Chapter 171
“Why don’t you use a weapon?”
He wondered at what point this became obvious.
Hwang Gyuseong hadn’t used a weapon since the first time they met.
Even using fists was fine to an extent, but he didn’t even use common gauntlets.
“It looks cool.”
“That’s it?”
“There’s that too.”
The first reason was absurd, and the next was even more preposterous.
“If my body becomes the ultimate weapon, then I shouldn’t need to use any weapon in the first place.”
A body better than any weapon.
His ideals were set higher than himself.
Suhyuk smiled at his words. He didn’t bother wearing a mask when he was with his comrades.
“You stuck to that flimsy reason pretty well.”
“Oh, you caught me?”
“It’s obvious. What’s left of you if your pride is gone?”
“What’s left? Manliness, of course.”
As he said that, Hwang Gyuseong showed his much larger fists.
Indeed, his fists were quite manly. Even though Suhyuk’s hands weren’t small, Hwang Gyuseong’s hands were almost a finger’s length bigger.
After finishing his display, Hwang Gyuseong looked up at the sky.
It was early dawn. While their comrades were all sleeping, only the two of them stayed awake.
“Why aren’t you sleeping at this hour?”
It was Suhyuk who broke the short silence.
“To keep up with a talented friend, I have to strain myself. What can I do?”
“Who?”
“You, obviously. Did you ask because you didn’t know? You unlucky bastard.”
“Of course I knew. Just wanted to ask.”
Hwang Gyuseong laughed as though he was dumbfounded by Suhyuk’s cheeky response.
“That’s about me. But why aren’t you sleeping? Even when you don’t need to strain yourself?”
“Just. I feel uneasy.”
“What about?”
“‘The event that will start someday’, you know.”
It was the message engraved on all players when they received the tower’s call.
“Wondering when it’ll happen, what will happen. It makes me anxious.”
“The better the player, the greater the anxiety about that day. Maybe it’s like a curse.”
Maybe it was because of the late hour, but they revealed deeper parts of themselves not usually seen.
“Knowing more about this world, I feel this way. What are they planning to make us do by giving us such power?”
“Don’t think too seriously about it. Whatever it is, you won’t do it alone.”
“I won’t do it alone. Even so….”
Clenching and unclenching his fist nervously, Suhyuk spoke about the decision he had kept hidden for a long time.
“Whatever it is, I will be at the front.”
“…Really?”
Hwang Gyuseong knew he wasn’t speaking lightly.
He wanted to ask with a smile, why he thought he would be at the front that day.
But he couldn’t.
Hwang Gyuseong was certain.
No matter what that foretold day would bring, Lee Suhyuk would definitely represent all the players in this world.
“I can’t take the lead instead of you….”
That’s all Hwang Gyuseong could say.
“If you die, I’ll definitely avenge you, brother.”
* * *
“You idiot.”
Mixed feelings of anger and gratitude came to mind first.
Hwang Gyuseong’s actions were reminiscent of a promise he had intended to keep, even though it wasn’t on the predicted day.
『”Selfish Sacrifice Lv8″ resisted the damage from “Thunder.”』
『”Heart of Lightning” controlled “Thunder.”』
Zzzz-,
Boom-!
A blue lightning bolt struck the ground where the participants, wary of Suhyuk’s lightning, were gathered.
The impenetrable barrier, formed through the collaboration of several individuals, shattered in an instant. Thunder, accompanied by a louder sound and much greater force, demolished several buildings along with them.
With this, most of the attackers from a distance were eliminated.
Suhyuk checked the number of remaining participants.
‘100 more to go.’
There were roughly 200 participants left.
Just 100 more to deal with. Once that was done, the test would end, and he would be able to leave.
Blur-.
For a moment, his vision turned white, and he felt his strength drain from his body.
No matter how much help he received from the weather, using lightning excessively had taken its toll.
Despite bathing in the holy water of Asgard, eating the leaves of Yggdrasil, and drinking from Mimir’s well, this was the extent he could reach.
No.
Because of those blessings, he was able to come this far.
– Didn’t he surpass 1000 kills?
– Yep, just did.
– Total annihilation, lol.
– Now he just needs to survive smartly.
The mission was already completed. From the start, it seemed an impossible mission, likely set to provoke him, but Suhyuk had accomplished it.
Moreover, it wasn’t all over yet.
– Is this even possible?
– Seems like a high-ranker level.
– Falcon Eye’s drooling over this.
For a player who hadn’t even become a ranker to make it to the finals was a miracle. It was as difficult as a newly fledged bird crossing the ocean.
However, Suhyuk had not only made it to the finals; he alone was dominating the entire test.
– Things are crazy outside, too.
– It’s chaotic here as well.
Despite his outstanding performance, there weren’t many viewers.
No matter how incredible the match in the preliminaries was, something even more extraordinary was happening outside.
Crackle-.
A group scaled the wall of the spire.
They either dodged or blocked the precisely aimed lightning bolts as they closed in.
‘They’ve come.’
He gathered his wits one last time.
Stopping them was the final task of this test.
They were formidable opponents, capable of completely blocking lightning from a distance.
Moreover, Suhyuk was currently exhausted to his limit.
‘I don’t need to handle all 100 remaining participants.’
No need to rush.
Even now, survivors were dwindling one by one.
A phenomenon that occurred as the test approached its end.
Tempers flared naturally among hastily formed teams.
“What about you?”
Perhaps it was the same on their side.
