Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 264

1.

La~ lalalala.
As the game started, the loud singing filled her ears.
Cha Ji-yeon, who had been blinking her eyes in confusion, watched the opera unfolding before her.
"She sings really well."
"But wasn't this a zombie game?"
"Well, maybe the opera could help with vocal practice, so I guess I’ll watch a little longer."

Clunk, clunk!

For a moment, the idle thoughts disappeared.
The audience entrance door shook violently from the outside.

"What is this, so annoying."
"Are the staff even working?"

Hearing the annoyed voices of the audience, Cha Ji-yeon finally realized she wasn’t here to watch an opera but to join a Zombie Hazard live stream.
In her peripheral vision, the chat of her fan club, the “Dusty Fans” of the show, appeared.

• Jiyeon-ah, what are you doing! LOL
• This isn’t the time to be watching that! ^^
• I don’t care, Jiyeon wants to watch opera!
• The game’s initial settings are really immersive, huh.
• Newbies never escape that trap!
• What are you doing here? What are you doing here?
• Run, run, run!
• Are you gonna cough again?
• Cough cough (spitting blood)
• The first one to drop out will probably be our Dusty Leader.
• Don’t use the word ‘dropout,’ it makes me think of competition eliminations!??
• The first one to turn into a zombie will probably be our Dusty Leader.
• Thanks ^^ I feel better now.
• Comfort? LOL
• Is it okay for idol trainees to turn into zombies?

"I don’t know... what do I do?"
Cha Ji-yeon muttered quietly to herself, addressing the viewers.
A person sitting next to her nudged her with their elbow, signaling her to be quiet.
Feeling embarrassed, Cha Ji-yeon lowered her head in apology.

• LOL
• LOL, be quiet in the theater!
• Looks like she still doesn’t get it. LOL

The reactions from the viewers made Cha Ji-yeon feel anxious, as if something was wrong.
“I’m sorry. I need to go to the bathroom...”
The annoyed audience members shifted their legs and made way for her.
Dodging their sharp gazes, Cha Ji-yeon hurriedly exited through the audience passage, head lowered.
The other side of the door, which had been rattling, was quiet now.

"GRRRR!!"
"Screeeech!"
"Don’t come! Don’t come!"

Before the zombie that had just burst out of the bathroom could attack the uniformed staff member.

"!!!"
I have to run.
But where and how alone?

• Why did you buy a phone? Why did you buy a phone?
• That’s right, the phone!
• With the growing difficulty and increasing points, the necessity of having a communication tool was emphasized by Ju A-young.
• Everyone ended up buying cell phones, the primitive form of a screen phone.

[Power OFF]
[Phone is turning on.]

The phone, which had been off like a model theater phone, lit up, and the missed calls and messages flooded in immediately.

[43 Missed Calls]
[213 Unread Text Messages]

"Am I doomed?"
She asked, with a pitiful expression, and the viewers’ chat exploded.

• Oh no, oh no!
• What do you do now?
• I knew this wasn’t just a theater! Look, it's like an orchestra of chaos!
• LOL
• No one is helping her? LOL
• This is when the viewers unite, huh? LOL
• What do we do? We're just getting tortured by the Silent Swordsman! Where do we heal? We need something!
• Yeah, right!
• Wait, she’s avoiding the zombies while sneaking around.

“Excuse me… is it okay to…?”
Cha Ji-yeon whispered, trying to ask the viewers.

• She seems to not understand how serious this is, LOL.
• She’s too cute for this situation.

But just as Cha Ji-yeon thought she was getting the hang of it, another call came in.

[Caller - Mom]

Of course, Mom = Master Swordswoman = Guild Master. Cha Ji-yeon answered the call.

"Where are you, girl?"
"Who is this?"

The earthy tone of her mother’s voice rang in her ears.

• Who is this? LOL
• She has a virtual mom too.
• Bad child simulator, ON.
• LOL, mental state is shattered.
• Look at how many missed calls and texts, her mental state must be a mess.
• Insider trait: Bad at zombie apocalypses.
• A mom isn’t a real insider.
• Insider intro cut has gone low. LOL

"Ah, my child must be so distracted, not even recognizing her mom’s voice! Get out of there quickly!"
"Uh, yes, yes?"
"Weren’t you supposed to be at the theater today? It’s really dangerous there, the TV said so!"

Completely confused, Cha Ji-yeon was dragged around by the virtual mom.
As the call continued, the viewers’ chat also grew longer.

• Breaking news> Ju A-young shouting “When will Jiyeon end the call!!”
• LOL
• Jiyeon is an insider!
• Ugh, the worst, a zombie apocalypse would be easier than this!
• She’s doing a good job avoiding the zombies, though.
• What’s the point? She can't even get out of the opera house.

After talking to her “virtual mom,” Cha Ji-yeon started to focus on the game again.
She accidentally got sucked into the relationship dynamics of the virtual world.

“I’m fine, Mom, you stay safe too. I’ll hang up now. Yeah, be careful. Bye."

[Call duration 5 minutes 11 seconds]

Just 10 seconds after hanging up, another call came in.

[Caller - Ju A-young’s Jumping Rabbit]

"Ha."

