Gwanjongcheonma’s Game Broadcast - Chapter 3
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3
【Welcome! O one who shall conquer the vast lands with your two fists! I am Gyeon-rang, who shall guide you from today onward!】
Robust muscles and a martial arts uniform made of leather.
A man with eyes sharper than the awl embedded in his shoulder insignia appeared before Hae-rang.
【You! What a confident expression you have! But the path of the Big Dipper is not so easy!】
【Sometimes you must wet your ankles in rivers of blood, sometimes you must cross mountains of corpses! Will you still follow me despite this!】
Rivers of blood.
Mountains of corpses.
These were words the tutorial character spoke to set the mood.
Ordinary people would have gulped nervously.
But Hae-rang laughed instead.
No one had seen such scenes more than he had.
Even Gyeon-rang, who was putting on airs before his eyes, would wet his leather pants if actually brought to such a place.
However, Hae-rang didn’t bother engaging in conversation with Gyeon-rang.
He needed to focus on the changes that had occurred since connecting to the capsule game.
Kiiing!
‘I’m certain. This is…!’
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Even if he had become someone else’s body, how could he not recognize the blade he had honed for a lifetime?
Without a doubt.
At this very moment, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had returned to Hae-rang.
‘This level would easily be the second stage.’
Compared to the great mastery of reaching the tenth stage, this was like a baby’s first steps.
However, the name ‘Heavenly Demon’ wasn’t placed before the martial art for nothing.
Since connecting to the capsule, Hae-rang’s body felt as light as a feather.
The energy blazing like wildfire throughout his body also reminded him of his previous life.
‘I really made the right choice with the capsule game.’
Shiver.
Hae-rang trembled with ecstasy.
It was like accidentally discovering a famous sword he thought he’d never wield again.
So naturally, he had to swing it.
【What are you dawdling about! Hurry and show this body your manliness!】
The martial artist before him shouted angrily at Hae-rang.
The ‘Experience Tutorial’ button right in front flashed like a siren.
“Is this how you do it?”
Hae-rang brought his hand toward the experience button located at the martial artist’s solar plexus.
Then another sharp rebuke burst forth.
【You call that extending a fist! Pathetic! Put your soul into that straight punch!】
“Ah… You mean hit it hard?”
Hae-rang chuckled and drew his fist back.
Then he threw a spirited punch toward the button.
Crack!
The ‘Experience’ button shattered completely.
【That was an excellent strike! Now let us conquer the continent together!】
Ta-da-da-da da-da!
Along with cheerful wind instrument sounds, two white lines were drawn on either side of Gyeon-rang.
Above the white lines were square boxes, and fist icons began slowly rising from below.
A simple structure that even a snotty kid could understand.
Hae-rang felt he could figure out the method without needing an explanation.
‘It’s a combination of rhythm games and action that I’ve seen on TV.’
【Now! The match begins! Fist shape means straight punch! If you see the back of the hand, it’s an uppercut! If the fist faces sideways, it’s a hook!】
【If you win in battle against this body, I shall take you on the path of the Big Dipper!】
Just as Gyeon-rang finished speaking, a right fist icon reached the square.
Hae-rang threw a straight punch without delay.
Boom!
【Critical!】
And once more.
Boom! Boom!
【Critical! 2 Combo!】
【3 Combo! 4 Combo!】
Each time he threw a punch, the message ‘Critical’ appeared along with the combo number increasing.
The structure maintained the combo number with each proper hit.
A tutorial for beginners.
So naturally the difficulty couldn’t be high.
The speed was slow enough to make one yawn.
But Hae-rang’s expression and movements were extremely serious and solemn.
‘Dripping water bores holes in great mountains, and gentle rain sprouts new shoots across the earth.’
Every process of training martial arts was like this.
Techniques used in actual combat are not perfected overnight.
Behind flashy martial techniques lie tedious repetitive movements reeking of sweat.
Basic movements he had repeated countless times in his previous life.
But Hae-rang willingly swung his fists again from the beginning.
He knew better than anyone that this process was the royal road to praise.
