Chapter 35
“Not for money, right?”
“…….”
Suhyuk paused at Un Hyang’s question. The purpose of becoming a streamer. In a straightforward sense, it was for the money. After all, earning points was necessary to level up his Selfish Sacrifice skill and overcome the drawbacks of his Lightning.
Of course.
‘She’s not asking about that, is she?’
Suhyuk stared intently into Un Hyang’s eyes. She was a player who had reached a fairly high level of mastery.
She might have even surpassed the Full Body Meridian Unlock and achieved the Ren and Du meridians unlock.
So, she would understand. How grueling, painful, and difficult what he had achieved was.
However.
“It’s for the money.”
He couldn’t answer honestly as she intended. How could he explain that he is the reincarnation of the real Lee Suhyuk?
Even if she believed it, there were issues that couldn’t be spoken about. This past had to be concealed. Only by doing so could he sharpen his blade for longer.
“There are no other reasons.”
“Oh….”
Un Hyang sighed softly at Suhyuk’s answer and nodded.
“Thank you for answering. I asked something unnecessary.”
Her expression wasn’t entirely satisfied. But fortunately, Un Hyang didn’t press further. Like she said, this wasn’t a question a manager should be asking a streamer.
The conversation returned to business matters.
“Streamer Falcon Eye is affiliated with our Balhae Entertainment. He’s a long-standing streamer who has been with us for over five years.”
With those words, Un Hyang handed over an approval form.
“He has a solid fan base as a review content streamer.”
“He has a good eye. Absolutely.”
Swish-.
The documents in the approval form included personal details and stream information about streamer Falcon Eye.
His main content was reviews and feedback.
He had already reviewed Suhyuk twice before.
“The revenue from this stream will be split.”
“Revenue?”
“Yes. Including ad fees, donations, and video earnings. Everything.”
“Really?”
Suhyuk’s eyes sparkled. There was no reason to refuse a share of the points. He had been strapped for points lately.
‘After leveling up Selfish Sacrifice, I only have 120 points left.’
It was free money. Even if it cost him his hair, he needed the points now.
“Ooh…”
“Is it really that good?”
Watching Suhyuk nod without a second thought, Un Hyang was taken aback. Seeing him so pleased was nice, but it was baffling to this extent.
‘Is it really for the money?’
Initially, she didn’t think so, but now she was confused by his reaction. Suhyuk in front of her looked like someone obsessed with money.
Like he was literally mad about it.
“I mentioned earlier that I had a gift for you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the gift isn’t this stream. This is just a preview…”
Un Hyang conveyed a proposal that came through John Dale.
“How about a co-stream with this person?”
***
Having ended her conversation, Un Hyang returned to her dorm.
Shuffle, shuffle.
Dragging her exhausted body, she threw herself onto the bed.
Plop-.
She buried her face in the pillow.
Suhyuk’s words echoed in her mind.
“It’s for the money.”
Money.
Suhyuk didn’t make excuses for his purpose in becoming a streamer. Behind the mask that concealed his face.
The only visible part was his eyes. But Un Hyang was even more convinced after seeing those eyes. Despite the words he spoke. His reason for becoming a streamer couldn’t be just about money.
“He’s so damn cool…”
Pop, pop-pop-.
Pow-!
She punched the pillow, but failing to control her strength, the cushion burst. Feathers scattered through the air. But she was too preoccupied, her mind filled with thoughts of Lee Suhyuk.
‘Absolutely no way.’
She knew better than anyone how excruciating breaking through the full body meridian path was.
Yet, to do it amidst the blazing hot electrocution that left stones charred? To channel that kind of magic through his meridians?
She could confidently say she wouldn’t last a single minute.
Yet—
‘He endured it. Through sheer willpower.’
No matter how much someone loves money, it’s hard to believe. The eyes behind the mask shown in the stream were not the eyes of someone just chasing after money.
Even so—
“There are no other reasons.”
He went out of his way to block out the truth.
‘It seemed like he didn’t want to talk about it.’
Just like his face was covered by a mask, it felt like he had many secrets. But secrets are inherently things one doesn’t want to talk about.
Therefore—
“Let’s not get curious.”
Burying her face in the burst pillow, she chuckled.
“Because I’m a manager.”
She and he were in a manager and streamer relationship. A manager’s role included protecting the streamer’s privacy. But what good would it do if a manager started prying into a streamer’s private life?
If, someday—
Suhyuk chose to open up to her and share his story, that might be different. Regaining her composure, Un Hyang got up from where she had been lying.
And then—
“Aaah! What the hell is this!”
She screamed, looking around the room. The entire place was a mess with pillow stuffing scattered everywhere.
***
Click-.
Like Un Hyang, Suhyuk returned to his dorm and removed his mask.
His reflection in the mirror by the bed revealed a face completely different from what he showed the world, except for his black hair.
‘What am I trying to hide?’
He had grown too accustomed to wearing masks for a long time. In truth, there was no real reason to hide his face from Un Hyang.
Even if Lee Suhyuk the streamer’s face were revealed to the world right now, it wouldn’t cause any particular issues.
