Chapter 74: The Tournament of Chaos

– Making Plans

She would form a faction and take Joo Ahyoung as her apprentice, awakening her internal energy and the status screen of the “Murim Secret Record,” and teach her martial arts.

Hae Eung Eung’s ambition moved Joo Ahyoung, but Han Chaerin pointed out the impracticality of such an idea.

“A guild can’t be made just because you want to. You need five C-class Awakened, and you have to deposit a bond with the association.”

That’s not all that’s needed.

There are administrative procedures, paperwork, calls with related departments, and other trivial tasks to handle,

such as finding staff to help with dungeon missions, gate tasks, and various

association tasks.

She would also need porters to collect the stones and spoils of war, and to secure legitimate trade partners who won’t undercut prices.

That means hiring salespeople.

“If you want to operate it at a decent level, you’ll need about twenty non-awakened staff members. How are you going to pay them?”

“……!”

“If you build the guild office outside of Seoul, it’ll be cheaper, but don’t expect any fancy facilities. Even if you have the money, hiring staff won’t be easy.”

The advice from a current representative of a well-known entertainment agency came with heavy facts.

“Of course, if they work under me, all these problems will be solved. I’ll give them money and fame, so gathering people and spending a bit of money shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

Faced with Han Chaerin’s confident reasoning, Joo Ahyoung began to feel small.

Someone who had seemed impressive without knowing them now felt even more so as she learned more about them. By comparison, she was just a burden to her sister. She couldn’t hide that

feeling of insecurity.

“Sister, if you’re hesitating because of me, I’m okay. I don’t want to be a hindrance, let alone not help you.”

Joo Ahyoung’s heartfelt confession only made Hae Eung Eung tilt her head in confusion.

[Five people, I already have almost all of them.]

“Huh? Who?”

Joo Ahyoung’s confusion was soon resolved.

“Is that why you called us?”

“I’m totally in favor. I’ll help with anything for Hae Eung Eung.”

Woo Jiwoo and So Kyungseok, two C-class Awakened from the association whom they had previously helped, stepped forward.

“Sister… what about the other three?”

[We’re both C-class Awakened now, so we’ve filled two positions.]

“Oh right, I forgot. What about the last one?”

[I think a public recruitment should work.]

“Awakened ones have such high pride, I’ve heard. Do you think they’ll come if you recruit them?”

Joo Ahyoung was doubtful, but Hae Eung Eung was confident.

Despite her reputation as the “Mute Swordmaster,” which made people assume she was bad at socializing, she was quite adept at finding and gathering people.

“If anything gets stuck, feel free to reach out. Remember, the contract offer is always open.”

Han Chaerin left with only a small opening, her confidence unshaken.

She didn’t think it would be difficult to deal with any challenges that might arise when the guild is actually being formed.

However, the three of them hadn’t accounted for the fact that Hae Eung Eung’s popularity was practically nonexistent, while the “Mute Swordmaster” was already well known.

Whenever the Mute Swordmaster went into hiding, viewers had grown accustomed to it and reached a level of enlightenment.

When her broadcasts ended, they would eagerly await the release of “Eom Gildong’s Mute Swordmaster Challenge,”

with Eom Gildong receiving support and constantly improving the show’s

content.

“Hey guys, long time no see? The new version 2.0 of the Mute Swordmaster Challenge is out!”

Mute Swordmaster Challenge Ver. 2.0

The new version featured a large update with three major content additions:

<Monster Realm Training>

[Monster Realm Ticket Hunting Battle]

[Monster General Infinite Counterattack]

[Sense Link Final Survivor Survival Mode]

In the new mission-achievement mode, players had to hunt ticket teams scattered across the map within a time limit.

The continuous counterattack mode against the Monster General’s rushing

attack was also added.

Along with individual records, there was also a multi-player record for more than 100 players, marking the first multi-player functionality in the Mute Swordmaster Challenge.

• Is this content real?
• Wow! It’s multi-mode!
• Ah, I can’t resist Sense Link Survival.
• A competitive mode would be perfect!
• Can’t anyone compete in this with just determination, even without good physical skills?
• What does that even mean?
• This person has definitely never tried the live broadcast Sense Link before.
• I predict they’ll get wiped in 10 seconds.
• No way!

