Chapter 23: The Speedrun Challenge: Reckless vs. Impossible

-The Silent Swordmaster Returns and Updates the Legend

1.

[You have cleared the second field, Blood Dune Canal.]

[The event count for all fields has increased by 1.]

[Sometimes, you must strategically attack other fields rather than the one in front of you.]

The viewers weren’t particularly generous, especially when it came to a month-long unannounced break.

However, the topic of discussion stayed alive, thanks to the Silent Swordmaster, and the notorious Speedmaster’s antics made the viewers’ heads throb. In comparison, the Silent Swordmaster didn’t seem as malicious.

“Is that the Silent Swordmaster? It’s been a while since I watched someone else’s stream.”

Even Speedmaster was watching the Silent Swordmaster’s stream with his countless viewers. As a result, the Silent Swordmaster’s third live broadcast had already surpassed 5,000 viewers without him even realizing it.

– Sensei, why are you suddenly spying?

– We’re grateful, but lol why are you like this? Haha

– Did you finally open your eyes to reason?

– lolol our Sensei is gay, he doesn’t even hold hands with women.

– What about last month when you watched that sexy cam stream live?

“I got a little curious. If he managed to pull off that mole-whacking game, he must have some sense.”

Speedmaster was known to be cautious about controversy. He didn’t even appear on broadcasts that might spark drama.

Even when a massive scandal involving 13 virtual tube female streamers sent male streamers spiraling down, not a single streamer that Speedmaster regularly watched got into trouble. His reputation for only tuning into clean broadcasts spread.

Fans of the Silent Swordmaster’s stream cheered when they heard the news.

– Breaking news: Speedmaster is watching Silent Swordmaster’s stream.

– Wow, certified as a clean stream after just the third broadcast?

– Our host may be a jerk, but he’s never caused any issues.

– He’s been grinding for a month, how could there not be issues lololol.

– Of course, of course.

Lee Haechan and Lee Dahye were also watching in real-time, and both audiences showed great interest. Though only one person was streaming, it felt like three broadcasts were simultaneously viewing one.

In this peculiar scenario, the Silent Swordmaster faced a choice screen.

【Path Selection】

[1. Head downstream, beyond the Blood Dune Canal.]

[2. Go back and head to the collapsed fortress.]

[3. Find the entrance to the shrine with the crimson torii.]

And with choices came an inevitable flood of backseat gaming. No stream was exempt from this.

– There’s no way anyone sane would head downstream lol.

– The forest lol, the swamp lol.

– Wait?? Why is the shrine entrance still there even though he cleared the Blood Dune Canal? Is it a bug??

– So he cleared it without using the antidote for the poison?

– Wow, did Silent Swordmaster do something even Speedmaster couldn’t?

“Is he crazy? Clearing it without the antidote for the poison is really annoying. Did he not know the strategy?”

Speedmaster was feeling slightly bewildered. Though he enjoyed the challenge, Half-Symphony wasn’t an easy game.

“If he cleared the Blood Dune Canal, he should’ve learned something by now. Heading downstream sounds rough. Only someone at my level could clear it effortlessly.”

– Ew, gross.

– Sensei’s narcissism is making me nauseous.

– But when someone that skilled says it, you can’t really argue.

Speedmaster crushed his competition with sheer skill, and his conversations with viewers were always the same.

Annoyed?

I’m better at this game anyway.

Wanna challenge me?

With an official record of 285 matches and 281 wins against his viewers, hardly anyone could dispute Speedmaster’s opinions on his stream, except for the few who had beaten him.

[Head downstream, beyond the Blood Dune Canal.]

[Entering the field, “Melting Great Forest.”]

– ?

– ?

– Sensei, the noob blindly entered the Great Forest.

– Speedmaster looking awkward lololol.

– Is the Silent Swordmaster watching our stream too? The timing is unreal lolol.

“Did he really go in there? He hasn’t learned his lesson yet. That place is way more annoying than the Blood Dune Canal.”

Even Speedmaster, who feared nothing, scrunched his face like a disgruntled golden retriever as he frowned at the screen.

But regardless, the Silent Swordmaster pressed forward without hesitation. Did he even know what he was getting into?

The audience, watching with anxiety, felt nervous. Only the viewers who had been following the Silent Swordmaster’s live streams were used to this tense atmosphere.

– lol, we thought it was over when he entered the Blood Dune Canal too.

– Ordered 100 bowls of yukgaejang and ate them all himself.

– Are you a food fighter?

– Why did you order yukgaejang, you’re not even a mourner lolol.

– Even a dog in the village learns after three years. Silent Swordmaster gets the hang of it after just three streams lol. Something big is coming.

However, in other streams, the mood was completely different.

– The cursed forest lolol.

– That map is for noobs lolol.

– I took 12 hours to clear it, but when I came back too late, the whole map had disappeared lololol.

– After 12 hours, nothing would be left lolol.

Those who had played Half-Symphony knew how difficult the Melting Great Forest was. If you delayed even a little, the map would gradually sink into a swamp, and even the places to stand would disappear.

Even for a veteran multi-play player, clearing the dense forest without a determined speedrun is a distant possibility.

And now.

The fearless, skilled newbie player, the Silent Swordsman, has entered the infamous dense forest field.

– “Still, they’re a well-known streamer in a short amount of time. They should be able to handle the Plague Ghost, right?”

– “It’s a swamp; you won’t know until you experience it. I’ve seen sudden deaths happen so often.”

– “Let’s open up some bets on Haechang-hyung.”

– “It’s on.”

– “Survive for over 10 minutes vs. die within 10 minutes? It’s obviously the latter.”

– “I’ve died so many times in there. No way someone can clear it perfectly without dying even once.”

– “You all know the safe bet is death, right?”

