Martial Arts.
It’s a concept that has become somewhat unfamiliar recently, but it’s a skill known to those who are aware.
When thinking of martial arts, it’s a key element that comes to mind, and it’s also said that Chinese hunters still use it today, a type of supernatural power.
Because of this, when Kang Hyun Woo first heard the term, he couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.
Isn’t martial arts something that Chinese awakeners commonly learn?
I’ve seen awakeners gather in a dojo to teach it, but would people watch it if it was broadcasted on the internet?
A chat message mixed with curiosity and slight concern appeared.
It’s absurd to teach a skill designed specifically for awakeners in an internet broadcast.
[“It’s not wrong, but I don’t know when martial arts became the exclusive property of awakeners.”]
However, the man on the screen simply answered with a laugh.
He added something difficult to understand: that martial arts isn’t just for awakeners.
“So, can ordinary people learn martial arts? Like, can they shoot sword energy and fly around?”
[“There’s nothing stopping you. What people call awakening is something anyone can achieve once they understand the principles.”]
“???”
Something feels off.
Suddenly, Kang Hyun Woo stopped typing in the chat as he thought.
He was asking questions and receiving answers, but he couldn’t understand any of the content.
It wasn’t because the man was speaking in difficult terms, nor was it due to unclear pronunciation or a small voice.
So why couldn’t he understand what the man on the screen was saying?
As Kang Hyun Woo felt confused, he soon realized.
“Is that possible?”
The man was saying impossible things.
He was directly denying common sense, casually saying absurd things as if they were obvious.
The discrepancy between the nonsensical content and the calm atmosphere confused him.
[“It’s possible. I did it.”]
“You awakened by mastering martial arts?”
[“The word ‘awakening’ is a bit misleading. You could say I reached the same state as an awakener.”]
After exchanging a few questions and answers, Kang Hyun Woo pulled his hands away from the keyboard.
So, to summarize, here’s what was said.
First, martial arts is a skill that, contrary to what’s commonly known, can be learned by ordinary people.
Second, awakening isn’t something left to chance, it’s a state anyone can achieve directly.
Third, the way to achieve that awakening is through martial arts.
“There’s a limit to how much you can lie. There’s no way something like that is possible.”
Although Kang Hyun Woo clicked his tongue inwardly, his hands were busy typing away on the keyboard.
“I can’t believe it just by hearing it. Don’t you have any proof?”
Of course, he was curious.
The man’s words were obviously lies, but they were so outrageous that they crossed the uncanny valley and entered the realm of ridiculousness.
[“Proof, huh? Is there a specific way you want me to demonstrate?”]
“Show me your skills.”
[“That’s easy enough.”]
In reality, no matter what kind of proof was presented, he had no intention of believing it.
Awakening was something that only a select few, those with natural talent, experienced, and research had long ago concluded that artificial awakening was impossible.
Top companies and governments from around the world had spent decades researching it and concluded that it was impossible.
There was no way a newcomer streamer with no viewers could pull off something like that.
[“Then, just watch closely.”]
The man in the training uniform briefly disappeared from the screen, then returned carrying a large iron pillar and set it upright.
He then took a few steps back, grabbed a nearby sword, and raised it high.
“His stance… What’s that?”
Kang Hyun Woo frowned at the sight.
The man didn’t lower his center of gravity or bend his knees, and he was holding the sword with one hand, pointing it straight up toward the sky.
It was a posture that, if shown to someone who had learned swordsmanship, would undoubtedly be met with ridicule.
So, he must be some scammer trying to attract attention with some flashy stunt.
Just as Kang Hyun Woo was about to close the broadcast with a cold look in his eyes, something unexpected happened.
What was that just now?
[Can’t you see? He swung the sword and cut the target. Simple.]
The sword, swung in a sloppy posture, was already pointing at the ground.
It had been such a fast strike that Kang Hyun Woo hadn’t even seen the sword move.
What was even more astonishing was the result of the strike.
With a sharp crack, a long line was drawn across the ground where the blade had hit.
Following the line with his eyes, it stopped exactly at the iron pillar that had been placed a few steps ahead.
