Chapter 147
“Really? He accepted?”
John Dale jumped from his seat upon receiving a call from Un Hyang. His voice was loud enough that he felt the glances of people outside the team leader’s office.
“Yes. But he wants to use it for something other than the test.”
“Other content? What is it now?”
“The tournament.”
“The tournament? Streamer Lee Suhyuk?”
This was unexpected.
Having reached the 7th floor, he was now eligible to participate in the tournament. However, participating without joining a guild did not offer much benefit.
‘Is it really for the content?’
If that was the case, it made sense. But somehow, it didn’t feel like that.
‘This is different from his usual behavior.’
Since starting his stream, Streamer Lee Suhyuk’s goal had solely been points. He began streaming not out of special interest in fame or the profession itself, but purely for the points.
Starting from the very beginning, the goals of Streamer Lee Suhyuk and Lee Suhyuk had diverged drastically.
But why then?
‘They seem so similar.’
No matter how he looked at it, the two felt alike. Watching the streams felt like witnessing Lee Suhyuk’s life translated directly to the screen.
A so-called “money-crazed” streamer enamored by points.
‘That’s part of his charm as a streamer, though…’
Even so, entering the tournament?
This was going too far in resembling Lee Suhyuk.
“Boss?”
“Ah, yes?”
John Dale snapped back to reality at Un Hyang’s call.
The call wasn’t over yet.
“Alright, if it’s confirmed, we should announce it in advance. Make it a hot topic.”
“I’m already preparing for it.”
“How about some special events since it’s unique content? Like giving prizes for predicting the rankings?”
“Great minds think alike, huh? I’ve already put up a report for that.”
John Dale clicked his tongue in amazement at her prompt response. Not too long ago, she was someone who couldn’t perform well for years. Yet now, she was showing abilities surpassing many veteran managers.
“Why are you working so hard these days? It doesn’t suit you.”
“I’d love to just slack off and take my salary, but I really like the streamer I’m handling.”
John Dale chuckled at Un Hyang’s cheerful tone. But then, he suddenly remembered the guilt he harbored towards her.
“…I’m sorry about the Reinhardt incident.”
“So, you do feel bad.”
Her voice was cold, but it didn’t convey any major grievances. Thankfully, she managed to overcome the challenge he had dumped on her.
“How did you really solve it? Did you fight?”
He knew well of Un Hyang’s prowess. It was John Dale who hid her in Balhae, knowing she was a genius of the Murim World.
Even so, he never expected she could defeat Reinhardt.
What John Dale counted on was her background.
The massive backing of the Divine Dragon Group. That should be enough to suppress Reinhardt to some extent.
But then.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Her enigmatic response only stoked his unease further.
Lee Suhyuk checked the dates remaining until the tournament.
‘Eleven days left.’
He felt a sense of urgency.
Inwardly, he questioned whether it was right to participate in this upcoming tournament. His current skills were not all that exceptional.
However, avoiding it just because he lacked confidence was not an option.
If his strength was insufficient, he had to find a way to bridge the gap in the remaining time. With that thought in mind, Suhyuk decided to act.
[☆Notice☆]
[I decided to participate in the preliminaries of this tournament. Although my skills are still lacking, I will climb as high as I can. Please give me your support.]
A short and concise notice.
It was a notice written with difficulty at Un Hyang’s request. He had pondered over it a lot, but simplicity was truly the best for conveying information.
Though he heard a few complaints about the lack of finesse, fortunately, the response was enthusiastic.
└ ??? Tournament? Really?
└ Do you think you are really good just because people say you are?
└ To be honest, you are really good.
└ No, you are not.
└ Still, it’s too soon for the tournament, lol.
Negative comments were attached to the notice.
For players, the tournament was a sacred domain. Especially for players in a world where their lives were at risk, it was even more so.
Moreover, Suhyuk had just reached the 7th floor.
For the viewers, the floor level represented by a number was more important than the visible skills.
It was only natural.
It was far more intuitive.
“Only criticisms.”
Looking at the comments, Suhyuk eventually turned off the display.
There was no need to be disheartened. He was confident that he could change public opinion quickly.
There were more important matters right now.
[Owned Points: 528,128p]
528,000.
Seeing the substantial amount in his pocket, he felt momentarily uplifted. Most of these points had been acquired by extracting them from the guilds.
It was a delightful yet challenging concern.
How should he spend this?
Recently, he had been using all the points he earned for Jinwoon’s procedures.
But there was a drawback to the procedures.
‘They take too long.’
The time it took to travel back and forth to the Murim World, and the time spent on procedures.
Adding all that up would waste half of the remaining time.
Before the tournament started, Suhyuk wanted to take the next test if possible.
So, there was only one way.
“It’s been a while.”
Back to basics.
It was time to rediscover the reason he began streaming.
[320,000 points have been used.]
[The skill level of ‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv6’ has increased.]
[You have acquired ‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv7’.]
‘Selfish Sacrifice’ had always been the cornerstone skill Lee Suhyuk used whenever he wielded lightning.
Investing points to level up a skill meant that its level would increase, and its effects would become more potent.
This skill, which devoured a staggering 320,000 points in one go, now required 640,000 points for the next level.
