Chapter 142
In front of the airship heading to the 7th floor.
Un Hyang chewed her lip while watching Suhyuk’s stream.
“Ugh, ugh-.”
“What, again?”
“I don’t like it.”
Despite Cheon Ryang’s words, Un Hyang did not take her eyes off the kit. There were only 30 minutes left until the airship’s departure. The two planned to go to the 7th floor first and wait there.
Cheon Ryang, who was also monitoring the stream together, asked, just in case.
“Is it about that Valkyrie?”
“Yes.”
An unhesitant answer.
Suhyuk was currently storming the headquarters of Midgard alone to rescue the Valkyrie.
‘Does she really like Suhyuk?’
If there was anything she didn’t like, that was it.
But a manager having personal feelings for a streamer?
If it became known, it wouldn’t be overlooked easily.
“Huh, huh?”
It was then.
Un Hyang’s eyes widened, and her hands fluttered.
“Hey, hey! That’s it, that’s it!”
“That?”
Wondering what she meant, Cheon Ryang tilted his head. On the screen, Suhyuk was riding the lightning and walking on the sky.
“25 years ago, in the Continental War with Anux-.”
“Ah, that time?”
From her explanation, his memory returned.
And even the interview content that Lee Suhyuk had done at that time.
“Didn’t Suhyuk say this was incredibly difficult?”
“He did.”
“It just looks like a flying skill…….”
Although rare, there were certainly types of skills that allowed for flight. However, Lee Suhyuk was a player several levels above those rankers with such skills.
On the surface, it didn’t seem like much.
But,
“It’s not a skill that is supposed to let you fly in the first place?”
“Huh?”
“This idiot, think about it. Lightning is originally-.”
Sounding exasperated, Un Hyang abruptly stopped talking. Her gaze shifted to the back of the station.
“Why is someone coming…….”
He felt uneasy, thinking perhaps people from Murim had been sent again. Cheon Ryang tilted his head at the familiar face.
“Reinhardt?”
A ranker from the guild Lion’s Castle.
Reinhardt, the dark swordsman of Anux and fellow streamer like Lee Suhyuk, was heading towards them.
“Seeing a celebrity here.”
“He’s coming to us.”
“To us?”
“We got a contact from the team leader.”
“Contact? What contact?”
Reinhardt approached before Cheon Ryang could answer his question.
“Nice to meet you. I am Reinhardt from Lion’s Castle.”
Reinhardt greeted Un Hyang and Cheon Ryang with a well-crafted smile.
“You know, right? Since you’re in the same industry.”
Arrogance within politeness.
That was precisely Un Hyang’s first impression of Reinhardt.
“Yes. I know.”
“Then this should make the conversation easier. You know I’m not suspicious.”
“I’ve heard about your son.”
In an instant, the smile on Reinhardt’s face vanished.
“So, you are looking for our streamer.”
“…That team leader, he talks too easily about others.”
“It’s important to us. Anyway, it’s not for a good reason that you’re looking for Suhyuk, right?”
“I appreciate your cooperation. It’s a very important matter.”
“And if I say no, will you believe me?”
Un Hyang was sure of it. Suhyuk was not the type to kill an innocent young player for no reason.
But she could tell just by looking at Reinhardt’s eyes.
He needed someone to take his revenge on right now.
As expected,
“I will decide after meeting him.”
He chose to divert the conversation instead of giving a direct answer.
“He happens to be streaming right now. Seeing that you’re here, he must be planning to reach the 7th floor in this trial.”
Step-.
Reinhardt’s steps headed towards the airship.
“I believe he will succeed this time as well. Then, we can meet at the starting point of the 7th floor.”
“You are determined to meet him, aren’t you?”
“I’ve given up on meeting quietly. But I must meet him even if it gets a bit noisy.”
“Why go to such lengths?”
“Because that bastard might have killed my son.”
He said he didn’t know, but it was obvious at a glance. He believed Suhyuk was the culprit.
No.
To be precise, he seemed to wish Suhyuk were the culprit because that would allow him to avenge his son.
It was so blatant that even Cheon Ryang, who stood a step back, could see it.
In this troublesome situation, Cheon Ryang racked his brains.
‘If it’s in the city, there shouldn’t be a major problem.’
The starting point of the 7th floor was in the middle of the city. Even someone like Reinhardt wouldn’t be able to behave recklessly there.
‘I should contact Suhyuk right away and secure a place as soon as he arrives on the 7th floor…’
Cheon Ryang was thinking that when suddenly,
“That’s a bit problematic.”
Un Hyang unexpectedly spoke up.
“As you know, in our line of work, the safety of a streamer is one of our duties.”
“Hey, hey! Un Hyang!”
Startled, Cheon Ryang urgently called Un Hyang’s name.
Their opponent was Reinhardt. He had been a ranker for decades and had mastered both magic and swordsmanship to a grandmaster level.
Though he was defeated in one stroke, he had once crossed swords with Lee Suhyuk as well.
“What do you intend to do then?”
Reinhardt’s spirit sharpened even more.
His reaction was so fierce that it wouldn’t have been surprising if he drew his sword at any moment, and Cheon Ryang held his breath.
“What’s the point of dragging out a conversation among players?”
Swoosh-.
Un Hyang turned her body in the opposite direction of the airship.
“I promise you. If you beat me, I’ll tell you.”
* * *
Having something possess one’s body was not an entirely pleasant feeling. Whenever Lee Suhyuk used the Heart of Lightning, he always felt like another will was taking control of his body.