Then, the iron pillar cleanly split in half and fell to either side.
Kang Hyun Woo, who couldn’t even begin to understand what kind of swordplay he had just witnessed, quickly typed on the keyboard.
[High-tier taste, real-time self. Found a hidden master in the depths.]
(Link)
“The atmosphere is like a martial arts master… I’m the first viewer, and his swordsmanship is no joke.”
Let’s watch something good, hehe.
The sanctuary for internet spirits always thirsty for new dopamine content.
The moment a new broadcast promotion post was uploaded to the Superpower Broadcast Gallery, commonly known as the Super Broadcast Gallery, it was a big event.
“Is this enough to prove my skill?”
A clean cut.
No, since it was with a sword, should I call it a ‘single sword clean cut’?
Anyway, with a single strike, Cheon Hwi had precisely split an iron pillar about 15 meters away and said to the screen.
“Broadcasting is no easy task, either.”
However, just like any other low-key broadcast, no immediate reactions appeared.
There had been only one viewer chatting a moment ago, and now that viewer was silent, with no new messages coming through.
Cheon Hwi, feeling a bit embarrassed as his words were left hanging in the air, walked toward the fallen iron pillar.
Even if no one is watching, he thought, the broadcast must continue.
After all, even if he just records a video and keeps uploading it to NewTube, there could be a chance to get noticed someday.
You can’t expect to be full after just one meal.
Today, let’s take it as a symbolic first activity.
“Since this is the case, let’s do a martial arts demonstration today.”
At that moment, Cheon Hwi, who was shifting his focus from the broadcast to recording a video for NewTube uploads, was about to change the mood.
Heck, I like this, I like this.
The hidden master’s martial arts demonstration, haha.
I mean, seriously, nothing is ordinary, from the outfit to the location, haha.
The once quiet chatroom suddenly started buzzing.
Chats started pouring in like a waterfall, quickly rising and filling the once calm atmosphere of the broadcast.
“Where did everyone suddenly come from?”
Cheon Hwi, who was shocked, checked the viewer count and saw that the number of viewers had increased from just one to a whopping 57.
He didn’t know what had caused it, but it was certainly an encouraging situation, with the viewer count rising.
Cheon Hwi, now feeling more excited, asked the viewers a question.
“I came here after seeing the promo post on the Super Broadcast Gallery.”
“I also came from the Super Broadcast Gallery.”
“The promo post just went up on the Super Broadcast Gallery, so the viewers are flooding in.”
Super Broadcast Gallery.
This community, which goes by the official name “Superpower Broadcast Gallery,” was one Cheon Hwi had heard of.
He didn’t pay much attention to communities like that, so he wasn’t concerned, but he never expected a broadcast promo post would actually appear there.
‘So that’s why there were no chats earlier, they were busy writing the promo post.’
Judging by the situation, the person most likely to have posted the promo was the first viewer who had entered the broadcast earlier.
It seemed that the iron pillar-splitting performance he had shown earlier made quite an impression.
Cheon Hwi, feeling thankful for the first viewer who not only joined the broadcast but also posted a promo, continued his stream.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“Is there a hidden martial arts master here?”
“Let’s start the martial arts demonstration you mentioned earlier.”
“You don’t need to rush. I plan to show everything.”
Cheon Hwi spoke in a serious yet slightly arrogant tone, continuing.
He normally spoke in an ordinary way in daily life, but for the broadcast, he was using a style from the martial arts world, adopting the tone and manner of a martial arts master.
And fortunately, it seemed the viewers liked that approach.
“Wow, your tone really sounds like a martial arts master.”
“It feels like a pompous hermit or master would speak like that.”
Cheon Hwi was secretly worried that some viewers might take offense at the sudden informal speech, but thankfully, the martial arts master persona and tone fit so well that the viewers reacted positively, flooding the chat with praise.
With a smile creeping across his face, Cheon Hwi straightened his posture.
“Ohh, finally.”
“It’s starting.”
“Is the martial arts demonstration going to be amazing?? Is it going to be epic??”
Until now, Cheon Hwi had only watched other broadcasts, but this was his first time broadcasting himself.
