Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 68

1.

The 2nd generation Awakened, Shin Seonggak.
His life had been tumultuous.

"Ten years ago, no one could have predicted that the world would be like this now."

The unknown threats of the Gate and Monsters.
To stop them, Awakened individuals had to be deployed beyond the Gates.
Humanity had to do its best to survive,
and in the process, the rights of the Awakened, who were nothing more than weapons, were mercilessly trampled.

• "We will no longer bow to the government’s unjust pressure. I, Park Jae-ho, will create a world where Awakened individuals can live as human beings."
• "Uncle, please, just look once. We're soldiers. We had no choice but to follow what the country told us to do. Please... cough!"
• "Thank you, Shin Seonggak. Thanks to you holding the line, we were able to safely send the special forces and force the ruling party leader to unconditionally surrender. You did what you had to do."

He constantly reminded himself, night after night,
that he had not done wrong.

"I’ve killed so many. So many have died."

The political world, which had tried to suppress the demands of the Awakened by using the military,
and the revolutionary Park Jae-ho, who became the 2nd president of the Awakened Association,
led the Rights Revolution after many Awakened and soldiers died.
Only after countless soldiers and Awakened had died
did they finally harvest the fruits of that bloodshed.

"Stepping on the sacrifice of the dead, the Association took power, and the Guild also earned recognition and was allocated administrative districts, growing massively."

The war fought under the name of revolution
in which only three A-rank Awakened and twenty B-rank Awakened of the Myungho Guild were mobilized.
The long civil war ended with the surrender of the ruling party leader and senior congressmen,
and after the military’s repeated failures to defend against monster raids,
public opinion heavily shifted toward the Awakened, resulting in their victory.

"It was truly a peaceful ten years."

Through the Association,
the Awakened built their own independent information network, administrative systems,
and organized teams to send to the Gates.
They established laws and regulations,
guaranteeing the human rights of the Awakened who had once been exposed to countless crimes and death,
which in turn sharply increased the Gate closure rates and overall performance.
As they regained stability from the dangers of monsters,
the national economy and social development also began to recover,
allowing for the South Korea of 2050 to be born.

"And in such a peaceful era, there were dark secrets that came to light."

Shin Seonggak, holding a single malt whiskey with a subtle fruity aroma, poured it into a glass on a frosty glass surface.
He pointed to the opposite sofa, directing the silent intruder to sit comfortably.

"Come, sit. You’ll be able to see it better."

If you’re scared, you can leave, no need to say anything more.
The intruder stepped forward and sat on the sofa,
and under the dim light that spread from the whiskey bottle on the table,
Shin Seonggak’s face was finally revealed when the intruder sat down across from him.

"They call it magic disease. It’s why many powerful Awakened retire and end up as old, useless people."

With a cracked face like a cracked clay floor and
a metallic hand holding the glass, his skin was tough and hard like metal.
He looked like someone suffering from a rare disease,
a unique sight of a person with deteriorating health.

"This is the end result for the hardened Awakened, who were supposed to control the world. The magic that seemed to give them everything, now binds their life. We call this the end point."

"...."

"Once the end point arrives for an Awakened, they must level up to regain their previous health. But the experience points required increase exponentially the higher the level goes."

"...."

"If you try to use your magic to level up, the magic disease gets worse, and your remaining lifespan shortens. It’s a never-ending cycle of deterioration."

Shin Seonggak.
A deep sense of regret flooded his face for the first time.

"This power was only supposed to be used against monsters. All the time wasted fighting with our own kind, losing the time I should’ve spent moving forward... this is the result."

"...."

"How about you? How much time have you wasted with that body of yours? Can you tell how much time you have left before your end point comes?"

"...."

"How cold. Even after listening to the words of an industry senior, you remain silent. Are you planning to fight after all?"

Shin Seonggak realized.
Just like in his youth, when he didn’t yield to any external pressure or mediation for the Association’s justice,
this nighttime guest in front of him wouldn’t leave easily either.

"If this is a fight I can’t avoid, then I’ll accept it."

A long sigh escaped his lungs,
and just as the dying man, waiting only for death, suddenly stood up,
his presence surged, like a giant rising from the ground,
threatening to crush the ceiling and stamp on the house.

A fortress.

With the presence of a solid fortress,
Shin Seonggak slammed his two fists together with a loud thud.

"Your only chance to kill me was to strike while I was talking. Now that you’ve missed that opportunity, the odds are gone."

"...."

"Out of kindness for listening to a long story, I won’t take your life. But you must prepare to suffer a little."

The 2nd generation hardened Awakened Shin Seonggak.
Once called the "Mobile Fortress,"
one of the top five main tanks in Korea,
he rose to his feet.

Since Ha Eun-eung's return to the real world,
the true battle, the real fight, had begun for the first time.

2.

Unlike the Awakened of the lower ranks,
the Executive-level Awakened, Shin Seonggak,
lived in a massive mansion spanning over 100 pyeong.
Perhaps due to his pride as a B-rank Awakened who didn’t need protection,
his mansion had no bodyguards, and he lived there alone.

