Chapter 82: Jumping into Chaos

– Returnees and Victors

The viewers who were watching the tournament broadcast were utterly shocked.

What the… She’s insane!!

How did she do that, you crazy woman!!!!

What the actual f***?! How does someone slice through wind?!

I’m not the only one seeing things, right?

The Silent Swordsman literally just flew into space, didn’t she??

What are you even talking about?

Dude, I think you’re just hallucinating.

Space trauma flashbacks, lololol.

A person cutting through the forces of nature?

How could such a thing even be possible?

While modern times had seen the emergence of gates and awakeners, along with countless miracles,

not a single person had ever sliced through nature itself with just a sword.

This was an event that would go down in history a story destined to be passed down for millennia, like some sort of mythical tale.

Yet, the one responsible for causing all this uproar wore an unexpectedly disgruntled expression.

‘This is just unfair.’

The summit was so close she could taste it, but as soon as she slashed through the trial’s winds,

a system notification popped up declaring that she had “cleared the map due to a bug,” forcing the settings to reset.

It was like a Turkish ice cream vendor snatching back the cone just as it reached your lips.

The sheer frustration was overwhelming.

“Seriously… How does this count as reaching the summit?”

“No way… There was another survivor aside from me?”

Hae Eung Eung had no idea, but the avalanche she triggered during her climb grew in scale as it descended.

By the time it reached the lower levels of the map, it had wiped out a quarter of the area, killing one of the last three participants outright.

And the air current she severed at the end redirected the downward flow of wind back toward the mountain,

crushing the mid-level sections of the map under immense pressure.

The remaining two competitors had been forced to cower in terror, enduring a rain of debris that battered them relentlessly.

By the time the map began to collapse, they were on the brink of death.

“Cutting through a wall of wind? Is that even real?”

One of the final two participants, Rex, a C-class awakener who had also been live-streaming the tournament, couldn’t hide his shock.

The chat in his personal broadcast lit up with viewers’ testimonies and footage of the event, and Rex’s eyes widened with fear as he processed it all.

The clips, vividly imprinted in his mind, were enough to send chills down the spine of the other survivor, Min Woosung, another C-class awakener with telepathic abilities.

‘This is bad. That means everything I saw back then was real.’

The classified documents about the first returnee that Min Woosung had seen at the National Security Bureau had seemed too far-fetched to believe.

He had convinced himself they were exaggerated, a product of overblown sensationalism.

But now, he could no longer deny reality.

A Silent Swordsman who could slice through nature with a single swing.

There was no way such a person could be classified as C-class.

A being completely beyond the norm a trait shared by returnees described in the confidential files.

And there was no chance of false memories or illusions.

After all, Rex’s mind had been read with telepathic precision, and the video clips had been seen firsthand.

The documents about the returnees?

All true.

The reality he had been so desperate to deny now loomed over him, undeniable and absolute.

What made things even worse was that the Silent Swordsman’s power was just as terrifying as the returnee hypnotist described in those files.

‘Please, let me be second. Please, second place. Please…’

The only way Min Woosung could ensure his survival now was to secure second place.

If he lost the championship, he could naturally distance himself from the Silent Swordsman and be sent back to the National Security Bureau.

If he openly forfeited, the bureau wouldn’t let him off the hook.

But if he fell short of first place purely due to lack of skill, they wouldn’t be able to hold it against him.

The National Security Bureau wouldn’t let him go so easily,

but at least he wouldn’t have to deal with the monster who could split nature in two as if cutting through cotton candy.

‘Are they saying that avalanche was because of her too? Damn, that’s terrifying.’

But Rex wasn’t the only one trembling in fear.

The last two men standing had no desire to win.

However, Rex had a reason he couldn’t just forfeit the tournament.

‘Damn it… Why did I have to tell the big brothers I was entering this tournament? This is beyond humiliating.’

Rex was a top-tier C-class awakener from Ocean World Guild, one of South Korea’s top ten guilds.

He had planned to make a name for himself by claiming first place among all the C-class awakeners in the tournament and earning significant points with his guild.

But that shallow plan had backfired, leaving him with no choice but to keep going.

Forget earning points; at this rate, he’d be lucky not to lose the reputation he already had.

‘Win? And then what? What if she does something to me? No way. As soon as the finals start, I’ll just overact, do a 540-degree spin, and collapse.’

