Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

1.
Being used as a messenger wasn’t exactly something she disliked.

"The roads are blocked by monsters, but I had to personally travel overseas. It’s fine, though, I could enjoy the feeling of a vacation."
[So what’s the problem?]
"You lied."
Ujiwoo got seriously upset.
"Do you know how worried I was, thinking you were suffering, your arm hurting, and you were barely getting by?"

There was nothing to say, not even with ten mouths.
This time, Ha Eung Eung herself felt genuinely guilty.
"Do you know what it feels like to travel all over the country, getting a passport and wandering the world like a husband taking care of his pregnant wife?"
[I don't know.]
"Well, then you should reflect!"
Despite the strangely detailed rebuke mixed with fantasy, Ha Eung Eung almost tilted her head.
But she knew she had to exercise restraint sometimes.
It was inappropriate to act that way in front of Ujiwoo, who was angrily scolding her, so she swallowed the question.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"
[You were too spoiled.]
"Too spoiled?"
Maybe her sincerity came through.
This time, Ujiwoo was the one taken aback.
[I might have wanted to lean on you a little because you’re so reliable, Jiwoo.]

Ujiwoo blinked.
His eyes, which had been narrowed in anger, suddenly became large and round like a hedgehog that had seen its prey.
[From now on, I won’t be a burden.]
"No, wait... for a moment."
"?"
"Ugh, I don’t know if this is right."
Ujiwoo scratched his head, awkwardly.

"Sometimes, it’s okay."
[Really?]
"I don’t mind doing errands for you, Guildmaster. The problem was feeling betrayed."
Before Ujiwoo knew it, his anger had completely melted away.
Honestly, how could he stay mad when such a beautiful person leaned on him?
On V-Tube, there were even bizarre comments from people who wanted to be stepped on by her, like being a power line or a fence post beneath her feet.
‘If I’m this good, I must be a successful fan.’

Ujiwoo walked out of the main hall with a proud expression.
"Ponpon."
"What?"
"Forget it."
Lee So-hye passed by with a sympathetic expression, speaking just once.

"What was that? Was she asking for the dishes to be done?"
Ujiwoo naturally headed to the kitchen sink.
He was a nice person, but a little lacking. Lee So-hye decided to speak on his behalf, hoping to ease the situation.
15 minutes later, Lee So-hye left the main hall, and now Joo Ah-young looked at her with a sympathetic gaze.
"Unni, are you a Ponpon girl?"
"What?"
"I was just saying."
"No! Don’t treat me like a fool! If I’m Ponpon Lady, fine, but don’t call me Ponpon girl!"
"I heard everything, you know?"
"Hear what?! I just decided to buy some medicine and herbal supplements to help when I thought your hands might hurt!"
"...If you’re happy with that, it’s fine."
Whether So-hye or Ha Eung Eung would be happy, the fact remained that Ha Eung Eung’s "errand boy" status would continue for a while.

 
"So, when will you play the game again, unni?"
Sometimes, when dawn came, Ha Eung Eung would come out to watch Joo Ah-young’s training.
Ah-young asked her honestly.
[For now, I don’t think so.]

Ha Eung Eung felt embarrassed.
After all her boasting about becoming stronger, she had her right arm cut off in the game on the same day.
She had acted so proudly, but now her reputation had taken a hit.
How foolish would her viewers think she was?
The rumors, thinking the head of Ha Nam Pa was no big deal, would soon spread, and she couldn’t bear to show her face.
So, she had been using Ujiwoo and Lee So-hye as her errand boys lately.
Though she felt sorry for them, since they seemed happy doing it, she convinced herself it was fine.
"Don’t worry about that... Everyone’s waiting for when you’ll return, you know? Lately, you haven’t been going into Gladiator Training either."
In the martial arts world, even a master’s shame is more terrifying than being silent.
Now Ha Eung Eung understood the feeling of those who were once proud but later humiliated in front of the elders.

[Anyway, it’s too embarrassing.]
"You’re still good at catching pigeons, though. Also, who filmed that TikTok?"
[It was Gwiho. He helps me with my new technique training, and we sometimes climb buildings together
.]
Gwiho, the fearless martial artist.
He had made a name for himself by challenging cliff climbing competitions in the first martial arts tournament and even reaching the finals in the second.
Currently a senior trainee in Ha Nam Pa.
As Joo Ah-young recalled Gwiho’s resume, she realized he wasn’t someone who would mess with her unni, which gave her a sense of relief.
But still, there was a twinge of irritation.
Joo Ah-young pouted.

