Chapter 102
“Yes, Team Leader. Really? It went through?”
During Suhyuk’s ongoing stream. Manager Un Hyang was busy at the dormitory.
“Okay. Got it. Bye.”
Click—
She ended the call, having finished her business. Once again, she skipped the usual pleasantries with the team leader, John Dale.
“Why? What’s up?”
“Oh, this? ‘Bald Suhyuk’. The collaboration has been approved.”
“Bald Suhyuk?”
Cheon Ryang, who was enjoying his favorite snacks, looked surprised.
“Hey, do you know what you’re doing? Are you planning to ruin someone?”
“The jinx? Yeah, I know.”
“And you’re seriously going through with it?”
“Suhyuk agreed to it. Of course, I told him about the jinx.”
“He’s a weirdo too, then.”
Cheon Ryang stared intently at Un Hyang as she continued to look busy since morning.
“What else are you doing?”
“There’s a message from Reinhardt’s side. They want to meet Suhyuk. I’m replying to that.”
“Wow—”
Cheon Ryang leaned forward in curiosity.
“Have you always been this type of person?”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t seem like someone who worked this hard….”
Cheon Ryang tilted his head.
“Are you really alright?”
Flinch—
Un Hyang’s hand paused at his words.
“Are you running away from something?”
“Running away from what?”
“I mean soon…”
Cheon Ryang swallowed the rest of his words. There was no need to remind her of a reality she was trying hard to forget. This thought suddenly crossed his mind.
But unfortunately, Un Hyang had already caught onto what Cheon Ryang was implying.
No.
She had known for a long time.
“Hey, I know. I know that.”
Un Hyang responded to the words Cheon Ryang had intended to leave unsaid.
“This is something I enjoy doing.”
“Do you really like that streamer, Lee Suhyuk, that much?”
“Of course.”
Un Hyang nodded without hesitation.
“He feels like the same person.”
“Lee Suhyuk?”
“Yeah. It’s like they’re twins or something.”
It was a gut feeling. And when that feeling becomes extremely sensitive, it turns into intuition. Un Hyang’s intuition was sharper than anyone Cheon Ryang knew. And that same Un Hyang was saying.
The two Lee Suhyeoks were exactly alike.
“Has he shown you? That mask—”
“No, not his face. I haven’t seen his face either. And honestly, would it even matter since I don’t know what the real Suhyuk looks like?”
“Oh, right.”
Nodding as he slapped his forehead, Cheon Ryang listened as Un Hyang continued her explanation.
“His behavior, his manner of speaking, even the way he fights. Everything. It’s all so similar.”
“Jeez…”
Cheon Ryang crossed his arms, shaking his head in disbelief.
“No wonder people are talking about Lee Suhyuk’s reincarnation.”
“I really hope it’s true.”
Un Hyang smiled widely, basking in the thought of such a possibility. She returned to responding to Reinhardt’s message, while Cheon Ryang munched on his half-eaten snack, watching her.
‘Lee Suhyuk, huh…’
Glancing at Suhyuk’s stream on his device, Cheon Ryang was reminded of the day Un Hyang became enamored with Lee Suhyuk.
‘Could this person really take Lee Suhyuk’s place?’
It was an absurd hope. Yet, some part of him couldn’t help but wonder.
*
After packing up, Suhyuk and Viola left the cave together. The forest they entered was gloomy. The air was cold. The dense canopy of trees seemingly blocked any light from entering.
“I apologize for yesterday.”
As they walked through the forest, Vigo cautiously approached Suhyuk.
“Looking back, I think I made a mistake.”
“Nothing to apologize for.”
Suhyuk meant it. He was more inclined to thank Vigo because it had led to the agreement to receive Viola’s sword.
“I was doubtful. How someone not from Asgard could possess such power.”
“Even after I knocked you out with one hit?”
“Being strong is one thing, but that power originally belongs to Asgard.”
Suhyuk frowned behind his mask. This conversation had been repeated several times.
“So, whose power do you think it is?”
“That is…”
“Vigo.”
Viola interrupted, cutting the conversation short and shaking her head at Vigo.
“Yes, I understand.”
Vigo fell silent. Suhyuk sighed at the repeated pattern. Again. No matter how many times he asked, they refused to explain why they were so focused on his lightning power.
-The suspense is killing me.
-Seriously.
Just tell him already.
-They probably can’t. It might be filtered info.
Both Suhyuk and the viewers shared the frustration. However, feeling some remorse for the repetitive conversation, Viola offered an apology along with a hint.
“I’m sorry. But there’s one thing I can tell you for sure. If you follow the path of Asgard, you will eventually meet someone.”
She didn’t specify who they would meet. Probably something she couldn’t disclose. But Suhyuk had an inkling of whom she was referring to.
‘That man.’
The man with the hammer from the cutscene. The one who had sent Viola and the other two Valkyries here, hiding the Heart of Thunder on Earth, held the key.
How could he meet him?
