Chapter 113
A café located in the 6th-floor city. Un Hyang, watching Suhyuk’s stream there, screamed.
“Aaaaah!”
Crash-!
The table broke. Cheon Ryang, who was drinking coffee across from her, was startled and quickly grabbed his coffee cup.
“What’s going on?”
“Ahhhh! What’s with this woman! Why did she suddenly kiss him!”
“Kiss? What about it?”
Curious, Cheon Ryang hurriedly checked the stream. Suhyuk, frozen in what seemed like shock, and Viola pulling away from the kiss.
From the chat, he could gather what had happened.
– I can’t believe Safety Instructor did that LOLOLOL
– LOLOLOL Mission accomplished
– I didn’t wish for you to be this happy, brother…
– Me too… Me too!!!
Viola’s kiss. That was why Un Hyang was so outraged.
“Earned 50,000 points.”
Cheon Ryang, who often monitored Suhyuk’s streams, saw this situation positively.
A kiss from a beauty. Plus, 50,000 points. It was a win-win situation, worth celebrating.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“What’s good about it!”
Cheon Ryang looked puzzled at Un Hyang’s angry outburst.
“Then what’s so bad about it?”
“Suhyuk’s lips were stolen!”
“So?”
“I don’t like it. Ugh-.”
Un Hyang clenched her fists and trembled with anger. Clearly, she was extremely displeased with the situation. And then, Viola’s next words came.
“Will you join me?”
“To Asgard.”
Un Hyang’s eyes completely flipped.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Crash-!
“Hey, hey!”
The one who stopped Un Hyang from breaking another table wasn’t Cheon Ryang but a café employee. After compensating twice the cost for the broken table, Un Hyang moved to another spot, still fuming.
With a sigh, Cheon Ryang continued to monitor the stream after calming Un Hyang down.
‘This stream is almost at its end.’
Though not long enough to be called an marathon, it had been quite a lengthy stream. Originally, the trial would have ended with rescuing the Valkyrie, but Suhyuk had achieved more again this time.
The pathway to Asgard had opened, a result of his efforts.
Because of this?
‘The viewers…’
Checking the suddenly increased viewership, Cheon Ryang was astounded.
‘This is crazy.’
What had seemed like a trivial content turned out to be a massive hit.
***
Suhyuk hesitated for a moment at Viola’s proposal. He couldn’t readily say yes given the significance of the location.
‘An invitation to Asgard…’
This offer was certainly part of the trial. And whether or not he accepted it would determine the direction of the next trial.
‘Is it okay?’
In his possession was the Heart of Thunder. Additionally, the Heart of Lightning, an object desired by the gods, was embedded within it. He couldn’t predict how Asgard would treat him.
They might even try to take away the Lightning and Thunder Hearts he held.
However.
‘To obtain the other half, I must go to Asgard.’
Asgard was an impregnable fortress. Numerous Valkyries guarded it, and several gods protected its domain. Forcibly invading was impossible.
But if he went with Viola, a Valkyrie, he could step onto that land as a guest. After significant deliberation.
“… Let’s go.”
Suhyuk made his decision. And at that moment.
『You have chosen ‘Asgard’.』
『You have passed the 5th-floor trial.』
『Proceeding to the 6th floor.』
The trial had completely ended.
Whoosh-.
As a white light enveloped him, the colors around him vanished.
In an instant, the scenery changed. It felt like the world around him was transforming. This feeling only occurred in two instances.
When starting a trial, or when ending one.
This time, it was the latter.
In the new world before him, Suhyuk noted a familiar scent.
‘It’s the 6th floor.’
A world filled with the smell of grass. The 6th floor was made up of a forest with tall trees.
High buildings made of sturdy wood. Dew collected here and there.
The world of the 6th floor, Elysium.
‘Choosing Asgard must have been the final decision.’
It seemed the scale of the 5th-floor trial was much larger than he had anticipated.
His choice had essentially predetermined the 6th-floor trial. It was nearly certain that the next trial would take place in Asgard.
“He’s here.”
“See, I told you we’d see him here.”
“Is that really him? Isn’t it just someone with the same mask?”
“Idiot. If you watched the stream, you’d know…”
Hearing the murmurs, Suhyuk looked around.
A considerable crowd had gathered. The mask likely drew attention, but some seemed to have been waiting for him specifically.
‘Now that I think about it…’
He had forgotten to keep track of the viewer count midway through.
『Viewers: 27,032』
“…?”
Suhyuk looked surprised at the sudden spike in numbers.
The viewership had increased by over ten thousand since the stream began.
Surpassing twenty thousand was staggering, and now it had grown by an additional seven thousand.
“Well… a lot of people came.”
For a moment, he forgot about the surrounding gazes and spoke up.
– Hey hey
– Finally reading the chat.
– Interaction on again?
– Well, the trial’s over LOLOLOL
Suhyuk nodded.
“Of course, I need to interact.”
The reason for stopping interactions initially was to focus on the trial without distractions. Considering the nature of the marathon content, constantly paying attention to viewers was difficult.
Moreover…
There was an important reason to restart the interaction.
“I have things to receive too.”
『Mission completed.』
『You have received 50,000 points from ‘SafeAsset’.』
『Mission completed.』
『You have received 100,000 points from ‘SafeAsset’.』
『Mission completed.』
『You have received 50,000 points from ‘Viola Protection Squad’.』
『Mission completed…』
『…』
The consecutive messages made his head spin. There were a lot of missions queued up. And he hadn’t missed a single one of them.
– Even the ridiculous mission to kiss Viola.
– Ha LOLOLOL
– It was for the points, after all!
