Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 240

There weren't many moments where she was aware of herself as a woman.

?Blessings?
[Perfectly Flawless] - Your skin stays naturally clean without washing, and you exude a feminine scent from your body.
[Complete Energy] - You don't need food, sleep, or bodily functions to live; your vital signs are unaffected.

Thanks to the blessing, she didn’t need to take care of herself.
She could live without reflecting on her body.
But sometimes, she realized it.
Because of the people who treated her as a ‘woman.’
Because she was living as a woman.
Min Woo-seong, turning his head away in front of her, made her wonder if his face, usually so cautious and serious, looked a little more flushed than usual. Was it just an illusion?

“The weather is cold. If you walk around too lightly just because you're warmed up by training, it’ll make you lose your dignity. Please make sure to wear a coat.”

That kindness.
That gentleness.
It came over her with a nauseating, intense anxiety.
The coat handed to her to cover her shoulders.
It twisted into a spiral as it was pulled from her hand, as if her arm were being twisted painfully.

“!!”

Min Woo-seong, using the principles of martial arts he'd learned, reversed the direction of the coat and spun it to counter the pull.

‘Ah, this is bad.’

When she felt herself being pulled, it was already too late.
She realized the force pulling the coat only when it was too late.
Her unguarded neck was seized like a sacrifice's, taken without mercy.

“……!”

The cold, white palm gripping her neck.
The strange sensation of softness and firmness at the same time sent a shiver down her spine. She blinked her eyes and saw Ha Eung Eung’s surprised expression, more shocked than herself.
Letting go of her neck, Ha Eung Eung stood there, staring blankly at the ragged coat in her hand.

“Did I make some mistake?”
[Sorry.]

Ha Eung Eung apologized honestly.

[When a man weaker than me shows kindness, I tend to attack as a habit.]

What kind of habit is that, you brat?
As Min Woo-seong's expression became uncomfortable, he regretted his words, clearly showing signs of remorse.
Others might not catch the subtle changes in his expression, but when one tries hard to read the unreadable, certain things become visible.
Mind reading.
The ability to read people's minds wasn’t just an awakened power for Min Woo-seong, it was also a skill he had developed on his own.

“Are you testing me?”

To see if he could be defeated this way.
To see if he would die or not.
Ha Eung Eung didn’t answer.
Her silence was the answer.
Min Woo-seong picked up the coat, now in tatters.

“Don’t worry. I know the value of my life. I am not someone who will overstep my bounds and challenge the guild leader.”

Despite being reassured, Ha Eung Eung felt a bit of disappointment.
What exactly was he trying to say?
She corrected her wavering heart with a calm martial mind.

[Send me the receipt. I’ll upgrade the coat to a better one than the original.]
“It seems that one day money will come out of the guild leader’s wallet. If I had known this, I should have worn a luxury coat every day.”
[If you die, you’ll end up wearing it at your funeral.]

She got the better of him.
Min Woo-seong, pretending to shrink back and act scared, backed off.
With a friendly smile, he turned around.
Once he was far enough from her and there were no people around, the smile faded.
His face was cold and devoid of expression.
His hand reached for the national security bureau’s communicator before stopping.

The special surveillance target, Ha Eung Eung.
Every movement of hers was a reportable event for the National Security Bureau.
This had always been the case, and it should have been the same today.
But for some reason, his hand didn’t move.

“That expression is cheating, Guild Leader.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t sympathize with her, the unreachable flower.
Someone who, despite having immense strength, was more concerned with the possibility that someone close to her might be lost.
Someone who had experienced the harsh realities of war, where people die like insects, and showed signs of trauma.
Even with all her strength, she was scared of losing a small connection.
The most beautiful woman in the world, hiding her fragile tendencies behind an unyielding and manly personality and actions.
Only Min Woo-seong knew this side of her, a side that no one else could see.

“Scheduled report.”
-Receiving. Any special updates?
“No changes. We will continue monitoring.”

Rather than sending the report about her one vulnerability to the National Security Bureau, Min Woo-seong buried it in his heart.
People were deceived by his kindness and warm smile and never noticed it, but he wasn’t purely a nice person.

‘I never understood it when I was younger. When a woman appeared, I would invite all my friends to share the dirty stories of manga with them.’

Why should I share “my woman”?
Should I share everything that’s mine with everyone?

