My Confident Shout Kicks Off with Viewer Mockery
"Agh! Agh! Agh! Seriously!"
I thumped my scrawny chest in frustration at those exasperating viewers.
"I'm not just talking big—I'll show you with actions!"
Gyu-ring donated 10,000,000 won!
"Sis, slice that scrapped blue dump truck in half with that scrap heap over there!"
A flashy golden donation effect filled the center of the screen. The string of endless zeros after the '1' blanketed the broadcast.
Clang-!
The screeching friction sound that had been tearing through the suburban junkyard like it was ripping it apart suddenly cut off as if it were a lie.
Paeng Ji-woo's gaze, swinging a massive steel H-beam as thick as an adult man's torso without a care while covered in dust, locked onto the floating display in mid-air. Her hollow, weary eyes, which seemed indifferent to all worldly matters, slowly widened.
Ji-woo casually dropped the ridiculous hunk of metal to the ground. She rubbed her oil- and rust-stained hands roughly on her worn black tank top and strode right up to the camera lens.
The scar at the corner of her eye, filling the screen, wriggled like a snake.
"Seven zeros..."
Her low, husky voice carried over the mic.
"If this is some refund scam later... I'll kill you."
A savage warning spat toward the viewers beyond the screen. It wasn't some light streamer reaction for show.
Ji-woo picked up the fallen H-beam again and tossed out a nonchalant line. "Time to work."
Crack! Pop!
Twisting her joints side to side produced ominous cracking sounds.
The mana scouter's wave reading was still a perfect '0'. No flicker of mana, no pulse of internal energy.
But.
Krunch-!
The moment Ji-woo kicked off the ground, the thick concrete floor of the junkyard shattered into a spiderweb pattern like it'd been hit by a bomb. The screen shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.
Ji-woo's body shot through the air like a cannonball. The sinewy muscles in her forearms and shoulders compressed to their limits like steel cables, then explosively expanded.
Pure kinetic energy from the Heavenly Gang Body, where bone and muscle density were compressed to the extreme, tore through the air in a massive arc.
BOOM-!
A deafening roar erupted. The H-beam plunged like lightning into the center of the scrapped truck. The steel frame screamed as it tore apart like paper, cleanly bisected like slicing tofu and slamming to both sides.
Even the H-beam, unable to withstand the overwhelming kinetic force, warped grotesquely like taffy from the shockwave.
A calamity of destructive power wrought purely by raw physical force from a supposed civilian (or not?) with zero mana or internal energy.
From within the billowing cloud of dust, Paeng Ji-woo, with the warped H-beam slung over her shoulder, turned to the camera with an impassive face.
"Worth the price."
While the chat exploded in shock and cheers, my eyes sharpened with keen insight as I lounged on the bed, watching leisurely.
Her body's already complete...
In my eyes, her fatal flaw stood out crystal clear.
Gyu-yeon chugged the half-empty cola and clicked her tongue.
The destructive power that halved the truck was impressive, but the trajectory of her strike was pathetic. The ferocity and perfect control of her body came from the Heavenly Gang Body, but her attack form was just brute-forcing it like some street thug. Hardware was top-of-the-line PC, but the OS was Windows 95-level.
If she entered the Tower like this, her limits would be obvious.
I narrowed my eyes. A wicked, genius idea flashed through my mind, and I grinned ear to ear.
I'd been banned from the Tower for a while, but not her. Overwhelming physicals. Mercenary mindset where money solves everything. The thrill of broadcast potential and vicarious satisfaction surged through me.
I flipped on the mic without hesitation and broadcast my voice to Paeng Ji-woo's stream.
"Sis, your body's perfect, but your fighting form's total gangster noob! Swinging that wildly like a brute, real powerhouses won't even let you touch 'em before wiping the floor with you."
Ji-woo's brow furrowed slightly at my sudden fact-bomb. I pressed on undeterred.
"Kill the stream and check your DMs."
I immediately sent 100 million won as an advance to Paeng Ji-woo's personal account, along with the address of my Cheonmu Penthouse.
* * *
The next afternoon.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The doorbell chimed lightly. Dressed in comfy pajamas, I pattered over and opened the front door.
There stood Paeng Ji-woo in the grimy, oil-stained work clothes from yesterday's stream. A body sculpted like a weapon forged purely for battle, without an ounce of excess. I sighed involuntarily at the Murim Alliance and Association for overlooking such talent.