– 100% success rate!
– Safety Instructor did it…
– His pockets were suddenly bulging.
He knew it would soon be empty, but it felt good nonetheless.
‘Should I go for procedures first? Or increase my skill levels?’
Happy thoughts filled his mind briefly. To focus back on the stream, Suhyuk quickly skimmed through the chat.
At this speed, isn’t he on track to become a ranker in record time?
– He’s already in record time.
– No obstacles at all!
– Feels like it was just yesterday Baby Suhyuk began…
– Just recently teased him about being a second-floor noob, and now he’s above me LOLOLOL
The chat was buzzing about Suhyuk’s rapid progress in the tower. From being a stream and gameplay newbie, Suhyuk had ascended to the 6th floor.
Players who made it to the 6th floor were no longer treated lightly. They reached a point where they were revered in any guild, beyond just being seasoned players.
– Isn’t he going to join a guild soon?
– I’d find one after becoming a ranker.
– 22222
– 2222222
The chat moved too fast for him to follow all the threads. With over 20,000 viewers, the chat flew by at a speed no one could read fully, no matter their visual acuity.
And in the midst.
『’Reinhardt’ has donated 10,000 points.』
『I have one question. Do you know a player named Isaac?』
Suddenly, a donation message caught his eye.
– What???
– It’s Reinhardt.
– Is it the real one??
– The nickname confirms it.
– First Sword supported this stream before LOLOLOL
– Reinhardt.
A renowned ranker and streamer, Reinhardt was a well-known figure to all viewers.
Moreover, his indirect connection to Lee Suhyuk had earned him the nickname ‘First Sword,’ which made his appearance draw enthusiastic reactions from the audience.
‘So, he’s finally aware.’
Suhyuk managed his expression to reveal nothing in his eyes.
‘Things are getting closer.’
Since the death of Isaac, and after Reinhardt’s first donation to his stream. He knew it was inevitable they would clash someday.
He wished that moment would come later rather than sooner. Ideally, not at all. He was in a hurry to take down Kim Ilsoo; clashing with someone like Reinhardt would gain him nothing.
Therefore,
“Yes.”
To avoid suspicion, he couldn’t lie.
“I know him.”
*
The long stream had ended. Walking toward the lodging whose coordinates Un Hyang had provided, Suhyuk felt a wave of exhaustion.
‘A troublesome situation is approaching.’
Reinhardt hadn’t said much beyond confirming that Suhyuk knew Isaac.
『’Reinhardt’ has donated 10,000 points.』
『I’ll see you soon.』
He would come to see him. That was all he had said.
Well.
Considering a relative had been killed, the anger must be unimaginable. His eyes were probably bloodshot with rage.
‘He must have already found out I was his classmate. And yet, he asked with such a significant donation, which means…’
The answer was obvious without overthinking.
‘He suspects me.’
Reinhardt.
Behind the slightly ridiculous nickname ‘First Sword’ he was a high-ranker known as the Golden Lion. The possibility of someone like him becoming an enemy was worrisome.
“I could have done without this a bit longer.”
The only silver lining was that Reinhardt hadn’t found him sooner. Having passed the 5th and reached the 6th floor, and having mastered the power of the Thunder’s Master.
Suhyuk now had the means to fight stronger opponents.
Additionally,
‘20,000 points is a nice bonus.’
Whatever the reason for it, the 20,000 points donation was quite sweet.
Jingle-.
With a pleasant chime, the lodging door opened. The 6th-floor lodging had a distinctly antique feel. Generally, Elysium didn’t have luxurious buildings.
The air in the lodging was filled with a pleasant mix of grass and woody scents. In a corner of the lobby, Un Hyang and Cheon Ryang were having tea.
“Over here!”
Un Hyang waved when she spotted Suhyuk. The moment he announced the “marathon” content, she quickly ascended to the 6th floor with Cheon Ryang. As Suhyuk joined them, Un Hyang, smiling even more than usual, spoke up.
“You did well.”
“A lot of effort went into it.”
“What would you like to eat? They serve meals here.”
Suhyuk nodded.
“Sure. I’m not particularly hungry, but I feel like eating something.”
The food in Elysium generally had a healthy taste. Suhyuk liked this type of food and ordered several dishes.
Before the food arrived, Un Hyang, Cheon Ryang, and Suhyuk chatted idly.
“The stream reaction was amazing. The viewership barely dropped.”
“It’s rare for a Valkyrie to appear in a trial. And the demons were practically a cheat code.”
As Cheon Ryang pointed out, the theme of the trial played a significant role in the stream’s success.
Gods and demons. The confrontation with demons was naturally a fascinating theme for players, especially those who saw demons as their nemesis.
“With peak viewership surpassing 30,000… You might reach the criteria for being a major streamer soon.”
Faced with the continual praise, Suhyuk responded modestly. He had little to say. Knowing that the stream was doing well was simply a relief.
Un Hyang and Cheon Ryang, acting like long-time friends, bantered back and forth until their food began to arrive.
“By the way, about the reward for this trial.”
“Do you mean the Heart of Thunder?”
For the first time, Suhyuk spoke up, and Un Hyang nodded enthusiastically as if she had anticipated his question.
“Yes. Have you thought about how you’ll use it?”
“It’s a material item, so I need to make something with it, but…”
“You don’t know any artisans, do you?”
“No.”
Ever since his reincarnation, Suhyuk had been completely focused on trials and streaming. He had no connections with artisans.
Un Hyang, expecting this, gave a confident grin.
“I know someone who could help.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She spoke with quite a bit of assurance.
Sure enough.
“Have you heard of Kindre, the renowned magic sword maker?”