Martial Arts Returnee's Game Broadcast-Chapter 386: The Collision Speeds Up
1.
Spending money guarantees victory.
Pay-to-win users trust in that belief, pouring in absurd amounts of money.
But sometimes, that trust gets shattered.
Like when someone, through sheer luck, contracts a much higher-ranked spirit with a single pull.
[Disciple has failed to achieve a 15-win streak in the Eppel Region Gold League Finals.]
Or when a heavily invested disciple fails to win the league.
"Ha? You gotta be kidding me."
"What's wrong?"
"A disciple I paid a fortune for lost in the finals. Wasn't he supposed to be the best of his tier?"
"Could you tell me the name of the opponent? It might have been a player hired by one of the top ten guilds."
"Hold on. I'll check now."
Finding the records wasn't difficult.
As Yoon A-san browsed the notification logs, there was only one glaring red "LOSE" alert breaking the streak of blue "WIN" notifications.
"The opponent was someone named ."
"...Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"This might be troublesome, but could you use the and share the scanned information with me?"
"Not a problem."
As soon as the verification order was torn, additional details popped up.
[Disciple Contract Verification Order]
Disciple Name - Royal Heimer
Master Name - Baek So-cheon
Baek So-cheon. No doubt about it.
An S-rank Awakener and former top-three executive of the Association, now affiliated with the Hae-nam Sect.
This wasn't some player hired by the top ten guilds.
"This is a hassle, but could I ask for one last check? Please use the to verify Royal Heimer’s status. This is a measure to detect any false identities or disguises."
[Designated Target Status Inspection Order]
Name - Royal Heimer
Rank - SSR
Affiliation - Azure Dragon Knights
Position - Commander
Class - Royal Guard, Guardian Knight, Lance Master
Level - 550
"Information shared. Recipient: Ma Chief."
Ma Chief, upon reviewing the shared data, couldn't suppress a deep sigh.
"We've been played."
"What do you mean?"
"Robert is the vice-commander of the Azure Dragon Knights. Royal Heimer is the commander. His rank, level, and skills are all on another level."
"Ma Chief, you have a talent for pissing me off. Didn’t I specifically ask you to show me the highest-spec disciples I could hire?"
"And Robert was the highest-spec NPC available for hire."
"Then what the hell is this commander guy?"
Ma Chief barely concealed his frustration.
"A character that can't be hired with money. He’s a hidden NPC with undisclosed recruitment conditions, one that no player had unlocked yet."
"Find an alternative."
"Strong NPCs are difficult to contract through standard means, but if we meet certain exceptional and highly demanding conditions, they sometimes accept conditional contracts."
For a knight-class character, the likely requirements were threefold:
Being a noble lady sworn to protection by a Guardian Knight.Being an honorable individual worthy of a knight’s loyalty.Being strong enough to earn the knight’s recognition.
"Wait a second—I just remembered something. Baek So-cheon... That’s him, right? The S-rank Awakener they used to call Baek the Grandmaster in the Association?"
"That’s correct."
"The bastard used underhanded tactics. Since he lacked financial resources, he just crushed a top-tier NPC through sheer power and took him as a disciple."
"......."
Hiring with money wasn’t underhanded?
Ma Chief held his tongue, though the words itched to come out. Meanwhile, Yoon A-san issued a command.
"How do we steal him?"
"Defeat Baek So-cheon in battle. If he loses, his disciple contract gets nullified. If we raise our spirit specs and affinity, we might be able to take him down with spirit assistance."
"......Any other way?"
Coward.
Ma Chief gauged Yoon A-san’s hesitancy and offered another option.
"You can defeat the commander directly and convince him to switch masters. If multiple candidates fulfill the contract conditions, the commander can choose his own master."
"Can’t I just use seduction?"
"...Excuse me?"
"You said a noblewoman sworn to protection by a Guardian Knight could make a contract. I’m not exactly lacking in charm, am I?"
"...That’s true. The commander would probably fall for it, haha."
"Ma Chief, you answered a second too late."
This month's bonus—revoked.
At Yoon A-san’s icy words, Ma Chief shut his eyes tightly.
2.
While the top ten guilds were throwing cash at their problems, Baek So-cheon and the Hae-nam Sect executives were busy tracking down famous NPCs across different regions.
"Would you care for a duel?"
A normal player would have been ignored or kicked out, but martial artists weren’t normal players.
No one called a player who could leap over a building’s entrance with Qinggong at level 1 and land in the middle of the training hall a beginner.
"You are strong."
"Keep your promise."
"Very well. If you achieve 100 victories in the arena, I will come to you. At that time, I will accept your rematch request."
[Defeated Commander in battle.]
[A special contract with has been formed.]
[ has become your disciple.]
Overwhelming skill doesn’t require money.