[Points Betting]

1. Survive for more than 10 minutes

Betting Points: 5.5 million points

Number of Bettors: 143

Odds: 14.90909090x

2. Die in less than 10 minutes

Betting Points: 82 million points

Number of Bettors: 3290

Odds: 1.067073170x

The viewers were placing their bets in the “Points Toto,” which automatically distributes points in proportion to the time they spend watching the stream. Most viewers placed their bets on death. Although the Silent Swordsman had been trending for a month, she hadn’t appeared on stream recently. As a result, many had forgotten about her exceptional skills.

– “A 14x payout on the risk bet, how sweet.”

^^

– “You can tell the safe bettors haven’t watched the stream properly, huh?^^”

People often don’t understand until they experience it firsthand. That applies not only to the map in the Half-Nightmare Song, but also to the Silent Swordsman’s unbelievable physical prowess, which few believe without seeing it for themselves.

The risk-takers were smiling. Their “memories” were about to be multiplied by 14 times.

[Story mode]

The dense forest loomed before them.

Obscured by thick foliage, it was so dark during the day that it felt like night. It was the center of strange weather, plagued by frequent torrential downpours. Not even the sound of insects could be heard in this ominous forest, but there was still movement within.

[Plague Ghosts]

Entities far worse than drowned water spirits, these beings manipulate plagues within their bodies.

[A forest draped in darkness]

[A downpour that persists]

[In the silence, a plague spreads within the forest’s demonic boundary]

[This is the dense forest.]

Beyond the narration, a Plague Ghost that had been approaching Haechang suddenly sank into the ground.

[The dense forest, losing life to the plague and rain, is rotting from within.]

[Will the forest sink first, or will it be broken through?]

[Only the most skilled and cautious will get what they seek and escape this forest.]

As if testing the player’s limits, the narration ended, and control returned to Haechang.

[Player mode]

Haechang opened all of his senses and realized the narration had been right.

‘On the surface, it looks like a regular forest, but it’s much worse underneath.’

He hit the ground with a small rock he picked up, and it sank deep into the earth.

‘I see now. The key to clearing this map is tracking skills and body movement techniques.’

With a full grasp of his surroundings, Haechang began to sprint without hesitation.

– “Wait, what?”

– “Stop it! Are you crazy?”

– “You should be taking each step carefully, but why are you running, damn it!”

kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

– “Looks like the risk bettors are all screwed, huh?”

– “Even the Silent Swordsman can’t handle a new map, right? kkk”

– “You die because you don’t know. Goodbye, Silent Swordsman.”

– “Looks like our memories will be copied at 1.04x~”

Everyone expected her to sink into the swamp and die any second now. But 10 seconds passed, and then a minute passed, and the Silent Swordsman still hadn’t sunk.

– “What the hell kind of luck is this?”

– “Why isn’t she sinking?”

– “Is this some kind of cheat?”

– “There are no cheats in Half-Nightmare Song, idiot.”

– “This makes no sense!”

– “But you… you’ve followed strategies, sunk into the swamp dozens of times, and think that makes sense?”

– “Where did this old joke even come from, seriously?”

The safe bettors, losing their composure, were in shock, confusion, and fear. Meanwhile, the secret to the Silent Swordsman’s fearless sprint was revealed by streamer Gukppong Prosecutor Lee Haechang and 2Dahye, who had been watching the stream.

<Gukppong Prosecutor Lee Haechang has donated 10,000 won!>

“She’s not running on the ground; she’s only stepping on rocks, trees, broken signs, and other footholds. Is this really something a newbie would do?”

<2Dahye has donated 10,000 won!>

“She’s visualizing where to step and how to move in real-time. I can’t believe I thought I could follow her…”

– “Is she some kind of martial arts master?”

– How can a newbie progress faster than players with 10 years of experience?

– Is it not you who doesn’t make sense?

– Please stop!!

– Mom, save my points! Mom, save my points! Mom, save my points!

– Please, misstep! Please, misstep! Please, misstep!

– We’re all going to lose~~!

– The underdog bettors are laughing^^

Chaos filled the chat.

Amid the dizzying speed, Speedmaster’s eyes sharpened.

“Huh.”

He had initially thought this was just a flash-in-the-pan star—a player who stands out for a moment before fading away.

But this speed—this sensation of acceleration—was beyond ordinary, even for someone like him, nicknamed for his swiftness.

“I think… they could run even faster.”

Speedmaster murmured to himself.

The viewers exploded with disbelief.

– No way!

– If they go any faster, are they even human? More like a cheetah!

– Not even a cheetah. Just Sonic.

– Please die, please die, please die.

– Save my points! Save my points! Save my points!

Amid the increasingly desperate prayers of those who bet on failure, a deadly presence emerged ahead—a ghostly figure blocking the path.

– It’s here!!

– Finally!!!

– Great job, ghost! Kill the Silent Swordsman!!

– Die!!!

– Look at those failed bombers cheering for the ghost

3290 people cheered for the reaper-like figure standing firmly on the stone bridge.

But then…

<Body Technique>

<Ride the Wind, Break the Waves>

In an instant, Haeeung’s speed surged explosively, leaving the ghost far behind without even allowing it to react.

– ?

– ?

– Wait, are they really going even faster?

As the ghost stood there, stunned and split in half, Haeeung had already crossed the entire bridge.

– Ghost defeated in one second.

– Not only passed by, but cut it in half while running.

– The ghost was sliced just now.

– This is insane.

– Is this really the Silent Swordsman?

Goodbye, my points.

– I don’t know who the Silent Swordsman is, but they’re amazing.

– The viewers are preemptively losing their points

The Silent Swordsman’s legendary playthrough had just gained yet another iconic moment.