Kwaang!
Before he knew it, Hae-rang’s entire body was drenched in sweat.
A clear smile bloomed at the corners of his mouth.
* * *
‘Why isn’t he coming out?’
Choi Gang-sik, who was sitting at the counter, stretched his neck out like a meerkat.
Three minutes at the shortest, five minutes at most.
Since it was a game designed to make adapting to the capsule easy, there was no reason for it to take long.
However, Hae-rang had been silent for over thirty minutes.
‘Is he having trouble adapting?’
Hae-rang’s body looked solid at first glance.
But real-world muscles had nothing to do with capsule games.
Reflexes.
Or athletic ability.
Capsule adaptability.
And mental strength that depletes faster than in reality.
Those born with such talents stand out in capsule games.
‘Has there ever been a case of someone taking over 30 minutes on the tutorial?’
Choi Gang-sik tilted his head in confusion.
Then he smacked his own forehead.
“You stupid fool! That guy is the only customer in this store.”
Choi Gang-sik made a bitter self-deprecating remark and raised his ghostly figure.
Then he headed toward Room 1 where Hae-rang was.
He was curious about the game’s progress, but more than anything, waiting alone was damn boring.
Click.
Choi Gang-sik entered Room 1 and immediately narrowed his eyes.
“Whew! What’s this?”
Heat distinctly different from the temperature set in the store.
The interior of Room 1 was heated up enough to remind one of a sauna.
He checked the air conditioner mounted on the ceiling, but there was no problem with it.
Choi Gang-sik’s heart sank.
“Something’s not wrong, is it?”
Such accidents occur rarely.
Malfunctions caused by mismatched synchronization between the capsule and person.
When that happens, both the machine and the person take damage.
It’s something that rarely occurred since capsule machines developed, but there’s always that one-in-a-million chance.
Just as Choi Gang-sik was hurrying to turn off the machine’s power.
Kwaang! Kwaang!
Loud impact sounds flew into his ears.
“What a surprise!”
Choi Gang-sik flinched and immediately shifted his gaze.
The large monitor installed at the front of the capsule room.
The sound was coming from there.
Choi Gang-sik looked at the screen and let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. It’s operating normally.”
Fist-shaped icons continuously appearing.
And Gyeon-rang getting beaten up frantically.
If the game was progressing, there was no major problem.
“Then…”
What could be causing this heat in the room?
Choi Gang-sik examined the game screen on the monitor more carefully.
Then he unconsciously had a seizure.
“Wh-what?”
【Critical! 1667 Combo!】
【Critical! 1668 Combo!】
【Critical! 1669 Combo!】
How could a capsule room owner not know capsule games?
He just had no customers, but he was well-versed in all kinds of games.
But.
Even so.
The screen before his eyes was filled with things he had never seen before.
“Critical hits can keep appearing like that continuously?”
This game’s hit judgment is divided into five main categories.
If you miss completely, it’s Miss.
If you time it poorly, it’s Bad.
If it’s reasonably decent, it’s Good.
If the timing is perfect, it’s Perfect.
And one more.
There’s the Critical judgment that rarely appears.
“And that’s from someone who just entered the capsule for the first time…?”
Critical hits don’t appear just from accurate timing alone.
Not only the rhythm, but you must exceed a certain level of power.
A judgment that doesn’t appear many times even when capsule game veterans go all out.
But right now…
“The critical combo has exceeded a thousand!!”
Choi Gang-sik’s bulging eyes grow larger in real time.
A situation that truly makes you doubt your eyes and ears.
Just seeing a Critical judgment would be a rare experience, but Hae-rang was repeating criticals as naturally as breathing.
“The machine’s overheating is severe… so that means?”
Looking at it now, it wasn’t a malfunction or anything like that.
Like all electronic devices, capsules also generate heat when performing at their limit.
This current hot temperature was entirely a change created by Hae-rang’s performance.
That wasn’t the only amazing thing.
Gyeon-rang’s appearance on screen was also something he had never seen before.
