Chapter 22: The Final Countdown

– Artistic Timing

1.

They say no practice is as efficient as real combat.

Kangho’s old saying hit Hae Eung Eung with new force.

She had been stuck at the 7-star level.

Her sluggish training had finally broken through.

In just a week, she had achieved the 10-star level.

‘I knew I should have used internal energy.’

She had restrained herself out of fear of burdening those around her.

But using internal energy in her sound-based martial arts had significantly contributed to her improvement.

[It’s served me well.]

“Are you leaving already? You still have a few more days left to use it…”

[I’ve achieved the level I was aiming for.]

The manager, with a look full of regret and apology, soon bowed his head.

“I’m sorry about last time. I knew it was an unjust situation, but I couldn’t help you…”

[It’s fine. It wasn’t a situation where a civilian could interfere.]

“Still, it doesn’t ease my conscience. I can’t offer much, but if you ever need help in this industry, please reach out to me.”

[I will.]

“I’m not just saying that. Yoonju and Hyeonjeong, who debuted under Midas Entertainment, were both people I recommended. I can definitely help you with an entertainment debut.”

The manager, feeling guilty for not being able to help more, promised his assistance.

As Hae Eung Eung was leaving the practice room, another person quickly caught her attention.

“You don’t have to worry too much about the Myungho Guild.”

“???”

It was Park Ji-o, a shy man she frequently ran into at the smoking area, saying something unexpected.

“The entertainment industry is much bigger than a single neighborhood. If enough pressure is applied, they won’t be able to recklessly cause trouble.”

[Thank you.]

“N-No problem. I’m saying this purely out of goodwill, no bad intentions.”

[I’ll accept your goodwill with gratitude.]

“Anytime! If those Myungho Guild jerks bother you again, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll come running to help you!”

They only had casual encounters while smoking together, but did it warrant such dedication?

Still, there was no need to embarrass someone offering help.

Hae Eung Eung nodded lightly, and Park Ji-o smiled with satisfaction before heading back to the practice room.

‘As expected, it was a game. The keyword to (attack strategy) for this aloof person is…’

Feeling relieved after securing the final button, Jang Geon-young parted ways, satisfied.

Leaving behind the short connections made in the practice room, Haeung also quickened his steps.

The intense training period.

The end of four weeks of long training.

The time had come to assess the results of that achievement.

*

“Hey, you crazy people! Stop raising the bar, stop! How can you run a simulation all day long!!”

Uhm Gildong, who had put in the most attempts and was more serious than anyone about the “Silent Swordsman Catch-up Simulation,” set a miraculous new record, only for Lee Haechan and Lee Dahye to knock him back down to third place within three minutes.

-Mobius Ranking

-Three-minute reign

-This really makes my heart swell.

-What are they doing to take it this far?

He made up his mind.

He couldn’t let things continue like this.

Due to these two swordsmen crazed with ranking competition, he decided a time limit was needed.

Thus, an update was made.

Silent Swordsman Catch-up ver. 1.01

A new category called the “Hall of Fame” was added.

[Time remaining until Hall of Fame Season 1 registration]

[168:00:00]

168 hours. A week-long time limit.

A concept patch that condensed a limitless grind into a one-week competition!

Thanks to this, the ranking battle grew even fiercer.

“I’m going to take down Lee Haechan no matter what!”

“Why did I provoke him? Why is this person so persistent?”

Two streamers unable to stop, driven purely by pride.

Lee Haechan and Lee Dahye both entered their final sprint for the last week.

They reduced their sleeping hours and even canceled some of their content, intensifying the ranking battle as if they were burning not just their lives but their very souls.

The streamers who had long given up on the rankings watched the spectacle and began placing bets.

“Who’s going to win?”

“It has to be Lee Haechan . He’s got the experience. He often took first place in the streamer swordsmanship competitions, remember?”

“This time, Lee Dahye is different. She’s in full awakened mode, so her skills are even better than usual. Honestly, even that 35 consecutive parry combo was legendary.”

If you play Silent Swordsman Catch-up long enough, you naturally develop the physical prowess of a silent swordsman.

While Lee Haechan relied on his basic skills to achieve that level of physicality,

Lee Dahye mastered the technique of perfectly parrying every attack to rival that physicality.

“What about Uhm Gildong?”

“He’s just… an unfortunate case.”

-Unfortunate case

-Don’t disrespect our Gildong!

-Enter the Uhm Gildong

-They roast him on stream, but defend him outside. Is this that famous tsundere act?

-The only ones allowed to roast Gildong are us, the Uhm Gildong!!

-Just trolling

Lee Haechan 7, Lee Dahye 3.

Many were betting on Lee Haechan ’s victory, with fewer people placing their bets on Lee Dahye.

Though the gap wasn’t huge, they were the two contenders considered favorites to win.

Occasionally, gamblers aiming for a huge payoff would mention Uhm Gildong’s name, but…

“I just did this yesterday, so why! Why has my body forgotten it overnight!! Aaaagh!!!”

Silent Swordsman Catch-up, which required extreme physicality, was too hard for Uhm Gildong, who was more of a brain-over-brawn type.

And so, the week passed in a flash.

With less than an hour left before the Hall of Fame’s deadline,

While Lee Dahye struggled desperately for a last-minute comeback, Lee Haechan sat back and watched her stream, having already thrown in the towel.

<Donation from K-Swordmaster Lee Haechan : 10,000 KRW!>

Even I think I did too well. I don’t think I can break my own record, so I’ll just watch, kekkurubingbong.

“Just sit back and wait! I’ll be slicing through that high-and-mighty nose of yours soon enough.”

