Season 2: Chapter 166: Swift (2)
Almond started playing Swift's story mode. The news naturally spread across the LIL community, particularly on LIL Pro.
[Flashy Blade's Legendary Story Mode Begins!!]
This provocative post ignited their interest. Those unfamiliar with LIL could wonder what was so provocative about it. The term “legendary” being used for Flashy Blade’s story mode was akin to a nuclear test despite the North and South’s relationship.
— ??
— What’s legendary?
— Him?
— Legendary Flashy Blade is what some streamers claim lol
— Agreed
— Where’s JeonJaPa?
The only legendary Flashy Blade was considered to be JeonJaPa. Some factions refused to acknowledge anyone else and would erupt in anger if someone with a less stellar reputation dared to use such a term with Flashy Blade.
Of course, this provocative word drew a lot of attention.
— Is he playing LIL again?
— Almond's back to LIL?!?!
— I’m rushing there like a mad dog
More people started focusing on Almond's return to LIL rather than the term "legendary."
The news spread far and wide.
[If you haven't seen Almond since he quit LIL, click here lolol]
[If you've been waiting for Almond, the LIL legend, to return. Click here]
Such posts began to dominate the top of LIL Pro. This directly translated to more viewers for Almond.
[Current Viewers: 35,000]
His viewership broke into the 35,000 territory, a feat not so easily achieved when he hadn’t even accomplished a one-star clear yet. This surge in viewers wasn't just because Almond started playing LIL.
[You guys said he's going to beat the JeonJaPa, right? lol]
[Does this mean it's JeonJaPa vs. Almond?]
[If JeonJaPa’s data is really being used, that's going to be super entertaining]
Rumors were that the boss of Flashy Blade's story mode used JeonJaPa's data. Many LIL Pro users saw this as Almond facing off against JeonJaPa.
[JeonJaPa vs. Whoever lol, prime content in a while]
Whenever the narrative of someone facing off against JeonJaPa arose, it always garnered attention.
[JeonJaPa vs. Random]
There was a time when this became a meme. Naturally, Almond also received considerable attention. Of course, some viewed it differently.
[Is AI with accumulated data the same as facing JeonJaPa? lol]
[In the end, it's not a real match. What level of excitement is this?]
[Laughing at the thought of beating JeonJaPa's records lol]
Indeed, Almond wasn't directly facing anyone. Amid this, a claim emerged.
[Even if JeonJaPa returned now, he'd be worse than his own data lolol]
[Isn't Almond's match actually the real deal? It's against JeonJaPa's prime records]
They argued that facing the records from JeonJaPa's prime was more meaningful than a direct match with the current JeonJaPa. This argument held some persuasive power.
"Whether it's true or not, it sounds persuasive enough."
Ju-Hyeok hit enter and left the community.
"We've received a lot of attention."
His eyes looked contently at the current viewer count.
[Current Viewers: 37,000]
The number had increased by 2,000 in the meantime. Indeed, choosing Flashy Blade’s story mode was the right decision.
***
"Hey, wait a moment."
Almond called out to Swift's party as they were about to pass by. He was specifically calling out to the leader, Swift.
"What is it?"
Swift turned around sharply and Almond showed him the rune.
"It's a rune."
Almond could have demonstrated the rune's acceleration ability, but chose not to.
"It's too precious to use."
That would be a waste. He didn’t fully understand its power and considering runes were single-use, using it just to show off seemed foolish. He would lose its power the moment he used it. Instead, Almond intended to show the rune as a promise of his future usefulness.
"… A rune?"
Swift's eyes widened slightly and the kids behind him murmured.
'As expected.'
Almond thought this would work. After all, hadn't Swift said rune boxes only appeared in places influenced by the sanctuary? Assuming the sanctuary was located deep within the dungeon and hard to reach, the presence of a rune box within its influence naturally made it rare. Possessing something from such a rare box was quite significant.
"You chose a rune over a weapon?"
"Yes."
"That's truly a foolish choice. Wouldn't it have been better to choose shoes or something?"
'There were no shoes as an option…'
Almond's expression contorted.
— lololololol
— Lololol
— lololol
Laughter filled the chat.
"Runes are meant to enhance permitted weapons. Alone, they're just single-use firecrackers and not very efficient."
"…"
Almond remained silent. His attention was now on the chat instead.
— Careful or you'll get banned lol
— Duck!
— Selecting targets for cleansing lol
Almond contemplated making an example out of a particular viewer when Swift asked, "What's the point of showing us that rune? You planning to pay tribute to us?"
"No. It's to prove I can be useful."
