Chapter 61: The Unlikely Heroes

1.

Monsters, the enemies of humanity.

Before facing them firsthand, they were often compared to mythical beasts, with assumptions of immense combat prowess.

But the actual encounter? Far less impressive.

‘There’s no way humanity struggled against something this pathetic, right?’

Bipedal lizards wielding spears and swords. Sure, they used weapons, but their technique was rudimentary at best.

Whip.
A light feint was enough to disrupt their stance entirely.

Slice.
Adjusting the distance by shifting the umbrella’s grip led to a clean series of cuts.

Clang.
Striking at their weapons in quick succession forced their arms to twist back, leaving their torsos exposed.

‘This is so underwhelming.’

Monsters with intelligence yet driven by primal instincts. Human-like but inherently beastly.

‘Even the lowest-grade spiritual beasts would put them to shame.’

As the faint spark of heat in Hae Eung Eung’s expression cooled and vanished completely, her umbrella began its relentless slaughter.

Fingers, wrists, arms, shoulders, necks—
Every part of the Lizardmen caught in her path was severed, painting the scene with dismembered limbs.

But just as she was about to continue, she paused abruptly.

‘What is this? This disgusting sensation.’

A vile and nauseating aura closed in on her. Merely sensing it made her stomach churn.

The revolting presence emanated from the corpses she had just slain, converging toward her like parasites, attempting to invade her body.

<Blue Sea Technique>

<Qi Barrier>

She employed a barrier technique, designed to block toxins and impure air, to fend off the sinister aura.

A translucent screen materialized before her.

[You have killed multiple Lizardmen.]

[You meet the basic requirements to become an Awakener.]

[Failed to absorb experience points.]

[Level up failed.]

[You are a Level 0 Awakener.]

[Status window remains locked.]

The ominous energy she had observed, that murky, tainted aura…

It turned out to be what Awakeners commonly referred to as “experience points.”

‘Is there some sort of martial art that purifies this filth into pure inner energy?’

While curiosity briefly crossed her mind, another thought took precedence as she connected the dots.

Knock, knock.

[Come out for a moment.]

Even as she walked back to the convenience store mid-battle and knocked on the door, the remaining Lizardmen were too overwhelmed to strike.

They had already suffered too many losses to risk another futile charge.

“Are you okay, unnie? Do you need more umbrellas—”

Joo Ahyoung had rushed out with an entire stand of umbrellas, intending to hand them over as spare weapons, but froze at the sight before her.

The ground was littered with the bodies of Lizardmen many still alive but too incapacitated to fight.

She turned to Hae Eung Eung in shock.

“Unnie, you did all this?”

[Didn’t you say you wanted to level up?]

“Can I take them? For real?”

Hae Eung Eung gave her a nod.

There were still things Joo Ahyoung needed to understand.

[When you kill a monster, the experience points it drops can harm the human body.]

“No way! But Awakeners can invest in stats and get stronger, right?”

[Maybe, at first. But that energy isn’t pure. It’s corrupted.]

Even in martial arts, absorbing impure energy might quickly increase one’s total qi.

However, low-purity qi could wreak havoc on the body, damaging internal pathways, rupturing blood vessels, or even causing sudden death.

In the martial world, this phenomenon was known as internal deviation (juhwaipma).

[One day, you might use this power and suddenly find your heart stopping. The energy Awakeners rely on as fuel is just that dangerous.]

If the Martial Codex Status Window was a tool of light, then the Awakener Status Window was one of darkness.

It didn’t operate on pure qi but rather on corrupted energy, akin to a demonic sect’s methods.

Still, would Joo Ahyoung hesitate to embrace such power?

Hae Eung Eung posed the question with her gaze, and Joo Ahyoung, resolute, nodded with determination.

“I’ve lived long enough knowing the bitterness of weakness. Even if it shortens my lifespan, living a powerless life is far worse.”

Seeing that firm resolve, Hae Eung Eung decided not to dissuade her further.

She subdued the Lizardmen to the brink of death, leaving Joo Ahyoung to land the finishing blows.

[Failed to absorb experience points.]

[Level up failed.]

[Experience points transferred to the next highest contributor.]

Thanks to this, Joo Ahyoung’s experience points skyrocketed.

As she drove an umbrella through the neck of the last Lizardman, she let out a joyous cry.

“Unnie, I awakened! I’m Level 1 now!”

[Do you need that much experience?]

“Not at all! Just killing one dungeon rat is enough for a level-up.”

Joo Ahyoung shared what she had learned at the Awakener Academy.

“For the first awakening, any excess experience is used to enhance traits, strengthen classes, or raise stat caps.”

[So, the more, the better?]

“Exactly. That’s why achieving specific feats often leads to greater growth for Awakeners compared to simply leveling up.”

Only one level could be gained at a time.

But any surplus experience would be converted into talent or stat improvements.

“Thanks to you, I gained so much experience! Even rookies from major guilds wouldn’t get such treatment.”

It was rare for so many monsters to gather in one place, even during a gate surge.

Not to mention having someone else subdue them and leave the final blows as a reward—

This was nothing short of a miraculous opportunity for Joo Ahyoung.

‘Speaking of miracles, it reminds me of the place I prepared back then.’

The old sanctuary of the Blood Cult.

The ruins in the Taklamakan Desert.

Before Hae Eung Eung returned to reality from the martial arts world, she had carefully planned her legacy.

Accumulated inner strength, martial arts manuals, treasures, and a series of intricate setups for hapless transmigrators who might follow in her footsteps.

‘Miracles don’t happen easily unless you’re buying them from a shop. Still, they exist.’

Yet those distant matters felt insignificant compared to the immediate situation before her eyes.

‘That guy isn’t just putting on a show he’s pretty decent in a fight.’