The moment the door opened, Ji-woo's fierce gaze quickly scanned the interior. Her eyes flicked between the expensive-looking marble floors and decor, then me who opened the door, flashing thick disappointment and disbelief.
What the? This brat? Some spoiled rich kid's prank...?
She didn't say it, but her face screamed condescension toward me. Seemed like she planned to play along just enough to snag some cash like yesterday. Crossing her legs casually, she jerked her chin.
"You Gyu-ring? House is stupidly big. What do I need to smash?"
"Smash what?"
Cocky attitude. But instead of getting mad, I snorted and walked to the center of the living room.
I lightly flapped my empty left sleeve and beckoned with the index finger of my remaining right hand.
"Land one clean hit on me. Touch my collar, and it's 100 million yours."
My taunt made Ji-woo's eyebrow twitch. She smirked, finding the frail girl's bluff laughable.
"Don't wanna pay your hospital bills, kid. But if you're handing over cash, who am I to refuse?"
Thud-!
No warning—Ji-woo's body sprang like a coiled spring. The terrifying explosive power that shattered the junkyard concrete yesterday recreated itself in the penthouse living room.
A massive beast lunging for the nape. Ji-woo's fist tore through the air, mercilessly aiming for my face. Power even an A-rank hunter or peak martial artist couldn't ignore.
But her opponent wasn't just some rich brat.
"Too slow."
Just before her fist grazed my nose, without even gathering energy, I twisted my body half a step using pure footwork.
Her fist sliced empty air. The first flicker of bewilderment crossed her weary eyes.
I extended my right hand. I lightly flicked up her wrist, thrown forward by her whiff.
Yielding overcomes the rigid. Softness subdues hardness.
The subtle rotational force from my fingertips perfectly redirected the kinetic energy she'd unleashed.
Her power's direction completely reversed, Ji-woo couldn't control her own momentum and floated into the air.
"Wha...?"
A dumb sound leaked from Ji-woo's mouth. I lightly pressed her shoulder down with my toe, slamming her to the floor.
BOOM-!
The marble floor spiderwebbed. Ji-woo's body crashed helplessly.
"Gahk...!"
Shock emptied her lungs; she coughed, eyes rolling back.
She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes in disbelief. A frail one-armed girl smaller than her head, without using a drop of energy. And she'd been utterly toyed with, not even grazing a finger.
The overwhelming gap in power. Electric thrill and terror raced through Ji-woo's body.
Looking down at the sprawled beast, I grinned like a mischievous kid.
"See? Hardware's stacked, but no skill means even a one-armed swordswoman like me wrecks you."
I squatted and whispered in her ear.
"Wanna learn? I can teach you."
"...."
Speechless, Ji-woo trembled her snake-like scar, breathing raggedly.
Confirming the primal fighting spirit in her eyes, I drove the wedge home.
"I'll be your sponsor—infinite weapons and cash. Nah, your living inventory. In return, you train hardcore under me to learn how to fight. And become my nakama. Deal?"
Silence hung in the living room. Feeling the bone-deep power gap, Ji-woo instinctively realized this pint-sized freak was a true monster beyond specs—and her one and only mentor.
Haa... Exhaling roughly, she let out a disbelieving chuckle and sprawled flat on the floor.
"Deal. Fuck it, let's try. But... pay up on time, pipsqueak."
And so, the glorious moment arrived: an exclusive contract between the unfinished beast with the world's strongest hardware and the supreme streamer under heaven.
"Pfft! Excellent choice. Then starting tomorrow, hell training..."
My excited chatter cut off abruptly.
My gaze shifted from Ji-woo's face to the floor where she lay spread-eagled.
The spot I'd stomped her shoulder into—utterly wrecked marble, spiderwebbed and crumbling to dust.
"Uh...?"
The Hunter Association goons had wrecked the door earlier, fixed by Aunt Elena with association funds. But this? 100% my fault.
"Ah... Aaaahhh!"
From the mouth of the girl who'd just exuded supreme dignity came today's most pathetic, heartbroken scream.
"Fuck, I gotta pay to fix this myself!!!"
With the silver-haired beauty sobbing over the shattered marble, the curtain fell in the most pathetic, wretched way.