His real mask wasn’t this thin piece of metal.
“It’s not for money, right?”
For some reason, her words lingered in his mind.
Money.
On a basic level, that was the reason he became a streamer. The currency in this world was points, and a successful streamer could earn a lot of points.
But.
If he were to answer honestly, what was his ultimate goal?
Revenge? Or finding his surviving friends?
Countless questions and uncertainties floated through his mind. Unable to make a decision, his thoughts drifted.
And then—
“Both… both, actually.”
He realized he didn’t have to choose one over the other.
Minjae, Suhoon, Jiyoung.
Three friends who had died right in front of him.
He had no way of knowing how many of the other four had survived.
He vaguely hoped that Shiwoo, at least, was still alive.
He had no intention of just letting their deaths go unavenged.
He wasn’t going to choose one over the other.
He had to accomplish both.
And to do that—
He had to obtain greater lightning and control it more perfectly than before.
『You have used 40,000 points.』
『The skill level of “Selfish Sacrifice Lv3” has increased.』
“Ouch…”
It pained him.
“My points…”
『Points remaining: 120p』
Watching his points plummet, leaving him with a measly 120, Suhyuk closed his eyes tightly.
Had Balhae Entertainment not provided him with accommodation, he would have been out on the streets.
But because of that—
【 Selfish Sacrifice 】
Category: Skill
Grade: C
Level: 4
Suppresses the side effects of skills and items that harm the user’s body. Points can be used to upgrade the skill’s grade and level.
Required points: 80,000p
He had managed to increase the skill level of Selfish Sacrifice once more.
‘Now it’s C grade.’
The grade was still low. But the grade wasn’t particularly crucial for this skill. It was initially evaluated lowly because it was a supporting skill for other skills.
The suppression effect of Selfish Sacrifice was more powerful than most holy swords.
‘The collab stream is tomorrow, right?’
The collab stream was scheduled to take place on the third floor. The only thing left on the second floor was finalizing the rewards. He could move to the next floor whenever he resumed the trial.
“I’d better prepare for the stream soon.”
Today’s stream was likely to be short.
***
In the heart of the fourth floor.
A man was looking at a large monitor inside a building with tall, blue-glass windows covering its facade, in the middle of a city packed with high-rise buildings.
“Honestly, there isn’t much to say about this part. So I’ll keep it short.”
It was streamer Falcon Eye’s stream.
“So, who exactly is this guy?”
“Falcon Eye. His name is in short for ‘Eye of the Falcon,’ and he usually has around 8,000 viewers.”
“A streamer? One of those clowns?”
Snickering, the man’s subordinate corrected him.
“We can’t just dismiss them as clowns. Considering the influence and market potential of that field.”
“Aren’t they just failures who couldn’t cut it as players?”
“That’s true, but recently, several rankers, including Reinhardt, have started streaming for fun.”
“That’s just a hobby. Just because someone cooks for fun doesn’t make them a professional chef, right?”
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
The man only mocked streamers who were professionals.
He didn’t dismiss the act of streaming itself.
Boom-!
The streamer introduced through Falcon Eye’s stream was Lee Suhyuk.
The Lightning Spear he fired caught the man’s attention.
“Oh-.”
Screech-.
The man, previously half-lying on his chair, straightened up.
“That’s impressive. Quite something.”
“Is it?”
“That guy didn’t blink once. Don’t you get it? Blue Eyes’ spearman, Choi Suhoon, once said, ‘The throw begins with keeping your eyes unblinking.’”
“You even remember such things, Cha Minwoo-nim?”
“Of course.”
The man, Cha Minwoo, shrugged his shoulders proudly.
“Blue Eyes was the best. Not just Lee Suhyuk but the entire team.”
Blue Eyes.
Although a small guild consisting of only eight members, they were widely known. They were overshadowed by Lee Suhyuk’s name, but every member was an exceptional player.
Of course.
“It’s just Lee Suhyuk. What more needs to be said?”
Regardless, one couldn’t deny that Lee Suhyuk was the best.
“What nonsense is that idiot spewing?”
Cha Minwoo’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Just because he did well once, he’s attaching someone else’s name?”
“The biggest issue with streamers. They’ll do anything for the sake of being sensational.”
“Tch.”
Cha Minwoo clicked his tongue briefly, then turned off the screen and asked.
“So, what? Why did you show me this?”
“It wasn’t my idea. Guild Leader Kim Ilsoo asked me to show you.”
“Ilsoo hyung?”
Kim Ilsoo. He’s the guild leader of Blue Zone and a player Cha Minwoo respects the most.
He was also—
Once a member of Blue Eyes, like Lee Suhyuk.
“Wasn’t lightning originally the symbol of Blue Eyes? And Blue Eyes is the predecessor of our Blue Zone.”
With that explanation, Cha Minwoo’s eyes sparkled.
“Are we recruiting him?”
“Yes.”
The subordinate nodded and handed over a bag filled with points converted into currency.
“We’ve allocated a generous budget, so make sure to bring him in.”
TL’s Corner:
Oh no, trouble is brewing.