Thud-.
Suhyuk headed straight for a nearby hunting ground. The world of the seventh floor showcased a stark contrast between city and nature. Unlike the gothic architectural city, the outskirts were nothing short of wilderness.
It was known as the world with the highest number of monsters.
Once outside the city, countless monsters awaited.
Hiss, hiss-.
Squeak, squeak-.
The cries of monsters echoed from the bushes.
The sounds were faint, deliberately hushed rather than distant.
“You guys know too.”
Knock-.
He halted his steps and surveyed his surroundings.
He had ventured in deeply enough. By now, the area was teeming with monsters.
“You know that I’m here to hunt.”
The monsters had better intuition than most rankers who walked around with their chests puffed out. They recognized that Suhyuk’s solitary presence here was no accident.
Realizing this, they likely called their comrades from all directions.
Growl-!
From the middle of the bushes, a monster, unable to withstand its hunger, lunged forward.
But Suhyuk hadn’t come here expecting just one.
Flash-!
Boom-!
Lightning emanated from his punch, exploding the monster’s body. The shattered pieces of the monster’s corpse scattered in the air.
[‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv7’ resists damage from ‘lightning’.]
So far, it felt like nothing.
Even his stamina had increased significantly, making it impossible to feel any substantial penalties from the lightning at this stage.
“Today’s objectives are two.”
Crackle-.
Blue currents of electricity seeped from the glove on his right hand.
He squinted momentarily from the stinging sensation.
[‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv7’ resists damage from ‘thunder’.]
Soon, Suhyuk felt a sense of comfort and continued speaking.
“It’s going to sting a bit.”
Buzz-.
He used his fingertips to draw in the air, forming an image.
A blue current extended longer, taking the shape of a spear.
Gripping the thunder in his hand, Suhyuk hurled it with all his might toward the forest in front of him.
Flash-.
Boom–wooooom-!
The thunder, screaming through the air, shattered the trees of the forest, spreading out like a fan.
The bodies of the monsters swept away by that force were nowhere to be seen. Even if they had any substantial defense, it was unlikely they would survive there.
‘The power is indeed strong.’
Thunder differed in nature from the lightning he had dealt with so far.
While lightning focused more on speed than destructive power, thunder excelled in destructive force.
Of course, the creation speed of this technique was somewhat slower, but in situations where a powerful strike was needed, thunder felt several levels superior to lightning.
‘The problem is merging the strengths of both.’
Thunder and lightning.
He had clearly understood the properties of these two forces.
The challenge lay ahead.
Combining the strengths of both forces.
Creating a technique that merged the destructive power of thunder with the speed of lightning, utilizing only their advantages.
And there was one more thing.
“I’ve spent a lot of precious points on this.”
320,000 points.
A bit more, and it would be enough to complete the remaining procedure for Jinwoon.
Having given up all that to pour into this, he had to extract the maximum benefit possible.
Grrr-.
As Suhyuk’s attacks continued, the monsters began to reveal themselves one by one.
Suhyuk removed his stifling mask and bared his teeth toward them.
“Let’s see how far we can go.”
* * *
At the center of the ruined forest.
Suhyuk sat on a tree stump left as a makeshift chair, taking a rest.
‘I’ve leveled up once.’
It seemed he had caught quite a lot.
This proved that his sustainability had increased that much.
‘The effect has undoubtedly increased.’
The effect of the Skill ‘Selfish Sacrifice’ was certainly powerful. The skill effectively suppressed the penalties of both lightning and thunder and reduced the burden on his body.
As the skill level increased, the required points also increased. And as the required points increased, the efficacy of the skill grew exponentially.
However, Suhyuk faced a new problem as the skill’s effect intensified.
‘Am I becoming too reliant on the skill?’
The emptiness he felt right after using lightning and thunder was growing stronger.
It wasn’t entirely bad. It meant his capability to handle lightning had expanded that much.
Yet, as that happened, his shortcomings became increasingly evident.
The skill “lightning” was a versatile skill capable of reinforcing physical abilities by enveloping the body in energy, besides having powerful offensive capabilities.
In fact, Suhyuk had been fighting battles based on the excellent firepower of the lightning skill, which he had mastered for a long time.
However, in the long term, it was inevitably a war of attrition that consumed his stamina.
No matter how much the “Selfish Sacrifice” skill leveled up, that wouldn’t change. Ultimately, his current self would be exposed if his stamina ran out.
“There’s no time….”
To supplement this, what was crucial was attaining a higher level and better stats.
If his other stats could support him to the extent that he wouldn’t need to burn his stamina to use lightning, there wouldn’t be a need for a war of attrition using lightning.
Existing rankers had built their abilities through leveling up via hunting and overcoming trials.
On the other hand, Suhyuk had been using shortcuts like lightning, Selfish Sacrifice, and procedures.
Until now, those were the best choices available.
Leveling up through hunting took too much time after all.
To catch up to Kim Ilsoo in a short period, he had no choice but to rely on significant rewards from trials, procedures, and skill support.
But Suhyuk understood.
One cannot reach the pinnacle with just one skill.
“I need to find a way.”