"I can climb buildings too."
[Then let’s go climb together next time.]
"Really? I’m so excited! Hehe."
Joo Ah-young raised her fists, arms wide, genuinely thrilled.
Suddenly, she thought about how Ujiwoo and Lee So-hye were being used as errand boys and snapped back to her senses.
‘Ugh! Unni, you really just do whatever you want and charm people without even realizing it. Is this how everyone becomes a voluntary slave?’

She had come to persuade Ha Eung Eung to play the game, but somehow, the conversation had turned into an unexpected building climbing promise.
It felt like going to see the boss and ending up with a mountain climbing agreement instead.
"Anyway! If you’re so free, why not play Mark 2? You’ve been saying you raised it like a daughter, but now you just leave it to Eve unni."
Ha Eung Eung didn’t seem too keen.
Could it be that she was really getting tired of it?
Seeing Joo Ah-young’s disappointed face, Ha Eung Eung spoke her true feelings.

[Mark 2 keeps asking for food.]
"Well, a clone is still human. Of course, it needs to eat."
[It keeps taking all my snacks.]
So, that was why she was avoiding it?!
"Really? You can fast for a month without any issues, but you can’t share a little snack? It’s one year old, Ha Eung Eung!"
[Do clones have a growth period?]
"Maybe. Anyway, you promised to take care of it, so sometimes, you should play with it too!"

Ha Eung Eung pouted.
She used her sulking face to trigger guilt in others—this was her charm, the allure of the "guilt trap."
Joo Ah-young decided to harness the strength of her training and shake off Ha Eung Eung’s tempting charm.
‘I’m glad my training is working out.’
If only she had taught her student a little slower... Ha Eung Eung now regretted how quickly her apprentice had grown stronger.

 
Gluttony, much like martial arts, is a form of growth.
When you hit a stagnation point, no matter how hard you try, it seems like you can’t get any stronger, but once the floodgates open, growth happens so fast that it’s hard to believe.
"Question: Is your mom a bear-type beastman?"
[No.]
"Observation: Bears store food for hibernation. This is not much different from your behavior."
Did they really think of her as a bear woman?
Ha Eung Eung pouted.
Lately, she found herself getting upset more often.
Unlike Ujiwoo, Lee So-hye, and Joo Ah-young, Mark 2, who was just a clone, never moved an inch.

"Request: If you’re not a bear-type beastman who hibernates, you need to give me the honey candy you took last time."
[You just want honey candy.]
"Urgency: Hurry up and give it to me. If not, Mark 2 has something to say."
Ha Eung Eung asked with an annoyed tone.
[I'm curious. What is that thought?]
"Threat: Mark 2 will... cry."
"?"
"Right in front of Eve."
"!"

Ha Eung Eung had a weakness for Eve. This psychological vulnerability was her sharpest attack!
If Joo Ah-young grew stronger from learning martial arts, Mark 2, too, learned Ha Eung Eung’s tendency to use guilt as a weapon, and now, its copy was starting to pick up the same trait.
[I'll give you the honey candy, just don't cry.]
"Confirmed. The contract has been finalized. Mark 2 is a good child who keeps promises."
At the end of the day, all these malicious acts, carried out with an innocent thought process, weren’t all that impressive.
Ha Eung Eung pretending to be her own clone, eating in nearby inns, evading the reporters lurking around Ha Nam Pa with her new techniques, pretending to be the Silent Swordsman in front of Ujiwoo—it wasn’t much compared to the enormous skill level she had attained.

‘I guess it’s natural for children to mimic their parents. I wonder if Mark 2 really sees me as its mother.’
Sometimes, Mark 2 would flash its eyes with lightning and break rocks in the yard, much like Ha Eung Eung.
Lately, it had been practicing the technique of controlling thunderclouds, not shooting beams from its fingers like she did.
Maybe breaking rocks with a beam was its way of following in Ha Eung Eung’s footsteps, trying to learn her techniques.
‘I just hope it doesn’t imitate my gluttony.’

Mark 2, with its mouth wide open, stuffed a whole honey candy in its mouth and began mumbling.
Seeing that silly face, Ha Eung Eung gently patted its head, tying its hair in a twin-tail style she learned from Joo Ah-young, and suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her.
① Mark 2 starts streaming.
② Everyone assumes it’s the Silent Swordsman streaming.
③ Freed from the humiliation of past broadcasts, it experiences a different kind of release.
Big win.
No reason not to do it.

[Would you like to try streaming too?]
Curiosity sparkled in Mark 2’s eyes as it savored the honey candy.