Chapter 128
The procedure was completed. It was a 500,000-point procedure. Naturally, it was more effective than the previous 200,000-point procedure.
Although there was some fatigue after the procedure, conversely, it felt like his body’s capacity had increased.
‘To think my other stats would rise too.’
It boosted his stamina and focus. But that wasn’t all. Strength, agility, and magic also increased. His stats had risen across the board.
It was proof of the saying: if you had enough points, you could become a god. He had a meal with Jinwoon, drank some tea, and exchanged farewells.
On the way back after the procedure. Suhyuk checked the messages on his kit from the past few days.
『Bald Suhyuk: Reached Silver 1 ^^ Going for Gold soon~』
『Bald Suhyuk: Wanna grab a drink when I hit Gold?』
『Bald Suhyuk: Why no reply :(』
『Bald Suhyuk: Dropped back to Silver 2, haha』
Most of the messages were from Bald Suhyuk. Seeing the daily messages, Suhyuk chuckled.
『Lee Suhyuk: Come to the 5th floor then.』
He casually brushed off the promise. He figured Bald Suhyuk could reach Gold with a bit of luck, but then he’d have to drop back down to the 4th floor.
As he continued checking the remaining messages, Suhyuk’s expression grew puzzled. He had expected messages from Un Hyang. But instead, there were messages from Cheon Ryang.
『Cheon Ryang: When are you coming back~~~』
Something felt off.
‘Is something wrong?’
Cheon Ryang, not Un Hyang, had messaged him. It didn’t seem like a serious issue, but he had an odd feeling.
“Of course, I’ll be wherever you are, but why specifically there…?”
“How long will it take?”
“I’ll wait.”
Her response seemed to indicate she wasn’t entirely comfortable being in the Murim World. Suhyuk picked up on it too. He knew she had issues with the Murim World.
But he didn’t think there would be any major issues. Because she was strong.
『Lee Suhyuk: I’ll be there shortly.』
He replied but received no response.
It was late.
They might have been asleep by now.
Step—
He saw the inn where Un Hyang and Cheon Ryang were staying.
Buzz—
His kit buzzed then. It was a call from Cheon Ryang.
Oddly enough, he seemed to check the message only upon reaching the inn.
“No need to answer—”
Click—
He sensed something amiss right then. The inn was too quiet. Eerily so. The front gate was wide open, and there were a few shallow footprints.
Trained martial artists had passed through.
Step—
His pace quickened. He walked into the inn and answered Cheon Ryang’s call. And at that moment.
“…What is this?”
Holding the kit with difficulty, Suhyuk spotted Cheon Ryang crawling across the floor.
***
Crackle, crackle—
In the spot where yellow lightning had struck. Cha Unhyeop stared at the man who appeared in the middle of the battlefield.
“Lee Suhyuk….”
His expression was obscured by a mask. Cha Unhyeop couldn’t guess what had brought him here. He was merely a streamer.
It seemed improbable that he would come all the way here to become an enemy of the Murim World.
“What business do you have here?”
The opponent was both a player and a streamer. And one with a considerable number of viewers. Cha Unhyeop had no interest in the profession of streamers, but he did understand their considerable influence.
“Are you planning to fight us—”
Crackle—
Before he could finish, Suhyuk moved. Not towards Cha Unhyeop, but towards the other martial artists.
“Wait—”
“Master.”
Cha Unhyeop halted as he moved to intercept Suhyuk. He had momentarily forgotten due to the sudden turn of events. Who his real opponent was.
“If you touch him, you will really die.”
Slash—!
A long cut appeared on his back. Reacting instinctively and moving forward saved him from being split in half, but it was still a critical injury.
“Grr—”
Cha Unhyeop quickly distanced himself and refocused on Un Hyang. It was a mistake. Distracted by Suhyuk’s unexpected arrival, he had lost sight of his true opponent.
Facing Un Hyang again, Cha Unhyeop felt something had changed.
‘She has changed.’
Just moments ago, Un Hyang seemed on the brink of collapse. And it wasn’t only due to her injuries. The more wounded and cornered she became, the sharper and fiercer her aura grew.
But now, with Lee Suhyuk’s appearance on the battlefield. She wore the same calm expression she had at the start.
‘Does she trust him?’
Streamer Lee Suhyuk. Cha Unhyeop had heard his name in passing, even though he paid little attention to lower-rank affairs.
A player who was rapidly ascending the tower and making a name for himself. And he shared the same name as a legendary figure among players.
But.
‘He joined the fray too soon.’
No matter how skilled, to a player who had just reached the 6th floor.
‘This stage.’
The elite of Shinryeonseong would still be formidable opponents.
***
The trees cut down like missing teeth and the altered terrain created by Cha Unhyeop’s thunderous waves formed an irregular forest.
The martial artists of Shinryeonseong used this forest as their battlefield against Un Hyang. Direct confrontation was challenging, so it was the natural choice.
Crackle, crackle—
A yellow glow spread through the dark and intricate bamboo forest. Shinryeonseong martial artist, Won-guk, eyed the sudden intruder on the battlefield.
‘Lee Suhyuk.’
He was the one who had infiltrated the inn and held a knife to Cheon Ryang’s throat. A talented master of stealth and a high-ranking member of Shinryeonseong.
That was Won-guk.
‘A wasted talent with poor judgment.’