"If you had said the opposite, you might have actually proved it. We're leaving. It seems you're not suspicious, just deficient. We won't kill you."
Swift turned back to leave.
Thud.
He paused momentarily before looking back.
"If you call me back again, you'll die. I'll make sure of it multiple times."
"…"
Swift truly turned around and disappeared this time.
Almond expressed his opinion, "I don't like his attitude."
— You don't think you caused that? lol
— Agreed lol
— He usually doesn't go that far
— It’s funny though lol
The viewers were thrilled to see Almond, usually showered with praise by the gods, being teased.
[HeyThere has donated 3,000 won.]
[Regretting not reading the description now, are we? Lol]
The teasing continued with donations.
"Yes. Thank you for the donation."
— Thought you'd say yes, regretting it lol
— Yum~ swallowing the donation~
— lol, are you upset?
— Aww, I wanna bite you, so cute
"There still seems to be a way since Swift decided to spare me."
— lol true
— Such a great guy
— Swift's really a big-hearted person lol
Almond muttered a phrase that sounded like a line from a self-help book, "As long as I'm alive, there's a chance."
He followed the tracks left behind by Swift's party.
***
Following Swift and his party wasn't difficult. They seemed to completely underestimate Almond and showed no signs of vigilance. Perhaps they lacked the ability to detect someone tailing them. After all, they were just kids.
Ssshh.
Almond hid in the bushes like usual and observed their movements. Nothing special was happening. They seemed to be walking toward somewhere, but it was hard to discern whether they knew the exact route or were just wandering around.
'Is there actually a way to find the sanctuary?'
This place simply looked like a dark, desolate, and vast forest to Almond even though they referred to it as the first floor. Where could the entrance to the next level be…?
[LOL has donated 10,000 won.]
[Just started and already this. Why not start over?]
— lololol really
— Just choose a weapon lol
— Hey, a rune is lethal to me. Shut up.
"… Thank you for the 10,000 won."
Almond simply responded and refocused his attention on Swift.
'Just give me one chance.'
He was looking for an opportunity when suddenly—
Splash.
"!?"
He accidentally stepped into a puddle.
"…"
Almond held his breath and lay down flat. Although his upper body became soaked, he didn't mind.
'Did they not notice?'
Perhaps because he was lying down, thankfully they didn't catch on. With so many monsters around, such trivial noises seemed to have been ignored.
“Sigh.”
Without saying a word to the viewers, Almond eyed the puddle.
'How far does this extend?'
He didn't want to step into the water anymore. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just a puddle or pond. Rather, it seemed like a lake of some kind.
The smooth surface of the lake looked like a mirror and the ripples Almond had caused slowly spread out. That was when he saw it for the first time, his face.
"…?"
No, saying he could see his body would be more accurate. Wet, thin fabric clung to his body and showed the soft outlines of muscles underneath. His physique seemed too well-built for a kid. This was already somewhat strange.
'What are these characters?'
He spotted various characters engraved on his body.
— *#*%&
— Oh
— So he's a tattoo junkie
— *#(*@@
— Introducing rapper LIL Motherf*cking Swift?
The chat hid any potential spoilers.
'Something…'
Almond’s intuition told him that there was something significant here. Perhaps even more so than when he met Swift. He took out the faintly glowing rune from his pocket.
???????????
He scrutinized the characters closely.
"They seem familiar."
Although he couldn't read the rune's script, the feeling was similar.
"Huh?"
Almond seemed to have discovered something and examined the information panel.
[Speed Rune - Winferestin]
"Winferestin’s alphabet…"
He focused on the strange alphabet with eleven letters.
???????????
This sequence also had eleven characters.
An e appeared twice, n twice, and i twice. The positions matched as well. Thus, they corresponded.
"It seems to correspond one-to-one with the alphabet."
Almond started to draw on the ground with a stick he found nearby.
W → ?
I → ?
N → ?
F → ?
E → ?
R → ?
S → ?
T → ?
Indeed, each symbol directly corresponded to a letter in the alphabet. This made decoding the script quite straightforward.
— Wow
— Nut doing a mega spin
— Is Almond taking a break tomorrow?
— Wow
— Really?
— He just got a rune and already doing this lol
Clearing his throat, Almond laughed momentarily while enjoying the chat. Then, he looked back at his body.
"Let's see if there's something here I can decipher."
His eyes darted around for a while before landing on a specific series of characters.
?????
S W I F T
"Swift?"
Swift was Flashy Blade’s name. Why was that written on his body?
Ding.
[You have moved a step closer to Memory (★★).]