‘Oh, please. I’m a master of fake injuries. Even doctors can’t tell the difference. ‘

‘But since I can read your mind, I’ll just foam at the mouth and collapse before you can even overact.’

The two men glared at each other, both determined to throw the match and crown the other as the winner.

Their ridiculous resolve made the viewers even more excited.

Wow, I guess not just anyone makes it to the finals.

Look at those deadly glares.

They seriously look like they’re going to eat each other alive.

But why does the Silent Swordsman look so annoyed?

Seems like she doesn’t like either of them.

Who could ever satisfy someone who slices through the wind itself? lol.

Rex, glancing at his stream chat, nervously raised his head.

‘This is bad… She’s staring at us so intensely.’

Without a word, Hae Eung Eung fixed her gaze on Rex and Min Woosung.

Forget the finals Rex was starting to wonder if they were about to get murdered on the spot.

Trying to hide his trembling hands behind his back, he forced a smile.

Maybe his desperate attempt at appearing calm worked,

because Hae Eung Eung, now holding a sign that had respawned with her in her seat, began typing something on it.

[Where’s my Ahyoung?]

LOL, is this woman not watching the tournament?

Why is she looking for someone who’s already dead?

She’s all about that mountain climbing life, huh?

“She… um… died during the match and was forcefully logged out,” Rex stammered.

“So… does that mean it’s just the two of us in the finals now?”

Still holding her giant sign, Hae Eung Eung tapped it against a corner of the arena, deep in thought.

Thud. Thud.

The arena’s edge cracked and crumbled in real-time under the weight of her taps, making the last two contestants flinch.

It felt like a preview of their own grim fate, and their expressions turned even darker.

Even Hae Eung Eung’s silence was nerve-wracking.

While it was somewhat known through Lee Ha-chan’s interviews that she was mute,

having someone so powerful standing silently in front of them only made the atmosphere heavier.

Was she unhappy about something?

‘She doesn’t like either of us.’

Their fears weren’t entirely unfounded.

Hae Eung Eung wasn’t satisfied with either of them.

She had hoped the guild that would support Ahyoung, and the fifth founding member of that guild, would be someone more capable.

Instead, the remaining two contestants were far from ideal.

Neither measured up to the guy she’d encountered on the cliff earlier, who at least had some decent mastery of martial techniques.

These two were just timid and constantly sought her approval hardly impressive candidates.

Hae Eung Eung raised her sign again.

[What was the highest floor you reached?]

The two hesitated, exchanging nervous glances, debating whether to lie and name a lower floor.

But they quickly realized the viewers had seen everything and decided to answer honestly.

“I made it to the 40th floor.”

“I reached the 38th floor.”

[Then, due to time constraints, the winner will be declared as the one who reached the 40th floor.]

“Ahhhh!”

“Woohoo! Yes, I did it!”

[?]

“Ahem, this is a cry of joy, not relief. I absolutely wanted to win!”

“Yes, and my cheer just now was a declaration that I’ll absolutely win the next tournament!”

Min Woosung sighed in relief, thankful to have survived, while Rex sank into despair, lamenting his forced victory.

LOL, the winner was decided so anticlimactically.

Isn’t this supposed to be a martial arts tournament? No finals?

What is this, an elementary school sports day?

Why is the winner more upset than the loser?

And why does the loser seem so happy?

They’ve got comedic timing, I’ll give them that.

O

No wonder awakened people often debut in entertainment. Did they take acting lessons on the side?

Despite the mixed emotions and awkward explanations, viewers praised the two contestants for their unexpected comedic talent.

“Phew. So, what’s the prize for winning?”

[I’ll give you a chance to join my guild. We’re recruiting founding members, and there’s one last spot available.]

A guild???

Wait, is the Silent Swordsman the guild master???

LOL WHAT?!

Why isn’t she streaming?! What’s she even doing outside, forming a guild?!

Where’s the collab stream we were promised?!

Ugh, why is she out there doing guild activities instead of staying home to stream like a proper female streamer?!

These extroverted youngsters, I swear.

While viewers reeled from the unexpected prize announcement, Rex’s face lit up as he responded brightly.

“Ah, I’m truly sorry. I’m already part of Ocean World Guild as an awakened member.”

” While I’d love to join you, I’ll have to pass the offer to the runner-up.”

[Does the runner-up already belong to a guild?]

“Huh? Oh, no, not really…”

‘Wait, this isn’t right.’