The man had lured a swarm of monsters into the alleyway.

His swordsmanship wasn’t ordinary.

Click.

“Ugh!”

“Unnie, why are you shining a flashlight in someone’s face?”

Despite Joo Ahyoung’s sharp remark, Hae Eung Eung continued to observe the man closely.

She noticed that the injuries on his body were mere scratches marks left from skillfully deflecting enemy attacks.

[His swordsmanship is impressive.]

Hae Eung Eung rarely acknowledged the skills of others, but this time, she did.

2.

Hae Eung Eung’s recognition wasn’t something many could boast about.

Joo Ahyoung had earned it before, though her circumstances were different.

Joo Ahyoung was acknowledged as an Awakener trainee for her potential and training methodology.

In contrast, Lee Haechan had the raw ability to survive in the martial arts world with just his swordsmanship.

“May I ask you something?”

[No.]

Lee Haechan’s face froze in confusion at the curt reply.

Hae Eung Eung smirked and flipped to the next page of her notepad.

[Just kidding.]

It wasn’t an act her natural personality was insufferable.

Lee Haechan shivered slightly but pressed on, starting with the question he was most curious about.

“Can I interview you for a moment?”

[Are you a reporter?]

“Don’t you know who I am?”

[Should I?]

“Well, no, not exactly…”

You shouldn’t be treating me like this.

He wanted to argue.

After all, he was the streamer who had brought her initial audience.

But knowing her personality, he feared he’d end up with nothing more than a 30-second Shorts clip if he upset her.

“I mean, thanks for your help and all, but you’re not hitting on my sister, are you?” Joo Ahyoung interjected, suspicion in her voice.

“What? No! I’m just saying this as a fellow public figure. You don’t recognize me? Fine, but you’ve at least heard of Nationalist Sword Lee Haechan, right?”

I’ve donated to her streams so many times.

She can’t possibly not know me.

“Wait, let me look it up…”

Joo Ahyoung pulled out her phone and gasped.

“Huh? You’re legit! You have 1.22 million subscribers 1.22 million?! Wow, you’re a famous VTuber?”

Lee Haechan’s chest puffed up slightly at her amazement.

[Is that considered famous?]

Hae Eung Eung’s single sentence was enough to deflate him completely.

“Being a million-subscriber VTuber means you’ve basically made it in life!”

“Then what does it matter? You two don’t know me. And, come on, even if everything else is forgivable, how does The Silent Swordsman not know me? That’s shocking.”

“The Silent Swordsman? Oh, you mean the nickname Unnie earned when she set that record in the game?”

Had Joo Ahyoung not been so clueless, Lee Haechan might have figured out that Hae Eung Eung had been watching his broadcasts.

Instead, Joo Ahyoung’s offhand comment led to a misunderstanding.

“So you do know about me!”

“???”

“It’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Lee Haechan sat on the ground.

Meanwhile, Hae Eung Eung perched on the guardrail in front of him, resting her legs neatly together.

Despite the casual atmosphere, her posture remained refined, as though she were wearing a skirt instead of jeans.

‘She’s surprisingly feminine.’

Lee Haechan, who had never felt outmatched in terms of skill, was genuinely impressed by Hae Eung Eung’s abilities.

But the stark contrast between her overwhelming combat prowess,

and her unexpectedly feminine demeanor gave her a unique charm something that could only be described as gap moe.

Wait, what?

And that wasn’t the only gap.

Her slender waist and curvaceous hips formed an elegant S-line, while her sharp V-line face exuded sophistication.

But what truly caught his eye was the triangle between her thighs a perfectly proportioned thigh gap.

This golden ratio wasn’t just about being slim.

It required the perfect balance of a shapely pelvis, well-toned hips, and firm thighs.

The symmetry of her figure was captivating, and Lee Haechan found himself staring, utterly mesmerized,

until he abruptly realized what he was doing.

When he looked up, Hae Eung Eung was staring down at him with her trademark blank expression.

“Uh, um… I, uh…”

“Apologies. I got too relaxed and lost control of my gaze.”

Lee Haechan braced himself, ready to be slapped, and offered an honest apology.
He would’ve preferred being scolded or even glared at with contempt.
Instead, her expression seemed to ask, Are you seriously this kind of person?

Feeling utterly ashamed, he clasped his hands together and bowed his head as low as it could go.

Beside him, Joo Ahyoung spoke up on Hae Eung Eung’s behalf.

“Geez, couldn’t you be a little more careful?”

“I’m truly sorry.”

“Unnie, are you really mad?”

Hae Eung Eung shook her head.

Saved.

At least he had avoided becoming a trending topic for inappropriate behavior.

Just as Lee Haechan exhaled in relief, an Awakener affiliated with the Association arrived on the scene.

Code name: Spider-Man.

From midair, the Awakener hurled several monster corpses to the ground, attempting a dramatic hero landing.

Unfortunately, the blood-soaked ground caused him to slip, and he tumbled to the floor with a resounding crash.

“Oof…! I’m sorry. I’m Spider-Man, dispatched by the Awakener Association in response to the emergency call.

My legs are a bit numb, so… I’m just going to lie down here for a moment…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Joo Ahyoung sighed, shaking her head in exasperation.

“…”

While Joo Ahyoung was clearly unimpressed, Hae Eung Eung recognized the awkward hero as Woo Ji-woo and greeted him warmly.

Given his uniquely clumsy entrance, there was no way he wouldn’t draw attention.

Both women quickly shifted their focus from Lee Haechan to the new arrival.

‘Wow, he really saved me there.’

From this day forward, the Awakener Association wasn’t just a tax-draining organization.

To Lee Haechan, they were a beacon of justice, and Woo Ji-woo had earned his eternal gratitude.