Even without wealth to farm titles and ranking points, pure strength alone was enough to claim the best disciples.
Royal Heimer’s point earnings alone rivaled those contributed by dozens of disciples combined.
"Is this game’s boss monster?"
"It's number 67 on the list of 100 boss monsters personally compiled by Lee So-hye."
"Hmm. Let’s test its power."
The middle-upper tier boss monster, Gluttonous Maw, required high-level disciples to even stand a chance in the arena.
It rolled forward like a giant ball, flinging itself with an open maw.
Its unpredictable movements and bite attack were so devastating that even a heavily armored warrior could be ripped apart instantly.
Absolute Fist Art
Yin-Yang Five Elements Praying Mantis Fist
Left Technique - Ice-Cold Annihilation
Absolute Fist Art
Yin-Yang Five Elements Praying Mantis Fist
Right Technique - Fiery Scorching Fist
Instead of dodging or using invincibility frames, Baek So-cheon defied common sense.
His left hand froze, and his right hand burned as he crushed both of Gluttonous Maw’s cheeks.
Sssshhhh!
A temperature so extreme that no biological cells could withstand it seared through the monster's flesh—both inside and out.
[HP - 99%]
[HP - 87%]
[HP - 44%]
[HP - 12%]
Its health bar plummeted at an unnatural rate.
"Holy—wait! Watch out! In its final phase, it spawns a second mouth inside its—"
[HP - 0%]
The inner jaws meant to execute a final attack shattered into dust.
[Dungeon Boss defeated solo.]
[Acquired Title .]
[Acquired <Gluttonous Maw’s Hunt Emblem>.]
[Stored 1 Boss Monster Hunt Emblem.]
[Acquired Title .]
[+0.1% damage against boss monsters.]
Baek So-cheon frowned.
"Pathetic durability. Qi deviation or not, at least demons have some resistance. This thing’s barely a B+ ranked boss at best."
The guild members who had followed him fell into silent despair.
"Something wrong?"
"N-No, sir..."
They had spent years grinding just to take down a single boss, and he annihilated it in seconds.
But Baek So-cheon found this game’s difficulty impressive instead.
"If this is mid-tier, how strong are high-tier and top-tier bosses?"
And beyond that—the Untouchable-class world bosses?
Just as he pondered the implications, a storm of screams erupted from the opposite corridor.
Something terrifying was approaching.
2.
Screams.
Agonized wails echoed closer, swallowed by a storm of destruction rampaging from the opposite corridor.
"Aaaargh—!"
"Kuwaaagh—!"
A massacre.
A monstrous force was butchering everything in its path.
"Kiieeek!!"
A giant beast-type monster came charging in their direction, its weapons discarded, its eyes filled with absolute terror.
Panicked, it clawed at the dungeon walls, desperately attempting to dig through the stone—because whether it turned back or went forward, death awaited.
Whooooosh—!
From deep within the corridor, a devastating slash surged forward, splitting the ceiling and floor apart as it erased the beast into bloody mist.
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BOOM!
Drip. Drip.
Through the shower of blood and torn flesh, Baek So-cheon recognized the approaching unwelcome presence.
"Guild Master of the Taebaek Guild, Kang Tae-baek. Never thought I’d run into you here."
"Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s fight."
Crack. Crackle.
Kang Tae-baek’s arms doubled in size, veins bulging.
He made no attempt to hide his battle intent.
"The fastest way to get stronger is by hunting dungeon bosses. I knew the so-called ‘supreme martial artists’ of Hae-nam Sect would choose this method."
Only those with absolute confidence in their own strength would make such a reckless gamble.
"You predicted our movements well. With a hundred dungeon bosses in play, pinpointing our exact location couldn’t have been easy."
"Actually, I just followed your broadcast."
"...Broadcast?"
Kang Tae-baek’s gaze drifted toward Baek So-cheon’s subordinates.
And in that moment—the silent accusation spread through the air.
Which dumbass pulled this stunt?
"If you step forward now, I’ll consider reducing your salary cut to six months."
One person hesitantly raised their hand.
"...I’m sorry. It was me."
"Why?"
"I was hoping to get over 100,000 subscribers on my VTuber channel... You know, our guild is kind of famous for streaming. Plus, it makes some good money on the side."
"......."
"Oh! Could you say ‘Ne-gwi-e-ding-ding-ding’ just once? ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) If you do, I get a 100,000-won mission donation—"
A terminally ill case of streaming addiction had just orchestrated a direct confrontation between an elite martial artist of Hae-nam Sect and the Guild Master of Taebaek.
The viewers were ecstatic.
Meanwhile, everyone in the dungeon just wanted to die.
Even Kang Tae-baek, for a brief moment, wondered—
"What kind of f*ing idiot did I just run into?"**
