Chapter 137
The name of the sixth opponent was Giringg.
Suhyuk exchanged blows with him for about a minute. It was a relatively intense battle compared to the previous ones.
Nevertheless, there were still no significant problems.
Thud.
Giringg’s body, with a pierced neck, collapsed forward. Once again, as Giringg tumbled down the stairs, a familiar message appeared.
『You have defeated the sixth warrior.』
『You have leveled up.』
『Strength increased by 1.』
『Agility increased by 1.』
『Stamina increased by 1.』
A satisfying message.
He had already leveled up twice. It was surprising, considering the opponents weren’t that strong.
“Experience points are substantial.”
Was it because he faced opponents who were copies of gods?
Though they were mere illusions created by the trial, it seemed there was indeed a gap in species.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense to have leveled up twice already.
While he felt a sense of joy, a peculiar tension also accompanied it.
“It won’t be easy.”
The fact that he was leveling up quickly in the trial meant the difficulty of the trial was high.
However, the outward difficulty of this trial was not that intense yet.
In other words, something unseen still lurked ahead.
He couldn’t know what it might be at the moment.
Was it a trial of Valhalla? Or was the entire examination of the sixth floor named Midgard?
He would understand its true nature as he progressed.
But before that.
“Teacher Myeo.”
『Mission completed.』
『You have received 3,000 points from ‘Teacher Myeo.’』
“Thank you for the sponsorship.”
Each time he faced a new warrior, minor missions accompanied it.
This time, the mission was “Win without using lightning.”
It wasn’t a difficult mission. The current opponent was manageable with just his sword.
-So boring
-It’s a bit dull without the lightning
-Boring? His sword skills are freaking amazing!
-Seriously, it’s like his sword is possessed by a spirit, lol
Opinions varied about the missions, but it wasn’t a problem.
He could earn points, and a bit of spice added to an otherwise monotonous trial made it more interesting to watch.
Suhyuk continued to ascend the stairs.
As expected, as he climbed higher, the opponents grew progressively stronger.
Unlike To-Um, whom he faced first, the seventh opponent could withstand a degree of his lightning and retaliate.
After defeating the ninth opponent,
“Hoo-.”
For the first time, Suhyuk paused on the stairs.
“Now, the tenth.”
The ninth opponent had been persistent. Even after being struck by lightning several times, they did not fall, ultimately forcing the output to be increased.
“After the seventh one, it’s not easy.”
Hoping to conserve stamina while ascending turned out to be a mistake. At some point, it became evident that the difficulty was escalating sharply.
The consumption of the Heart of Lightning’s power while climbing the stairs had not been insignificant.
As a result, the fatigue accumulated significantly. And now, the tenth opponent awaited just ahead.
“Let’s take a short break.”
And, of course,
“Since we’re going to continue anyway.”
Suhyuk had no intention of stopping at the tenth.
– Okay, okay.
– Even if you rest, this is legit.
– Since it’s come to this, let’s see it through to the end.
The obvious chatter.
The rest was brief. After about thirty minutes of rest, Suhyuk began climbing the stairs again.
It usually took around thirty minutes of walking to encounter each warrior.
Thirty minutes just on the stairs.
It was a tedious and leg-aching task.
It almost felt like being able to ascend these stairs without a hitch might be the minimum requirement to enter Valhalla.
Fortunately, Suhyuk prided himself on his stamina more than anyone else. He really ascended the stairs effortlessly, rising further into the dense clouds.
At the top of the staircase enveloped in dense clouds awaited a slightly different scene from before.
“Statues?”
Long rows of statues extended to the left and right of the stairs.
The statues obscured by the clouds all depicted warriors clad in armor and wielding weapons.
“They say the warriors of Asgard who die an honorable death come to Valhalla.”
A voice was heard at that moment.
Suhyuk turned his head in the direction of the voice.
“That means being engraved here.”
And at that moment.
Ssssss-
Another cutscene began.
* * *
Pourrr~
Clear wine, as transparent as a reflection, was poured into the glass.
Sitting across a dining table located on an outdoor terrace under the clear sky, Tyr and a blind man tilted their wine glasses.
“Are you really going to see that human?”
The blind man’s words from the previous cutscene.
Judging by his speech, this scene took place before Tyr came to meet him.
“Why? Does it bother you?”
“I’m merely curious. I wonder if it’s significant enough for Tyr to meet them personally.”
“You should know that it’s not that human I’m concerned with.”
As he spoke, Tyr’s gaze briefly flickered to his missing arm and back.
As expected, his disdain for humans seemed related to his lost arm.
“I just don’t want that day to repeat.”
“Certainly.”
The blind man, as if he could see, naturally picked up his wine glass.
“Seeing that Viola has returned, it seems the possibility isn’t too far-fetched.”
“Don’t bring up such bad luck.”
“Aren’t you worried about that unfortunate event too, Tyr?”
The blind man, speaking slyly, moistened his lips with the wine.
Tyr had not touched his wine. Gripping his opposite shoulder with his remaining arm, he winced as if feeling a phantom pain in his missing limb.
“I still despise humans.”
