Hae Eung-eung’s answer was unexpected, but Han Chae-rin, after thinking carefully, took a new approach.

"If you want to be number one as a streamer, the more popular you are, the better, right? VTube is considered minor, but terrestrial broadcasts are major."
"!"
"If you make it known that the Silent Swordsman is such a famous streamer that they even appear on Royal Club’s self-produced broadcasts, wouldn’t your popularity skyrocket?"

Han Chae-rin only said things that made perfect sense.

"Plus, there’s no clause forbidding dual jobs, right? You could appear as a panelist and also do gaming broadcasts. It could create some nice synergy, don’t you think?"

Hae Eung-eung was convinced by her argument.
Even the Heavenly Demon claimed to only use a sword, but would often crack a whip, didn’t he?
A master isn’t bound by just one weapon, and if she wanted to achieve the goal of a martial arts world united under the banner of magic, she might have to show the same kind of freedom when it came to types of broadcasts.

[I'll do it. That contract.]

The two women shook hands, sealing the deal.

The leader of one of Korea's top 10 guilds, one of the teenage guilds known as Taebaek Guild—
Gang Taebaek.
With his giant hands, he picked up a report, barely the size of his palm, between his thumb and index finger, looking at it as if it were an unfamiliar object, much like a gorilla curiously holding something.

"Myeongho Guild collapsed and the company was disbanded?"
"As reported. We also jumped into the acquisition competition for some businesses and have achieved some success."
"Ah, whatever. You probably don’t even understand it. Tell me who took this place down."
"As already reported yesterday, it’s suspected that Hae Eung-eung, the leader of the newly-formed Haenampa Guild, was involved."
"Hae Eung-eung? That’s a weird name. What kind of person is she?"
"She... is a streamer who broadcasts as a hobby, as stated in the report."

Gang Taebaek, the powerful master who founded Taebaek Guild, was a figure more gorilla than human, with a suffocating amount of muscle mass.
It was hard to believe his brain was also full of muscle, as he didn’t seem to know how to read a report properly.
Thanks to that, his secretary, Yoo Su-jeong, was under enormous work stress, which only increased daily.

"A stripper?"
"A stripper takes off clothes and dances, while a streamer is someone who does personal broadcasts."
"Isn’t that the same? Streamers throw on a million-won bill and they dance without clothes."

What is this guy even doing in his free time?
Yoo Su-jeong fought hard to hold back her disgust at his crude response, forcing herself to remain patient with her superhuman self-restraint.

"Hae Eung-eung uses the nickname Silent Swordsman and has set a new record by playing the game 'Banyo-gok' in real mode every three weeks."
"Real mode? Isn’t that the one where you have to press the button when you’re doing the Yasu thing? There were a lot of good-looking girls in it."
"……."

She wanted to punch him.
This damn sexual harassment gorilla boss, just once she wanted to give him a good smack in the face and walk away.
Yoo Su-jeong adjusted her glasses, hiding the cold gaze that became sharper with each passing moment in the backlight.

"Show me a video. The best one."

Having long since understood that the "best one" meant the most revealing, Yoo Su-jeong still pretended not to understand and played the most intense fighting video available.

[Strongest Human vs Strongest Demon]

The demon’s immense energy accumulated over its entire life.
With each step, gesture, and collision, the immense energy exploded, kicking up a dust storm in three consecutive bursts per second.

Kaga-Kang!

Against such a monstrous demon,
a delicate woman in traditional warrior garb, her hat knocked back, wielding a sword with a dazzling strike.
She chopped through the waves of demonic energy, deflecting punches glowing with light, overcoming the overwhelming pressure and deflecting attacks in various patterns.
Such an unbelievable master.

"Oh, look at this?"
Gang Taebaek’s eyes filled with curiosity.
Just by looking at it, he could tell how powerful the demon’s strength was.
An awkward awakener would be turned into a pile of meat paste instantly.
The sheer monstrous power of the demon could be felt in every attack.

[This one move will decide the outcome. Human, will you accept the blow containing the full essence of 120 years of demonic energy?]

The demon, having decided to go all out, would deliver its full power.
Normally, the smart thing to do would be to avoid it.
Even an awakener would struggle to endure a boss monster’s attack with their body.
Some idiots would talk about pride and winning battles being different from prideful personal battles, but they were just naive awakeners.

[Alright! Take this!! The final blow of the strongest demon from the demon realm!]

Red, orange, yellow.
The colors of the force field twisted around the fist, the power’s density building up to an extreme, moments away from releasing.

KRA-KOOM!

Gang Taebaek instinctively clenched his fist and, with a face of realization, opened his hand.

"Did I break it again?"
"I anticipated that, so I retrieved it immediately."