Min Woosung, caught completely off guard, looked genuinely flustered.

Hae Eung Eung, instead of using her hands, held out her sign again.

[Contact Ahyoung after this ends.]

Once again, the tides of fortune flipped.

The first-place winner, having turned down the guild offer, rejoiced, while the second-place contestant, now recruited, sank into despair.

And with that, the long tournament finally came to an end.

6. Post-Broadcast Conversations

After the broadcast ended, viewers lingered, chatting animatedly in the vast “space” setting that served as the default post-stream environment.

It wasn’t just the viewers Joo Ahyoung herself shared the same habit,

with her post-stream control space also set to outer space by default.

But isn’t jet stream wind speed around 30 m/s tops? I remember Tornado Man’s tornado reached 40 m/s.

Doesn’t that make him stronger than Silent Swordsman?

Are you seriously comparing Tornado Man to an S-rank awakened?

Silent Swordsman’s class is on par with S-rankers.

So you’re saying Tornado Man is weaker?

No, it’s impressive that they cut through 30 m/s winds, but it’s not like that’s the fastest wind in the world or something.

Wls.

They’ve got a point, though. I’m an actual pilot, and jet streams vary in speed depending on altitude.

How much faster can it get?

In the upper troposphere or near the tropopause (about 11–14 km altitude), it averages 50 m/s and can even reach 100 m/s in extreme cases.

Wait, why does this sound exactly like the info on Wikipedia?

Because I’m not actually a pilot. I’m an unemployed loser who reads Wikipedia and pretends to be an expert. Why’d you have to call me out, huh?!

LOL

OMG, I really thought they were a pilot.

Thank God for the Wiki-searching detective, or I’d have been fooled.

Despite the banter, the viewers were generally satisfied with the content and had no major complaints.

As the now-familiar “residents of space” idly discussed theories, one viewer abruptly dropped a question everyone had been avoiding.

So, when’s the main broadcast?

Oh.

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Don’t ask that, don’t ask that, don’t ask that!

Read the room, read the room, read the room!

Why would you deliberately bring up something we’re all ignoring?!

My hands are shaking so much I might spill my lunch.

It’s 6 PM. It’s dinnertime now.

My hands are shaking so much I might spill my dinner instead.

Well, that guy’s definitely lost his mind. LOL

Oh, right. Today wasn’t the main broadcast it was a rebroadcast.

So when’s the actual stream?

Dunno.

Maybe she’s busy with guild activities now that she’s recruiting members?

How long will that take, though?

New guilds are usually swamped with accepting contracts, field missions, and building contribution points.

A few months, maybe?

A few months? Try a year. You guys clearly don’t know anything about the awakened industry.

ARE YOU CRAZY?! THAT MEANS NO SILENT SWORDSMAN STREAMS FOR A YEAR?!

A YEAR??!! A YEAR???!! A YEARRRRRRRR?!?!?!

MAMA SWORDSMAN ISN’T COMING BACK FOR A YEAR?!

This is abandonment! Come back, Mama! Wahhhhh!

Babies can’t type in chat, you lunatic.

The chat descended into chaos, with viewers collectively spiraling into panic.

While the audience melted down, Min Woosung’s face grew even darker as he watched.

“You’re a real fan of Jumping Rabbit, aren’t you? I saw the rebroadcast. ”

“Knowing about the hidden passage and special items those are things only a true fan would recognize.”

One fleeting moment of greed, where he tried to read Joo Ahyoung’s thoughts to secure a tournament win,

had spiraled into unforeseen consequences.

“From today onward, we’ll do one Jumping Rabbit run every day!”

Mistaking Min Woosung for a diehard Jumping Rabbit fan, Joo Ahyoung dragged him toward a capsule.

“No, no, no! As a new guild, we’ll be busy securing contracts and handling field missions to build contribution points”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. We’re ex-members of the association’s vigilante corps. ”

“There’s plenty of work in this field. You can just add your name to the roster and hang out with us. Contribution points will pile up in no time.”

Experiencing Jumping Rabbit’s infamy firsthand, Woo Jiwoo and So Kyungseok quickly blocked his escape.

Thus, by unanimous decision, Min Woosung was appointed as the official “entertainment duty” member of the fledgling <Haenam Guild>, tasked with keeping Joo Ahyoung company.

From then on, Min Woosung was obligated to play Jumping Rabbit for two hours daily.