imaginable.”

Why are they walking around like that?
“I don’t know. Maybe they’re just having fun? Oh, I need to post this to my personal community.”
The viewers who had gathered here weren’t really doing it for fun, but because there was an easy gig where they could just say animal names while lying down and earn points.
Some of them were from the slave class bought on the slave ship, but the viewers trained by the points system didn’t speak of that.
Unaware of the truth, Ha Eung Eung and Lee So-hye just thought the world had many strange people.

“Ah, a whisper.”

Where did the message come from?
“It’s from someone named I Can’t Stand Gaidaimax. Hmm? They want to invite facilities?”

The message hinted at a potential facility collaboration or something similar, but Ha Eung Eung was more focused on the absurdities of the space zoo and the strange situation they found themselves in.

Lee So-hye, still holding onto her enthusiasm, looked at Ha Eung Eung, eagerly waiting for her reaction. “What do you think? All these odd animals and this strange experience, it’s kind of funny, right?”

Ha Eung Eung gave a brief laugh, though it was tinged with exasperation. “Well, I guess the zoo’s... unique. But it’s nothing like the wild adventures I’m used to.”

The two of them continued through the zoo, encountering more bizarre creatures, each weirder than the last, their costumes and mannerisms making it hard to believe they were truly “animals” at all. Ha Eung Eung’s disinterest gradually turned into amusement as she began to appreciate the oddity of it all, though she couldn’t entirely shake the feeling that something was off about the whole experience.

Finally, they made their way to the exit, having thoroughly explored the space zoo. Despite all the strange animals and costumes, Lee So-hye seemed satisfied with their visit, but Ha Eung Eung couldn’t help but feel that the true adventure still lay beyond the confines of this strange virtual world.

“Let’s go. I’ve seen enough of these ‘animals’ for one day,” Ha Eung Eung said, her tone light but firm.

“Sure, sure,” Lee So-hye responded, somewhat disappointed that the fun had to end but understanding that there were far more important things to focus on. They headed toward the exit, their minds already turning to what awaited them next in this ever-surprising space adventure.