-Not the neck, but the nose

-Ah… but Lee Haechan ’s record is really insane thoughㅠ

-Sis, I think we’re screwed

Lee Haechan had every reason to be confident.

[Overall Ranking]

[RANK 01. K-Swordmaster Lee Haechan ]

[Detailed Record]

[Time record: 92 seconds / Remaining enemies: 7 ghosts / Rowboat: heavily damaged]

[Cause of death: sword broke during battle]

If only the durability of his sword hadn’t run out,

It was a record so incredible that he might’ve cleared the stage.

Even though she talked big,

Lee Dahye herself felt the limits of her abilities.

She couldn’t catch up.

[RANK 02. Fully Awakened 6-Star Hero Lee Dahye]

[Detailed Record]

[Time record: 88 seconds / Remaining enemies: 15 ghosts / Rowboat: completely destroyed]

[Cause of death: unable to block the concentrated attack from the ghosts on the rowboat]

67 seconds, 32 enemies, and the rowboat’s destruction.

Compared to her first-day record, it was vastly improved.

But there were still limits.

The boat shook unexpectedly.

Her sword missed its mark.

Her feet slipped.

Fighting 64 ghosts on a narrow rowboat

required incredible focus.

No amount of effort could eliminate hUhman error;

the only thing effort could do was reduce the frequency of mistakes

and increase the opportunities to kill a ghost in one strike.

Unforeseen accidents happened every game.

When mistakes piled up, the boat would break,

or she’d die from a counterattack,

or her weapon would break, leading to inevitable death.

Above all, the synchronization rate setting was notoriously difficult.

[Restriction: MaximUhm 40%] Synchronization rate

[Standard Capsule Model]

How can such extreme efficiency be achieved with a synchronization rate this low?

It seemed like Lee Haechan had grasped the know-how, but Lee Dahye hadn’t even gotten a clue.

“I’ve lost. I can’t win this.”

With Lee Dahye’s declaration of surrender, Lee Haechan’s victory became a foregone conclusion.

As the chatroom exploded with cheers after the winner and loser were decided:

-?

-?

-Wow!

-Is this for real?

-Wow, unbelievable hUhman victory!

Just when everyone thought it was over, there was a sudden twist at the very last moment.

[RANK 01. K-CopyNinja Uhm Gildong 2495th attempt] (Clear!)

[Detailed Record]

[Time: 99 seconds / Remaining Soul Demons: 0 / Damaged Ferry]

The first clear achievement for “Chasing the Silent Swordsman” was claimed!

Uhm Gildong, the master of tech-copying with only brainpower, had finally caught up to the Silent Swordsman.

“Wow, I have to admit it. He really got me this time.”

Even Lee Haechan, who had been leisurely enjoying the competition, couldn’t help but acknowledge Uhm Gildong’s efforts. Rather than feeling upset, he respected the dedication Gildong had shown.

Both Lee Haechan and Lee Dahye went to Uhm Gildong’s stream to send congratulatory donations, but what greeted them was Uhm Gildong roaring at his viewers.

“Left arm off! Right arm off! Rent off! I even beat my own lust!!”

-LOL

-“Uhm Gildong’s Left Arm” (Rank 95) “Uhm Gildong’s Right Arm” (Rank 74) “Uhm Gildong’s Rent” (Rank 33) “Uhm Gildong’s Lust” (Rank 15)

-Wait, when did lust rank this high? LOL

-Legit terrifying LOL

-As Uhm Gildong grew stronger, so did his lust, real-time LOL

-Oscar-worthy supporting role

-He almost got ruined for real LOL

The chatroom, filled with hardcore fans, was buzzing with excitement. The two streamers, having participated in the rank competition, only smiled awkwardly, deciding that it was safer to quickly send their donations and leave.

However, just five minutes before the stream was about to end, another unexpected turn of events occurred.

[RANK 01. SpeedMaster] (CLEAR!)

[Detailed Record]

[Time: 52 seconds / Remaining Soul Demons: 0 / Damaged Ferry]

The undisputed top physical streamer in Korea, SpeedMaster, had climbed to first place on his very first attempt, crushing Uhm Gildong’s score with an overwhelming record.

“No way, what the hell is this?”

“52 seconds? Did I see that right, everyone?”

“Aaaaaahhhh!”

The three streamers and their viewers were thrown into shock and confusion. 25,000 people flocked to SpeedMaster’s stream.

He had utterly dominated the “Chasing the Silent Swordsman” challenge, decimating the main contenders with his incredible skills.

A disruptor of the ecosystem had arrived!

“I had some fun. It felt like playing Whack-a-Mole again, but it was too predictable, so I won’t play too much.”

To top it off, his casual remark added insult to injury. Uhm Gildong, who was watching with a half-dazed expression, mUhmbled in defeat, unable to hide his despair.

“But if you say it like that, what does that make me?”

-LOL

-“The one who played the most predictable game” LOL

-Is this what they call the talent gap?

-Man, that was brutal.

-Why is an adult crashing a children’s game? LOL

Feeling like all hope was lost, Uhm Gildong ended his stream in the worst condition of his life, even worse than when he first started and got verbally abused by viewers.

Maybe I should drink.

That day, after abstaining from alcohol for a whole year, he craved a drink more than ever.

[New VTuber Streamer]

[Silent Swordsman has started a stream.]

[Game: “Half-Demon Melody” (Similar Corp.)]

[Playtime – 00:52:11]

[Broadcast Time – 00:00:01]

“Huh?”

Just as Uhm Gildong and the other rank challengers were sinking into despair, the Silent Swordsman began his stream after a month-long break.

It was the moment signaling the end of his concentration training period after four weeks.