Chapter 170
Atop the central, towering spire.
Lee Suhyuk stood precariously balanced at its peak.
– CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY
– IT’S INSANE
– Is he really a god?
– Debuting today as a ‘new’ player;;
– LOL yeah, he’s a ‘newbie’ LOL
Lee Suhyuk hurled bolts of lightning.
Literally, from the top of the spire, he threw lightning. Towards the participants who appeared as small dots in the distance.
– Can you see anything?
– Just dots LOL
The spire was immensely high. Standing at its peak, the buildings below seemed like toy blocks, and people appeared as tiny black dots like baby ants.
He could see the entire map at a glance.
Participants engaged in fierce battles below, those hiding in alleys, or conversing to form teams.
He saw everything. Of course, it was only Suhyuk who could see such things.
As if the purpose of this place was just for this.
Lee Suhyuk made the spire his stage.
『’Generating Lightning’.』
Boom-!
Lightning fell from the sky into Suhyuk’s hand. With the weather aiding him, he grasped it like a god from mythology.
『’WeLoveLeeSuhyuk’ has donated 1,000 points.』
『Didn’t even think of the weather;;』
Long ago.
There had been an interview with Suhyuk who had participated in a Counter-Fight.
“Your performance is remarkable today; do you have any special secrets?”
“It’s because it’s raining.”
“Rain? What’s the connection between rain and your performance…?”
“I’m in good condition when it rains.”
People thought he was joking.
But in reality, on days when it rained, specifically when there was thunder, Suhyuk became a completely different person.
‘Luck was on my side.’
The reason Suhyuk had accepted SafeAsset’s mission.
It was precisely because of the weather.
‘It’s been so long since a day like this.’
Swaaah-.
Boom-!
Thunder and lightning filled the sky, and rain poured down.
Enemies, soaked in the rain, were more easily exposed to electrocution. Meanwhile, Suhyuk, drawing lightning from the sky, could produce high output with little effort.
Furthermore, this towering spire.
It was the perfect map optimized for unilateral slaughter by throwing lightning.
Boom-!
The lightning that flew from his hand struck a group of participants. Three fell in quick succession, and he prepared the next bolt.
And around that time.
‘They have caught on.’
Below, one by one.
There emerged those who realized that someone was hurling lightning from up above.
He never thought he could hide it until the end anyway.
The participants here were all top-rank players. Suhyuk was well aware that he could never deceive them till the end.
– How many did you take out so far?
– About 100, maybe?
– 129 kills.
– Including Cha Minwoo, it’s 130.
It was a lot, but there was still a long way to go.
However, it didn’t matter.
This was actually a bit slower than he had anticipated.
‘It’s just the beginning.’
Even if they realized who was above their heads, it was impossible to respond immediately.
Most participants already had enemies around them, and if they took their eyes off for even a moment, they’d fall to the nearest threat.
This was the second phase Lee Suhyuk had planned.
‘It won’t take long.’
For now, the enemies in front of them would seem more daunting, but as time passed, their priorities would inevitably change.
Soon, he would likely become the enemy of everyone here.
But,
‘This is the only way.’
He erased the mission from his mind; it was now a secondary objective.
All he could think about was ending this test as quickly as possible and getting out of here.
『’You have defeated Dorito’.』
『’You have defeated Denma’.』
『’You have defeated Mikul Lift..’.』
『…』
Boom-!
Every time he threw lightning, messages kept popping up.
He didn’t pay attention to them. The target count was still far from his goal, and the end of the test was even further away.
He saw more targets in the distance.
No, he focused all his senses so he could see them.
Just as they appeared small to him, he too appeared small to them, just a dot.
For now, he had no choice but to maintain his superhuman concentration.
Ping-.
At that moment, he noticed a small glimmer of light.
His head turned reflexively.
Whoosh-!
Something brushed past his head with the sound of a strong wind. It happened so quickly, but he could instinctively tell what it was.
‘An arrow.’
Someone had aimed an arrow accurately from this distance. Not an ordinary skill.
Once the arrow attack began, more arrows continued to rain down.
Shssshhh-.
Arrows poured from all directions, converging on a single point, aiming for Suhyuk’s heart.
Flash, the sword in Suhyuk’s hand sliced through the converging arrows.
Simultaneously, the lightning in Suhyuk’s other hand shot toward the direction the arrows had come from.
Boom, lightning surged in the distance. The opponent was a lone archer.
『’You have defeated Kim Hwiyung’.』
That was the beginning.
As soon as other participants spotted Suhyuk, they began to launch counterattacks.
‘It’s starting now.’
He hoped to continue the one-sided slaughter as before, but that was merely wishful thinking.
From now on, they too would start their counterattacks.
First of all,
Whoosh-!
It began with attacks flying in from a distance.
“There are quite a few players with high accuracy.”
While blocking the incoming magical bullets with his palm, Lee Suhyuk furrowed his brows.
Even though it was just the preliminaries, this place was still swarming with rankers.
On this field, dozens of skilled individuals could accurately target the high tower piercing the sky with their skills.
Now, he had to keep blocking or dodging their attacks while continuously launching bolts of lightning.
Crash—!
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky once again.
Suhyuk altered its trajectory. From now on, the key task was to handle large bolts of lightning with minimal power.
The forthcoming battle would be against time and stamina.
* * *
Crunch—.