"Are you sure you’ll be okay alone? I may be lacking in skill, but my paralysis poison could be a useful variable."
[Just stay out of my way. Please wait until I come out.]
"If you don't come out within an hour, what should I do then?"

Ha Eun-eung stood outside, staring at the mansion that radiated an ominous aura.
She tore off a piece of her notepad and wrote a message.

[Please tell Ah-Young. Tell her to accept my inheritance.]

When the blind Seok looked up, only the shaking branches and the tall walls were left behind.

"An ominous feeling."

The enormous, menacing aura radiated from the mansion.
It was reminiscent of the poisonous power from the Poison King Sect,
where the land beneath your feet would rot and crumble.
Unlike mindless Awakened who swung their magic like a mere quantity,
Ha Eun-eung, a master of energy control, could clearly sense it.

"That ominous power... it’s experience points. This is the result of recklessly accumulating that cursed energy."

Her expectations were confirmed.
Shin Seonggak.
He was already a ticking time bomb,
waiting only for the inevitable end.
At the same time, it became clear to her that he had no strength to participate in the criminal activities of the Myungho Guild.

"How cold. Even after hearing the words of an industry senior, you remain silent. Are you planning to fight?"

She knew he wasn’t at fault.
This fight...
If she wished, she could avoid it.
But the Myungho Guild had already crossed the line.
They tried to cover up a guild member's crime with power and violence,
and when that failed, they framed her beloved younger sibling.

"There’s only one way to settle a grudge in the Murim."

Not with the laws of the court or the teachings of Confucius,
but by setting her own justice with her sword.

"Out of kindness for listening to a long story, I won’t take your life. But you must prepare to suffer a little."

It began with the activation of Shin Seonggak’s Awakened ability.
The heavy energy that had been pressing down on his body
compressed and interlocked like bricks,
forming a massive mana wall.

<Awakened Ability - Stone Wall>
<Evolution Trait - Instant Manifestation (E)>
<Evolution Trait - Scale Enhancement (D)>

The massive mana wall, invisible to the eyes but sensed through the spiritual energy,
began pushing toward Ha Eun-eung.

Crash!

The floor cracked, the ceiling split,
and with a rough push, the wall came at her,
as Ha Eun-eung’s sword sliced sharply in a diagonal line,
cutting through the seams between the bricks three times.

The stone wall collapsed in a triangle.
The center, where the mana connection was severed,
easily crumbled in front of Ha Eun-eung’s charge.

"Such a sloppy technique. It lacks the density of internal energy or the ability to sustain it. But, its originality is undeniable, and it’s completely useless once cut."

Ha Eun-eung calmly assessed Shin Seonggak’s weakness,
and raised her sword toward his neck,
only to suddenly narrow her eyes.

"You managed to break through the wall. For someone so young, that’s impressive. I’ll commend you for it."

"....!"

"The wall is something I can rebuild anytime, but breaking through it once is still an achievement."

Beyond the shattered wall,
an even larger mana wall rushed toward her.

‘Resource consumption is low.’
While his reckless accumulation of energy had stolen his health and freedom,
it had its advantages.
With an enormous amount of mana,
he was now able to freely unfold his abilities.

Huff.

With a long exhale,
Shin Seonggak immediately entered a breathless state,
making sure the air in his lungs did not stir.

<Haebok Paengga, Second Level Martial Arts>
<Altered Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Sword>

The martial arts taught to her by Paeng Cheol-san from the Haebok Paengga,
despite being incomplete due to time constraints,
still contained the explosive strength of Paengga’s signature destructive force.

Crack!

Her sword shattered the larger wall in one strike,
and beyond the broken walls, Shin Seonggak’s face showed no sign of surprise.

"Impressive swordsmanship. But it’s still far from comparing to the walls of this retired old man."

There was no surprise in his voice.

<Awakened Ability - Stone Wall>
<Evolution Trait - Multi-Generation (C)>

Beyond the shattered wall,
a dozen layers of walls, like earthquake waves,
compressed into springs in front of his hand.
With a single gesture, they simultaneously surged toward her.

‘That young one had quite a bit of talent.’

Shin Seonggak felt regret.
If this young one hadn’t come at him with the intention to kill,
his talent would have surely blossomed.

But by challenging a dying man,
he had closed the door to his own future.

‘She won’t die, but she’ll probably lose an arm.’

A martial arts-based Awakened ability,
able to destroy walls made of rock with a single strike,
was not something a simple warrior could defend against.

Thud.

The thick dust spread,
and through the dimly lit room,
the uncertainty began to show in Shin Seonggak’s eyes.

The right arm hung limp, and though she was injured,
Ha Eun-eung didn’t flee. Instead, she stood before him again.

"Are you really going to end it with death?"

With her left hand gripping the sword,
she prepared for another strike,
facing him with the same calm resolve.