A secret that only I know.
A memory that only I possess.
Min Woo-seong had no intention of sharing that with anyone.

‘I won’t share it with anyone.’

Even if I can’t have it myself.
If I can’t have it, isn’t it only natural that no one else should have it?

As he left the shadow of the tree, a friendly smile returned to his face.

“Woo-seong, what are you doing here?”
“I just stepped out for some air. It’s hard to get out once you’re in the broadcast station building.”
“You’re out of luck. How about running to the parking lot instead of taking a car? You’ll get plenty of fresh air that way.”
“…So Hye, you can be a bit mischievous sometimes.”
“Hehe. Now you know? If you do, let’s go to the parking lot. If the driver’s pick-up time is late, you might really have to run.”

Min Woo-seong, pretending to complain, hurried to run.
Lee So-hye, shaking her head at him, laughed.
In such a peaceful daily life, a tree planted inside the guild branch softly swayed.

“Hmm?”

Lee So-hye looked up at the tree, puzzled.
There was no wind, but the tree was shaking.
Was the tree lying, just like Min Woo-seong’s obvious lie about the wind?

Her poetic musings were suddenly interrupted by a sharp reality.

[VTube Partner BJ]
[Silent Swordsman starts broadcasting.]
[Game - Half-Demon Valley (Simiral Sa)]
[Playtime - 79:11:12]
[Broadcast Time - 00:00:00]

“Ah, really.”

Why does this guy have to write a notice and broadcast it? He just does whatever he wants with his broadcasting schedule.

Lee So-hye quickly rushed to the dedicated capsule.
After she left, someone quietly descended from between the trees, hiding like a phantom.

“……”

Ju A-young.
She had been watching everything.

When her heart was troubled, she wielded her sword.
In a secluded, deep mountain, swinging her sword, the anxiety vanished.
The backward-flowing waterfall.
The cascading stream.
The rainbow blooming in its wake.
The refreshing coolness and the weight of the water.
The sound of the water hitting the ground, with the lost sound of water returning, was nothing less than a celestial song.

The personal way Ha Eung Eung would cheer herself up in the martial world couldn’t be replicated in reality.
Why did all the mountains have so many hikers and players?
The rumor about monsters being good for vitality was widespread, and awakened gunner players carrying shotguns were everywhere in the mountains.
The waterfalls were getting turned upside down, and the debate over the Haenampa guild leader’s murder controversy was about to explode in the media.
They say there’s no paradise where you run, but for today, this hellish place was her paradise.

Half-Demon Valley.
A place for beings that could be easily swept away and thrown around, unlike humans.

?Interaction Options?
[The new unit's chief candidate: Three options. After hearing their ambitions, you decide…]

1. Choose Zashiki Warashi. (Increases success rate of supplies, specialty linked to merchant factions)
2. Choose Huang Feng Da Gui. (Reduces probability of unit detection, specialty in stealth operations)
3. Choose Ya Cheong Myung. (Increases success rate of nighttime activities, specialty in night operations)

She came here to run wild, but the discomfort of reality would not stop following her.
The choices she had abandoned in the past came to mind like a scolding, much like the homework she could see now that summer vacation was over.

‘Any choice would be fine if it doesn’t matter. But I’d prefer to choose the cuter option.’

The delicate female spirit yokai, the flashy Huang Feng Da Gui, and the handsome young yokai.
Normally, she would have chosen Zashiki Warashi without hesitation, but when faced with the girl yokai with open arms, she quickly turned her gaze away.
She ignored the intimidating sandstorm that came with the sound effect of “Go, go, go,” and the overwhelming figure of Huang Feng Da Gui.

Sighing, she half-heartedly saluted and smiled at Ya Cheong Myung.
There were so many faces overlapping with her simple charm.

The ones who had shown her kindness.
The ones who proudly claimed they were different.
All of them had died, unable to pass the test.
The many men who had sacrificed their lives for her.
Maybe even Min Woo-seong would end up being one of them.

‘This isn’t practice for accepting a heart.’

[?3. Choose Ya Cheong Myung. (Increases success rate of nighttime activities, specialty in night operations)]

‘Even if I don’t accept their hearts, I just want to make sure that having a man by my side won’t lead to anyone dying.’

Ya Cheong Myung, who had no idea she was chosen for such a foreboding reason, smiled innocently.