He could feel the sensation of a neck snapping beneath his fingertips. Hwang Gyuseong, having cleared a path once again, began to move forward.
Stumble—.
His body swayed, and he briefly lost balance. He knelt on one knee to catch his breath.
“Huff, huff.”
His breath reeked of blood and acrid bitterness. Blood mixed with spit trickled down the corner of his mouth, hitting the ground.
“Damn it, seriously….”
The more he moved, the faster the poison spread.
He needed to find a place to rest and either drain the poison or detoxify it, but there was no such luxury.
The wounds sustained during the fight were not insignificant either.
The minor injuries from Un Cheon-guk still hurt, and Jin Doha’s sword had penetrated quite deep.
The bleeding from these wounds accelerated the poison’s spread.
『’Status Effect – Poisoned’ state.』
『’Status Effect – Poisoned’ is…』
The messages continued relentlessly.
But he couldn’t remain still forever. The encirclement he painstakingly breached would thicken with time.
Step, step—.
Barely standing on his feet, Hwang Gyuseong began to change locations.
The more the poison spread, the more he thought.
“That bastard….”
Lee Suhyuk.
He recalled the back of his friend, who had continued fighting despite being afflicted by the same poison.
“He must’ve suffered terribly.”
Until then, he couldn’t imagine it.
Lee Suhyuk losing a fight? It was a scenario he’d never considered, no matter how many enemies his friend faced or what condition he was in. But now, having been struck by the poison himself, he understood why.
This was the power of a divine-tier item, one of the few in the world.
This poison had the strength to push even the mightiest players towards death.
“Cough, ptuh—.”
Blood surged up from inside. Just staying still caused his muscles to tear and his internal organs to twist in pain.
Only now, after more than twenty years had passed, did he feel a sense of respect.
Lee Suhyuk.
How much pain had that guy endured to save them?
“Pathetic….”
Sizzle—.
He stopped moving forward and turned around once again.
“Embarrassing, Gyuseong.”
That guy had fought. Yet he was showing his back, pathetically promising himself a future chance as he fled.
‘Although Kim Ilsoo is a priority….’
He sensed someone approaching. It was exactly what he had been waiting for.
“To die like this would be so humiliating; how could I ever face that guy?”
Shhh-
He caught up quickly even though he had just decided to rest for a moment.
Probably, even if he had tried to keep running without stopping, it wouldn’t have been long before he was caught.
Jin Doha emerged from the direction of the arena, parting the bushes. He stood before Hwang Gyuseong, maintaining a distance, without immediately swinging his sword.
“Aren’t you going to run?”
His tone was polite, unlike at the beginning.
In front of everyone, he had to brand Hwang Gyuseong a traitor, but now there was no need for that.
This was the nature of Jin Doha. He was the finest swordsman and, at the same time, a strategist.
“Because it’s humiliating.”
“Humiliating, you say… I see. Yes, even I would have felt the same.”
Jin Doha immediately understood Hwang Gyuseong’s words.
He had been there with him on the last day of the Blue Eyes.
“You’ve thought well. Even if you manage to break through me and the Heavenly Net, there will be another trap waiting for you.”
Indeed. He had thought it wouldn’t end like this.
It was certain that Kim Ilsoo, a perfectionist to a fault, wouldn’t entrust everything to the Murim world.
Once he broke through Murim’s Heavenly Net, it was clear that Blue Zone would be forming another trap.
“Dying by my hands would be better than by theirs. It would be a more honorable and a less unjust death.”
“Are you speaking as if you are worried about me?”
“Wouldn’t it be unfair for you? To die at the hands of those who robbed you of all your glory.”
Come to think of it, that was true too. The Blue Zone had taken away all the legends and glory the Blue Eyes had built.
But to die at their hands, now that would be even more unjust.
However, there was no need for such thoughts right now.
“That doesn’t matter.”
In the first place, he hadn’t stopped in order to die.
“I am not going to run away. I will kill you, and everything else outside. I will simply walk out.”
“… Don’t you realize that’s impossible?”
“Maybe.”
No, actually he knew.
In his current condition, it was not just difficult to get past the Heavenly Net or Blue Zone’s trap beyond it, but even Jin Doha right in front of him.
Nevertheless, Hwang Gyuseong had made up his mind.
“So what. I have to do it.”
Whether it was possible or not.
At the very least, he resolved not to harbor the thought of running away.
As Jin Doha looked at Hwang Gyuseong, he overlapped with another person in his mind.
‘He resembles Lee Suhyuk.’
Even though over 20 years had passed, he couldn’t forget that day.
A man who burned everything, even in a body that could die at any moment. A warrior who fought through his limits with the determination to save his comrades.
“… Alright.”
Swoosh-
Jin Doha lifted the sword he had pointed downward with both hands, holding it straight up.
“From now on, I will unleash five techniques. These five essences encompass my entire life.”
Buzz-
Rumble-
The sword, imbued with innate energy, emitted a crying sound. The dry sky trembled, the clouds shook, and winds blew like a typhoon.
As if a dragon were ascending, the aura surrounding him shimmered like a mirage.
“If you withstand this, I’ll let you go. I promise on my life and honor.”
“Should I thank you?”
“No need. Right now, I am the one who should apologize for acting cowardly.”
Jin Doha bowed his head in a respectful gesture.
“I am honored to see the legend of Blue Eyes once again.”