Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 269

1.  

In life, there are things you can only understand after you’ve done them.
"You’ll end up working at a factory if you keep playing games all day. Go to college and do what you want there. Don't you think it’s better to just work and enjoy games as a hobby?"
The advice of adults is often nothing more than irresponsible suggestions for a life they’re not going to take responsibility for. It’s a harsh realization, and by the time you understand it, you’re usually too old to do anything about it.

"All that talk about how I’d end up working in a factory if I played games, it was all nonsense."

Ju A-young realized this truth.
If she had focused solely on gaming from the beginning, she might have gained inner strength far faster than she has now.
Her sister must have anticipated the connection between gaming and inner cultivation and planned today's collaboration accordingly.

"By hunting strong monsters? By playing at the highest difficulty? Or maybe both?"

She didn’t know the exact conditions, but she immediately understood how extraordinary this was.
In just a few minutes, she had gathered more inner strength from catching a special zombie than she had accumulated over the last six months with careful, slow practice.

"My sister said it. The inner strength acquisition rate on modern Earth is one-thousandth. The training grounds, at least, are good enough to be one-hundredth."

180 days of training would only result in 1.8 days of cultivation based on ancient standards.
Even so, by learning more efficient methods, she had managed to extend the effectiveness of her inner strength, bringing that 1.8 days’ worth of power up to ten days.
And now, she had acquired that ten days' worth of inner strength just by catching a special zombie. How could she not be amazed?

"Although I do feel frustrated, I don’t think my training was in vain."

Had she not trained her martial arts methods, she wouldn't have known how to properly store such a vast amount of inner strength in her lower dantian. And even if she had gathered it, most of it would have scattered uselessly into her limbs.
She now realized the true meaning of the advice her sister had given her about continuing training steadily, separate from accomplishments.
Now she understood the significance of the training her sister had set out for her, all for her growth.

"Aah... So that’s why my sister played games..."

• What do you mean by "waking up"?
• The thrill of slaughter
• A bit of madness awakening ??
• A-young is a predator now...
• How can you catch a Chaser without a machine gun, using just a spear?
• What if you don’t have a machine gun?
• Stand near a window and use the charge pattern to make them fall through the wall
• How do you do that?
• Pray fervently
• Prayer meta ??

Ju A-young felt the urge to speak up.
She wanted to boast in front of all the viewers, telling them how amazing the opportunity she had was, and how she was finally seeing the bigger picture her sister had been trying to show her.
But would her sister want that?
The martial arts methods of their faction should not be passed on to outsiders.
Even if they were shared, it should only be with someone trustworthy, after they made a clear vow not to pass it on to others.
Her sister had always said that this was a principle of martial artists, explaining the reason behind it.

[Every martial art has a countermeasure. Once you understand the basic moves, you can design counterattacks optimized for each situation. Teaching martial arts is like entrusting your life.]

There is always the possibility that someone might use your teachings to kill you.
Without accepting this risk, martial arts cannot be taught.
It was such a romantic idea.

"What did my sister trust me with, giving me her life?"

That too, along with many others, while imparting deeper, more profound teachings.
The answer came quickly.
Coughing up blood.
The tragic fate that awaits all awakened individuals.
The magical illness that comes to those who have crossed the end point.
Her sister’s remaining time was running out, every second.
It was a heavy truth that weighed down her heart.

"A-young! These zombies—did the Guild Master send them all?"
"Really? No wonder they’ve only come at the edge of danger."
"Doesn’t that make you mad?"
"Why would I be mad? I trained just enough not to die."
"But we almost died!"
"So did we die?"
"We didn’t, but…"
"Then that’s fine."

The look in Cha Ji-yeon’s eyes when she looked at her sister.
Ji-yeon would never understand.
Ju A-young thought to herself.
Only she knew just how deeply her sister cared for her growth and how hard she was trying to help her become stronger.
And that would never change.

2.  

[Zombie Game Collaboration Group Chat]
Ha Eung Eung: It’s Wave 3. I’ll send a Siren for this wave’s boss.
Ye Ji-su: Please stop, I feel like I’m going crazy!!
Kim Han-na: Why is the Guild Master managing this? I have doubts about that!
Cha Ji-yeon: Is it a Zombie Commander?
Ha Eung Eung: What’s a Zombie Commander?
Cha Ji-yeon: It’s a special zombie that commands others.
Ha Eung Eung: That’s interesting.
Cha Ji-yeon: …Huh?
Ye Ji-su: Cha Ji-yeon, what did you do?! Cha Ji-yeon, what did you do?!
Kim Han-na: I hate Ji-yeon!!

In life, first impressions matter.
The first impression of the Zombie Commander was cool.
Commander.
The title is grand no matter what it’s attached to.
Even the nicknames of the viewers show this.

A grad student tricked by a professor’s lie.
A department store food court rider, Uhm Gil-dong.

Just looking at the nicknames, you’d think they’re jokesters, but if "Commander" is attached to their name?

A grad student tricked by a professor’s lie, Commander.
The power dynamic changes.
The viewer, who was a grad student, now turns into a malevolent professor.

A department store food court rider, Uhm Gil-dong, Commander.
The viewer, who was a child, now becomes the villainous mother who poisoned the department store.
The word "commander" has a strange, magical power, Ha Eung Eung thought.

The Zombie Commander was like that.
Zombie.
How trivial a name could sound.
And yet, a commander of such trivial zombies.
There was something slightly untrustworthy about it, but she couldn’t help but think this might be the first serious opponent she would face.