【Kuhek! Not yet! Not yet! You’re still far from it!】
【Kwajik!】
【Koolleok! A little more, show me your will!】
【Kwaang!】
【I’m perfectly fine! Kheuk! With just this much, you can’t join me in the northern expedition…! Kaeek!】
Double nosebleeds were basic.
Both eyes had blue bruises, resembling a panda.
His clothes had become rags as if someone had deliberately torn them apart.
“Why did half his hair fly off too?”
Gyeon-rang, who always shouted ‘One more time!’ and drove beginners to the edge of a cliff.
That same Gyeon-rang now looked like someone who had fallen off the cliff.
And finally,
【Gyaaaaaaak!】
With a desperate scream, Gyeon-rang’s body fell backward.
At the same time, two large letters appeared on the screen.
【K.O.!】
“What? KO?”
Was Gyeon-rang someone who could actually fall down?
He was a guy called the ‘Roly-poly Killer’ because he wouldn’t fall no matter how many punches you threw.
Choi Gang-sik quickly searched his memory.
Had he ever heard of anyone defeating Gyeon-rang in Fist of the North Star?
“Nothing… there’s nothing…!!”
Choi Gang-sik’s pupils shake mercilessly.
Hae-rang connected inside the capsule and the Fist of the North Star game screen.
His gaze rapidly alternates before finally focusing on one spot.
【Tutorial Score 999,999,999】
Naturally, this was also a number he had never seen before.
* * *
“Was it already three months ago?”
The day he became Hae-rang of this era.
Hae-rang recalled that night.
Let’s try switching perspectives and imagine.
A son who stays holed up in his room every day looking half-dead.
That son couldn’t be reached all day for once, and only crawled home after 3 AM.
Despite the late hour, the living room lights were brightly lit.
Someone who could only sleep after confirming her son’s return home.
Mother.
When the son who had made her worry sick finally came home, what must Mother have felt?
Since his mother from his previous life had passed away early, Hae-rang couldn’t even guess.
‘I’d be lucky if it ends with just a double slap.’
Anyway, since the child had caused worry, he would have to pay the price.
Hae-rang clenched his molars with that resolve.
But then,
“Well done, son.”
Completely unexpected words flowed out.
“…Pardon?”
“Welcome home.”
Hae-rang’s mother smiled warmly despite her tear-filled eyes.
“Was it very cold outside?”
Then she spread her thin arms and slowly embraced him.
Along with stifled sobs, warm body heat was transmitted to Hae-rang’s body.
‘What… is this feeling?’
Hae-rang’s pupils dilated greatly.
The bewilderment faded, and an emotion he had never felt before bloomed from the depths.
A warmth he had never experienced.
A touching emotion he had never encountered even in his previous life.
Cheon Hae-rang thought it was fortunate.
Thanks to his mother’s slightly trembling body, his current emotions wouldn’t be discovered.
‘It’s similar to when receiving praise, but…’
This was a different feeling.
She might have been curious about last night.
But Mother asked nothing and carefully looked after Hae-rang until he lay down on the bed.
The memories of Mother that came to mind one by one were mostly similar in content.
Mother had raised this era’s Hae-rang alone without a father.
Her hair was carelessly tied up tight, with dark circles under her eyes.
Her sunken cheeks looked gaunt, but couldn’t take away her inherently gentle impression.
‘I’ll be indebted to this person from now on.’
No, perhaps he was already indebted.
The Heavenly Demon Cult was also an organization of Murim.
How could there be no romance?
Debts and revenge alike.
If you received something, it was Murim’s law to properly return it.
‘So I will repay it.’
He didn’t know what the emotion surging in his heart was.
It was something he had never experienced before.
But Hae-rang hoped that his newly gained connection would be happy.
In his previous life, before he could properly fulfill his ambitions, Mother had already passed away.
His father, the Heavenly Demon, also showed no interest in the lowest-ranked illegitimate son.
And now.
Only after living his second life did he finally encounter it.
A person who gave him praise from their very first meeting in life.
The existence called ‘family.’
“Is this… the machine you mentioned?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Three months later.
His dream was installed in Hae-rang’s small room.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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