After the association contract was signed for the Mute Swordmaster Challenge content, Eom Gildong, who had been driven by support,

launched the new version 2.0 of the challenge with a fresh map.

It marked the beginning of a new era, surpassing all the previous popularity levels.

2.

To establish a faction, I would make Joo Ahyoung my apprentice, awaken her internal energy and martial arts skills, and teach her the martial arts techniques.

Hae Eung Eung’s ambition impressed Joo Ahyoung, but it was met with criticism from Han Chaerin, who deemed it unrealistic.

“Just because you want to create a guild doesn’t mean you can do it easily. To establish a guild, you need five C-grade Awakened people, and you also need to deposit a fee with the association.”

That was just the beginning.

There were also the administrative procedures and paperwork for gates, dungeons, and association missions, and someone to handle calls with the relevant departments.

You’d also need workers to gather materials, and to secure formal business relationships rather than those that undercut prices like the association, you’d need salespeople.

“With everything considered, you’d probably need at least twenty non-Awakened employees to run this at a decent level. How do you plan to get the funds to pay their salaries?”

“……!”

“If you set up the guild office outside Seoul, the price would be cheaper, but you’d hardly expect any convenient facilities. Even if you had money, hiring employees wouldn’t be easy.”

The advice from the current CEO of a famous entertainment company was heavy with hard truths.

“Of course, if they worked under me, all of this would be taken care of. I’d give them money and fame getting a few people together and spending some money should be no problem.”

Han Chaerin’s confidence, backed by solid reasoning, made Joo Ahyoung feel increasingly small.

The person who had seemed impressive even without knowing her, became even more remarkable as Joo Ahyoung got to know her better.

Compared to Han Chaerin, was she not just a chain around her sister’s neck? She couldn’t hide her anxious feelings.

“Sister, if you’re hesitating because of me, it’s okay. I don’t want to be a hindrance, even if I can’t help.”

Joo Ahyoung’s confession was sincere, but Hae Eung Eung tilted her head in confusion.

[Five people, we’ve almost gathered them all already.]

“What? Who?”

Joo Ahyoung’s question was soon answered.

“So, that’s why you called us?”

“I’m all for it. I’ll help with anything for Hae Eung Eung.”

Two C-grade Awakened from the association, Woo Jiwoo and So Gyeongseok, who had helped them before, were called up.

“Sister… What about the other three positions?”

[Both of us are now C-grade Awakened, so we’ve filled two spots.]

“Oh right. So, what about the last one?”

[We could do an open recruitment.]

“Awakened people are known to be pretty proud. Do you think they’d come if we just recruit?”

Joo Ahyoung was skeptical, but Hae Eung Eung seemed confident.

Though she lacked the conventional skills in social relations due to her silence, Hae Eung Eung had a knack for finding and gathering people, contrary to common perceptions.

“Let me know if we run into any roadblocks. Remember, the offer for contracts is always open.”

Han Chaerin left with a parting remark, leaving a sense of lingering uncertainty. She didn’t see a need to rush things.

‘If they try to create the guild, there will be some challenges that’ll come up one by one.’

She could wait for Hae Eung Eung to ask for help. It was a done deal in her eyes.

But the three didn’t consider something: the public’s awareness of Hae Eung Eung might be near zero, but the recognition of the Silent Swordswoman was quite high.

3.

Whenever the Silent Swordswoman went underground, viewers had come to accept it as a regular occurrence, reaching a state of indifference.

Once her broadcast ended, viewers eagerly awaited the release of “Eom Gildong’s Silent Swordswoman Challenge” and threw a ton of support for it.

“Hey guys, been waiting long? The new version of Silent Swordswoman Challenge 2.0 has been released!”

With the major update in version 2.0, three key contents were added:

• <Yogye Seung>
• [Yogye Ticket Hunting]
• [Yogye General’s Infinite Charge Counterattack]
• [Sense Link Final Survivor Mode]

In this update, players must hunt down ticket teams spread across the map in the mission mode, counter the charging attack of the Yogye General in continuous parrying mode, and enjoy the game’s first-ever multiplayer mode, “Sense Link Survival.”

• “Is this real? This is insane!”
• “Wow! Multiplayer mode!”
• “I can’t resist the Sense Link Survival.”
• “The competitive mode is so fun!”
• “Anyone can challenge it without needing insane skills, just pure perseverance, right?”