Yoo Su-jeong, having briefly taken the screen phone, returned it to him.
Through the small screen phone, the fight he had been waiting for unfolded again.
The moment of conclusion.
The collision of the two.
Hae Eung-eung, who had been overwhelmed in terms of sheer strength, overcame that gap using her technique, attributes, and precision.
That single sword strike, infused with everything she had—

Shlick—

The shockwave from the rapidly spinning sphere of energy repelled in opposite directions,
sending the blow flying into the sky with an overwhelming finality.

The battle ended in an instant.

"That’s a good fighter."
"You can’t attack someone’s house just because you want to fight."
"I know."
"You can’t kidnap someone trying to run away to fight and threaten them that you won’t let them go unless they fight."
"I know."
"Even if you go on the news and challenge them publicly, you can’t do that."
"I know already."
"…I really hope you understand. Things are different now. If you keep acting like this, handling the aftermath will become a lot harder."

Despite Yoo Su-jeong’s cautious words, Gang Taebaek couldn’t hide his playful expression.

"So. You’re saying we’ll compete for the gate entrusted to Haenampa, right?"
"Yes. Since the pre-squad for the 2nd major assault is free, I plan to partner with local businesses and make a move."
"Who’s the team leader there?"
"It’s Shin Do-cheol, known for his mastery of the swift sword. You’ve mentioned before that he was decent enough."
"Ah, I remember."

He had indeed said that.
Though, he still had doubts.

"That guy won’t be enough."
"He’s insisting strongly. Apparently, he wants to defeat the famous Silent Swordsman who’s been making waves recently."
"Support him."

If he couldn’t directly intervene, he’d try using his subordinate as a test.

"Give him the A-class set and the magic sword. That should be about the right level, right?"
"And what if he loses?"
"Do I need to ask what will happen to someone who loses while carrying the name of Taebaek Guild?"
"Understood. I’ll handle it as always."

As Yoo Su-jeong left the office, Gang Taebaek folded the report into a paper plane and launched it.
The paper planes formed a graveyard in the goat pen.
Letters were sucked into the mouth of a pet goat, who chewed them up like a snack.

[Substandard Rating]
[Disposed]

Taebaek Guild didn’t need subpar waste.
It had always been that way, and it would continue to be so.

"Hae Eung-eung. I hope you’re a useful toy unlike Lee Myeong-ho or Shin Seong-gwak."

A cruel anticipation glimmered in Gang Taebaek’s eyes.

Another guild, one of the teenage guilds adjacent to Myeongho-dong—
Yoon Asan, the leader of Asan Guild.
She was an uncommon A-rank awakener and also the head of an entertainment agency.

"It’s been confirmed that Han Chae-rin, the CEO of Royal Club, has approached Haenampa’s leader, Hae Eung-eung."
"Han Chae-rin, that woman, is persistent. She teamed up with Changwon Guild, set a trap, and now, at this timing, she’s paying a penalty to switch sides."

Asan Entertainment, the second-largest entertainment agency in the country.
Royal Club, the third-largest.
Though it was commonly believed that Asan Entertainment held a slight edge in terms of market share, the truth was that Yoon Asan and Han Chae-rin had fundamentally different management styles.

"Any signs of entertainment deals?"
"None at all."
"Tch. That annoying woman. She’s going to keep acting high and mighty again, isn’t she?"

Unlike Yoon Asan’s Asan Entertainment, which used its entertainers and trainees for promotional purposes,
Han Chae-rin’s Royal Club, with the owner’s financial power, never relied on such tactics.
No selling out entertainers, no cocktail parties, only genuine competition based on skill.
Yet despite that, their earnings were comparable, which showed that Han Chae-rin had a far better eye for business.
That was why Yoon Asan couldn’t let her be.

"If she’s turned her attention from the Changwon-dong gate to Haenampa’s in Myeongho-dong, she must be planning to secure it. We can’t let her soar freely."

Yoon Asan gave the order.

"Buy up the companies that broke away from Myeongho Guild and attach the star-ranked awakeners. Don’t fall behind in the bidding competition, gate assaults, or anything."
"Understood."
"We can’t let her gain broadcast popularity either. Set up a competing program in the same timeslot and crush her ratings."

Han Chae-rin had a knack for gathering odd people who eventually became stars.
For someone like her to shine in the industry was almost a foregone conclusion.

"Silent Swordsman. Try to recruit her."
"What if we fail?"
"Then we crush her. If we can’t take her, we break her. She’s just a pretty young girl, it won’t be hard to destroy her."
"I hear she’s quite skilled."
"Then attach a man to her."

Yoon Asan knew exactly how to ruin a beautiful entertainer’s career.

"Seduce her with a handsome man and stir up a romance scandal."
"I’ll prepare someone with good looks."

Yoon Asan was confident.
Even if the recruitment failed, the handsome man would surely succeed.

'Our guys are all stunning, no mountain hermit or hardened sword-wielder could resist them.'