Her cute nickname made her laugh again.
The villainous host Ju A-young.
She had known her since the first Silent Swordsman Martial Arts Tournament.
Cha Ji-yeon had admired Ju A-young.
Of course, she admired Guild Master Ha Eung Eung, but there weren’t many who admired Ju A-young.
She was just an ordinary trainee.
She had been lucky enough to catch Ha Eung Eung’s eye.
Others might see her as just a nobody, but Cha Ji-yeon drew courage from the fact that even ordinary people could be close to such extraordinary figures like Ha Eung Eung.
This belief gave her the courage to join the Haenam Faction and participate in a competition program, eventually making her way to where she was now, with the chance to join a stream with Guild Master and Ju A-young.
A true success story for a fan!

"Did you worry a lot, unnie?"
Feeling apologetic, Cha Ji-yeon took the call, and as soon as she did, Ju A-young’s loud voice echoed in her ear.

"Where are you now!!"
"O-Opera House staff passageway... Unnie, where are you..."
"Run to the west emergency exit now!! Immediately!!"
"Huh??"
"Zombies are chasing survivors there, more than a thousand! Run!"

The few zombies she had seen earlier weren’t all of them?
Cha Ji-yeon, stunned, immediately heard the sound of footsteps and screams filling the air, with zombies quickly approaching.

"Screeech!"
"Ahhh!"
"Close the door, door!!"
“Shit, they’re inside too!”
“Can we ride the elevator together!?"
"Close it, close it quickly!"
"Hey!!! Don’t leave me behind!"

The shrieks and screams were followed by the furious pursuit of zombies.

"...Hang on just a little longer. I’ll come to save you!"
Ju A-young, showing off her personal connection with the Guild Master, called Ha Eung Eung ‘Unnie’ in every conversation.
The Silent Swordsman of the Half-Demon Valley was now so famous that anyone would know Ha Eung Eung. Surely, with her help, Cha Ji-yeon would survive.

Cha Ji-yeon rushed through the staff passage, heading west without thinking about it.

"Who’s there?"
"Huh? Uh…"
"This is a staff-only passage! You can’t be here, get out now!"

Even Cha Ji-yeon, who was slow to grasp the situation, understood that if she turned back here, she would die.

"Sorry, I don’t have time to explain!"
"You can’t come in here!"

<Third-rate martial arts> <Golden Chains>

Cha Ji-yeon swiftly grabbed the staff member’s wrist, twisted it lightly, and shoulder-checked them away.
Thud!

Her quick combo of martial arts and jujutsu sent the staff member flying into a cardboard box.

"Ugh!"
"I'm sorry! I had no choice!"

She apologized briefly and ran, but soon behind her, the sound of screams grew louder.

• So what’s happening in other rooms?
• No idea.
• Not telling you.
• A-young said not to tell the room leader before asking.
• Uh-huh.
• The main broadcast manager, Lee So-hye, said she’d temporarily block any breaking news.

“I’m curious too!”
"Are you ignoring Lee So-hye, the main broadcast manager?"
"Are you telling us to ignore Lee So-hye, a senior awakened hero?"
"LOL!"

"Ugh, just leave if you’re just going to harass me!"

• Broadcasting rookies get treated harshly, huh.
• Why isn’t she scared of being yelled at?
• She’s too nice for this.

This wasn't what the Silent Swordsman’s streams were like.
How had she kept her cool through all these harsh chats before?

“Ah, I really miss my mom…”

Cha Ji-yeon regretted how she had been so happy thinking she was on a break for a stream.
It would have been better to be in the competition program than experiencing a zombie apocalypse in real-time.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the emergency stairwell.
The noise from the outside world immediately hit her ears.

Wheeew! Wheeew! Wheeew!
Beep beep beep beep!
Kaaaaah! Kyaaaah! Ahhh!

Explosions and gunfire erupted from nearby buildings.
The zombies were running like mad near the opera house entrance.
To avoid getting caught up in the chaos, Cha Ji-yeon made eye contact with some people quietly climbing the emergency stairs.

Shh—!

Waving her hands frantically, she was stopped by NPC civilians who were surprisingly realistic.

"Are you okay?"
"It’s over. I’m leaving now."
"You won’t find anywhere better outside."
"A colleague’s coming to save me."
"Don’t expect too much. There’s no better place than here. The parade and protests are clogging up the streets, so the crowd’s packed. Everyone’s—"

Before the conversation could finish, the emergency stairwell door on the lower floor suddenly slammed open.
A crowd of people spilled out, and one civilian was shoved out the door and fell.
Without warning, zombies swarmed and attacked, their growls and growls echoing.

• Zombie screams, LOL!
• I thought it was easy mode but...
• They’re energized as the difficulty increases.
• I didn’t want to see that person falling.
• Wow; even with the gore filter, it’s this brutal?
• This game is seriously scary.
• Go to the roof!!
• Jiyeon, run!

Cha Ji-yeon ran urgently to the roof.
She realized too late how precious the time spent watching opera and chatting on the phone had been.
Whether it’s the real world or a game, the world is always cruel to newbies.

"Please… Guild Master… come quickly…"

With her mental state shattered, Cha Ji-yeon huddled in a corner on the roof, covering her ears with her hands and trembling like a helpless baby animal.

Zombie Hazard Day 1.
30 minutes into the game.
Player Cha Ji-yeon, isolated on the opera house roof.

The newbie’s game introduction was tough.

“Should I just log out…”

Cha Ji-yeon seriously considered quitting.
But hope appeared.

• You’re not giving up?
• So charismatic.
• Jiyeon, just wait a little longer! Something big is coming!

Someone was coming to save her.