As Suhyuk pondered this, they continued their journey.
“There it is.”
After traversing the forest and moving far ahead. Down below the mountain, the place where the other Valkyries were became visible.
A massive fortress-like city surrounded by high walls. The capital of the Conrad Kingdom appeared before them. A city of enormous size, even at a glance.
In its center stood a tall castle, and enormous mansions were visible even from this distance. In addition, there was a vast territory capable of housing hundreds of thousands of people.
Though it looked like just a huge city on the outside, everything related to this trial was right here.
“The Thunder Throne was in the capital of Conrad Kingdom.”
“The capital? In such a large city?”
“Yes. To hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. To hide a person, you hide them in a city.”
It wasn’t wrong. The most suitable place to hide the throne, the king’s seat, was indeed where the king resided. The Valkyries had used the capital of Conrad Kingdom, the king’s seat, to hide the Thunder Throne.
However.
“It was perfect. No one has sat on Conrad Kingdom’s throne for centuries.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you know? The Conrad Kingdom hasn’t had a king for the past five hundred years.”
A kingdom without a king. That was Conrad Kingdom. An ideal place to hide the throne. But somehow, the demons had discovered the secret of the empty throne.
‘Everything is here.’
Meeting Viola was just the first step to coming here.
‘The Valkyries, the demons of Muspelheim, and the Heart of Thunder.’
Outwardly a city, but that wasn’t the reality. Suhyuk defined the massive city before him as, ‘This is a dungeon.’
*
“Fresh bread! Only for the next 10 minutes, get it cheap!”
“Silk from Osman available!”
“We buy everything! Bring it in! Clothes, metals, leather, we take it all!”
The noisy marketplace. Just past morning, the city square was bustling with people. In the midst of it all, Viola had her face wrapped in a cloth.
“Is this really necessary?”
“Weren’t you hiding?”
“Well…”
“Then it’s only natural to cover your face.”
“What about Vigo?”
“He’ll be fine.”
Vigo being less conspicuous allowed him to blend in more easily. Thus, they moved through the crowded market, disguised and prepared for the challenges ahead.
Suhyuk’s explanation still left Viola puzzled. But there was no helping it. It didn’t matter if Vigo chose to conceal his face, but it was different with Viola.
The reason for this differential treatment was simple.
-Big presence LOL
-Her face is like a magnet
-Vigo takes another L LOL
It was because of her striking face.
‘It’s like announcing our location.’
In such a crowded place, Viola’s face was too conspicuous. If any of Muspelheim’s demons were nearby, they would easily spot her.
“Do you even know where we’re going?”
“We can sense it even if it’s far away.”
“So where is it?”
“It’s…this way for sure…”
Suhyuk asked, just in case, “Are they definitely alive?”
“That…”
Once again, Viola couldn’t provide a definitive answer and trailed off. Judging by her darting eyes, it seemed she didn’t know for certain. Her expression hinted that she might be running around to save someone who was already dead.
‘They’re probably alive, but…’
Seeing her expression, Suhyuk sighed.
‘I can’t guarantee both are.’
The title of this scenario was “Rescue”.
Given the content, a Valkyrie was likely alive. However, a rescue mission could mean saving even just one person.
First, they needed to determine how many they were supposed to find here.
Moreover, “Rescuing Lady Belveim is crucial, but we must be most cautious of the demons.”
For once, Vigo made a valid point. Yes, it wasn’t just the Valkyries’ lives they needed to worry about. Somewhere in this massive city were demons.
Avoiding detection by them was the top priority.
“How many are there exactly?”
Suhyuk asked, ready to fight if necessary. By this point, he hoped for a straightforward answer, and Viola finally spoke up.
“The confirmed number is in the hundreds.”
“Hundreds?”
“Yes. And they are all on the level of Valkyries.”
-…?
-Really?
-LOLOLOL LOL
The chat filled with hooks and laughter at the absurd response. Suhyuk’s reaction wasn’t much different.
‘Is this for real?’
Hundreds of demons, and all of them on par with Valkyries?
This seemed excessive. Despite receiving Jinwoon’s medical procedure and gaining confidence, a direct confrontation was unfeasible. A force of hundreds of demons was enough to wage war against a brigade of Valkyries.
‘This doesn’t make sense.’
The answer only deepened his confusion. Viola had mentioned that this world had a system restriction. The system. If it was the same kind of power Suhyuk knew, it was an immensely absolute one.
Not even the Valkyries’ king and the great god Odin himself could defy it.
So, what could it be?
Perhaps it was just a name similarity or there was another reason. If it were the latter, that would be fortunate, but if the former, an all-out war with the demons was out of the question.
“By the way…”
While wandering aimlessly through the vast city,
“Viola?”
In the middle of the street. An incredibly beautiful woman saw Viola and looked surprised. And upon seeing her, Viola’s face lit up with joy and relief.
“Belveim?”
She called out her name with the happiest expression. It was the moment they met the second Valkyrie, Belveim.