“Then why do you insist on seeing that distasteful human in person?”
“I need to confirm it with my own eyes.”
With a nod, Tyr, carrying a subtle but lethal intent in his gaze, replied, “To see that fool take the test.”
“Do you mean to have him killed?”
“Exactly.”
“So, you don’t believe for a moment that a human will pass the test?”
“That’s an obvious conclusion.”
Looking at the blind man seated across from him, Tyr continued, “Because you will be there.”
* * *
『Defeat the Tenth Warrior, ‘Memory of Heimdall.’』
As soon as the cutscene ended, a message appeared.
“……!”
Turning his body, Lee Suhyuk looked at the blind man standing behind him.
When had he gotten so close?
The blind man appeared young. Given that this was a memory, he indeed looked much younger compared to the cutscene.
What shocked him more than failing to notice the man’s presence was his name.
– Heimdall???
– Why is he here?
– Sudden named appearance!
Heimdall.
Among the gods of Asgard known to players, he was one of the highest-ranking deities held in great renown. And now, he stood before Suhyuk as the tenth warrior.
“How peculiar.”
With closed eyes, heimdall faced Suhyuk, examining him slowly despite his blindness.
“Are you Thor? No, you seem too human for that.”
Thor? Suhyuk thought there was no resemblance, then looked down at his own hand.
‘It’s because of this.’
The item crafted from the Heart of Thunder.
Though it was only a fragment, it was still something Thor himself possessed. Suhyuk had not yet used the new item.
None of the warriors he had faced so far had necessitated its use.
After a moment of consideration, Suhyuk answered Heimdall’s question.
“I am not Thor. I am human.”
“Then why do you possess a piece of thunder?”
Extending his hand forward, Suhyuk replied to Heimdall’s curiosity.
“It seems Thor also has something identical to this.”
“For now”, heimdall responded, causing Suhyuk to reaffirm something.
All the warriors here were not real but mere records of their past selves.
“That should have belonged to Thor.”
Heimdall, instead of seeing with his blind eyes, measured Suhyuk with something else.
“You haven’t stolen it, have you?”
“I’m not capable of such a feat.”
“You’re quite knowledgeable.”
Heimdall, deep in thought, crossed his arms instead of preparing to fight.
Although he couldn’t discern what Heimdall was thinking, Suhyuk found it challenging to make any sudden moves.
As Suhyuk observed Heimdall lost in thought with his arms crossed, he gauged the distance between them.
‘Can I win?’
The distance between them was barely ten steps.
It was a sufficiently close distance. If he intended, closing it wouldn’t be much trouble.
However, even at that proximity, Suhyuk had not detected Heimdall’s presence until he spoke first.
‘Something’s off.’
It was one of two things.
Either Heimdall had a special ability, or he was at a level so high that Suhyuk couldn’t dare to match him as he was now.
“Are you curious about what I’m thinking?”
Heimdall spoke as if he could read Suhyuk’s mind.
“Or are you just curious about me?”
It was both.
Why this trial’s difficulty had increased so dramatically and what was going through Heimdall’s mind were both crucial clues for Suhyuk in facing the trial.
“I received two requests.”
Fortunately, heimdall wasn’t a particularly secretive individual.
“One was to ensure that if a human or anyone with human blood appeared here, they should not be allowed to ascend these stairs.”
Heimdall’s face still bore a troubled expression as he spoke.
“And the second request was to warmly welcome anyone who possessed the power of lightning. He mentioned I would understand the reason later.”
At that moment, Suhyuk recalled an image of a man from a previous cutscene.
‘That man.’
The one who said he would pass on the Heart of Thunder to his son.
That man, most likely, was Odin, the great god and ruler of Asgard and father of Thor.
Welcome anyone with the Heart of Thunder.
In a way, it was a very warm-hearted request.
He requested that his son be welcomed should he come to take Valhalla’s trial.
“I came to understand why later. But it’s quite troublesome. You, a human, arrived bearing the Heart of Thunder.”
Now, Suhyuk understood why Heimdall was so contemplative.
He was stationed here at the request of Asgard’s ruler, and the two requests conflicted with each other.
Watching the still-pondering Heimdall, Suhyuk asked,
“Are you here to filter out humans?”
Though he asked somewhat as a joke, heimdall nodded.
Only then did Suhyuk understand the confidence Tyr exuded when he said Suhyuk would never pass the trial.
With someone like Heimdall as the final opponent, it made sense.
‘Odin has intervened in the trial.’
To prevent any human from entering Valhalla.
Whatever magic he used, odin had taken measures beforehand.
“Why do gods dislike humans so much?”
“Dislike…?”
Heimdall shook his head.
“No. It’s not that we dislike them.”
“If you don’t dislike them, then why go to such lengths, almost obsessed, to keep humans out?”
“Obsessed to keep them out, that’s quite accurate.”
“……?”
What on Earth did that mean?
Heimdall faintly smiled at Suhyuk’s puzzled reaction.
“You’ll understand someday. If you meet me in the outside world, I might give you an answer.”
Heimdall, who said this, seemed to have finished his long contemplation.
“I’ve made my decision.”