<Guest Reporter Uhm Gil-dong Weekly Hot Clip donated 10,000 KRW!>
The Zombie Commander is a special zombie that evolves after special zombies are exposed to extreme conditions. Do Mi-Gum-gae, I’ve already told you everything I know, please spare me!

• Ah, I can't talk about how the Zombie Commander appears with a 0.001% chance, right?
• Haha, yeah, you can’t say it’s based on analysis that when 100,000 zombies are consumed, there's a certain chance the Zombie Commander will appear!

Why is everyone revealing everything?
Not that I mind, though.

'So, it’s a battle of probabilities, huh?'

Someone who doesn’t have anything to do with martial arts won’t suddenly gain martial abilities through awakening powers.
Similarly, a being who doesn’t control zombies won’t evolve into a Zombie Commander.
So, the special zombie most likely to evolve into a Zombie Commander appeared in her mind.

[Chaser 2 is going to last a bit longer.]

3.  

[Newbie Abuse Current Status][13]
The three participants from the Haenam Faction are lying on the ground like homeless people, shaking and freezing as they try to sleep.

• Honestly, I was pissed off about why only you guys were called, but seeing you suffer like this, I’m glad you weren’t invited. Phew.
• They lost so much weight…
• This diet’s so great.
• There’s barely any food, so they’re losing weight automatically, haha.
• But why are they surviving so well?

[Zombie Hazard Newbies’ Survival Tips][7]
That’s because Santa Swordsman hides presents in the building every night.

• Secret item regeneration, haha.
• Why are they walking so naturally with zombies?
• Why is Chaser 2 shrinking in size?
• When it’s close to evolving, its appearance changes.
• But how do you find it if it’s hidden in the ceiling vent?
• Hiding it between barricades is the best.
• Only rats living in the building will be happy.

[Breaking News > Newbies' Dramatic Escape]
Two hours before the competition program’s filming, they made their way to the dorm to prepare. Haha.

• Newbies, don’t come back to Zombie Hazard. Stay in the real world and live decently~
• Why do you sound like you’ve been punished with a forced collab? Haha.
• Gonna vote for Han-na now.
• The three of them are surprisingly likable after this broadcast.
• The Dusty Coughing Guy turned out to have good mental strength.
• You gotta acknowledge the Mom Buff.

Woo Ji-woo was amazed as she watched the community reactions.

"Once again, this is huge, huh? The responses are amazing. The community’s flooded with talk about the collab."

Seven of the top ten trending search terms are related to it.

[I'm not really a fan.]
"Huh? Why are you upset?"
"Woo Ji-woo, don’t be so oblivious, come here. You might cause some trouble if you don’t pay attention."

I So-hye, after banishing a few malicious viewers to the punishment room, logged out late. She played a video for Woo Ji-woo to watch.

[Conflicting Emotions][01:36]

The zombie waves stopped.
The zombies that used to come in groups of hundreds or as special zombies appeared in small numbers, and now they didn’t show up at all.

"Why do I feel even more uneasy?"
"I don’t know... Han-na is struggling... I’m going to sleep for now..."
"The last supper... The last meal of a condemned prisoner..."

Unlike the three who were dying, Ju A-young, who stuck a dagger-like wrench in her thigh band and held frozen mackerel in her hands, was buying them time to sleep.

"Where did this frozen mackerel come from?"

The world around them froze and paused, as their world turned gray.

[Receiving emergency external communication.]

• Guild Master, it’s time for the newbies to leave for the competition program. They need to prepare for the broadcast, so the collab should end here.

Min Woo-sung.
At his words, the three disciples, who had been half-asleep, cheered and hugged each other.

"Han-na might even marry the director."
"Mom, I’ll go ahead... Next time, I’ll be stronger and definitely come back to save you."
"Ji-yeon, are you crazy? You’re going to play this game again?"
"You’re leaving me behind, Mom?"
"That’s not really Mom! Get a grip!"

Ye Ji-su grabbed Cha Ji-yeon by the collar, horrified at the thought of being dragged into the game again. The desperate collar-grab led to them logging out.
The only one left was Ha Eung Eung, holding the head of a special zombie she had planned to give to Chaser 2, with her lips stretched in a small grin.

[Collab mode.]
[Players who were playing together are no longer connected (2/5).]
[The game cannot be continued.]

In the end, Ha Eung Eung had no choice but to log out, ending the broadcast.
What was she thinking? Anyone could guess without her saying a word.

[Newbies, make sure you never fail in the competition program. Haha][57]
From that day forward, it was a mandatory Zombie Hazard enlistment.

• Forced enlistment ???
• Survival for your life in the competition program, haha
• Escaping the game with a schedule excuse.
• But without a schedule, you can’t escape the game enlistment?
• Semi-forced workaholic
• Voluntary workaholic
• Zombie Hazard enlistment is scarier than a jumping rabbit, haha

The newbies, doing their best to focus on the competition program to avoid Zombie Hazard enlistment.
It was obvious that they would be watching them with contempt.

[If the schedule disappears, maybe we can play the game?]
"Are you participating as a special judge to give low scores?"

Ha Eung Eung avoided I So-hye’s gaze.
The amazing I So-hye threw in a single sentence.

"If you do that, the kids will cry. Don’t torment them with scores, just play another game."
[Let me think about it.]

She didn’t deny it.
Was she really planning to throw a score bomb?