However, even as a newbie, Cheon Hwi understood the basics of streaming.
The key was the viewer’s reaction.
The success or failure of a streamer was decided by how well they could engage the viewers and how much attention they could attract.
‘For my first demonstration, I should go with something flashy and impressive.’
The early influx of viewers was crucial.
Even if the number of viewers was small, if it grew slowly over time, the broadcast could eventually succeed.
In that sense, Cheon Hwi planned to turn every viewer who came into his stream into a core follower.
“Hoo…”
He let out a breath deliberately, building the atmosphere.
The moment a martial artist, having taken a stance, exhaled a deep, focused breath, the chat, which had slowed down, began to flood in quickly.
A powerful aura surrounded Cheon Hwi’s entire body like a black mist.
It looked as though darkness had enveloped him, but there was no sense of malice or danger—just pure blackness that enveloped his body, dyeing the sword he held a deep, ominous black.
Then, the pitch-black sword was swung.
Using the white training room as his canvas, Cheon Hwi swung the sword like a brush, the powerful aura acting as ink, drawing in the air.
“Wow.”
“This is insane.”
“The sword… The magic is unreal.”
Like a master painter creating a landscape, Cheon Hwi moved the sword as if dancing, his body moving gracefully.
The movements were colorful and dramatic, but there was neither excess nor lack—every motion was precise.
With each motion that flowed like a dance, the sword swept through the air.
Each time the sword swung, the black aura scattered like ink splattering from a brush.
Before long, the once white floor was covered with numerous straight and curved marks, all dyed black.
The ceiling was the same, with the entire training room now resembling the night sky, its landscape filled with darkness, making the viewers gasp in awe.
“Is this martial arts…?”
“This seems better than the so-called masters in China.”
“Why are they even doing an internet broadcast?”
It was as if black rain was falling.
The sky, stained black with ink, began to melt in pieces, mixing with the scattered black aura, and the whole space was soaked in it.
As if clearing away all the darkness, Cheon Hwi’s sword traced a rounded arc through the air, sweeping from the bottom to the top, carving the space with a sharp motion.
“Swish.”
With that single strike, all the darkness that had stained the training room shattered.
The black rain stopped, and all the darkness that had covered the surroundings was sucked into Cheon Hwi’s sword.
When the martial arts demonstration was over, the training room, once filled with darkness, returned to its original state.
“Oh, this is seriously scary, haha.”
“Did the room really get torn apart like that? Haha.”
“So, in actual combat, you use those kinds of techniques like crazy, right?”
“If you see that, you should just bow your head and surrender right away. Otherwise, you’ll end up like meat in a blender, with your body torn to pieces and filled with countless scars from stabbings, broken bones, and gashes.”
As the horrifying image of a room that looked like it had been bombed was shown on the screen, the viewers flooded the chat in shock.
“Are you starting to get interested in martial arts now?”
In addition, the number of viewers had steadily increased while Cheon Hwi demonstrated his martial arts.
By now, the viewer count on the screen had surpassed three hundred.
Cheon Hwi, amazed by the smooth and even dramatic growth of his viewership, glanced at the rapidly moving chat to check the viewers’ reactions.
“If you’re not interested after watching this, you’re not a real man.”
“Great master, please accept me as your disciple.”
Most reactions were filled with praise.
There were a few who expressed doubts, but even those viewers were now in awe of the demonstration.
“Honestly, I thought there’d be a fake controversy when he cut the iron pillar earlier.”
“But he just made the controversy impossible to even start with his pure skill, haha.”
“This is what a master looks like, haha.”
Typically, showing such a provocative scene would lead to controversy about whether the performance was fake.
But since Cheon Hwi had proven his skill with techniques that even professional hunters would use, there was barely any room for criticism despite the increasing viewership.
However, that changed when a donation came in.
[“Quote: 10,000 won donation!”]
“Hey, owner, how about making a proper ‘Unki Brunch’ for us?”
Because the broadcast was unusual, the kinds of comments and donations it attracted were also unusual.
“Unki? What’s that?”
It was just as Cheon Hwi’s first broadcast was about to fully begin.
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