Following the association’s contract signing and constant pressure from donations, Eom Gildong, the developer of Silent Swordswoman, released version 2.0, taking his popularity to a new level and marking a new golden age for the game.

“12,000 average viewers? Did Silent Swordswoman really make him that rich?”

When you streamed and your average viewers fell below 100, people called your stream a “shack,” while if it was below 1,000, it was a small business. A stream with below 10,000 viewers was considered a mid-sized company, and anything above that could be considered a large corporation.

Eom Gildong had broken through his long period as a mid-tier streamer and had now grown his stream to the size of a major corporation.

“Wow, if I see this guy in person, I’ll have to bow down and show my respect. He’s really paved a solid path for his future.”

“Hey, with more participants now, I can’t even rank properly. Too many hardcore streamers just playing Silent Swordswoman and eating snacks!”

Among them, a group of around a hundred streamers, self-proclaimed as the “Silent Swordsman Fan Club,” began to spread like wildfire, showing their support for the game.

The sheer number of people playing “Silent Swordswoman Challenge Ver. 2.0” far surpassed the initial version’s popularity, as the game’s updated mechanics provided much more exciting content.

• “Look at Gildong, he’s becoming irrelevant.”
• “But still, Gildong was the Season 1 runner-up in the Hall of Fame!”
• “Made a donation of 10,000 won out of respect for him.”

Eom Gildong, who had been at the center of this massive wave of support, began his new career, receiving a lot of recognition.

3.

As the days went by, the anticipation grew, but the recruitment post remained open even after five days, with the number of applicants steadily increasing.

Naturally, there was no response to Eom Gildong’s comment from the Silent Swordswoman.

4.

The idea to post a recruitment announcement came from Joo Ahyoung.

“Unni, I heard you’re really popular in the game. How about posting a recruitment announcement this time?”

“???”

“Oh, I guess you don’t know how to do it. You were training in the mountains, and you said you just came down this year, right?”

Recalling Hae Eung Eung’s excuse about her lack of modern knowledge due to her “21st-century mountain training,” Joo Ahyoung assumed she understood and boldly extended her hand.

“Wait a second. Let me borrow your phone. I’ll write the recruitment announcement for you.”

Joo Ahyoung had an ulterior motive as well. She wanted to check out the content her sister was broadcasting on V-tube. She hadn’t been able to keep up with the broadcasts because she had been too busy training to awaken her powers.

“I haven’t been able to watch broadcasts because I was too busy training to become an Awakened. Now I want to learn more about Unni.”

Though it was a bit of a shy desire, Joo Ahyoung’s courageous action led to a shocking truth.

“Unni, why are there no videos?”

“???”

“You don’t post videos? What about the editor?”

“???”

“No editor? You just broadcast?”

“???”

“You don’t even broadcast? Oh, just occasionally?”

Joo Ahyoung, who had already collected a hook from the Silent Swordswoman, was a little disappointed but still went ahead and posted the recruitment announcement.

It wasn’t all bad, though. If the videos hadn’t been uploaded yet, it meant there was nothing about her sister that Joo Ahyoung didn’t know yet. This removed any feeling of longing.

“So, how many people will you be choosing, Unni?”

[One person will be enough.]

“But Unni… people are already flooding in…?”

Comments began pouring in at an overwhelming rate. Some were even suspicious, asking for account details under the pretext of contracts.

“Is this really okay, Unni…?”

[Don’t worry. If too many people come in, there’s a way to handle it.]

Even in the martial arts world, such things happened. When Hae Eung Eung had rebuilt the Haenam Sect, many people had flocked to her, seeking her help to repay the favors of the Haenam Sect.

Hae Eung Eung had experience leading the rebuilt Haenam Sect as both its founder and leader.

Later on

Eom Gildong was blocked.
Eom Gildong was reported.
Reason: Unwanted commercial content or spam.

First, the suspicious comments asking for account details were blocked.

[We’ll hold a tournament in one month.]

“Huh?”

[When people gather, it’s common sense to decide with a martial arts tournament.]

Based on that “common sense” (or not), a month-long reckless recruitment period was set, and a tournament would be held to choose a winner.

“This doesn’t seem right…”

[Trust me. This is the right way.]

“Well, if Unni says so, I guess it must be true!”

The event began, which was bound to be frustrating not only for the applicants but also for the viewers.