Suhyuk ceased firing lightning and focused on the base of the spire.
The approaching participants fanned out. There were about twenty of them.
“That mask….”
“Is that really Lee Suhyuk?”
“Just as I thought….”
The participants who moved swiftly recognized Suhyuk up close and clicked their tongues in amazement.
The name of the streamer Lee Suhyuk was now known by quite a few players.
He was known as the new owner of lightning, but more than anything, it was his rapid ascent up the tower that drew attention.
Once the match ended, his name’s value would surely skyrocket.
“Ten guys.”
“What?”
“Half of you here, ten guys, can advance to the finals.”
The participants, who had spread out in a fan shape, flinched at Suhyuk’s words.
The finals.
It was the destination every player participating here desired.
“Stab the back of the guy next to you. There’s no need to think of him as a comrade. Anyway, you all just met today, right?”
Beep-.
『Participant ‘Ra Junmyung’ has been eliminated.』
In the meantime, another participant had been eliminated.
“Don’t think it’s shallow. Your chances of advancing are higher this way than fighting me.”
Crackle-!
Boom-!
Lightning shot up into the sky from Suhyuk’s fingertips.
Some participants recoiled at the sight, taking a step back.
But it was only for a moment.
“That bastard is exhausted now!”
“Yeah, there’s no way his magic is infinite. He can’t be fine.”
“Lightning consumes a lot of energy! Let’s all rush him!”
Among them, a few of them had made accurate judgments.
It was unfortunate, but it didn’t matter.
Just planting seeds of doubt in their minds was enough.
The combined attack of twenty skilled players was a threat. Moreover, at such a close distance and with him being exhausted, it was even more so.
But what if their combined attack wasn’t executed properly?
With suspicions among themselves causing divided attention and nerves, their power would be halved.
Screech-.
A long line of sword energy was drawn at Suhyuk’s feet.
Thanks to a quick step backward, his foot wasn’t cut.
At that moment, a participant flew overhead, swinging a gigantic hammer the size of a building.
Whoosh-.
Boom-!
The top of the spire shook. Unlike other buildings, the spire was much more robust and didn’t collapse easily.
“What the hell?”
“Where did he go?”
For a moment, the participants lost track of Suhyuk’s location. He had disappeared without a trace.
The first to spot him was the participant who had swung the hammer.
“My hammer-.”
Flash-.
A sudden flash of light interrupted his words. The participant’s neck was severed along with the hammer, spraying blood.
Suhyuk was perched atop the hammer the participant had swung.
It was so natural that to the others, it seemed as if Suhyuk had vanished entirely.
“Huff, huff-.”
Even a brief, vigorous movement left him gasping for air. Suhyuk’s current state was that bad.
‘Not until I’m the 101st.’
He didn’t mind being the last, the 101st, to die. What mattered was finishing this test as quickly as possible.
Suhyuk didn’t stop moving.
Even if he was out of breath, even if every muscle in his body screamed.
They had to keep moving now.
“You don’t need to keep promises.”
He didn’t expect revenge or anything like that. That was his own burden to bear now.
What he wanted from the person now was just to stay alive.
“That bastard is exhausted!”
“As expected, I knew it!”
“Keep attacking-.”
Thwack-.
With a swift motion, a blade was thrust into the opponent’s neck who had been shouting. Half-dazed, Lee Suhyuk fought, relying on a single blade.
His fatigue level had skyrocketed past 90. It reminded him of the day he battled the Hydra long ago.
Back then, he felt like he was squeezing out every bit of his strength and will too.
“Just one more…”
Thrust-.
Pulling out the sword that had pierced through a heart, Suhyuk’s eyes searched for the next opponent.
“More-.”
Thud-!
A powerful impact was felt on his back. The pain was so intense it felt like his spine was shattering, causing his consciousness to blur momentarily.
The only thing that kept him together was his sheer willpower.
Grinding his teeth, he fought to hold onto his fading vision. Thanks to clenching his knee with one hand, his body didn’t completely collapse.
In that position, Suhyuk spun his body in a full circle.
Whiz-.
Slash-.
Following the path of his sword, the enemy’s neck was cut along with a hammer.
At the same time, Suhyuk, whose eyes had flipped, threw himself at the remaining participants.
Thwack, crunch-.
Slash-!
He stabbed hearts and snapped necks. Blood spurted from the slashed wounds, covering Suhyuk’s body and face.
The participants who survived his rampage tried to flee.
Suhyuk did not chase after them.
In truth, he couldn’t. His legs trembled and refused to obey.
The remaining number was 130.
He only needed to reduce that number by 30 more for the test to end.
Besides, anyway.
“…Right.”
No matter where they ran, as long as they couldn’t pull him out from the top of this spire, the result wouldn’t change.
Crackle-!
『’Lightning’ started.』
『’Thunder’ started.』
『’Heart of Lightning’…』
『’Selfish Sacrifice Lv8’…』
“Try running.”
Lightning and thunder soared from Suhyuk’s hands to the sky.
His entire body screamed for him to stop now.
Suhyuk spoke to his body that had reached its limit. This would be the last.
Even if he died after throwing this, it didn’t matter. Even if he died and was eliminated from the test, this would end the trial.
Flash-!
Suhyuk hurled the spear.
Toward the participants fleeing far away.
And toward those struggling to survive beneath the spire.
Suhyuk shattered lightning and thunder into dozens of pieces and threw them with all his might.
Rumble-!
『The test has ended.』
『You have died.』