This was why Suhyuk was reluctant to use the Heart of Lightning aside from the physical burden it imposed.
‘It’s as if the skill has its own will.’
Crackling, crackle-.
The black electricity that enveloped his body overflowed with power. Baldur’s sword looked much slower than before, and his presence seemed smaller than it did initially.
Kaboom-!
“……!”
Baldur, who had clashed with Suhyuk, was flung backward.
Swiftly rotating his body in midair to regain balance, Baldur saw Suhyuk’s sword before his eyes.
Flash-.
Boom-!
A single sword strike containing dark electricity extended into a long blade, slicing the top of the tower.
Baldur, bending his body to evade the sword, felt his strength intensify. Unlike at the beginning, he now collided with Suhyuk with all his might.
Clang-!
Kaboom-!
As the swords clashed, the sound of thunder reverberated into the sky. Baldur, raising his magic to avoid losing, responded in kind.
Zap, zap-.
Suhyuk increased the output at his feet and charged at Baldur. Baldur barely managed to block the sword thrust like a spear, then struck the blade down with all his strength.
Crack-.
Rumble-.
The tower of the headquarters began to collapse bit by bit due to their battle.
The soldiers of Midgard couldn’t easily intervene in their fight.
Approaching the dark electricity radiating from Suhyuk was challenging, and even protecting themselves amidst the crumbling tower proved difficult.
Crash-.
Finally, the base of the tower collapsed.
A silver cup clattered as it rolled away. The giant’s bones and heart fell to the floor below.
And at the center of it all was Viola.
Thud-.
Viola was already on Suhyuk’s shoulder.
‘Since when?’
Baldur’s eyes widened.
It appeared that rescuing Viola had been his goal from the beginning.
He hadn’t intended to defeat Baldur from the start.
His pride was wounded.
“Where are you looking-.”
“I wasn’t distracted.”
Suhyuk nodded his head slightly.
Upward.
Baldur raised his head and looked up, eyes widening.
“Something by our side was disrupting the fight.”
Zip, zzzip-.
Above the dark clouds, giant clusters of dark electricity were visible.
“Fortunately, it’s here now.”
Even from above the clouds, the power was visually evident.
‘Since when?’
Why hadn’t he noticed such a significant technique?
The question crossed his mind, and the answer came immediately.
The dark clouds. The technique was hidden within the dark clouds and had been slowly building its power.
All for this one decisive strike.
Satisfied that Viola was secure, Suhyuk’s hand dropped.
Kaboom-!
“……!!!”
Black lightning engulfed their bodies. The headquarters’ tower, unable to withstand the force, began to crumble rapidly.
“Gah… Aaaaaah!”
Crash, boom-.
Rumble-.
Baldur’s scream was drowned out by the sound of the collapsing tower.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky. Midgard’s soldiers were buried under the debris or scattered in all directions.
In the midst of the chaos, Suhyuk leapt down, carrying Viola on his back.
This time, there was no need to create lightning steps. Instead, he used the falling rocks from the tower as stepping stones.
Jumping down from the tower, Suhyuk set Viola down from his shoulder.
『’Lightning Lord’ has been deactivated.』
Zzzzzt-.
The power that had filled his body rapidly dissipated. Accompanying the sensation of floating, a wave of exhaustion surged over him in an instant.
Suhyuk barely managed to steady his wavering body as he lowered himself.
“Are you alright?”
“No problem.”
Viola, staunching her own wounds, raised her head.
“Is anything getting in the way?”
“Judging by your sense of humor, it seems you’re really alright.”
Suhyuk examined Viola’s injury.
It was a rather deep wound, still bleeding steadily.
Luckily, it wasn’t life-threatening.
“If we treat it quickly…”
Suhyuk trailed off as he turned his gaze toward the crumbling wreckage of the command tower.
Amidst the ruins, staggered movements caught his eye.
It was Baldur, struggling to walk, emerging from the debris.
‘Did he dodge all that?’
He had assumed Baldur would be buried under the fallen structure.
Yet, the man’s unstable walking indicated he wasn’t unscathed; he must have pushed himself hard to avoid the falling debris.
Suhyuk picked up his sword and stood again.
“Persistent, aren’t you?”
Suhyuk was also exhausted.
He had rushed here right after the Valhalla trial, fought the Midgard soldiers, and even unleashed the maximum output of his lightning power.
His stamina was about to give out. It was now a matter of whose endurance would deplete first.
Fortunately, the answer soon presented itself.
Thud-.
Baldur, who had been staggering toward them, collapsed onto his knees before Suhyuk had to do anything.
“Heh… hehe… heh-.”
A strange laugh escaped Baldur as he strained to lift his head and look at Viola and Suhyuk.
“Do you think you’ve won?”
“Look behind you.”
Suhyuk gestured toward the ruined Midgard command center with a nod.
“Can’t you see who has won?”
“This is a fight where no one wins.”
“What nonsense-.”
Suhyuk was about to raise his sword, feeling there was no need to listen any longer.
Ssss-.
Crackle, crackle-.
The temperature plummeted abruptly, freezing the ground swiftly.
Feeling the change in the air, Suhyuk’s pupils widened.
“It’s not nonsense.”
『Release rate: 6.13%』
At that moment, an alarm went off.
As if acknowledging it, Baldur flashed a resigned smile.
“Even if it’s not Ragnarok-.”
『’Right Hand of Bergelmir’ has been released.』
“You will definitely die.”