Lee Suhyuk’s talent was undeniable. Although it was a bold claim, some even compared him to the legendary Lee Suhyuk in his prime, noting that this Lee Suhyuk might surpass him.
And proving that evaluation, Lee Suhyuk had climbed the tower at an astonishing rate. It was clear he would soon become a high-ranker. But what did it matter?
‘He’s going to die here.’
It didn’t seem like he was streaming. Just in case, they checked his stream channel, but as expected, the stream was off. Given that, there was nothing to hold them back.
There were eight remaining martial artists of Shinryeonseong. And among them, including himself, four were high-rankers.
It was an unbeatable force.
Crackle, crackle—
Emitting lightning from his body, Lee Suhyuk stared down the martial artists of Shinryeonseong.
He had presence, but that was all.
“Finish this quickly and secure the target.”
At Won-guk’s command, the martial artists began to move. And then it happened.
Boom—!
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, landing above Lee Suhyuk’s head. The remnants of the black lightning were visible. Any player who had watched Lee Suhyuk’s matches would recognize the sight.
‘Lightning Lord.’
A unique ability that rapidly boosted the user’s stats, Lee Suhyuk’s signature move. A technique thought to be gone forever was now displayed right in front of them.
‘We can’t take this lightly.’
Judging by the exchanged glances, the other Shinryeonseong martial artists shared the same thought. No matter that he wasn’t yet a high-ranker; he was still Lee Suhyuk.
The second user of thunder to appear in twenty years. With the activation of Lightning Lord, they couldn’t afford any carelessness.
“Against someone like him, we can’t afford any casualties. Form a siege and make sure—”
Flash—!
The martial artist who was speaking was suddenly split in half. A black streak from Lee Suhyuk’s sword had sliced him diagonally from head to groin.
Boom—!
The sound of thunder followed a beat slower. It was natural for sound to travel slower than light.
But the fact that they didn’t even see him swing his sword was alarming.
“This is insane—”
In an instant, one of them was down. They had just discussed that they couldn’t afford any casualties, yet one had already fallen.
Crackle—
Lee Suhyuk tore through the remaining seven martial artists.
Boom—!
By the time the sound reached them, another comrade had been struck by lightning. Moving shadows and the trajectory of the sword.
None could be seen. Was it carelessness?
It wasn’t even worth discussing against such an opponent. For a moment, Won-guk’s eyes saw Lee Suhyuk and Cha Unhyeop overlap.
He compared him with one of the great high-rankers of Shinryeonseong, of which there were few.
“Rush him so he can’t use his skills!”
With that shout, five martial artists charged at Suhyuk.
Clang—!
Crack—.
The martial artists coordinated their attack. They trained daily in swordsmanship, honing their teamwork.
In contrast, the opponent had just reached the 6th floor—a rookie.
Boom—!
This battle should not have been evenly matched. The exact opposite, in fact.
Clang—.
“Gah—.”
Swords wrapped in magic shattered, and a body charred black collapsed to the ground.
Now, only four remained besides him. Watching yet another one fall, Won-guk enacted his stealth technique.
‘This won’t do.’
Swish—.
He had thought wrong. It wasn’t about quickly dominating from the front. He needed to make full use of his specialty and surely aim for the back.
『’Starting Point of the Night’ is activated.』
With the skill’s activation, all traces of his presence vanished. As if separated from the world, all minor sounds like footsteps, breathing, and heartbeats were silenced.
It was the combination of the martial arts technique of stealth and the skill that allowed Won-guk to become a pillar of Shinryeonseong.
‘Strike the vital spot cleanly in one go.’
Lee Suhyuk was currently engaged with other martial artists. They were slowly being pushed back by Shinryeonseong’s forces, but with this distraction, the outcome was clear.
‘The neck? Or the heart?’
Blending into the night’s darkness, Won-guk scrutinized the vital spot to target as he neared Suhyuk’s back.
Which one should he choose?
As Won-guk’s eyes followed Suhyuk’s movements, they lit up.
‘The neck.’
At the very moment he made that decision:
Pop—.
Won-guk’s dagger thrust towards Suhyuk’s neck.
But.
“People like you really lack creativity.”
Squeeze—.
Suhyuk, who had spun around, caught Won-guk’s hand holding the dagger.
“Why does everyone always aim for the back?”
“Huh…?”
“There used to be someone who always hid and startled others.”
That was Yerang’s nasty hobby. The best at stealth techniques, she often used her strengths to play cruel pranks on her peers, including Suhyuk.
Several never caught on to her stealth, but after a while, Suhyuk started to notice when she hid.
Boom—!
The swung sword fell with the sound of thunder.
“How could… a 6th-floor player…”
Won-guk’s body split in two, creating a red streak as it did.
How could he?
To Won-guk’s absurd question, Suhyuk replied while looking at the corpse.
“It’s always the clueless nobodies who focus on the floor numbers.”
The 6th floor. That was truly where he was at the moment. But the height a player had reached was not the only standard by which their skills were judged.
If that were the case, Suhyuk would have been focused solely on climbing higher, disregarding the tests.
Collecting points before the tests, receiving procedures. Equipping weapons. He deliberately made the tests harder even when he could have ascended to the next floor.
The reason he endured such exhaustion was simple.
“What matters is not how high you climb, but how you climb.”